Feng Shui Spring Cleaning
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Feng Shui Spring Cleaning: A How-To Guide

Okay, so I might be jumping the gun a little here. The Equinox might not technically be here yet (one more week!) but surely you’ve seen or felt the signs by now:

Sunshine. Crocuses popping up. And the shops are bursting of those pagan fertility symbols.

SPRING!

Yup. And you know what that means.

Spring cleaning is an annual tradition for a good reason. Now is the perfect time to clear out that icky heavy winter energy and freshen your home up in preparation for the warmer months.

But while cleaning is noble all on its own, in my world it makes much more sense to take that regular ol’ ritual and power it up with a some Feng Shui energy. Feng Shui is all about shifting the energy around us, minimizing anything that’s stuck and creating space for the fresh and new. It fits in perfectly well with a normal spring cleaning routine (no fancy extra equipment required).

Feeling inspired to tackle a Feng Shui spring cleaning of your own? Here are a few of the basics to get you started:


Feng Shui Spring Cleaning: A How-To Guide


1. Banish The Clutter…Again

Clutter is insidious, which means that in order to keep it at bay we have to schedule regular times to give our home a thorough decluttering. And what more appropriate time than spring cleaning? According to Feng Shui, energy accumulates around everything in our space. So the things that are just taking up room also end up blocking our chi and that’s no bueno.

So get to work. Ask yourself what you’re really getting out of each and every little thing that surrounds you. And this goes for even you neat-freak types! As much as I’m a fan of the minimalist lifestyle, I still have to keep myself on target. (I realized this as I found myself throwing out a holy old pair of leggings this week!) So often we become blind to the things in our presence (myself included).

Decluttering is really just about staying aware and maintaining control. Make sure you own your stuff and that your stuff doesn’t own you.


2. Clean Under The Things

Spring cleaning is all about being thorough. Meaning? Get under the things. Your surfaces might seem clean but dust collects underneath, the literal physical embodiment of stagnation and non-flow.

So it’s time to go deep. Pick everything up to clean your shelves, tables and cabinets. And think about your floors too: get under the sofa and definitely pay extra close attention to the bedroom. Clutter and dust beneath the bed can represent blocks in your personal life and relationships. Make things clean and clutter free to move towards resolving any hidden deceptions, resentments or old childhood traumas.


3. Clean Your Windows

If you’re searching for fresh perspective, this one’s for you. Windows allow light and fresh air into our space. If your windows are cloudy, they’re also symbolically clouding your judgment or your ability to see situations around you clearly.

Whether you’re feeling trapped in a dead-end job or just suffering from depression, cleaning the windows is a great pick-me-up. So get in there and make them shine (preferably with a non-toxic cleaner. And don’t forget to tackle the outsides as well! (Assuming you’re not living in a high rise that is.) Your blinds and curtains could undoubtedly use a cleaning while you’re at it too.


4. Have A Digital Cleaning

Clutter doesn’t just apply to the stuff in our home. It applies to our technology in the exact same way. If you’re guilty of holding onto old emails, texts or voicemails, then it’s high time to rethink that. Hanging onto these old messages for sentimental reasons is one way we can get our energy stuck in the past and can even cause confusion around current relationships.

Similarly, it’s also a great time to clean up the files and folders on your computer. If you’ve got multiple selfie sessions (or Instagram edits if you’re like me!) on your phone, delete all but one or two of the good ones.


5. Clean The Kitchen

In Feng Shui, your kitchen represents your health and ability to care for yourself. Cleaning out your cabinets, fridge and freezer should set you up to feel more healthy and energetic. (Good things especially because in spring we start to think more about the dreaded bathing suit season!). Throw away anything that’s past freshness as well as anything that you might have only used once (and are likely to never need again). While you’re at it eliminate the junk food and focus on restocking with healthy selections instead.


6. Encourage Extra Growth

If you think of energy like water, you’ll know that moving energy in one place affects it in others (just like a pool of water). So if you want to draw something into your life, creating a void is a great way to do that! One good way to do this is to completely empty out a drawer or shelf. Get rid of the things you don’t need and relocate everything else. It doesn’t really matter where you do this. It’s the act of creating a void itself that will draw new things to you. And what’s better for spring than that?


7. Think About Your Health

Feng Shui doesn’t begin and end with the objects in your home. You can give yourself a Feng Shui makeover by incorporating more lemons and greens into your diet. Spring is the season of wood energy and in TCM the wood element corresponds to sour tastes. So sour tasting food like lemons is perfect for right now as are greens, which generate more of that wood energy. So if you don’t take a hot lemon water first thing in the morning, now is a great time to start. Amp it up with a green smoothie and see how energetic you begin to feel.


8. Be Fashionable

Similarly, dressing yourself in those yellow or green colors will give you a seasonally-appropriate energy boost! You might not think of your wardrobe as having Feng Shui powers but truthfully almost everything does.

Go for blues and green, vertical stripes and cotton or linen fabrics in nubby or ribbed textures. Be warned thought! Green is very energizing so if you’re looking to calm your energy or you’re feeling restless, it’s probably not the best choice for you.




I wish you luck in your Feng Shui spring cleaning adventures! Make a date of it with yourself and then check back with how you’re feeling in a month’s time. Let me know how it goes!

Jenn Stevens The Aligned Life




PS Looking for more? You might also want to check out this post about feng shui and the law of attraction or this one about why you should practice unconditional love.




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