Untangling the Vines: Boundaries and Safety
Lately, I’ve noticed a strong theme coming up, both in my own life and with my Energy Healing clients. Many people are having to stand in their power and voice what is OK and what isn’t. And setting boundaries.
This month, with Yin Wood being doubled up for September 2025, there’s an emphasis on boundaries. Yin Wood creeps, like a vine, or expands quietly into other regions like grass. And right now, that creeping energy is showing us where people or situations have stretched too far, into places where they have overstretched and crossed boundaries.
The worse thing about boundaries is that you sometimes have to reinforce them. And being really honest, it’s not something most of us enjoy doing. You probably detest it. You may even feel angry that you’ve been put in the position of having to prune back someone else’s creeping vine over your boundary fence.
Because when you speak up, there's many people who don’t like having boundaries placed on them, especially if they’ve been used to growing over the fence simply because they can.
And so they grow. And they tangle. Until you have no choice but to cut them back.
When that moment comes, they may twist and turn like the vine itself, trying to make you doubt yourself. Manipulation, backtracking, or justification may follow, all attempts to keep growing in your back yard, even when it’s unsafe for you.
Boundaries are about safety. Just like the fence around your home says this is my space and that is yours, boundaries protect what’s most important, your health, safety, equality, and peace.
Sometimes, allowing someone to keep crossing your boundary is far more unsafe than the discomfort that comes with pruning back. And this is where the decision-making becomes deeply personal.
For my clients and I, this question has become a guiding one:
"What is safest?
Is your safety (or the safety of those you love) worth the cutting back, stopping of overgrowth, even if it feels painful in the moment?"
"Or is it safer to stay quiet and let things continue to creep further into your yard?"
Because here’s the truth: if you don’t take action, you or someone you love may be harmed, your back yard becomes overgrown. And while it can feel awful to prune and cut back, boundaries aren’t about punishment. They’re about protection.
You may also find, once you start cutting back, holding your boundaries, that some vines are woven together. There may be a whole tangle of connections you didn’t see at first. And when you cut one back, you may accidentally pull on another, upsetting people or dynamics you weren’t expecting to touch.
This is why boundary work can feel so complicated. It’s rarely neat and tidy.
At first, when you’ve pruned, things can look bare or harsh. You may feel guilt, grief, or even isolation. You might even question if you’ve done the right thing. And sometimes, it stays uncomfortable for a while.
Setting boundaries doesn’t magically make everything peaceful. But it does create the space for safety.
With time, you begin to see what’s been protected, yourself, your loved ones, your peace. That space may not look pretty straight away, but it’s yours again.
And from there, you get to decide what grows next.
Im with you in the effort that it takes to prune, as laborious and painful it can be sometimes. It's ultimately for creating safe spaces, that can eventually bloom into something colourful and beautiful.
Author: Renée Longworth is a Feng Shui Consultant and 40th-generation lineage holder in the Liu Jiang Dong Feng Shui lineage, specialising in both home and business Feng Shui, as well as Fertility Feng Shui. She is an Energetic Healing Practitioner, Clinical Hypnotherapist specialising in trauma, Geomancer, Chinese Astrologer, Qi Men Dun Jia practitioner, Meditation Facilitator, and Medium. And has been practicing for 20yrs.
Renée integrates these modalities to help her clients create abundant, thriving, and safe spaces, both physical and emotional, that support healing, financial prosperity, and lasting transformation.
