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| Interior Design |
 Room For a ChangeBy Suzanna McNeil Today, I entered my living room and looked around at the space. My special sanctuary had always felt warm and cosy, as if I were protected in a cocoon. I had always loved this room, but it was not so pleasing to me now as it once was. Over the last few months, the space had begun to give me the unsettled feeling of tightness and constriction. Why did my 'perfect' room feel so different to me now? It was time for a transformation. Merely re-arranging knic-knacks on a bored Sunday afternoon wasn't going to help. I needed a HUMONGOUS change! I have always liked the stimulation of change and often re-arrange my furniture, but this time I realized that the change had begun within myself and had to be reflected in my surroundings. Quite a profound revelation for a late Thursday night! During the last year, I had journeyed through a time of soul searching and re-evaluation and as a result, my goals, ambitions and desires in life had changed. The connection between home and self is very real. I was once again going through a transformation and I heard my house speaking loudly and clearly. I knew from Feng Shui experience that I needed to re-evaluate each and every object that I had surrounding myself with to see how and if they still fit into my present life. Sometimes our personal associations with our material things are not negative but just outdated and are no longer compatible with who we are. I also knew the importance of carefully re-positioning items with intention and love. My less enthusiastic twelve-year-old son and I began the process of lugging around the heavy furniture (mental note - buy lighter stuff next time!) I was more than happy to endure the pain and grumbling, as I knew that a positive shift in the room's energy was already occurring. When all things were said and done, a strong feeling came over me. I now felt a sense of space and expansion; the room felt almost magical. Was it due to moving the furniture or replacing a picture on the wall? Yes and no...the space had changed visually but more importantly, it had altered energetically. By being aware of the principle that 'your space mirrors your life', I knew that this was a change that needed to happen for me to grow and learn at a different level. Just like the world around us, we as individuals are constantly evolving. Each of us grows mentally, emotionally and spiritually on various different levels throughout our lives. Our life's work is never completed. Changes can be as simple as painting a room a new color, adding a new plant, or be as momentous as moving to a new home. Feng Shui deals with a life's force or energy, know as ch'i, that flows through our homes and workplaces. The principle and goal is to bring about a balance of energy in our environments which in turn can provide us with health, prosperity, happiness and a greater sense of peace. Imagine throwing a pebble in the pond - the tossing of one small stone in the water starts a ripple effect. As one ripple spreads out, it touches another and so on. Change works in the same way; adjusting your living space causes a ripple which initiates a transformation within your inner self. As you begin to see changes manifest in your life, you will truly come to understand what it means to create sacred places, both on the inside and the outside. Take a look at your home today as if it were being viewed for the very first time. Ask yourself, "Do I love everything that surrounds me?" "Does it support my life's journey?" Look carefully around and address all your possessions. Is something broken? Do your possessions have negative feelings or memories attached to them? Is the space being used properly to suit your needs? If the answer is 'no' to any of these, then make the necessary changes; replace, remove, recycle, trade or give items away. The result will be that you gain a feeling of strength and empowerment which allows you to easily make positive changes in your life. Change is not something to be feared, it can be our best friend. After all, there is always room for change in everyone's life - even mine! Suzanna McNeil is a Black Sect Feng Shui practitioner and a partner in Wind & Water Designs Inc. Suzanna can be reached at 403 228 5822 or emailed at windwatr@cadvision.com Website: www.windwatrcanada.com |