If you have seen the television ads for Apple’s i-Phone®, you probably know that “app” stands application, e.g., a software program on your phone to a) find anything or any person, any place, any where, b) help you tweet, blog, post on a wall or e-mail, c) keep you from (gasp) your own thoughts, and possibly boredom, with games, puzzles, etc., d) get you onto the world wide web to solve any problem with a massive search engine or e) buy something.  Oh, and of course, you could make a phone call.

At my house we wish for “apps” that would make dinner or do the laundry for us and maybe go pick up the mail.  I think what we really wish for with all these “apps” is more time and control over our lives to be and do and feel and experience as much as we can in this life we’ve been blessed with.  If adding another layer of technology helps you to manage your time and your life, I commend you.  For many of us, the additional layer of technology just makes us more tired than we already are as we contemplate the learning curve of making the technology work for us. The youth I know don’t have a problem with this as they eagerly grab hold and adapt to new technology that works for them and discard the rest quickly and seamlessly.

Here’s where feng shui comes in:  what if instead of adding a layer of something outside of us to bring about change inside, we subtracted.  We reorganized and used the things we already have to increase our energy.  We chose to live with what we love and got rid of all the rest – without guilt. We subtracted before we added.

We are entering into the Season of New Stuff and are already bombarded with reasons, and advertisements and catalogs and stories about things that would be wonderful to buy for ourselves and for others.  It can be a magical time and there are always new things that will delight us.  But if bringing new things into your life also makes you wonder where you’ll put them, Feng Shui may have the answer.

Here’s the Feng Shui “app” for this season:

Before bringing in any new stuff – candles for your holiday table, a new runner for the buffet, a beautiful serving bowl – go through your cupboards and remove the old candles, give away last year’s runner or placemats or tablecloth and pull out that serving bowl that never gets used and fill it with something delicious to give to your neighbors – including the bowl!   Subtract, before you add.

So what will I be getting rid of this holiday season in preparation for new stuff?  In addition to cleaning out my holiday linens, I’ll be ridding myself of my fear of the new telephone technology and giving away my old telephone (many non-profits take them) to make room for the new smart phone I hope to receive as a gift this holiday season.