Be It Ever So Humble: A dialogue at the threshold of Family, Ancestors, Culture and Home

There is broad acceptance for the idea that family-tribal culture affects our spiritual beliefs, sexual attitudes (which include attitudes concerning privacy), and the way in which we relate to others. Family and tribal influences also affect how we create and inhabit our personal spaces, our homes. From the choice of natural or artificial light to be perceived by the eye, to the preference of temperature to be felt by the skin, to the attitudes we have about shared and communal space, values and preferences are shaped by many layers of history, seen and unseen. Archologie is the active practice of remembering the family of origin, the ancestors, and the tribe, and the ways in which they created home and safety. Archologie becomes an active practice with the use of gestalt experiments, which allow us to give a voice to those not present as well as to inanimate objects and spaces. Archologie also uses guided visualizations and waking dreams to allow us to revisit or visit for the first time the homes of our ancestors to sense and feel how they created home. Upon returning from this journey, we have a heightened sense of our origins and therefore who we are. From this place we can make informed decisions about our own homes. I underscore the words informed decisions as opposed to change, because the objective is to become conscious of the influences that act upon us, not necessarily to change them. From this point of view, history has a vote, not a veto. Archologie should not be confused with Feng Shuei, which is the art of becoming in harmony with your environment through an Eastern set of principles, related to Eastern cosmological beliefs that explain the flow of energy and a morally responsible way of building in the environment. Many Feng Shuei principles are good practice no matter what your belief system. However, employing these principles may bring a sense of peace or energetic flow, but if you ignore your inner voice, that is, the echo’s of your psyche, this sense of peace and flow will not endure. Archologie is particularly relevant for: • People who are contemplating the design of a home • People who are experiencing discomfort in their current home • Therapists with clients who have exhibited a concern about their home • Design professionals who would like to include Archologie in their practice