On February 16, a new moon will bring in one of the most celebrated days of the year, Chinese New Year. For all who celebrate the lunar calendar, this is the true start of the year. It’s a time to focus on what energy you want to bring in, and maintain throughout the year. To invite an energy that is positive, proactive and prepared to handle whatever challenges the year presents, set your intention by creating harmony within your home. Heather Askinosie, our resident crystal and Feng Shui expert, sat down with us in this video to talk about the best tips and tricks for creating a haven of Chinese New Year Feng Shui energy.  

If you weren’t totally ready to bring in the New Year on January 1st, you weren’t alone. The problem with the calendar new year coming so soon after the holidays, is that it doesn’t provide much time to unwind, resettle into our routine, and figure out where our mind and energy needs to be to benefit in the year ahead. That’s why Chinese New Year is ideal. It’s just far enough from winter festivities for us to gain clarity and perspective. There’s time to clean the home, purify the space and emotionally release from all the knick knacks that block the flow of energy on New Years. This is a task that even Heather has a hard time with.

When Heather recently invited Shaolin Monk, Shifu Wang Bo into her home to assess her Feng Shui, she thought she’d be receiving praises. Instead, Shifu Wang Bo said she had much more work to do to finish decluttering the space of trinkets. Digging deep to strip your home of unnecessary clutter may prove difficult, but in the end, it will bring better peace of mind and space. Once you clean and clear your home, you’re ready to start on the following Chinese New Year Feng Shui enhancers:  

Heather’s Tips to Enhance Your Chinese New Year Feng Shui

Align with the Elements

Because we are entering the year of the earth dog, the elements that we most need to align with are earth, fire and metal. It’s believed that wearing the element of metal will help to activate your wealth luck. So this Chinese New Year is the perfect time to wear any silver or gold metal jewelry you own – like our new Inner Wealth Bracelet.

Get a New Broom

A broom holds the energy of the past year. Throw out your old broom, and bring in a new one to sweep old energy out one last time before Chinese New Year. This ensures that your space cleansed of dust, and that you’re bringing in fresh energy to a clean home. It is considered a feng shui faux pas to sweep on New Year’s day, as it’s like sweeping away all the good luck the day is believed to usher in. So make sure to sweep before New Year’s with a new broom for the new year.

Pay Your Bills

It’s difficult to start a fresh year when you bring your old debts into it. That’s why it’s important to pay off your bills (as much as possible) before February 16.     

Visit the Doctor + Dentist

Again, this is all about bringing your best self into the year ahead. Getting a checkup places a priority on your health, and helps you move into 2018 knowing that you’re taking a healthy initiative. If you can, get any dental work you may need done before Chinese New Year. That way you can enter the year without having to think, “I really need to get my teeth cleaned.”

Throw Away or Donate Chipped Dishware

If you have chipped dishware that you love and haven’t been able to let go of yet, now is the time. These will bring a broken energy into the year ahead. You may have loved these pieces, but releasing them will make space for new pieces that you will discover fresh love for.

Foods to Try on New Year’s Day

Whether you’re celebrating Chinese New Year alone or with  family and friends, you’re going to want to craft your menu for the day around the foods that are symbolic to the energy you want to embody. For example, cooking chicken is believed to bring in prosperity. Long noodles are believed to represent long life. Tangerines or oranges offered in a bowl by the entryway to the home or on the dining room table is thought to represent wealth and good fortune. Dumplings are another food meant to represent good luck.

Fill your Space with Flowers

You can’t go wrong bringing these ornaments of life and beauty into your space, but the best flowers to symbolically enhance your Chinese New Year feng shui are:

• Orchids for nobility
• Narcissus for good luck
• Pussy willows for new beginnings
• Peonies for wealth and peace
• Chrysanthemums for long life

Create a Chinese New Year Feng Shui Wealth Bowl

Activate the energy of abundance by creating a wealth bowl. Simply fill a bowl with elements of prosperity like Chinese coins, pyrite (or other metallic-toned stones), and metal.