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Holidays with Feng Shui

By on November 29, 2010
Photo © Elena Derevtsova
 
Tis the season
Holidays are times when we gather together to share and to luxuriate in gratitude, giving, and wellness. The end of the calendar year is a time in several cultures for family gatherings and gift-giving. Here are some practical guidelines to help you get the most out of the holiday season.

Let there be light!
Holidays in the dark, cold winter often focus on the Fire element: Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa all feature candles and light (notice how Christmas has stars as well). The heat and light from these festivals help to balance the cold and darkness in the outer world, and symbolically speak to the light of spirit and consciousness within. However, the overabundance of this element in the home can lead one feeling burned out. Think about how many people do get burned out with all the shopping, cooking, celebrating, relationship dynamics, and expectations of the season. Since candles burn out – and symbolically, trees burn too since Fire burns Wood – it is important to balance the colours and elements in your decorating to help stabilize the energy in your home. Accent with blue tones and metal objects – both of them counteract fire with their coolness. In recent years, blue Christmas decorations have been very popular, and silver or frosted trees can also help to balance the excess of Fire in decorations. If you have trees and lighting, you don’t need to use much in the traditional red-green palette.

Deck the halls…
Where you place your holiday decorations can help to maximize your enjoyment of the season. Christmas trees need to be in a safe space where they will not impair movement and circulation – don’t block doors or passageways. An ideal corner to place it in is the left corner opposite the door (when looking into the room) – this is the area that represents Wealth and Blessings. As these trees collect gifts underneath them, this location is a powerful way to increase the sense of luck and good fortune. Another great location is the far side of the room from the entrance, in the very centre, where the theme of Fame & Reputation is centered. As this area speaks to illumination and is highlighted by fire, the pointy lit-up Christmas tree is well suited for this area (I’d still suggest some shades of metal and blues in the decor). This back-center area of the room is also an ideal place for the Menorah, as the fire and flames are the very raison-d’etre of this holiday. Always make sure that your candles are nowhere near flammable objects, including plants and curtains.

‘For me? You shouldn’t have…really…’
Giving gifts is an important part of many holidays, yet this ritual can become meaningless if not done with thought. One of the joys of a well-chosen present is that the sense of ‘presence’ lasts beyond the second-by-second anticipation prior to and while unwrapping them. The effort that goes into choosing gifts can go a long way to their being appreciated, and it is also important to let go of an attachment to your gift being received the way you want it to: once you give it, it belongs to the recipient and it is theirs to do with as they please. The last thing anyone needs is things they don’t need or want, and so allow them to do with it as they please. The current trend of gift receipts with products – they don’t show a price but enable bearers to exchange the item for another one of matching value – is a great way to give a present while being open to the recipient exercising choice once it has been given.

Afterglow
Do your best to organize the items to be kept for future use, and to recycle your waste as economically as possible. Ensure that your new gifts have a home – this can be a good opportunity to make space for them by letting go of other items that are asking to be released.

 
May your holidays be joyful and filled with presence, light, and warmth!

Mark Ainley is a contemporary Feng Shui consultant based in Vancouver. A former resident of Tokyo, he consults internationally for home and business owners. To contact him, write him at markainley@gmail.com or visit www.markainley.com

About Mark Ainley

Mark Ainley is a Contemporary Feng Shui Consultant and Emotional Stress Consultant living in Vancouver. A former 5-year resident of Tokyo, Mark consults with clients internationally to help them design living and work spaces in alignment with their goals. He also provides consulting in emotional stress management, as well as in the connection between facial structure and innate behavioural and communication patterns. He can be reached through his website: www.senseofspace.com and www.markainley.com.