Your chi is showing

This week's Torah portion, Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1-25:18), opens with Sarah's death. Years later, after Abraham has found a wife for their son Isaac, Isaac brings Rebecca into "the tent of Sarah his mother." Three years after Sarah died, the tent is still called hers. When Rebecca enters it, Isaac is comforted.

The medieval commentator Rashi teaches that three miracles occurred in Sarah's tent while she lived: a candle that burned from Sabbath to Sabbath, blessing in the dough, and a cloud of divine presence hovering above. When Sarah died, all three ceased. When Rebecca arrived, all three returned. Whether literal or metaphorical, this ancient teaching reveals an understanding that spaces hold the consciousness of those who tend them.

After spending decades following Abraham's divine call to wander, Sarah knew something essential: the point isn't endless seeking - it's creating vessels - homes - that can hold what you find.

For me, what's worth holding shows up in rituals and choices: It's the baby's breath I buy every week that symbolizes abundance from simplicity and looks unpretentious and romantic in any light. It's putting the house to bed each night so we wake to a fresh start. It's the furniture that doesn't match but somehow belongs together - the result of careful balancing and tinkering until it feels right (kind of like our closest relationships). It's the colorful art that makes my walls uniquely my own, the sandalwood incense I burn, the constant fine-tuning - moving a chair here, adjusting lighting there, always sensing what the space needs next. It's the evening chaos of my husband wrestling with the dogs while my daughter laughs.

But spaces don't just hold what we intentionally create. They hold everything we bring - our joy and our depression, our vitality and our exhaustion, our attention and our avoidance. And sometimes they hold what came before us - predecessor chi that either supports or suffocates.

This week's practice asks: What kind of chi are you bringing to your space? Where does your energy feel vital and alive? Where have you let things die through neglect? What did you inherit that needs clearing?

DISCOVERING YOUR ENERGETIC SIGNATURE

Walk through your entire home this week and ask four questions:

1. Which gua feels most alive with YOUR energy? (Where does your vitality live?)

2. Which gua feels most foreign or neglected? (Where has heaviness settled?)

3. Which gua holds the version of you that you LOVE?

4. Which gua holds the version of you that you're READY TO EVOLVE?

BAGUA MAP: WHERE DOES YOUR ENERGY LIVE?

This week, we're exploring how to support or moderate each gua's energy using elemental cycles. The Creative Cycle nourishes: Water feeds Wood, Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth, Earth generates Metal, Metal fortifies Water. The Controlling Cycle drains excess: Metal cuts Wood, Wood depletes Earth, Earth dams Water, Water extinguishes Fire, Fire melts Metal. Use these cycles in the context of your four questions - where you want to amplify vitality or moderate what's become excessive.

In BTB feng shui, we map the bagua onto your bedroom the same way we map your whole home—aligning the bedroom door with the bottom edge of the tic-tac-toe grid.

Wealth & Prosperity Area (Gua 4 - Wood): 

Does this area hold what you genuinely treasure, or is it cluttered with things you don't value? Wood's expansion asks: Am I investing my energy here, or have I abandoned my own worth? If growth feels blocked, add water elements like satin pillows in navy or black, or images of flowing rivers and waterfalls; if energy feels scattered or overgrown, add metal elements like round bowls in white or silver, or smooth polished stones. CLEAR what represents old scarcity thinking. TEND what's working.

Fame & Reputation Area (Gua 9 - Fire): 

Does this area showcase your authentic achievements, or is it hiding your light? Fire's visibility asks: Am I letting myself be seen, or am I dimming my own radiance? If recognition feels blocked, add wood elements like tall plants or vertical rectangular frames; if you're burned out from overexposure, add water elements like a curvy glass vase or images of calm ocean scenes. CLEAR outdated awards or recognition from a past self. AMPLIFY current work you're proud of.

Love & Relationships Area (Gua 2 - Earth): 

Does this area welcome partnership while maintaining boundaries, or is it carrying old relationship wounds? Earth's receptivity asks: Am I making space for connection, or am I protecting old hurts? If relationships feel unstable, add fire elements like a leather accent chair or triangular shapes in warm tones; if you're stuck in unhealthy patterns, add wood elements like tall plants or floral prints. CLEAR photos or mementos from relationships that ended badly. ADD what represents healthy connection.

Family & New Beginnings Area (Gua 3 - Wood): 

Does this area honor your lineage while allowing you to grow beyond it? Wood's vitality asks: Am I rooted and growing, or am I either stuck in family soil or rootless? If new beginnings feel impossible, add water elements as simple as a glass vase with a single flower that feels 'watery' like a blue hydrangea, tweedia or delphinium, or images of rain and flowing water; if family obligations feel suffocating, add metal elements like white frames or round objects in silver. CLEAR family heirlooms that carry obligation rather than love. ADD what represents growth you're choosing.

Health, Gratitude & Unity Center (Gua 5 - Earth): 

What's at the center of your life right now - is it what you want there? Earth's balance asks: Am I centered, or am I pulled in too many directions? If you feel ungrounded, add fire elements like candles in golden tones, or images of sunlight and warmth; if you're too stuck or stagnant, add wood elements like botanical prints on fabric or tall plants. CLEAR anything creating scattered energy radiating outward. REST here noticing how this area's energy affects everything else.

Children & Creativity Area (Gua 7 - Metal): 

Does this area spark inspiration and playfulness, or is it buried under "should-do" projects? Metal's refinement asks: Am I playing, or am I performing? If creativity feels blocked, add earth elements like a jute rug or low, grounding furniture in brown tones; if perfectionism prevents completion, add fire elements like an animal print throw or images of fire and sun. CLEAR creative projects started from obligation. TEND what's bringing delight with fresh flowers like baby's breath.

Wisdom, Knowledge & Spirituality Area (Gua 8 - Earth): 

Does this area support your learning and growth, or is it filled with aspirational books you'll never read? Earth's stillness asks: What am I cultivating versus displaying? If inner work feels scattered, add fire elements like warm lighting or pointed shapes in warm colors; if you're isolated in spiritual bypassing, add wood elements like tall wooden bookshelves or images of forest paths and growth. CLEAR learning materials from past versions of yourself. ORGANIZE what you're genuinely using.

Career & Life Journey Area (Gua 1 - Water): 

Does this area reflect your professional path? Water's adaptability asks: Is my career flowing or forcing? If opportunity feels blocked, add metal elements like silver accessories in round shapes, or white objects with curved edges; if you're drowning in options, add earth elements like a square framed mandala in muted colors. CLEAR career materials that no longer represent your path. ADD images of flowing water and rivers.

Helpful People & Travel Area (Gua 6 - Metal): 

Does this area connect you to genuine support systems and inspire your sense of adventure? Metal's precision asks: Am I making space for true support and meaningful exploration? If helpful connections feel absent or travel feels impossible, add earth elements like pottery in beige tones or a woven jute basket; if you feel stuck at home, add fire elements like a leopard print pillow or candles. CLEAR gifts from people who drained you. ADD photos from meaningful trips, maps of places you want to visit, or souvenirs that spark joy.

After walking through each gua: Where does the version of you that you LOVE live most strongly? That's your vitality anchor. Where does the version you want to evolve feel stuck? That's where to work with what you've observed - not to fix or reject, but to create conditions for natural growth.

Not sure how to read your home according to this map? [Learn more here]

CLOSING INSIGHT

Sarah's tent miracles didn't return because Rebecca tried to BE Sarah. They returned because Rebecca approached with aligned consciousness.

Your home holds consciousness. The question is: Is it yours or someone else's? And if it's yours - which version of yourself is setting the tone?"