Mind, Body, Home: Transform Your Life One Room at a Time (12 page)

too soon and they lose themselves and their identity.

It is important that all rooms are used for a purpose. Otherwise,

you are underutilizing aspects of yourself. If you completely run out of ideas for a room, then it is possible that your home is too large for you. Avoid using unused spaces to store clutter. Storage is different than clutter. Storage is storing items that still serve a defined purpose and function for you. Clutter is stuff that you no longer love or use that drains your energy or keeps you stuck in the past. On the other hand,

if you feel your space is so small that it is inhibiting you from exploring new aspects of yourself, such as art, music, sewing, or starting a family, then you may have outgrown your current space and it may be time to

upgrade to a larger space.

Windows and natural light can alter the energy in a space and allow

for more expansion. For my 9th-grade science project, I planted three

plants—one upright, one sideways, and one upside down. All three

grew up toward the light, defying gravity. This is similar to how our

energy responds to natural light. Having windows and natural light in

our space is crucial to our energy field. Areas of the home with the

most natural light are usually the most used rooms and where our en-

ergy is most present in the home. Windows allow our energy to expand

beyond the walls. Simply by looking out a window, we expand. Where

intention goes, energy flows. However, at night, windows can be an en-

ergy drain. It is therefore important to cover them at night, especially in the rooms in which you are spending time.

Grounding In

In order to spread our wings and expand in all areas of our life, it is essential that we ground into the earth. In continuing with the analogy of a tree, the deeper a tree’s roots, the higher it can grow. This is the case
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with our personal energy as well. In order to grow and expand in life,

we have to be grounded and rooted in our energy. Otherwise, success

can turn into disaster. You can see this with child stars and other celebrities who have suddenly become famous. If energy isn’t grounded, it

will fly away. We all know someone who seems flighty, spacey, or in the clouds. They may access profound ideas and information, but they are

not grounded enough to actually use it to manifest anything in physical form. On the flip side, there are those who are too grounded and get

stuck and stagnant in their life.

Using a Tree as an Analogy for Human Energy

Spaces also embody these energy patterns based on their shape.

For example, a home with a deep basement dug out of the ground will

be more grounding than a home built on a slab. The closer you are

physically to the Earth, the more grounded you will feel. The deeper a

foundation is dug out for a home, the closer and more in tune with the

Earth the home and its occupants will be. It will be a supportive space, particularly to people who need more grounding energy.

It would not surprise me if less turnover occurs in homes with base-

ments as opposed to those built on slabs or even crawl spaces. Occu-

pants are more likely to settle and ground into the home itself. They

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will feel an innate connection with the Earth, even if not consciously aware of why. I know in my personal experience I have had a stronger

pull and connection with the homes with a basement versus the homes

without basements. Think back on your homes and whether they had

basements, or not. Was there a correlation with your connection to that home? Did you happen to live there for a longer period of time?

Even within a home, the energy can change depending on what

floor you primarily live or work. Often, rentals are in the basement of a house. You may have experienced one of these rentals yourself. While

the rent may be tempting, living in a basement is ill-advised. It is not coincidental that often when you hear of horrific things happening in a home, it is always in the basement.

Simply put, humans are not meant to live below ground, at least

not for very long. Human beings are the energetic connections between

earth and sky. We are spiritual beings having a physical experience. Balancing between these two worlds—the physical and spiritual—is one

of our greatest challenges. If we are too grounded, we get stuck in the physical world too much. If we are not grounded enough, we become

scattered in the mind.

The basement or below ground represents our lower chakras. As

physical beings, we live in the third dimension, commonly referred to

as 3D. You can think of this as ground level, associated with the third chakra. Below ground represents the first and second dimension and

thus our first and second chakras. Living in this energy for too long can cause one to get stuck in that level of energy, preventing them from

moving up and out of the energy and evolving into the higher chakras.

Whether a home has a basement at all usually depends on the top-

ography of the lot it sits on. The depth of basements varies greatly from a full living basement to an uninhabitable space only suitable to hold mechanicals. Building a basement into the ground is advisable if the ground is accommodating. In doing so, the home will be more grounded, as will

its occupants. Basements are especially common in colder climates as it protects the mechanical equipment from the harsh weather and builds in

an extra layer of protection for the occupants as well. Basements are often used for storage. As discussed in greater detail in Chapter 9, the basement
64 Your Home’s Body

represents the subconscious mind and can become a storehouse of emo-

tions from the past.

Compare homes with a basement to the complete opposite—a high-

rise condo. Condos are not very grounding and usually attract people

who travel a lot, in transition, or those with an active social life. It also attracts people who do not want or have no time to maintain a yard,

thereby making the space even less grounding. In the architecture clas-

sic,
A Pattern Language
, it is recommended that no building be built over four stories. Clearly, builders have overlooked this suggestion as living spaces continue to be built higher and higher.

On the other hand, there can be a beneficial energy that can also

come with an ungrounded space. The occupants do not feel “tied

down.” It allows a sense of freedom, exploration, change, inventiveness, creativity, and an overall active lifestyle. There may be a time in one’s life when this is an attractive and serving energy. For example, some

empty-nesters love urban, high-rise living after the responsibilities of raising a family in a single-family home for most of their lives.

On the flip side, couples who have enjoyed urban, condo living may

end up moving to a home “to settle down” with a family. You can see

the contrast in lifestyle and how spaces can support these differences.

For those living in a high-rise condo and struggling with feeling un-

grounded, it is advisable to find a unit with the numerology of the

number 4. Although high in the sky, its numerology will help ground it

down to earth.

What Architectural Style

is Best for You?

Because the shape of your house plays a role in shaping your life, you may be wondering what shape of house is best for you. Similar to fashion trends, we often want the next best thing with regard to interior finishes. Trends in architecture, however, are not as changeable. Instead, location will usually determine the architectural style we choose based on the type of neighborhood we are attracted to.

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In urban neighborhoods, you will see a throwback to past eras in

architectural styles with original Victorians, Craftsmen Bungalows, and Four Squares. These are often mixed with apartments and mixed-use

condo spaces. These neighborhoods tend to attract a younger demo-

graphic wanting to enjoy the amenities of living close to work, restau-

rants, and retail.

In newer, suburban neighborhoods, more traditional styles, such as

Colonial and Traditional two-story homes are prevalent. Similar to its

architect styles, the lifestyle in these areas tends to be more traditional as well. In between these two worlds, you will find 1950 ranch-style

homes, mid-century moderns, and newly-built modern homes. Let’s

take a look at each in more detail.

Victorians

Victorians in the United States were built in the late 1800s and early

1900s. There are various styles of Victorians, such as Italianate, Gothic, and Queen Anne. Each have their own distinct touches, but all Victorians are ornately built with lots of architectural detail. They were built to impress and known for their unique character and charm. And so

will be true for those who live in a Victorian home.

Our home is always a reflection of ourselves, and its personality will

almost always mirror its owners. Those who live in Victorian homes

will be full of character and charm themselves, perhaps even bordering

on eccentricity in some cases. If a Victorian is well taken care of, then its owners will always show up to a party as a showstopper themselves.

The more detailed the architecture elements of the home, the more

detail-oriented its occupants will be.

Victorians are known for their grand entrances and staircases, tow-

ers and turrets, high ceilings, and often wide hallways. The sky is the limit for its occupants as well as being blessed with many opportunities.

On the other hand, Victorians built with choppy rooms, dark and nar-

row hallways, and with lots of clutter can lead to a lack of energy or depression. Its occupants could also feel scattered in too many directions, depending on how elaborate the home is. Becoming mired in details to

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the point of missing the big picture is another challenge of those living in a Victorian home.

Craftsman and American Bungalows

Starting in California and spreading east, Craftsman-style homes were

the next trend after the Victorian movement in the early 1900s. As a

stark contrast to the Victorian-style home, the Craftsman style was built upon the principles of using space efficiently, closer to Earth, and with practicality. And so is the case with those who choose to live in a Craftsman or Bungalow-style home.

The Craftsman house is known for its coziness, often built lower

to the ground with deep eaves, with an emphasis on wood accents

throughout. A large front porch makes the home welcoming and acces-

sible to neighborhood living. It has a much more open floor plan than

a Victorian and has lots of windows. It also borrows from the mini-

malism of Japanese zen style of architecture, leaving the space feeling much more clean-lined and clutter-free than the Victorian. This style is more about practicality and simplicity rather than the showiness of the Victorian era.

It is not surprising that there has been a re-emergence of this style

over the past decade. Entire subdivisions are borrowing from the

Craftsman and Bungalow style, recreating neighborhoods from the

early 1900s. As trends have moved toward organic, earth materials, and

minimalism, the Craftsman style goes hand-in-hand with that aesthetic.

Craftsman and Bungalows are very grounding homes, and occupants

often feel “at home” in that cozy environment.

Shotgun House

One of the most identifiable shapes, with its shape narrow width and

deep length, is the Shotgun-style House. The Shotgun House origi-

nated in the South, particularly in New Orleans, and can be traced back to African and Haitian influences. Although originally a symbol of pov-erty, the Shotgun style is still used in new construction today due to its adaptable shape, particularly in urban areas where lots are narrow.

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The Shotgun house is typically built with the front door lined up di-

rectly with the back door and open all the way through. This floor plan is disfavored in feng shui as the energy enters the home and escapes

quickly out the backdoor. Ironically, the name shotgun is said to originate from a shotgun being able to shoot from the front door all the way out the back. This is a perfect analogy for how the energy enters and

immediately escapes the home with this floor plan.

The shape of the shotgun house gives its occupants privacy from

the outside world. This may have been favored in the 1920s, but may

not be preferred by residents today. It is an important factor if considering living in a shotgun-shaped home. I once lived in a house that was

shaped similar to a shotgun house. I suppose we should have seen the

writing on the wall when we actually found a shotgun in the yard the

day we moved in. The neighborhood had not yet gentrified and it was

actually the shotgun shape that was the home’s saving grace. It felt protective from the street with the main living spaces being at the back of the home.

Ranch-Style

The ranch-style home originated in the United States in the 1920s and

really boomed in post-war 1950s. This style is particularly known for its long, low-to-the-ground shape with few exterior or interior elements.

Its style was born out of the merging of the mid-century modern

homes and casual western ranch homes. It therefore has a relaxed, ca-

sual feel mixed with a sense of minimalism. Its occupants will embody