WE’VE BEEN ON A LONG and intriguing journey through the home. I hope, by now, that you feel closer to your home; that it has become, not just a practical place in which to eat and sleep, but also something closer to a healing sanctuary. It may even feel like a warm and loving friend. Just as a good friend will provide a shoulder to cry on, good advice and a warm pair of comforting arms, so your home can embrace you and give you comfort.
Throughout this book I hope I have given you plenty of good, solid, practical advice on how to transform the space you live in. But do remember that, as important as feng shui and space cleansing and decluttering are, the most crucial part of the whole process is you. Your intuition, your imagination, your intent. The process of turning a building into a home doesn’t take money and you don’t need a degree in interior design; but it does take heart and you do need soul.
By now you will probably have realized that putting the soul into a home is pretty much the same process as finding your own soul, your true inner Self. For you cannot truly achieve one without discovering something about the other. Becoming aware of the world of spirit all around us; tuning in to your own intuitive powers; becoming sensitive to your senses and how they react to light, colour, sound, scent, touch and taste – these are all a part of discovering the loves and boundaries of your own soul.
Meeting and living with the deep archetypes which dwell in the house of the spirit – Hestia, Aphrodite, Artemis, Hermes and their companions – opens the soul to its very depths.
Discovering that everything, be it a fire or a table, a vase or a wastepaper bin, has its own subtle energy can change the entire way we view the world – and our position in it. We can begin to understand that we are all truly a part of the world – and the world is within us as well as without. We are all vital parts of the rhythm of life, the dance of nature on this planet. That knowledge can bring us beyond the boundaries of our own four walls into a deeper sense of belonging on the Earth itself, our larger home.
There is only so much a book like this can do. And there is only so much a book like this needs to do. Now you have the tools, it’s up to you to use them as you feel is right. If you have not yet found the time to go through the exercises in Part Two, I would strongly urge you to have a go. Once you feel comfortable with the techniques (and they really are very simple) you can use them for accessing a power beyond your rational, conscious mind. They can all easily be adapted to help you find answers to most problems and difficulties in life.
If you just allow yourself to be calm and quiet, to go into a state of deep relaxation, you may well find the answers you need. If you have a tough decision to make, why not ask your home for some help? If you need to find more time for yourself, call on Hestia’s quiet wisdom. If you need some clever answers to tricky problems, try asking Hermes for some bright ideas. If you’re feeling vulnerable and downhearted, ask the guardian angels of the home to enfold you in their strong and loving wings. You are never alone when you become aware of the spirit of your home.
Of course you might ask whether you are really talking to your house or these gods? Or are you simply accessing your higher Self or your unconscious mind? Surely it doesn’t really matter. What counts is that, by stilling the restless, panicking, conscious mind, you can allow some answers to come from a quieter, calmer, wiser place. I like to think our homes could be directly helping us, but then I have a rather romantic streak. But rest assured that, if you ask, you will be answered. Providing you can find the time to stop and quietly listen.
I guess if I have one request it’s that you do find the time – for your soul’s sake. If you give yourself nothing else in life, give yourself the gift of time. Not hours and hours of it, but the odd quiet half hour or hour – just for you. Find that favourite spot in the house, be it a comfy armchair or an odd corner, and give yourself time to simply be. Allow the peace to fall upon you and let your mind drift off and away. Give your home and your soul the chance to work together in a silent healing.