John Cowan (not his real name) lives in an upscale Atlanta home. His home has tripled in value since he bought it. Is he a happy camper?
Unfortunately, no. In fact, his physician has been unable to find a medication which will relieve his symptoms of despair.
John’s home is surrounded by trees which block all natural light from entering his windows. Dark wood-paneled walls and heavy antique furniture decorate his domain.
My friend, Judy Dugan, however, who lives near John is one of the happiest persons I know. Outside Judy’s bright turquoise front-door, blooms a fragrant rose garden. Sunlight streams through every window, causing her indoor plants to thrive.
What does the design and decoration of the homes of my friends say about them? Does their health and happiness influence the way their homes look and feel?
Yes, of course.
What is not so obvious, however, is that the design and decoration of their homes may actually influence not only their overall happiness but special aspects of their lives, such as their love/sex lives and their work lives.
Or say the following books, both of which examine the influences of seen and unseen forces of nature and how they interact with each other in the environment of our homes.
The Western Guide to Feng Shui, Room by Room, is highly readable. According to author Collins, “The primary goal of Feng Shui is to bring you and your home into harmony so that you are not surviving one storm after another, but thriving in a paradise of your own design.”
The chapter on bedrooms is especially helpful for anyone who wants to improve his/her sex/love life.
Collins recommends incorporating soothing music, favorite fragrances, flowers, candles, and sensuous sheets and bedspreads of warm colors such as pink or red.
Paintings in the bedroom should include pairs of objects, rather than solitary, single figures. One woman, for example, who wanted to find romance, had decorated her bedroom with paintings of twenty solitary figures. At Collins’ suggestion, her art now includes happy-looking couples.
Feng Shi for Life: Mastering the Dynamics Between Your Inner World and Outside Environment by Jon Sandifer, presents a well-researched, knowledgeable approach to the Oriental School of Feng Shui, usually called the Compass School, because it relies on the use of a luo pan or Chinese compass and the use of a Pa Kua Map.
Pamela Colvin, a Feng Shui designer from Portland, Maine, says this method may be more reliable than Western Feng Shui because it is more solidly based on scientific principles.
Sandifer gives an example of how his first home office kept him from moving ahead in his career.
“To begin with,” he writes, “I was sitting in a draught of chi. I sat midway between the door and the opposite window—allowing my ideas and inspiration to be distracted.”
“The desk,” according to Sandifer, “was a large piece of plywood supported by a couple of trestles!”
This was the desk from which he hoped to write words of wisdom. His revamped his office using the Pa Kua Map. Almost immediately, his prosperity in writing increased.
Ridiculous? Maybe. Perhaps what is more important is that our beliefs about the arrangement of our homes is equally, if not more, important than what the experts tell us.
Intentions are what matter. As author Collins writes, “Live with what you love. Put safety and comfort first. And simplify, simplify, simplify.”
