This sweet Rabbit year of 2023 holds an energy that we all can benefit from after the tumultuous past years. Rabbit year ushers in the energy of gentleness, prosperity, diplomacy and in my mind, kindness. No matter what the year, creating an energy of kindness to self and community is valuable and needed more than ever.
This is the perfect time to take a serious look around you home to adjust the things that have perhaps just ‘happened’ to your home and its use over the past two years; work at home, learn at home, order a lot of things to be delivered, and a general feeling of fear. Its time to cultivate an energy of nurturing in your home and can be done without a major remodel.
In all areas, you want to look and determine what is clutter(something you don’t use and don’t love) and let it go. Don’t hold on to the past… you want to welcome in the future. Whatever is left now needs to be properly organized, loved and stored appropriately. This just ups the vibration in your home, as all your possessions are singing happy songs(ok – even if you don’t believe they are singing, it makes an amazing difference in how your home feels… and how you feel).
Now let’s take a look at some specific areas that create a KINDNESS vibe in your home.
The Front Entry
Where your guests enter and the chi for the home enters, this space should truly represent the energy you wish to cultivate in your home. Make sure that as you walk in, there is a welcoming feeling. A place to store your coat and boots, a place to lay your things, and a place to sit comfortably. An entry rug in warm pink/brown tones can bring a sense of feeling grounded to this space. Even if your front entry is not in an Earth area of the bagua, creating a sense of stillness and groundedness when entering feels like a warm hug. Notice what you smell and add some delicious scents that mean home to you (vanilla is a popular choice). Listen to what you hear, and your might even place a speaker in this area to have welcoming tones or sounds. Look at the images displayed here, and display people in a community, or images that have a kindness vibe. Or go literal, and place some words on the wall like ‘Kindness is Cool’.
The Living Area
This space represents being kind and nurturing to your community. Have you created a conversation area, or is everyone just staring at the screen on the wall? Move the seating so that there is a sense of sitting in sacred circle, with beings that you cherish. Pay attention to the command position aspect, and for those people who’s back is towards the doorway or a large window, create a sense of protection for them, so that everyone can be relaxed there. If your space is predominantly a white space (called metal energy in feng shui) we want to soften those feelings with more of our earthy tan/pink tones, and you can even add some Magenta ( the 2023 Pantone color of the year) to bring a joyful fiery energy in. Again, look to art and arrangement to create more community vibes. Group like objects together in a display, for example by grouping 6 candles, instead of one solo one.
Sometimes it is not about what to add, but what to release. Turn the television off, silence the violent video games, remove the print media with disturbing messages. Check your photos on display and make sure everyone is represented at a time when they felt happy. If you just look in the space, you will notice what makes your energy go up, and what makes it go down. Maybe it’s the chair gifted from a relative that was always unkind to you… it’s time to remove the things that don’t feel kind in your space.
Your Bedroom
Kindness applies to being kind to yourself as well. Your bedroom is your personal sanctuary. Does it feel like that now? Or did it become a ‘catch all, home office, pile of Amazon boxes’ kind of place. Devote a day to really clear out and clean up your bedroom. This means a big closet clean out, and release the clothing that doesn’t relate to your life moving forward. Turn your closet into your favorite boutique. If at all possible, move your home office from your bedroom, or find a folding screen to block that office feeling off at night. Integrate soft earthy colors here to warm the space, and cozy it up. Think of all the textures you can use, such as a fake fur bed throw, silky pillowcases, soft and nubby rug for your ‘fresh out of bed’ feet. Treat yourself to playing some Solfeggio tones healing music in the space to change the vibration there before bedtime. And use a soft pink Himalayan salt lamp to keep the energy clear. Spritz some lavender essential oil on your pillow before sleep, for an extra layer of kindness to yourself. You deserve it!
Kindness is something we need more of. By implementing these techniques, your home resonates kindness out into the world, not just this year, but in the years moving forward. You will embody kindness. You will be the pebble dropped in the pond that allows that kindness to ripple into your community, and envelop the world.