Sanctuary

“He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.”

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Watching birds gather grass and twigs exemplifies the universal nesting ritual, as the earth magically springs forth in an orchestra of re-birth. At this time of year, I’m transported to the warm thoughts of my personal home – my sanctuary. In the midst of Mother Earth’s abundant growth and beauty, I feel gratitude for the peace and harmony within my space. There is indeed no place like home.

Wherever we call home, we endeavor to make our personal space a safe haven from the ever-changing conditions of Mother Nature, and the traffic of the external world. Home is the one place that we can call our own, no matter how big or small that space is.

Our home is the outer expression of our internal identity – our beliefs, attitudes, talents and interests, as well as the feelings we hold about ourselves. The signature of our personality therefore, resides in our living space.

Notice how we initially feel when we enter someone’s home; be it an apartment or flat, a particular room, condo or house. A story begins to unfold about the person or people who dwell there. We become imprinted with the décor, colors, the smells, abundance or absence of light, the plants, books and magazines, music and other sounds, as we move through someone’s space. Our five senses seem to effortlessly capture everything. Our mental intelligence automatically categorizes and labels what our five senses gathered, usually being the obvious, such as clean/dirty, cluttered/organized, colorful/ drab, dark/ light, loud/quiet, artistic, spiritual, scientific, sport-oriented, lavish or humble.

From a spiritual perspective, we may feel and intuit much more information that expands the story within a dwelling aside from what our five senses tell us.

Many people are able to feel the emotional energies that invisibly hang in the air like a fine mist. Everything is essentially energy and our material belongings, including the internal structure of a building, actually absorb the energies that persist in a place, just like the air can hold a scent from something cooking.

There are people who have an expanded intuitive sixth sense that simply tell them information as in “knowing” something or where images register in their mind’s eye. Many also have the ability to emotionally intuit and mentally intuit, so they could feel the energy of a room and simultaneously see past image impressions and know information all at the same time, just like most people use their five external senses.

What does our dwelling tell us about ourselves? When we enter our sanctuary, do we feel embraced by an inviting, cheerful, and peaceful atmosphere, or do we enter feeling irritated, depressed, and stressed?

I’m not going to list the too obvious things we can do to create a harmonious space, like clean and sanitize, de-litter, and organize. Those are clearly important to any living space. What I want to do is engage the more subtle, expressive parts that bring underlying imbalances into consciousness, enabling us to create an enduring harmonious environment. Consider the following:

Where the external environment is one of disharmony

Is there something missing from the home space that describes you – what and who you love, your talents, interests, and achievements? What are those things? Find those things or create them and place them in loving spots to reflect who you are!

What are your favorite colors that identify you and your personality? Are they expressed throughout your home, even in small ways? Come on - add that splash of purple! Vibrant color is incredibly energizing, soothing, and uplifting. Too much white and washed out pastels appear and actually feel anemic, and on cloudy days look grey.

Open the blinds, shutters and drapes on all the windows. Make it a ritual every morning to open your home up to the light of the world. Say good morning to nature and give thanks for a new day. This one act of engagement is a very optimistic gesture and even prayerful. Shutting yourself off from the light of nature for long periods of time becomes depressing and unhealthy. Then in the evening as the sun goes down, say goodnight to the world and close up until the next day.

Open a couple of windows every day, one in the front and one in the back of your home space – even if it’s an inch for 30 minutes due to inclement weather – to circulate fresh air and remove stagnant air and odors.

Where are your plant friends? Even one plant to nurture brings not only the beauty of nature inside, plants help re-cycle the air. If you love it, it will love you back! Plants are conscious beings and respond to their environment. Provide the appropriate sunlight, water as needed and fertilize every two weeks, because a plant can slowly starve after it’s used up most of the nutrition from its limited amount of potting soil. Grow herbs in a window sill such as thyme, chives, and basil. The fresh smell and taste of herbs cannot be surpassed. Again, something from nature living and growing along with you is a wonderful feeling of connection with the nature of who you are.

Where our internal emotional/spiritual environment is one of disharmony

Want to nourish your spirit and nurture the loving memories from your childhood? Cook and bake! Take at least one day a week to create a special meal or dish in your kitchen that warms your heart and fills your home with the wonderful aromas that only cooking and baking can provide. A home really doesn’t feel complete until someone is creating something with love in the kitchen.

No matter how beautiful and lavish a home’s décor is, persistent negative mental and emotional energies will never make it a sanctuary. The physical beauty becomes a prop and can’t be appreciated and enjoyed where fears in all their manifestations perpetuate. Re-decorating won’t help. But a great holistic (mind-body-spirit) therapist can assist in helping you to heal and grow, so you can enjoy your sacred space. Ask your physician/holistic practioner for a referral.

Got a bothersome irritable spiritual entity or two that have a negative presence – the type that don’t have a good vibe and want to instead, drain your energy and frighten you? Or you may be one of those empathic intuitive people that feel a significant sadness or fear in the home that you know doesn’t belong to you. There are several methods to help alleviate the discord. A good cleansing ritual with a professional spiritual/psychic advisor, or if you prefer, a professional paranormal group may be in order. Please know that most spirit entities, which include deceased animals, simply come to visit or say hello and are completely benign and kind. A qualified psychic spiritual advisor can verify if the active presence is your own deceased friend, relative, or pet companion where you feel that may be the case.


Each time we return home and close the door to the external world, we return to the sacred sanctuary that we have created to reflect who we are. Whether it is a boarding room or a house of five, “Be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.”

Resources
Book: Easy-To-Use Feng Shui, by Lillian Too (Feng Shui Master – author of several books on Feng Shui)
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese method for creating a harmonious environment

TAPS – The Atlantic Paranormal Society - The TAPS Family - connect with the TAPS team nearest you http://family.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com/  TAPS also has connections with psychic/spiritual advisors


Live in beauty and be well - Triza Schultz

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