The tao of staging...

1. Tao (in Chinese philosophy) is the absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of yin and yang and signifying the way, or code of behaviours, that is in harmony with the natural order. The interpretation of Tao in the Tao-te-Ching developed into the philosophical region of Taoism. My stager Anne came through the house and has given me instructions for decluttering and guidelines for highlighting the features of my house. Every time I leave the house now I seem to have another box or piece of furniture that is going to someone. I am excited to have the painting and renovations completed soon so we can get to the fun part of decorating and showcasing my home, which will be happening in a couple of weeks, just in time for Christmas entertaining. While I was sad to lose the vibrant blue walls of my dining room, and cool green tones of my bathroom, I have complete faith in Anne's expertise and knowledge of how to stage a home As we went through each room of my home, I realized how many beautiful objects I have that reflect the story of my life and travels, including: a picture of སྒྲོལ་མ-Tara, a female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements. I found this at Watt Dhammamonkhol in Bangkok during my meditation retreat to Thailand in 2001.  Phra Virinyang founded this buddhist monastery, and also developed the nine-month meditation course I took at the Dunrobin Thai temple in 2001.   Here is a picture of the huge Buddha that he had sculpted by some Italian artists from a massive chunk of jade that he located in British Columbia while meditating.  It was partly for this reason that he decided to establish various meditation centres across Canada to provide a venue for teaching meditation in English, including the one located in Dunrobin, where he sent several monks to meditate on world peace.  Previously, he had offered his course in Thailand, including teaching meditation to the King of Thailand, and had been looking for a suitable place to teach in English. This magnificent Buddha statue at Wat Dhammamongkol was sculpted from a single 32 ton block of jade found in a Canadian river in BC

1. the huge ostrich egg from South Africa, the country I was born in; the antique chest from Madagascar that used to sit in my parents' front hall for as long as I can remember; ཐང་ཀ་ - the gorgeous tangka meticulously painted by Tibetan buddist monks in Nepal, that I found in the night markets of Chang Mai, Thailand; the handwoven basket made from reeds from Lake Peten Itza near Flores, in northern Guatemala near Tikal; the simple handmade mahogany chest that I had commissioned in 1981 in Flores, near Tikal for which I paid a mere $15; momentos from my time in Antigua Guatemala including the hand-painted set of butterflies Seb gave me, a girl's face made out of a coconut shell, a woollen rug, and colourful huipiles made using backstop looms; several priceless quilts that were made by my mother Pamela. a coffee table we acquired while we were living in Judibana, Venezuela; a beaten-up yet still lovely red leather camel footstool purchased in Egypt in the 1950s, another piece that sat in my parents'  living room for more than fifty years; the vibrant orange and brown wall hanging from Zimbabwe; a meditation book from Z.; the hand-woven macrame wall hanging that I found in Colombia and gave as a gift to my mother after my 1975 road trip by jeep with Rafa and Luis to Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador  and Peru, with the highlight being a visit to the stunningly beautiful and spiritual Machu Picchu. My mother gave the hanging back to me several years ago, a short while before she passed away;  Looney-Baloony various water colour paintings of sunflowers and hibiscus from my mother; a hand-turned bowl created by my father; Looney-Balooney, a paper mache creation that my six-year old son Sebastian made me for my 33rd birthday that we celebrated on the island of Montserrat in 1987; a dragon that Peter gave me on our first wedding anniversary in 1991 on which he, Sebastian and I sit perched, wearing the clothes we wore at our wedding, while I am holding Alex as a new-born baby, wrapped in the baby blanket made by his great-grandmother.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Elisha has been working with the draftsman to get my house plans finalized in preparation for applying for building permits.

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