Annabel and Victor, both Sidhas, have shown great dedication in completing the Vastu process. They have also shown remarkable attention to detail – even to the extent of getting additional tradesmen to finish aspects of the home absolutely correctly that the main contracted builder was not so interested in doing. Annabel is a Vastu Coordinator and helped in our Vastu office in the first days of the MSV Consultation Service. She applied this knowledge and enthusiasm to the design and building of their Vastu home with excellent results. We could say it has been a very evolutionary experience for both Annabel and Victor. Annabel created a blog which she has kept up to date throughout the construction phase. This record of events and her attention to every aspect of the Vastu process has enabled her to write this entertaining and precise article. ENJOY.
“I first joined the MSV service in 2004 - a LONG time before starting to build!
I also looked around for land for quite some time before finally finding a suitable block. This happened when I went to stay in Hastings and do group programs over the 9 days of Mother Divine in October 2009. As with all aspects of the house, when things have been a bit stuck or uncertain, enlivening consciousness through group program, as well as consulting with Mike, have been the keys to moving things along.
When designing the house, we wanted it to be as environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient as possible while still being able to work to a first-home-owners budget. The first step in this process was to choose a smaller house! The design started off quite complicated and gradually, mostly through Mike's expert guidance, became more and more simple until it was just what we needed and nothing more.
The house itself is set on a concrete slab with piles of sand (rather than toxic styrofoam) to help build it up. It is a typical Aussie weatherboard-style but made of Scyon which never rots (which makes Victor the Painter very happy) and also adds to the thermal value of the building, while the semi-enclosed front verandah was styled on those found in Vancouver - to give the house a taste of my time living in North America. The house has a colorbond roof which allows us to hear the lovely ‘pitter patter’ of the rain. We have large windows on the north side to take full advantage of the winter sun. In fact, the whole house has lots of windows, including a central window box on the roof plus 2 skylights. Light just floods into the house from all directions.
We chose natural flooring where we could - wool carpets in most bedrooms, tiles to the wet areas and solid bamboo (a highly renewable resource) throughout the rest - the bamboo being something that many people comment upon positively. People also seem to enjoy walking into the open plan kitchen/dining area which flows into a semi-separate living area with the wood heater - the main source of heating for the house. Our bathroom and 2 bedrooms can be closed off from the main living area - giving us a private space when we have guests. There is a meditation room, and we have an art studio each - which double as guest bedrooms as needed.
We were very fortunate to be able to take advantage of the first home owners grant and after hurrying through the drawings, planned to start building with a 'moderate' muhurta in February 2010. Interestingly, building did not actually start until after a more auspicious muhurta we received for the end of July. So, our advice on this front would be to take things easy and go with the most auspicious muhurtas you can.
There were lots of ups and downs and delays during the whole building process. In hind sight, it seems that it is very important to choose a builder who is happy to spend a bit (or a lot!) of time with you, and with Mike, making sure the details are correct first time around.
Victor finally picked up the keys for the house on 11.11.2011 - about 11 minutes past the 11am appointment time - and moved into the house on 21 November 2011 - at long last!
If you'd like to see a few photos of 'Bella Vastu' being built, you may like to have a look at the blog: www.hastingsvastu.blogspot.com.au"
“Now that the house is finished and we've been living in it for about a year, we feel more and more fortunate that we've gone down this path, that we heard and acted upon Maharishi's desire for all of us to live in Vastu in a community where we can do group program. The local Hastings TM centre offers daily group program, monthly checkings, coherence days and Gita days, and other consciousness-based activities from time to time - what a boon! Actually, what an absolute necessity for the building process!
Every day when I come home, I can feel the house seeping into me & nourishing me. I also feel stronger even when I'm not in the house. Since buying the land, my weight has normalised, my health in general has improved, I'm back doing an exercise class after years of neglect in this area, I've started growing things in the garden, and my artwork is becoming livelier again.
When we first started walking down this path, we didn't know how we could possibly afford to buy land and build a MSV house. Interestingly, Victor's income from house-painting has significantly increased, with no advertising. He has also written a great song called 'Living in Vastu' which I am working on getting up on the web with my slideshow of the house - watch this space!
We both love the house. I particularly love cooking with the first rays of the rising sun flooding into the kitchen. In fact, cooking is wonderful at all times, as the kitchen looks out over the park with its playground. There's always something interesting happening out there, even if it's naughty boys using tennis rackets to hit lemons from the park orchard onto the roof!
We love sitting at the breakfast bar every morning watching the world starting to wake up. It is particularly fascinating to watch the transit of the rising sun across the horizon from North to South and back again with the changing of the seasons. A very special aspect of this is witnessing the rising summer equinox sun coming through the windows of the Eastern door, which are placed in the centre of the house, shining all the way through the house and leaving through the window in the centre of the Western side of the house – this is a reminder that the house is correctly oriented!
We also like the use of space in the house. Having never designed a house before, this was pure luck! The house is around 160 square metres excluding the porch. However it seems to be laid out quite well so that it feels spacious, and some have even nicknamed 'Bella Vastu' - 'The Tardis'.
So, we encourage everyone - do whatever it takes - just start moving in the direction of Vastu in a community - take one small step at a time - and Nature will support you”.
