Welcome to Space Study! This new series explores practical applications and real-life examples of spatial energetics. Up first: mirrors!
A pile of clothes sits in the corner patiently waiting for me to get my act together to sell them (unlikely) or finally get around to donating them (more likely). The coat rack next to it sags under the weight of a season’s worth of jackets. Shoes spill from their rack and my desk, which has morphed into a veritable dumping ground, is littered with stuff.
Welcome to my sunroom aka my entryway-cum-office just before Thanksgiving!
It was (is?) a mess.
Let me explain.
My sunroom is this sort of random “extra” space in my apartment that functions as a hybrid space. It has its own entrance to my unit, acting as the entryway. Because it houses my desk it’s also technically my office, but to be completely honest it’s pretty underutilized in that capacity.
Since the room is entirely windowed, I often feel too on display when I use it. It abuts my building’s parking lot as well as a back staircase that leads up to the units above me. I have always been very sensitive to being watched while working, so I find myself on edge when I’m working at my desk.
On top of that, I find my desk too small for my needs. Space Readings require a lot of room to maneuver on my end, so they tend to happen at my kitchen table. In addition to the extra space, the kitchen ****is also a much more private area within my home so I like to take calls from there. Conveniently, I live by myself so I can truly work from anywhere at the moment, but I find some of my best work tends to happen in bed. Most of my Substacks are written from the comfort of my bed!
If we explore the themes of the bedroom, it isn’t shocking I find it easiest to write and express myself in such a private, safe place. If you knew me in my youth this would come as no surprise. I spent all of high school and college working from my bed. I recall telling friends in college I went to the library to socialize (hilarious), but if I needed to get things done I would lock myself in my room.
Anyway, I’ve been feeling like the office portion of the room needed a refresh, but I’ve been dragging my feet out of laziness.
The holidays are always a bit of a whirlwind (and Thanksgiving is the big holiday in my family) so I found myself scurrying around a few days beforehand tidying up and thinking to myself, I’ll just deal with this room in December.
On a whim, I moved my desk, which normally faces out into the room (theoretically so people can “energetically” meet me at my desk). I spun it 90 degrees and pushed it up against the windows. This layout feels the safest for the desk because no one can “peek over my shoulder” from outside.
Yet when I made the change I wasn’t thinking about that at all. All I was thinking about was creating more space across from the door to accommodate all the stuff that goes hand in hand with winter in New England. I moved a bench from one side of the room to the other so there would be a spot to take off boots closer to the coat and shoe racks.
This change forced me to move my mirror from one side of the room to the other, directly behind the desk. I have an enormous mirror I bought on a whim on a trip to Ikea a few years ago. It is so big it barely fits anywhere in my house so it’s been shuffled around quite a few times. It felt sort of random to have it across from the desk, but it was the only spot it could live once the bench moved and I wasn’t in the mood to rearrange the entire house (yet anyway!).
And that’s it. It was just a quick, intuitively led rearrange.
Or so I thought!
Fast forward two weeks and I’m the most productive I’ve been in ages. I’m organizing my digital files. I’m business planning for 2025. I’m back to working out consistently after falling off my routine post-election. My fridge is stocked and I’ve been eating well regularly (something I really struggle with).
Mirrors are reflective, activating, and energizing. They double things. Their presence gives us pause. In their presence, we reevaluate. We assess. Placing the desk directly across from the mirror kickstarted my professional momentum once again after a season of lethargy. It livened things up in the best way—I’m suddenly buzzing with energy.
If you have a mess or area of your life that needs a jolt of energy, play with a mirror. Seriously! If there’s a mess you can’t seem to clean, put a mirror across from it and see what happens. If there’s an area you tend to avoid or ignore, pop a mirror there. Conversely, if you have an area that feels overstimulating or overwhelming, look to see if you have any mirrors there and pay attention to what they are reflecting. Can you move them?
A few years ago, my dear friend’s bedroom featured mirrored closet doors directly across from her bed. An overwhelming feeling of negativity kept popping up throughout her consultation. I pointed out that the mirror was reflecting those feelings to her 24/7. When she got up, it was there. When she went to bed, it was there. The mirror was truly her constant companion, reflecting any fears, stresses, and insecurities right back into her line of vision. Upon my recommendation, she covered the doors with some simple curtains and a tension rod and immediately felt a shift for the better. Less stress and overwhelm immediately. And bonus, she met her now partner a couple of weeks later.
We can also use mirrors to attract external attention. My sister likes her desk overlooking the outside world. While selling her first book, her desk was pushed up against a window overlooking a beautiful little creek. She loved the setup, but it put her back to the door, which is an unapproachable position. I suggested she place a small mirror on the windowsill above to encourage fresh energy to enter. I thought it might reenergize the process. It sold shortly after.
Profound changes don’t have to be intensive, expensive, or elaborate. A quick rearrange of things you already own or simple modifications to existing pieces is profoundly impactful. And don’t be afraid to follow your intuition as you go. There was nothing particularly strategic about my most recent rearrange, I simply felt the urge to move a few things around. Is the room finished? Certainly not, but I’m happy to play with this newfound momentum in the meantime.
Want a second set of eyes on your space? That’s what I do! Book a Space Reading and we’ll set you up for success. As usual, if you have any questions feel free to reach out!
-MRD