crib
Def: home, domicile, or dwelling
Ex: Dang du…your CRIB is phat YO! (Your house is very pleasing to the eye; Contemporary flare, yet structurally sound. May I have a look around my good man?)
Good afternoon class, and welcome to today’s seminar: Harnessing Mystical Energies in the Home. I’m your host – I mean teacher, Sarah Ryhanen. Today we will examine the presence and effect of flora indoors. Everyone have their crystals out and ready? Ch’i meters on? Good! Here we go…
Rooted in early Chinese thought, Feng Shui is the practice of arranging one’s living environment to maximize the flow of energy, or Ch’i. The practice of Feng Shui stresses the importance of harmony as it is found in the natural world. It is thought that when one disregards the flow of nature, one creates misfortune and harm. It follows that a balance of forces, as taught by the Tao and the principals of “Yin” and “Yang”, results in a healthy and happy home. Simply put – there are things that bring bad energy into a home; and they include: clutter, dead plants and flowers, sharp corners, fingernail clippings on the kitchen table and unreturned Netflix. Let it be known that I cannot speak to the proper, professional practice of Feng Shui. But I can give my personal Shui testimony …
Two days ago I am busy shuffling clutter from one end of my apartment to the other as I often do. Clutter is fun, I’ve always said. People who keep neat houses are boring! I want to be surrounded by my junk! Huddle it close and let it comfort me until there’s a new episode of Gossip Girl. Let it spill off the mantel into bowls dripping with broken jewelry, postage stamps and used matches! There may be age-old half baguettes and shriveled citrus fruits littering my kitchen, but there’s also a lot of love! And mice…
Yesterday I arrive home from the city flinging various pieces of my outfit to the floor and mumbling to the dog as I grab a bag of cookies, broadcasting a trail of crumbs behind me. I get to my room and stop. It occurs to me that I find no sanctuary in my home. The energy is all off! There is no “being” here…just “doing.” That being a big problem. And so I set out to pimp my crib with some more chi. Clear surfaces, confine clutter. Distribute plants appropriately. Live plants help to balance negative energy in your home. They combat “poison arrows” (sharp angles and corners) where chi tends to pool and fester. I put a blooming geranium in a strange corner. Voila! Me chi floweth freely! I move on to our bedroom to de-clutter my bedside table and throw a jasmine plant in an awkward gap. The fragrance of jasmine is lovely and peaceful. Rest inducing. I’m on a roll… I’m starting to see daisy chains around everything. Eric’s room presents a slew of poison arrows. Jade! Hosta! (Jade plants are said to help to promote wealth and prosperity. Many guru’s recommend a Jade – a hearty, low maintenance plant – on your desk where you mange finances.) A 4-inch deep closet serves as a cluttered bookcase – I stack the books neatly, smart titles in front, and jam some plants in there. Hot damn! This morning I examine a cutting in water of a magnificent silver-leafed begonia from a friend. The tiniest roots seem to be forming, and things are on the up and up.
Incidentally, when I wrote two weeks ago about the plant Purple Heart, I meant to offer cuttings to anyone who wanted them. I’ll be around the shop on Saturday, if your in the area, please come in and grab one. It really is an easy plant to grow. You’ll be on the way to Shui darling.
