WHEN THE outside changes, the inside makes a corresponding change. When the weather warms up, we live differently than when the weather is cold. During one season we’ll have sleigh rides and during another picnics. We wear one kind of clothing when the temperatures are hot and another kind when the temperatures drop below zero. Our lives can’t help but follow the change of seasons. I argue that our homes should mark the changes of time as well.
When my sister’s kids were little, they decorated their home for each and every holiday—hearts on the windows on Valentine’s Day, shamrocks in March, tulips in the spring, etc. It was always fun to visit their home because you knew what month it was. Holiday decorations are another expression of this concept. The importance of this action is that the house is included in a time-relevant event—it’s staying current with the seasons.
One of my clients has a summer furniture arrangement and a winter furniture arrangement. She has a corresponding rug and pillows that she changes as well. In the end, her home reflects her intention of wholeness filtered through the appropriate season. Another client acquired 12 silk wreaths over the years. On the first of each month, she places a new wreath on her front door to mark the change of time.
A couple that I’ve worked with have an “artwork exchange” ritual that they do on each solstice and equinox. Every three months they replace a painting over their fireplace with another one, which provides them an internal clock that is in step with nature. The idea of a summer bedroom and a winter bedroom is not a new one, marking the change of seasons with different comforters, maybe different curtains.
Feng Shui is often called “acupuncture for the home.” As acupuncture enhances and lifts the ch’i of an individual, Feng Shui can do the same for a home. The advantage in moving the energy in a space is that it will correspondingly lift the energy of those who live there. One way to move the ch’i of a home is by moving the physical items around. In doing so, the visual as well as tactile influences become different. You will walk through your space in a new way and see the accessories of your life in a new context.
Besides keeping your home “on time,” another argument for changing the space in accordance with the seasons is that the occupants themselves embrace the change in a whole different way. Keeping track of days and months on a calendar is a linear way of witnessing the passage of time; changing your home is a visceral way of doing so. We have taken the cycle of nature and moved it into our home. We are reminded of where we are on the continuum.
A lot of homes have been set up with one look regardless of the season. Just as we would be bored wearing the same clothes, your home may be bored and boring if day in and day out it looked the same. If the ch’i in your home is keeping time, you and your home are both staying current.
About the Author, Carole Hyder:
Carole’s innovative work has been incorporated in hundreds of residential and commercial environments, with a recent focus on the healthcare industry. She has been the Feng Shui consultant for Hudson Hospital since 2003 and has consulted with several other healthcare establishments since that time as well.
She is founder and past president of the Feng Shui Institute of the Midwest, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating standards for practitioners, providing continuing education and community outreach. Carole is also an international speaker on various Feng Shui topics and has appeared regularly on TV programs in the Twin Cities area.
Besides authoring articles in countless publications, Carole has written three books: Wind and Water: Your Personal Feng Shui Journey; Living Feng Shui: Personal Stories; and Conversations with Your Home: Guidance and Inspiration Beyond Feng Shui.
She has also produced a video/DVD entitled The Science of Feng Shui: How and Why Feng Shui Works. Her recent collaboration with Grammy-winning producer and musician Jeff Bova has produced two CDs: Harmonize Your Home and The Bridge Home, both created with the express intention of incorporating positive Feng Shui principles in the space.
In 1998, Carole founded The Wind and Water School of Feng Shui, a 7-month certification program for those interested in studying Feng Shui in greater depth. The School, licensed by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, has graduated over 400 students since its inception and boasts an active student community.
INTEGRATIVE SPACES STRATEGY™
Working with Carole Hyder to create Integrative Space™ in your healthcare facility is an innovative experience. Your space will take on a larger meaning than just looking good. In fact, your space will reflect your values and goals in a beautifully subtle way. Here are some ways to maximize the Integrative Space™ approach.
