Clean Up Your Act for the Monkey

I promised you that I would not make you clean like a crazy person.

And I promise to stick to my promise.

In the weeks preceding Chinese New Year, the tradition of cleaning your home is very important. It prepares your home (and life!) for the energy and bounty of the upcoming year.

The “sweeping” action you do when you clean (I won’t tell that you use a vacuum or these groovy moppets), symbolically means that you are sweeping out the old energy of 2015’s Goat and welcoming in the new energy of the Monkey.

Here are some easy (I promise) home cleaning and nurturing tips:

1) Focus on the Elephant – I realize that we live in a busy society and that we can’t take the amount of time to clean that the Chinese do to prepare for the new year. Don’t worry. The Monkey totally gets it. Remember folks, it’s all about the intention.

So here’s your first easy task: find that ONE place in your home or office that has been bugging you for ages and take one small action to bring it to light. This area is what I call, the Elephant in the room. It’s that place that you always avoid that is dark, cluttered or just feels just…stagnant. Examples of Elephants can be cleaning out the top of your fridge (ick), downsizing the pile of shoes in the corner or replacing the burned out light bulb at your entry.

Make a commitment to donate/repair/clean/shred/organize the Elephant this week and see the Chi of the space, and you, change instantly. Remember this should be one EASY and focused action. I love Mari Kondo but I believe in making small changes that bring about big Chi rewards.

2) Have Better Vision – In Feng Shui, the windows represent your eyes, or more specifically how you see things. When windows are dirty, especially this time of year in the US, it can make for blurry vision, lack of clarity or not even noticing obvious things.

I know you don’t normally do windows (as the saying goes), but make this an exception. Clean all the windows in your home while setting the intention to see all the opportunities that come your way during the Monkey year and to have the clarity to make all the right decisions. Make Mr. Clean proud.

3) Roll out the Red Carpet – Don’t worry. This does not require you to buy a fancy gown or tux. You probably know that the color red is a very auspicious and lucky color in the Chinese culture. During Chinese New Year, it’s even more widespread. After you’re done with your Elephant cleaning (bravo!), you can move on to decorating or what I call, “embellishing.”

Buy or add something red to your space to welcome in the lucky and prosperous energy of the year. I understand if you don’t want Chinese lanterns or Monkeys hanging all over the place, so feel free to adapt this suggestion to your personal aesthetic. Candles, placemats, flowers are great inexpensive ways to add a splash of feisty color to your space.

I went easy on you guys this year but you never know, once you start cleaning, you may not want to stop. Plus you have 3 weeks to tackle the easy-paced cleaning of your home.

If you follow these 3 tips, the Monkey will be a happy little bugger. Just be sure to do all your cleaning and prepping in the next few weeks before Feb 8 but DEFINITELY NOT on Chinese New Year. More on that in a later post.

Now is the time to show the Monkey that you mean business. Do ONE thing today that you have been resisting. It is in the allowing and doing that you will see and feel an instant change of positive energy. And that’s what we want to welcome in 2016, right?

Your turn!

Share with us, what’s your Elephant and what is your ONE focused action you will take? And if you are inspired, take a picture of the red element you brought into your home to welcome in the Year of the Monkey.

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