One of the simplest and most effective feng shui improvements you can make in your home is to get the right balance in each room between upward and downward-pointing items.
If you have a tendency to feel depressed, get rid of all the downward-hanging things in your home and replace them with upward-pointing objects that lift your energy.
This advice comes from Chapter 5 of my Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui book, in the section about how clutter can create undesirable symbology. It’s based on my observations that depressed and pessimistic people tend to have many objects in their home that hang downwards rather than point upwards, which reflects how they feel inside.
It’s not that all downward-hanging items must be avoided, but there needs to be a balance, as this photo shows. A major feature of this room is the three downward-pointing lights over the breakfast bar, but this has been counterbalanced by the upward-pointing light above the table, the upward pointing blossom branches in the brown vase near the window, and two vases of pinks flowers in other parts of the room. Even the plant in the middle of the table is upward-pointing, although such a spiky centrepiece is not ideal if you want to make people feel welcome.
To assess whether you have created a depressive space in your own home, stand in the doorway of each room and count the number of items that hang down and the number of items that point upwards. Include lighting, plants, decorative objects, artwork, clothing, bags and other items hanging from hooks, and so on. If the overall effect is too downward, making some adjustments to a more upward direction will not only uplift the energy of your space but your own spirits too.
These changes are usually fairly simple and easy to do and will bring about far more change than you would imagine possible from such a small investment of your time and effort.
Copyright © Clear Space Living Ltd 2011, updated 2016 & 2022
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