The Hippie Bohemian Free-Spirit Guide to a Healthy Happy Home

You don't have to be a hippie, bohemian, or free-spirit to want a happy, healthy home.

(But if you happen to be a hippie, bohemian, or free-spirit, you'll feel right at "home" here.)

Included in this extensive guide, you will find home improvement tips, home decorating ideas, eco-friendly tips for the home, Feng Shui advice, homesteading and gardening information, music about family and home, helpful links and shopping resources, and SO MUCH MORE!

So feel free to dive right in and find out how you can make a happier, healthier, home for you and your family. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting!

Peace and Love,

Meagan (PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian)

Modern Takes on Feng Shui from PonchoMeg: The Modern Bohemian

MODERN FENG SHUI FOR WEALTH AND PROSPERITY:

1. It is a good idea to hang wind chimes to attract wisdom and good chi (especially by the front entrance to the home).

2. Having water fountains indoors and outdoors is a good idea to keep abundance flowing in your life.

3. Have lots of house plants with round leaves that resemble coins to attract wealth into your home. (This may not be financial wealth, mind you, even though the leaves resemble money. I just want to be clear on that!)

4. Keep toilet seats and lids down to stop your wealth and opportunity from being sucked down the drain and to prevent bad energy or chi from entering the house.

5. Have positive affirmations, quotes, or mantras easily visible to you (especially in a home office) as this will inspire you and create good energy in your work space.

MODERN FENG SHUI FOR HEALTH AND FAMILY:

1. Have plants in every room except any bedrooms or guestrooms (you may put fresh flowers in these rooms though) Also NOT to be included in bedrooms - mirrors and televisions. They take from you and draw in bad energy, especially if directly in line with a doorway.

2. Include inherited belongings such as furniture, art, and other antiques into your household design and layout (as well as anything that reminds you fondly of loved ones) as it helps your mental, emotional, and spiritual health and keeps you connected to family and friends.

3. Opt for wood furniture over plastic, metal, etc. as it is natural, invites life energy into the home, and provides a sense of stability, protection, health, and comfort.

4. Have pets - Animals add positive, natural, life energy to the home, they help lower blood pressure and anxiety, ease depression, they offer support and companionship, and so much more! Plus, they ARE family!

5. Make use of aromatherapy. Certain smells truly do have effects on our moods, health, and overall well-being.

MODERN FENG SHUI FOR LOVE AND ROMANCE:

1. Make the bedroom a love sanctuary! Make use of red, pink, and white, do not allow "work" objects such as computers, fax machines, or even exercise equipment in there, and make sure your bedding is luxurious!

2. Hang pink quartz crystals in the windows of certain rooms to reflect the light and create a loving energy in your home. Quartz that is pink or clear may also help purify rooms and may even help with fertility if you believe in the power of crystals. (Hang clear quartz on your headboard when you are trying to conceive.)

3. Do NOT have pictures of family members, friends, or children in the bedroom where lovemaking goes on. Have those pictures in any other rooms in the house, but NOT the Master Bedroom - the room of romance, lust, and love! It creates an uncomfortable, awkward atmosphere. Also, no mirrors! (Okay, maybe in the closet if it is a walk-in...) If you MUST have a mirror in the bedroom, the worst places for mirrors are above the bed or on the wall behind the bed. Having mirrors in these places is like inviting other people into your relationship and fueling the relationship with negative energy. NOT good for love and romance!

4. Do not limit love colors to the Master Bedroom as you also want love between the members of your family and among the friends who enter your home. You can include red, pink, and white in small ways - like with candles, flowering plants, accent pillows, picture frames, etc.

5. Make sure to fill your home with things you love. If there are things you DON'T love that you feel you also can't get rid of in your home, put them in storage, tuck them in a closet, or put them in a place that is not very visible. Objects that evoke negative energy also create and circulate negative energy and take away from the love!

MODERN FENG SHUI FOR CAREER AND SELF-ACHIEVEMENT:

1. Have a brightly colored welcome mat at the front door to welcome in positive energy, good chi, positive social interactions, opportunity, and success.

2. Hang wind chimes by the front entrance to your home to encourage the flow of good chi, positive energy, and wisdom.

3. Have birdbaths, planters, and/or feeders to attract wildlife. Animals bring with them positive, natural, life energy.

4. Clear out clutter to make room for new opportunities. Make especially sure that your entry way into your home is not cluttered.

5. Fill your home with things that inspire you. From art, to photos of family members, to stylish furniture, to books, to figurines (elephants are a GREAT choice!) your home should reflect you, things you have, things you are aspiring to, things you dream of, and things that make you want to continue on each day.

PAINT COLORS AND WHAT THEY MEAN:

RED: vitality, love, energy, passion, lust, fire, anger, hunger, overt sexuality, rebellion

ORANGE: health, attraction, energy, wealth, happiness, positive attitudes, friendship, communication, social skills

YELLOW: rebirth, freshness, cleanliness, warmth, optimism, cheer, focus, fun, youthfulness

GREEN: well-being, fertility, nature, restfulness, eco-friendly living, freedom, balance, growth, hard earned money

BLUE: trust, loyalty, intelligence, calm, faith, stability, music, medicine, progress, integrity, natural balance and flow

PURPLE: imagination, meditation, luxury, spirituality, royalty, creativity, inspiration, wisdom, magic, enlightenment, peace

PINK: beauty, tenderness, sympathy, emotions, love, innocent sexuality, a whimsical nature, silliness, babies

BROWN: convention, comfort, reliability, sturdiness, wood, rustic settings, higher education, farming, protection

BLACK: boldness, richness, power, elegance, strength, mystery, maturity, death, realism, confidence, style

WHITE: peace, purity, freshness, an open nature, honesty, religion, perfection, completion, life, innocence, humility

COLOR THEMES:

When creating your color themes, try to match your theme to the feeling or mood you want for each room. Combine the color meanings above with the Feng Shui advice from earlier to create the best combinations for a healthy, happy, home.

PLAYING WITH PATTERNS:

Don't be afraid to mix things up when it comes to adding patterns to your design scheme. Play with everything from paisley to floral to stripes to polka dots to plaids to gingham to tie-dye!

Vintage furniture, pillows, and fabrics can create a unique look in your home, especially when they feature patterns that aren't seen as much nowadays. Try finding items at garage sales, Goodwill, second hand furniture stores, thrift stores, pawn shops, antique stores, flea markets, Craigslist, Etsy, eBay, and even in the basements of friends and family members.

Rugs, blankets, room dividers, tapestries, lamp shades, and art can also add neat patterns to work with in your design scheme. You can even match candles, incense burners, coasters, candy dishes, ash trays, scratching posts, & pet beds to the theme you create in each room if you want or use them as contrasting colors for a particular effect or to balance your yin and yang.

Aromatherapy is amazing! The right scents (and the right burning herbs and incense) in your home really can make ALL the difference. Here are some popular favorites of mine:

1. VANILLA, LAVENDER, PATCHOULI, JASMINE

These help relieve anxiety and stress, create a calm "chill" environment, and help with sleep issues.

2. SANDALWOOD, SAGE, PURPLE SAGE, ROSEMARY, BASIL

These help purify the air (and the energy of the home), help remove negative energy, and are great for meditation.

3. LEMON, ORANGE, GRAPEFRUIT, PEPPERMINT

These lower anxiety, increase energy, and help contribute to an overall boost in feelings of happiness.

Make your home a happy and healthy one with these helpful websites.

Start being more eco-conscious in your home with eco-friendly cleaning products. Make your own or buy from respected brands like Seventh Generation.

1. Save money in the bathroom and be more eco-friendly and help the environment by following this mantra:

"If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down." Sounds gross and maybe a little silly, I know. But it can make a huge difference!

2. Keep fresh fruits and vegetables in your house at all times to promote good health.

3. Keep your cupboards and pantries full of food to feel more abundant and to invite abundance into your home.

4. Try to open your windows for at least 20 minutes a day to allow fresh air, positive energy, good chi, and natural Earth energy into your home and heart.

5. Have a place in your house that is your personal sanctuary - somewhere you can be alone in quiet reflection or meditation without being disturbed.

Growing plants for food, medicine, meditation, etc. is eco-friendly, creates good chi and positive energy, and saves you money!

Indoors OR Outdoors OR BOTH!!

GREAT THINGS TO GROW:

CHIVES:

-Food, decoration, medicine, etc.

-Eat the greens AND the flowers

-Wards off disease and evil

-Helps keep pests away from other plants (Good as a border plant)

CILANTRO:

-Food, medicine, aromatherapy, etc.

-Very flavorful in food

-Can be used to cleanse toxic metals and chemicals from the body

-Has strong antioxidant properties

-Good for heart health, weight loss, and diabetes

DILL:

-Food, medicine, etc.

-Great for headaches and relieving stomach issues like nausea

-Good for liver health and function

LAVENDER:

-Medicine, aromatherapy, etc.

-Has soothing and relaxing properties

-Can be used as an antidepressant, antiseptic, and sleep aid

-Eases breathing and can help those with asthma or breathing issues due to anxiety or panic attacks

PARSLEY:

-Food, medicine, etc.

-Good for heart health and spiritual health

-Can aid in digestion and help with bad breath

COMMON OR PURPLE SAGE:

-Food, medicine, spiritual aid, etc.

-Great with poultry, pork, fish, and wild game

-Enhances memory, relieves muscle spasms, acts as a natural antibiotic, and even reduces excessive perspiration

-Removes negative energy and balances chi within the body and home

TOMATOES:

-Food, etc.

-Good for heart health

-Full of antioxidants

-A known Cancer fighter!

CANNABIS:

-Food, medicine, recreational drug, etc.

-NOT LEGAL to grow in very many places

-Good for treating pain, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, nausea, insomnia, cancer, glaucoma, muscle spasms, seizure disorders, PTSD, eating disorders, boredom, etc.

-Again, it is NOT LEGAL to grow in MOST places. Check your local laws

You can make money, and more importantly, a living right from home!

I happen to be a freelance creative spirit - I'm a writer, actress, musician, model, teacher, artist, fitness trainer, ordained minister, and of course a hippie, bohemian, free-spirit - and I make money online doing what I am passionate about!

You too can make money online or run a home business! It takes time, energy, hard work, and determination but it IS possible! And I can help you!

Make money, have a career, make a living online, from home, on your time by:

-Writing or blogging

-Reading emails

-Taking surveys

-Affiliate marketing

-Selling art

-Selling handmade clothing, furniture, arts and crafts

-Photography

-Music

-Voice over work

-Fashion

-Making videos

-Tweeting

-Throwing parties

-AND MORE!!

• "Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go." - Sarah Dessen from "What Happened to Goodbye"
• "Home is the nicest word there is." - Laura Ingalls Wilder
• "There's no place like home, there's no place like home..." - from "The Wizard of Oz"
• "Wherever you are is my home - my only home." - Charlotte Bronte from "Jane Eyre"
• "There is nothing more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends." - Homer from "The Odyssey"
• "Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." - Oliver Wendell Holmes
• "There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort." - Jane Austen
• "A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body." - Benjamin Franklin
• "Love begins at home." - Mother Teresa
• "The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home." - Confucius
• "If there is to be peace in the world,there must be peace in the nations.

  If there is to be peace in the nations,there must be peace in the cities.

  If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace between neighbors.

  If there is to be peace between neighbors,there must be peace in the home.

  If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart."

  -Lao Tzu

Please feel free to share your thoughts on this guide. I would love to address any questions or concerns you may have, and/or review any great ideas you have for creating a happy, healthy, eco-friendly, love-filled home!

Thanks for stopping by! Bookmark this page and check for updates from time to time if you like it.

Peace and Love to ALL!