I like to think of the home as the outer layer of ourselves. If we start with our core – mind, heart and soul – and view the body as the layer that directly surrounds and protects that core; then the layer that protects the body is our home. It is an extension of us…

The fascinating thing about the home is that, unlike the other layers of self, we actually spend an enormous amount of time interacting with it. We look at it, touch it, smell it, and listen to its various sounds. Even if we are obsessive about our own looks, we may not spend as much time gazing at our face in the mirror as we do staring at the various objects in our own home. This gives our physical dwelling a special role in attracting the life we want. After all, few things tell us more about our own identity than the place we choose to spend the bulk of our time. Whether or not we consciously realize it, the home is steadily conveying messages to us about who we are.

Picture the home as a giant projection screen, showing a movie on a continuous loop. The images in the film are composed of the various features of our home: the furniture, the artwork, the view from the windows, the shape of the house itself. What kind of movie is it? Is your house just a boring rerun, giving you more of the life you already have?

What if, instead, the projection screen known as your home was showing your favorite movie - a thrilling, romantic tour de force in an exotic setting, with you as the star?! By creating a movie set of our ideal life we are delivering a powerful statement to ourselves. In essence, we have transformed our home into a big physical visualization process, one that serves to transport us into the heart of our dream. We begin to live there well before that dream becomes a reality.

In this endeavor, our highest priority is to get our home to deliver positive messages about our own life - to make the space reflect what we really want. And accomplishing this in a way that is relatively easy, comfortable and fun is the key! If we want to meet a romantic partner, the first step might be to move that bed and give him or her an end table, maybe even change the comforter cover to something we would like to see that person under. If we want to attract wealth, the first step could be getting rid of that broken piece of furniture. Or if it’s just stained, we might consider getting an inexpensive slip cover that makes it feel like new.

Then - and this is the most important thing - we want to start adding pieces and items to our home that change the focus to reflect the life we want to have. It could begin with a framed photograph of the place we want to live, or a love seat where we imagine sitting with our ideal partner, or a jewelry case that we plan to fill as new abundance comes into our life. (I do design consultations with clients specifically about this.) The idea is to give ourselves an environment that reflects the life we want, instead of reinforcing the situation we already have.

So, this summer, as you gaze around your home or office, take careful stock of the sights you see around you. Make sure you are receiving the right messages from your living or working space.

If you arrange your physical surroundings with great love and intention, those surroundings will reward you over and over again by moving you ever closer to your dreams.

Enjoy your summer!

Past Newsletters:

Going Deeper with Design

Feng Shui for Recessions

Year of the Rat: Feng Shui Tips for 2008

Let's Call This Year a Wrap

Practice What You Preach

The Feng Shui of Current Events

The Secret of Feng Shui Design

Decluttering in the Technological Age

Feng Shui Tips for 2007

Selecting a New Home

Feng Shui Success Stories

Living Your Dream

Feng Shui and Water ...

Feng Shui for the Brain

Does good Feng Shui equal good Luck?