- "Does your own home represent who you are? How do you feel when you walk into your home? Does it welcome you? Does it have a harmonious and unique character?" -- from Sacred Home
by Laurine Morrison Meyer, Chapter One devotes just one paragraph to traditional feng shui, so why would you want to read it? The answer is simple: Because, like many non-feng shui books, it offers innovative and challenging insights into decorating concepts.Sacred Home digs deep into the universal roots of Western design elements. This book is a useful reference book that reads like a heartfelt letter from a friend... A friend who has gone through a deep spiritual awakening.
This book is intriguing reading if you enjoy innovative surveys of folklore and spirituality, practically applied in the Llewellyn tradition. It is especially thought-provoking if you are also involved in interior design and decor.
Author Laurine Morrison Meyer began her research by asking, "Is there a Western equivalent to the Eastern practice of Feng Shui?" This began six years of research for this book.
Ms. Meyer starts by discussing design principles that have always represented the home as well as the womb. She uncovers intriguing symbols of female reproductive anatomy in triangles and Vs, wavy lines, circles, ovals, and even the Greek Omega symbol. Some of it seems a bit far-fetched, but Ms. Meyer has done considerable research into these topics and her ideas are worth serious consideration.
In another chapter, Sacred Home explores early altars and home deities including Isis, Taweret, Hathor, Bess, Hestia, Bess, and many more. Meyer's discussion of ancestor worship and veneration in the home can be startling.
This book is almost a whirlwind of diverse ideas, each more curious than the last. However, her concepts often offer comfort and an innate ring of common sense.
After discussing symbols of protection and decorating elements, Ms. Meyer provides an intriguing look at archetypal design styles. Sacred Home follows this with chapters on housewarming traditions, propitious principles, auspicious symbols, and the enchanted dwelling.
This book is important for interior designers and decorators, as well as Feng Shui consultants. Sometimes, we too easily accept traditional Asian design elements. As designers, we should consider symbols from Western culture which could be more significant--and perhaps luckier--for Western homes.
For example, in Feng Shui we often decorate the Fame area with red. Traditionally, this is the luckiest color when applying Feng Shui to areas relating to reputation as well as income. However, as Meyer notes, "Whereas red is considered a sign of good luck in China, in Western cultures red is often associated with prostitution, passion, and fast food eateries." If those are your references as well, it would be a mistake to use red in your Fame area.
When planning our homes and offices, it's important to include design elements that affect us deeply, profoundly, and sometimes subconsciously. However, unless we have Asian roots, a black Career area may seem depressing due to cultural connections between the color black and mourning. Green (for money) or gold might be better colors in the Career area of a Western home.
Meyer's book is an excellent survey of alternatives to traditional Feng Shui elements. Sacred Home is a useful, thought-provoking tour of historical Western design concepts.
This book introduces a wide range of beliefs and traditions throughout history. It's an ideal starting point for research into mythology's relationship to enduring decorating principles.
This book is not heavily illustrated with design suggestions, but skips rapidly from one intriguing concept to the next. Every one of Meyer's comments about home decor could provide enough ideas to fill a book.
I recommend Sacred Home for design professionals, and anyone who is interested in the possible impact of Western folklore and spiritual traditions on design.
To learn more about Feng Shui, see my many other BellaOnline columns. For more free and current Feng Shui ideas, and updated book reviews, see my website, Shui To Go! (pronounced "shway to go!").
