The Snake Plant
The snake plant, or Dracaena trifasciata, is a plant with long spiky leaves that point upwards. Its foliage is often variegated and can range from dark green to bright green to yellow. Each strong, sword-like leaf looks almost like a patterned snake. Snake plants are drought-resistant and very forgiving, which makes them great plants for beginners, as well as great feng shui plants. In fact, they don’t require very much water and they prefer to dry out between waterings. They can also thrive in a variety of lighting conditions. When you’re choosing a plant for a feng shui adjustment, it’s best to choose plants that are easy to care for. The plants that are going to add the most vibrant, positive energy to your space are the ones that are thriving, so make sure you’re bringing in plants that you can care for.
Why Does the Snake Plant Get a Bad Rap in Feng Shui?
You may have heard that it’s best to avoid prickly and spiky plants in feng shui, which would of course include our beloved snake plant. While this is a good guideline in general, it’s not entirely accurate. Snake plants and other spiky plants can make great feng shui adjustments when they’re appropriately located. There are certain places you will probably want to avoid placing sharp-looking plants, like right outside your front door. Plants with rounded leaves are usually best for this area because they help to welcome soft, flowing energy into your home.
Why Is the Snake Plant a Great Feng Shui Plant?
Snake plants are great examples of uplifting yang wood element, which represents growth and vital qi. The direction of wood qi is upward, and the shape and growth of a snake plant really embodies this. The sword-shaped leaves also cut through negative energy, which can be beneficial in many instances.
Best Feng Shui Placements
Snake plants are great in areas where you want to lift the qi or boost the energy because of their strong, upward-growing leaves. They can also be a welcoming addition to any areas of your home where you feel like there is stuck, stale energy. A snake plant can cut through this energy and bring in vital, uplifting wood qi. You can also place a snake plant according to the feng shui bagua. The feng shui bagua is a conceptual map that is laid over a space with eight areas or directions around a center. Each section of the bagua has many layers of meaning, but on the most basic level, each one corresponds to a particular area of life. You may want to place a snake plant in the Family, Wealth, or Fame area of your home. All of these areas of the feng shui bagua are supported by wood energy, and adding a snake plant is a great way to add more wood to enhance these areas. If you are adding a plant to your space to support a specific feng shui intention, it’s always best to bring in a new plant, rather than moving one from somewhere else in your home.
What Makes a Good Feng Shui Plant?
You may be wondering: what makes a plant a feng shui plant? The answer is actually in your intention rather than the variety of plant itself. Any healthy plant that’s added to your space with a feng shui purpose is a feng shui plant. If you know you don’t have a green thumb, choose a plant that is easy to care for so that you can more easily keep it healthy and happy. Yucca palm is another easy-to-care-for plant with spiky leaves that can also be used to clear out negative qi. Chinese palms also have a similar energy to snake plants, and they can tolerate shadier locations than snake plants. Be sure to look up your plant’s light, humidity, and water requirements so that you can provide it with the care it needs. If you’re unsure of your ability to keep a plant alive, we would still encourage you to choose a real plant instead of an artificial one. Start small with just one plant, and notice how it feels to take care of another living being. You might find that by giving this one plant love and attention, it is easier than you thought to keep it thriving.
