In this excerpt I am going to explore and provide tips on keeping the cremains or ashes of our departed loved ones, including our pets, why it is not always beneficial and how to cure the heavy energy they bring.
Feng Shui is all about energy and flow in the spaces we occupy, whether it is our home or place of business; the energy can affect how we can function optimally or otherwise. Some of the basics include a map or blueprint of an area or space called the Bagua. The Bagua breaks down a room or entire space into sections. Each section has a specific purpose for the flow of life. What we place in those sections will affect the energy, flow, prosperity, or lack of depending. There is a balance of Yin and Yang energy. Yin is soft and lower in vibration; Yang is active and fiery. There is good or auspicious energy and unfavorable or inauspicious energy. There are also cures to “fix” or balance the energy of a space.
In general, one would consider living near a cemetery, funeral home or hospital as inauspicious. There is a large amount of Yin energy. It is the lowest vibration as that energy is literally dead. There is no life to that energy. Cemeteries can also hold on to grief, sorrow, anger, sadness, and trauma. Similar to keeping dead flowers in a vase, that dead energy will change the flow of an area or space. There is a lot of heavy energy coming from the symbolism and physical remains within the urn or container. We don’t keep dead flowers longer than we should and we certainly do not keep the actual physically dead bodies in our spaces either; so, we need to ask ourselves “Why are we keeping the ashes?” We may not even realize how this is affecting us. I know I surely did not until I became aware of this.
If we choose to hold on to these, are they weighing us down in a certain area of life? Look at the Bagua and line it up to those areas in the home and explore if there is something out of balance in that area of our lives. It is recommended to place these remains in an area that is breathable, has flow or Yang energy.
According to Helen Keating “So, when storing cremains at home, the drain on the energy of your home and its inhabitants will be perpetual and damaging. In spite of everything you do to counteract it, it’s a constant drain on your life-force or Ch’i. It’s exhausting and futile! So, what are your options? There are three that I recommend, with a fourth in the case of a large estate or property. The reason I don’t recommend the fourth normally is that there’s not enough distance so it’s equivalent to living by a cemetery.
- Have them interred at an appropriate site such as a Memorial Garden or Cemetery.
- Disperse into nature
- Off-site storage
- If the dwelling sits on acreage or very large lot, create a Memorial Garden in a remote corner with an in-ground interment or free-standing columbarium for inurnment
Ultimately removal of cremains from a dwelling will result in a shift of energy that’s palpable and positive. You’ll feel an overall lightness and some people notice the space is visibly brighter…like sunlight has entered or fog has dissipated. If you have cremains in your home, give one of these solutions a try and leave a comment below regarding your experiences after their removal.”
Another expert – Feng Shui Manhattan says “In the practice of Feng Shui, there are some areas within the home recommended to keep cremated remains away from. These areas tend to include the:
- front entrance
- bedroom
- bathroom
- kitchen
- attic
- basement
On a very practical level, a few of these rooms tend to have high foot traffic which makes the cremated remains inside the urn more susceptible to someone accidentally bumping into it and knocking it over.
As for the front entrance, it’s among the first impression and imprint you’ll see day in and day out. In regard to the bedroom, ideally it’s recommended to reserve that space for your own time to reset and rest. Avoiding the kitchen is more so for cleanliness. The bathroom is reserved for flushing away and removing waste, which does not present the most proper setting to honor the deceased. If you are looking to promote a healthy grieving process, keeping the urn ‘hidden away’ within the attic or basement may not be ideal. The attic relates to the future and the basement, to the past. However, if the attic is finished and being used, that could be the exception.
According to Buddhist teachings, when the living tug on the soul cords of deceased loved ones who are in process of transitioning, we unknowingly tend to keep them stuck on the earth plane and that is not ideal for either party. Returning to the recommended placements of urns with ashes, more commonly recommended areas to place them include:
- living room
- den
- room dedicated for an altar
- indoor conservatory
Each of these areas tend to promote more neutral yang (uplifting – life force) energy. It’s also easier to blend the urn into the decor of the room or yard.
SOME OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Besides urn placement, also take into consideration the atmosphere in how you choose to display the urn. There is already a lot of yin energy (death – stillness), so if the urn is to remain within your home for a short or prolonged period of time, it would be wise to bring in more yang energy influences to rebalance the space.
- Adopt living plants into the space of where you’ll be displaying the ashes
- Place the urn in a location that receives natural daylight
- Display a photo of that person and be sure to choose a happy, healthy image
- Place a ceremonial cloth beneath the urn
- Maintain a clean table or shelve the urn is placed on
- Allowing the urn to be close to eye level vs placed on the floor
- Display a universal symbol or symbol of your choosing that unifies the living and deceased, in a respectful way
I recently had my friend Marianne from Morningstar and the Moon conduct a remote energy clearing of my home. I had been feeling stuck, depressed, grief stricken and had been experiencing some energies that felt unsettling. Marianne has an amazing gift of being able to view the energy within our homes, going room by room based on a hand drawn mini blueprint that we, the client, provide ahead of time. During her viewing, she can see and sense the energy and flow of each room in the home, see the beneficial areas and the energetically “clogged” areas all the while, receiving specific information from her Guides. She then goes back through the home, remotely, and adds in beneficial energy where it is needed. She then provides a report of her experiences and how we can maintain and improve this energy in the home. Of course there is more in depth information about this whole process and you can find Marianne at https://morningstar-and-the-moon.com/ In addition to this service, she offers a host of services for you, your home, business and your pets. Soon she will be offering professional Feng Shui services as well! I am really blown away how she knew certain things about my home, the specific areas and detail despite never having been here and living over 500 miles away!
During my session Marianne picked up the Ashes of my departed Mother and my pets. It was really weird how she knew exactly where they were in my home. My beloved Pomeranian Oy (that Marianne likes to call Biggie) came to her during the session and pointed out where these Ashes were housed. Upon my follow-up discussion and reading my report I discovered that it is considered inauspicious in Feng Shui to keep the Ashes in the main home and or in certain areas of the home due to its effect on the energy in the home, in the specific area of the home based on the Feng Shui Bagua or map and ultimately how that energy can affect those living in that home! I had no idea, but Marianne pointed out how that “dead” energy could be preventing me from moving on in life or blocking progress or prosperity from flowing in my life and could very well be keeping me in that grief as well.
When looking at the Bagua for my home, I noticed that the cremains of my animals are in my Helpful People space, yet my Mother’s ashes were in the main energetic heart of my home. The Helpful People area of the Bagua is good for our Guides and Spirits on the Otherside that are assisting us in this life, and it could be acceptable to house them in this area with some Feng Shui cures or additions to improve that energy, but for sure, I would need to move my Mother’s ashes (which as of this writing, I have not, but will be very soon). Marianne suggested that I remove them all from the home to at least clear the energy. She did recommend that I keep them in my detached garage as a means of disconnecting from the energy. I also need to point out that there are many different schools or beliefs of Feng Shui, but they all agree that the Yin or low energy of cremains are inauspicious. Similar to the reason it is best to avoid buying and living in a home that is closely located to a cemetery, funeral home, or hospital.
I will be preparing a place for them to move that energy at least temporarily out of my home, cleaning and curing the placement they have been sitting in and observing over the next few months to see if there is a shift in my energy, the energy of the house and my life.
One important energetic “cure” that I always find helpful is having animal companions in the home as they break up and move stagnant energy as they run through the home. Notice if they avoid any areas in particular as this may be an area that needs attention. I also will use live plants in a heavy spot to uplift that area and bring life back to it. These are just two of many various cures available.
I will be curious to see how this can work to improve my life and yours. Please let me know if you have noticed a stagnancy in the areas of your life that house your loved ones ashes and what shifts occurred after you moved them or made some cures to the area.
For more Feng Shui goodness, check out my other articles on prosperity and Feng Shui.