Shamanic Aesthetics in Cubicle Design.

•  It is important to have your space set up the right way to promote the flow of energy and to avoid its stagnation. I wrote elsewhere (Feng Shui in the Workspace) about some of the possibilities when orientating yourself in your office or cubicle. In this post I would like to touch on some other of the principles that can assist in making your space more comfortable as well as aesthetically pleasing to you and your visitors alike. 

   

  

  
  First of all, I think its a good idea to be able to see your space from the what I call a "3rd point of reference" - in other words not from the human eye, but from the perspective of the spirit - an impersonal force that very subtly pervades matter. To make it a little but easier for everyone - choose a point above your cubicle, about 3-4 feet above perhaps a little bit to the northwest close your eyes and imagine that you are looking from there - how's the arrangement? Are you content with it? Mine has too much random paper lying around that I will have to clean up;). With the closed eyes you can also feel different heat and color patterns that you may not necessarily see simply by looking. In any case I think its a good experience to try to sense that sort of environment and its repercussions on your work day.
  
  What is a perfect space? It is a space that's perfect for your energetic configuration, In other words its an extension of yourself and in a larger sense your luminous sphere  - an energy reality that serves as a sort of a matrix for your body. Although most people probably don't think about that very often on a daily bases, but ultimately we are the sole creators of what's around us, an the material is no exception i.e. objects made out of plastic, wood or metal are intimately connected to our heart chakra by the invisible lines:.
  
  I see a small fan - I placed it there. I turned it to the right for clockwise wind tunneling to disperse any stagnation. I see a Sensei's photo on my left to remind me of my determination. I hung a precious hamsa - gift from an Israeli brother to remind me of our unity if not in body at least in spirit.
  
  Continuing in this style of inner talk I become conscious of a great will and volition that comes into situating objects and placing small things. Of course, there are circumstances that may seem outside of my will, such as the day light that needs to be reinstalled - but its up to me to make the right people aware of it. I send out the message to the Verse and I know that it will be reinstalled today.
  
  Sounds are no less important. If your usual Sound is Silence, perhaps it is time to have something more intricate and more mood setting. My choice for a morning music is the great Bill Evans or Dexter Gordon, but in some cases it may be a rock tune, or an ambient track to set the right mood that goes well with my morning coffee. I am a total sucker for a comfy environment and will go at great lengths to make sure that its according to my liking. That I advise to others too, as people often times look at their office space simply for its utility. In other words " I am here only for 8 hours - once I am gone I would like to forget all this as fast as I can". However 8 hours a day is a lot of time not only in terms of productivity but also in terms of the life in general so I think it is only natural to make the space around you as perfect as possible. And yes I am not afraid of that word as the perfection is not being a perfectionist but coming as close as possible to that great dream of yours, something that made you come to this space in the first place. Start fulfilling your dream today and don't hesitate to ask an advice from that great Spirit which is also your Higher Self - the Self that has already accomplished what it has been set to do. The Dreamer of the Dream.
  

Training = Pain?

I was inspired to write this post after some feedback about the "pain" being an integral part of some training and certain practices. If you are spending any of your time training whether physically or not you will probably agree that there is pain involved. Not suffering, which a psychological condition made ultimately by choice, but pain. "It hurts!" you may be saying to yourself. Or "Why am I doing this to myself?" Well, the reason you are doing it to yourself is because you are convinced that it will bring you some sort of benefit, most likely a long term benefit which translates into happiness.

To zoom in on the topic a bit - when you are working out some group of muscles there a threshold when there is a painful feeling. It makes you cringe. Sometimes with pleasure. in fact many will claim that they are looking for that feeling as a side effect of training. But that's a "good" pain. You have convinced yourself that your muscle will recover and grow as a result. The ends, therefore justify the means. Another example is how in martial arts training when applying joint locks during practice, although painful, they are not hurtful if applied correctly and even serve as a sort of the ultimate stretch + acupressure of tendons done by one practitioner to the other. You are being asked to "relax into it" and allow for the mind to neutralize the painful effect of the joint lock application. The result of such practice is that you are learning more about the joints and the limits of their rotation. You are also learning about the muscles surrounding the joints, as they are very good indicators when there is too much pressure, or the technique is done incorrectly i.e. - done too fast, abrasively, and without the feeling for the structure. That is also a good pain.

There are other kinds of pain that are less desirable and should be avoided. In other words - the pain is created not for learning purposes, but often as an accident and a side effect of inaccurate application and simply wrong understanding of the purposes of training. One such example comes to us from the sport of football (American). I remember when a good friend of mine was playing "tackle" with his buddies, and because of the nature of the game he had some pretty serious injuries in his shoulder. Well, when we met I asked him to tackle me, and when he did I simply yielded in a timely manner as I would during my Tai Chi practice and allowed for his attack to pass through. It was interesting that his response was somewhere along the lines "this is not how we play - you don't understand the game!" And when I questioned his parameters of understanding it turned out that there was no reasonable explanation why people are banging into each other thus injuring each other - it simply became a habit, transformed into the "nature of the game". Force against force. Now I consider this kind of pain "bad" and something that should be avoided because it can be avoided. A little bit smarter and your foe passes right by....Of course, I am not a football player and don't understand many things about the game, but this one seems to be logical enough.

For those of you my friends who are in the competitive martial arts, the "bad" pain cause by a low kick to a shin is a well known but common example, that can be avoided not by blocking by counter block, but by simply raising the knee up getting the shin out of the way, or simply moving the foot away. While this may be a "smart" talk for many who are in training please remember that your longevity as a player, a fighter etc. depends on how much injury you were able to sustain, so avoid "bad" pain, keep training and take care of your bodies!

With Best Regards,

Iggy.