Fighting your home's natural cycle?
- Inbar Lee Hyams
- Dec 7, 2025
- 3 min read
I recently considered rearranging our living room. Again. My husband looked at me, sighed, and asked if we were ever going to just... stop. "Aren't we settled yet?"
Good question.
This week's Torah portion, Vayeshev (Genesis 37:1-40:23), opens with what sounds like a happy ending: "And Jacob settled in the land where his father had sojourned." Finally. After fleeing Esau, working fourteen years for Rachel, wrestling angels, reconciling with his brother - Jacob gets to settle.
Except that's when everything falls apart. Joseph's dreams. The brothers' hatred. The pit. The sale. The blood-soaked coat.
One of the most famous commentaries on this story comes from Rashi. He asks: Why does the Joseph drama explode right when Jacob finally finds peace? His answer: The righteous seek tranquility - but God says: Is what is prepared for them in the World to Come not enough?"
Sometimes our desperate craving for "settled" is actually resistance to the growth that's trying to happen. Our homes reflect this constantly. We want them stable, peaceful, done. But homes are living systems. And living systems need both stillness and movement to thrive.
Where are you trying to settle when life is asking you to stir?
YOUR 9-STAR KI CYCLE
9-Star Ki Foundations: What Is Your Personal Cycle?
Feng shui works with the energy of spaces. But there's a companion system - 9-star ki - that works with the energy of time and people. Based on the same ancient Chinese wisdom, 9-star ki (adapted through Japanese tradition) reveals your personal energy signature and where you are in a natural 9-year cycle.
Think of it this way: Jacob wanted to settle. But was it actually his time to settle? 9-star ki helps us understand whether we're in a year that supports settling, a year that demands movement, or a year of transition between the two.
Your primary number (calculated from your birth year) reveals your core elemental nature - whether you're fundamentally Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, or Metal energy. Your yearly position shows where you are in your personal 9-year cycle right now.
New to 9-star ki? Find your primary number here →]
In 2025 (a 2 Earth year), here's your personal cycle position:
The settling question for your cycle:
If you're in a 1, 2, 5, or 8 position this year - you're in a settling cycle. Jacob's desire for tranquility resonates with your year's energy. But even settling years need small movements to prevent stagnation. Your home should support rest and gentle circulation.
If you're in a 3, 4, or 9 position this year - you're in a stirring cycle. The chaos Joseph brought to Jacob's household might feel familiar. Your home needs to support movement, growth, and change right now - not lock everything down.
If you're in a 6 or 7 position this year - you're in a transitioning cycle. The question isn't settle vs. stir - it's what are you ready to release? Your home should support letting go with grace.
THE STRATEGY
Health, Gratitude & Unity (Gua 5 - Earth/Center)
The center of the bagua is the energetic heart of your home and is constantly striving to stay balanced. It's where all eight surrounding sectors meet, interplay, and influence each other. So when the center is off, everything is off.
Working with this area: Add earth tones - yellow, beige, terracotta. Incorporate square shapes, ceramics, pottery, or heavy stones. Place a bowl of river rocks or a substantial ceramic piece here. Keep this area uncluttered - the center needs breathing room to do its balancing work.
This week's focus: Find the physical center of your home. If you can’t access the center of your house directly, you could also work with the center of your main living area. Stand there. This spot eternally mediates between expanding and contracting forces - just like Jacob, just like you. Is your center calm or chaotic? Does it hold the house together or get forgotten entirely? A grounded center creates harmony that radiates outward. A neglected center lets every other area drift into imbalance.
CLOSING INSIGHT
It doesn't matter so much whether you're in a settling year, a stirring year, or a transitional year. What matters is not fighting the tide. Feng shui is the wisdom of using the art of placement to find the path of least resistance.
