Substance & Potency

During a recent consultation I was introduced to the concept of Substance and its relationship to Potency. In this case, substance refers to that which is the body or content of subject matter. Potency refers to the ability to take action and get results reflective of the subject matter. After my initial aggravation at my own imbalance of the two, I am slowly becoming aware of the complexity of right action and timing for all things. While it is true that taking bold steps to move toward new endeavors is important, it is also true that the substance of those endeavors takes time and effort to cultivate. For example, a person can want to be a farmer and can see how effective farming will be for the local community but if the farmer does not have the tools in place to conduct the farming, the vision will fail to manifest.

Sometimes the Visionary Self has to await the Learner Self to become engaged in order to work together for true success.

Go away to come back

Spent some time on business this week in St. Petersburg, Florida. It felt great to take a short jaunt out of town as I don't travel very often for work. Each day before work and after, I spent extra time focusing on being more conscious and peaceful. I had taken Julia Cameron's book Heart Steps along with me. It was noticable to me how much more agreeable and relaxed I am when I take just a little time to focus my intention and create more daily acceptance of what simply IS.

I am always amazed at the results of paying more careful attention to events and interactions with others. On this trip I was able to spend some time really listening to some of my colleagues and learning more about how they deal with similar themes to my own both personally and professionally. It is all too easy in our American five-minute-shower lifestyles to go it alone. This trip reminded me to recalibrate my own intentions on a daily basis and to accept and give support wherever it is found or needed.

Sleep Love

Rest, oh sweet rest. The restoration that accompanies the hours of sleep is invaluable. Medical journals attest to this relative to the immune system, organ and overall brain functioning. And from the expanded consciousness perspective we may indeed take flight to explore deeper realms of awareness that are only recently being understood. Dreams have long been the stuff of personal and professional conversations, however there is much more going on during sleep than the word ‘dream’ implies. I’ll leave that for future writing.

I did not coin the phrase ‘sleep hygiene’ but I use it frequently as I support the concept that sleep preparation is a cornerstone to inviting successful rest. The preparations start with the overall feel of the space. It needs to give the feeling that something unassociated with the rest of daily living happens there. A sense of peace, comfort and withdrawal from the outer world makes for the perfect setting for rest. It is best thought of as an intimate chamber where one is most internally referenced. This said it is worth the reminder to be exceedingly thoughtful about who and what is permitted there.

My recommendations include:
 Choose a paint color restful to your eye
 Limit clutter
 Avoid technology use beyond music
 Keep reading materials limited to good literature and spiritual growth
 Keep financial management and arguments out of the bedroom
 Choose furnishings and décor that reflect your desired sense of peace & comfort

Antiques: imprints and branding

(Brownstones in Winter * by Ellis Wilson provided by the National Archives)


Many years ago when I was a graduate student at the University of Georgia, my Step-dad and I got lost one evening in an interesting conversation about antiques. I was surprised to find that he shared a concept about them that I am certain he nor I had ever discussed with anyone, much less each other.

We discussed the somewhat mystical yet somehow desirable idea that what we loved about old, pre-owned furniture was the 'imprint' that may be left behind by the prior owner. Sometimes the imprint is in a nick or scar, sometimes it is discernable in the faded finish. Note how much more valuable an unrestored antique is on the market. There seems something noble and right to be the newest steward of a history bearing object that now stands sentry in the new owner's home. My parent's home is full of antiques. If our theory holds, then their home is a veritable army of 'imprints' somehow silently interacting in their current setting.

Little did I know that this concept would hold fascination with me across my lifetime. I now perceive that objects are not only branded by bearing witness to our lives but somehow influence and inform our daily lives.

Red Poppy Stationery: Oh How I Know Thee

(Photo of The Papery in Arlington, Virginia)


I was turned on to good paper a long time ago. I was nine years old when I was given a beautiful box of stationery with a bright red poppy on the cards. I can still remember the feeling it gave me to look at them. I felt sophisticated and pleased by the image of beauty in my hand. I also loved the idea of passing it on through correspondence. Thus began what continues to this day. I love to write and send notes on meaningful stationery. My soon-to-be-husband now knows that my personal list of 'always a hit' gifts includes stationery. He recently exercised this principle much to my delight. He even hit my aesthetic spot on, it is contemporary with vintage echoes. As an aside, the person you marry should get you like this.

The other thing that happened, thanks to the box of poppy cards, is that I knew right away that the image was the aesthetic of the person who sent it to me. In true essence, she extended herself to me in a very artful and quiet way. Not only did I feel grown up by being given such lovely cards, I awakened to knowing that things are often representations of the people who associate with them. As a matter of fact, the woman who sent them to me went on to impact my greater understanding of this subject because she held some fascination for me around the items she chose for her home which were so different from the home in which I lived. I had a sense that I knew her by her things.

A great place to find a terrific assortment of stationery including traditional favorites like Crane and contemporary favorites like Vera Wang and Kate Spade is The Papery which has locations in the Washington DC metro area and in New Jersey. You can visit them at www.thepaperystores.com. I recently purchased wedding invitations from them and was pleased to find the staff patient and creative.

Spirit is Always at Home

Science of Mind Reverand and teacher Angela Peregoff provides a daily forum for centering and co-creating a life living in intention and wellbeing. In the following piece, gratefully reproduced from her her Morning Blessings, Angela addresses the sacredness of personal space.

Spirit is always at home.

Wherever I find myself,
I know that I rest in the arms of Spirit, protected and comforted.
I look around my life and realize that the home in which I live
is also the dwelling place of Spirit, both in form and formless.

I let order and the wholesome nature of Spirit become manifest
in my home, tending to its needs consciously and joyfully,
seeing it as a selfless service to the One Power.
I keep my home clean and inviting, creating a space in
which to celebrate my life and the lives of all I love.

I give thanks for the beautiful place in which I live, and
I continually move through my life in a state of gratitude
for all that Spirit gives to me all creation in its lavish opulent way.
It is good, and so it is.

____________________________________________________________
THE MORNING BLESSINGS
Morning Blessings © 2003 - 2006 Angela Peregoff. All rights reserved.
Send your feedback to info@angelaperegoff.com
Visit www.angelaperegoff.com for more blessings.
____________________________________________________________

If you desire to receive daily Blessings, send an email to blessings@angelaperegoff.com

Man & Art

Art always tells a story. It is a language familiar to all cultures with imagery having deep echoes in specific cultures as well as imagery familiar to humanity in its entirety. Visual images are a timeless snapshot that provides many clues about the zeitgeist in which it was created and the internal world of the creator.

The human brain reads all the information imbued in a piece of art and integrates this information into all the systems of the viewer. Intellect, emotion and spirit are fed in ways that bring more shape and density to the individual. The result is a more ripened individual who, in turn, makes his or her mark on the human fabric. This perspective suggests that just as with any 'food', it is wise to be considerate of what is consumed.

Home Soul

Home Soul: The collective consciousness and a Philippe Stark chair


Turn on your TV and flip through the channels. Count the number of shows you run across that are related to designing and decorating a dream home. Shows like Trading Spaces, Design on a Dime, and reruns of This Old House flourish in a never ending parade beaconing us to consider ourselves in terms of how we live, what symbols reflect us and who we want to become. Ever wondered what this fascination with homes says about us?

These shows and the resultant proliferation of artfully designed home goods seem at first to be another crack at wonton materialism. On closer inspection, there may be another construct that has been emerging and making its way into public view. Peel back the façade and perhaps the shows are actually echoing a soundless chorus of desire to find our symbolic center and nestle securely within in it, wrapped snuggly in a Ralph Lauren paisley wool throw. Maybe this rapidly growing interest in all things ‘home’ is a modern evolutionary Jungian method of raising our collective consciousness via a familiar visual and consumer driven pathway to meet that of our collective soul.

Even if the word ‘soul’ is never uttered in relationship to the home products, this may be the very aspect of self that responds to the message these shows stimulate and send to our consciousness. The message is then processed as an urge to purge, purchase, or otherwise participate in a change to the way we live. It is the pursuit of a Shabby Chic treasure, procurement of a piece of Chihouly glass or selection of a Philippe Stark chair that may stir more than the mind. These items become symbolic representations so deeply imbued with meaning that their very presence and position in the home can be a powerful entity adding to or subtracting from the actual feel and energy of a home. This ‘think and so it is’ perspective is fundamental to various philosophies like that of Descartes and Ernest Holmes. This thought concept is also an aspect to the artful practice of Feng Shui and other emerging interior design work.

Every year magazines like Real Simple, Cottage Living and Domino emerge to reflect our increasing obsession to know what to buy for our homes or which kind of home to live in to be able to create a bit-o-nirvana right there on the block. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to sum up this growing cultural interest as ‘keeping up with the Joneses’. It is entirely possible that it was never really ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ even for those who were trying to do so. Maybe something more imperative was at work all the time. Perhaps it is awareness of our surroundings and their interplay with our very essence that has grown en masse. It is a more careful armchair psycho-spiritual anthropologist that takes note of the ramping up of these home related themes in our mass consciousness.

In consideration, if you are following along with this line of thought, the next time you are moved to make a purchase, be it a Thomas Pheasant sofa or new Poggenpohl kitchen, take a moment to do a quick scan of your psyche. Ask yourself what desire it fulfils, wonder aloud what you think it will say about you and imagine the actual life it will take on in your home. Consider if the selection is food for the soul or a temporary fix. Determine if it is a true reflection of who you are or if it will, in a large or small way, support you to be called you to your highest self. Perhaps Edgar Guest, in his 1916 poem, “Home” was on to something when he wrote that “it ain’t home t’ye, though it be the palace of a king, until somehow yer soul is sort o’wrapped ‘round everything.”

A New Take on Baby Gifting

Bringing in Baby: That Jumpy Monkey baby tee may send a deeper message


Look through any catalogue for baby gear and it is clear that we want only the softest and gentlest of things to come into contact with our new babies. As humans we want to sweetly ease them into the home and make them welcome into the world. We choose soft, natural fabrics and color pallets like those used in Jumpy Monkey tees and Little Giraffe blankets: easy on new bodies and suggesting a smooth landing from mother’s womb to the earth. We want the first messages baby gets to be ‘you are safe, comforted, and welcomed here’.

Even before the baby is born, it seems that people all around the world do some version of the welcoming song as if they are calling the baby forth. In Native American lore, the Whale’s song is a tonal record for all that is past, present and future. Perhaps the act of preparing for baby by purchasing the crib, attending showers and receiving gifts taps into the part of the song that celebrates the coming of new life with its mystery and magnificence. Universally, this song’s call may be an expression of the hopes and wishes for all generations. Who knew that Coyuchi baby bedding could herald such universal themes? Perhaps the designers knew if only unconsciously. There does seem to be a growing awareness of the ethical and energetic impact of objects on consumer psyches which is spawning a new age in product development and availability. A cursory check of baby product websites like sleepytimestore.com provides a good example of the baby-song refrain.

The gifting process is a great example of celebrating the preciousness of a life coming forth. It may even be that the person who absentmindedly picks up a cursory gift from Babies-R-Us for a shower contributes in a symbolically potent way. Perhaps this gifting action alone sets into motion a thought and wish that is transferred right to the very being soon to arrive. Even without waxing on such lofty concepts, the thought that an act of welcoming kindness sends a positive message is easy most to imagine.

The next time you are a fortunate part of the human welcoming chorus, take the opportunity to consider, just for a moment, what message you want to convey as you take part in the celebration. Consider the art of mindfulness and intention as you select the gift or attend baby related events. Consider yourself lucky to be a witness to such life affirmation and remember that it is possible that the message you send with your presence and offering may have such an effect as to cosmically rebound into your own life.

For some current and cool baby gifts like Bobux Baby Shoes and Jumpy Monkey Tees check out www.sleepytimestore.com and www.lucieclaire.com