Kate Van Slyke
Holistic Redesign & Feng Shui

Conscious Surroundings

• http://www.honor2day.com/

Through the application of feng shui principles and proven methods of interior design, I bring a sense of well-being to the places people work, play, and rest.

Our subconscious minds are ever at work, noticing, evaluating, choosing the next step in our paths based on the data stored there. The three essential components of well-being - bodily health, comfort in the spaces we occupy, and emotional support - all work together to bring wholeness. When any of these are out of balance, we lose health in our bodies, our relationships, even our finances. Any of these components improved helps...[more]

Through the application of feng shui principles and proven methods of interior design, I bring a sense of well-being to the places people work, play, and rest.

Our subconscious minds are ever at work, noticing, evaluating, choosing the next step in our paths based on the data stored there. The three essential components of well-being - bodily health, comfort in the spaces we occupy, and emotional support - all work together to bring wholeness. When any of these are out of balance, we lose health in our bodies, our relationships, even our finances. Any of these components improved helps to improve the other. I have found that balancing our surroundings is perhaps the easiest and fastest way to effect change... it is immediate and it is totally within our control. Benefits to our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual states naturally flow when our surroundings are supportive.

Inviting rooms are born of the strategic placement of rugs, furniture, lighting, art, plants, etc. We clearly see how beauty transforms a place. It is the unseen, however, that is truly wonderful... so powerful in effecting change in our lives. It is the flow, or lack of flow, in the energy of the space that our bodies & minds respond to.. the "feel" of the place. As blockages are dentified and removed, we feel hindrance to our progress being lifted. By anchoring that which supports, a sense of safety and well-being ensues.

I assist with the flow of energy in spaces, with the purpose of enhancing the flow of life for those who occupy them. From setting up in a new place to sifting & sorting in an old one, it is my goal to help. When embarking on a new direction in life or preparing for internal change, there is much we can do with our immediate surroundings to help move things along. It's easy and it's fun. And remember, action begets action... "once begun is half done" as Mary Poppins aptly quipped.

Sometimes we are confronted with circumstances that seem insurmountable: a separation or divorce, losses in health, relationships or employment. In these situations, it is vital that we find comfort in our place of sanctuary while we regroup and prepare to move on. Depression and loneliness lift as we sort out our lives while sorting out our stuff, making room for new and better things to come, and creating a safe haven that supports us on our journey to who we are becoming. Getting unstuck in life is most easily acheived by getting unstuck in our environment.

I am here to help... sometimes it's offering insights on symbolic meaning while you sort out what to keep and what to release, helping you go through your closets, your cupboards, anywhere you've stashed your stuff. It all has meaning... you gathered it to you for a reason - it may still be serving you, or it may be clogging up your psyche, holding you back in unseen ways.

Sometimes it's getting you set up to get on with life... strategically placing your furnishings in an arrangement that fosters well-being, assembling furniture and lamps, and hooking up your computer. I can serve as your bridge, a leapfrog over a hurdle, a catapult to send you onto your awaiting successes.

Where I see lack in a room, I make recommendations to fill the gap. I am happy to shop with or for my clients, as well - finding just the right items to complete the equation of wholeness, much like filling in the missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

From creating a cozy setting in an assisted living apartment that retains the comfort that was once home, to transforming a sterile waiting room to an oasis of anticipated healing, I believe in the power that nurture and comfort bring to a space. Our surroundings are extensions of ourselves... they reflect our inner world and they influence who we are becoming. A supportive environment becomes a physical, visual, positive affirmation. Trust and confidence grow where expression confirms intention. When a space is clearly in alignment with it's purpose, we feel safe there. In commercial settings, especially those focused on service, subtle changes can shift a client's impression of a business from uneasy apprehension to a quiet confidence in it's ability to meet the client's needs and expectations. [less]