When was the last time that you
surrender to the ‘power’ of a place?
“
Are you making of your own places “powerful places”?
“Places, like people,
are complex,
and loving them isn't simple.”
Kate Milford
Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader
I have always been fascinated by the power of places.
There are cities that have had a strong influence in me
(Vancouver, Saint Petersburg, Krakow and Barcelona
where in my top list some years back.) Today I have
moved to a different understanding, let me explain my
point... As I got to travel more and more, the typical
question of “what has been your favorite country?”
stopped making sense. I realized that I have not visited
countries, neither cities; I have visited places within these
countries and cities. I have been lucky to follow the flow
of the journey in some cases and then I discovered myself
falling in love with the emotions and sensations that those
places sparkled in me.
editorial
Yes, it is true that the people that I have been with when
visiting some of these places where crucial to what I
experienced. However, many of them I visited completely
alone. There was where this question came to life to
challenge the way I used to see traveling: “What is it in
some of these places that make them so powerful?”
And still to date, I do not have an answer to it, neither I
am looking for it. Today I just surrender when these
emotions show up, I surrender and enjoy that almost
magical connection that I feel, it’s like my energy and the
energy of the place turn into one, and I go beyond my
own body and I become part of the place itself.
Building The Power Of The Place
I started by collecting dreams and ideas. Whenever I
visited a place that gave me those powerful emotions I
took notes of the visuals, the textures, the details. If
possible, I bought cheap-kitsch touristic souvenirs.
Then I moved into design. And design it was never about
planning completely and drawing it in paper, no! I
definitely thought that if I do that I will be killing the whole
idea of the place speaking to me as I work on it. Design
for me meant (and means) to make blurry pictures in my
head of what the place could be.
From then on, the process just flows.
Old palettes turned into a welcoming living room. A back
yard turned into my own version of a Zen garden with
space to plant and harvest my own veggies. Rooms to
host people turned into vibrant colorful spaces to be
called “home away from home.” Old Ikea closets turn into
under staircase units for storage. A bike find its place
hanging from the ceiling and not laying on the floor when
is not being used, like proudly saying “I also live here.”
Even the toilets got their own personality by bringing
heroes of my past to my present (one of my toilets is
completely dedicated to the Smurfs.)
When I walk at home I can truly feel that this is not a
house, this is The Soul Spa. It has become a spa for my
own soul. Every corner has a detail that speaks to me in
a specific way, and I have noticed that speaks to
everyone that has visited it in its own way as well. I do not
need to explain anything, the place speaks by itself in
different languages and in a very intimate way. The
beautiful individuals that have been at The Soul Spa
always find their favorite corner. Until today I am still not
sure if they pick that corner or if the corner picks them.
Since then I have been eagerly
following my gut to make of my
usual places those kind of places.
But, this is not my place!
In November 2012 I moved to a beautiful house in front of
the Atlantic Ocean in Portugal. I had decided way back in
my life that when I move into a dream house I will call it
“The Soul Spa,” so from now on I will refer to it as “The
Soul Spa.”
Think twice about it, from the bed sheets you buy to the
plant that isn’t there or that is dying in the corner. All
these little details are being noticed by your
subconscious, they accumulate and they send messages
back to your psyche about the type of person you are
and the type of person you are becoming.
I live and ‘work’ (I have a particular understanding of what
‘work’ is, but that is a topic for another time) in this
beautiful place. I host my retreats and coaching
weekends here as well. So I decided to make everything
that was in my hands to transform the beautiful house
into a powerful place.
4 | Dey Dos Magazine
The syndrome of “I live in a rented place” kills most of my
friends initiatives to make their places work for them, and
they give up before they even start.
This is not my place is just an excuse to don’t give a shit
about the place you inhabit, as it is I don’t have money
for it. Where is your creativity and your capacity to
create? You may say “I only sleep there” – well nice
picture what you see every day before going to sleep.