Dear Friends,

For thousands of years, the Schumann Resonance, which is the pulse or heartbeat of the Earth, has been 7.83 cycles per second. Did you know that now, it is over 12 cycles per second? Yes, time doesn't just seem to move faster, it really is moving faster. What used to be a 24 hour day, is now the equivalent of less than 16 hours! So how in the world do we manage to "live well" when there's so little time?

There's no greater tonic for soothing our spirits, than spending time outdoors in nature. We were meant to live in harmony with nature, so it makes sense that our interiors emulate our natural world, so that they become our sanctuary. It is more important than ever for our homes to be a retreat, a place where we can reflect and rejuvenate.

When it comes to creating your own sanctuary, the first thing I suggest is to imagine yourself in your favorite place in nature. Is it the beach, the woods, the mountains, a garden, a meadow? Wherever your imagination takes you, what feelings are evoked? What colors do you see? Color is light and vibrational energy, the greatest door to emotion, yet the least expensive element to work with in interior design.

Cool colors, the blues, greens and grays, cause a centripetal action which brings one into himself, promoting relaxation and introspection. Soft, cool colors can be used to make a small room seem larger and actually even lower the thermostat!

Green, for instance, is the most healing color of all. It falls in the middle of the spectrum, therefore it brings balance. It soothes and promotes mental endeavors. It's the color of most of nature, therefore it rejuvenates like no other color. As in nature, there's a wealth of greens to choose from and they all harmonize with each other. Although green is a color, it acts as a neutral as all othe colors go with it. Green also brings out the luster in wood tones, which is why many antiques stores use it as a wall color. I often use it on woodwork as it pulls your eye out toward nature, creating a space that feels as if it's part of nature. Whenever I work with small rooms with a lot of windows, I paint both walls and trim the same shade of green which seems to expand the space and creates a "treehouse" feeling.

Blue, representative of the energy of water and sky, is also a great soother. However, the wrong shade of blue can be a sapper of energy. While a light, sky blue is very uplifting, a darker, more Wedgewood or Colonial Blue when used as a wall color, can be gloomy and depressing. Blue creates a calming effect and is the color of introspection, tranquility and serenity. While its influency on the physical is soothing and calming; it stimulates a spiritual force of upliftment. It is known to reduce inflammation and induce sleep; so it is ideal to use in the bedroom, particularly with the addition of some warm accents to reduce its chilling effect in cold climates. It also reduces tension and stress.

My favorite color combinations are a twilight blue on the walls with a light gray green on the woodwork. Or, green walls and trim with a twilight blue ceiling. This way, you get a variety of benefits from two of nature's most healing colors.

For the past 20+ years, I have been using custom paint colors I created for clients that mimick nature's colors. Now, I have made these paints available to everyone. For more information on my new line of "Full Spectrum Paints" and a listing and description of the colors as well as pricing: Full Spectrum Paints

This is the first in a series of seasonal newsletters featuring design tips and ideas to help you create your own sanctuary. Until next time, I wish you many blessings for a life well lived!