Feng Shui and the Introvert Home: Interview with Patricia
Is Your Home a Vision Board or a Shrine?
Introverts typically LOVE being at home. It is my favorite place to be, as it’s my sanctuary. It is important that our homes support us and help us to feel good.
In order to learn more about creating a space that functions well and gives off good energy I interviewed Fung Shui expert Patricia Lohan. Lohan is the author of The Happy Home, a book dedicated to creating a space that supports your dreams.
Fung Shui is a 4000-year-old Chinese practice, but Lohan has a fresh take on it. She went to college planning the have a “proper corporate job” but ended up moving to India to teach yoga. That evolved into helping clients with meditation and healing, where she would often ask people about their spaces at home. Knowing there was a correlation between the energy at home and life struggles. Now she and her husband are Fung Shui consultants.
Their modern approach is more about energy and less about the exact placement of the sofa. She suggests thinking of your home as a person. For example, think of the windows as eyes. When you look outside are the windows neglected and dirty?
When you look at your front door, is it easy to enter your home? Is it welcoming? This isn’t just important for your guests, but for yourself. You want to approach your home with a sense of ease and feel comfortable upon arrival.
Lohan suggests that each area of your home represents a different part of your life. For instance, the career portion is the north area of your home. You should strive to have that area be energetic and organized.
My favorite thing that Lohan said was this, “Looking at your home from a perspective of making it a vision board for your life as opposed to a shrine to your past.” That is such a powerful mindset.
Often times, she works with clients who have let their home go stagnant. They have the same things for decades. Things they don’t use anymore and no longer enjoy. She states that we commonly make do with what we have, not even realizing we don’t really like it.
Lohan says, “Fung Shui is acupuncture for your home.” The energy from one area spreads to others. So, it is important to not ignore a space.
The Effect of Artwork
Many of us put artwork up and leave it. It is another common place where stagnancy can develop. She suggests taking a fresh look at the artwork you’re displaying in your home. Ask yourself, does it depict what you want to attract? For example, if you’re a single person hoping to be in a relationship, your artwork should not be of single items (people, animals, etc.). Rather, you want artwork that showcases couples or pair of items (birds for example). She regularly sees this practice bring things to fruition.
Fung Shui Tips for Introverts
Introverts crave quiet and calm, but we also need to stretch ourselves a bit.
Lohan recommends artwork featuring trees, indicative of growth that is slow and over time. She also suggests having fresh flowers around, again for their natural growth.
Textures are important and she suggests softness for its nurturing quality.
Lohan suggests limiting the use of dark blues, which tend to be slowing and emotional. For areas of the home that could use an energy boost she encourages using red, orange, or pink.
Take a walk around your home and honestly evaluate your home, is it a vision board for your future or a shrine to your past? Your home is your safe haven and part of your support system. I hope you will use these tips to curate a space that has the energy you need to achieve your dreams.
Lohan’s website has lots of additional tips. Each Thursday she does a Facebook Live Q & A to go over more topics. With the purchase of her book The Happy Home you will receive a free class.
