Co-written by Kim Downy, Lakelife Feng Shui

Who wouldn’t want more harmony around the holidays – Peace on Earth, Joy to the World (and in our homes!). 2020 has been a year where many of us have been confined to the home office or working from our dining room table, feeling the stress of our home and work life merging into one. This year more than ever, we need to approach the holiday season and our living space with intention.

What if you could make simple changes that could help strengthen your relationships, bring you more joy and creativity into your day, and help you create a feeling of wealth and abundance in your home? The ancient tools of Feng Shui and essential oils are thousands of years old, but just as powerful, and perhaps even more necessary in today’s world. 

Wondering what Feng Shui is? It’s an ancient Chinese method of arranging your space to create more harmony and a better flow of energy.   Feng Shui works through the use of intention, symbolism and the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water).  The holiday season is the perfect time to utilize Feng Shui enhancements to bring a feeling of peace and harmony into your home.

How can essential oils help? Our sense of smell is closely linked to the part of the brain that is associated with memory and emotions. Aromas from pure essential oils* can evoke fond memories of holidays past and help create new ones. Essential oils can uplift emotions and ease stress for a festive and lighthearted mood. (Not to mention offering immune support for a healthy holiday!) 

Many families have been forced to take a look at their home to accommodate working at home and remote learning. Feng Shui and essential oils allow you to create rooms in your home that support different areas of your life.  Colors, symbolism, elements and aromas are a powerful way to enhance a room and create powerful reminders of the life you want to create. 

Essential oils can set the mood and even change your experience in a space throughout the day. Diffusing a blend of peppermint and citrus brings alertness and uplifts the mood in a space. Great for mornings! Tree oils like Cedarwood or Northern Lights Black Spruce are very grounding and can help with focus and calming occasional anxiety. Combined with Frankincense they are wonderful for prayer or meditation. Tree oils in a blend like tranquil with Lavender, and Roman Chamomile can be grounding AND calming to offer a peaceful atmosphere for rest or sleep. 

And for the festive mood, Christmas Spirit (not just for Christmas!) is a blend of aromas that evoke memories of the holidays – cinnamon bark, orange and spruce. 

Try this simple exercise and then join Kim Downey, owner of Lake Life Feng Shui for our upcoming workshop and learn how to help make it happen: 

Take a few minutes to think about how you want the holidays to feel for you and your family. Use an essential oil that opens the heart like the blend Joy (with Rose), or helps let go of negative emotions like Release blend (with Ylang Ylang).  How will the holidays be different this year? Let yourself feel those emotions. Write down the experience you want including all your senses. How it will look, feel, smell, sound and even taste. Bring this to our upcoming workshop and we can discuss ways to help make it happen in our Q&A.

Here’s a quick example for the relationship area of your home: 

When you walk through your front door, the back right corner of your home is the Relationship Area when using the Bagua Map. Activate this area of your home and life by decorating with the colors pink and red. Decorate with items in twos, like a pair of doves representing togetherness and peace in your relationships. Do you have a lot of decorations that express loneliness or sadness?  Move it out!  Pay attention to how colors make you feel and how other members of your household are affected by it. Red can really heighten the energy of a room so be careful how much you are using. In Feng Shui red represents the fire element and too much can cause heated arguments. Essential oil blends like Joy and Harmony open the heart, ease tension, and promote feelings of love. Peace & Calming and Stress Away are two wonderful blends to promote calm. 

At our free lunchtime workshop we will share tips for making simple changes to various areas in the home to manifest the outcome you desire during the holidays and into the new year. You will have an opportunity to ask questions and receive a Quick Tips guide to work with your own space. 

Intentional Holiday Decorating for Harmony and Abundance, Wed., December 9, 12-12:30 pm Central.

Register by clicking here

 Mary Slight, maryslight.com, mary@maryslight.com. 847-736-2161, Young Living Brand Partner             

Kim Downey,  https://www.lakelifefengshui.com/ kimdonwneyconsulting@gmail.com 847-826-5956

Content provided by Women Belong member Mary Slight