by Robin and Michael Mastro —
Vastu is the ancient science of creating harmonious environments and comes from a body of knowledge known as the Vedas. This East Indian science is 7,000 to 10,000 years old and forms the basis of feng shui, predating it by at least 4,000 years.
Vastu teaches us how to create harmony and balance in our living and working environments, and shows us ancient ways to honor our surroundings so we can benefit from nature’s support. Through the tenets of Vastu, you can experience the oneness and interconnectedness of nature. Vastu offers us different ways of understanding who and what we are in our purest form and how we are a part of all that is. As we begin to sense this oneness, we find it possible to see our world with “larger eyes.” Vastu brings a different perspective to understanding that which we innately know.
Everything in the Universe is made of energy and is interconnected. According to Vastu, we are made of the same five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space) that make up our environment. Our bodies can be seen as the microcosm, and our world the macrocosm, since we are influenced by the same laws of nature that affect our planet. When any part of the earth is harmed, we all suffer. When the five elements are out of balance, Mother Nature has many ways to restore equilibrium.
To illustrate how the five elements affect us on a personal level, the following are examples of ways people feel when the elements within their bodies are unbalanced:
- When the earth element is out of balance in our body, we can feel heavy, sluggish, tired or irritable.
- We feel dehydrated when the water element is out of balance.
- When the fire element is out of balance, we have the chills or a fever.
- We feel allergic, stuffy or out of breath when the air element is out of balance.
- When the space element is out of balance, we can feel tightness or constriction in our mind or body.
In most of our environments — even the places we spend the majority of our time, home and work — we have lost our connection to Nature. We tend to think more of functionality than of creating havens where our bodies, minds and spirits thrive.
The earth is alive, pulsating with energy and covered with an energetic grid, similar to the longitude and latitude lines. This grid is a receptor for lunar, solar and stellar energies. It also acts as a conduit for the emission of geomagnetic energies. When the five elements are disturbed on a global level, we experience earth changes. Burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, underground mining and nuclear testing disturb the delicate balance of our planet’s five elements.
Natural disasters are nature’s way of restoring that balance. Earthquakes occur because of an imbalance in the earth element. Hurricanes and flooding happen with disturbances in the water element. Volcanic eruptions, drought and fires occur when there is severe fluctuation in the fire element. Tornados and windstorms occur due to disruption in the air element. Harmful infrared radiation causes skin cancer when the ozone layer is destroyed and the space element is impacted.
To create harmony in the world, we can individually restore balance to the five elements, improving our lives personally and globally, and bringing peace and harmony. Like lights connecting, once we individually honor ourselves and our world through a shift in awareness, we then have the power to unite and uplift the consciousness of our planet at a time when it needs our love and kindness.
Each element is associated with a different direction and can be balanced in your home or office in the following ways:
- Balance the earth element by placing plants in the southwest. Plants absorb toxins and help clean your environment.
- Place a fountain in the northeast to balance the water element. A fountain in this direction will enliven your abundance and purify your environment. Drink plenty of fresh water and use water restrictors to conserve our precious water supply.
- Balance the fire element by using full-spectrum lighting, especially in the southeast; also use low-wattage lighting.
- Opening the windows, even for a few minutes each morning, will balance the air element. Clean your furnace filters regularly. If you work in a windowless environment, use a negative-ion generator to bring more prana (life force energy) into your office.
- Balance the space element by loving your environment as a living, breathing entity. Our earth is alive. The places we live and work are infused with powerful, supportive energy if we would only take time to sit quietly, even for a few minutes, for reflection, meditation or prayer.
For those who are energetically sensitive, begin by clearing clutter and debris. Get rid of the old to make room for the new. Once you have removed these items, you can clear stagnant, denser energies from the environment by walking in a clockwise motion through each room with lit incense or a candle, ringing a bell, or by chanting or singing uplifting songs with the intention for harmony and balance. Fill the area with love and light. This can be done when you feel it is needed but, in particular, do this when first occupying a space, or after trauma has occurred. Vastu honors your environment as alive with energy and potential.
We can all do our part to alleviate earth changes by connecting with our environment in loving and nurturing ways. It is time for us to take action. We can no longer continue to be unconscious about how we personally impact our beautiful planet. Through Vastu, you have great power to align yourself with the natural flow of universal truth and find a deeper understanding and connection with Mother Earth. The time is now. This is our wake-up call. Love and embrace the space in which you live and work. By doing so, it will joyously give back to you love and universal peace. This is the way of Vastu.
Robin and Michael Mastro of Vastu Creations create stress-free environments without any remodeling or demolition. Experience success and harmony in your life through the power of Vastu. www.vastucreations.com or call 206-328-0122.
Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 25, Number 6, December 2006/January 2007.
October 23, 2012
Clutter and decluttering, Environment, Feng shui, Happiness, Meditation, Peace / peace of mind, Spiritual, Philosophical and Metaphysical