Altar not the Alternative

Discovering new friends

2008-01-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

I went for a walk yesterday and made some new friends. The two travel together and watch each others back while alternating from living on the street to staying at shelters. The own very little but seemed very content. We spent about 15 minutes together and I was very grateful for having the chance to borrow some time from them.

Recently a book was released called: Finding Grace. I highly recommend it. The photographer is incredible and his passion to draw attention to the issues of homelessness are even greater. Here is how his publishers described the book:

Strength. Dignity. Humanity. Grace. These most human and admirable of qualities are not commonly the first we associate with America's homeless, so often overlooked or avoided on our city streets, but there are the qualities that can be found in the faces pictures in this astonishing book of portraits. These are our sisters and brothers, and this collection of portraits honors them. Photographer Lynn Blodgett took time to find the dignity in his subjects. He listed to their stories, and he has created a compelling and gorgeous social document, startlingly beautiful and simple. What we witness through his lens is the grace and humanity that can be found in the gravest of circumstances. Marian Wright Edelman wrote the forward.

Here is where you can order it from: Amazon.com

I highly recommend it.

Altar Your Space Party part 2

2007-11-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are the official pictures from the Altar Your Space release party. I am sure you will see some old friends in these pictures.

Here is a picture of me and Romio Shrestha the premier Thanka artist and author of Celestial Gallery and many other titles from Mandala Publishing.

Enjoy.

Altar Your Space Party

2007-11-09T06:08:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night we hosted the Altar Your Space book launch party. The evening was hosted by Joely Fisher and Tara Home. It was sponsored by Organic Bouquet who donated 1000 organic roses for the party (pictures in later posting). We had nearly 375 of the sweetest and most thoughtful people come join us to celebrate the the release of the book. These attendees are friends of the Tara Home, clients and friends of Siri Darshan and myself. Girish and his band performed for the guests and shared his incredible heart and music.

While we will have some "official" party pictures up in a couple of days, here are some links to the wire services from the photographers covering the party. In these pictures you will see some of our friends like Joely Fisher, Carl Weathers and others who were kind enough to join us in ths celebration. Enjoy!

Wire Image
Getty Image
O Know they Didn't
WENN
I'm not obsessed

No Company Cheese!

2007-10-18T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here is an excerpt from my book, Altar your Space. This story has quickly developed into one of the favorite metaphors in the book. I have shortened it a bit and the book offers a fuller explanation but you will still enjoy this.

Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses.
— Dale Carnegie

In the same way that our attitudes and intentions can invoke the sacred, they can also banish the sacred by provoking tension, restlessness and discomfort. Our attitudes and priorities around the things in our homes, relative to the people who live there or come to visit, affect those people and our home environments.
Last year I went to a shop in Beverly Hills to buy some quality cheese. It was a reminder gift to my wife of our beautiful trip to Paris the previous Christmas. Many of the terrific meals we had eaten in the Parisian restaurants had involved delicious cheese. I bought a large wedge of very fine white truffle cheese, took it home and put it in the fridge. The next day I took it out, intending to sample it.
“Hey Jagatjoti,” my wife said, “should we save the cheese for company tonight?”
“Oh, this is company cheese?” I joked. “So we only get house cheese? I want company cheese!”
“I want company cheese too!” said my almost–three-year-old daughter. But she was completely serious. Soon she and I were chanting together, “We want company cheese! We want company cheese!”
Of course my wife appreciated my silly humor, and we all ended up eating company cheese. Company cheese is now a family joke. But it points to a real principle about how to live, and not live, in our own homes. The principle is this: first and foremost, home should serve the people who live there. But sometimes we set up a home environment for the benefit of others, at the expense of those who live in it. This is a company-cheese mentality. It creates tension and discomfort, and makes people (usually the children) second-class citizens in their own homes.

Clients featured on KABC Los Angeles

2007-10-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a terrific piece showcasing the Tara Home store in Venice, CA and a super sweet client. This clients, whose home is featured in Altar Your Space, had married throw eloping and decided as their live and careers showed an open window to have a wedding for all of their friends and family. We became terrific friends as we helped them create the perfect home during the week before the formal wedding. Enjoy them talking about the experience and what makes their house a sacred home.

Experience of creating an Altared Space

2007-10-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

While it is very rare when I would share this type of communication as I am not interested in the boost to my ego, I decided to share this with you today because Gabriella is able to articulate so beautifully her personal journey of discovery, self-realization and more importantly, the discovery of confidence and pride of accomplishment in creating a home which serves her, her marriage, her children and how they all feel each day when they come home.

She told me today how designing her home and altaring her space has created less fighting at home, more time together both intimate time with her husband, more time with her children doing projects, more time as a family eating together and meeting her neighbors more and interacting with them more as her house attracts people to just want to be near it because of how it soothes their heart and the list goes on.

I want you to see through the eyes of someone just like you how recreating, re contextualizing and taking a different view of your living space can so strongly impact your life for the better. She tells a great tale even if the kindness towards me makes me blush a little bit.

Enjoy and be inspired to Altar your Space!

###

To Whom It May Concern:

We bought our first home together just six months after the birth of our first child. The house is located in the historic district of Long Beach, a neighborhood which is in a state of transition between generations. It came furnished with the remnants of whatever the previous estate couldn't sell-off in yard sales; antiques; wood paneling; glass chandeliers; and mirrors. The yard was as random; thirty-two Camellia trees planted in odd places; renegade bromeliads anywhere and everywhere; thick hedges and bushes lined every path; and the overgrown avocado tree in the backyard had been so badly neglected that its branches sprawled out across the roof.

But the house was strong and full of promise. First we killed the grass and ripped out all the landscaping. The older neighbors in the neighborhood were terrified; change can make others uneasy. We then gave away all the furniture to anyone who would take it. Having had moved from a one bedroom apartment, we had very little of our own belongings to fill in the space. There were whole rooms left vacant. One day my sister and I strapped on Rollerblade and turned the living room into a skating ring. We often hula hooped for fun and fitness; sometimes three or four people could hoop at a time inside our dining room. We would later turn hooping into a business concept. Strangely,this is how I met Jagatjoti.

While walking one day in Santa Monica, shopping for costumes to be used in the filming of our first “Hoopnotic Hoopdance” DVD, I passed Tara Home. I was drawn into the store by the warmth and aroma that seemed to pour from the doors. I didn’t have time to look inside, but I remembered the store later when designing the space for Hoopnotica’s office in Marina Del Rey.

My husband and I went to Tara Home one afternoon with the intention of designing a lounge/conference area for the office. Jagatjoti, with little or no introduction, met us in the front of the store. He invited Jheri and I to sit down and have some tea. “Kick your feet up; don’t be afraid to be comfortable”, he said. I liked that.

We spoke for a while about our intentions. I fell in love with almost every piece on the floor. I loved the decadence of it all; the textures, colors, carvings and paintings. In the end, I lacked the confidence to make decisions for our space.

Jagatjoti, whose name I never thought I would be able to pronounce let alone remember, offered to come to our office. He went over the pronunciation of his name slowly for me. “Juh-gat-joe-tee”. He told me that once I got it down I wouldn’t be able to get it out of my mind.

I gave him a budget and he came back with everything we needed- and more. There are four very strong women who work in this space together every day, and I considered finding something to suit them all to be a difficult task. At that point, I didn’t really appreciate fully whom I was working with.

From sumptuous red and gold silk textiles to a seated Quan Yin statue, Jagatjoti arranged pieces which transformed our workspace into a personal and inspiring place to be. He told me that he had envisioned all of us working there; seated on the couch talking, and how the colors in the textiles would look against each of our skin tones. It was comfortable, functional, beautiful, and surprisingly affordable. The new additions to our office came in under budget, and allowed for extras. The unexpected addition of hand crafted candles changed the scent in the office from “new carpet and air conditioning” to warm, sweet, floral. The candles sit on top of the table in the conference area, and their scent helps visitors and employees to feel welcome and relaxed. I couldn’t have been happier with Jagatjoti’s selections and placement. We placed a hoop in the Quan Yin’s hand, and she greets us every morning on our way into the office.

For my home, I felt a little hopeless. I wanted to create a beautiful environment for my family, and didn’t think I could do it without hiring a designer. In hindsight, I had never really been presented with the “opportunity” to design a space from scratch. My young bohemian style had always known no bounds as hand-me-down furniture met yard sale coffee tables, enhanced with vintage silk scarves and throws. Creativity was all I ever had. As a result, my interior design skills were compromised by what was available at the time. My idea of decorating was to staple old record covers and clippings from magazines to the wall. As a result, things were always changing and I never really lived in a space that felt like “me”. I grew to feel intimidated of design, and the inevitable problem in our house: If we ever wanted to have guests, we were eventually going to need a place to sit.

I called Tara Home, but Jagat was in India, and would not be back for a few weeks. I began to interview designers in the area. I desperately searched for someone to give me the answers: what, how much, what color, what fabric. I thought surely someone could just do it FOR me; make my home beautiful in a style that reflects me. Each designer I met with had a different take on my home and style. And each left me feeling restless and disheartened. I missed Jagatjoti.

He describes himself as a “Simple Shopkeeper”, and he is far from it. Who knows, really; maybe he believes it. Jagatjoti has sort of an undefined personality. I once asked him how he was able to choose a statue so perfect for me, without me being there... without having had seen my home ahead of time. “You would be able to do it too if you got up every morning before dawn and meditated for two hours”, he replied.

He is a humble and confidant man. Jagat has such a dry sense of humor that it is possible to miss completely if you're not careful. I find him to be very humorous, and conversation with him is always thought provoking and engaging.

There are many things that distinguish Jagat from other “Simple Shopkeepers”; refined intuition; the sincere implementation of personal spirituality; use of old ideas in a modern world; attention to the senses in design; and a superb sense of aesthetic (In the end, I decided to wait for him to return from India).

Refined Intuition:

Two days before Christmas we packed up the family and visited with Jagatjoti in Los Angeles. In one day we completely furnished our livingroom and dining room. Some of what we selected was entirely our decision, some was predestined.

Our dining room table for example, was a piece Jagat had envisioned for us. He knew that it was perfect for us before we did. He had never seen my home, and was working off of my desire to seat 10-12 people. The chairs came from his house. It is not uncommon for Jagat to pull pieces from his personal collection to assist his clients. If you ask, he will tell you that his wife will often come home to an empty house. He does not attach himself to objects, but surrounds himself with an array of carefully chosen, incredibly beautiful things.

Use of Old Ideas In A Modern World:

Jagat suggested an altar for our entrance, and that all outgoing bills pass over it. We have now set this small practice into our daily routine, and it gives more meaning to the chore of bill payment. In this area, good karma (if that’s what it is) is always welcome. Sometimes my daughter and I arrange flowers to place on the alter, or set aside an offering of fruit.

We selected an old Chinese piece for our “entertainment center”. Jagat recommended that we store all of our television components within the chest, and knew of a universal remote that would go through the doors.

Sensory Design:

The pieces we chose are low to the ground, allowing easy access for our children to interact with us. The colors and fabrics are rich and bold. The scent of the wood and the hand poured candles give the final touch to the aesthetic of the room. Much like the candles in our office, the concept of “aromatherapy” adds another dimension to Jagat’s design process. Our house smells amazing; unidentifiable, subtle, and very romantic. And everything you touch feels soft, smooth, and pleasing.

Personal Spirituality:

Although our family is non-denominational in practice, I find a sense of peace and solidarity within the image of the buddha. We selected two standing buddhas to grace our entry. They were not made to “go together” as a matching set, but work well as a pair. Jheri and I interpret this as representation of our own relationship and marriage. A seated buddha on the side of the house has become a conversation piece for the neighborhood. We consider him to be our “offering” to the outside world, and have framed him in within our garden using carefully trimmed hedges and lighting.
I fell in love with the small Luan statues. So much in fact that I bought the entire set of 18, and now the disciples of buddha are scattered throughout my home. Although they are all made in the same image, they are hand-carved and therefore each of their faces differ slightly. They are about the same size as my two year old daughter, and she plays with them. I like it when the Luans talk on the cell phone, or are all set up to have tea. Sometimes she whispers things in their ears...
Jagat travels to the far reaches to hand select pieces. He is very particular. He and Siri may spend an entire afternoon reviewing hundreds of buddhas. Each buddha to be brought home must have a particular aesthetic; the pose relaxed (but not too relaxed), the face kind (but not silly). As a result, they may spend the whole day shopping and find just a few statues.
Jagat does repeat business with furniture builders and knows the history of many custom pieces. Like our dining room table; an old carved chinese door topped with glass was made into a table. It is a stunning one of a kind piece.

Superb Aesthetic:

In the end we are left with a collection of functional art; every piece comes together harmoniously. Although the whole lot was purchased at once, you would never be the wiser. Nothing matches, but everything goes together perfectly. As though we had travelled to the far reaches of the world ourselves and sent home all our treasures; a collection which should have taken me years and years to create.

The transformation of our home has been a personal journey. I feel more confidant in my ability to design. Even with Jagat’s help, I really feel as though I did it all myself. I like the way Jagat would casually guide my experience without taking credit for an idea:
ie. “Might I suggest [an altar]...” “Perhaps you will consider [a small buddha]...” etc.
His humble guidance is empowering, while I have found that the “suggestions” of others usually sound more demanding:
”You know what you should do? I would place the table there, the couch there... create a conversation pit blah blah blah...”

We were able to easily integrate our love of art into our new home; our collection of abstract paintings somehow fits seamlessly into the overall aesthetic. Even our Catholic and Greek icons look great; as if they were somehow “meant to be”. Our home is far from ordinary, and a perfect representation of “us”. I feel blessed to wake up every morning surrounded by such beauty, and it effects my whole outlook on life. My home is living proof of how blessed I am to have “stumbled” into Tara Home. I feel grateful, and honored to have been asked to share my experience. Please feel free to slice and dice this up to fit your needs in any way!

Gabriella Redding; wife, mother of two, CEO... homemaker extraordinaire.

Gabriella Redding
CEO Hoopnotica, Inc

Thoughts on a childs room.

2007-10-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

I have had the blessing lately to design a couple of childrens rooms including my own daughters space. It is tough challenge as you want to make sure that your child is engaged and soothed at once. Energized by their creativity and able to relax into the perfect slumber. The colors have to agree with the child but also be some what sustainable. It would be tough to keep painting as the child like Picasso goes through the blue stage, then yellow and then a tartan inspired by Braveheart and so on. Our children evolve as people through their stages and certainly their needs for their space. We must be conscious of the timing for new additions, removals, and changes in our child and their needs in order to effectively serve them and provide them with a space which will serve their spirit and soul.

Here are a few things that my clients often pay attention to while working with me to create a space to serve their children:

--Color. Work with your child to select a color palate that at once inspires and calms. Children will know what they like and want. You just need to present them with some cool options that fall into line with colors that they already gravitate to in their shoes, clothing etc. And I always try to help them find a couple of options that are outside to see how they are responded to.

--Music. I find that must will always "sooth the savage beast". Bring the joy of music, the heart of song and the inspiration into their rooms with sound. Get them a sound player that they can operate, drop etc. Teach them how to use it (however if your child is like my two year old, they will quickly be teaching you). Introduce them to different types of music including some that you play when they are falling asleep while you are reading to them. Music is an important anchor and introducing them to it will serve them for their lives.

--Bed. Make it comfortable and not too stimulating. I know everyone wants to make their child happy but I find the over stimulating car beds, airplane beds and other theme beds too over the top and t stimulating in addition to dating very quickly when the cuteness wears off. Don't waste your money by purchasing something so potentially out of fashion with who your child is and find something simpler and timeless. Sheets can be changed when the child out grows Popeye (as if that ever happens), beds are not so easy or affordable (unless you don't mind and can spend like that but that brings up others issues of environment and sustainability). Make the mattress ORGANIC. Unless you can tell me why we should continue to support the most destructive crop in the world, cotton, make your child safe, healthy and our planet stronger with your purchase of an organic mattress. An organic futon starts at $400 and an organic mattress starts at about $800 on sale but I expect mattress pricing to go done over time. And one last note about the bed, smaller is better if space in the room is an issue. Leave room for forts, medical tables/examination areas(when they play doctor) blocks, toys and everything else a child collects and plays with. They are small, no reason to give them a big bed unless they have a very large room, or you need to have their room double as a guest room for special guest on special events. (don't make them feel like the space is not theirs and can be taken without their agreement or consideration or you will make them insecure).

More to come...

Breakup Makeover in Fushionmag.com

2007-10-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Fushionmag.com is a terrific website slash blog dedicated to sharing with its readers the coolest, hippest and most interesting "finds" throughout the country.

According to their website: "Fushion is the one-stop-story-shop for today’s woman. Whether you’re looking for that perfect red lipstick, the it-jean, plush pillows for your bachelorette pad, or need a crash course in money management, we have you covered. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the read."

They were nice enough to feature an article about my new book, Altar your Space, a guide to the restorative home on their blog and website. The article is about using tips from my book to help you make the change in your heart and home after a break-up or divorce. I think that it is a terrific article. Send it along to anyone who you think would be served by a fresh and new perspective in their lives. Enjoy!

Girish to play at Altar your Space book launch party

2007-10-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

I am tickled to announce that the great Girish is going to play for our friends and clients when they come celebrate the release of Altar Your Space, a guide to the restorative home.

Girish is an eclectic artist with roots in jazz, world, and sacred music. His musical talents find expression in a wide array of instruments – including tablas, world percussion, guitar, harmonium, and voice.
Beyond that, he sings like an angel and you can not help but to have your heart moved and opened by the sweet graceful sounds of Girish and his band.

The party is November 7th and he is expected to start playing around 20:00/8:00 pm.

Check out his website at the link above and if you can not make this party, check out his schedule to see where he will be playing near you and go see him. You will be better from the experience.

Altar

2007-09-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

Any place that we declare and design and serve as sacred, becomes an altar. A bedroom dresser top, a bathroom or kitchen counter-top, a living room coffee table, a built-in nook in a hallway or stairway, inside a closet – all are suitable locations for a household altar. It can be the dramatic focal point of a formal prayer and meditation space. It can be a small fountain surrounded by flowers in a garden corner.Below are some common things that people place on their home altars.

--Fruit, fresh herbs or flowers picked each day from your garden.
--Spiritual icons, statues and framed pictures connected to your particular path or faith.
--Sacred items like holy ash, oil or incense from ashrams, temples and churches.
--Personal items with special meaning or emotional value for you, which may include photographs, paintings, drawings, found objects, mementos acquired during your travels.
--Sensual items like incense and essential oil infused candles (mint for awakening, lavender to calm, etc).
--A Wish Box or God Box. This can be a wooden box, a ceramic container, or even leather or silk pouch. A Wish Box/God Box is a place to put pieces of paper on which we’ve written our wishes, hopes and dreams, our problems and concerns, our prayers for others and even their photos. By placing them in the box with a prayer or meditation, we symbolically surrender them into “God’s hands”. Reviewing these notes later, you will often find that problems have been resolved, wishes have been fulfilled, and goals have been, or are on their way to being achieved, and individuals prayed for have in fact been helped or healed.
--Beads and jewelry such as malas, rosaries, crystals, or more personal jewelry items.
--Advertisements, pictures and images of things you want to work towards whether material, emotional, spiritual or physical. These images can involve anything that anchors a focus on your particular activity, goal or dream.
--Pictures of a friend or family member who you want pray for because of illness, physical or mental.
--Anything else that you feel moved to place on your altar.

Colors- Set the tone

2007-09-27T05:29:00.000-07:00

We’ve known for ages, since long before the advent of color therapy, that various colors express and stimulate diverse moods, reflections and responses. Colors can energize and stimulate, calm and refresh, and even inspire and heal us. Red famously draws attention and stimulates decidedly energetic, aggressive, or erotic responses. Matadors wave red flags at bulls to provoke aggression. It’s no coincidence that sexual zones around the world are called Red Light Districts. Statistically, police pull more red cars over annually than cars of any other color. Blues and greens tend to relax, soothe and calm, which is why talk show guests often wait in a Green Room before going out to face lights, cameras and audiences.
Because colors do affect us, it’s important to choose carefully the color schemes in our living environment. Colors can soften or mute a room, as in “tone it down”. They can make a room warmer and cozier. They can energize a room, making us feel more awake, creative and alive. The key to choosing a color scheme for any room is knowing what we want to experience and how we want to feel in that room. Then we can explore the range of color option and pick the right colors for the right room for our particular needs.

The primary determining factor in any color choice is what you like, whether it be strong, flamboyant colors, rich primary colors, airy pastels or simple conservative shades. Experiment with one wall or area of a room. Be creative, even playful. Liberally paint your chosen color there, or roll wide swathes, vertical or horizontal, of possible colors on different walls. Then let it dry. Sit with it for a while. Sleep on it. See how it looks in different shades of light at different times of day or night. Notice how it draws your eye, how it makes you feel.

Below is a brief general description of the basic effects of colors on the human psyche.

Pink - Pink is physically, mentally, and emotionally soothing. It enlivens compassion, love, and purity.
Yellow - Yellow is awakening and mentally activating. It stimulates intellectual activity.
Red - Red stimulates the mind and body. It encourages sexuality and passion. It can be extreme and very powerful. Use it wisely and sparingly.
Green - Green brings balance, encourages growth, and instills calm.
Blue - Blue enhances creative expression. It is peaceful and expansive, like the sky.
Purple - Purple has a hypnotic effect. It encourages intense emotions – from anger to sublimity. It should be used very sparingly.
Orange - Orange activates optimism and refuels energy reserves.

Your greatness...

2007-09-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

“Your greatness is measured by your gifts, not your possessions.”
Yogi Bhajan

I still recall my first meeting, nearly two decades ago, with my spiritual teacher, Yogi Bhajan. In that powerful encounter, I felt myself to be at once in the presence of my teacher, my destiny, my future, and my Self. Over the years he would teach me to serve and uplift others without ego, judgment or attachment, and never to waste one morsel of the grace of God and Guru.
Even in that first meeting, I felt in his presence his love and devotion for my soul, and his healing energy and sacred intention. At one point he asked me in his thick Punjabi accent, “ Do you know the sacred secret of success in this lifetime?”
I offered several excellent answers to his question…the remembrance of God, the repetition of mantra, good hygiene, etc. When I finished, he looked at me and said,

“Son, be the Altar not the alternative.” And again he repeated, “Be the Altar, not the alternative.”

I felt the perfection and completeness of his words. Over time, I have savored and contemplated this simple statement, which had a deep and lasting impact on me.

“Be the Altar, not the alternative.”

What does it mean? What does it mean to you? It keeps meaning something to me as, over time, it evolves and gains more traction in my heart. Much of its meaning is embedded in the pages of this book, in the text, the photographs, and the designs.

For me, being the Altar, not the alternative, means being, living, acting and projecting from a point of neutrality and awareness, wholeness and transcendence. It is about experiencing everything, appreciating all perspectives, being connected to what is before you, without attachment to any one thing or point of view. To me, the Altar is a symbol of this very place, your own center and Self, where you find peace, balance, harmony and grace amidst the dueling polarities of life.

When you live your life as the Altar, and not the alternative, you will live a life that is, in the words of my teacher, “happy, healthy and holy,” and each day will be rich with the blessings of life, of your Soul, of God. Each breath will restore and replenish you. Each action will emerge from a state of consciousness that is balanced, neutral and aware, and from a heart that is prayerful, graceful and grateful.

“Altar Your Space” is about applying these perspectives to your life, starting with your home environment. It is about designing a sacred living space that embodies the architecture of your soul, and connects your consciousness to infinity. It is about making your home the Altar, and not the alternative.

What do you want to experience and feel in your home? Beauty, calmness, grace, radiance, joy? What do you want your home to enhance in your life, and provide for you and your family? Stability, prosperity, opportunity, creativity, spirituality? An Altared home is a sanctuary for the body, heart and soul of you and your family.

In our essence, we are already whole, complete and perfect, and we can create a living environment that reflects and supports this. It is our birthright to be surrounded by beauty, to know peace and joy, to live royally and happily in a sacred home that elevates our life, uplifts our spirit, restores our soul, and connects us with the flow of love and prosperity of the universe.

Lets begin our journey together.

There is always room for Sacredness in your home

2007-09-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

On one of their lengthy walking pilgrimages across India, Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism, and his companion, Mardana, came to a village notorious for its criminals, con artists and false prophets, and they were all afraid of some true one coming and disillusioning the crowds that assembled and worshipped them. They thought Nanak had come to deprive them of their living. Rather than enter the village, Guru Nanak and Mardana sat down under a jasmine tree and began to meditate in blissful silence.

When the villagers learned that Guru Nanak was just outside their town, they became worried that he might enter and disturb their usual activities. So they sent an emissary on horseback to meet him. The emissary presented Guru Nanak with a “gift” of a bowl of milk filled completely to the brim. It was a symbolic message. In essence, it said, “There’s no room for you in our village. We’re full up. We have everything we need. You can move along. You are not welcome here.”

When Mardana recognized the insult to the guru, he became incensed and offended. But Guru Nanak slowly raised his hand in a calming gesture and continued to reach upward. He plucked two jasmine flowers from the branch above him and then set them gently into the bowl of milk. And there they floated serenely on top, without spilling a drop, symbolizing that no matter how full our worldly life appears to be, there is always room for God.

And that story is about reminding you that there is room for your home to feel as you want it to feel. And nothing can stop you.

Music to Inspire your home

2007-09-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned previously, music can create an incredible feel in an environment. It can also make an environment unbearable and annoying. Think about some places, like big chain stores where the music was so annoying and bothered you so much that you had to get out of there as fast as you could. On the same note, think about places and people homes you have been to where the music was so soothing, engaging, enlivening and supportive of the space that everything felt great.

In my experience creating the perfect play lists, developing a well rounded and supportive sondtrack for your home and life can really help change the vibration and feeling of your space. While it is important for you to discover for yourself the right blend and mix of types and kinds of music, here are some suggestions that have worked great for me and my clients: (performer:album title)

Asana: Ohm Shanti
Bebel Gilberto: Momento (or just about anything Bebel puts out)
Lemongrass: Spa Sessions
Lsola D'Amore: The Ethereal Experience
Buddha Bar IX by Ravin
Destination Series
Eden: A collection of global chill
Xen Cuts
Anything by Nitan Sawhney
Anything by Girish
Anything by Snatam Kaur
Anything by Krishna Das
Siddartha--Spirit of Buddha Bar: Awakening
Baraka
Barramundi
Peter Nashel: Bee Season
Mark Oliver Everett: Levity
Ekstasis: Wake up and Dream

This should get you started. Feel free to explore these and others on iTunes and other places online. And explore new groups and artists in all genres.

I will post another group of recommendations in a few weeks.

Design a ritual

2007-09-13T10:21:00.001-07:00

One thing I’ve learned from my clients is that there are many reasons for designing or redesigning our homes. Sometimes our reasons are purely practical. We may want to make our living environment more functional, comfortable, beautiful, elegant, or modern. We may want an “upgrade,” with better quality furniture, carpet, tile, lighting, cabinets, interior/exterior paint, etc. Perhaps we’re in transition – we’ve gotten married, divorced, widowed, or we’re relocating long distance, or we’ve bought a new house, or we’re moving up in the world – and we want a fresh start in an old or a new place.

Yet I often find there are deeper reasons motivating people to create new home environments. Our house truly does represent our self. And, consciously or not, designing our home is a powerful way of conceiving, redefining or expressing who we are. It can also be a way of reinventing who we are; and a way of marking or ritualizing significant personal changes, phases and transitions in our life.

Why do you want to design your home? Have you been experiencing changes, growth, or upheaval? Do you want to create environment that will support or invoke more creativity, love, peace, joy or stability in your life? Are you looking for spiritual renewal, a way to initiate growth and change on deeper levels? Do you want your home to more accurately reflect and embody who you are now, or who you’re becoming?

Think about it. Find out what’s true for you.

Sacred Design Tips: Storage--Keep it neat

2007-09-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Clutter can all too easily creep into and take over any of our environments, distract and detracting from our ultimate goal of relaxation. It may be clothes scattered on the floor, books and clothes on the bed or night table or random items on the dresser. Whatever it is, clutter interferes with our physical environment, our visual field, and clutters minds by gnawing at our subconscious. Ignoring clutter isn’t the solution, as it only desensitizes and distances us from the home environment that ought open us up and nourish us.

There are easy and affordable storage solutions to help us to get the most out of our environment, as well as make our bedroom a more serene, orderly and sacred place. Rather than purchase a sterile plastic industrial laundry hamper, how about a gorgeous painted laundry trunk. Elegant wooden bookshelves can also provide a beautiful showcase for statues, knick-knacks and framed paintings and photographs that have special meaning to you.

How about a quality dresser or armoire, a piece that truly inspires, for your clothing. Or, you can personalize your present dresser, wardrobe or chest of drawers by sanding, repainting or staining it. You can make it a family weekend project. Choose colors that are in harmony with your bedroom scheme. And let your children paint special details that will forever charm you, and make them feel part of the process and the space. They will be proud that mom and dad asked them to contribute.

Sacred Design Tips: Scent

2007-09-10T05:51:00.000-07:00

Scent has an effect. And when it comes to scent, natural and organic is always best. Several excellent options for bedroom scents include fresh flowers, scented or essential oils, incense, and scented candles. For safety, candles should always be placed away from linens and bed sheets, on a stable, non-flammable surface. Some candles give off quite a bit of smoke, which is not the scent you want permeating your bedroom. Smokeless candles are available. So it is important to investigate candle options, note the different types of wax and wicks. Large, stable candle bowls filled with soy wax and non-lead wicks are safe and ideal for bedroom use.

Sacred Design Tips: Music

2007-09-09T10:05:00.000-07:00

In February 2005, the Journal of Advanced Nursing reported that older people with sleep problems noted a 35 percent improvement after they started listening to 45 minutes of soft music before bedtime. After the disastrous hurricane season of 2005, FEMA reported ways to relieve extreme stress in children. One of their recommended tension reduction techniques was creating and listening to music. Clearly music has major implications for quality of sleep in both adults and children. A wonderful way for families to bond in the bedroom is to listen to music before going to sleep for the night. Setting a sleep timer in advance can make listening to peaceful music as easy as pressing a button, with no need to worry about dozing off without shutting down the stereo.

Whether we choose to listen to a classical orchestra, soft jazz, Native American drumming, or the chanting of Benedictine Monks, the music that speaks the most to us often carries the most sacred energy. As with any sensory aspect of our bedrooms, it is important to take care to ensure that music is not harsh, aggressive, intense, or laden with a bass beat that will throw off our body’s natural rhythms. You may also want to try waking up to your favorite music as a way of starting the day off on the right foot. Setting your alarm to a classical or jazz station will wake the family up in the least jarring way, and set a tone for the day that is both positive and restorative.

Sacred Design Tips: Lighting

2007-09-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

Lighting can make or break our bedroom experience. Proper lighting is especially important in creating an environment of relaxation and comfort. The ideal lighting casts a warm glow and envelops all in a soft, golden light. Dimmer switches that allow a range from soft to bright are always good. Side lighting is practical and convenient. Putting small soft-light lamps on either side of the bed can create an intimate atmosphere perfect for nighttime chatting or reading, and for late night trips to the bathroom. Family reading may call for additional task lighting, for which floor lamps are ideal. The key is having just enough light so that reading won’t strain the eyes, but not so much light that our inner circadian rhythms are thrown off or we feel like we’re in K-Mart. Whether we notice it or not, we humans are extremely sensitive to light and our body responds to the brightening or softening of the light around us. Gradually turning down our bedroom lights with a dimmer switch as bedtime approaches signals our body that it is time to rest.

Just before going to sleep, you may choose to turn off all of your bedroom lights, and rely solely on candlelight, the softest and most therapeutic light one can bring into a bedroom.

Sacred Design Tips: Textiles

2007-09-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

As with furniture, so with textiles and bed accessories. We ought to pay as much attention to what we wrap around our bodies as to what we put into them. Most of us unwittingly wrap or cover ourselves in materials that have been heavily treated with toxic pesticides. Traditionally, cotton sheets are the norm for bedding. They are more body-friendly, comfortable and of better quality than synthetic fabrics. But shockingly, in the United States, one fourth of all pesticides used are applied to one crop – cotton. Roughly a third of a pound of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are used to grow enough cotton for a t-shirt. (sustainablecotton.org) And cotton grown in third world countries isn’t much better. Scary, isn’t it?
So support healthy, eco-friendly cotton and reduce the health risks for your family by purchasing organic cotton sheets and clothing. A number of organic cotton sheet sets with thread counts of over 300 are available for under $100. And 1000 thread count organic sets are available for the luxury shopper as well. Finding them is as easy as heading to Bed Bath and Beyond, or going online. Either way, it’s worth the trip and the extra expense.

Cheap carpeting and bed accessory fabrics are harsh on the body. They disturb the subconscious and creates disharmony, making you feel less than completely relaxed. Part of this effect is the quality itself. Another part of it is the message you give to yourself when you buy inferior bedroom items. You’re basically saying, “You’re not worth the extra expense.” So always invest in quality when it comes to bedroom carpets, blankets, sheets, pillows and pillowcases. You don’t have to buy absolutely top of the line. But buy quality. Your comfort and well-being are worth a little extra expense. The difference between cheap items and quality items monetarily is affordable, and its noticeable.

By choosing textiles imbued with spirit and purpose, materials that are soft and touchable, and surrounding ourselves with plush pillows and bedding, we are creating our own version of a cradle. This safe, soft space is vital to making the family bedroom a place for gathering. In order to encourage our children to share our bedroom with us, why not try making the bed a bit more accessible? If your small child is walking, a small step stool conveys the message that their presence in bed is important. Plenty of pillows and family friendly bedding ensure that children will always feel welcome.

Sacred Design Tips for the bedroom

2007-09-06T05:29:00.000-07:00

First it’s important to know the purpose of each room for you and your family. What does each room mean to you? What experiences will you be having there? What activities will be occurring there? What do you want your family, your guests to feel there?

In designing any room, select every item with your eye and your gut. Let each item have a specific reason or purpose, and evoke memories, moods or feelings that nourish you. Every item should be an anchor for something. Items that have no meaning for you, that don’t have a pleasing effect on you, don’t belong there.

What feelings and impressions do you want to greet you when you enter your bedroom? What objects, images, colors, motifs might give you the feelings described above, the feelings you long for? Before making any final decisions, do research and investigate options. Go to furniture stores, antique stores, art stores. Surf the web and see what’s available. Trust your intuition. Rely on serendipity and synchronicity. Get advice from people whose knowledge, taste and opinions you trust. Use the resources available to you. But trust your gut for all final decisions. Never go against it because it never lies.
The following tips will help you create an ideal environment for your bedroom or any other room. Let’s take a look at the bedroom from the center outward, starting with the bed, and considering other essential elements in turn.

The Bed

Our bed can express our personality, our artistic and aesthetic nature, and our true self in its most basic and elemental form. It can suffuse our body, mind and spirit with a calmness that is biophysical and sacred. Many of us have had profound spiritual experiences in our beds, in dreams, in reveries, in love.
In choosing our bed, it is important to place our attention and intention on every element of which it is composed, from the wood that your headboard is carved from, to the mattress you will lie on, to the sheets and blankets that will enfold you, and cover, drape and give shape to your bed. The only rules for creating your bedroom, and choosing your bed, is to listen to and respect your feelings, needs, desires and tastes, do the necessary research and investigation to find out and learn what you don’t that can make the difference, and then set your conscious intentions according to the vision that emerges in you out of all this.

My family’s bed is the center of our room, and in many ways the center of our family life. It is large, made from two large beautiful teak doors removed in the renovation of a Hindu temple. Thousands of worshippers over generations walked in and out of the temple through these doors that are now the footboard and headboard of our bed. So this bed has great meaning for both of us. What kind of bed would have the most meaning for you. My guess is that you will know it when you see it.
Furniture

Furniture is affordable and easy to buy in any of a number of furniture outlets and retailers like Pottery Barn, West Elm, and Ikea. Most of it is mass-produced in less than ideal environments by low-paid assembly line workers in batches of thousands in large overseas factories that have no independent oversight in terms of quality control, health and safety conditions for workers, and more. Much of it is typically made from low-grade materials treated with toxic chemicals. The furniture may be visually pleasing and even well-constructed. But I believe the environment and conditions under which it made leaves an energetic imprint on the furniture itself. Not to mention that the toxic chemicals often used in making such furniture leak into the surrounding atmosphere of our home. (Toxic home-environments is a growing health concern.) For all these reasons, and especially for your bedroom in which you spend more time than in any other room in the house), I recommend buying high quality furniture made by craftsmen without the use of toxic chemicals. For your sake and the sake of your family, every item and bit of energy in each bedroom should be positive, peaceful, healthy and pure.

Altar Your Space to release November 1st

2007-09-05T18:27:00.001-07:00

Make your home your sanctuary! Jagatjoti Singh Khalsa, designer and founder of Tara Home, shows how simple furnishings like a hand-carved wooden chair, a stone statue of Ganesh, colorful silk pillows or graceful translucent curtans can transform a basic room onto an oasis of beauty, harmony and grace.

The full-color richly illustrated book uses bold examples of transformed homes to show how to infuse your home with awareness and fullness.

By joining spirit and purpose, your home will become a sacred place where form and function blend into a unique, life-affirming haven. With 150 full-color photographs by Jagatjoti and Mike Goedecke, Altar Your Space illuminates how small changes and a new perspective can create a more radiant life.

The book will be available soon in bookstores as well as at Tara Home in Venice, Calif. Or place your order directly from Mandala Publishing now.

"Wherever there is a touch of color, a note of a song, grace in a form, this is our call to love." - Rabindranath Tagore

Book Release Party

2007-09-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

Sign up now to be on the exclusive guest list for the launch party. The party will be Hosted by Joely Fisher, friend and client of Tara Home and Jagatjoti’s and will be between 7-11:00 pm on November 7th 2007.

Organic Wine and herbal martini’s and Hors D'oeuvres will be served and some of LA’s great DJ’s will be spinning. Jagatjoti will be here to sign copies of your book.

Sign up to be a guest at info@tara-home.com