HOUSE PLAY
a study in the mundane / by paige harte-rivera VOL. 1 | MUD SEASON 2021
INTENTION
Welcome to HOUSE PLAY: a study in the mundane. Here, we will explore and strengthen consciousness through the lens of the everyday.
The energy of our home plays a huge role in our life. Environment and the way in which we live affects our entire being – extending out of us, reaching far further than we realize. If energy is equivalent to matter, and everything is made of matter, well then, everything matters. But, this is not a notion of perfectionism. It’s about seeking awareness and learning how to work from that space - for the advancement of our Self & our effect on others.
Living in harmony with our surroundings requires work from within. Inspired by spatial energetics, yogic philosophy and a drive to heal our inner & outer worlds, this work will reveal the power we all hold as individuals. We will work together, looking at your home, your routines, what’s going on in your life & what you’re looking to cultivate. The process will give way to your next steps in order to catalyze growth.
But there is something larger at stake. The home in which we all share is suffering. We have to take accountability; we all have a role in this world. We can actively start this work today – by changing and healing ourselves we will contribute to the whole.
It’s a process. Let’s get started.
Take, for example, a pencil, ashtray, anything, and holding it before you in both hands, regard it for a while. Forgetting its use and name, yet continuing to regard it, ask yourself seriously, “What is it?”… Cut off from use, relieved of nomenclature, its dimension of wonder opens; for the mystery of the being of that thing is identical with the mystery of the being of the universe - and of yourself.
Joseph Campbell
SELF / EARTH
Mud season. The in-between. Earth Element. Deep caves & tall mountains. Knowledge. Self-cultivation.
What’s hidden within. What are you resisting. If we head inside to our internal landscape, the caves within. It can be scary, lonely, dark.
Time to nourish it.
Start small - meet yourself wherever you are.
I could hear what was being said; I’d been hearing it for a long time. I needed a break from caffeine, social media, television, alcohol, New York - seemingly everything. I was overwhelmed by stimulation & was having trouble seeing myself. It was due time to take action.
In the Earth element, a time of transitions, grounding energy + going inside - we learn what needs to be cleaned out. Deep listening, so we can see the next step. What’s holding us back from climbing higher. Go easy. These don’t have to be permanent changes unless you need them to be.
Trust it.
PLS TRY @ HOME
DO NOT DISTURB : get an old school alarm clock. extra points for analog / no artificial light. phone on DND + out of the bedroom. you can schedule & manipulate this mode to work for you.
MOVE : every day. however you do it.
SET THE TABLE : cloth napkins. tunes. beverage of choice. moody lighting.
EARTH ELEMENT
What is earthen in your home? stone, wooden furniture, clay / yellows, terra cotta, browns, pinks
Grounding energy. How does your home reflect this & make you feel? Do you have a space that supports you in this energy? Internally + externally.
TRUST
In yoga, they say the transition is just as important as the posture itself.
This in-between. We’re in it, now. Mud season.
The journey is long; it can feel exhausting. But, this is our life. Every single part of it.
I finally asked myself, “What would your life look like, if you were to truly listen?” Wow. That shook me. What would it look like?
We don’t know exactly what’s next, but we do know that after winter comes spring. When new life breaks through the ground. We start the work now to set ourselves up for success in the time of new beginnings. In grace, in trust.
INNER-WORK-OUT
Start looking at your routines. How do you open & close your day. Is it with a screen or is it in gratitude?
Try child’s pose for 30 seconds to 3 minutes before bed each night this week. No need for a timer - do it until you drop in. Feel a shift. Prop a pillow between your knees & under your head for extra support. If you get that down, do it first thing in the morning, too.