For three Chinese New Year’s in a row now, I have purchased a new beaded Chinese charm to hang on my purse. It’s only about three inches long, and its bright colors are noticeable as it dangles down from my purse strap. These charms have become my reminders to stay spiritually awake. I also like the way they look. I once took a Feng Shui seminar with Nancy Santo Pietro, author of “Feng Shui and Health: The Anatomy of a Home–Using Feng Shui to Disarm Illness, Accelerate Recovery, and Create Optimal Health.” Both she and her right-hand assistant are always resplendent in crystal necklaces and earrings, with Asian charms at their belts or on their handbags. If you flip through any fashion magazine these days, you are apt to see similarly glittering spiritual influences.

I’m no slave to fashion, but I do believe in dressing energetically in colors or with accessories that make me feel alive and ready to get to work. If you’re not drawn to these Chinese New Year charms I’m referring to, I ask you to think about everything you wear or carry in a new way. (Not too much to ask, eh?) Even your jewelry, when it is an expression of your vital energy, can inspire peak performance and give you a boost. The Chinese New Year is a nice time to reorganize and consider what you tote along as you move through your day. Is it holding you back or moving you forward? Your life’s work is important. Do your clothes and accessories connect you to your higher purpose and enhance your innate spiritual beauty? If they do, as you age, people will respond more to your dazzling energy than to your technical attractiveness. Women who figure this out really hold the keys!

Even though it is the Year of the Dog, the selected animal of the year is the rabbit. FengshuiShopper.com explains why and features several reasonably priced rabbit charms for you handbag, backpack or belt. Some folks even buy them for the collars of their pets!