Franca Giuliani - As I always say, our home, our rooms, our closets, and even our office desk all tell us a lot about what's really going on within our lives. And it can be an overwhelming task to tackle the space in order to start making changes. Sometimes what we just need is a push, especially if the space we're talking about seems to be very stale and stagnant.

Sometimes what a space may need is real active chi (the life force). That can easily be acquired by bringing in live animals, such as dogs and cats. And, I should know, because I recently dog sat for 9 days Tara - my “little” big yellow lab - and Zoey - the “BIG” little Havanese puppy. They wiped me out! And they definitely stirred up the chi in my home.

Now based on the Five Element Theory, pets and animals in general represent Fire and bring out a loving spirit in people. So having pets is a good thing. However, it's also a very big responsibility that's not for everyone.

Is there an alternative? The answer is "yes." You can still benefit from the animal spirit without actually bringing in a live animal.