Great Indoors: Using feng shui to bring balance, joy to your home

Feng shui expert Tracy Green and the host

Feng shui expert Tracy Green, left, and Great Indoors host Tracy Briggs discuss the ways to use the ancient Chinese art to bring balance to a home. LaurelLee Loftsgard / The Forum

Is feng shui the secret to a happier home life? The ancient Chinese might say so and some modern day Midwesterners too. What is feng shui? According to About.com:

Feng shui is an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China. It is a complex body of knowledge that reveals how to balance the energies of any given space to assure health and good fortune for people inhabiting it.

There are many ways to use feng shui to tackle problems or challenges within a home.

I heard about feng shui expert Tracy Green of Fargo and invited her into my home to give it a whirl. In the video, youll see me interview her, but she spent a good part of our time interviewing me about my family life and challenges we faced. Almost immediately she asked me if I have trouble making decisions. I had to think about it for a while (just kidding) but the answer was a definitive yes. She says its not uncommon for people living in split level homes or bi-level homes to be indecisive since were faced with a decision about where to go immediately upon entering the home.

She also diagnosed that based upon the placement of my daughters bedrooms, they have more power in the home than they should (well, I could have told her that a long time ago).

Short of moving, what are the solutions to my problems and others? According to Feng Shui experts like Green and others, there are a few simple things you can do:

Clean out the clutter. Clutter blocks energy. Have you ever noticed how much lighter you and your house feel after putting your junk out on the curb during clean up week? Green says think about your desk at work, when its crowded with stuff, its hard to focus on anything.

Live with good quality air and light. Open the windows, have air purifying plants. Think about using full spectrum light.

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Great Indoors: Using feng shui to bring balance, joy to your home