Apart from the general merry-making and exchange of gifts and sweets, an important aspect of Diwali is one that starts much before the actual festival, which is cleaning of one’s home in order to give it a bright and shiny look for the celebrations.
Come Diwali, besides the festive decorations, people make sure that they are doing everything right to welcome wealth, health and prosperity into their homes. Follow these simple vaastu tips to ensure the added bonus of a clean and sparkling home!
De-clutter
The first step to getting your home ready for Diwali is to start throwing away all those unwanted things that you have lying around the house, as you need to make way for the new by getting rid of everything old and useless. So start disposing off all those old magazines, clothes, broken furniture, crockery or children’s toys that are never going to be used. Get in touch with any of those local organizations who will be more than happy to come and collect your old stuff from your home and hand them down to the lesser privileged.
Clean and shine
Next comes the cleaning of the entire house, including those neglected corners which are seldom attended to. Remember, it is very important to clean each and every square inch of your home in order to attract the wealth gods, so make sure that this is strictly adhered to. If possible energize your apartment or building by either whitewashing or applying a fresh coat of paint, as the final step towards giving your home a brand new look.
Light up
The reason why ‘light’ is an important feature of Diwali is because it is supposed to ward off evil spirits, bring in prosperity and energize the surroundings. It is also believed that homes that are well-lit are always more in tune with attracting wealth, so make sure that your home is shining nice and bright this Diwali. Use lots of decorative diyas, candles and colourful bulbs to make your home look spectacular. Bright lights and colourful decorations are also symbolic of positive energy, which leads to good health and wealth. Light up efficiently. This is a great time to switch to energy efficient CFL bulbs.
Pave the way
Your main door must look bright and inviting for Goddess Lakshmi to enter your home and shower her blessings. The small footprints which are usually drawn with a mix of rice flour and vermilion symbolize the goddess’ entry into your home, so let your creativity flow with beautiful rangoli designs and traditional motifs.
Another interesting décor idea as per vaastu is the display of colourful bandanwars or door hangings, for that traditional look during the festive season. The designs, colours, bells and mirrors used in making these door-hangings give your home a beautiful look as well as create the perfect ambience for attracting prosperity.
Pooja special
The northern sector of a home is associated with wealth. Hence, ideally, the Lakshmi pooja should be conducted in that location. Prayers, songs and rituals are all designed to welcome the goddess home and attract health and wealth. It is said that cleanliness, light and fragrance are essential in enhancing your wealth prospects, so make sure that your home is in accordance to these prerequisites for Diwali celebrations. Apart from devotional music, let soothing tunes permeate the air throughout the day and fill your home with the right ambience for prosperity.
|
Get your pooja room ready for Lakshmi pooja this Diwali with these vaastu tips:
|
- Use new cloths to clean the photos or idols, and use them for this purpose only
- Put pictures of water and ‘kalash’ in the east or north of the pooja room
- The idols must not face the door of the pooja room or one another
- Do not keep photos of those who have passed away in the pooja room
- Do not keep two idols of the same god at the pooja place
- Place idols in the north-east direction in the pooja room
|
|
Gift it right
Diwali shopping lists are of course quite exhaustive. In order to attract wealth as per vaastu, it is a good idea to include gold and utensils too. Apart from jewellery, gold and silver coins are accepted gifts for promoting prosperity. It is also suggested that the coins which are used during the pooja should later be stored in red pouches with golden strings, as they are believed to be symbols of blessings from Lakshmi and bearers of good luck throughout the year.
Count your blessings
Diwali is the ideal time to chalk out your financial goals for the year, or review them if required. Vaastu suggests that you write down your wealth aspirations. Another tip is to take three coins, wrap them up in red cloth, and place them next to a water bowl in the north. The area must be uncluttered and kept clean at all times. Focus on your goals regularly, and the wealth gods shall surely smile on you this Diwali. |