Have you ever gone to a new location, a place you have never been before and not been able to easily find the front door? How did that feel? Some years ago, I had numerous frustrating visits to buildings (mostly schools) for which I could not find the front door. You might be thinking, “How hard could it be to find the front door?” To prepare for my visits, I would always check a map and use the GPS in my car. I would arrive at the destination and walk on the main walkway towards what looked like the front door. When I arrived at the door, it oftentimes would be sealed or locked with no sign directing me to the entrance. In some cases, the handles would be removed from the door and the doorbells gone.
So, I would begin my trek around the building to find the entrance. Sometimes, it would be a side entrance; once, I even had to walk through an alley, past some dumpsters, and up a staircase to then find the entrance. Another notable time, I had to call someone inside the building to ask them how to find the front door. When I asked why the entrance was hidden, I was told that they only wanted people who really belonged there to find the door, yet how do they know who really belonged there?
Now, imagine that this building with the hidden door is your home. And that the energy of new opportunities, abundance, love, or anything else you desire to experience is circling around your home, frustrated, and unable to find the entrance. At some point, it will simply pass by to another more easily accessible location. If there are times in your life when you feel like opportunities are passing you by, one of the first places to examine in your home is the front door.
The front architectural entrance of your home, also called the mouth of chi (energy), is an important key to welcoming in fresh, new energy into your home and life. If we keep in mind a few simple suggestions, we can dramatically shift the quality of our life. The front door carries a great deal of symbolism, including being a connection between our inner life and outer life. It is also the “face” of your home. It provides a first impression to the world. It is a gateway and boundary where we can determine who can and cannot enter our home (our inner life).
To attract the energies that we desire into our home and live, keep in mind these five suggestions to enhance the entranceway:
1.Ensure that the front door can be easily seen from the street. Can you clearly see the entrance from the street? If not, remove all obstructions. Clear a path from the street to the front door. Can you see the house numbers from the street? If you live in a home where the GPS directions are not accurate, it is even more important that your house can be easily identified.
Intentionally walk the path from the street to the front door. Tap into how it feels. Is it a joyful walk, or one where you need to watch your step? Is it open and welcoming or closed and constricting? Imagine you are a new and welcomed guest moving along the path toward your front door. Do you feel welcomed, or as if you’d like to run away?
2.Make sure the door works properly. Having a strong, properly working front door will reinforce boundaries and create safe space within your home. Check that the locks are functioning properly and that the door opens fully. Make sure everything around the entrance is working as well, including the doorbells, lights, doorknobs, and anything else in that space. Lubricate the hinges if the door squeaks. One of the fundamental ways that we can create a greater sense of safety while in our homes is to be in a space where everything is functioning properly.
3.Clear the clutter leading up to the entrance as well as inside the front entrance. Clutter clogs our energy. If we wish new energy to flow into our lives with ease and grace, we need to ensure that our spaces reflect this. In our entranceway, clear anything out that we do not love and use. Take a moment to walk up to and open your front door, what do you see inside when you open the door? What you see from this vantage point is the first impression anyone has upon entering your home? It also symbolically reflects what we desire to have in our lives, since it is what we first show to those who we do welcome into our home, our inner world.
4. Keep the area clean. Sweep the porch and walkway. Place an attractive wreath, flowers or shrubbery in the area. Increase its attractiveness. Maintain a connection with nature and the shifting seasons by mirroring elements of nature in your entranceway and home. By honoring our connection with nature and the cycles around us, we can continue to welcome new energy into our lives. The shifting of energies with the seasons can be maintained by using seasonal wreaths or flowers around the door, decorative door hangers, holiday lights, or something else that brings you joy and connects you to the seasonal energies.
5. Use the architectural front entrance of your home. I know many people who use their garage entrance as the main passageway into their home. If this is the case, apply the main suggestions listed above to the garage entrance as well. Keep the area in good working order, clutter-free, clean, attractive and welcoming. If you do use a side or garage entrance to your home, continue to honor the importance of your main front entrance by opening the door and welcoming new energy into your home. This can be a quick and simple activity. Set an intention for what energies you would like to welcome into your home and open the door with this intention.
Our home can be a sacred space, a place where we are supported and nurtured and provided with what we need to learn and evolve. Our relationship with our home can be a catalyst for transformation. It can connect us to nature and the cycles of life. When we examine our relationship with our home, we can get clues to our own relationship with ourselves and how we relate to the outer world. Our connection between these inner and outer worlds is the front door and entranceway.
If we desire to bring love, abundance, new opportunities, or something else wonderful into our lives, start with examining the front entrance of your home. Focus on creating a welcoming entranceway that evokes the emotions that you desire to experience in your life. Create a clear path of joy and love, one that is strong, creates boundaries, and that becomes an honored gateway between our outer and inner worlds.
