Category Archives: Spiritual Design

The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty

The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty

The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty

Author(s): Soetsu Yanagi

Publisher: Kodansha International Ltd.

ISBN: 0870119486

ISBN-13: 978-0870119484

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The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty

Paperback 230 pages
Revised edition
February 1990

This book challenges the conventional ideas of art and beauty. What is the value of things made by an anonymous craftsman working in a set tradition for a lifetime? What is the value of handwork? Why should even the roughly lacquered rice bowl of a Japanese farmer be thought beautiful? The late Soetsu Yanagi was the first to fully explore the traditional Japanese appreciation for “objects born, not made.”

Mr. Yanagi sees folk art as a manifestation of the essential world from which art, philosophy, and religion arise and in which the barriers between them disappear. The implications of the author’s ideas are both far-reaching and practical.

Soetsu Yanagi is often mentioned in books on Japanese art, but this is the first translation in any Western language of a selection of his major writings. The late Bernard Leach, renowned British potter and friend of Mr. Yanagi for fifty years, has clearly transmitted the insights of one of Japan’s most important thinkers. The seventy-six plates illustrate objects that underscore the universality of his concepts. The author’s profound view of the creative process and his plea for a new artistic freedom within tradition are especially timely now when the importance of craft and the handmade object is being rediscovered.

Circle Houses

Circle Houses

Circle Houses

Author(s): David Pearson

Publisher: Chelsea Green (October 1, 2001)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1890132861

ISBN-13: 978-1890132866

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Nature is filled with circles and animal homes are no exception. From bird nests to beaver lodges, it’s difficult for find an angle. Nomadic people continued the pattern. Round-shaped homes, echoing natural forms, have sheltered human families since the dawn of recorded time. Given this bias toward circles, it’s surprising how unusual circular houses are in industrialized society. In our disconnected world, the circle has given way to the box.

As David Pearson explains in his introduction, “Like our nomadic ancestors, many of us have a deep yearning to roam with the seasons and be close to nature and the cosmos. The traditional forms of the yurt, tipi and bender are the apogee of this experience. . . . Nomadic populations live in some of the most inhospitable and barren regions of the world and this is why they are nomads. Whether it be the deserts of the Sahara and Gobi, the steppes of Mongolia, or the polar tundras, these vast areas are either too hot and arid or too cold and windswept to be cultivated. An African grass-covered hut, a Romany gypsy ‘bender,’ an Asian yurt, or a Native American tipi are all perfect lessons in appropriate design and sustainable building. Refined over generations, they are simple yet sophisticated, beautiful and comfortable.”

Remarkable for their economy, resilience and portability, these structures have continued to exert a powerful appeal in modern times. And beyond practicality, what the circle dwellers in this book speak of most eloquently is the incomparable spiritual resonance of round homes, which “represent the universe in microcosm: the floor (Earth), the roof (sky), and the hole in the roof (the sun).”

Circle Houses is a fascinating glimpse of tradition meeting timelessness, filled with stories of 21st-century nomads and complete with basic instructions for designing and constructing your own yurt, tipi or bent-frame tent.

About the Author David Pearson is an architect and the author of several acclaimed books on natural design.

Hardcover, 95 pages

Earth to Spirit. In Search of Natural Architecture

Earth to Spirit: In Search of Natural Architecture

Earth to Spirit. In Search of Natural Architecture

Author(s): David Pearson

Publisher: Chronicle Books

ISBN: 811807312

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Continuing in the tradition of Pearson’s best-selling The Natural House Book this New Age approach to eco-architecture touts a variety of “environmentally clean” and “spiritually healthy” buildings from around the world and through the centuries.

From the author of The Natural House Book comes a provocative volume for anyone interested in design, designing or building which integrates the lessons of the past with today’s technology to create structures where the land, the home, and the spirit coexist harmoniously. 146 color photos. 18 illustrations.

The Temple in the House: Finding the Sacred in Everyday Architecture

The Temple in the House: Finding the Sacred in Everyday Architecture

The Temple in the House: Finding the Sacred in Everyday Architecture

Author(s): Anthony Lawlor

Publisher: J P Tarcher

Paperback: 240 pages

ISBN: 0874777771

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Illustrated with more than 175 photos and renderings, this book shows how the spaces we inhabit, from our public streets to our homes, can transform us. An award-winning architect identifies the fundamental design forms that have evoked a spiritual response throughout time, and relates these patterns to the elemental patterns of human awareness. Each chapter offers exercises and practical suggestions.

Customer Comments

Brian O’Connor , 04/17/97, rating=10:
Lawlor puts into words the transcendence that I have experienced in involving myself in the construction of a dwelling, but have been unable to adequately express in words to others. His intertwining Eastern, American Indian and Western philosophical expressions into the architectural expression of our inner experiences makes a connection for me that furthers my understanding of my experiences in defining space, through conception, design and construction.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Pt. 1. The Temple of Mind, Body, and Environment
1. Spirit and Mortar
2. Gate, Path, Lotus Seat
3. Steeple and Sanctuary
4. The Eight Elemental Forms
5. Mind, Body, Architecture
6. Sunlight and Renewal
Pt. 2. Dwelling in the Sacred
7. Making a Sacred Place
8. The Sacred City
9. A Sacred World
Acknowledgments
List of Illustrations
Bibliography
Index

Simply Build Green

Simply Build Green : A Technical Guide to the Ecological Houses at the Findhorn Foundation

Simply Build GreenAuthor(s): John Talbott

Publisher: Findhorn Press

ISBN: 1899171908

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Simply Build Green : A Technical Guide to the Ecological Houses at the Findhorn Foundation

Revised
Paperback, 224 pages
Publication date: September 1997

The theory, practice and products used in the Eco-Village Project at Findhorn. Combines standard building techniques and methods with the basic philosophy of ecological building and its application. Includes many b&w pictures.

Creating Sacred Space With Feng Shui

Author(s): Karen Kingston

Publisher: Broadway Books

ISBN: 0553069160

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Creating Sacred Space With Feng Shui : Learn the Art of Space Clearing and Bring New Energy into Your Life

Paperback, 272 pages
Publication date: February 1997

Synopsis:
The ancient oriental art of feng shui teaches that the buildings one occupies affects personal physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. This easy-to-understand, illustrated guide shows how to apply the art of space clearing and other principles of feng shui to create inner peace and comfort in the home and workplace.

From the Publisher :
Feng Shui is the ancient oriental art of enhancing and harmonizing the flowof energy in your surroundings. Over the last twenty years, Karen Kingston haspioneered the study of a specialized branch of Feng Shui called Space Clearing.In this fascinating and easy-to-follow guide she shows how you can use Space Clearing and other principles of Feng Shui to enhance the flow of energy inyour home or workplace and so create happiness and abundance in every area ofyour life.

You will learn how to:

* Clear “stuck” energy and create sacred space
* Consecrate your home
* Create a clutter-free environment and simplify your life
* Safeguard yourself against electromagnetic and geopathic stress
* Place furniture, mirrors, wind chimes, and other Feng Shui enhancements to create balance and harmony

Karen Kingston divides her time between London and Bali, Indonesia. She blendsthe results of her studies with Balinese priests and shamans together with FengShui wisdom and ancient knowledge from other cultures into a program thatreally works. Karen leads workshops around the world and is in great demandfor both business and private consultations.

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui

Author(s): Lillian Too

Publisher: Element

ISBN: 1852309024

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The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui: How to Apply the Secrets of Chinese Wisdom for Health, Wealth and Happiness

Paperback, 224 pages
Publication date: October 1996

Synopsis:
Feng Shui is the 4,000-year-old Chinese art of living in harmony with your environment. This illustrated introduction is the first Western book to offer the clarity, authenticity, and practical applications presented by Lillian Too. Writing from personal experience, Too explains the role of Feng Shui in the thriving economies of the East, and reveals the secrets of the art. Full color. $100,000 budget.

Midwest Book Review:
Feng Shui (wind and water) is the ancient Chinese metaphysical science or art of living in harmony with your environment in order to promote health, wealth, and happiness. Lillian Too is offers her years of experience with feng shui in The Complete Illustrated Guide To Feng Shui. Too provides the practical information needed to understand and apply feng shui principles to their own environments and lives. It also explains the roots of feng shui in ancient China, and contains lavish color artwork demonstrating the application of the principles. The Complete Illustrated Guide To Feng Shui is a perfect introduction to the principles, practices, and purposes of feng shui for the western reader.

The Western Guide to Feng Shui

Author(s): Terah Kathryn Collins

Publisher: Hay House

ISBN: 1561703249

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The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Creating Balance, Harmony, and Prosperity in Your Environment

Paperback, 224 pages
Publication date: April 1996

Synopsis:
Feng Shui teacher Terah Kathryn explains why the arrangement of readers’ homes and workplaces affects every aspect of their lives, including relationships, health, and finances. This informative text takes readers on a step-by-step journey through their home and office, opening their Feng Shui eyes to see the problems and the solutions in their environment.

Midwest Book Review:
For thousands of years, the Chinese have used the teachings of Feng Shui to enhance their lives. Now, these powerful principles are translated into a practical and thought-provoking guide for people in the Western world. Kathryn Collins is an instructor in Feng Shui and she explains why the arrangement of your home and workplace affects every aspect of your life, including your relationships, your heath, and your finances. She takes you on a step-by-step journey through your own home and office, opening your Feng Shui eyes to see the problems (and the solutions) in your physical world. The Western Guide To Feng Shui is a fascinating collection of many stories about the positive changes that have occurred in people’s lives after making Feng Shui adjustments. The Western Guide To Feng Shui is highly recommended for all metaphysical reference book collections.

The Healing House: How Living in the Right House Can Heal You Spiritually, Emotionally, and Physically

Author(s): Barbara Bannon Harwood

Publisher: Hay House

ISBN: 156170427X

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The Healing House : How Living in the Right House Can Heal You Spiritually, Emotionally, and Physically

Paperback, 336 pages
Publication date: October 1997

Synopsis:
Barbara Bannon Harwood is one of the only home builders in the U.S. who is connecting spirituality and health to the kinds of buildings we live and work in. The Healing House will lead readers down new pathways, showing them how to have a home that heals the spirit, feels comfortable, balanced, and just feels happy.

Addresses not only energy resource efficiency and healthy material aspects of a home, but also how our bodies connect with the spiritual energies of the earth, sky, and other living things in their environment, and why maintaining those connections in our homes is important to our physical, mental, and emotional health.