Cactus Plants and Feng Shui
Laura Cerrano
Cactus are wonderful hardy plants to have, however, in Feng Shui, they tend to be looked down upon. How come? The perspective is, they give off sha (cutting energy) due to the sharp prickly points. To help shift that perspective, I invite you to review some new ideas and insights on how to position and display cactuses within your home to offer beneficial Qi.
1. Observe the surroundings outside your home and if they happen to be in need of dispelling negative energy, such as with fast moving traffic or energy from a hospital or even graveyard, consider placing the cactus on a window sill along that side of your home to deflect that type of energy.
2. If the cactus is a gift and you wish not to release it, try surrounding the cactus with plants that have larger, rounder leaves to deflect the sharp edges from hitting into you.
3. Another possible option is to place the cactus plant between a fresh bouquet of flowers. Or, pair them up with some succulents, as those plants tend to have more round, bulbous shapes that can help counter the cacti’s sharp spikes, while providing an interesting visual contrast.
P.S. succulents are great options for plants and are very easy maintain!
4. You could also use other types of buffers to help deflect the sharp spikes of the cactus. The objects used will depend on the function and placement of the cactus within that room. Perhaps you could use something with glass, or display a set of decorative ceramic pots or other accessories from earth made materials near the cactus. The use of solid furnishing (such as with a couch) is another option to help block the sharp edges of the cactus.
5. Maybe you happen to have a side door that leads into your home where you don’t have a clear vantage point of. If that is the case, positioning the cactus within that area of the home could offer better protection. Naturally, position it in a way where you too will not get pricked by the cactus or feel uncomfortable.
6. If you happen to have a shelf that is located up high and is out of the way, that could be another possible placement for the cactuses.
7. Looking to the shape of the cactus spikes, some say they reference fire element (due to the cone shape of the spikes), which means one of the recommended locations it could be placed within (in terms of directions) is the south.
FYI: its recommended NOT to place a cactus in the bedroom. But in a bathroom, its ok. But again, just be sure you position the cactus in such a way it does not feel like its impending upon your personal space creating a risk of puncturing your skin.
As you can see, the takeaway is to avoid allowing the sharp prickly edges of the cactus from constantly hitting into you if brought inside your home. And of course use common sense in terms of spacial dynamics of where your placing the cactus plants in accord to how you move within that room to the size of the cactus it self.
New york feng shui consultant Laura Cerrano has over with 23+ years of experience providing bicoastal consultations and workshops for residential, real estate developments, Fortune 500 companies, and healing facilities. She is currently conducting research for her upcoming book that focuses on bridging the gap between the ancient wisdom of Feng Shui and modern day science to establish the practice of Feng Shui as a credible form of assisted healing within the healthcare system.