How to Set Your Holiday Table with Intention

Thanksgiving is a day to invite loved ones around the table to express gratitude for the bounties of life and friendship. For many, the table is the center of the Thanksgiving Day meal. To give the holiday more meaning, follow these tips to set your table with intention as a way to truly show your gratitude to your guests.

5 Ways to Set Your Holiday Table with Intention

1. Use feng shui.

According to feng shui practitioner Carol Olmstead, use the “3 Hs of holiday entertaining—harmonious seating, harmonious decor, harmonious foods.” She suggests using a round table if possible “because the absence of sharp corners and hard edges helps energy—and conversation—flow gently.” She also recommends inviting an even number of guests; using a centerpiece with the fire element color of orange because it encourages conversation; setting out bowls of nuts, dried fruit and candy; and balancing yin energy (white foods such as potatoes and fish) with the strong yang energy of winter (colorful, hot foods, chili peppers, ginger, garlic and chai hot cocoa).

2. Include colored candles.

A great way to bring intention to your table is by decorating with colored candles, which can perfectly set the mood you’re looking for. Here’s a quick breakdown:

White candles bring peace.
Blue candles promote healing and forgiveness.
Orange candles celebrate joy.
Rose candles acknowledge friendship and harmony.
Red candles attract love and courage.
Green candles draw in wealth and abundance.
Purple candles call in wisdom and spiritual awareness.
Lavender candles increase intuition.
Yellow candles help bring plans into action and inspire creativity.
Black candles protect from, repel and destroy negative energies.
Silver candles bring in feminine energy and remove negativity.
Gold candles bring in masculine energy and draw good fortune.

3. Utilize sacred geometry.

That’s right, you can infuse sacred geometry into your celebration with a Metatron’s Cube as a centerpiece. It’s believed that this geometrical symbol of 13 spheres—held together by lines from the midpoint representing the weaving together of the feminine and the masculine—forms the map of creation that ancient civilizations have revered since the beginning of time. Also known as the fruit of life, meditating on the cube can be used as a portal to access our divine connection to oneness.

4. Serve amethyst-nourished wine or water.

The Greek translation for amethyst is “nonintoxicable,” and the ancient Greeks, who believed in the the potency of amethyst on liquids, used the gemstones to enhance wine. Select sommeliers rediscovered this tradition, understanding that the gems can soften the wine’s natural acids. Tested by naturopaths in Germany, glass wands containing amethysts, garnets and quartz crystals, as well as other semi-precious gemstones, have also been proven to neutralize harmful substances and increase the bioavailability of minerals in water. Don’t be surprised if after drinking your gem water or wine, your guests feel more motivated and passionate.

5. Create beauty with geode platters and handmade bowls.

Geodes, believed to have the ability to help communicate with divine beings and assist in balance, make beautiful serving platters, particularly agate. Known for its harmonizing effects between yin and yang, this grounding stone with its multiple layers is thought to bring hidden information to light. Offering dishes in handmade stoneware bowls adds an artistic aesthetic to the setting, creating a table full of gratitude.