Your bedroom's hidden superpower

This week's Torah portion, Vayeilech (Deuteronomy 31:1-30), is short but profound. Moses announces his upcoming death and establishes systems to preserve divine wisdom for future generations—including the revolutionary idea that everyone, even women and children, should have equal access to Torah study—rare 3000 years ago. But what strikes me most about this portion is God's radical acknowledgment that people will inevitably break their covenant and stray from their values.

God basically says: You're going to mess up—so here's how to find your way back. The written Torah becomes a "witness," and the public reading creates collective memory across all social boundaries. This wisdom is not private property but communal inheritance that requires active, communal preservation.

Here's what hit me: our homes can serve as witnesses too, offering the same kind of collective memory through the chi we deposit there. As my teacher Amanda Gibby Peters says, this is the ultimate purpose of feng shui—learning to communicate with our houses so they can support us in creating the life we want to be living."

It sounds insignificant, but even just lighting incense to clear the air after an argument or spinning the Swarovski crystals hanging in my windows to sprinkle rainbow fairies across my walls when I need hope—these little rituals become my personal covenant keepers. The fresh flowers I place by my bed each week, the way I make my bed each morning as an act of self-respect, the lavender water I spritz on my sheets before sleep—all these tiny practices create energetic reminders that call me back to my highest self when life gets challenging.

ROOM OF THE WEEK: THE BEDROOM

The bedroom is where we begin and end each day—our most private space for processing, dreaming, and restoration. As a natural power spot in every home, our bedrooms hold the most intimate testimony of who we choose to be when no one else is watching.

In feng shui, we pay attention to the commanding position for your bed—where you can see the door without being directly in line with it. This placement provides a sense of security and control that supports deep rest and restoration.

DAILY ENERGY FOCUS

Before we explore specific adjustments, consider this: Where in your life would more systems and organization serve you? Your daily routines or work processes? And where do you need to loosen up and go with the current—your creative expression or how you handle unexpected changes?

This week, we'll work with sha chi (cutting, sharp energy) and sheng chi (vital, alive energy)—the perfect pairing for understanding how conflict can either cut us down or become part of our vitality when we have supportive structures in place.

Sunday (Yang/Sun) 

OBSERVE sha chi indicators in your bedroom. Notice: sharp corners pointing toward your bed, harsh lighting that feels jarring upon waking, or mirrors reflecting cutting edges. Yang energy reveals: where aggressive energy might be disrupting your rest and restoration.

Monday (Yin/Moon) 

SENSE sheng chi indicators in your bedroom. Check if: you naturally want to pause and enjoy the space when entering, plants or flowers appear vibrant and alive, you feel energized and clear-headed upon waking. Yin energy asks: what in this space truly nourishes your spirit?

Tuesday (Fire/Joy) 

NOTICE the fire qualities in your bedroom—bright colors, natural versus artificial light sources, how the space feels at different times of day. DETECT signs of sha chi by observing: do you feel defensive or guarded upon entering, or do sharp angles create tension in specific spots? Fire's transformative energy asks: How can conflict become a source of clarity rather than destruction?

Wednesday (Water/Flow) 

OBSERVE how your body naturally moves through your bedroom space—where your feet naturally want to go, smooth versus rough surfaces. SENSE sheng chi through: family members gathering here spontaneously for conversation, positive surprises flowing easily, or you naturally wanting to linger in the space. The flowing energy of water asks: How does authentic expression move through structured boundaries?

Thursday (Wood/Growth) 

FEEL the expansive versus intimate zones in your bedroom—where you pause versus where you rush, high versus low ceiling areas. CHECK IF sha chi is present by noticing: minor accidents happening repeatedly in the same locations, or arguments often starting in this space. The pioneering energy of wood asks: What growth requires both strong roots and flexible branches?

Friday (Metal/Structure) 

SENSE organized versus scattered elements in your bedroom—clear sounds, precise versus loose arrangements. DETECT sheng chi by observing: colors appearing vibrant and fresh, the space feeling like it belongs exactly as it is. The structured energy of metal asks: How do rituals create containers for authentic response?

Saturday (Earth/Grounding) 

REST and INTEGRATE this week's observations. Simply NOTICE what this space needs while considering both the sharp, cutting patterns and the vital, life-supporting energy discovered this week. Earth's grounding energy asks: How do we hold our center when everything around us feels chaotic?

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 (Top Left): 

A bedroom here amplifies your ability to manifest abundance through rest and restoration. Wood element energy thrives with green colors and rectangular shapes. Consider how your sleep quality affects your sense of self-worth and capacity to receive.

Fame & Reputation (Top Center): This bedroom placement connects your private restoration to your public presence. Fire element energy benefits from candles, spicy scents like cinnamon, or flowers like red roses. How does the energy you cultivate in private show up in how others see you?

Love & Relationships (Top Right): 

Your bedroom here directly impacts partnership energy. Earth element responds to pink or earth tones and pairs of objects. Consider how your personal sanctuary either supports or challenges intimacy.

Family & New Beginnings (Center Left): 

This placement connects your rest to family dynamics and health. Wood element energy loves plants and vertical elements. How does your bedroom energy ripple out to affect family harmony?

Health, Gratitude & Unity (Center): 

A bedroom here connects all life areas—disturbances in this space ripple everywhere, but when tended with intention, it becomes a powerful ally for staying centered during conflict. Earth element energy works with ceramics, sweet scents like vanilla, or flowers like sunflowers.

Children & Creativity (Center Right): A bedroom here influences creative projects and future planning. Metal element benefits from white/silver colors and round shapes. How does your sleep environment support or block creative flow?

Wisdom & Spirituality (Bottom Left): This bedroom placement supports inner development and learning. Earth element energy responds to browns and mountain-like shapes. Consider how your private spiritual practices anchor your daily choices.

Career & Life Journey (Bottom Center): Your bedroom here affects professional direction and life path clarity. Water element thrives with flowing shapes and dark blues. How does your rest quality influence your sense of purpose?

Helpful People & Travel (Bottom Right): This placement connects your restoration to support systems and guidance. Metal element loves clear, organized energy and metallic accents. Consider how your bedroom helps you receive help from others.

For any bedroom location, aim to place your bed where you can see the door without being directly aligned with it when possible—this commanding position supports a sense of security and ease.

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

CLOSING INSIGHT

According to Rashi, Moses' intellectual powers remained intact until his death, even as he acknowledged he could no longer lead. There's profound wisdom in recognizing our limitations while maintaining our essential clarity. Our bedrooms serve the same function—they hold our essential clarity steady even when external circumstances challenge our ability to lead our own lives perfectly.

The covenant despite failure isn't about accepting mediocrity. It's about building systems—whether ancient texts or morning rituals—that can outlast our individual moments of weakness and call us back to our highest selves.