What's your hallway trying to tell you?

This week's Torah portion, Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20), opens with Moses gathering every single person - from tribal leaders to water-carriers - declaring "You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God." Last night, as I paused in my hallway between turning off the kitchen lights and heading to bed, I felt the weight of this moment - not just the physical transition from awake to asleep, but the spiritual positioning between one day and the next. Because here's what I've learned: how we move through the small thresholds, whether in our days or our homes, teaches us how to navigate the bigger transitions in our lives.

We're standing at multiple cusps right now. Between the end of Elul and Rosh Hashanah. Between summer's expansion and autumn's turning inward. Between this year's lessons and next year's possibilities. And on September 21, a new moon solar eclipse - the ultimate threshold moment.

But it's Moses's closing words in this parasha that really capture what we're practicing: "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, so that you and your children may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19). "Choose life" isn't a one-time decision but a daily recommitment, just like maintaining good chi flow in your home. Every time you pause consciously in a doorway, every time you move through your hallway with intention rather than rushing - these are small daily choices for life over chaos, presence over unconsciousness.

The most spiritual act is often the most practical one: learning to pause with intention in the in-between spaces, choosing life in each small transition.

According to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the word "nitzavim" doesn't mean passively standing - it means standing with power and strength. This is the energy we need in our hallways, our doorways, our staircases - those transitional spaces that are neither here nor there, but hold the power of becoming. Nitzavim teaches us that transformation happens not when we're moving or doing, but when we're properly positioned with power and strength in the liminal spaces.

It's about creating conditions for each transition to become a choice for life, presence, and blessing rather than rushing toward the next thing.

ROOM OF THE WEEK: HALLWAYS AND TRANSITIONAL SPACES

Your hallways, doorways, staircases, and thresholds are the nervous system of your home - connecting every room, carrying energy from space to space, determining whether movement through your house feels graceful or chaotic. Like the pause between exhale and inhale, these spaces hold the potential for conscious transition.

In feng shui, transitional spaces govern how change moves through your life. When your hallways flow well, life transitions feel more manageable. When they're cluttered or ignored, you might find yourself stumbling through major changes too.

DAILY ENERGY FOCUS

This Week's Chi Focus: Transition Week We'll explore excessive yin chi and excessive yang chi patterns, as they represent the imbalance that often occurs in transitional spaces and times - either too rushed (yang excess) or too stagnant (yin excess).

Sunday (Yang/Sun) 

OBSERVE excessive yang indicators in your transitional spaces. Notice: do you rush through hallways without pausing, feel agitated when moving between rooms, or find conversations become louder in these areas? Yang energy reveals: where your transitions need more intentional slowing down.

Monday (Yin/Moon) 

SENSE excessive yin indicators in your transitional spaces. Check if: hallways feel cave-like even during daytime, you delay entering certain threshold areas, or you feel sluggish when moving between rooms. Yin energy asks: where do your transitions need gentle activation rather than avoidance?

Tuesday (Fire/Joy) 

NOTICE the fire qualities in your transitional spaces - harsh versus gentle lighting during evening transitions, how voices carry when family members move between rooms, artificial lighting that feels jarring versus natural light that guides movement, sharp versus soft acoustic transitions. DETECT signs of excessive yang by observing: whether your hallway lighting makes you squint or rush rather than pause mindfully. Fire's transformative energy asks: How can your transitional lighting support sacred pauses rather than frantic movement?

Wednesday (Water/Flow) 

OBSERVE water elements in your transitional spaces - how your body naturally wants to move through doorways and hallways, where you pause versus where you hurry, smooth versus jarring surface transitions underfoot, flowing versus blocked sightlines between rooms. SENSE excessive yin through: noticing whether certain thresholds feel heavy or make you want to avoid them completely. The flowing energy of water asks: What would help your daily transitions feel like gentle streams connecting peaceful pools?

Thursday (Wood/Growth) 

FEEL the wood energy in your transitional spaces - plants or natural elements that guide movement, vertical versus horizontal emphasis in hallway design, high versus low ceiling areas that affect your energy, where family members naturally pause versus rush through. CHECK IF excessive yang is present by noticing: whether transitions feel scattered or hyperactive rather than purposefully directed. The pioneering energy of wood asks: What would help your thresholds support growth rather than generate stress?

Friday (Metal/Structure) 

SENSE metal qualities in your transitional spaces - clear sounds versus echoing harshness, organized versus cluttered pathways, precise versus loose arrangements that guide movement, smooth versus rough transitions between different flooring materials, fresh versus stale scents that either welcome or repel as you move through doorways. DETECT excessive yin by observing: whether certain hallways or doorways feel oppressive or make simple transitions feel overwhelming, creating that indefinable quality that makes some homes feel perfectly calibrated while others feel jarring. The structured energy of metal asks: What daily framework would help your transitions become moments of presence rather than unconscious rushing?

Saturday (Earth/Grounding) 

REST and INTEGRATE this week's transition observations without acting. Simply NOTICE: what your transitional spaces need while considering both excessive yin and excessive yang patterns discovered this week. Earth's grounding energy asks: How can your thresholds become places of conscious pause rather than unconscious passage?

BAGUA MAP BY ROOM

Before we look at where your transitional spaces fall, consider this: Where in your life are you craving more stability right now? Your daily routines or work patterns? And where might you need more dynamism - your creative expression or how you handle unexpected changes?

Once you identify these areas, you can use your hallways and transitional spaces (and their corresponding bagua areas) to support both needs - either maintaining steadiness in change or creating opportunities for more fluid movement where you've been stuck.

If your main hallways or transitional spaces fall in one of these areas of the bagua map, here's how to work with transition energy:

*In BTB feng shui, we align your front door with the bottom of the tic tac toe board below to determine the location of each gua. This is different from the Compass approach to feng shui which uses directions for alignment. Also note that the rooms and walls of your home won't perfectly align with the bagua map, and some rooms may fall in more than one gua area.

┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│   Wealth        │    Fame         │ Relationships   │
│   Corner        │   Corner        │    Corner       │
├─────────────────┼─────────────────┼─────────────────┤
│   Family        │    Center       │   Children      │
│   Corner        │                 │    Corner       │
├─────────────────┼─────────────────┼─────────────────┤
│  Knowledge      │    Career       │ Helpful People  │
│   Corner        │   Corner        │    Corner       │
└─────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┘
          ↑               ↑               ↑
      Front door typically aligns somewhere along this edge

Wealth & Prosperity Area (Gua 4): How do your transitional spaces here support or challenge your ability to move gracefully toward abundance? Hallways in the wealth corner that rush energy (excessive yang) can scatter opportunities, while those that feel heavy or avoided (excessive yin) can block prosperity flow. The growth energy of wood responds to green plants that guide movement and rectangular frames that create intentional pauses. Consider: CLEAR obstacles that make you rush through wealth-building transitions, ADD plants or wood elements that slow abundance energy to a sustainable pace, or TEND to lighting that makes these transitions feel welcoming rather than overwhelming.

Fame & Reputation Area (Gua 9): How do your transitional spaces in the fame area support or challenge your authentic visibility and recognition? Excessive yang here might manifest as harsh lighting that makes you feel exposed rather than confidently visible, while excessive yin might show up as dark hallways you avoid, missing opportunities for natural self-expression. Fire's transformative energy thrives with warm lighting that guides movement and red accents that energize without overwhelming. Consider: CLEAR harsh fluorescents that create agitation during transitions, ADD warm lamps that make these spaces feel like bridges to your authentic self, or ORGANIZE the flow so family members naturally move through with confidence rather than rushing or avoidance.

Love & Relationships Area (Gua 2): How do your transitional spaces here support or challenge connection and partnership in your daily movements? Hallways with excessive yang might create tension between family members who feel rushed past each other, while excessive yin might show up as avoided spaces where family members don't naturally encounter each other with warmth. The nurturing earth energy responds to warm earth tones and stable, welcoming arrangements. Consider: CLEAR anything that makes family members rush past each other without connecting, ADD earth-toned elements that encourage brief, warm encounters, or TEND to transitions that naturally support partnership rather than isolation.

Family & New Beginnings Area (Gua 3): How do your transitional spaces in the family area support or challenge healthy growth and fresh starts in your daily rhythms? Excessive yang might show up as frantic morning rushes through these spaces, while excessive yin could manifest as avoidance of areas that connect you to family history or new possibilities. The expansive wood energy benefits from plants that mark healthy growth and green elements that encourage fresh starts. Consider: CLEAR anything that makes morning or evening family transitions feel chaotic, ADD living plants that mark the passage of seasons and new growth, or ORGANIZE these spaces to support both honoring family roots and embracing new beginnings.

Health, Gratitude & Unity Center (Gua 5): How do your central transitional spaces affect your overall life balance and family harmony? Central hallways with excessive yang can scatter the family's energy, while those with excessive yin can create a heavy, oppressive feeling at your home's heart. The grounding center energy works with warm yellow tones and stable arrangements that create natural pause points. Consider: CLEAR central pathways that force rushed or agitated movement through your home's heart, ADD grounding elements that encourage natural pauses and family connection, or TEND to the central flow so it feels like the calm center around which healthy activity can revolve.

Children & Creativity Area (Gua 7): How do your transitional spaces here support or challenge creative expression and joyful completion? Excessive yang might manifest as over-stimulating transitions that scatter creative focus, while excessive yin could show up as avoided pathways that disconnect you from playful possibilities. Metal's precision energy responds to white or silver elements and circular shapes that create purposeful completion points. Consider: CLEAR anything that makes transitions to creative spaces feel overwhelming or chaotic, ADD circular mirrors or white elements that create natural completion points, or ORGANIZE flow patterns that support moving between different creative activities with intention rather than distraction.

Wisdom, Knowledge & Spirituality Area (Gua 8): How do your transitional spaces here support or challenge your connection to inner wisdom and spiritual growth? Excessive yang in these areas might manifest as rushed transitions that prevent contemplative pauses, while excessive yin could show up as heavy, avoided spaces that disconnect you from spiritual practice. The stable mountain energy of earth responds to natural stones and mountain-colored elements that encourage grounded reflection. Consider: CLEAR anything that prevents contemplative pauses during transitions to study or spiritual spaces, ADD earth elements that encourage brief moments of reflection, or TEND to lighting and arrangement that supports moving between ordinary and sacred activities with reverence.

Career & Life Journey Area (Gua 1): How do your transitional spaces in the career area support or challenge your professional flow and life direction? Excessive yang might show up as agitated morning rushes that scatter your professional intention, while excessive yin could manifest as heavy transitions that make you avoid forward movement toward career goals. Water's flowing energy benefits from dark blues and flowing shapes that support purposeful direction. Consider: CLEAR obstacles that make morning transitions to work feel scattered or stressful, ADD flowing elements that encourage steady movement toward professional goals, or ORGANIZE morning and evening flow to support career intentionality rather than reactive rushing.

Helpful People & Travel Area (Gua 6): How do your transitional spaces here support or challenge your ability to receive and offer help gracefully? Excessive yang might manifest as rushed transitions that prevent natural encounters with support, while excessive yin could show up as avoided areas that disconnect you from helpful networks. Metal's clarity energy works with white elements and round shapes that create natural connection points. Consider: CLEAR anything that makes you rush past opportunities for helpful connection, ADD white or metallic elements that create natural pause points for gratitude and openness, or TEND to these transitions so they support both giving and receiving help with grace rather than avoidance or overwhelm.

Not sure how to read your space according to this map? Click here.

CLOSING INSIGHT

Rabbi Nachman teaches that the world is like a spinning wheel - sometimes you're up, sometimes down, but the center remains constant. Your daily rhythms with your home become that center - the still point around which transformation can happen without chaos. How you move through your hallways, how you pause at doorways, how you transition from room to room - these become the steady practices that hold you when life's bigger transitions arrive.