First things first: For the skeptics among us, Feng Shui isn’t voodoo, black magic or witchy wheeling and dealing. “It’s about aligning your home’s energy to create a supportive environment,” says Feng Shui expert Tisha Morris, author of Mind, Body, Home and Feng Shui Your Life. “Your house should be the one place you feel at home, your sanctuary. But, for many people, the home is a challenge.” In particular, the closet. “You have to be conscious about what you’re storing in your closet, whether it’s old love letters from a past relationship or clothes that don’t fit anymore. Our closet represents what we don’t want the world to see, or what we don’t want to see. That’s where the phrase ‘in the closet’ came from.”
“I take an intuitive approach,” says Morris. “Part of my job is demystifying the rules of Feng Shui. It originated out of China, which is a bit of a rule-oriented culture. I’ve found in my own life and through my practice that the rules don’t always apply since our homes have changed greatly and so has our function in them.” Thankfully, Morris is here to help with tips on how to organize your closet.
Declutter, Pack Rats!
“Remove anything you no longer love or use, which is the first step in Feng Shui, no matter which room you focus on. Clutter is the biggest energy block you can have in your house. Since clothing represents our personal identity, it can bring up a lot of memories and feelings for people. Start with the easy items that you know you can get rid of, and that will get the ball rolling.”
Organize, Organize Organize
“Once you’ve gotten rid of anything that needs to go, organizing what you have left is important. Color coordinating your closet doesn’t matter; that’s more about personality type. Shoes stored in boxes are fine, too, as long as the box doesn’t lend to the closet being more cluttered. And folding your clothes in your drawers doesn’t affect energy, but a heap of dirty clothes on the floor will.”
No closet? No Problem
“If open areas serve as your closet, partition off the space as much as possible with a curtain or folding screen. Closets by nature hold a lot of stuff, so if it’s in your bedroom, it could affect your sleep if it’s just out in the open.”
About Your Bed…
“Everyday things have energy. Ideally, you don’t want to have anything beneath your bed since that energy will come up from under the mattress. I have found a couple ways to bend the rule. Anything that is soft, like linens or clothing, would be OK. Here’s why: A soft blanket, emits a soft energy whereas metal emits a harder energy and could affect your sleep. I’d avoid belts, shoes, those sorts of things.”
All the Single Ladies
While some Feng Shui books advise women on the prowl to leave space in their closet for “opportunity,” Morris isn’t buying it. “Embody your space to the fullest. That doesn’t mean fill it to the brim, but our space is a reflection of us. Being a whole person is the best way to attract someone. So if you use the home as a metaphor, what you’re saying is not ‘complete me’ but ‘I am complete.'”
The Fine Print
“If your closet, or your home, is messy, that’s a reflection of you. It could mean you’re busy, or if it’s chronically messy, you may be chronically scatter-minded. We all have different levels of what feels good around us. What’s messy for you might not be messy for me. It’s knowing what feels good for you. If you’re already a messy person, but it gets out of control and you get overly scattered, it’s time to take action.”
Want to learn more about the art of Feng Shui? Morris will be holding a 12-week certification course online, beginning January 12, 2015. For more information, check out Earth Home.
