Feng Shui for the holidays

The holidays are a time when we come together with friends and family. They can also be hectic and tax our patience. This holiday season why not incorporate some feng shui techniques into your home to alleviate stress and increase your well being.

One way to do this is simply by placing your Christmas tree in family and community area of your home. (click here to see where that lies in your home) This area is governed by the wood element and the color green, so it's the perfect place for your Christmas tree. It will enhance your ties to those around you, and your home's harmony.

Burning candles or lighting a fire in the chimney will purify your personal energy. In the evening, try grouping candles together to light your room instead of using lamps. Similarly, if you have guests coming you may want to burn incense before they arrive. Smoke is a wonderful purifier. It helps alter the energy of your home and signals to your visitors that they are entering your pure and harmonious home. The most common and effective scents are sage, sweet grass or cedar. If you prefer to use essential oils to balance and purify your home try: pine, eucalyptus, ylang-ylang, or neroli.

Color also plays an important role in your home during the holiday season. Because green, red and the elements of fire and wood are yang oriented, you will want to balance out some of that strong energy with some calming yin energy in the form of blue, silver, gray or white. That being said, a wonderful color for the holiday season is purple or shades of violet. These are great for meditation, healing and reconnecting with your spiritual side, which is often overlooked during this festive season. It is also a very effective color in the fame and social life area of the home to enhance social recognition and reinforce personal goals.

Christmas is also the time of year when our homes are bombarded by clutter. It is important to keep a handle on what comes in to maintain a flow of good energy. Unwanted gifts, Christmas cards, wrapping paper and piles of trash for the bin are potential hazards to the harmony you want to maintain in your home.

Finally, here are a couple quick feng shui tips for those moments when you entertain guests in your home:

• Remove knives from your counter tops - by placing them out of sight you symbolically reduce the likelihood of arguments and irritability
• Use an oval or round dining table - the circular shape is symbolic of eternal unity and there is no risk of the a sharp edge which "cuts chi"
• Aim for octagonal or circular shaped seating - this avoids an imbalance and someone feeling being cut off from the group and is conducive to easy communication
• Remove the coffee table from the middle of the living room - this creates an open welcoming place for your guests to gather and allows more chi energy to flow amongst you

I hope these simple feng shui techniques bring peace and harmony to you and your home.

photo: Rachel Follett