Love Your House ~ Love Your Life

A happy and fulfilled life starts at home.

There is something to be said for the connection between living in a home that is beautiful, orderly and balanced, and living a successful, happy and fulfilled life. A well-loved home buoys us up, giving us hope and strength.

For many of us 'home' conjures up feelings of safety, joy and belonging. It is our little 'piece of paradise'. At home we reconnect with our core self, that which is our true, intimate identity. It is a place where the treasures we hold deep within are expressed and displayed in a way that is akin to dancing naked in the moonlight - for our eyes only. Home is where we feel safe enough to bring what we cherish out of hiding. It is where we are free to express our uniqueness and claim our place in the world. Whether this is seen in how we decorate our home: our choice of furniture and knickknacks, colors or the architectural styling, or in how our personalities shine forth and our beliefs and lifestyle choices are expressed. All of our choices are in some ways extensions of our deepest loves, beliefs, conditionings, and unique desires. They are our soul made visible.

If we're lucky our homes are our private spaces, places where we can let down our guard, put away the masks we wear out in the world, and simply be unequivocally ourselves, warts and all. This atmosphere fosters greatness. It is where our dreams can come out of hiding and begin to take hold on the thresholds of our life, grow wings and fly, carrying our greatness out into the world.

But not all of us feel safe at home, we don't feel we can be ourselves in this private place away from the public eye. We're still on guard, afraid to expose our true selves and unable to rest and recuperate.

What is home like for you? Do your dreams come out of hiding? Do you feel free enough to bare your soul knowing you are safe? Can you let go and rest deeply? Or do you feel ragged and dragged down, afraid on some seemingly imperceptable level?

It is so important that we have a home that nurtures us, that we can return to and where we can 're-member' ourselves. For when we head out into the world centered, empowered and strong we will know success and the world will benefit from what we bring.

Photo Credit: Jonne Trees - https://jonnetrees.smugmug.com

Below is an excerpt taken from an eBook I am working on to help you get started at making you feel more at home where you live right now. These are simple steps to guide and inspire you.

5 Tips for Making Your House a Home

1. Live with What You Love ~ Surround yourself with what brings you joy. Let go of anything that causes you distress. Reconsider holding onto something out of obligation. Obligations drain your energy and will psychically clog up your space. What items that you own resonate with who you are at this time in your life? Choose items that celebrate your life.

2. Change it Up! ~ Have things stayed the same at home for years, decades, or even generations? Do you feel stuck in the past? Take that leap of faith and change. Rearrange the furniture, or even go big and replace your old furniture all together. Repaint that room. Perhaps blues and grays were soothing to you in the past but now they drag you down and you want to surround yourself with warmer colors that resonate with who you've become. Support local artists and bring in some new art to freshen up your walls. Replace your old towels. Treat yourself to new curtains or a new bed spread. You've changed. Let the new you express her or himself.

3. Create a Home that Reflects Who You Are ~ For some inviting others into their home is an important gesture that builds community, strengthens belonging, and offers nurture and joy to both their guests and themselves. Many see their home as places they can offer to others. For them a home is a place to be shared. But not everyone chooses this lifestyle. Many prefer solitude and to live a quiet, private life. Check in with yourself and honor your needs in this area. First and foremost, your home is for you and if that means you choose privacy, than honor and respect that. If you find joy and fulfillment sharing your home with others, than honor and respect that. And some of you may prefer a combination of both. The most important thing is to honor your needs.

A house is only a home when it nurtures and shelters you.

4. Create Sacred 'You Space' ~ Do you have a space that is special - only for you, that is set aside from the more utilitarian spaces in your house? Perhaps there is a corner of the garden, or a cozy nook in your house where no one else has access. These are important 'soul-growing' places that nourish us. For many they are the heart of a home. Consider where in your house a 'you space' could be created. It doesn't have to be large. A comfy chair beside a bookcase in the corner of your living room looking out at an inspiring view might be exactly what your soul needs. Or perhaps, a room with books, sacred objects, plants, and an altar where you can close the door and find solitude is what your soul is looking for. Let your soul guide you. Be creative. When you have set up your sacred 'you space' promise yourself that you'll spend time there.

5. Invite Nature In! ~ Our souls need the natural world to stay healthy and vital. Nature and our soul speak the same language. When we choose to bring nature into our home we soothe our soul. Look around your home. Are there signs of nature present? Perhaps you have a spider plant hanging in the kitchen window, an ancestral shamrock from your grandmother on a table in the sunroom, or a favorite purple violet on the bookcase in the living room. Have you brought any stones or shells home from the beach and laid them out on the windowsill? My favorite item is a bird's nest I have beautifully displayed on a shelf where I can admire it's intricate design and feel connected to the birds outside my window. What natural treasures do you have in your home? Bringing nature in fills your home with beauty.

At these times of upheaval and strife, when the world around us is changing in ways that impact all of our lives in profound ways, it is important to have places where we can be ourselves and find nurture and strength. I hope that these few tips will help you on your own journey to creating a home that supports you.

May you know the healing power of place in these challenging times.