Feng Shui Practice for Keeping Your Pet's Cremation Urn at Home
Published August 10, 2022.
After picking a pet urn, displaying the urn in your home can help keep the memory of your furry friend alive and provide some comfort. Some people argue that keeping ashes in the home attracts protection and prosperity, while other people believe it is bad to keep ashes at home.
American physicist Aaron Freeman has an interesting perspective on energy, which closely ties into Feng Shui. He states that the law of conservation of energy (energy cannot be created or destroyed but simply transformed from one state to another) is true for beings after death and argues that the energy flowing through the body doesn't disappear but is simply rearranged. This energy is neutral and holds no good or bad connotation.
In this article, we have outlined what to know about keeping your pet’s urn in your home and where the best place to display it is from a Feng Shui point of view.
Feng Shui Considerations When Placing Your Pet’s Cremation Urn
Feng Shui tradition believes that keeping the ashes of loved ones at home will create a spiritual atmosphere of sensitivity, meaning the people that lack spiritual sensitivity will suddenly become sensitive because of the energy filling their house.
The Feng Shui tradition also believes that ashes can lead to renewal and rebirth. This can be likened to a phoenix rising from the ashes—a person can rise from any failure they've experienced. Keeping ashes in the home can be a powerful symbol of encouragement.
When it comes to displaying the urn, there's more than just the placement to consider. You also need to think about the atmosphere. The urn contains a lot of yin energy (death equals stillness), so if the urn is going to be displayed in the home, it's advised to bring in some more yang energy (light equals movement) to rebalance the space.
This can be done by:
- Adding living plants into the space where the urn will be displayed
- Placing the cremation urn in a location that receives natural light
- Displaying a happy, healthy photo of your pet
- Placing a ceremonial cloth underneath the urn
- Keeping the shelf or table that the urn is placed on clean
- Allowing the urn to be closer to eye level than to the floor
Recommended Areas for Your Pet’s Ashes at Home
From a Feng Shui perspective, it's recommended to place the urn in an area of the home that has a breathable space and healthy boundaries for both the living and the deceased pet. It's important to allow your pet the space to rest. In general, if your home faces north, south, west, or northwest, you want to place your pet’s urn in a north or south area of the house. If your home faces northeast, southeast, southwest, or east, you want to place your pet’s urn in a northeast or northwest area of the house.
Some of the best locations to display your pet’s ashes at home include:
- The living room
- A den
- A room dedicated to an altar
- An indoor conservatory
Each one of these areas tends to promote a more neutral yang (uplifting) energy. It's also easier to blend the urn into these areas when keeping color schemes, décor, and ambiance in mind.
Where Not to Place Your Pet’s Ashes at Home
On a practical level, you don’t want to display the urn anywhere there is high foot traffic where it could be accidentally knocked over.
From a Feng Shui perspective, there are a few areas that you should avoid placing the urn:
- Front entrance area: The front door is considered the “mouth of chi” where all energy and opportunity enters the home. Keeping ashes in this area can prevent abundance from flowing through. It's also one of the first impressions and what you will see daily.
- Bedroom: A bedroom is a place of rest, rejuvenation, and romance. Keeping ashes in the room could affect your health and romantic relationships.
- Bathroom: A bathroom is a place for removing and flushing waste, which is not an appropriate setting for honoring your pet.
- Kitchen: The kitchen is inadvisable for hygiene and cleanliness reasons. However, the stove represents wealth in Feng Shui tradition, so keeping the ashes in this area could affect finances.
- Attic or basement: Keeping the urn hidden away doesn't provide a breathable space and could hinder a healthy grieving process.
- Dining area: This area is reserved for where you consume food to nourish your body. Fill this space with living things to signify life-giving energy to your body.
Conclusion
Keeping your pet’s ashes at home is one of the meaningful things to do with ashes and is a wonderful way to honor your pet's life. With some basic Feng Shui tips, you can ensure that the energy in your home stays well-balanced.