Man, Matter and Energy

Every beginning is a challenge: a new job, relationship, book, habit, moving house… We are the least upset when we are in a familiar, well-established system, whether it be an environment, habits, relationships, a path we are moving down. When we want a change, or when it signals its inevitability, we need to make adjustments. It works the same when it comes to interior design too. Every change requires customization, adaptation, and balancing.

What does it mean when our living and working space is concerned?

The same way we are aware of our material environment, we can also be aware of our energetic environment. When we become aware of it, we should tend to align it with ourselves and our mental state, our affinities and aesthetic norms, all the while keeping in mind the necessity of balancing matter and energy, balancing what we see and what we feel.

What surrounds us in a space can be divided into five basic elements: fire, earth, metal, water and wood. Each of these elements has its own energy characteristics. These elements must be in harmony so that the space is energetically balanced.

If we view matter around us as a general, physical or philosophical category, it is inseparably connected to space, time and movement. It always exists in space and time, and it cannot be destroyed, it can only be transformed. These changes and these movements are essential for our health, harmony and peace. A constant, balanced flow is the source of immeasurable prosperity.

For a start, we need to have a good look at our surroundings. What are the elements that are the most dominant in our environment? Metal? Water? Wood? Fire? Earth? We can make a list of these five elements and start checking by placing each object in the corresponding element category. When we are done, we draw a line and count how many objects, corresponding to each of the elements, we have in our space. This will give us a picture as to whether there is a balance of the elements, as well as of the energies emitted by these elements, or if we there is a disbalance. Each element has its own characteristics, both physical and energetic. The dominant element clearly shows us what kind of energy we spend our time in. We can then analyze what this means and how we can tackle the negative effects and return everything into a balanced state.

These five natural elements have their physical properties, but they can also transform and change shape and mass, and we can enjoy multiple benefits from the energy they emit. Unity, the cycle of creation, dissolution, flow, balance, harmony – those are the terms we will individually deal with, as parts of each of the five elements, in order to understand their impact on us and how we can use all the gifts nature has to offer to our greatest benefit.

The goal of it is the highest good for all of us, our physical and energetic environment, nature around us, all the living and non-living world. When we are balanced, any change is minimally disturbing, and that’s what I always stress out through my design work – minimum stress with maximum positive result.   

Marija Vrebalov
Photo: Marija Vrebalov