Feng Shui for Real Life

From The Georgetowner, November 14, 2007

Many of us have a love-hate relationship with holidays like Thanksgiving that involve large amounts of food and potentially emotional family gatherings. We love the bounty of food and the joy of seeing family and friends, but the strain of cooking, cleaning, and entertaining can result in more stress than harmony.

According to Feng Shui practitioner Carol M. Olmstead, the cause of this discord may not be you or your family. It could be how you arrange your house during the holiday season.

As you get ready for Thanksgiving this year, Olmstead recommends following a few Feng Shui tips to balance the energy in your home and cut down on the family feuds.

• Use your dining room often during Thanksgiving because it is considered a place of wealth in Feng Shui; this is not the time to wolf down leftovers sitting in front of the TV.
• Bring out the good stuff, like the china, crystal, silver hiding in your cabinets and closets; what are you saving it for if not for the holidays?
• Use a centerpiece of orange flowers to encourage conversation, or a display of fresh fruit and vegetables to symbolize good health and longevity.
• Entertaining guests is associated with wealth, so hang a mirror in your dining room to reflect your guests and symbolically double your wealth.
• Sit at a round or oval table because there are no sharp corners aimed at guests; if you have a rectangular table cover it with a tablecloth to smooth the edges.
• Place bowls of snacks and pitchers of beverages wherever people gather in your home to represent the prosperity to continually feed guests.

The colors, aromas, and tastes of food are strongly related to good Feng Shui, according to Olmstead. “In Feng Shui, we divide energy into yin (the dark, heavy side), and yang (the bright, lighter side),” she explains. “Since the winter months are the yin side of our energy, we need to balance this darker, lower, colder energy with strong yang energy in our food for the holidays.”

Olmstead recommends cooked foods, spices, and hot foods such as chile peppers, ginger, and garlic as perfect yang choices for Thanksgiving. Foods like raw vegetables and fish are yin, and are better used in moderation during this period.

If your family is prone to arguments when gathered around the Thanksgiving table, Olmstead recommends these strategies to balance the hot yang energy and cool things down:

• Invite an even number of guests and keep the lights low and soft.
• Decorate with soothing earth tones like gold, brown, and green.
• Keep shiny surfaces and sharp edges to a minimum; remove the carving knife from the table after the turkey is carved and you will avoid sharp words and arguments.

Olmstead says if all else fails, keep in mind that whoever is seated nearest to the door will be the first one to leave. So you might want to consider a seating plan if you have any annoying relatives.

Bring a little bit of the practical magic of Feng Shui into your home this Thanksgiving and your family will be filled with peace and harmony through the coming year.