Mind, Body, Home: Transform Your Life One Room at a Time (5 page)

self, including rooms, mechanicals, components, and outdoor areas

of the home from the ground up and extending to the exterior of the

home. You will be able to access all of this information and bring to

light your own subconscious mind. Being more in tune with the energy

in your home will allow you to make conscious changes in your life.

When you make changes to your home, you make changes to your life.

Your Home

[T]hey are beautiful, ordered, harmonious—yes, all these things.

But especially, and what strikes to the heart, they live.

—the timeless way of building



Before you ever set foot into your home, there is a reality going on

within the walls and under the roof that has little to do with you. Your home has its own distinct path, personality, and future. It has its own soul. A building is made up of walls, windows, doors, cabinets, stairs, and other components that are repeated throughout. The configuration

of these components and materials will determine to a large degree the

pattern of events that take place within that space.

The soul of a space is conceived when the site has been selected

and the blueprints are drawn up in tandem with the intention of the

homeowner, builder, and/or architect. In
Places of the Soul
, the author describes the process of how a building is ‘ensouled’ from the viewpoint of a western architect:

“Soul can incarnate progressively into a building as it progressively

gains substance from wish, through idea, planning, constructional design,
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14 Part One

building and occupation. Each stage develops, deepens, and extends

that which had come before. They are stages which alternate from aes-

thetic to practical but, with these aspects inseparable throughout, are stages of continuous process of incarnation into substance until we architects complete our task, leaving a shell for life which will continue to grow.”2

Every stage of a house being built has an effect on the soul of a

home. Christopher Day further explains the importance of the energy

of the construction workers: “Even before occupants breathe life into a building, even before it is finished, the process of ensouling can be well advanced.”3

The energy of each stage of the home is crucial, starting from the

very beginning. The stages in which the home is built are akin to the

nine months a baby is forming and growing in the womb. It is said that

babies are aware of the energy of the mother and those around it while

in the womb. Homes are the same way. If construction workers are

energetically mistreating the home in any way, unfortunately that en-

ergy is within the home. In the case of one of my clients, in building her home she placed signs throughout the home directing the workers

where to put their trash and cigarette butts. Being in the construction business, she had witnessed too many homes being constructed where

the workers threw their trash in the foundation and simply built over it.

Once homeowners move in, a new stage of the home’s life begins.

This puts into motion a whole new array of energy that continues to

build, homeowner after homeowner. Because of the initial energy of

the home, patterns will emerge and repeat over time in the home and

in the lives of the occupants. However, before this happens a home

forms its own personality. Similar to each person having their own in-

dividualized fingerprint or astrological chart, a home embodies its own essence prior to its occupants ever moving in. In fact, an astrological 2. Christopher Day,
Places of the Soul: Architecture and Environmental Design as a
Healing Art
(London: The Aquarian Press 1990), 106

3. Ibid., 136.

chart of your home can be conducted for the year it was built using

western astrology and/or feng shui astrology.

The parcel of land the home is built upon, its property address, its

shape and floor plan, along with every occupant who has ever lived

there, all have an effect on the energy of a space prior to you ever walking through the door. Like a first date, you are meeting this home and

will over time get to know all of the baggage it comes with—for better

or for worse. To make the energy soup even more interesting, we then

move in our energy, emotions, and furniture with our own baggage.

In Part I you will have an understanding of your home on a whole

new level. You will see your home for what it is, how it can best sup-

port you, and ways in which it could bring up challenges for you and

your family as well. Along the way, I will provide remedies and feng

shui cures for challenging spaces. You will also be equipped for the next time you are looking for a home. While we always end up in the space

we need, the process of finding your ‘soul home’ can be easier if you have the knowledge and awareness to know what is the best fit for you.

In doing so, your home will be a supportive environment that you will

bring you an abundance of health, wealth, and happiness.

Part I looks at your home from a macro perspective first, starting

with the location in Chapter 1. The spot of Earth that is chosen as the building site is the first energetic consideration that will determine the destiny of the space and its occupants. From there, Chapters 2–5 will

take a closer look at the individual characteristics of your home. Finally, Chapter 6 will explore what happens when your energy moves in, along

with your furniture and personal items.

c h a p t e r 1

Your Home’s Origin:

Location

I would give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground.

—shakespeare



If there is one principle that all disciplines and professionals from the east to the west, from feng shui practitioners to realtors, can agree upon it is this:
Location, Location, Location
. It is common knowledge in the real estate market that the
Number 1
rule is location. You can change just about anything about a house, but not its location. It is not coincidental that feng shui was founded upon this same principle.

Feng shui was originally used for the purpose of locating the best

burial sites for Chinese royalty. Feng shui practitioners were originally considered ‘doctors’ accessible only to the Imperial Palace and were

held to secrecy punishable by death. Feng shui secrets slowly made

their way to the people and were later used to locate the best sites for living spaces. Four thousand years later, these principles still apply, even in our man-made world of subdivisions and lofts. It was actually much

later that feng shui moved inside the home and was used for the interior spaces. Historically, feng shui has predominantly been the practice of

locating auspicious places and spaces.

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18 Your Home’s Origin

The words
feng shui
translate to
wind
and
water
.
Feng
or wind represents chi or energy, while
Shui
or water refers to fortune. In essence, feng shui means being in alignment with the energy of fortune. Fortune not only applies to financial abundance, but also to health, rela-

tionships, family, and overall happiness. It is for these rewards that the art and science of feng shui has continued to be practiced worldwide.

Almost everyone has experienced the feng shui of a space without

even realizing it. Have you ever moved into a space and immediately

bad things started happening—job loss, divorce, illness, or a combina-

tion. Or perhaps you were in alignment with the energy of fortune and

were blessed with good things—a pregnancy, job promotion, or meet-

ing your soul mate. Even if your experience wasn’t as dramatic, you

can look back on your homes and see a pattern while living in different spaces. While we can’t completely blame our home for bad things happening, often the timing of events cannot be overlooked.

You might be wondering just how important of a role your home

plays in your life. This question happens to be the basis of Chinese

metaphysics and referred to as the Cosmic Trinity. The Cosmic Trinity

consists of three types of Luck: Earth Luck, Heaven Luck, and Human

Luck.

Earth Luck:
Earth Luck refers to the land and your environment or, in other words, feng shui. Our environment consists of everything

from the land we live on to the clutter we live with. It includes the

visible and invisible energies with which we have chosen to surround

ourselves. Our Earth Luck is within our control and can be changed

and manipulated with feng shui principles.

Heaven Luck:
Heaven Luck refers to the cards you are given, so to speak, for this lifetime at birth. Whether based upon Western, Vedic,

or Chinese astrology, it is your destiny or fate. This includes past

karmas, past lives, and the ancestral stamp you are given. While we

don’t have as much control over Heaven Luck as the other two, we

are not victims of our own fate either. Working with modalities,

such as energy work, astrology, meditation, or Qi development can

work through challenging aspects.

Your Home’s Origin 19

Human Luck:
Human Luck consists of our will, drive, intentions, outlook, and efforts. It is our free will made up of the choices we have

made and will make. It is how we choose to run our energy, our

thoughts, and intentions. Do you see life half full or half empty? This one question will determine a large portion of your life as it underlies all of our thoughts and intentions in life.

Each of these three aspects makes up 33 percent of our luck or

destiny. It is important to note that all three work not in isolation, but together. Each one affects the other. For example, you could be born

a gifted painter, but choose not to invoke your human luck to pursue

your talent. Someone else with mediocre talent could take full advan-

tage of their human luck and become a successful artist through much

training and hard work.

When I come across clients who want to blame their home for all

the things that have gone wrong in their life, I try to help them with

using more positive intentions. At the same time, many people, particu-

larly in the West, underestimate the power of the Earth Luck and the

effect their living space has on their life. By understanding the Cosmic Trinity, you can best invoke all three to optimize your life, destiny, and fortune. In my feng shui practice, I encourage clients to incorporate intention when making feng shui changes as this will bring about a more

powerful impact on the desired change.

Harnessing the Earth’s Energy

The Earth’s terrain, directions, earth elements, and colors are all visible expressions of the Earth’s energy. There are also invisible lines of energy below the Earth’s surface that affect life on Earth. Consequently, some areas are more auspicious and prosperous than others. The Earth’s

energy below the surface is often expressed on the surface through its

topography. This is the essence of feng shui and other environmental sciences that have been studied and passed down for centuries.

One of the primary methods of studying the Earth’s energy below

the visible surface is
geomancy
. It resulted from a translation of feng shui in the 19th century by Christian missionaries in China and is still
20 Your Home’s Origin

commonly practiced, primarily in Europe. Geomancy is a method of

divination used to interpret the visible topography and invisible ley

lines of the land. Many sacred sites are located on auspicious lines that lie below the Earth’s surface detected and made known by geomancy. It

is theorized that Stonehenge, among other sacred sites, lie along powerful ley lines connecting a powerful underground energy grid.

A great importance was placed on locating sites for churches, tem-

ples, and mosques. For example, geomancy was used to locate power

spots. Christian cathedrals were often sited on old pagan sites because they were considered power spots. Priests would also use geomancy to

locate sites and harness the power of the sites. The direction was also an important consideration with Eastern-facing being the preferential

siting of most temples and churches.

While these deliberate location techniques are not commonly prac-

ticed today, the importance of location cannot be underestimated. Liv-

ing and functioning in an environment with positive energy, or chi,

emanating from the Earth will have a profound effect on one’s health,

wellbeing, and overall prosperity. There is a reason why feng shui has

been highly revered for thousands of years and continues to be prac-

ticed with steadfast results.

Although feng shui, vastu shasra, and geomancy have been some of

the more notable studies and practices of harnessing the earth’s energy, these are by no means the only ways. Entire cultures, such as Native

Americans, Celtic Shamans, and Aborigines, have lived in harmony with

the Earth simply as a way of life. Their respect and stewardship of the land should serve as a model for living in harmony with Mother Earth.

What is Chi?

The goal of feng shui is to harness the beneficial chi from the earth and avoid inauspicious chi. In Chinese Medicine, chi is the word used to describe energy. Chi is simply
energy
. Energy is the all-pervading universal life force that flows through all that is. Although there is ultimately only one source of all energy, there are many ways, or venues, for energy