| Good feng shui often requires making wise decisions | | | | asleep at night, make sure you are not sleeping on top |
| based on your specific circumstances, rather than | | | | of a lot of information. Plus, chances are good that if |
| blinding following an ideal rule. The feng shui rule for | | | | you're keeping that stuff under the bed it probably isn't |
| storing things under your bed is "don't do it." But for | | | | at all current, so all that old information is also |
| those who live in small homes every inch of possible | | | | energetically holding you in the past.Guns and knives. I |
| storage space is precious. If you are faced with | | | | really hope you don't feel the need to have these in |
| cluttering up some other area of your home with stuff | | | | your house at all. All that potential violence is not |
| that otherwise might be put under the bed, how do | | | | conducive to a good night's sleep, no matter how |
| you decide what to do?My preference as a feng shui | | | | "safe" it may make you feel. A feng shui friend once |
| professional is to keep the more visible, frequently | | | | told me she'd consulted for a guy who collected |
| used areas of the home uncluttered. If that means | | | | knives, and who kept that collection under his bed. No |
| storing some things under the bed, so be it, as long as | | | | wonder he complained of a long string of failed |
| it is done thoughtfully and appropriately.There are two | | | | relationships! Regardless of any other qualities he may |
| reasons why your bed is so important in feng shui. The | | | | or may not have had, that's a lot of cutting chi |
| first is the principle of proximity, which states that the | | | | underlying what should be a place for romantic |
| closer something is to you the stronger its effect will | | | | connection.These examples should give you an idea of |
| be. The second is the principle of duration, which | | | | the sort of potentially disruptive effect the stuff under |
| means that the longer you are exposed to a particular | | | | your bed can have. If you must use the under-bed |
| influence the stronger its effect will be.If we were | | | | space for storage, reserve it for soft, cuddly items like |
| getting our eight full hours of sleep every night, we'd be | | | | extra bedding or your winter sweaters.You may even |
| spending a third of our lives in bed. Even with long | | | | find a good use for that space by placing something |
| days and not enough sleep, the average person | | | | with positive symbolic meaning there, so you can take |
| probably spends 25% or more of his or her time in | | | | conscious advantage of the proximity and duration |
| bed. Keeping the factors of proximity and duration in | | | | effect. For example, laying a mirror face up under the |
| mind, this means that anything that is close to you | | | | bed is a recommended feng shui sure for insomnia; |
| while you sleep will have a strong effect on you, either | | | | symbolically the mirror reflects the bed "downward" |
| physically or symbolically.Since you are probably well | | | | thus drawing into a deep, restful sleep. For a child who |
| protected from below by a nice thick mattress, | | | | is frightened of imaginary monsters under the bed, |
| whatever you've got stashed beneath your bed isn't | | | | placing a super-tough-guy action figure under there |
| likely to be directly harmful. However, in feng shui the | | | | could provide some important protection and security.A |
| symbolic energy of an object or image is just as | | | | feng shui client recently asked if it was okay to keep |
| important as whatever literal impact it may have. If you | | | | her empty suitcases under the bed. If you enjoy |
| are using your underbed area for storage, take a | | | | traveling and want to do more of it, then having the |
| moment to think about the implications of whatever is | | | | luggage under the bed may help to encourage that. |
| down there, especially if you haven't been sleeping well | | | | Inside the suitcases you can put guidebooks, photos, |
| lately. If you don't remember what you've stashed | | | | travel accessories, and other items related to the |
| under your bed, it's time to take another look.Here are | | | | places where you'd like to go. For example, if you |
| some things that you ought to find another place | | | | would love to take a trip to Paris put a guidebook to |
| for:Shoes under the bed can keep you "running | | | | the city, a French-English phrase book, and a photo of |
| around" all night even when you are sound asleep. No | | | | the Eiffel Tower in an empty suitcase under your bed. |
| matter how many hours of sleep you get, you may | | | | Add some French currency or traveler's checks for |
| never feel well rested.Exercise gear, workout clothes, | | | | the future trip. The suitcase and its contents is now a |
| and sports equipment are also less than relaxing. | | | | feng shui activation to help make your travel dreams |
| Unless you want to feel like you're "going nowhere | | | | come true.On the other hand, if you've been traveling a |
| fast" in life, don't store your treadmill, rowing machine, | | | | lot lately and would like to stay home for a change, |
| aerobic step under the bed. Tennis rackets (or other | | | | then I definitely recommend finding some other place |
| gear for competitive sports) can bring a competitive, | | | | to keep your luggage. If you absolutely, positively have |
| adversarial energy to your romantic relationships. It's | | | | no alternative to keeping suitcases under the bed -- |
| best not to have any kind of exercise or sports | | | | and you really want a break from travel -- put a rock |
| equipment in the bedroom at all if you can find another | | | | in each one and cover them with a blanket, to help |
| place for it.Books and work or school papers can | | | | them settle in for a long rest and to keep you |
| have an intellectually stimulating effect; if you have | | | | grounded at home. |
| trouble turning your mind-chatter off so you can fall | | | | |