chap6.1.html

BUILDING WITH THE BREATH OF LIFE - Tom Bender - revised draft text 8 Jan.1999

ELEMENTS OF ENERGETICS OF PLACE

This is my personal list of priority or significance, today. Everyone will have their own, different one, and all will change as we understand more of these elements. What is important is to discover in any situation what aspects are significant, what ones worth attending to. In one situation, a TV may boost self-worth and the energy of people in the place. In a broader context, the sense of inadequacy bred by advertisements, program, and personal passivity are more certain to cause a steady deterioration of self-worth, and consequently, of the energy of the place.

Element and Importance Its Nature Actions Duration

MOVING BEYOND
A
GREED-CENTERED CULTURE

1
Beside this, all other actions pale.

Damage to our body and home energetics from TV is far greater than any energetic "cures" can heal.

Similarly massive are the negative impacts on our essential self-esteem and mutual respect which emerge from institutional work patterns.

Tourism injects cultural values of "taking" into our connection to people and place.
* participatory rather than passive recreation and entertainment

* work, learning, family, and institutional patterns that support our sense of doing valued work, contributing to our community, and acknowledging our worth

* all actions affirming a love- and life-centered world improve our nurture
Finding alternatives to cultural values and patterns such as TV, tourism, and bureaucratic work patterns may offer the greatest and most enduring energetic benefit of any actions we can take.

DIRECT RAISlNG
AND
NURTURE
OF
CHI

2
Direct raising and nurture of chi is far more vital for community health than even for our individual health.
* group spiritual practice

* community ritual and energy raising

* cathartic conflict resolution

* internal or external chi adjustments, blessings

* use of mantras, mudras, yantras and visualization

* simple actions by individuals and communities involving love and giving, and transference to a society based on care and mutual respect may be as productive as community ritual or "shamanic" practices
Sustaining direct raising of community chi is an on-going process.

Repetition builds long-lasting patterns.

THE
ENERGY
OF
USERS

3
Our energy flows are, with few exceptions, the largest energy flows in our homes and communities.
* individual spiritual practice

* actions which enhance our emotional health, self-esteem or sense of being of value to our community

* practices which open us to deeper energetic flows in our surroundings

* places which bring shelter, nurture, challenge, and harmony to our lives

* symbolic actions affecting our emotional and mental interfaces with our surroundings
Successful individual changes can last a lifetime.

Symbolic actions rarely survive the tenancy of a single user of a place or have the power of actions that actually alter underlying patterns.

GOOD NATURAL
CHI
IN
LAND
AND
PLACE

4
Finding, enhancing, and creating resonance with natural flows and patterns of chi in place - not for advantage over others, but to communicate and interact more fully - is a wonderful source of sustenance.

Some chi of place comes from topography, some from geophysical anomalies, some from how we have attuned the places we build to channel and enhance those energies.
* "tangible" feng shui practices - forms and compass school, adjustments relative to interior and exterior factors such as roads, trees, hillsides or waterways, location of doors, beds, bathrooms or workplaces

* dowsing to locate and move chi

* calling in of energy balancing and enhancement

* design of homes, gardens, and communities to focus and sustain place energy
Good natural chi in land and place may endure for millennia, or change tomorrow due to new road cuts, underground water movement, dams, power lines, ground water withdrawal, etc.

Requires monitoring to verify continuation.

ATTENTION
TO
INTENTION
(LI)

5
Intention, purpose, and its expression in the soul of a place can be the most accessible way to change the energy of a place and its users.
* consensus on placemaking goals and their alignment with goals of the rest of Creation

* clarity in the specifics of our actions, with those goals as touchstone

* "hara"-based practices of individual action and group decision-making

* ritual in the building process

* attitudes towards work, materials, and the spirit world
Intention can rapidly change energy of a place, but it can be countered by intention of others or existing energy patterns.

Deep intention embodied with physical actions gives greatest impact and duration.

DESIGN - HARMONIZING
INNER ATTRIBUTES AND
PATTERNS
OF
PLACE

6
Real harmony comes from intention and from right relationship of attributes and inner patterns.

This is very much the opposite of conventional design that focuses on outward appearances.
* creating place as invisible servants

* tie to the cycles of nature

* honoring

* gardens to nurture our spirits

* connecting to our community in nature

* eliminating mirrors

* celebrating night, rain, and death

* durability

* building through rewarding work

* putting love, giving, and silence into the places we make
Design changes may last as long as the facility, or be negated by other changes or use patterns.

RELATION
TO
ANCESTORS AND
THE
SPIRIT
WORLD

7
Wholeness requires we reopen the doors to our ancestors, to the spirits, and to the non-material worlds - to honor, and work together to manifest the great unfolding of Creation.
* establishing temples, shrines, home alters, and sacred places

* learning design of "gateways" to the spirit world

* rituals and places maintaining ongoing connection between the material and spirit world

* design and placement of tombs as in traditional feng shui, scattering of ashes, honoring of ancestors
Acknowledging and restoring connection to the spirit world can result in long-enduring energy shifts.

Individual actions may have varied impacts.

CLEARING, CLEANSING, CLUTTER

8
This element involves simplifying, focusing intention and energy, and eliminating extraneous diversions.

It is often a prefatory action of clearing intention prior to direct raising of chi, enhancing the energy of individual users, or specific practices and rules.

In our materialistic lives, it is valuable for letting go of the past, or to consider in itself.
* dealing with the inheritance of good or bad chi from prior use of a place such as death, bankruptcy, anger, divorce, or illness

* internal clearing such as fasting, meditation, or Zen training

* external purification, dealing with accumulated material "stuff", cleaning, and honoring

* Balancing, freeing or relocating bad chi and li; exorcism of ghosts
Dealing with clutter may last minutes or years, depending on how deeply inner patterns are changed.

Internal clearing can give life-long change.

Clearing inherited chi of a place can have long-enduring results.

SPECIFIC PRACTICES AND
RULES

9
Attending to specific real-world psychological, cultural, and ecological problems of people and place is as important and effective as a grand theoretical approach to a situation.
* taking care of lighting, sanitation, ventilation, structural adequacy, and setting needed for rituals

* traditional feng shui practices such as classic "T" intersections, heavy beams, or bad bed locations

* verifying applicability of "rules" by "following your tummy" - paying attention to what feels right
Individual

ALIGNING WITH
THE
COSMOS

10
This includes symbolism embodying philosophical, social, and cosmological principles; astrology, numerology, five elements, and the feng shui bagua.

Beyond any direct connections, aligning with the cosmos also strengthens our will and sense of the rightness of our beliefs and actions.

Major significance, very different from existing beliefs and practices, may await discovery here.
* symbolism in house or city design

* astrology of place takes two main forms - a) birth-influenced desires and needs for surroundings (Chinese Nine Star Ki); and b) time-specific compatibility with places depending upon position in our personal time cycles (Chinese Eight Words or Four Pillars)

* the Elements (Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Metal in Chinese tradition) alert us to the qualities of change cycles, particularly chi-related, to which we must relate

* Traditions of cosmic connection from different cultures for elements of homes, villages, and ritual
Individual birth needs are lifelong.

Position in time cycles change periodically.

Symbolism in design and layout has impact as long as aligned with beliefs of society and affirmed in fresh and clear ways.

OUTWARD APPEARANCE (HSING)

11
Harmony, beauty, and balancing yin and yang in how things look are only "fine-tuning".

Yet outer appearances do affect us and our perception of meaning. And through them we can also see what inner intentions are being manifested.
* Fine-tuning the esthetics, the physical expression, and the patterns of a place to enrich its ability to resonate with our hearts and our lives.

* Maintaining inner intention as a touchstone so as to not fabricate appearances at odds with what lies within
Affected by rate of change in society and how much "fashions" change our sense of beauty or harmony.

The best work has enduring value. The worst loses value immediately.

OTHER...?

12
Every situation provides unique avenues of action which resist codification.
* Varies
Individual

Element and Importance	Its Nature	Actions	Duration
MOVING BEYOND A GREED-CENTERED CULTURE 1	Beside this, all other actions pale. Damage to our body and home energetics from TV is far greater than any energetic "cures" can heal. Similarly massive are the negative impacts on our essential self-esteem and mutual respect which emerge from institutional work patterns. Tourism injects cultural values of "taking" into our connection to people and place.	* participatory rather than passive recreation and entertainment * work, learning, family, and institutional patterns that support our sense of doing valued work, contributing to our community, and acknowledging our worth * all actions affirming a love- and life-centered world improve our nurture	Finding alternatives to cultural values and patterns such as TV, tourism, and bureaucratic work patterns may offer the greatest and most enduring energetic benefit of any actions we can take.
DIRECT RAISlNG AND NURTURE OF CHI 2	Direct raising and nurture of chi is far more vital for community health than even for our individual health.	* group spiritual practice * community ritual and energy raising * cathartic conflict resolution * internal or external chi adjustments, blessings * use of mantras, mudras, yantras and visualization * simple actions by individuals and communities involving love and giving, and transference to a society based on care and mutual respect may be as productive as community ritual or "shamanic" practices	Sustaining direct raising of community chi is an on-going process. Repetition builds long-lasting patterns.
THE ENERGY OF USERS 3	Our energy flows are, with few exceptions, the largest energy flows in our homes and communities.	* individual spiritual practice * actions which enhance our emotional health, self-esteem or sense of being of value to our community * practices which open us to deeper energetic flows in our surroundings * places which bring shelter, nurture, challenge, and harmony to our lives * symbolic actions affecting our emotional and mental interfaces with our surroundings	Successful individual changes can last a lifetime. Symbolic actions rarely survive the tenancy of a single user of a place or have the power of actions that actually alter underlying patterns.
GOOD NATURAL CHI IN LAND AND PLACE 4	Finding, enhancing, and creating resonance with natural flows and patterns of chi in place - not for advantage over others, but to communicate and interact more fully - is a wonderful source of sustenance. Some chi of place comes from topography, some from geophysical anomalies, some from how we have attuned the places we build to channel and enhance those energies.	* "tangible" feng shui practices - forms and compass school, adjustments relative to interior and exterior factors such as roads, trees, hillsides or waterways, location of doors, beds, bathrooms or workplaces * dowsing to locate and move chi * calling in of energy balancing and enhancement * design of homes, gardens, and communities to focus and sustain place energy	Good natural chi in land and place may endure for millennia, or change tomorrow due to new road cuts, underground water movement, dams, power lines, ground water withdrawal, etc. Requires monitoring to verify continuation.
ATTENTION TO INTENTION (LI) 5	Intention, purpose, and its expression in the soul of a place can be the most accessible way to change the energy of a place and its users.	* consensus on placemaking goals and their alignment with goals of the rest of Creation * clarity in the specifics of our actions, with those goals as touchstone * "hara"-based practices of individual action and group decision-making * ritual in the building process * attitudes towards work, materials, and the spirit world	Intention can rapidly change energy of a place, but it can be countered by intention of others or existing energy patterns. Deep intention embodied with physical actions gives greatest impact and duration.
DESIGN - HARMONIZING INNER ATTRIBUTES AND PATTERNS OF PLACE 6	Real harmony comes from intention and from right relationship of attributes and inner patterns. This is very much the opposite of conventional design that focuses on outward appearances.	* creating place as invisible servants * tie to the cycles of nature * honoring * gardens to nurture our spirits * connecting to our community in nature * eliminating mirrors * celebrating night, rain, and death * durability * building through rewarding work * putting love, giving, and silence into the places we make	Design changes may last as long as the facility, or be negated by other changes or use patterns.
RELATION TO ANCESTORS AND THE SPIRIT WORLD 7	Wholeness requires we reopen the doors to our ancestors, to the spirits, and to the non-material worlds - to honor, and work together to manifest the great unfolding of Creation.	* establishing temples, shrines, home alters, and sacred places * learning design of "gateways" to the spirit world * rituals and places maintaining ongoing connection between the material and spirit world * design and placement of tombs as in traditional feng shui, scattering of ashes, honoring of ancestors	Acknowledging and restoring connection to the spirit world can result in long-enduring energy shifts. Individual actions may have varied impacts.
CLEARING, CLEANSING, CLUTTER 8	This element involves simplifying, focusing intention and energy, and eliminating extraneous diversions. It is often a prefatory action of clearing intention prior to direct raising of chi, enhancing the energy of individual users, or specific practices and rules. In our materialistic lives, it is valuable for letting go of the past, or to consider in itself.	* dealing with the inheritance of good or bad chi from prior use of a place such as death, bankruptcy, anger, divorce, or illness * internal clearing such as fasting, meditation, or Zen training * external purification, dealing with accumulated material "stuff", cleaning, and honoring * Balancing, freeing or relocating bad chi and li; exorcism of ghosts	Dealing with clutter may last minutes or years, depending on how deeply inner patterns are changed. Internal clearing can give life-long change. Clearing inherited chi of a place can have long-enduring results.
SPECIFIC PRACTICES AND RULES 9	Attending to specific real-world psychological, cultural, and ecological problems of people and place is as important and effective as a grand theoretical approach to a situation.	* taking care of lighting, sanitation, ventilation, structural adequacy, and setting needed for rituals * traditional feng shui practices such as classic "T" intersections, heavy beams, or bad bed locations * verifying applicability of "rules" by "following your tummy" - paying attention to what feels right	Individual
ALIGNING WITH THE COSMOS 10	This includes symbolism embodying philosophical, social, and cosmological principles; astrology, numerology, five elements, and the feng shui bagua. Beyond any direct connections, aligning with the cosmos also strengthens our will and sense of the rightness of our beliefs and actions. Major significance, very different from existing beliefs and practices, may await discovery here.	* symbolism in house or city design * astrology of place takes two main forms - a) birth-influenced desires and needs for surroundings (Chinese Nine Star Ki); and b) time-specific compatibility with places depending upon position in our personal time cycles (Chinese Eight Words or Four Pillars) * the Elements (Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Metal in Chinese tradition) alert us to the qualities of change cycles, particularly chi-related, to which we must relate * Traditions of cosmic connection from different cultures for elements of homes, villages, and ritual	Individual birth needs are lifelong. Position in time cycles change periodically. Symbolism in design and layout has impact as long as aligned with beliefs of society and affirmed in fresh and clear ways.
OUTWARD APPEARANCE (HSING) 11	Harmony, beauty, and balancing yin and yang in how things look are only "fine-tuning". Yet outer appearances do affect us and our perception of meaning. And through them we can also see what inner intentions are being manifested.	* Fine-tuning the esthetics, the physical expression, and the patterns of a place to enrich its ability to resonate with our hearts and our lives. * Maintaining inner intention as a touchstone so as to not fabricate appearances at odds with what lies within	Affected by rate of change in society and how much "fashions" change our sense of beauty or harmony. The best work has enduring value. The worst loses value immediately.
OTHER...? 12	Every situation provides unique avenues of action which resist codification.	* Varies	Individual