Part of the treasure of this fabulous property that I am currently guardian of - has been taking away more modern layers that had been added over the centuries, and getting back to the ancient, intelligent architecture.
As I'm selling this magical Italian Arthouse (that I've restored on a practically-non-existent budget over the past decade), I'm using this winter to fix various projects that have been calling to me...
This is a profoundly fulfilling one: fixing the chimney-fire-heating issue in the main part of the house. When I came here, there was a big old waterheater/ stove to the side of a fireplace that didn't draw so well... Over the years, I've moved the stove, then eventually took apart the fireplace altogether to make it into a seating area.
But this has been the most successful solution: opening up the old confessional niche - it used to connect the back of the kitchen, under a beautiful stucco arch, through to the chapel area. It was hidden behind the bread oven, which I dismantled and made into art. Recently, we broke right through to the bedroom, and my partner found a fantastic, perfect-sized metallic grill window to put in as a way of transmitting the toasty warm air from the stove.... It works a treat, as this bedroom, beautiful as it is, was very hard to heat in winter.
The gifts of this house: hidden treasures that over the years have been ignored or overridden by other priorities. Often modern priorities miss the mark spectacularly, and here it was a joy to peel away what had blocked the movement of air, and to reclaim the original structure and flow of the spaces.
I felt a strong sense too, of what had been blocked energetically inside the walls: confessions, perceived sin and penitence, guilt and repressed pleasure, fear of our senses, fear of our embodied Truth. There was a tangible sensation for me, of having unlocked something powerful, that had been closed down in the house.
Activating the full potential of a home like this is a particular task; listening, responding respectfully, taking time to really feel the wholeness of the place, and to bring out what wants to be.
This, to me, is part of understanding Gift; how all things align and can become much more than the sum of the parts.
It's humbling, and deeply, deeply enriching on all levels. Not just on the purely sentient surface level, of being snuggled in bed inside a cosy chapel space, but on a holistic, expansive level: aligning with my deepest Life purpose, my future interbeing, my soul's code and my fullest sense of Livingness, in relation to All Things.
Blessings on your day!
PS MY MAGICAL ARTHOUSE – the House For Sale Guardia website
