Make Changes Slowly

Feng Shui can have a powerful impact in our lives. Sometimes something as simple as rearranging a few things to create better flow, hanging a crystal in front of a sharp corner, or placing an important symbolic piece for support in a specific area can create powerful results. While house hunting last summer and having little success, I took a look at our current residence and realized I had forgotten to hang an important cure in the living room. I hung it, and about 2 weeks later we found our new home. Sometimes the effects are more subtle and less specific, a general feeling of ease results from a new placement, or you notice you seem to be sleeping better after making some changes in the bedroom.

Because these results can sometimes be so strong, it's important to make Feng Shui changes slowly and incrementally. When first learning about Feng Shui, there can be an impetus to make lots of changes quickly, but this can stir things up too much at times. Changing your home or work environment has been likened to making dietary changes. Too much, too fast, can send your body into fast detox, or a "healing crisis," which may be more than your body is ready to easily handle, and which can often be avoided when changes are made more gradually. The same applies to the spaces we occupy.

A good rule of thumb is to make a change, then live with it for a few days or a week or so, and see how you're feeling. If all is smooth, then continue on to the next change, and proceed in the same fashion. If things feel a bit stirred up, or the change is something you feel a bit uneasy with, live with it for a little while longer let things settle down and allow yourself to adjust to the change before continuing on to the next change.

In general, the longer you've lived in a house and with a certain arrangement, the slower your changes should be. I would advise someone who had lived into the same house for 30 years to make changes much more slowly than the person who moved into their home in the last few months.

But most of all, let your feelings and instincts guide you. Although we've been in our new home only 5 months, we are only the second owners of the 60 year old home, and my gut tells me to proceed slowly with changes, so that is what we're doing. And it feels good.