My girlfriend got me a Fung Shui book for Christmas and not long after the intro the author explained that the closet… ” No! Not the closet!” It’s energy would be negative on my life; chaotic if messy. The mess, the mess! ….The closet… it was a mess…. I ran into the bedroom! Folded everything neatly and placed the clothes against the wall (we just moved in) and breathing a sigh of relief I sat down and picked up the book again; feeling calmer than before; Flowing Chi.

There’s a chi story in the book.

“A man has to stoop under an overgrown branch to get in his front door. He doesn’t trim the branch, and has to stoop every day for a year to get in his door. Soon he begins to walk in a stooped posture everywhere he goes. One branch in need of trim has changed a mans gait. His stoop leads to illness, loss of work, and financial problems.

Now the man’s neighbor comes to the door with fresh vegetables from his garden. The branch hinders the neighbors easy access to the door, so instead of putting his basket down and stooping to get to the door, he decides to take his produce to someone else. What’s more, the neighbor leaves with the impression that the man isn’t very friendly. Why would he let the branch grow in front of his door if he were? He decides that he won’t visit the man again. In the days that follow, the neighbor mentions his experience to several people. Each time the story is told it gets more exaggerated, with everyone concluding that the man is an embarrassment to the neighborhood because of his poorly kept property and unwelcoming demeanour.

The compounded impact of one seemingly insignificant thing in the man’s life has become great indeed.” – T.K. Collins

Fung shui is acquired knowledge and perception of yin and yang as well as the 5 elements flowing chi’. This is very new to me. The above chart is a little over my head and probably more geared towards chi as a whole and not as a flowing space called home. But I like to view Chi’ in a simple way: Simple energies; creating a place to be productive, spiritual, happy…. far from a zen or fung shui master, I try to balance room; and thus is all I have practiced so far.

I find it similar to my zen studies as not to be messy, enjoy change and every moment and that everything has its order and it’s place. Fung shui teaches us that the energy is important; causing effects on all aspects of our lives, moving and flowing through the elements and I’m starting to see and understand, (a little).

Cleaning and arranging can be a spiritual and enjoyable processes if you let it be, “every step in life you may only take once,”. – Zen saying.

Enjoy brightening your life.

Nina Yin