Clearing clutter is the best antidepressant there is. This is because stale, stagnant air that usually sticks to untouched, unmoved junk in the home often makes the surrounding chi heavy, creating vibrations that make you feel depressed. Each time I meet someone assailed by the blues who seems set on a downward spiral of depression, I know that part of the reason is that the energy of their surrounding space is too heavy for them and is weighing them down. Unless you make a conscious effort to regularly clear your life of the physical and mental junk that builds up over time, there will eventually come a moment when your energy sphere will become weakened and stale. Here are some essential practices for home feng shui to revitalize your kitchen for a fresh start.
Manage Clutter on Countertops
It is a good idea to direct your attention, on a regular basis, to the tabletops of your home. Why? Because tabletops become covered in junk so fast that it’s incredible. Coffee tables, kitchen counters, work tables, cabinet surfaces, dressing tables, and office desktops all collect it. Any elevated surface will invite you to place your bags, grocers, files, and envelops upon it—so it is necessary to devise a method for keeping tabletops at least reasonably clear.
Throw out Chipped and Broken Utensils
Go through the crockery, vases, and ceramics that are in your home. Be firm with yourself. Do this and you will be surprised at just how much damaged crockery, broken plates, and utensils lurk in your kitchen cabinet.
Clean the Refrigerator
Clean the refrigerator once a month, so that leftover food does not get lost in the back of it. Do the same for the cabinets. For example, people have a habit of ignoring canned food for so long that it turns bad before they notice. The same thing can happen with exotic sauces and seasonings that can degenerate in half-open bottles and containers.
Take Stock of your Cookware
In the kitchen, all physical junk should be thrown away. Included in this category are not merely stale food and foodstuffs, but also broken plates, cups, and bowls. Cooking pots and plans don’t last forever. Don’t buy a new frying pan and keep the old one with its scratched Teflon surface—or that worn-out coffee maker that you have already replaced with a brand new model.
Double-Check Trash Cans
Make sure to clear the garbage regularly and to throw away rotting food. I have seen untidy, dirty kitchens ruin more marriages and cause more heartache than I care to tell.
Foster Good Fortune in The Dining Room
It is always a good idea to maintain a clutter-free environment in the dining room, since this is where the good fortune of the house manifests on a daily basis in the form of food on the table. The dining room is the heart of the home, a place which much be kept clean and full of vitality—a veritable storehouse of good chi. In many homes, insufficient attention is focused on keeping this room energized.
Promote Energy Flow for Healthy Home Feng Shui
Revitalizing your life and your home should be an exciting, joyous activity. This is because this kind of work opens up channels and unblocks the energy flow so that light and chi may permeate every pore of your body and every atom of space around you. In a healthy home, there is warmth and constantly moving energy. There is little stagnation present. This is the kind of home that has and encourages a spirit of abundance.
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.