these are the times i *ignore* shui

part of my job when working with clients is to prioritize my recommendations so they can experience a more immediate shift toward their desired outcomes +/or reprieve from the frustration or challenge that brought me into their home.
 
and part of that assessment is figuring out what they LOVE because i know that is already energetically working for them.
 
which is why i will never say something is “good” or “bad” just for shui’s sake…
 
today, i am sharing a handful of the “rules” i break in our home and explaining why i wouldn’t change a thing.

 ONE: before i ever thought about becoming a practitioner, i was a client. i had 5 consultations with 5 different practitioners – each with a different approach / perspective on how to “shui” our home.  

and one of those early conversations regarded books. there was one particular consultant who – after walking our entire home – recommended we lose the numerous piles of books around our home, and that little piece of advice bothered me. i LOVE books so much and remember immediately thinking if books were cramping my Feng Shui efforts, i wanted no part of this practice. this was the first time i recall, too, asking for an alternative. she had none.

the books stayed and as we fast forward to today, you’ll still find books by my bed (more than most practitioners would agree with – haha!); books on the shelves; books in every nook of our home. even though i do believe in a good edit, books here will always outrank whatever the shui (or organizing) take on them is!

TWO: if you follow me on Insta or here, you know what i am about to say is gospel truth: I WORSHIP COLOR. and yet, i am not devoted to the bagua color suggestions. sometimes, what i LOVE for a space isn’t a good match for the colors “most at home” in a specific gua, and i find other ways to play up that elemental presence. (so, if you’ve been looking for permission to drift from that shui color scheme, you’re welcome!)

THREE: i say it often, but it’s always good to re-iterate: Feng Shui is not minimalism. instead, it is mindful discernment about the energy around you. which is why i can tell you without blushing that i do *hoarde* a few things: candles and cookbooks, for starters. there are so many reasons WHY i think this is – my LOVE for both topping the list – but i happen to know “fire” energy fuels me. (i am very Earthy, and Fire is good fuel for Earth peeps!). so, whether i am lighting another candle or stoking the burners / turning on the oven, i am more than fine having a couple shelves filled to the brim with a little excess “nourishment!”  

FOUR: people often ask me how they can get their spouse / parent / kid / loved one to participate in their shui efforts. and 99.9% of the time, i say, “you can’t Feng Shui other people without their permission.”

instead, i recommend working strategically to influence the energy of the home because that is something everyone feels and receives regardless of their participation.

however, when it comes to our kiddos, there are moments when intervening is necessary, and i have no qualms shui-ing on their behalf when those circumstances present. i don’t helicopter our kids, but when they’ve been on the brink of some sort, i fully embrace getting in their rooms and opening the blinds / drapes; enforcing “new” house rules; setting limitations on devices; keeping the doors open; and even hanging a bell on their doorknob!

bottom line: it is okay – in the right circumstances – to step in and create the opportunity for something better, especially if your kiddo can’t see that possibility for themselves. 

FIVE: if it is rooted in fear, it’s not for me. don’t get me wrong – i LOVE the superstitious realm of shui, but when the language or suggestions are cloaked with fear, i am going to pass. every single time.

this is not out of disrespect; rather, it is acknowledging that – as in any other energetic language or field – we are always evolving and what once was available to us has proliferated. we have oodles of options today. so many options, in fact, that shui isn’t the only consideration on the table when we want to trigger change or influence a positive outcome. so, why dance with fear when simply being out in the world creates enough of that for us? 
 
we’re all humans here having experiences and no amount of anything is going to protect us from learning and growing. instead, i am more interested in helping my people create the environments where the “good” can more naturally flourish so the “bad” doesn’t get too comfy. xo