Creating a Wholeness in your Living Space
Well-Being is a Continuum, not a fix
Success and healing are created through incremental steps and subtle shifts. This is why I don’t believe in using “the purge” as a system for your home. Attempting to shift a living space in every area, all at once, is not only overwhelming, it can also be re-traumatizing. In one of my first talks for the International Feng Shui Guild, I introduced the idea of creating small scenes of joy in the home. These are intentional, curated collections or small areas of interest that hold meaning and spark ease.
When items are grouped with a single intention, or when a corner table or shelf is arranged with mindful care, it brings about a sense of coherence. It also means that furniture is carefully selected so as not to create density in the space. This coherence, even in miniature, is powerful. In the grand scheme of both architecture and nervous system healing, coherence and wholeness are always the goal. Slowly and incrementally, we ask the nervous system to expand its capacity to hold all our experiences and sensations, while increasing its ability to tolerate discomfort and complexity.
It is the same with our physical space. We invite our homes, corner by corner, to shift energy and begin to embody a more defined and supportive sense of wholeness. As a practitioner, my best recommendations are always the ones that feel manageable, sustainable, and connected to the client’s life. Instead of suggesting a dramatic fix, like installing a large water feature at the front entrance, I may ask a client to hang patterned artwork that draws the eye through the home, or to lay down a rectangular rug that anchors the room, uniting furniture, colors, and conversation.
The goal is always to create an energy that reflects and supports the true needs of the client. Feng Shui is not about perfection or starting from nothing. And it is certainly not about discarding things just for the sake of minimalism. If your clientele has experienced trauma, they are already experts in self-abandonment that purging often feels like another loss, another void.
We are not here to fix what’s “broken.” In Feng Shui, we are here to build wholeness—an energetic and physical embrace that holds the client exactly where they are and gently supports them through all their evolving levels of capacity and growth.
