This issue is about knowledge, gratitude and the healing power of our homes. Sandy Humby offers us some House Whispering insight. Minnie Kansman brings some seasonal tips from her own tradition. We have some great fengshui insights and Michael Rice, world famous holistic architect unveils his new house plan website.
I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I have enjoyed connecting and working with all of you ! I hope you will share your stories and tips with us. We all have a light to share !

Blessings,
Renae

By Sandy Humby
House Whisperer, Interior Decorator, Holistic Health Counsellor and Pranic Healer
Sandy will be in New Jersey, March 7/8th 2009 co teaching with Christian Kyriacou on the next 'House Whisperers ' workshop.

'You cannot solve a problem from the same level of consciousness that created it' Einstein.

Do you keep doing and thinking the same things over and over the same way and expect different results? This is an interesting question when we look at the current circumstance in our lives.

The Law of Attraction as spoken of in The Secret says 'what we think about we attract', so if we change our thinking to be 'positive', set our goals and clearly focus on the vision we will attract what we want into our lives.

So why do we not get the results we want--well not all the time--guaranteed?

The Law of Attraction is a universal 'LAW' - it cannot not happen. 'Like attracts like' But we can only attract clearly if there is not any contrary pattern running.

In our day to day lives we are run by patterns of thinking and behaviour - Conscious and unconscious which affect our actions and interactions in the world. If what we have running is inner patterns which sabotage and undermine the positive thoughts we may have and the affirmations we put in place then the end result is more of the same and not the vision!

One of the best places to see these unconscious patterns is in our homes.

By
Terah Kathryn Collins

Terah Kathryn Collins is the author of six books on Feng Shui and the founder of the Western School of Feng Shui in San Diego, CA.

The dining room holds enormous romantic potential. It's one of the areas in the home that can be arranged to hold everyday romance in place. Taking pleasure in dining on a regular basis is one of the rewards of a balanced lifestyle. By slowing down enough to really dine, you invite a romantic quality to become part of your daily routine, one that transforms the act of grabbing a bite into a truly nurturing experience. Dining alone in a delicious atmosphere becomes a time of reflection, while sharing a meal with others provides conversation and companionship that sustains the heart and spirit as well as the body. The more hectic your life is, the more important the daily pleasures of dining are to your overall balance.

Make it a point to create a dining atmosphere that feels romantic to you-a place that has its own intimate, peaceful atmosphere. Arrange furniture, plants, and area rugs to define and beautify a space that supports contemplation, digestion, and intimate conversation. Honor your senses and invite your favorite colors, textures, scents, sounds, and tastes to always be "guests" at the table. Install dimmer switches on lighting, turn off the phone, light candles, play soft music, and include flowers, table linens, and other enhancements that enrich your dining experience.

By
Minnie Kansman

Minnie Kansman is a Master Educator of Interior Alignment and a Certified Soul Coach.

The Solstice Cave is a Celtic variation of the present day Christian nativity. In fact, visitors during the holiday season often mistake it for a traditional nativity scene when they see it; until they realize cougars, hawks, hummingbirds, and snakes surround the infamous mother and child! Yet the mother symbolized here is not Mary but Mother Earth, and the child is not Jesus her son, but the Sun returning to us. In my own heart, these symbols are one and the same. Mary and the Earth both offering a nurturing and safe feeling of being deeply loved and always protected. The bright positive energy of Jesus doubles as the Sun in my life, expanding outward into all areas it touches. This ritual is a way I integrate my nature roots with my Christian belief in God in my present life.

For your own special ritual, make a small cave-like structure in the garden or on the deck or patio table using large round stones and a flat piece of slate for the roof. A large clay flowerpot on its side also works well. Now it is time to make small figurines for the cave. There is always a mother, a child, and an angel. The rest of the clay is then used for making favorite totem animals, or other power symbols. (One year my husband made his red mustang convertible.) Try different types of mediums; from salt dough, to oven clay, to air-drying clay. Because these figurines are made new every year, they don't have to be made of a permanent material.

Submitted by
Suzie Blodgett

Suzie is the Principal of Green Elements, LLC
Healthy Design & Building Center

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Believe it or not, despite our busy schedules, we spend about a third of our lives in beds, with our babies and children spending even more time there. Although we don't always have control over the chemicals we are surrounded by outside of our homes, we can surely make every effort to control them within our homes, and the best place to begin is in our bedrooms. To protect ourselves, and our families, it is essential to create a safe, organic nest in which to rest and recover from the daily stresses of our lives. This is especially true for infants as they are particularly susceptible to chemicals. There are many wonderful options available as long as you know what to look for. Let's look at some unhealthy elements you may be dealing with in your current space or even some unhealthy elements you may unwittingly be considering for a new one, and discuss some healthier alternatives.

It seems that everyone loves to get out of bed in the morning and sink their toes into carpeting. Have you ever wondered just what your toes are tangoeing with? The truth of the matter is, no matter how well or how often you vacuum, your carpet is bound to hold onto some unhealthy debris, whether it be dust, dander, contaminants tracked in from the outside world, or even VOCs and formaldehyde which have offgassed from paints and particleboard. We all know, with dust, comes dust mites, and with dust mites, come allergies. In addition to this sad reality, consider this. Testing on traditional carpets has revealed up to 120 hazardous chemicals, many of them neurotoxic and carcinogenic, found in the fibers, backing, glues, and treatments applied, such as stain and moth repellants.

By Oram Miller, BBEI
Presentation 2008 Conference
The International Institute for Bau-biologie and Ecology,Inc.

About Oran Miller
Oram Miller, BBEI, is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he provides healthy home and office evaluations to clients on-site throughout the upper Mid-West and nationwide by telephone, fax and email.
Oram received his certification as a Building BiologyTM Environmental Inspector (BBEI) from the International Institute for Bau-biologieTM and Ecology in December 2003. Oram's training included assessment and mitigation of unhealthy electric and magnetic field exposure, indoor air quality, mold, and chemical outgassing.
Oram also consults on the design, building and remodeling of healthy homes and offices in Minnesota and throughout the country. Besides wall and foundation materials as taught by builder and building biologist George Swanson of Austin, Texas, Oram also recommends a healthy electrical wiring protocol to create reduced EMF (electro-magnetic field) exposure.
Oram writes and lectures on health and the built environment. He has presented to the University of Minnesota College of Design, the Minnesota Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), the State of Minnesota's Living Green Expo, and the Eco-Experience at the Minnesota State Fair. Oram was a panelist at the annual conference of the International Institute for Bau-biologieTM and Ecology held in April 2008. He has also spoken at numerous healthy living expos and green building meetings.

About the IBE

The International Institute for Bau-biologie and Ecology, Inc. (IBE) established in Clearwater, Florida in 1987, is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to bringing together the technical expertise, biological understanding and ecological sensitivity to create healthy homes and workplaces.
IBE's main objective is to educate - specifically, to help people realize that homes and workplaces can be created to bring the benefits of both health and aesthetics into their living environments. Bringing awareness to the health hazards that may exist in our living spaces not only improves health and provides a sense of well being, it also has an impact on the survival of this planet.

By
Jami Lin

ColorAlchemy tips: Great gift ideas without breaking the bank. Spend less green (money) and use the color green to reduce holiday stress.

Is your holiday cheer distressed by money concerns? Wear green, the color of love, to enhance peace within yourself and encourage patience with others. According to ColorAlchemy, to prevent getting red-hot and bothered over shopping anxieties, decorate for the holidays with green candles, table cloths, and ornaments to support harmony with family and friends. Feature green accent pillows and other emerald accessories to help keep that peaceful feeling throughout the year.

Color influences everybody's emotions. Madison Avenue marketing millionaires command its power, as do Hollywood film makers, interior designers, and every artist under the sun. Color affects everything you think, do, and say.

Did you ever wonder why you feel so good spending time with nature? Green is nature's color, the color of living things. Its balance of warm and cool is easy on the eye and distinguishes it as "the color of love and compassion."

By Renae Jensen

With all the upset about finances this year, I find this a great opportunity to help you view your abundance and create positive shifts - through the eyes of your clutter .

Fact 1: If you have Clutter and Stuff, you are in a state of "having"; therefore are already abundant.
Fact 2: If you have Clutter and Stuff, you have lots of room to create movement. You have resources to work with !
Fact 3: If you have Clutter and Stuff, you know have the ability to "trade" stagnant abundance for a different type of abundance by moving out the old and bringing in the new.
Fact 4: Many of us are in greater abundance than we "see" ourselves. It is time to be in gratitude for what we have, and be able to release and reinvent ourselves.

Time to get busy !

The Kitchen Compost Crock keeps scraps intended for composting.
Collect your kitchen scraps in this ceramic compost crock that's pretty enough to display, and downright tough on odor.

Our Countertop Compost Crock is made from glazed ceramic so it won't leak.
The inside of the crock is also glazed - preventing stains and odors from forming. No more mess and stinky odor while you're waiting to make your way to the composter.
Classic styling, stellar proportions & functionality add up to the perfect kitchen accessory for your green kitchen.

By
Michael Rice
Michael is an award winning architect and member of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland.
My name is Michael Rice, a holistic architect working in the heart of Ireland. I have an existing website called www.holisticarchitecture.com. I am delighted to announce the launch of my new website - Holistic House Plans.com.

The idea is simple - to present a plethora of unique and beautiful house and building designs all based on biological architecture principles and offer inexpensive detailed design drawings of these to anyone interested in creating a house/home/space which will support and nourish them on every level.


Biological Architecture is based on a pur principle set of nautral operations. In essence, Mother Nature uses certain geometries, shapes, forms, ratios and growth patterns to create life and living sustainable systems.

We in turn use these patterns to design and create fractal harmonic spaces which are measurably more supportive of biology. As most of us spend the majority of our lives indoors, the implications for how we live, eat, sleep, make love, give birth and even die in these spaces are considerable.

By
Kartar Diamond

There are really only two types of gossip and I don't mean "yin" gossip and "yang" gossip. Rather, there is gossip which is essentially true and gossip which is false. Gossip is fact or fiction about other people which we pass along that really may not be any of our business, yet we still talk about other people nevertheless.

As I explain to either new clients or update clients about the possibility of their house attracting gossip in their lives, I can tell that some people feel this could not apply to them. And understandably, much of the time we think of celebrities or politicians being hounded by gossip, but how does that manifest in the lives of ordinary people? Well, plenty of ways! I have worked with people whose marriages or jobs were on the line because of gossip. What gets passed off as News is often just gossip as well. It's an election year so there will be plenty of gossip spread about each candidate to further distract people from the real issues. If you think about your own life and dealings I am sure everyone has experienced the frustration of being the subject of rumors or gossip and it can in fact be damaging.
Feng Shui addresses many types of relationship scenarios and one of the goals is to help people be free of these annoyances which can undermine our health, families, careers and friendships.

By Yasha Jampolsky

Yasha Jampolsky is a Feng Shui and Four Pillars Expert and Educator. .

Breathing Walls:
A Biological Approach to Healthy Building Envelope Design and Construction by
George Swanson, Oram Miller and Wayne Federer, Editor
Spiral-bound, 304 pages

Breathing Walls offers practical alternatives to conventional modern building practices that keep homes airtight. Walls built today are energy-efficient but cannot handle the inevitable intrusion of moisture, resulting in mold, ill health for occupants and structural damage. Instead of "build tight, ventilate right," we say make your envelope "waterproof but vapor permeable."
We work with, not against, the forces of nature.

Also known as the Caruba" Black Good Luck Plant, Good LuckPlant, and Hawaiian Ti Plant, Ti Plants are known for their mystical powers to bring good luck, long life and lasting love.

Don't worry if you don't live in Hawaii or a warm climate, you can still grow your own indoors or plant outdoors, sunshine or shade. Remember to thank the Hawaiian Gods for their gift !

By Deana Schimmenti

The Cornucopia is a traditional American symbol of Thanksgiving. Dating back to the 5th century BC, the Cornucopia, also referred to as the Horn of Plenty, Horn of Amalthea, and Harvest Cone, represents food, abundance and fertility.
In Greek mythology, the Horn of Amalthea, the horn of a Zeus'goat, was filled with fruits and flowers and had the ability to grant the wishes of whomever possessed the horn. The modern cornucopia is simply a horn-shaped basket, usually filled with an assortment of fruits and vegetables.
In the crystal world, the closest representation of the cornucopia is the Geode. Geodes are symbolic of fertility and abundance. When you look inside a geode, the fruits of the Earth's harvest are clearly visible in the pandemonium of perfectly formed crystals found there. Usually filled with Amethyst, Citrine, Calcite or some combination thereof, each Geode is unique in its own patterns.
Come sit before this magical cornucopia and contemplate the beauty within.

This beautiful work of art is south-facing, with passive, hot water and electric solar with grid tie in. Built with reclaimed wood beams and reclaimed wood details throughout the house.

Constructed green with earth plaster wall finishes, reclaimed wood, reclaimed blue jean insulation in interior walls, straw board used in construction throughout, reclaimed dry wall, straw board exterior walls with 8' of blow in cellulose and another straw board later inside for a total of 10' thick exterior walls.
Selling Price (USD): $1,950,000

by Yasha Jampolsky

The Wood Rat Month begins December 7 at 2:01 am and ends January 5 at 1:10 pm based on the Solar Calendar.

The Rat month signals the start of a new 12 month cycle and is conducive for new beginnings. The influence of the Rat, this month, is reinforced by the energy of this Rat year.
The Wood Heavenly stem promotes renewal and growth. This movement is furher strengthened by the Rat's fixed Water element.

Nancilee Wydra, FSII is a master cultural interpreter and a pioneer who challenges a complex set of cultural beliefs.
She interprets the age old Chinese discipline into a viable contemporary western practice by applying scientific principles to the person/place connection. World Renowned Author and Lecturer.M.Arch., BSCE, Feng Shui Consultant, New York State architect, certified NCIDQ interior designer and teacher.

Originator of Person/Place, a Contemporary Discipline The Feng Shui Institute of America
Pyramid School of Feng Shui

Founder of the Feng Shui Institute of America Dedicated to substantiating ancient traditions with contemporary social and physical sciences
Feng Shui Institute International A not for profit organization working to establish credentialed guidelines for professional standards.
Books include:
1995 Designing Your Happiness
1996 Feng Shui The Book of Cures
1997 Feng Shui In The Garden
1998 Look Before You Love
1999 Feng Shui Goes To The Office, How to Thrive from Nine to Five
2000 Feng Shui for Children's Spaces
2002 101 Ways Feng Shui Can Change Your Life
2002 Feng Shui Principles for Building and Remodeling (cowritten with Lenore Weiss Baigelman)

Send a Holiday card to thosethat have been in service and need our support for their recovery..

Send a card to:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington , D.C. 20307-5001

By
Jon Sandifer

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

It seems appropriate to remember the birth of civil rights reformer Bobby Kennedy born in 1925. Like Barack Obama, whose path to power he helped to pave, he was a 3 Thunder Star.

Born eight years after JFK, younger brother Bobby also had plenty of guts and determination and was likewise tragically assassinated.

His I Ching Astrology profile gave him two 3 Thunder Stars: 3-5-3

His 3 Thunder Birth Star and Outer Stars endowed him with enormous amounts of stamina. Thunder represents new ideas, the dawn, spring, youth and innovation.

His 5 T'ai Chi Inner Star gave him a steely inner strength and determination. Like his brother JFK, a 2-8-8, he had a double dose of Stars. Individuals with such combinations are always ground-breakers.