Love Where You Live: Getting Started with Feng Shui for A Healthier, Happier, More Harmonious Home
- Erin
- Apr 30
- 7 min read
Updated: 8 hours ago
“Every aspect of your life is energetically anchored in your living space."
Karen Kingston
Many people associate Feng Shui with furniture placement, fountains, windchimes, mirrors or mystical superstitions. While these do play a part, the practice actually goes far deeper into psychology. Feng Shui is rooted in observation and awareness of energy. It's about opening the door to a more conscious relationship with your environment in order to create balance, harmony and sustainability.
New to Feng Shui? Start here! In this post, we’ll address the most common questions, myths and misconceptions of this timeless practice and show how it can be applied in a way practical way to modern homes and everyday living.
There's no way around it: The energy of our surroundings affects our well-being. When your space feels good, life tends to flow better too. What is YOUR home trying to tell you?
What is Feng Shui?
Feng Shui, (pronounced "fung schway”) translates to "wind and water" in Chinese. It is the ancient art and science of aligning people with their environments. arranging spaces to support one's well-being. It’s based on the flow of “chi,", "Qi" or vital life force energy - meant to replicate the balance and harmony of nature and the outdoors.
While it originated in China thousands of years ago, today Feng Shui is practiced all over the world. In chinese culture, your home is your vision board. You can choose and cultivate your space like you do your future: Everything in it is either affirming your growth, or anchoring you to the past.
If you have a goal or a desire such as improving an area of your life (career, love, finances, health, safety etc), or your mood (greater clarity, comfort, inner peace), then you can use feng shui to ensure that your space supports these intentions in a positive way.
Further reading: Feng Shui Basics
Feng shui is a valuable path to wellness in a cluttered world. It’s all about creating a space that helps you thrive.
How does Feng Shui work?
Just as blockages and poor circulation in your body affect one's physical health, the energy resulting from stagnant Chi in your home can adversely affect your emotional and physical wellbeing. If you live with others or live in an older home, multiply that further. These blocks affect everyone and can fuel stress, friction, conflict, illness and disease without you ever realizing it.
For homeowners, Feng Shui can improve specific areas of your life by adjusting how energy flows through their space. For home buyers, it can help you choose a home that feels more supportive and aligned with your unique energetic frequency.
OPTIMIZE your S-P-A-C-E
Stable & Supportive
Purposeful & Planned
Accessible & Approachable
Clean & Clear
Elementally & Energetically Balanced
What are the benefits of feng shui?
The many benefits and outcomes of a professional feng shui attunement include:
Increased pride of ownership
Improved self-worth
Decreased subconscious energy blocks
Cultivating spaces for healing & growth
Boosted feelings of safety & security
Enhanced creativity and productivity
Improved environmental ambiance & atmosphere
Attracting new opportunities or people
Elevated energetic quality and movement
Aligning inner and outer worlds
Done properly, Feng Shui promotes a sense of positivity and fulfillment. And who doesn't want more joy in their life?
Are there common misconceptions about Feng Shui?
Many people confuse feng shui with interior design or decorating when it's actually much more nuanced, complex and even spiritual.
Feng shui isn't about
major renovations or changes
strict rules
curses and bad luck
expensive decor
perfection or accuracy
instant results
quick fixes
square footage
Instead it's about
mindfulness
intuition
thoughtfulness
energy flow
balance
symbolism
alignment
intention
meaningful shifts
consistency
commitment
Lastly, because it's about energy, feng shui can be adapted for any space, including small apartments or shared homes. You can apply it to spaces as large as a festival grounds, and as small as an office desk.
The smallest, most subtle shifts can have the greatest ripple effect.
How do you know if a home has good feng shui?
A home with good Feng Shui feels more welcoming, even if you can’t explain why. This most often involves
an open floorplan
good natural light
natural elements
a safe and pleasant neighborhood.
Finding a home with these elements naturally results in a stronger emotional connection, which is vital when making an important purchase like where to start a family or lay down roots.
Want more? Check out this blog: The Energetics of Real Estate: The Top Feng Shui Tips & Tricks for Home Buyers & Sellers
Good feng shui is about a FEELING, not an aesthetic. Trust how a space makes you feel inside — that gut feeling is your inner compass, your energy responding.
How do you approach a Feng Shui consultation for a home?
There are several schools of Feng Shui, each with its own perspective and approach. My approach blends these traditions to meet the unique goals and needs of each client.
I begin every consultation by clarifying the homeowner or buyer’s intentions — what they want to shift, improve, or call into their life.
From there, I evaluate the energetic qualities of the space according to the Bagua, and it's corresponding earth elements. I assess how key energy centers like the entrance, kitchen, and bedroom are expressed through layout, color, lighting, décor, and flow, and determine whether or not they're in balance.
I also consider broader influences, including your elemental personality or your home’s numerology.
Once I've completed the assessment, I offer a custom set of recommendations, remedies and cures that may include:
Subtractions: Decluttering and removing items that you don’t love, use, or need
Additions: Elemental enhancements, traditional and transcendental cures
Modifications: Simple shifts like rearranging what you already have
The goal is to create a space that not only looks good — but feels good too. One that is deeply supportive, nourishing, and aligned with who you are and what you desire.
Can anyone do feng shui?
Of course, a certified consultant can offer deeper insights and potentially faster, more dramatic results because of their wealth of knowledge. But this isn't required.
Despite popular belief, anyone can practice Feng Shui. Yes, even you!
You don’t need to be from a certain culture, heritage or religion to begin. You don't need to be a master or an expert with expensive trainings or certifications. Remember, small shifts in your spaces are accessible to everyone and can make a noticeable difference in the energy flow.
Stay tuned in the coming months as I will be offering a video training on how everyday people can harness their innate power to maintain basic "home hygiene" through energy clearing.
At its heart, Feng Shui is about the simple awareness of how your environment affects your energy, emotions, and experiences. It starts with tuning in to your space and your life, and then setting an intention to make a change or improvement.
Not ready to commit to a full Feng Shui Consultation?
Try these simple, do-it-yourself tips that can have a powerful impact on your energy and space. Experiment and see what you find! You have the power to transform your life, and the tools to begin.
Visualize a Favorite Place: Close your eyes and picture a place you love — somewhere that brings you joy or peace. Imagine it with all your senses: What do you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel? These clues reveal your values, the feelings and natural elements you can begin to bring into your living or work space for deeper harmony.
Set a Clear Intention for Your Space: Think about what you want to invite more of into your life and write a short affirmation for each area you’d like to enhance. Example: “I am living with the love of my life, and together we are creating a home filled with laughter, joy, and deep connection.” or “My home is a sanctuary of peace, joy, and possibility.”
Declutter With Care: Clutter is simply stuck energy. Unfortunately it's not harmless - it is quietly draining your focus, increasing your stress, and blocking the flow of inspiration, opportunity and abundance. Get rid of clutter by evaluating every item that surrounds you, asking "Do I need, use or love this?" If you find that something doesn't bring you joy or that you're keeping it out of guilt or fear, let it go!
Welcome Fresh Energy: There are so many simple ways to bring new energy into your home: Opening windows, burning sage, adding fresh flowers or plants, rearranging furniture, deep cleaning, changing bedding, playing music, seasonal decor. The list goes on!
Move 27 Things: A traditional cure to clear stagnant energy: simply move 27 items in your space. It can be big or small — shifting a vase, moving a lamp, rearranging a shelf, or switching out art, pillows, or linens.
Release what no longer serves you so that you can make room for what does.
Wrapping It Up
Feng Shui isn’t about following rigid rules or turning your home into a museum of lucky charms — it’s about creating a space that supports who you are and most importantly, who you want to become.
Whether you’re a curious beginner or simply seeking more ease and clarity at home, Feng Shui offers accessible tools to shift energy and invite harmony. It's also about the bigger picture: creating a better world, promoting collective healing and universal peace and prosperity. We must preserve this wisdom for generations to come!
Working with a skilled feng shui consultant can help you tailor your space to your unique energy and goals. They bring wisdom from various schools and real-world experience from former clients to give you grounded, personalized guidance — no guesswork needed.
I am a IFSG Red-Ribbon certified Feng Shui consultant based in Asheville, specializing in creating balanced, welcoming spaces for homeowners, renters, and anyone in transition. It is an honor to be part of your space and your story.
Read more about feng shui attunements here, and book yours today!
“Our contribution to the progress of the world must consist in setting our own house in order.”
Mahatma Ghandi
Erin is a certified feng shui consultant, energy healer, wellness coach and holistic growth strategist.
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