Diwali is a time for cleaning and cleansing to bring in the reinvigorating energy into your life. Cleaning your surroundings and cleansing yourself emotionally and mentally.
“Every custom, every country has its own basic understanding or a science which is adapted by the people to enjoy and enhance a good life,” said Larra Shah, an Indian holistic healer and feng shui practitioner.
“When it comes to clutter, it’s an age old custom that you have to let go. Letting go, however, doesn’t mean throwing things away. It means forgiving, moving on, ridding yourself of anger.
“It takes a lot of courage to give things away. We hold on to emotions, bad memories, anger, grudge ... Cleansing one’s space is a ritual people do regularly. When you throw old, broken things, you mend yourself and your surroundings.”
This Diwali, Shah says bring in that positive energy into your home and life using these simple tips.
Home
Enhance your home with light and colours. Red is auspicious until February 4 and especially during Diwali.
Add yellow flowers with a touch of white in water in the southwest and south of your rooms, but not the bedroom. This will enhance social life and provide exuberant energy.
Add blue colour and plants in water in the northeast of your house. Have blue lights or a blue vase, green plants, or a water body. This will enhance the chi and also opportunities in life.
In the north, have blue, grey, indigo and purple. This will enhance communication.
In the southwest there is an illness star this year. So avoid sitting too much there. Have healing symbols, such as meditative paintings, colours that calm you, crystals and even religious symbols.
On the right and left hand of your entry foyer, have a planter and blue, golden or yellow glow lights. You can light a candle or a lamp outside the entrance to bring in the fire energy or warmth.
Make sure your house smells good too. Aroma essences such as lavender, patchouli, jasmine, elang elang are excellent. You can also use incense sticks. It always creates an ambience of clarity. If there is negative energy, it gets buffered and cleaned.
Ringing the bell, having good music in the northeast or southeast sections facilitates more blessings. Have a quiet place in this area — a place where the brain can learn to respond and de-stress and during Diwali you can invite people to come and sit here. You’ll feel better.
Clothes
Retail therapy by itself is a great de-stresser. The colours for the next two months are sunrise colours such as peach, orange, yellow, shades of pink, burnt orange, rust, gold because the warm energies will come in with the cold winds.
Have flowers, patterns on clothes or jewellery you wear. Those who don’t wish to wear warm shades during the night, the most beautiful colours will be the darker shades of indigo and violet.
Metal will be a strong element the next two months too. The bling is on.
Gifts
Everyone passes their gifts around at Diwali, for whatever reasons. But we are all struggling in our day to day life in our own way and may be not something we can talk about with others all the time. So CDs of therapeutic music such as Sufi music, a yoga lesson, dancing lessons, inspirational/motivational speakers’ CDs, charms and medallions that bring you luck, informational books, gold-plated bookmarks, crystals, door and car hangers, charms, cushions with tapestry — something you can hug and sleep. Let them know you care.
The receiver will know there’s a lot of thought that has gone into it and will not give it away.
