What does a Feng Shui teacher from Minnesota and a Grammy-winning producer and musician from Los Angeles have in common? Sometimes it’s just one person who, seeing the possibilities from two separate directions, puts them together into an otherwise impossible merger. Sometimes it takes a whole series of synchronistic events and decisions, some even from childhood, in order to create the fertilized moment when everything can align. What results is a life-work that would never have happened had we skipped even one step in our process — even the step that occurred when I was about 7 years old.
The most important component in all this is the end product of this mélange of circumstantial occurrences. Tracing it back to its roots is fun, intriguing and sometimes downright awesome, but the outcome is what remains of all of this. The outcome of my connection to musician Jeff Bova is the “Healing Your Home” project.
Of late, my Feng Shui message has been about the conscious energy found within all spaces. Any constructed place, whether home or office, business or cabin, has a conscious energy that is not only sensitive to the occupants’ reality but will interact and respond, if only asked. My latest book, Conversations with Your Home, speaks directly to this concept. It doesn’t focus just on talking to your home or making changes to your space, but rather the emphasis is on a dialogue with your home, using your space in a cooperative and collaborative way.
As I was just beginning to ask about whether anyone had composed music to align the harmonics of a space, Jeff shows up.
What has happened for the last two-and-a-half years is the result of my starting piano lessons when I was close to 7 years old, my intensive musical training through college, Jeff’s experience with Celine Dion, Cindi Lauper, Lionel Richie and more, his efforts composing biofeedback music, my background in Feng Shui, Jeff’s corresponding interest in Feng Shui, and our mutual friend Lisa Zimmerman. It took more than a village — it took a couple of life-times — to make this emerge. But the end result combines the 5 Chinese Elements with science, creating the “Healing Your Home” project.
First, some groundwork: The 5 Chinese Elements
A major factor in Chinese ideology is the concept of the 5 Elements. Although eventually adapted to correspond to compass directions, the Element system originated as the delineation of the conditions needed to support their agrarian society. The following Elements (excluding Air, which was considered an obvious requirement and need not be mentioned) were: Water, Wood, Earth, Fire and Metal. Wood represented the crops or plants. Water was needed to assure the growth of the plants; Earth was needed to nurture and support the growth of the plants. The ash from the Fire was used to enrich the soil; Metal tools were required to hoe, trim and rake the plants. A successful crop required the use of all 5 Elements.
Over time the Element system evolved and expanded in its usage. It integrated into a hierarchical relationship between each of the Elements: Water helped Wood to grow; Wood stoked up the Fire; Fire enriched the Earth; Earth produced Metals; and Metal produced Water in the form of condensation.
Today, the Elements typically manifest themselves in three ways: through shape, color, and its own substance:
- Water…wavy, water-y lines…black or navy blue…water features
- Wood…column shape…green or blue…plants, trees or flowers
- Fire…triangular shape…red…candles or fireplace
- Earth…square…yellow, tan or brown…sand, ceramic, porcelain, earth
- Metal…round or arched…white or off-white…copper, brass, silver
Of course, now because of “Healing Your Home,” the Elements can be expressed in yet another way — musically.
More background: What is Cymatics?
From the Greek philosopher Pythagoras to the eighth century German scientist Ernst Chladni to a Swiss scientist of the 1960s, Dr. Hans Jenny, over this long trajectory of time they all proved that sound does affect matter. This phenomenon was called cymatics originating from the Greek word kyma, which means “wave,” to describe the study of wave phenomena. Dr. Jenny, in particular, experimented with sand, fluids, and powders placed on metal plates. When subjected to sound, the material formed into intricate and beautiful patterns.
This work was made highly visible in most recent years by Dr. Matsuro Emoto who showed how the molecules of water changed when subjected to music, written words, and even concentrated thought. Matter is indeed influenced and changed by energy.
Healing Your Home
The result of this interface between Jeff, me, the 5 Elements, acoustical considerations and vibratory influences has resulted in the “Healing Your Home” project. The CD is intended to be an experience for your home (or office). It can certainly impact the occupants but the foremost focus is aligning the spatial components; the by-product is the alignment the occupants will receive as a result. The CD can be played for your space with or without you. Put it on in the morning before leaving for the day and let it do its work while you’re gone. You will return to a home that has been balanced and cleared. How could you not benefit from that?
Jeff and I will be introducing this concept in a 4-hour workshop-concert at Normandale Community College. During this time, participants will determine and create the matrix of the auditorium and, more importantly, where they belong in that matrix. They will see what happens when the matrix changes and whether they still belong. Or whether they still belong in the same spot or if it may be appropriate to change their place in the grand scheme. Determining where they most strongly “belong” and resonate in the space opens them to recognizing where this spot occurs in their own home or office, as well as understanding why it may be appropriate to change it, temporarily or permanently.
Participants of the “Healing Your Home” event will also select and integrate one of the 5 Chinese Elements, the structure upon which the CD is built. By embodying this Element, each person will understand it in a deeper way and see it in context to the others. All participants will be part of creating a symphonic container for the 5 Elements, learning to understand them in a completely different way.
The culminating point of the “Healing Your Home” event occurs when space, vibration and Feng Shui merge into a musical statement. A 25-minute version of the CD will be played with live accompaniment by both Jeff and me. Superimposing each person’s individual intentions for their home and aligning with its own matrix, everyone will return home to find it has arrived at a balanced place — the ultimate conversation to have with your home.
Jeff Bova and Carole Hyder will be leading the “Healing Your Home” event at Normandale Community College from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 14. Go to Carolehyder.com/healing-your-home/ for more information and to listen to an excerpt of the music for Water and for Fire. Register at normandale.augusoft.net. The first 99 registrants will receive a free 25-minute download version of the Healing Your Home CD. Full-length CDs will be available at the workshop-concert.