|
How To Create A Harmonious Environment That Will Nurture And Sustain You
Hay House 1999, 2004 ISBN #1-56170-731-7
Bottom line - this book is the most cost affective form of therapy that I have seen in a long time. Using Feng Shui For The Soul as a template, anyone can learn how to create harmony, beauty, and reflections of spirit in the environment around them. They will find they balance of their lives, and learn how to call in the energy necessary to manifest their most heartfelt desires. The is the magick of the shaman's world brought down into layman's terms. It brought me to tears, took me places that freed me, and places that I needed to go, but did not want to. There is Sun and Shadow here - be prepared to embrace all parts of yourself, because that is what living is all about. Denise Linn is an international lecturer, author and healer in the field of Feng Shui. She is the author of the best selling book Sacred Space, and founder of the Interior Alignment™Institute. What impressed me is that Linn is someone who has lived life, and is perfectly willing to talk about where her path took her. From my personal perspective, the perspective of one who walks the shaman's path (but makes no claim to being a shaman), the integration of her Native American heritage, and the Four Directions work, Linn's melding of Feng Shui and Native American teachings is done with integrity, caring, and the inner knowing of a true healer. Linn has basically divided Feng Shui For The Soul into three parts, with each part covering a manner of implementing Feng Shui into your life. Part 1: A Home For The Soul, covers what our home really is to us. It is more than an expression of our being, it is our sanctuary in life, and it needs to be the place where we can find balance and sustain ourselves. Linn makes a very important statement when she says that the purpose of Feng Shui, and other ancient systems like it, is to create environments around us that are in equilibrium with the forces of the universe - with the forces of nature. She goes on to talk about four things that the soul needs to survive: a sense of connection with the land, and with its roots; a sense of safety; a sense of harmony with nature; and a sense of sacred space. If these things are in place, our homes will be filled with inner peace, and will act as a gateway to deeper realms. One of the exercises given here is that of closing your eyes and envisioning your perfect home. As with most of the personal work given in this book, I would advise putting this on tape to work with. If you are not comfortable with your own voice leading the journey, then have a friend tape it for you. It is the beginning that you need to best work with the rest of the book! Part of what Linn discusses in Part 1 is how our homes, and the things in them, are reflective of who we are at any given moment. (Considering how often I move my furniture around, this in itself is a scary thought!) Our home, and the things in it, can shape how we see ourselves, whether we are aware of it or not. Part of the work here is finding the "hidden messages" in your home. How nice that it is not just me that talks to my furniture! I jest, but this section is important. Going into meditation and asking inanimate objects to explain why they are there, what their purpose is, and how you can best work with them is a very personal, very deep inner journey. The answers are there - and this is the gateway to accessing them. Clearing the clutter from our homes is also addressed in Part 1. This chapter in no way resembles the "Clearing Clutter" class that I attended a few years back. While a nice lady, the Feng Shui lecturer wanted the audience to go home and give their books away. Phooey on her! I have weeded some out, and discontinued the practice of piling books on top of books when the shelves are filled - but that is as far as I intend to go with that! What Linn addresses, in part, is the emotional clutter in our homes - how to recognize it, and how to release it. The usual system of decluttering with three boxes in hand: save, give away, and "not sure", is addressed - and it is a fine working system. It is certainly a start. Following that up with the creation of a vision seed map is one of the most personally empowering tools that I have ever worked with. Using your intuition to heal your home is basic good sense, and it is something that Linn advocates. The rules are there to act as guidelines - as individuals, we need to do what works for us. Another layer is added to this advice with the addition of meeting the Spirit Guide of your home. My sister was recently going through some major renovations on her home. I told her that the house was smiling now - that it felt better. And she agreed - the house felt cared for, and it did feel better, and did want to smile. The Spirit Guide for each of our homes can tell us a great deal about our home. IN one of the examples that Linn gives, her client was about to go on vacation. Before she did so, she activated the technique of meeting the Spirit Guide of her home. Her Guide informed her of a pipe that needed immediate attention. There was no obvious problem, but her client called in a plumber anyway. The pipe did need to be replaced, and it was attached to the hose for her washing machine. This hose was in very, very bad shape. There was a good chance that the hose could have broken while she was on vacation, causing major damage (the washing machine was on the second story of the house). Part 2: Awakening Natural Forces, talks about the elements (Fire, Water, Air and Earth), and how their placement affects our environment. There are also exercises for connecting with the earth, and recognizing it as our center of balance. What a wonderful thing to be able to feel that you are a part of the grass beneath you, that you ride on the wind, that you are a part of the flame of the fire before you. Also addressed in this chapter is sacred geometry - the how and why of the myths and legends surrounding spirals and labyrinth work. One of the deepest parts of this section has to do with mandala's, and how we can create them in a small dish of sand in our own homes. Each day, we have the ability to create something new for ourselves. Each of the elements is gone into in great depth, so that we can see how the sound of birds carried through the air not only pleases us, but encourages plant growth. How Water acts to cleanse and purify, and how important even a small addition, such as an aquarium or table top water fountain, can be to our homes. How Fire is reflective of our creative selves, and how connecting to Earth grounds and centers us. My favorite section in this book was Part 3: Medicine Wheel Feng Shui. Here we are working with the Medicine Wheel, and the Four Directions (North, East, South and West). There is a Guardian for each direction (which may be different from individual to individual), as well as a purpose. The direction of the East represents Spirit and new beginnings. The direction of the South represents expansion, growth and the physical world. The direction of the West represents transformation, intuition and the emotional self. The direction of the North represents introspection, the wisdom of the elders, and the mental realm. The direction of the Center represents the home of Spirit - the self come together as a whole. Through story, example, research, and good intent, Denise Linn offers the reader a gateway to a better understanding of self, a more balanced life, and a more harmonious environment. I highly recommend this book.
Bonnie Cehovet
 View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook
Graphics by Art for the web |
