Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Space is Revealing

A signed Murano glass bird - a family treasure recently passed on to the next generation

We moved to a newly built home in 1952. It was a street with sixteen or so new homes, all built on a sand pit at the edge of a ravine. Several girls were my age, between six and ten,  and we all loved to build towns in the sand, using sticks, stones, leaves, berries, and whatever else we could find to build the towns.The towns were vast and magnificently intricate.

At scout camp in the summer, we built mansions with walls of pine needles in the woods. The mansions had many rooms - kitchens, sitting rooms, verandas, bedrooms, ballrooms, dining rooms - you name it, we thought of it and built it.

Eventually, I had my own home to fill with creative artistry, and later a home with a yard to landscape, as well. At one time, I created a zen garden in my yard. Because there were oak trees overhead, it required extensive maintenance. Eventually, it became a vegetable garden.

A zen garden in process of simplification and streamlining= a masterpiece in the making!!!

I had a small zen garden on a table in my office. It was very popular with students when they came in for counseling. The zen garden was the focus of an intentional design of the room itself.

Fung Shui is growing in popularity as people become interested in  creating healthy  and meaningful space.

Recently, I discovered Farm Town, a game linked to facebook.  I have been creating the space on my facebook farm for about a year and a half. Doing this is a very relaxing spiritual exercise. It also is an exercise in maintaining a short time limit for distraction. It is very easy to get "addicted" to playing these virtual games. As I engage in the ongoing expansion of this space, While playing, I pay attention to  how I am playing, fo my intent. What I do and what I add or delete reveals  where I am at the time. The game is not changing me. What I create reflects my life.

Living and working spaces reflect who people are and what is important to them. Space is strikingly revealing. 

Creating living and working space can be a spiritual exercise.  It doesn't take a lot of money. All it takes is what is there, arranging it to fit the intent of the space, planning for and adding what is missing, and feeling good about the result.

Look around at your space. Is it reflecting who you are and what you want for your life?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you, dear one. My space has the look of an archive that needs help. John is so good at his. Mine has the lived in look, but maybe that reflects more of who I am. Maybe not so bad.

More later, Lynda