Feng Shui Halloween: Embracing Yin and Yang in Your Decor

Hey guys welcome to the Learn Feng Shui podcast where you'll Learn Feng Shui from a classical point of view taking out the myth and Superstition so if you're interested in learning fun Chinese astrology all things Chinese metaphysics as well as the superstitions and myths that connect it all you'll enjoy learning funu with me hey guys welcome to today's episode where we celebrate the Cozy Vibes of Halloween I'm Candice Berlanga certified funu practitioner and red ribbon professional with the international funu Guild and of course your host for the Learn Feng Shui podcast where creativity meets positive energy what do you think about that little tagline I'm trying some new ones out no yeah I don't know let me know what you think anyhow today we're going to explore how we can enhance our space with funu while balancing energies keeping things clutter-free and still enjoying fun seasonal Decor let's just go ahead and Jump Right In to fun for Halloween starting out first with the concept of Yin and yangong this is one of the very basic concepts of funu and you know just starting simple we don't got to make it too complicated because when we balance these energies you know we're able to have a little bit more of a harmonious environment have you ever noticed how there's this really dark undertone to Halloween it's a part of the year that it's said that the veil between the worlds is thinner but there's these really bright things like pumpkins flashing lights and really energetic things too that basically is the concept of Yin and yangong so the essence of Yin and yangong is combining this like Quiet Energy of Yin with the Lively vibrant energy of Yang to create this harmony and as we move further into fall the yin energy does become more prominent with increasing nighttime and just the natural waning of energy the nighttime is longer and darker colors like black deep purples and blue align with this energy and so creating a space of Stillness and introspection can also align with his energy you know at this time of year it's perfect for embracing this coziness with the soft lighting candles I would encourage you to look into the concept of what's called Huga it's a Danish concept that does promote cozy peaceful atmosphere it is said to illuminate the soul through an inviting atmosphere and an enjoyment of life's Simple Pleasures it's just really enjoying that coziness of the season so it's that soft glow of candle light that's really a trademark of Huga and it encourages us to like slow down reflect and kind of foster a connection making it a perfect compliment to the quiet energies of the season and other examples of this are like the low Christmas lights I saw a video where a lady took her Christmas tree down and said why did her home feel so cold after that and the reply to that was that it was concept of this Huga candle lights and Christmas lights low lights low lamps even night lights or warm LED lights of course we have that this time of year with our different colored um holiday lighting other themes maybe like drinking tea lighting a fireplace putting throw blankets out or even just that glow of a jack-o'-lantern that is very much a concept of Huga and it's a very Yin or calm concept darker themed Decor which that can also be a Yin energy like skeletons witches and things like that that kind of invoke a sense of like more of the horror I know some people are more into horror than they are into like cutesy Halloween you could do a cutesy Halloween to bring up which we'll talk about in just a second but things like skeletons dark colors you know those dark themes and more of a Sinister aspect can be a Yin energy you can also bring in that energy and embrace it with different smells and things like apple vanilla Pine Sandalwood Cedarwood more create a cozy sense of calm rather than invigorate if you want to invigorate we'll talk about Yang energy this is diminished a lot this time of year by the presence of of the yin energy the sun is kind of waning we're seeing shorter day times and of course we can reflect this in our decor and we can even enhance it to kind of make up for some of that lost energetic um energy for lack of a better word if you think of the energy of a haunted house but has like flashing lights sound effects even though haunted houses may be could be considered a Yin energy things like the flashing lights and even just the energy that you feel inside a haunted house house that Dynamic engaging kind of atmosphere although this young or high energy is naturally diminished with the fall and shorter days you can Infuse it into your space by using like brighter more playful elements earlier I talked about you know kind of sinister or more darker themes in your Decor well you know modern Decor really has kind of embraced a shift from traditional dark and kind of scary themes to pastel and bright colors soft pinks light purples and even turqu to or neon I've seen I know Michaels has a super cute uh pastel Halloween this year and I think the girly pop a bright pastel Halloween is so adorable and it can kind of bring the energy up in your space too just brighter colors flashing lights and movement like animated or animatronic decor and even sounds can again increase that energy and even activate a space in your home or outside of your your area outside of your home you can use use it to activate the different life sectors if you use that um the lighter more vibrant colors do add a Yang energy that contrasts the darker tones of the season and for adding more energetic scents to your space cinnamon clove nutmeg and pumpkin spice are all of fire energy which is a very high energy for entering into a the end of the Fall months and seeing the start of the water or winter months with November and it is a time of year where the fire energy is also diminished and you can add the fire in by using some of these traditional scents or smells by blending these elements together you can create a space that feels Lively and vibrant while still maintaining Harmony and creating a cozy Yin atmosphere and keeping it cheerful and playful you want to have a little bit of both looking at avoiding clutter and blockages so it really is just important to keep your Pathways and entrances clear especially when you're decorating the outdoors if you have a area where trigger treaters come through a lot don't clutter your entryway don't block the flow of chi that that does affect the overall energy of the home more practically for safety reasons we really want to keep those paths clear for tricker treaters I I know I see some elaborate pumpkin displays which I absolutely love but make sure you're not blocking your entry way with those displays you don't want to block the flow of energy remember adding the moving decorations to to the yard it will activate the area and it'll bring up the energy in those areas you can definitely add moving animatronics things like that and sounds and all the things we discussed earlier to also bring up the energy in the space outside just make sure your stuff isn't over cluttered number three remember that Decor is temporary so remember that holiday decorations are only up for a short time so the overall impact on the energy of your home is minimal I know again if you are one that goes like full out horror full out body bags cemeteries in your yard and all that stuff honestly it's just out for what how long 30 days guys come on maybe if you're an early decorator it's up for a good six weeks honestly don't don't really worry about having like a Sinister kind of theme for Halloween if you like the spooky or more darker tone it's it's not going to hurt you okay it'll be just fine you could also you know be mindful with your Decor you can be festive and things like that but remember it's not really going to have a long-term effect on your funu way being up for such a short amount of time and again really the motion and the movement and the sounds and everything are what's going to be uh activated so honestly I would be more worried about what sort of like sector or flying stars that would impact but again for a good 30 days I think you'll be just fine so do have fun with with your holiday Decor but you can keep it balanced and harmonious and still understand that this energy is just kind of temporary for this space now with your Halloween decor balance let's step into something a little bit spookier for the Halloween season according to Chinese folklore certain plants like banana trees are said to attract wondering Spirits let's uncover these spooky tails and explore the plants believe to have these ghostly connections from funu balance.com it says here in Asian folklore female Spirits appearing as young women are drawn to banana trees Mulberry Willow poar and eucalyptus trees are also thought to be particularly alluring to ghost to honor the energy that resides in these kinds of trees people in Southeast Asia tie ribbons around them cutting down a tree would be insulting since it's thought that a bad Spirit would appear and inhabit the area if it becomes necessary to take the tree down a ritual must be held to explain to the spirit the decision to cut the tree to understand better it does say here that Yin energy is drawn to walls and flat surfaces where it travels along so any kind of climbing plant affixed to a wall may have the tendency to magnify Yen energy further living plants typically have a Yong energy but the yin energy from the walls could seize command personally I do not recommend any climbing plants to completely cover a house the vital y energy for success and good health may be in Jeopardy and strong Yin Energy may cause a spirit to be drawn to the building finally it is a huge undertaking to maintain these plants which it is uh they can also create cracks in the wall which can let wind through we don't want that and in addition to that with fun it is said that it creates an over lean environment if your home is too overshadowed with uh Shadows so if you have too many trees and plants blocking your windows that is also said to create a Yen energy this article is really good I'll link it in the show notes because I thought it had some really good information in it um I'm going to also remix my funu for haunted houses episode which it covers a lot of the stuff that's covered in this article um but this article is pretty good so I'll link it and I suggest reading it if you're interested in that kind of thing next from ofite mice and ramen it goes into some Tales here of different Asian and Southeast Asian beliefs about banana trees here it says according to the ma Mary the banana heart transforms into a beautiful young woman when it is pierced with a nail attached to thread she seduces men and takes away their Souls I've heard that one before according to Chinese folklore a wailing female Spirit appears under a banana tree at night and sometimes is carrying a baby it is believed that gamblers can summon the spirit to ask for lucky numbers in Hope of striking the lottery a red string is tied to the banana heart which is a Banana Blossom and the other end of the string is tied to the bed of the person invoking the spirit and at night the banana spirit will visit her C and beg to be freed but in return she'll bestow the set of winning lottery numbers but a horrible fate awaits those who fail to release the spirit after winning so I think I'm going to have to plant a banana tree and tie a string from it to my bed no I don't suggest doing that please don't do that uh I don't want a horrible fate to wait if I don't do it right you know so in thae culture a lady ghost dwells in the wild banana tree Groves she is supposedly very beautiful and wears a traditional tie costume hiding in the day she will only appear at night when the moon is full and generally it the spirit is and generally the spirit is not benevolent and generally the spirit is not malevolent and will only harm bad men who mistreat women which I support okay uh men who cheat on their wives beware so in Thailand is also not uncommon to see banana trees tied with colorful satin cloths which is an indication that the trees inhabited by what is called a Nong ton and cutting down these trees will incur her wrath it says here that a late cousin of mine was told that if she smeared blood into the banana tree she would be able to see the banana Ghost spirit a very curious teenager then she conduct the experiment and she did not see the banana tree Spirit but she will never be the same came after the incident she fell into a deep depression turned to drugs and alcohol and attempted to harm herself a couple of times it says here she did die early at the age of 43 of cancer and was diagnosed with bipolar and the elders believe that she was cursed by this banana tree spirit that she invoked so I'd say no and it goes on to say here when I was in college I stayed in a rental house with three other tenants and there was a banana tree and the yard one of the tenants claimed he heard a female voice singing at ungodly hours on several occasions and yes the sound came from the direction of the banana tree it does say here though the rest of us didn't hear anything and we never knew for sure if he was just messing with us or not but he did move out pretty quickly I bet you didn't know that banana trees could carry the indication of a spirit I remember my mom telling me she had a banana tree in one of her yards at a house they lived at and they would eat bananas off of it so I I'll have to ask her if she ever experienced any spooky things happening all right guys as we wrap up here just remember Halloween is a time for fun and creativity make it fun balance those energies you can be mindful of Decor or not remember it's not going to have a very long-term impact on you enjoy that season without disturbing all your peace and Harmony you don't have to worry about that but when you do have to wor about is planting a banana tree in your yard also avoiding those mulberries and Willows lest you be haunted what do you think do you believe that a tree can impact the energy of your home I really don't know but anyhow thanks for listening y'all have a great weekend and next week I'm not really sure if I'll have an episode up or not I had unexpected illness this past week we'll just play by your guys I don't know but end of the month we will be covering the Joey Yap book funu for home buers exterior Edition so stay tuned for all that for a free energy mapping of your floor plan please check the link in the show notes to support today's podcast going to learnfengshui.com sign up for emails leave a review and share with your family and friends