Feng Shui Your Tea

It is a new year so, instead of making all kinds of unattainable resolutions why not bring balance and harmony back into your life?

How will you feng shui your tea? You won’t exactly rearrange your tea, but perhaps the way you drink it, where you drink it or even when you drink it.

By making some simple changes or following some simple rules, this may help you to achieve goals that seemed far from your reach at one time.

First, I offer a few words about my interpretation of what feng shui is and the true definition. The very simple and pared-down version of the definition of feng shui is as follows: rules for Chinese philosophies that govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to patterns of ying and yang and the flow of energy. My take is similar, I feel that if you can relax in an environment that is pleasing and you are drinking a healthful beverage and perhaps you can do this at least once to twice per day, you will no doubt slow the pace of your life down. This will help you to achieve quite a few things: less stress and great down time to re-energize or reorganize.

So are you truly achieving your harmony with your environment? Are you being one with nature? While I will not be offering a complete tutorial on feng shui or theory of feng shui itself, I will offer, I hope merely some ideas to help you achieve harmonious living and a less stressful daily living régime that will help you to beat the winter blues and enhance your personal serenity.

The Chinese believe that energy is inherent in all things. The literal meaning of feng shui means “wind and water”. Their theories bring in five elements: such as wood, water, southwest arrangement, fire, and triangular shapes.

Start to bring your home into the “feng way” by entering your front door and really looking objectively around your home. Is it clean or is it cluttered? Homes are to live in and children live in homes, your goal is not to create a clinical “spit-shined” home that only looks like people could live there; but one that is free and light. Look to see if you have junk, boxes, books, shoes, bags, papers…the list could go on, but I won’t you get the idea. If you have it lying around this is your first stop-remove clutter! Clutter in our homes creates stress and often creates a cycle of depressive feelings. It weighs us down and even will transcend to all who enter.

Bring in the light; brighten up your space by simply opening the curtains or repair those that do not work so you can let the light in. In the spring and summer months open windows.

Pick your tea spot. This is where you are most comfortable. This can be your study, kitchen, bedroom, patio, or sunroom for example. Wherever you currently love to relax-this is where you should take your tea.
Rearrange your seating to face southeast, east, south or north. Now bring in fire! This can be a comfy colorful pillow or candle. The suggested colors are red, orange, purple, or yellow. For the wood element, try a wooden tray, a wooden trivet, or tea pot with bamboo handle. For the triangle shape, try to find a dish in that shape or just face a square item to look like a diamond so that in your mind each half represents a triangle. And for the fifth part of the theory the water can be represented by a table waterfall or water feature or a simple small bowl of water to gaze into. So now you have all five elements except your tea.

The tea brewing is an important one. Go slowly and enjoy the aromas of the tea as you focus listening to outdoor sounds or perhaps mood enhancing music. Use clean utensils and always use fresh water to make your tea. Once your tea is made, be ready to relax. Sit back in your new tea spot while purging the negative. You will be able to experience your special sensory journey as you interact with your environment and good energy.

Here are a few more ideas you can use to delve even further into the feng shui experience:
The Chinese believe that Oolong, Jasmine, green tea, and Per-uh (or Per-er) is the best feng shui teas.

Tea pot/cup decorations can further change the “luck” or prosperity, or even offer protection by their designs. Fu dogs, dragons, turtles, lions, bats, and eagle heads are examples of protection. Koi fish, or lotus flower, or scenes of nature can offer good energy. Finally, crystals, ingots, coins or metal-type statues designs on tea pots or the actual item can bring you prosperity.

When gathering your tea items use “green” resources such as certified organic teas, and soy candles and stoneware pots.
Be happy as you have now created a clean space that bears less stress and focuses on being as harmonious as possible.
Happy feng shui tea!