SOUND & SILENCE, LIGHT & SHADE
FURTHER WE NOW GO, into the realm of the senses. In this chapter we’re going to start thinking of our homes in terms of a sound and light show, a ‘son et lumière’ to delight, soothe and enliven the soul. We’ll start by looking at the wonderful world of sound.
What are the sounds of your home? Does it reverberate with the laughter of children; to animated conversation and the sounds of happy pets? Or does it echo with the serenity of silence, the soft hum of nature? There is no right or wrong answer here: the sounds you choose to surround yourself with are something totally individual. Only you can decide which sounds you love to hear and which drive you crazy. But it’s worth, running a quick inventory of the sounds of your home.
Spend a day being aware of the sounds both inside and outside your home. Do you wake to hear the hum of city traffic or the lowing of cattle? Can you hear any sounds of nature or are they blanked out by the noise of people shouting? If you live in an apartment, are you aware of the people around you? Do you awake to a shrill alarm clock; to a radio blasting music or voices on the television? If you share a house, how much do people talk with each other? Is there plenty of conversation or do you go around wrapped in your own worlds? If you live alone, do you like the radio or television on for company or do you prefer the silence?
Once you become aware of the sounds in your home you can then decide whether you like or dislike the various levels and kinds of sound. Something might just click: perhaps the reason you’re uncomfortable in your new house is that you actually miss the sounds of people moving about in other apartments, a familiar and comforting sound. Or maybe your nerves feel constantly frazzled because you never live without the sound of beating music or the shrill voice of the television.
Sound is an interesting phenomenon. It has the power to heal; to soothe and calm; to energize and uplift. But it also has the ability to harm: to irritate the nerves and make us feel tense and out of sorts. Sound bypasses the conscious mind and connects us with our very deepest feelings. So choose the sounds with which you surround yourself with infinite care and attention.
If you’re not sure how sound affects you, try living without it for a day or a weekend. Go on a sound fast – no television, no radio, no music, no inane chatter. If you share with people, see if you can manage a day in quiet companionship – if you need to say anything obviously you should, but try to cut out conversation for sound’s sake. This can be a very interesting exercise. When I tried it – on a five-day retreat – I realized for the first time just how important silence and peace is to me. I also realized how much rubbish I speak just to be polite and sociable! Being silent can also be a real eye-opener on even deeper levels. When you stop the external chatter and noise, the mind can focus inwards and sometimes you can find quite unexpected insights appearing.
I’m not suggesting silence is always golden: just that it can be an interesting option to try from time to time. And, of course, there is never any such thing as real silence. Even if you live in the heart of the country, especially if you live in the heart of the country, there will be noises all around. The wind rustling the leaves in the trees; the crash of the ocean; the sound of rain falling on rooftops; the bark of a dog; the hum of a bee; the raucous din of the dawn chorus; the muffled silence that only a blanket of thick snow can bestow.
We should also investigate the healing power of sounds to see how they can help us create the haven we desire. Sound therapists have discovered that certain sounds have almost miraculous effects on both body and mind. French sound researcher Dr Alfred Tomatis believes that Gregorian chants and other sacred chants from around the world can help to harmonize the body, bringing peace, confidence – and even reducing the need for sleep! Other researchers have found that listening to certain kinds of music can calm and relax the entire body. There are 101 ways to introduce healing sounds into the home. The following are just a few ideas to get you started:
DARKNESS AND LIGHT
We’ve already talked about colour in Chapter 15, but as yet we haven’t discussed light itself. Like sound, light is something we rarely stop and think about. Our homes are either light or dark. That’s the way it is. Or is it?
Light and dark affect us just as much as colour, sound and scent. Now we have electric lights we are no longer governed so much by the daily cycle of sun and moon, yet part of us still remembers the days when we would rise with the sun and go to bed with the sunset. According to the Indian system of ayurveda, that is still the healthiest way to live our daily lives. I’m not suggesting you get up with the lark (although everyone should see a sunrise once in a while) but it can be quite illuminating to become aware of how we are subtly affected by the light in our homes.
Try another experiment. Just for one day (or a weekend if you’re feeling really inspired), go on an electricity fast – no artificial lights at all. Watch and become aware of how the light changes throughout the day and in different rooms of your home. See how sunlight is totally different in the early morning as it glances cool and shy across the floor from the full, deep glow of the midday sun and the old, lazy rays of late afternoon and evening. Watch how the quality of light changes after a shower or rain storm. As the light fades, watch what happens as dusk approaches, the shadows get longer and the house turns towards dark. Maybe your home is always lit in some way – from street-lamps or the headlights of passing cars or the flashing neon of a nearby sign. When it gets too dark to see, try using candles and/or firelight. Observe the shadows, the interplay of black on black. Notice the various tones of grey. How do you feel as the bright colours of daytime fade into monochrome?
Throughout your artificial light fast notice how the different kinds of light affect your mood and how they change the mood and atmosphere of your home. Generally, we tend to be quieter, more inward and less energetic when it’s darker – in the winter months, at the day’s end and night. When there is more natural light we have more energy and are brighter and generally happier.
Some people are so affected by natural light they suffer from a condition called SAD (seasonal affective disorder) which is characterized by depression, fatigue, weight gain and a craving for carbohydrate in the dark winter months. Fortunately, most sufferers benefit from bright, full-spectrum lights in the form of light boxes. But even those of us who don’t suffer from SAD are affected by light, and a healing haven of a home employs as much light therapy as it possibly can.
Natural light, as you will have noticed, changes throughout the day and in each and every season. It never stays the same. Even moonlight changes throughout the moon’s monthly cycle. Yet we tend to bathe our interiors in solid blocks of artificial light. Try to introduce various kinds of lighting so you can alter the mood as and when you want.
Try these tips for introducing the full spectrum of light into the home: