Let's Talk Trash ... and Feng Shui

I am honored to present this guest blog post from my colleague, Mia A Staysko, of White Lotus Interiors, Calgary, AB, Canada. This informative article on trash appeared in the May 29, 2011 issue of her e-newsletter: White Lotus Letter.

A client asked Mia: How do we mitigate the effects of where our garbage/recycling bins/bathroom are located? Would it be that if the kitchen garbage is in your Wealth area, you might just be throwing money away?

Mia replied:

There are certain necessary functions which must occur in any home. Waste, both biological and man made are a necessary by-product of both our bodies and our lifestyles. We want both types to be flowing properly in order to have a clean home and body. However, when we begin to look at things from a symbolic and self-reflective standpoint, it is natural to wonder how best to deal with areas which we know to be useful but which do not necessarily have positive connotations. So lets talk about garbage.

The question is, when we have garbage in our wealth area could we be throwing away our money? The answer is yes, but most of us probably are not. As with all things, you must look at this concept from the perspective of balance. Clearly we need garbage cans and not having them is pretty much impossible. As a practitioner, I would be most concerned if the garbage is out of control, is in an inappropriate place, is taking over, or is unsightly. 

Here are a few tips for the handling of waste.

Keep it moving. Take it out regularly.

 
Keep it tidy. Be sure that your under sink area, garbage bins etc. are not yucky. Keep them clean and fresh.
 

Keep it between the lines. This one is a bit complicated but if you know how to lay the bagua over your space (see past letters) placing undesirable things in the space between areas helps to mitigate their impact. Counter-intuitively, the spaces around the Relationship area are most appropriate as this area is about assimilation.
 

Keep an eye on it. Look at your garbage from a different perspective - this sounds pretty weird but give it a try. If everything in your environment is a reflection of you, what is your garbage reflecting? Are you really paying attention to what goes in there? What do you value? What do you waste? It is possible that you are literally throwing money away through unnecessary consumption.
 

Reduce, reuse, recycle and compost! Make a significant impact on the feng shui of your home and a huge impact on the feng shui of the planet. No brainer!

 
I have found that when first learning about feng shui many people begin to get worried about things like garbage, storage, bathrooms and garages. While they must be assessed and addressed we also have to consider the important function that they play in our lives. Hopefully, I've reduced some stress over taking out the trash.

A final note about garbage - there is no 'out', or 'away' to throw it!