Spring Cleaning Challenge
Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash
In the Chinese solar calendar, February 4th is officially called the Beginning of Spring. While it may not feel like spring yet in many places, we’re starting to shift into a season of more light, warmth, and yang energy here in the Northern Hemisphere. February can be a tough month, but feng shui offers us a way to look at this time of year a little differently: this is the time when spring energy begins to increase. Spring qi, or wood qi, builds throughout February and March until it peaks on the Spring Equinox around March 19th.
As this wood qi is building, it’s a good time to start tackling projects and try new feng shui adjustments to help clear and reset. In many cultures, this is also traditionally a time to clean and cleanse — you may even be familiar with some traditions from your own heritage or family background.
In this post, we’re going to share five ways you can bring some feng shui intention into your spring cleaning. We’re offering these tips as a spring cleaning challenge, and we invite you to do at least one of these things within the next three days. In feng shui, three is the number of new beginnings and the wood element — it has the energy of new creation and a sprout pushing out of a seed
Here are our five feng shui spring cleaning tips:
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Make your spring cleaning a ceremony.
As you do your physical spring cleaning tasks, consider making the process a ceremony by setting an intention for yourself or your home. You can also work with metal element to do this by using a bell or another object that has a clear ringing metallic sound. Metal element is great when you want to move through projects and complete things, and it also complements the wood element that is prominent at this time of year. You can ring the bell wherever you want, or try moving to the center of your home and ringing the bell nine times. Each time you ring the bell, feel the vibrations move through not only your home but also through you.
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Allow your home to breathe.
Just like you, your home needs to breathe. Open your window treatments and windows for at least nine minutes a day to let light and new fresh qi into your home. We recommend doing this until it is warm enough outside to keep the windows open more regularly. If you live in a really cold climate, you can also modify this adjustment and open your windows for nine seconds at a time.
Your windows also represent your eyes, and cleaning your windows can help you gain more clarity in your life. A great solution for cleaning windows is one part water, one part vinegar, and nine or 27 drops of orange essential oil. Oranges represent life force energy, and they are warming, active, and bright, like the sun.
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Prioritize your health.
The start of spring offers us an opportunity to reset. If you want to focus on you, your health, and your sleep this season, be sure to look at your bed. The bed is a really important place in your home to pay attention to because it’s where you rest and recharge; you can learn more by listening to our podcast episode about feng shui for the bedroom. This is a great time of year to switch out your bedding to something a bit lighter, or get yourself a new set of sheets if it’s within your budget to do so. Look for natural fibers like linen or cotton if possible, and get the best quality that you can afford. Bringing in fresh new sheets is a way to clear the energy of your whole bed. If you are getting new sheets, you can also choose a certain color based on its feng shui meaning. Yellow or sandy shades are connected to the earth element, which represents health and wellbeing.
It’s also a good idea to clean under your bed to clear out any dust bunnies and get the qi moving. If you’re using the space under your bed as storage, stick to soft items that don’t hold heavy qi, like extra bedding or seasonal clothing. If you want to really refresh the energy in your space, you can also make or purchase a mist with orange peels or orange essential oil and spray this in your bedroom for a boost of yang energy.
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Uplift your financial qi.
Your stove represents your wealth and resources, as well as how you nourish yourself. When we can cook a nourishing meal and really take care of ourselves, we can also live well in the world. It’s a good idea to keep your stove clean on a daily basis, and an occasional deep clean is also really impactful. As part of your spring cleaning, take some time to deeply clean and degrease your stove with intention, using a nontoxic cleaner. Citrus is good for degreasing surfaces, so you may want to add some orange peels or essential oil to your cleaning solution.
If you want to take it a step further, you can place a living green plant near the sink or stove in your kitchen. Your stove (or your primary cooking appliance) represents the fire element and your sink is water, and adding the wood element in the form of a plant can help to balance these two energies. This creates more harmonious qi that will help to improve your finances.
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Open yourself up to opportunities.
If you want to open yourself to new opportunities and let fresh qi into your life, take a look at your front door. This part of your home is known as the “mouth of qi” because it’s the primary place where energy comes into your space. Sweep your entryway or front step, shake out your welcome mat, and clean your front door with a simple nontoxic cleaner to get the qi moving and open up your home for spring. As you do this, you may want to create your own mantra or affirmation.
Also, notice what’s happening around your front door. Can it open fully? Is it broken or squeaky? Do your best to resolve any issues that are preventing you from coming in or out of your home with ease, with the intention of inviting new opportunities into your life.
We hope these tips help you add some extra intention into your spring cleaning, and we look forward to hearing how this challenge goes for you! Be sure to follow @mindfuldesignschool on Instagram and tag us with any updates!