Tranquil Topics

Unlocking Feng Shui: Enhancing Harmony and Energy in Your Home with Maggie

• Stephanie Graham • Season 1 • Episode 9

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Feng Shui expert Maggie joins us on Tranquil Topics to unlock the mysteries of this ancient practice. Ever wondered how energy influences the harmony in your home? Maggie, with her unique insights from the Black Hat school of Feng Shui, breaks down how simple changes can make a profound difference. Maggie’s journey into Feng Shui is both enlightening and captivating, offering listeners practical ways to harness chi for a balanced and harmonious living space.

We venture into the art of decluttering, especially as a New Year ritual, to set the stage for fresh beginnings. Maggie shares her secrets for staying organised and maintaining a clutter-free environment that aligns with personal goals. You'll discover how small, manageable tasks can lead to significant energy shifts in your home. Alongside practical strategies, Maggie reveals personal rituals like smudging and clapping, transforming the mundane task of decluttering into a rejuvenating experience that brings clarity and intention to your living space.

Plants and crystals take center stage as Maggie guides us through their role in enhancing Feng Shui. She unravels the benefits of real versus fake plants and the impact of freshness in maintaining positive energy. Whether it’s the strategic use of crystals for energy alignment or balancing the five elements—wind, metal, wood, earth, and fire—in your home, Maggie's advice is both insightful and actionable. Tune in to learn how collaborations with household members and intentional living can transform your home into a sanctuary of peace and balance.

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Steph:

Hello, welcome back to Tranquil Topics. I'm your host, Steph, and today I have a guest with me. Her name is Maggie. I've known Maggie for 14 years now and we bonded over a shared interest of Feng Shui, astrology and tarot. So today we're discussing Feng Shui and how we can work with the energy in our home. Welcome to the podcast, Maggie.

Maggie:

Hi.

Steph:

So for our listeners, can you please tell us what is Feng Shui?

Maggie:

Feng Shui is an old Chinese tradition where you want the chi energy, which is good energy, to flow nicely around your house to promote all the different areas of wealth, love, abundance, health, all these very special areas that we should all have in balance with each other. It is all about balance, though, so you can't focus on like, oh, oh, I just want to have lots of money and then enhance the money area in your home and it, and then everything else just doesn't work very well. Everything has to be in harmony and balance, as nature is

Steph:

Okay, so how did you come to know of it?

Steph:

Like, how did you come to practice Feng Shui?

Maggie:

So I have been in the esoteric realm of doing lots of different things since I was like 15, 16. Started off with tarot, lots of different things that I picked up along the way, and Feng Shui was one of them, because I started investigating about energies and quantum physics and how things work, found out about the Chinese ancient tradition of how to change the energy in your house to benefit you. I don't know how I came across it specifically, because I've looked into millions and millions different things, esoteric things over the years, but it's something that really resonated with me and it's something that's relatively easy to do. So, yeah, I just really got into it and incorporated it and helped friends with it as well, and people have done it for businesses as well.

Steph:

Oh great, yeah, so I know a little bit about Feng Shui, not near as much as you know, but I know there's different schools. So which school of feng shui do you practice?

Maggie:

So I practice the black hat feng shui. Um, the reason why I do that. There is the other feng shui that, uh, it's the same principles but it does it per person. So how you do that is you calculate somebody's birthday, including their year of birth, the day of birth etc. And you get to a special go on number and that will tell you where is the most suspicious areas in your house, where to lie your head, so that you get your southeast or your north facing. It's very, very complicated for one person, but if you have more than one person living in your house and everybody has different auspicious places that they should be and that they should be enhancing in the house, it becomes very complicated. So black hat for me was just very simple. It incorporated everybody in your house because it benefited all the areas are stationary in your house. There's nine different areas and, as I said before, they all have to be in balance with each other and it incorporates everybody's well being in the house, not just one person or specifically another person right?

Steph:

So I know you mentioned energy and chi. Are they the same thing? Chi? Energy so does that mean we want balance? So does that mean that in a house that isn't feng shui'd, the energy can be off in certain areas?

Maggie:

It can be. It can be, um, the main thing that there's a flow, a good flow around furniture, around rooms, around doors opening and closing, that there's a good optimal energy where chi energy can just positively circulate around the house. But there's definitely definitely obstacles that can obstruct that flow of energy. There's definitely things in areas that are just really not good at all, like, for example, putting a cactus, a spiky cactus or a spiky plant at your front door is not very welcoming, you know, outside your front door, but it can be quite protective. So it's very, very specific to each area. I have written a small book about it, but it's very specific to each area about where you should place different objects and items to enhance that area for your whole family.

Steph:

So what are the nine areas?

Maggie:

Okay, so the first area that you come into through your front door is your career area and that is always represented with black and white um. So your career area obviously is anything that you do for jobs, anything you want to do. So everything that you're doing in feng shui, when you're placing items or objects or moving things, it's all about intent. It's the manifestation, isn't it? It's the power of um. You know the Rhonda Byrne book, the secret, yeah. So when you're doing anything, it's about how you feel about it. It's like any spell or anything that anybody does. You have to have that intent.

Maggie:

So I always write down this is what I want in my career area and I enhance that specifically according to the Feng Shui guidelines. That career area. Then, immediately to your left-hand side, your left-hand corner, is your learning, knowledge and understanding area. So anything that you want to learn about travel is a big thing in that area as well. It's about expansion, so anything that incorporates expansion. In my house I've got a big, massive atlas map on there about places that I want to go. It's also where I do some of my tarot work as well in that area and where I sit and study. If I'm studying anything. Then the next one is the middle one, the nine different areas. You will have to see a map of it to completely understand it. But then there's the friends and family place. So that represents everything that you would want around your friends and family. So I've got some wine in that area and some wine glasses. Unfortunately, that's where my fridge and freezer is not great for feng shui because obviously it's a chill. It means that you're freezing people out. However, I have tried to incorporate feng shui tricks at the back of the freezer to negate that, but I do still feel the chill sometimes from from my family. And then, right at the very far corner of your left hand side, is your money and abundance and wealth area and I can tell you I could speak all day about how to enhance that, but it's your obvious. Things like, um, nice rounded leaf plants, like a jade plant have you ever heard of the money tree? They're very, very good. Like nice leafy, waxy round represents money and wealth. Colors purple or green in that area. Um, I've got loads of like coin. That's my kitchen area. So any steam stove, you know if you're talking about being on fire. Running water is actually very good in that area because it's a flowing water, is good in a money area. Because it flows, it can, it continues, it's not stagnant.

Maggie:

And then, right in the middle, the far so probably opposite your front door, um, is your fame and fortune area. So so that doesn't mean like I want to be a superstar and I want to be a singer. It just means what you want to be well known for. So if you want to be well known as a really steady character, you might want to put in there. Well, I've got bulls in there. So I am a bull and a Taurus, but I also have I'm also Scottish, so I've got Highland cows there. I've got two little ones of my sons representing my sons and me. The mother on her own, um, however, there are some and they've got horns. So in that area it's okay to have spiky things. So spiky plants, horns is fine, because it's it's fire, so it's red and orange colors or yellow that represent fire in there. So that's that area.

Maggie:

And then, to your very far right hand corner is your love and romance corner. So love is not just about, you know, intimate relationships between couples. It can be, you know, love of family, love of animals or whatever you love. So of course, that colour area represented by that is pink for softness, white for purity, red for passion. So anything that you're passionate about can be represented in that area. I've got lots of nice candles. I've always got matching two things together Lots of lights. Feng Shui is always good, no matter where you are. Do not like dimmed areas. Everything should be illuminated in light. Okay, and then the next area, which is perpendicular, I would say to the friends and family, is your creativity and fun. So anything that is represented by white and round things, so silver or white, so anything that is represented by white and round things, so silver or white, so anything that you enjoy art or music or anything that's creative, that spurs you on or you find fun games. Anything in that area is appropriate.

Maggie:

And then a very far right corner as you enter your house, is your helpful people. There are very guided, specific things you can do in these areas about putting different things in silver boxes, but basically, helpful people are the people that you need in life to help us. So that could be your university lecturer, it could be your mum and dad, it could be your banker, your doctor, your lawyer all the names of people, that things that represent these people. It could be an icon as well. If you're into angels, I love angels. I have lots of angels in this area as well, because for me, these are the people that, these are the things that help me, and I've also got lots and lots of my books in there for studying.

Maggie:

And then, right at the center of all those nine areas these are all in the periphery of your house and it's a square right in the middle is health and well-being, because and it's represented as the color yellow, because if we don't have health and well wellbeing, then none of these things matter.

Maggie:

Yeah, you can have all the money in the world, but if you don't have your health, then you're not going anywhere and doing anything with your money and love, and et cetera, et cetera. So that is an area that's promoted, with things like apples, healthy fruit you know, anything that you can think that's healthy for us Vitamins even if you want to put your jars of vitamins in there, or a cabinet of vitamins. That is your health area is right in the middle of it all. But I understand, as I'm talking, it sounds very complex already and I probably lost everybody by now, but you would have to see it in writing. If you were going to go around each area and enhance each area, you'd really have to have like a how-to list and a right this color is good for this area, etc. Because talking about it and remembering it all will be so, so difficult so with it.

Steph:

I visualize it as a nine grid, grid map that you place over your floor.

Steph:

So, is that the same for, say, if you have a downstairs and an upstairs?

Maggie:

So that only represents downstairs. It doesn't represent upstairs at all, actually. However, the obvious places for love and romance are your bedroom. So I have often helped people who are not doing well in romance situation or going and fencing with their room and above their bed they've got big, massive, fantastic beach water scene. That's an absolute no. Water in the love area or in your bedroom is not allowed because it represents tears and too much emotion. Too much water is emotion. Okay, it's great in your money area, not bad in your career area, but it's a no-no in most areas. You have to be very careful where water's put, but it's an absolute killer for romance. So, yeah, you have to look at individual rooms of individual people and what they're doing in those rooms and how you can individually feng shui, themi them, but no, this grid is just for downstairs.

Steph:

Okay, so for those listening that are interested in Feng Shui, what can they do to start? Where would you guide them to begin with their Feng Shui journey? If that's something that they do every day, or just have a go at this, what would it be.

Maggie:

So I would always suggest to people to get a grid of where all the areas are what colors and items and objects are really auspicious which means very good in those areas, and start off one area at a time. But I would emphasize that you have to do all the areas, it's not just that I'm going to pick one area. Enhance that, because what you might find in your life is you get too much of something that you don't want, you know, and it's not balanced out by Like. For example, if you enhance your creativity and fun area, you might find that recreationally you're doing really well and you're having great time and you're out all the time and you're going to different gigs and bands, but actually you've not got the money to pay for it and your health is really deteriorating because you're out too much. So we want everything in a healthy balance. So I would suggest, by getting a grid, getting a booklet or some sort of guide on black hat feng shui and then systematically going around each area, I'm thinking about it really carefully, about what it is you want in those areas, so what I've actually done in mine many times and I renew it probably every year, every new year, but I sit and write in these areas for example, friends and family, what have I got, what am I grateful for? Because there's gratitude involved in what we already have. I do never, ever, encourage people to be greedy about wanting more and wishing for. You know, everybody has what they should have already and should be grateful for what they have. But we can always enhance it if we want a little bit more of it. Again, it's all about balance. So I will set maybe um a couple of days into new year. Quite often I do it on Chinese new year because obviously it's relevant for feng shui um, and I'll look at what I'm grateful for and I'll write it down in a list and then what I want actually to change in this area or what I want to improve in this area, and I'll write a list, but I'll look at all the objects. Is this working for me in this area, this object?

Maggie:

You know, sometimes I use a lot of candles. They've been burnt down to nothing and they're just a waxy mess and it's about cleaning it up and making sure, because that's the main thing about feng shui is less clutter, uh, more cleanliness. They don't like ch chi energy doesn't like to get obstacles with dirt and dust and cobwebs. It's not a fan of it at all because it just doesn't flow. So I'll be cleaning those areas out as I go along as well, hoovering them, cleaning you know those skirting boards that we never do, so it's just like going around every area systematically in accordance to a guide. You know a good guide about what you should have in those areas to help.

Maggie:

But it's also to think about for yourself. What do I actually want for myself realistically? And you look at it as a year view. Is that right? I do it probably every year for myself because it's just a good. It's ew year's a good way and chinese new year I'm massive on um is a good way to just reassess where you're at in life again, isn't it? Because things change over the year. What you think you might want to do might not actually turn out the way you want to do, and maybe you want to look at some obstacles. Why didn't I reach that goal? Do I still? What? Is that still my goal? So it's about reassessing where you're at again. I'm really have to like push the point. This is all about intent, isn't it? It's not just like bringing some feng shui expert in and hoping that magic will happen. You have to really look at each area of your life which defines we have that nine lovely, balanced nine grid and and really think about what it is you want in each of those areas okay,

Steph:

So you mentioned clutter.

Steph:

Can I bring the conversation around to clutter?

Maggie:

Clutter?

Steph:

Yes, because we had, um, my partner and I, we had a massive declutter over the summer and I mean like every room, every drawer, the loft, the loft is now organized we had tip trips. We had charity shop trips. I loved it.

Maggie:

Oh good.

Steph:

I love it.

Maggie:

Not everybody loves it. Not everybody loves it.

Steph:

You know these TV shows, where they go in and help somebody. Oh, I'd love it, right. Anyway, I digress. So yeah, I found, luckily for me it's sort of in me anyway that I love it. Anything organising, give it me. But I found it took longer than we thought. Like for example, when we did the kitchen all the Tupperware that you have and I'm like why do we have all of this? We don't use it. And then we found a toaster in the back of a cupboard and I'm like why do we have another toasterster?

Steph:

Sso I think for some people they might find it a bit overwhelming. So would you, would you agree with me in what I did in terms of going through every drawer like the worktops making it? I just think like we won't be in this house forever, so my intention was what remains in the house will be coming with us.

Steph:

Nothing needs to be here. That won't be, and I don't want it to get to the point where we want to move and then we have to declutter and go through the loft and do all this stuff. I want it to be organised so it's done, be organized so it's done and like, just be open to well aware of what I'm bringing into the house then if anything comes in because I know, like I mean, it's nearly October when Christmas comes you just, you end up with a lot more stuff anyway but yeah, because I think some people like I have friends that are the opposite of me and they do not have an interest in it.

Steph:

They don't want to do it like even arranging a drawer, they don't want to do it. So if somebody is struggling with that, do you have any advice for them in terms of where to start?

Maggie:

Yeah, well, one drawer at a time. I mean, the best place to start is just one drawer, if you wanted to do it. And I think you've hit the nail on the head with saying some people love it and they love a good organization and they love most people love their house to be decluttered. But not everybody likes doing the decluttering because it can be a huge effort for some people. I've worked in different sort of jobs where I work with young people and families and trying to help them out, and I've done that for decades now and some people are just not in the right place mentally to start that Because it's a big job, isn't it? But I think what I always say to people is don't look at it as a whole house, look at it as a drawer at a time. You know, because you, anybody can manage a drawer if they want to. Once a week it isn't going to, you know, kill you if you do one drawer. But if you really, really don't want to do it, get your mate in to do it with you or, you know, your partner or your kids, or there will be somebody in your social circle that'll be like oh, I love that. That sounds like a great fun to me.

Maggie:

I've got a friend who actually I like clearing things that you know. But I can get quite messy as well. I'm not like really really good about it. And I've got a friend that's like, oh god, I just can't be bothered. This needs clearing out. I can't be bothered. My clothes need you know? I have an autumn and in the winter set of clothes, and in summer set of clothes. And every every season I'm like, oh god, I've got to get all these things done and choose what. And she's like, oh, invite me around, we'll get some wine. We'll get some wine, let's do it. She loves it and it turns into fun.

Steph:

She sounds fab.

Maggie:

he, it turns into fun. Yeah.

Maggie:

And then the things that there's things in there that I don't need, they don't fit me anymore, that I'm keeping for. Oh, I'll fit into that one day. And and she is much more ruthless than me she's like get rid of it. You have got no room for it, so just get rid of it.

Maggie:

And I think we all need a friend like that, if we are not that type of person ourself, because I do tend to I don't hoard, but I do tend to hang on to things, just in case you know I slim into it, or just in case I might need that one day and you never do, do you? So feng shui is very much like that, exactly what you say. They're like you know. Only have in your house what you need. Do not be hoarding stuff that is nobody's business being in there, that is never going to be used by it, because it will just collect dirt and dust and that's not good for cqi energy

Steph:

eah, and I think one one thing that sprung to mind when you were talking then was when you I don't know say if you come across photographs, and then you end up down a hole of looking through photographs for an hour and then, like I was really strict, we had so many duplicates and I was like, don't need these, they went, kept the ones.

Steph:

They're all nicely organised now yeah. But it does take like, as much as I love it, there was a few times when I was like I've had enough for today.

Maggie:

And so that is a thing that people get into as well. They're like yeah right, let's get every single drawer out of this kitchen, let's get it all out. And then you find out halfway through when the house is more cluttered and everything is everywhere and you can't find anything. I don't want to do this anymore. This is too much. I've ran out of energy or any hope of doing this. So, like for you with your photographs. That's good, because you can contain it and if you had enough halfway through, you can just shut it, put it away and do it another day. It's not going to, you know, it's not going to be in your way. It's not going to because you can put it away. And I think that the trick isn't it.

Maggie:

When you're decluttering houses and spaces, it's just two small areas, do not empty the whole room, because that can be overwhelming and time consuming. And then you're like oh my goodness, it's dinner time and the kids are coming home, and you're like I've just not got time to finish this. And it's worse because you're like I've not even, I've not even done any feng shui and the house looks 10 times worse than it was and everybody's coming in, going have you had a bad day? Have you been in a bad mood? Something's happened to you, but you know it's about having small areas that are manageable and time. Restrict yourself. o. I'm going to do this for two hours because you could. You could just go down a rabbit hole and it's not enjoyable. Then you get to the place, you've done the declutter and you get to the place where you're meant to be doing your intentions, with goodwill and some meditation. I also smudge my house when I'm going, when I finished as well. Do you know what smudging is?

Steph:

s that sage?

Maggie:

, eah, so I use like white sage and I smudge my house and I go around and you can do clapping as well. Clapping is just it's energy, isn't it like the smoke, and the clapping is noise. So it's like clearing energies and going up into corners and clapping and smudging and stuff. So I know when I'm doing it and I light a candle every time I complete an area. So by the end of my ritual, if you like, and it might take the whole weekend to do each area of, so by the end of my ritual, if you like, and it might take the whole weekend to do each area of the house, each area of those nine feng shui's, I'll light a candle and I'll make a little promise to myself or have a meditation session, or I just feel at peace that I have completion and it's just a nice round out. The candle smells nice, it looks lovely, it smells beautiful and it's just a nice round out. The candle smells nice, it looks lovely, it smells beautiful and I know where everything is as well. That's the important bit too.

Maggie:

Sometimes, when we declutter, we put things back in areas. Even clutter can be organised clutter. But if we declutter and then we organise it all, we don't know where anything is. That's a pain as well. So just do a list and say, right, we don't know what anything is. That's a pain as well. So just do a list and say, right, I put this pair of scissors in this drawer if you're looking for it again, type thing. But yes, I think what that was, the. as that the question?

Steph:

eah, I when we were at your kitchen there was a few times where Alan went to work and I was doing it on my own. He'd come back. He'd be like the cupboards have changed because I move stuff around yeah, but I'm like, yes, but they work now.

Maggie:

Yeah, there's better flow of energy now now, every time we eat, we're eating with intent, and did he feel any different at all, or it's just like this is gonna take me days to find out.

Steph:

I don't know, he was on board with the decluttering Rit.

Steph:

We were on the same page with that. He's very open-minded, but I feel lighter in myself for doing it. And, like your home's, your sanctuary, isn't it ike? When I'm out, I can't wait to come home. It's just a safe space. It's lovely. So I thought, well, why is there stuff in here that I don't? That doesn't bring me joy. Like for example, I found the stuff you find is insane really, but I found my yearbook from school. Wow, I hated school. Why is that in my house?

Maggie:

It doesn't belong here. Right, so it goes out.

Steph:

So I shredded it yeah.

Maggie:

Great and how did that feel when you did that.

Steph:

Great?! Because I shredded it

Maggie:

. Yeah, great, and how did that feel when you did tha Great, because I was like Negative energy.

Steph:

Yeah, and in terms of energy. You can't see it so much, but you can feel it so same with some clothes. You might have had a really bad day or something in a certain top and for some reason it's stuck in your mind. And I'm like why am I keeping it? And the same as what you said. There was stuff in there I haven't worn for years an. I will.

Maggie:

Someone else can have that and also just reminds you of like something that you want to be, that you will never be, because you're past that stage of being a size 10, and it's negative energy, isn't it? When you look at it and go, it's such a gorgeous dress and I've just never achieved those goals of getting back into it, and then you start going down that you're always going to be fat, you're always going to be this. This is your. You know that's a negative thinking is not allowed in feng shui. You're not allowed to keep hold of that. It's fine to go. Yeah, okay, I've not really made the goals that I expected to, but these are the new goals that I'm going to have that are more realistic. And this is the thing about feng shui try and be realistic about it as well.

Maggie:

Not everybody has. I mean, I've got dogs, you've had dogs, you know we will all and children they're older now, but young children. So your house isn't always going to be realistically for people who are listening, isn't always going to be realistically for people who are listening, isn't always going to be able to be clean and tidy and decluttered all the time. But it's exactly that getting rid of negative items that you don't, that are broken, things that are broken and don't you know, like why do people keep broken leads for dogs? Or why do they keep smashed you know, things with big, massive cracks down them? Just get rid of them. If they've got cracks in them, they're broken. Oh, such and such will fix this. I'll put it to the side if you've not used it in six months. It's not going to happen, is it? You clearly don't need it.

Maggie:

So it's about getting rid of negative energy, negative things that has negative connotations and negative thought processes to it. We do not need to keep them in our house. Only useful or aesthetically pleasing, nice things in our house, including animals. So the children and animals are the only two things that are allowed to. ou know, disturb that energy, because that but that is energy again. That's really positive energy.

Maggie:

I think, like kids and animals, I always get a bit oh yeah, come on in, this is great. I always get excited. So it changes the energy again just by bringing those people in. So it's not just about objects, although it is in regards to feng shui, but those positive energies can be brought in with a good person. You know, you know yourself, you know when you've got good fun friends come and say I'll sort your wardrobe out with me, get the wine open, I'll be down in five minutes. You know it's going to be a fun night and it changes the energy when you're sitting down. I hate myself. I've not got. Now you're like all right, yeah, I can't get rid of that, that's fine. So yeah, it's that attitude, isn't it?

Steph:

And you can get stuck in a mindset, can't you? And then just everything seems negative or worse. But in terms of um, I wanted to ask you about plants. Okay, now, I know we mentioned this before I click record, but I think this is really important because we have quite a lot of plants in this house, um, and I heard that you're not meant to have fake plants in feng shui, so I just wondered if you could put the record straight on plants

Maggie:

kay so obviously plants are a living thing.

Maggie:

They have a chemical reaction, they give out oxygen, they take in co2 and then it reverses at night. So any sort of plant is good in your house. You have to be careful what kind of plant you have in different areas. So I've already mentioned the money plant. I think we've already mentioned that on here, the money plant in the money area, which is the jade tree. It's the money tree, so round, luscious, waxy leaves, you know anything that's nice and round and plump and represents like wealth and health. I avoid um spiky plants like cacti or any sort of spiky. I think you mentioned another one, though what did you?

Steph:

say the mothe Is it the mother-in-law tongue? Right, I might have got that okay.

Maggie:

So anything that's spiky, I would only have them in your fame and fortune area. They're allowed to be in there, that's absolutely fine or your learning, knowledge and understanding area. The other areas really don't want spiky plants in them at all, especially not love areas, especially not family, anywhere where there's a relationship and emotions are involved absolutely no, we do not have spikes in those areas. But in regards to fake plants, it's preferred if you can keep a healthy plant alive. But we don't always have green fingers and have those skills.

Maggie:

I do know people that can't, yeah, who are the most organized people in the world but cannot keep a plant alive. So I always say to them it's always better to have, like um, fake plants than no plants at all, better of normal plants because of the chemical aspects of it. But that's absolutely fine as well, as long as it's not dead bits of twig like we have those, and I think they look quite decorative. Actually, you know there's willow tree wigs t's fregs that we have and, um, those are not good in feng shui. You know, dried flowers, dead, dead sort of wooden flower they're just not good at all in feng shui represents bad energy right.

Steph:

So is that if you've got, like um, a vase of flowers that are, they're not quite dead, but they're sort of on their way get them out get them out of the house is that the same with fruit?

Maggie:

ep, get them out.

Maggie:

Fruit is huge in feng shui because obviously, wealth and health and knowledge fruit is a massive thing in feng shui in the ancient Chinese. Like if you've got food on your table that represents wealth and you can turn that food over quickly because you need to, with fruit, it goes off more than any other, doesn't it? Apart from your perishables that are in your fridge. Um, if you can turn them over quickly and eat them and turn them over before they turn bad, that means you've got lots of money to do it, you've got enough wealth to do it. But also it means you've got lots of money to do it, you've got enough wealth to do it. But also it means you're very healthy. So they love lemons and oranges and grapes and big plump, fat bananas. I don't think we're in China and they said I'm not sure, but anything that's plump and fat and colourful they love it in Feng Shui. But as soon as it starts going bad out, it has to go out

Steph:

Ookay, is that the same with, like emptying bins?

Maggie:

Yyes, absolutely bins. If any bins start to smell or you can see it's too full. Really really bad.

Steph:

Feng shui, really ba It's so interesting, I'm fascinated by it. So can we incorporate crystals with feng shui?

Maggie:

o I do because I love my crystals. I've been using and working with crystals for many, many years. I'm unless we incorporate the colour system, because each area has a specific colour to it. Represented to it like, wealth and abundance is green, gold and purple. Um, knowledge and understanding is blue, family and friends green. Traditionally, the center of the health is yellow, the fire the I keep calling it the fire area, but the reputation and fame is fire colours red and orange. Obviously, the love area is white, pink and red, silver and white for the fun area and grey and black and white for your career. So if you can incorporate it in regards to colours, then that's great. It's an object with that colour in it, with that energy, that's great. However, I haven't actually picked up a book as of yet and I'm not saying it's not out there that has done that with feng shui and crystals.

Steph:

Really.

Maggie:

No, but I'm sure there's one out there. I'm sure there is, I've just not read it or seen it.

Steph:

Interesting. Because I wondered if you could put like I don't know, like a rose quartz in your..

Maggie:

Ooh, yes, I do so . In my bedroom I have two rose quartz that represents male and female, but I also have an amber in there as well that represents the sun, the sunshine, so happiness. And you know I do tarot as well, so you know I incorporate all the sort of tarot elements along with that. But yeah, love, yeah, love. Obviously there's obviously ones like rose quartz and amethyst. That's about having like intuitiveness and opening up your channels to take things in, you know, spiritually, and awareness. But I mean those can be in any areas, couldn't they? I mean the rose quartz, probably more specifically for bedrooms in the love area.

Steph:

Because one of my friends, Laura, she really went into crystals. She just all of a sudden she just had loads of them and then from her. I never really delved into it at all, it wasn't really even on my radar until she started talking to me about it. And it was from then when I was like okay, because when I did this is kind of going around the houses now, but when I did my access course to go to uni, I did it in sciences and part of the module was physics so I know you mentioned quantum physics earlier mind blown, but in a lot of medical equipment they do have crystals used specific frequencies.

Steph:

So then I was like, hmm, science and crystals, okay. And then when she talks about different frequencies and being able to like feel the energy. I was like okay, I'm interested in this now. So I do have a little collection of crystals now, um, which Alan probably saw coming throughout this journey.

Steph:

So, aggie, what are the five elements that are to do with feng shui? Could you explain them please?

Maggie:

Sso we have metal, fire, air, wood and earth. So obviously metal is represented by the color gold or silver, usually a round shape, and of course, metal earth can be plants or sand or anything to do with the ground, what we would find on the ground. Naturally, wood is usually like plants as well. So bamboo is really important in feng shui they like that because it's quite woody as well or any sort of um wooden furniture. We have things called big wood, small wood, but I'll explain that.

Maggie:

Um, air is usually like your chimes. Windows that are open doors that can open bviously find the chai energy. The chi energy is something really important that flows through your house frequently. So always open doors, always make it fresh air. Do not let everything go stagnant.

Maggie:

The last element is fire. So fire, represented by obviously orange, red colours. Element is fire. So fire, represented by obviously orange, red colours, anything that has stars or spikes or flames, like an actual fire. So it's important to have these well balanced throughout your house. Certainly, some areas are all areas are different in regards to what element is important, but I, because it's quite hard to remember, I always try and make sure I've got every element in a little bit. So I've got a little bit of wind. I've got a little bit of metal, wood, earth and fire in all different areas. But if you have a look at what area represents what element, you can maybe enhance it a little bit more with those elements, like metal, for example, in your creativity area, and fire in your reputation area. Um, but have a look at that more specifically when you're reading a feng shui book.

Steph:

nd what's the big wood?

Maggie:

Ssmall woo so big wood. It just it's the importance of how wood is in that area. As I said, you know, I think we should have small of the five elements in each of the areas, because feng shui is all about balance, um. But if that area represents wood, like your love area represents wood, you would have a big wood thing in there. So I've got a big plant in that area, um, but I will might have a small metal thing in that area or a small fire thing. So still have my candles, for example, in that area, but it's a small fire, it's not a big fire, because it's not that, it's not specific to that element just a question about the fire.

Steph:

If it's like in our kitchen, we have, um, like a big oven with the hobs and the fire comes out.

Maggie:

Perfect.

Steph:

ould you you'd count that as?

Maggie:

uge. Of course it's a live fire, isn't it? But you can also replicate like see, for instance, uh, your fire area, for a fame and fortune, you've got nothing in there, that's all you know. It's your toilet, for example, because that actually my toilet downstairs is in my fire area and it's mainly water, which is not great for feng shui. So to counteract that, I have painted that whole room bright orange and I have lots of fire objects, big fire in there, I've got stars, I've got um horned animal like I've got um cows you know highland cows in there with horned animals, um. So I've put and lots of candles, so I've put big fire in there as much. So that is the predominant element in that area, even though I've got lots of water in it.

Steph:

o interesting it is interesting, I love it yeah, but the main point to take away is that everything needs to be in balance yeah.

Maggie:

So if you can put a small element of each category, five element in each of the areas, that's all about balance, isn't it? But have a look at what area represents what, and then you're putting a big, a big lot of that in instead of a little yeah, and I suppose if you notice a change in your life you can always go back and think did I put too much in?

Maggie:

Yes, well, this is the thing with feng shui for me, don't get me wrong. I have actually changed some structural things within my house to allow better fence way. So, for example, when you open my front door, what? What is right in front of my front door was my downstairs loo not good at all. So I structurally changed that so that the door was not facing my front door, because that's a really bad fene way.

Maggie:

But there's other structural things I can't change. Like my stairs are there. You're not meant to have a front door directly in front of stairs, but I've just tried to put in like barriers. What I've actually done is drawn underneath my floorboards a red line before my stairs start and then floorboarded over it. But, you know, put the floorboards over it, which is a line to say we're stopping here. So the stairs don't exist almost. There's lots and lots of things you can do structurally, but mainly what you want to do is things that you can shift and move about if it doesn't work, and trial and error with some stuff.

Steph:

eah, so what is one piece of advice for the listeners that you would want them to take away from today's conversation?

Maggie:

he one piece of advice if you're going to do feng shui and I've inspired you to do a little bit, or you know you've already been thinking about it and you're just going yeah, I think that's manageable do one area at a time. Do not pull everything out and an hour later go. I hate this. I don't want to do this. This is horrible. You know, do what's manageable and time limited for you and your family, because we don't always have that area and space. And even if you just get a couple of drawers done, you can just go. No, that's fine. Or even if you just write your intent on a piece of paper, light a candle and smudge your house when the kids go to bed and your husband's going out to the pub whatever, or your wife's going out to do her yoga, whatever it is that you know. If you can do with it, with the person that lives with you, that's ideal as well, because this is about the people that live in your house. So if you can both incorporate what you want into these areas of intent, then that's perfect as well, isn't it? But don't over phase yourself and try and do everything in a couple of, because it's just not you.

Maggie:

I've picked this up over years and years and years and years. I'm giving you a very condensed version of what's taking me years to like investigate and go. Oh gosh, oh, I didn't realize that. But yeah, there will be people will challenge me a little bit. Oh, I've heard this. I've heard that I'll go, and you know so I am continues to learn. Um, but yeah, it's about intent. So if your intent is to be better for yourself in any of these areas, make it balanced so that we have the money to go travel, or we have the love to have the fertility, or we have the support to raise a family. You know it all has to be in balance with each other.

Steph:

Great thank you so much, aggie.

Maggie:

ou're very welcome thoroughly enjoyed it. I really enjoyed doing it. I didn't know if I would, but I have it's been very good, so thank you for being a kind host.

Steph:

Will you come back?

Maggie:

Yes, I will.

Steph:

mazing.

Steph:

Well, thank you for listening everybody. You can follow me on instagram at ranquil topics and please rate, review and subscribe to this podcast wherever you're listening from. Thanks, and I'll be back in two weeks with another episode. Bye,

Maggie:

ye.

Steph:

Thanks for watchin