Feng Shui Those Winter Blahs Away

I recently appeared on Vancouver CityTV’s Breakfast Television to discuss using Feng Shui to combat the Winter Blahs. While the questions never quite got to the topic of the Blahs – Feng Shui is so expansive that we just covered some basics – the theme is appropriate, as we can all benefit from Feng Shui applications at this time of diminished light and lowered temperatures. Your home is the one space in the world that you can control, and if you can’t impact the weather conditions outside, you can certainly choose the inner climate you wish to experience at home – this will in turn help you to adjust the inner climate of your being.

When there is so little light outside, having warm lighting in your home will help your own inner light to shine more brightly. Avoid fluorescent bulbs or other cold, harsh light sources in favour of soft, warm lighting. Salt Crystal lamps provide a wonderful source of discreet lighting with a minimum of wattage, while releasing nurturing energy into the home. Lights on dimmer switches enable you to control the amount of lighting that you experience, and standing halogen torchieres can help spread light around the room. Have some nurturing light to greet you when you enter your home so that you have a sense of warmth upon your arrival.

Dark colours have a definite impact on mood, as do deep-toned colours. Nowhere is this more evident than in the bedroom. The two pictures here show the difference in mood caused by sheet colours. I decided to buy some purple sheets that I found attractive - I thought might be on the dark side, but determined to experiment, like any good Feng Shui consultant. Sure enough, my first instincts were right: within two weeks, I found myself feeling overly negative and in a slump – that shifted within 24 hours of changing back to the warmer-coloured sheets that I usually use. Sleeping in dark colours can lead to a dark mood - my clients with blue bedrooms frequently report feeling 'blue'. Having an abundance of warm colours when it is cold and dark outside will help turn your home into a warm haven from external harshness.

If you haven’t changed or moved the objects surrounding you in a while, then life might feel stale. Life changes moment by moment, and while having a consistency enables a valuable point of reference, a lack of change in the home can lead to stagnation. When everything is the ‘same old, same old’, you are out of tune with the natural cycle of change that takes place in nature and life experience; moving things around will enable you to be more in Present Time as your senses are being stimulated by the as-yet unfamiliar backdrop. Blank walls can be a canvas waiting for the first stroke – while some find this inspiring, the result can be a feeling of Artist’s Block, not being sure what direction to head in or what first move to make. Placing at least one piece on the wall enables you to take that first step out of familiarity and into self-expression.

Artwork that inspires and motivates is particularly important in a season where that get-up-and-go may be less pronounced. While you don’t need affirmations or text in such pieces, certainly something bright and energy-raising is going improve your mood. Landscapes opening into expansive scenes, images that stimulate your spirituality, or pictures of people who warm your heart and arouse your creativity are all wonderful choices. Such pieces located near the door will help you take your inspiration into the outside world, while an inspiring piece located where you eat or relax will nourish you on multiple levels.