Curating Our Living Rooms
The heart of the home
Season: Summer
Element: Fire
Moon: Quarter
Happy Tuesday! Happy July!
Tomorrow is the first quarter moon in the element of fire. If you need support to balance the intense yang energy of the summer season, the next Rest Curation is on Sunday, July 27, 2025 from 1:30pm - 3:00pm. Note: This will be the last free Rest Curation in the chalet that I will be hosting in 2025. Or get tickets to the Wild Zen Yoga Fest on July 18-20, 2025. Katelyn and I will be leading a meditative walk on Sunday, July 20, at the Wild Zen Yoga Fest, so the next Rest Walk will be on Saturday, August 9, 2025 from 10:00am - 12:00pm. Please sign-up to reserve a spot and remember, as Tricia Hersey writes in her aptly named book, Rest is Resistance.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the yin organ associated with summer and the element of fire is the heart. So what space is the heart of the home? There is some debate on this — some think the living room is the heart of the home and others think it is the kitchen. In December of 2024 when I was putting together the outline for this yearlong Substack series, I did indeed put the Kitchen into this summer season. However, since learning more about TCM through my qi gong teacher certification course I now know that the kitchen more correctly corresponds to late summer, since the sense of taste is connected with the earth element. We live and we learn! So, for clarification during this time of the fire element I will be focusing on the living room space since to me it is indeed the heart of the home. Plus my Taoist Feng Shui book by Susan Levitt also says that the living room is associated with the fire element. Done!
The living room is usually the most public space of a home. It is often where people entertain guests, where the family hangs out, and it typically has a fireplace which is perfect for the fire element. Because of this activity, the living room is the most yang space in a house or apartment. Filled with groups of inhabitants, it can be an area for lively conversation and joyous laughter. In TCM, the sense associated with the fire element is speech, so be conscious of how the furniture is arrange to ensure that conversation flows and that all are included. Although the living room is associated with the fire element, depending on its location on the bagua map it may also lie within the gua of a different element. That said and since the living room is routinely a shared space, it is best to have a balance of all five elements so the energy flows and everyone feels supported.
Try using light fabrics and paints for the main furniture and walls of the living room to bring more yang energy to the space. You can add greenery with plants and cut flowers to bring the wood element along with wood furniture accents. Intentional lighting, such as ceiling lights on dimmers and floor and table lamps, within the space connects to the fire element and can control the ambience depending on the activity being done. Dim the lights for cocktails and conversation or brighten the space for a hilarious round of Cards Against Humanity. Mirrors and fabric accents of blues or blacks can balance the yang of the space with the yin of the water element. If you have a fireplace, consider hanging a mirror above it to balance the fire element especially if all of your furniture is facing the hearth. The metal element can be introduced through metal tables, lamps, or by framing special artworks or photos.
Finally, as with all spaces it is important to place the furniture in the “command position.” This means that ideally the furniture is positioned to allow people to see the entrance without being directly in line with it, and with a solid wall behind for support. When hosting, both the hosts and the guests should face the door with the guests in the “commanding” position and the hosts to the side in a “safe” position for a wide view of the room and the door. In the photo below, the sofa at the wall is in the “commanding” position and the sofa at the window is in the “safe” position.
Overall, furniture placement should convey comfort and hospitality. As an interior designer, I highly recommend my clients keep their living room’s main furniture fabrics and walls neutral but add pops of color through throw pillows and artwork. These are usually easy to change over time as styles and tastes evolve. To connect to feng shui, these pops can relate to the living room’s gua element:
Blues and blacks for the water element of the career and wisdom guas
Greens for the wood element of the family and wealth guas
Reds for the fire element of the fame gua
Yellows and terracottas for the earth element of the health and love guas
Grays for the metal element for the creativity and helpful people guas
The energy balance of the fire element is joy, so have fun with color and design your living room space with things you love that also make you happy. Go play!
Information on upcoming Rest Curations, Rest Walks, and Sound Curations are at the bottom of the post. And please pass this Substack onto a friend or family member to broaden this amazing CRC community and to give the gift of rest to those who need it. If you don’t live in West Michigan and want to hold a Rest Curation in your local community, please email me at abby@cascadefengshui.com for the script and music information. Or email me if you would like to organize a private Rest Curation for friends, family, or colleagues.
Note: Rest products are still in the works, but I am leaving the paid subscriber Rest Readings, Rest Recipes, Rest Rituals, and Rest Recordings on the newsletter for a month or so. If you want to contribute, consider becoming a paid subscriber through Substack:
REST READING
Check out all of the rest reading recommendations in Resources on my Substack page.
REST RECIPE
Living rooms often have a lot of furniture pieces that need dusting. When I need to wipe down my side and coffee tables, I want a cleaner that is natural and won’t hurt my furniture or me. That is why I started making my own all-purpose cleaner that I use for dusting and for cleaning most of my surfaces. It is easy to make and super inexpensive. So here is my recipe for All-Purpose Cleaner Spray:
1-1/2 cup distilled water
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
2 squirts dish soap
10 drops essential oil*
Pour all ingredients into a 16 ounce spray bottle.
*Try lemon, tea tree, lavender, eucalyptus, or peppermint.
REST RITUAL
Above I mentioned how the living room can be an area for lively conversation and joyous laughter. Nothing can get the conversation going or the laughter started like games. Board and card games offer a wide array of benefits, including cognitive development, social interaction, and stress relief. They can enhance problem-solving skills, improve memory, and foster critical thinking abilities. Playing board and card games also promotes social skills, reduces screen time, and provides fun with friends and family that often leads to deep belly laughs. Research indicates a positive correlation between laughter and longevity, suggesting that those who laugh more tend to live longer.
If you are looking for some good board and card games recommendations for the summer season and to store in your living room, check out these favorites:
Cards Against Humanity = adult card-based party game in which players complete fill-in-the-blank statements, using words or phrases typically deemed offensive, risqué, or politically incorrect, printed on playing cards. There is also a family version.
Catan = multiplayer board game, previously known as The Settlers of Catan or simply Settlers, where players take on the roles of settlers, each attempting to build and develop holdings while trading and acquiring resources.
Clue = murder mystery board game for three to six players. I love this game and the film inspired by it.
Cribbage = card game, traditionally for two players, that involves playing and grouping cards in combinations which gain points.
Euchre = trick-taking card game played by most Michiganers. I would say this is our state card game!
Life = board game the simulates a person's travels through their life, from early adulthood to retirement, with college if necessary, jobs, marriage, and possible children along the way. Also called The Game of Life.
Monopoly = multiplayer economics-themed board game.
Scrabble = word game in which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto a game board divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. My personal favorite!
Sleeping Queens = children’s card game where players play cards to awaken sleeping queens and to steal or put to sleep the awakened queens of their opponents.
Sorry = board game that is based, like the older game Ludo, on the ancient Indian cross and circle game Pachisi.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza = shedding-type card game with a dedicated deck that is great for young kiddos.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope this has been enjoyable. May you have a restful week and start to July.
Below are the upcoming 2025 Cascade Rest Curations (links to Eventbrite are underlined):
REST CURATIONS
Guided body scan, energy clearing, vagus nerve reset, yoga nidra exercise, rest / sleep, wake up, and meditation over an hour and a half. All Rest Curations will take place on the Sunday near the new moon at the Liebestraum Chalet in Alto, Michigan:
Rest Curation - Sunday, July 27, 2025 from 1:30pm - 3:00pm
REST WALKS
Monthly dynamic walks to bring both energy and relaxation. These guided walks will start with a circle to stretch and to set an intention to ponder based on the element of the season. The first 30 minutes of the walk will be in noble silence and the last 30 minutes will be open to conversation and observation. The walk will finish with a circle to reflect, share, integrate, and finally stretch. If you have been hesitant to join a Rest Curation, please consider signing up for a Rest Walk since this a more active entry into yin energy. All Rest Walks will take place on the Saturday near the full moon at a park near Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Rest Walk - Saturday, August 9, 2025 from 10:00am - 12:00pm
SOUND CURATIONS
Join us to celebrate the element of each season with sound immersions by Kara Markovich at the Liebestraum Chalet in Alto, Michigan:
TBD
And if you are interested in my feng shui and interior design services, please see my website at www.cascadefengshui.com and contact me at abby@cascadefengshui.com.