How is Homecomings different from Feng Shui?

Homecomings® is especially different from Feng Shui because it has emerged from our own cultural environment. It is at once more personal and universal in that the most specific ways we express ourselves at any given time, reflect the greater collective spirit.

American Culture is so DIVERSE!! There is a lot in our own culture specifically about home . We are a country of immigrants of one generation or another. In our homes we express a lot, we are free to do that. And the value of expression and the freedom of that is an important cultural value for us. Our homes are one place to do this. So many Americans have come from other places and so many of us are mobile and have moved many times in our lives. Our home, be they apartments or owned, become cocoons which support our growth until we are ready to move to the next one.

From my experience living in Japan for 7 years, my sense is that people there relate to their homes in a very different way. Feng Shui has given a lot to us in that through that Asian practice people have been made aware of how much energy and environment effects us.

Instead of using feng shui, I use what informs me from all that I have studied and been exposed to as an American woman living at this time. I am Jewish, raised in a Judeo-Christian culture, and due to the values of my parents and grandparents, was fortunate to know foreign student from all over the world, as I grew up. Those influences may have led both my brother and I to live abroad for many years.

My specific areas of study have been Somatic or Body-Centered Psychology, Art, Visual Anthropology, Contemplative practices, including Shintaido, a Japanese movement form based in the martial arts, meditation, Authentic Movement which has its roots in Jungian theory , and a deep love of process and improvisation or spontaneity. When I go into a session it’s with a “not knowing” and a curiosity about what might happen. As a facilitator , I hold the space for the client to discover something, rather than coming in with recommendations and facts about how things need to be.

Taking Ownership
Dear E,
My landlord decided to raise my rent and at first I thought I would move out. After much consideration I decided to stay in my house because all in all it's a good deal. I have my artist's studio included and there are a lot of wonderful things about it. And things have been arranged in roughly the same way since I moved in several years ago. I am wondering how I can “take ownership” of the place in a new way. It feels like I've entered a new phase of living here.

Dear S.
Congratulations!! I call this “Moving Without Moving”. When I came to your place I noticed you changed to place where you have morning meditation time. That is so central to your life, it makes sense that you would want to move and re-settle that area in a new way. Then I noticed you made the hearth or fireplace central, having the couch facing into it. That is cozy and reflects your sense of value for relationship and home. The dining room table was displaced and is now in the center of what was the living room . We moved it so that it was against the wall instead of in the middle of the room. Pictures were also moved to enhance the new space. So you have chosen to divide the living/dining area in a whole new way. Now the dining area is away from the area closest to your neighbors home so that you have more of a sense of privacy. You also expressed interest in more clearly dividing and giving attention to your office area. We moved your father's desk which you brought with you from New England into your studio and used it to define the office. You arranged it so that it would face out, defining the space, and allowing you to face out. The containment is good for focusing on office tasks, yet not confining. Now allow yourself to settle and further “nest into” these changes.