Summer is here and small adjustments in habits can help you stay vibrant and keep cool in every sense of the word while still enjoying the heat! This one is from the delightful monthy newsletter of feng shui pro Carol Olmstead, and its packed with tips for making your summer flow!
Feng Shui Tip For July: Balance the Yin and Yang of Summer, by Carol M. Olmstead
It’s summertime in the US, and to paraphrase the old song, the living is not always easy. In Feng Shui, the high temperatures and bright sunshine of summer are associated with hot, yang energy. On the positive side, this makes us want to socialize (margaritas on the patio) and adds passion to our lives (summer romance). But too much Fire can also have the opposite effect, making us feel tired, listless, and just plain burned out. Perhaps that explains why we read “beach books” at this time of year. To balance this strong, yang energy, your focus should be on cooling down your home and office by adding the counter balance of yin, or quieter, energy. For example, one simple way to add yin to your home is by switching to cool blue sheets on your bed. In your office, try turning off the overhead lights and letting the natural daylight light your workplace instead of hard Metal Element energy of fluorescent lights.
Here are some more of my favorite summer tips for balancing the yin and yang energies of summer:
- If your home décor colors are hot, like reds, purples, and oranges, balance them with lighter accents of ice blue or pale green in bedspreads, pillows, or tablecloths and napkins for a calming and cooling effect.
- The harsh, corkscrew energy of a ceiling fan located directly over your bed can cause pain or illness. To balance this effect, hang a crystal from the pull chain to symbolically lessen the cutting force. (my note: do not sleep under a ceiling fan turned ON if you can avoid it!)
- Use your stove occasionally, even if you prefer using a microwave or barbecue grill in hot weather, because an unused stove implies untapped resources or ignored opportunities.
- Your deck or porch is considered part of your home in Feng Shui, so choose high-quality outdoor furniture and keep it clean and in good condition throughout the summer.
- Before you leave your office for summer vacation, give your desk drawer a vacation from clutter by tossing non-usable items, including all those dried-up pens, pencils with worn down erasers, and bent paper clips.
- When you go on vacation your empty house becomes passive, yin energy that can draw negative energies, like burglars. To balance this, set timers to turn on several lights and a radio set to a talk station to create active, yang energy in the house.
Enjoy staying cool while reveling in the warmth…! xoxo Dana
Great article. Sharing it!
I do get a little extra firey over the summer, like I’m going to just explode from fire. lol I’m a Sag, with a lot of planets in fire, so my energy runs hot. I love fountains, the sound of running water and mist in the air. When I can’t sleep at night, there’s a few videos on youtube that play a running shower, that I ‘ve listened to on more than one occasion. Though, now that I think of it, is a shower like the fire of water, because it runs so fast?
Another thing I like to watch for is solar patterns. I actually watch it all year, but with the heat already so intense, I’ve been watching solar patterns every day lately. We’re at the height of the 11 year solar cycle, so the sun’s been flaring and emitting CME’s more this year than is usual.
Just wanted to share some personal experience on a subject that is close to me. lol