Did we in the West at any time in history have our own version of the Eastern art of Feng Shui? Was there ever a time when we believed that our homes could bring good fortune if we used special icons, performed certain rituals, aligned the house and furnishings in specific ways for optimal energy flow and listened to the spirits of place? Within our own cultural lineage, was there evidence that at one time our homes were considered sacred? These questions had been stirring in my mind for years.

I had observed, in my 25-year practice as an interior designer and professor of interior design, that not everyone is amenable to the aesthetic choices prescribed by Feng Shui practitioners. Our homes are an extension of who we are at the most basic level. The choices we make in designing and decorating our homes must come from our own personal physical, psychological and spiritual needs, rather than someone else’s prescribed ideas. The furniture designs, motifs and colors we use in our homes have long histories of implications that we subconsciously manifest in our tastes and personal choices. These tastes vary from one culture to the next, and also among people of the same culture. Taste and style preferences are very personal. Colors that are deemed fortunate in one culture or to one person might be seen as sinister or ugly to another. Also, the choice of artifacts used to express symbolic meaning is quite different from one person and place to another.

The fast-growing popularity of Feng Shui is indicative of our desire to create auspicious personal space. Many of us have a deep fascination with the power of symbols and their mysterious and magical qualities. And, when we think of all the symbolism that is present in the motifs throughout our home, it’s not surprising that we wish to use them for our best advantage. What better place than the home to create empowered thinking? There is great wisdom in the idea that what surrounds us all day impacts our thinking, and what we think about, we become. Doesn’t it follow that we pay special attention to what the symbols in our homes are saying?

It was this quest to find the equivalent of Feng Shui in the Western cultural heritage that initiated the research and became the basis for Sacred Home. I was especially interested in finding rituals and sacred symbols that had been used in previous times to sanctify our homes. My research took frequent unexpected turns and I found multitudes of contradictions. Many symbols that at one time were considered highly fortunate were later deemed evil, or of the devil himself. I became fascinated by certain symbols and shapes that were almost universal in their usage. Why were these particular images chosen above all others? What common meaning did they share? And why were they so important that the early Christian church went to extreme measures to change their meaning or even eliminate them altogether? Take the horseshoe for example. Why is it considered a lucky charm when placed above the doorway to our home? Should the horseshoe be placed with the opening facing up or down? This particular amulet goes back thousands of years and was considered lucky as far back as Roman times, and the horseshoe shape itself is even found in some of the most ancient sacred documents at the beginning of recorded history! What makes this particular shaped artifact so auspicious?

As I continued to follow these scattered trails, I began to find common threads. Clues had been left by devoted followers of an ancient spirituality, but buried under thousands of years of religious persecution. Much like the bread crumbs dropped by Hansel and Gretel, hard to follow at times because of the almost total annihilation of the original meaning of the holy symbols, this labyrinthine path eventually led me to a period in history when home was considered the most sacred of all space. And the symbols used and rituals performed there were held in the highest regard.

Unfortunately, much of our current understanding of these sacred symbols and rituals is now thought to be diabolical, or at the very least, vulgar and inappropriate. Sacred Home uncovers the hidden meaning of many of the most visible symbols that are used in patterns and motifs on rugs, pottery, textiles and other artifacts found in our contemporary environments. These ancient, sacred symbols can be used as powerful tools for manifesting our deepest desires.

But creating sanctuary is more than selectively placing good luck charms around the house or using rituals to clear the air. Our homes must contribute to our overall sense of well-being. By using the time-tested principles of good design, we can create well-planned spaces where energy flows naturally, and colors, patterns and design elements live comfortably together. Nature herself, and the great sages of the past who used Sacred Geometry and the four elements to create rhythmic and harmonious structures, have much to teach us. And most important, to have a truly sacred home, we must bring the animating life force into our homes. Finding ways to introduce spirit or soul into our homes is an essential task for creating sanctuary.

In this time of global unrest when many of us are facing personal crises and leading demanding, stress-filled lives, we need something to rely on — something solid, something sacred. Armed with a little knowledge and ingenuity, our homes can become our most powerful allies!