find the soul of your home
THE PULSE: Invite the Energy In...
ALL THE FEELS
Happy Tuesday! For many of you in the USA, you're coming off of a long weekend and so this is very much a Monday for you. (That's us!) However today feels to YOU, we're here to bring some insight, aha! moments and hopefully a little bit of joy this week.
PISCES SEASON OFFICIAL
Our soul sister astrologer Stevie Calista says, "Pisces carries a magic, mystical energy. Pisces knows one must surrender into the flow and carve space for solitude and what is sacred. Pisces is the last sign in the Zodiac, holding the belief we are all connected, all one."
And astrologer Michael Lennox says, "Pisces contains all of the wisdom of every other sign that comes before it in the evolution of the zodiac."
Pisces is that dance between fantasy and reality -- and feels deeply. And you know, we're all about feeling our way through this life!
NEW MOON POWER
We started the week with a New Moon, which according to Stevie, "signifies a time when the Sun and Moon align in the same sign, marking a point where we plant a seed, set an intention."
That New Moon energy can last several days -- so you can still use it today. And with this particular energy you can dream into where you want to be six months from now. Use the Pisces energy and feel your way in this intention setting. You have real access to those feelings and then use them to create a What does your day look like mid-summer of 2023. Where do you intend to be? What do you want to be doing? Use today to capture it and then plant the seed. Use each day going forward to water it into being.
THE HEARTBEAT OF YOUR HOME
We all spend so much time in our homes -- how does yours make you feel? Does it feel like an extension of you? Does it feel soul-infused? In this week's podcast conversation, there's so much to consider with the brilliant, gifted + soul-inspired Debra Baum.
LATEST PODCAST: The Design Whisperer: Find the Soul of Your Home
In this week's podcast, meet our dear friend Debra Baum who is extraordinarily gifted when it comes to transforming any space into a place with its own distinct soul.
She makes spaces come alive. If it's your home, she'll help it reflect your soul. If it's a public space, it will have a personality all its own. She has spent the last few decades designing and operating retail stores, coffee shops, cocktail bars, boutique hotels, and many private residences, and she knows how to do this with budgets big and small.
Your home should greet you when you walk in the door. Debra knows how to curate and create beautiful spaces that are both functional and welcoming, and she’s sharing a few of her secrets in this episode.
She works on both commercial and residential projects with her company, Debra Baum Design. Her most important design objective is to make spaces feel “unstaged” and personal – she finds their heartbeat.
We call her the “design whisperer.” If you're looking to find the soul of your home or any space, she's a wealth of inspiration and design wisdom.
Here are a few highlights from this week’s podcast:
Robyn + Karen: Debra we love the idea of bringing out the “soul” in our homes. What is your unique approach to designing spaces?
Debra Baum: You can go on a tour of a million empty, beautiful homes, but they're not a home. I get to know my clients first by asking questions about who they are and how they really live. Questions like, do you have kids? Are you a career person? Do you travel? And I really listen to everything that they feel makes them who they are and what's important to them. I go with that first.
My approach is all about layering. I love going into somebody's home who's lived there for 20 years and they say, “I need a refresher.”
So I'll come in and assess, and I will move things from room to room. I’ll pull books that are sitting in a closet, or a serving bowl that can become a beautiful display in your house. I really do try to shop in your home first because no matter what your budget is, we can always make things look beautiful. So I go shopping in a client’s home and I pull from what the client is and loves. I layer in what they already have that they may not realize are usable and beautiful. I have them show me what's in their closets, their dining room drawers. Or I’ll dig into something like, what did you get from your wedding 20 years ago? And I'll pull it all out and play with those things, add some new things, plus some vintage things, which is my passion, and create this very cool personal vibe.
R + K: We love how you are using your intuition to guide you as you navigate these homes. That is your superpower! It’s such a great example of how to live your purpose because it's bringing you joy and then giving that joy and bringing joy to others.
Debra: I didn't think of it that way when I was younger and I just started to do this naturally. I didn't even know what intuitive meant! And now it is so real and so a part of everything I do, even subconsciously.
I'm not a doctor. I'm not saving lives, but there can be more joy in your home, more than anywhere else! Whether you're raising your family or being with your loved ones there. It’s your place to go for peace and to recharge. You go home to sleep or to celebrate or to escape the world. You do YOU there. It should be a space that is full of joy and a space that can fill you up.
R+ K: So true, and it’s truly a beautiful way to think about home. When you're standing with the person you’ve worked with and see their reaction to your work together, how does that make you feel?
Debra: During the process, and even after the big reveal, the joy of how it makes my clients feel so happy…and to watch the “OMG” moment? It's like the shows you see on TV. People have a visceral reaction. They are so excited to live in that space because it feels so good. It brings me total joy and I just feel lucky.
You try so hard to come up with the right career, and BE and do all of the “right things.” And even though this process has always been easy for me, I didn't think it was important enough to do for a living. So now that I'm just doing it, it feels so good. It brings people joy, so it makes me happy.
R+K: Well we are so happy that you followed your bliss Debra and that you are sharing your magic with the world!
To find out more about working with Debra visit debrabaumdesign.com and follow her on Instagram @debrabaumdesign
Listen to the full podcast.
SECRET POWER: Use Your Intuition to Discover Your Home’s Soul
According to Debra, the soul of your home resides within you and can be amplified through many of the objects we already own and treasure. Are you ready to try using your own intuition to re-envision your space in a new way?
Get started with Debra's guidance:
#1 - Design with your Favorite Outfit in Mind: According to Debra, “We all dress like we live.” The colors and style of your home generally reflect our wardrobe. Are you cool or conservative? Do you like bright or muted colors? Do you like things that are cozy, vintage or minimalist? Take a look in your drawers and at your closet. This will begin to tell you the story of your style.
#2 - Tally Your Texture Type: Debra also likes to ask questions that correspond to what tactically feels best. Do you gravitate towards wood or glass? Do you prefer metal or stone? Do you like leather, linens or super soft suedes? Think about the texture types that you love the most. It will help you to define choices for what surrounds you.
#3 - Use Inspiration + Make It Your Own: While Debra says while you can’t really get “it” wrong, following the latest trends may not necessarily be the best way to reflect your style. “Everyone looks on Pinterest and that’s why they do white subway tile, or the green cabinets and the brass ball blights. But what I think is fun about design is taking that inspiration and recreating it. If it's too perfect, it’s not going to feel like home. It’s not about portraying this perfect life. It's all about evolving into your own thing.”
#4 - Infuse Scent into Your Space: One of Debra’s favorite things is adding a signature scent to your space that introduces your style and how you want people to feel in your home. “I'm really into this thing called Pura. It’s basically a diffuser that plugs into your wall and you set it on your app when it releases scent. I have a lavender scent in my entry which is a relaxing smell which is how I want people to feel when they are greeted at my door.”
#5 - Let There Be Light: A key suggestion that Debra says is super critical in making a home feel comfortable, is in your lighting selections. “Lighting should be distinctive, complementary and not bright. You want warm light. You don't want icy, bright, blinding light.” It can be a really subtle, but an important part of your decor.
#6 - Turn Up the Sound: Adding to her focus on the senses in her style, Debra insists that sound is a key asset to design that also layers a home with personality. “I always have music playing from the minute I wake up to the minute I go to bed – and it changes all the time. It's all based on my mood, whether it's classical, jazz, hip hop, top hits, etc.”
We're grateful to Debra for these spectacular reccos! They are so smart, and not only do they add style, but they are thoughtful, inexpensive ways of infusing our homes with soul.
THE WEEKLY DOWNLOAD: Your Journey. Your Home.
Our downloads for everyone reading THE WEEKLY remind us that we are all here for the adventure of life and that this journey is unique to us...and our homes are reflections of this journey–and of our soul. The Universe is delivering the guidance you need right now! Read on.
ROBYN’S DOWNLOAD
Let's take a walk. We are on our own paths. Each of us has our own unique, distinct path. As we walk down this path we are guided and protected and we will find that is our own path carved out just for us. And while we are meant to be with others on this path -- our journey is for us alone. Do not compare your journey to others. It isn't meant to be lived by someone else. And you aren't meant to live someone else's journey either. You are constantly being shepherded to walk your own path, accomplish your own goals, make your own mark, learn your own lessons. Keep that in mind when you start to compare yourself to others.
Do your best not to get so frustrated as you walk this path. What can feel like a setback is in fact for your highest good. It's always so difficult to see it at the moment, but we promise it is. One day -- even many years down the road you will recognize it as such.
Remember that any given moment you have a choice as to how you want to react in a situation. Where there is chaos and uncertainty, you can choose to be calm. You can choose to have faith. We are here to constantly remind you of these choices because it is so easy to get sucked into a spiral of unhappiness and despair.
It comes back to remembering your path. Your choices. It's that saying, things aren't happening to you, they are happening for you.
Life is truly an adventure. It will be full of ups and down -- and hopefully it is more ups than what feels like downs, but it is your beautiful, messy, well-traveled adventure. Remember this. When you wake up each day, you get another opportunity to live this adventure. How will you approach this adventure? Think about how you approach a trip or a vacation. How do you prepare for it? How do you feel about it? You can apply these same ideas to your actual life.
How does that approach change your every day? Does it give you a new framework or perspective to you every day?
You are fortunate. You are alive. You are able to walk this customized journey and feel and evolve your soul. Embrace this precious life and we will always have your back.
KAREN’S DOWNLOAD
Open up your eyes to what you might not have seen before.
Look again at all of the things that you’ve gotten used to seeing.
Your home, your job, your family, your friends.
Your bed, your table lamp, your books, your dishes.
Look at them again.
They are reflections of your memories, your experiences and your choices.
It is your choice to decide if they belong to your present and even your future.
They are all there to remind you of why you are here
Are they companions that give you joy? Or are they weights that hold you down? Are they part of your bliss? Do they uplift or distract?
Let it all speak to you.
Is it time to re-layer?
Is it time to rearrange their placement in your life?
Is it time to rethink their priority?
Is it time to give them more attention?
Is it time to put them away?
Where you decide to give your time and attention is your home.
It is the place that you eat, sleep, bathe and dress.
It is the place where you give your dreams or worry.
It is the place that is yours.
It is the place that is you.
However vast or tiny, cluttered or tidy, it is the place your soul has chosen to be.
Invite your heart in.
Light a candle and ask for your truth to visit you.
Create an altar for your hopes and dreams to have a place that is theirs.
Look around in a quiet moment and ask your higher self about this creation
Is there peace within these walls?
Do you feel safe?
Is there too much clutter or are you missing something?
We see you.
We are here to remind you of this mirror of you.
And with all of the things and the memories
The decor and the linens and the toiletries
They are only whispers of you.
The soul of you is always adding new layers to your story.
Rearrange. Redecorate. Renew.
Put the clutter away. Readjust the mirror. Add a pop of color.
You are home.
SEEKING CENTER PODCAST SCHEDULE
JANUARY 24: What You Need to Know About Embodiment in 2023 (Plus, Toxic Positivity + Living Multi-Dimensionally) JANUARY 31: Getting Deep: Scientific Ways to Overcome Anxiety + Reclaim Your Life Plus, Support Facing A Diagnosis FEBRUARY 7: Give Your Soul A Voice FEBRUARY 14: The Love Experiment You Didn’t Know You Needed FEBRUARY 21: The Design Whisperer: Find the Soul of Your Home
WE WANT TO BE FRIENDS
We want to hear from you. Are you at a crossroads in your life? Are you seeking guidance? What do you want to hear about? What practices have you tried? Do you have a healer or practitioner or spiritual modality that we need to know about? Email us: connect@seekingcenter.app And follow us on instagram at @seekingcenterrobyn and @seekingcenterofficial. And, get to know us better.