Ask Dr. Mao: 4 Feng Shui Tips for Financial Health:

Bring a breath of fresh air to your home and an injection of wealth into your finances. Here are some simple, yet effective, tips to bring you peace and prosperity this year.You may be surprised to learn that your home surroundings can affect your financial health. The Chinese art of feng shui is based on the science of energy alignment in one’s living and workspaces to help optimize health, wealth, and happiness in one’s life. You can learn how to use it to empower you and unblock your vast potential. My father, a feng shui master, passed down to me thousands of years of wisdom about how to change people’s lives through environmental alignment with positive, constructive energy.1. New Years: Out with the OldEarly in the New Year is a good time to assess your surroundings. One principle for revitalizing your life through feng shui is to cleanse, detoxify, and let go of the past. Would you like to surround yourself with open space and colors that uplift the senses, or be faced with clutter that elicits agitation?Create some space in your home. Clutter leaves you feeling disorganized, increasing your stress level when you can’t find what you’re looking for. Clear out the clutter by donating, reselling, or recycling anything you haven’t found a use for in the past year – and don’t forget to keep the receipt for a tax write-off.Clean your living space thoroughly to remove stains, mold, and dirt. Get rid of junk piles and any indoor plants that have died. Repair or discard any broken, chipped, and cracked items – these reflect aspects of your life that are broken and can trap energy you need to free up and use.2. Metal: The Money ElementFeng shui principles observe that material wealth correlates to the metal element. Therefore, to balance matters of money, gold and silver color décor should be featured, and metallic objects should be intentionally placed around the home. For instance, place a bronze sculpture in the foyer or a silver vase holding fresh flowers on your dining table. Also, a waterfall placed in the western perimeter of your home with the direction of water flowing towards east will bring in metal elemental energies and expressions into your home, paving the way for gold in your finances. 3. Symbols For Fruitful FnancesA traditional Chinese symbol of wealth and prosperity is orange fruit. Consider planting kumquat or orange trees on your property, in pots on your balcony, or even a bowl of oranges on your dining room table. Images of fish, such as koi or carp, symbolize abundance and should be a welcome addition to any home’s décor. 4. Grow Your Own Money TreeRecently, a popular practice among feng shui aficionados is to have a money tree in your home. A money tree is an indoor bonsai tree from the Panchira aquatica species that measures one to two feet tall and has clusters of five-lobed leaves. Take good care of the bonsai so that it radiates healthy, vibrant, and prosperous energy in your life. Of course, no matter how many money trees you possess, your financial health will not improve if you do not also take care of it on a practical level. You must institute principles of good money management in your life, including setting budgets, living within your means, and paying yourself first. Paying yourself first means always put aside money in your savings before you pay your bills. These are the ways to achieve abundance in your life.Even with these small changes, you may be pleasantly surprised by how much better you feel and the good changes that occur in your finances and your life. Now that you have balance in your home, bring balance to your body, with the Five Elements of Health Formula. It helps boost your organ function and maintain balance in all your elemental energies.May you be healthy and prosperous! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.May you live long, live strong, and live happy!