Design for Life

(Page 3 of 3)

May/June 2004
By Carol Venolia 
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“Chi awareness changes how we perceive, design, and use places,” says Bender. “First, it requires that designing the chi of a place becomes primary. It demands integrity of materials, design, and uses. It stresses the importance of paying attention to how we feel about a place, the psychology of place, and the role of our minds, fears, and dreams. It requires that we design in relation to the needs and aspirations of all creation, not just ourselves.”

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Bringing it home

Feng shui tells us about the interrelationships among things—including ourselves—within the whole. It tells us that there’s much more to natural living than using the right products. The measure of our success—and the predictor of our ability to thrive on Earth—is in the vitality of the whole. No checklist can get us there, but love can; a sense of the sacred can; spaciousness, stillness, and a sense of spontaneity can.

How well do we need to understand feng shui? If we can perceive chi and understand how chi and landforms affect our lives, that’s the essence of what we need to know; learning about feng shui can help us get there. But if we don’t perceive, value, and work with chi and the earth, no rules, traditions, or wind chimes will do the trick. The breath of life is present and available to us all. Observing the world within and around us, trusting our gut feelings, and caring about the continuum of life are our most important tools.

CAROL VENOLIA is an architect, author of Healing Environments: Your Guide to Indoor Well-Being (Celestial Arts, 1988), and former publisher of Building with Nature newsletter. Share your experiences with her at carolv@ naturalhomemag.com.

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