HI! In my last letter, I shared the 3 Keys to Longevity, based on Ilchi Lee’s empowering book, I’ve Decided to Live 120 Years. In short, they are:
1. Life Purpose: having a clear reason to get up every day, a vision for what your life is about. A purpose is crucial for staying engaged as you age.
2. Physical Health: developing a strong body and integrating healthy practices into each day. A mindset of always staying active, in small, consistent ways.
3. Strong Mind: in particular, keeping the mind sharp by engaging in creativity. This could be writing or painting, appreciating art (such as exploring architecture or visiting museums), or engaging in mentally challenging projects and games.
How can our space support a longer life?
As a Feng Shui Designer, I think about how our home can be arranged and aligned to help us live longer. Based on Lee’s three points, this is what I’ve done, and suggest you try it, too!
1. To support your Life’s Purpose:
Find a comfortable spot in your home where you can contemplate what is meaningful to you for the long term. Beyond worldly accomplishments or obligations to others, what would make your soul feel complete in this lifetime? What is your purpose?
Then look around your space and ask yourself how it can support you in carrying out your purpose. Do you want a dedicated area where you can take these actions? If so, prioritize setting up that space.
You can use the powerful feng shui energy in your home to help you achieve your goal. In 2023* the best locations for clarity, concentration and success are in the South and North areas of your home. Can you do activities related to your life purpose in one of these spots?
You can enhance the energy in the South with Fire (such as candles or the color red), and in the North with Wood (such as plants, flowers, or the color green).
2. To support Physical Health, staying strong & energized:
Turn your attention to health and do an honest assessment of what you will do each day for the long term. It might be a mix of exercise, walking, light stretching or yoga. Rather than setting big goals, get clear on what exercise you can commit to doing regularly.
With that in mind, where would you enjoy doing those things? I find that people often put their exercise space in one of the more unappealing parts of their house, such as a basement or garage. Consider doing the opposite, use a small part of your favorite room for activities that don’t require large equipment, such as light stretching, yoga, or simple exercises.
For added Feng Shui support, strengthen the parts of the home that are a bit weak for health. This year, those fall in the East and the Northwest. Remedy them by adding moving metal (such as a metal clock or a hanging metal mobile).
3. To strengthen your Mind and stay sharp and agile:
Think about how you would like to be creative in order to support your mental health. Would you like to develop a new skill, or possibly return to something you used to do in the past?
Where can you do that activity in your home, and what would you want to have there to support your creativity? It might be a small desk that is always clear of any clutter, awaiting your written words, an easel poised for your next masterpiece, a craft station stocked with delightful supplies, or a dedicated puzzle or game table.
The best feng shui areas for creativity in 2023 are in the Southeast and the center of the house. See if you can place your creative space in one of these zones, and enhance its power by adding water (such as a fountain, images of water in artwork, or the color blue).
I’ve been inspired by the possibility that I could live a second half of my life that is even longer than the first half. By taking intentional actions in my life and my space, I feel much closer to making that idea a reality. I hope you do, too!
To a long life,
*PS: These feng shui tips are based on general 2023 recommendations. For the most powerful results, consider an advanced feng shui home analysis. You can read about it here or simply hit reply and ask for more info.
