Design is in the makeup of everything, offering an experience.  There is a construct to its success which can be broken down into our senses.

I have been creating spaces and stimulating experiences for a long while now, I love the influence of sensory design. I did my thesis on the importance of maintenance for the mechanized man; the case study was a large advertising building in London, which I lived across from for the first 1.5 years of living in London. I would watch these people through the windows burning the midnight oil, and as I awoke in the morning I would see them again in new outfits at it again. I thought about their lives and moments in between work; where did they live, did they have a car – the tube stopped running at 11pm so were they all bussing and if so how long did that take?? So I proposed that there should be skyPODS on top of the building where they could go reboot, recharge and establish balance. Each skyPOD was for a different purpose, all of which tied into the specific needs of humans and in this case within the advertising industry itself. I did this through a series of design choices, mainly based around senses.

As I am freshly back from renewing my bond with my spirit I realize that much like my approach with design is my approach in obtaining and maintaining happiness.. In essence I am designing my happiness. There are rules for engagement in any design contract and the structure of those is based upon the end user and their experience. At the core of this standard, is happiness. This is what I identified early in my education and what I have been esoterically implementing throughout my career. It is only now that I see the importance of bringing that process forward and exemplifying it as a natural structure from which many could build from, literally and figuratively.

Of course happiness is subjective, and working in a more intimate setting where there are only a few end users can be vastly different from appealing to the masses. However there are a certain set of principals which can be applicable in both scenarios:

1. Meeting basic biological needs from an environment.

Air, water, light, temperature, nourishment, comfort, ergonomics, health/ body

2. Meeting the requirements for emotional well being.

Mind, spirituality, laughter, inspiration, freedom, bliss, LOVE

 3. Establishing and Enabling desires and goals

4. Allowing room to grow and change

5. Creating balance between function and form

It is through these categories that a design can be configured; whether designing a product, a space, an experience or our own happiness. Most importantly is that design seeks solutions, and solutions are the windows and eventually doors leading from depression.

Gone are the days when we ask for permission, it’s time to claim your own sacred place where there are no rules, governors nor limitations. This is where everything begins and ends: from within. There is no politician, governing agency or religion that has any control over that sacred place. It is a place where fear reveals truth and love is omnipresent.  In this space we can sit quietly and engage with our higher selves, where we can ask and answer without borders, where we can envision, dream, wish, weep and uncover our deepest desires. That space exists in us all, all of the time. That is where the answers are. The only prerequisite is that we believe.

What are you sitting on? What is made from? How did it end up beneath your cheeks? Everything has a storyline; the Aboriginals have carried song lines for thousands of years which are passed down to each generation always being added onto. What is yours? Where do you come from, where are you now, who are you today?

What do you allow into your body? Everything is energy; static or dynamic it emits a frequency, and these frequencies add up to billions of numbers that dance in and around us at all times. If we have the ability to search the internet or send an email then we have the same ability to select a frequency and emit a frequency.  What do you want from this day, how are you fueling those desires, are you endorsing your dreams with every decision you make? From the time we wake up each blessed day we have many opportunities to endorse our dreams, from the thoughts we choose to let into our heads to the water we use to cleanse with, the products we put on our body, the food we put into our body, the clothes we wrap ourselves with, these all effect / infect our frequencies.  We are blessed to live in a time when we not only have choices but we have the right to choose what we please.

There are many groups of people who loathe self-empowerment and they dare to coax larger groups into trusting them and then confuse perception through a variety of methods which render people feeling out of control or having no control. It is through these bountiful choices that we have somehow forgotten what we are really choosing. These groups of people have no control over any of us so long as we can regain our consciousness and start making choices that best serve our souls purpose.

Take deodorant for example firstly there exists the choice not to smell; but why do we smell, and furthermore shouldn’t that be a gauge as to what is happening on the inside – so before we rush to cover it up why not understand it first? Then there is the plethora of options in seeking the right cover up smell, or even eliminate the sweat all together. There is a reason we sweat, it’s the collected toxicity in the body which needs to come out, what we eat and how much water we drink will help dictate the smell it carries. Toxicity can come from a host of places, completely out of our control, like the chemtrails striped across the sky, and if that toxicity doesn’t come out it can build into a much bigger problem. What is in that stick that you stick in your pit? Why is it bestowed the honor of living with you daily? There are countless diseases related to ingredients that are used in deodorant, and it is your choice whether or not you want to insert that frequency into your life.  If we can choose the amount of toxins that infect us isn’t it a no brainer? I like to think of toxins as hurdles and if I limit the amount of hurdles I have to clear in a day then I can reserve my energy for the goal: living the dream.

Ask questions, engage with each other, help one another.  We all have such brilliant and unique gifts which we can share with one another, but in order to realize those we have to remove the crud that is built up in and around us, call it spiritual smegma, unrealized potential, detached attachment. Take the reins back into your hands, ground yourself, find that sacred space, and if we are lucky we might just save this planet together.

Frank

Last night I had a dream of a place in Iowa where people abandon furniture on the side of a road. I was doing a cross country  road trip with my partner and spotted  dozens of brass beds, dressers and such just laying beside the road. I begged him to stop and I got out of the car to poke around. There was a man sleeping amongst the rubbish and he kept yelling at me to ‘go home’ there was also another man, who happened to be walking by and he said, ‘dont listen to him’ and since this man was in a police uniform I decided to continue to look around. I spotted a house just behind the mounds of furniture, it was an old victorian looking home, very run down. I noticed a woman get out of her car and walk over to the pile, she too expressed intrigue and amazement. I kept thinking to myself how can I get this stuff out of here – we dont have enough room in our car. I could overhear this woman saying the things which I was thinking, all surrounding coveting this new found treasure. I eventually morphed into this woman, yet still apart from her I followed her. She bought the house, basically sunk every last penny that she owned into it and moved in. She used the furniture that was scattered about to furnish her house. In fact people continued to leave  furniture roadside, almost daily, which were actually really charming pieces – not at all dilapidated.

In this small town there were politics behind the furniture, regarding who could have it and what was done with it. Although this was never outright discussed it was inferred energetically. Since she was an outsider she didnt do much with the furniture as it collected, she just managed to move it from the road and store it somewhere on the property which seemed to be accepted by the locals. She made friends with many other women in the town who would come over and tell her their stories. They always had a constant theme, which was how they had each been decieved by a man or cheated out of money, there were specific amounts, one that stands out was $17,000. During one of these visits the woman heard an old song playing in the distance, outside. She was listening to a womans’ story but the song got louder, it was something from the 1940’s. She went to the front door, opened it and there was an old radio on the porch playing the music, as she walked onto the porch she saw dozens of old radios abandoned, they were the size of a juke box but in varrying species of wood and in really great condition. It was a magical moment, becuase not only was it a rare and beautiful site it was also symbolllic that the town had accepted her into their hearts. As she walked outside through the radios she saw the homeless man sitting in a car with the door ajar, he was cleaned up, shaven and yelling something to her about the radios, I dont remember what this was. Someone else butted in and told him to stop yelling, that he was drunk. The last scene before I awoke, was looking from the street side up toward the house at all of the radios and thinking, finally I have arrived, no more money worries, no more politics, I am accepted.

The symbollism in this dream is pretty profound, in many ways it represents self acceptance and finally allowing success to unfold.  I have arrived, its time to dance to the beautiful music of life.

Frank

Estranged love, how I have longed for you and yet rationed you, as if to sanction my soul cutting the circulation off in my heart. this is a big layer for me, if not the biggest, learning to love without fear. I have always used the word selfish with reverence, because in its truth, you must give to self firstly before understanding how to give to others. This is how I viewed love and so I did my best at loving myself, but honestly I was also very self critical, which made my love at times conditional.

During the weekdays at the ashram a scholarly humble man holds spiritual discussions amongst his guests, a few days ago he spoke of prayer, he said that prayer, love and life all come together and they are one in the same. He says Prayer is a state of being, It occurs when we receive divinity into our bodies and share it with our brothers and sisters. It doesn’t end. So in essence every day we are alive we are a living prayer.

In the past weeks I have been reacquainting myself with meditation/prayer. I have since recognized the larger presence in the room and in my heart. It is a familiar feeling, there is a sense of ease and enormity at the same time, I have been referring to this as the divine, it is a part of me and yet on its own. This feeling is familiar because it has been with me my entire life, gracefully in the background, patiently watching me grow and evolve. It has provided me with guidance at every turn asking nothing in return. I have now removed the veil from my eyes and have acknowledged this divine sweetness, I feel that this is where my love begins and ends. I have such faith and trust in this love that it will never leave me or hurt me that I can finally let go of the fear. This is the most precious gift that I could have given myself, it brings tears of joy to my baby blues. I feel like I have found my best friend and my soul mate, I will never feel alone again. After coming to this place I found myself thinking where will I find the space fit more love into this little vessel I call my bod? Then I looked to my left and to my right at people whom I have only known for several weeks and I saw the familiar twinkle of divinity in their eyes and it became clear to me that we are put together in this format to help to expand one another. Through the grace of our own essence and our relationship with the divine we expose each other to so many different versions and flavors, tints, tones and shades of this brilliance. We truly are living prayers.

A few nights ago I found myself thinking about the minutia that I am going to return to post pilgrimage and within hours I was covered from head to toe in a rash, after fretting I heard my friend tell me everything was going to be okay, and so I surrendered. I realize that despite my diligent planning skills that all I can do is prepare to let go.

Today after witnessing some of the oldest rituals, coincidently performed by women, I was left feeling faint and as if my body was going to crack due to the spirit that was trying to come out. I was truly ill and silently wishing that we would have to return to the ashram, then I remembered my friend, so I simply asked for a miracle to help me. I let go and a wave of excitement went through me because I was looking forward to my miracle. The next stop we made was to an all girls school. I walked in and flopped myself on the floor and dozens of brown eyes looked up at me, I reached my hands out and before I knew it I was up dancing and sweating and my miracle was unfolding before me. I was completely grounded again and had no trace of illness in my body. Ever since this moment I have had this estranged feeling pumping through my veins, like I could just break out in song and dance at any given moment, what is this… I feel… happy.

I am nearing the departure date from the ashram and as I reflect on this place I realize that we will always be connected because it provided me the space and time to reconstruct the other half of my soul. While I walked the dirt paths here I created heartfelt pathways of my own toward my sacred truth. It has been the physical constant construct for me while I was under spiritual renovation. I know that I have laid the foundation from which I will continue to build upon, and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that I am on solid ground. Thank you Shantiivanam, Brother Martin, Russil and Asha Paul for your kindness and genuine care and attention for igniting this spiritual revolution in not just me but anyone who is searching. Namaste.

Frank

My freedom love quest first takes me through the darkness, a place I have spent much time wading in and simultaneously trying to avoid. The inescapable abyss of despair, the dank darkness that abodes sorrow and stagnation. It is this darkness that in the beginning I flirted with and then swept under the carpet only for it to resurface again. It is admittedly where I have been lost amidst for the last several years of my life. It has made feel like I would never truly be able to embrace the light. Until now.

The word Krishna means divine dark recessed depth, it also means to draw to itself, as if to coax or lure the soul to go deeper on its path for actualization and enlightenment. The Hindu temples are built to illustrate the layers of the soul, the outer regions cover the most ground and then deeper into the temple with thousand year old stone beneath your bare feet, the air changes and becomes thicker, the light disappears, the sound echoes into itself, it is dank, deep and dark. All of this leading to the center where after peeling back all of its layers there is light, there is the deity dressed in flowers and bathed in coconut milk, and there you leave a piece of yourself with it and restoration unfolds.

Darkness drenched in light. I shall forever honor the darkness for what it is, the path to the light. I have climbed hundreds of steps and with every thump of my bones against the stone steps, every ounce of sweat and pound of my heart I repeated the same words over and over, I will get out of my own way. I chanted and I changed. I recirculated the flow of the darkness that has been stagnate for so long. I am not afraid of the dark any more.

I have touched places and witnessed rituals that most people will never be able to see, I have ventured through chambers of architecture constructed thousands of years ago which intuitively mirror the chambers of my heart and soul. I have seen hundreds of welcoming smiles and light filled eyes honored to share their heritage and peace with me. I have had dozens of hands reaching for my pale skin as if to try and feel my spirit. I feel blessed, embraced, stripped, humbled and most of all saved.

Thank you India.

Frankie

I am exactly at the middle of my trip in India. I have not posted thus far for several reasons but mainly because I have not been ready until now.

Inner peace cannot exist if there are boundaries within the heart. These words were gifted to me today which served as the fine tip to my ink pen which I have been writing from. 2 weeks ago it began as my exploration of fear pointing to the blocks that were preventing me from moving forward. I know I am not the only person seeking truth and this chapter is for those fellow seekers.

When I arrived at the ashram I was handed a long list of rules and schedules and that made me want to grab my things and head out onto the dirt road and do it my own way. I have always been adverse to rules and regulations, I carried the title of most rebellious in my graduating class in high school, and I have left many extracurricular activities for this reason as well. I knew then that the cage that I felt I was trapped inside was of my own creation, which didn’t help me in the moment, nor did the fact that I had to keep dredging onward throughout the day. I was fighting myself and it was bloody. I finally unhooked and slept; the next day I was determined to give to myself what I thought I needed and to see things differently, and I did.

This place provides the setting where one can stop and think, question, explore. There is no where to hide, no one to blame, nothing else to do but focus on YOU. Its silent and constant. All of the static melts away and there left is a suggestion, take it or leave it. Will I have the courage to be insecure, to question, to think, to really look at my reflection? Everyday that suggestion is the same.

When I was 15 years old during a mass held in my catholic high school, I looked around me and there were several people who had a peace about them through their faith in the god that I was learning about. And I thought, although I do not believe in their particular outlook, I can still respect that we are all seeking and it doesn’t matter how we climb this mountain just as long as we continue to climb. Nearly 20 years later, across the globe, in a sweaty room crammed full of people from around the world and way too many mosquitos I heard someone say not only the same thing but actually give it volume. He said human beings are greater than religion. That religion should act as the means and not the end. That we should not proclaim any religion if it means that we will only accept that way of thinking and not continue to ask our own questions.

I often speak about evolution as a way to describe the act of moving forward and today this same man so eloquently presented the boundaries within that way of thinking.. Evolution has to do with time and space, and therefor will only evolve within those dimensions and perhaps what we are striving for goes beyond those dimensions, that we could essentially awake from that dream (time and space) to realize the other dimensions in which we can participate within.

I have traveled thousands of miles and climbed hundreds of steps, felt the rich velvety soil between my toes and have carved out a space within my heart that has always existed but was lost amongst the clutter. Ironically I have been helping people deal with their own clutter and reorganizing their lives and making it beautiful, all the while I have been neglecting the most important space of all, my sacred space within my heart, soul and spirit. I am happy to say I have located it, I am still under renovation and will continue to share my process with you. For now, namaste.

Francis