In-Spiral-ed Living

I admit I am a weird bird, I know that.

Maybe it’s an eccentric Aquarian-thing, I don’t know. Even I admit this blog is a bit of an odd-ball spot discussing yoga, demonic possession, spiritual journeys of rock stars, white magick ritual and conspiracy theories. There is no dominant theme here, just sharing my observations and experiences from my own journey and the strange thoughts which come to me from time to time.

Here’s an example of a strange thought I had a few years ago: Why are all houses and rooms built as squares and rectangles? Why do houses have to look like boxes? Why not triangles and circles?

Taking boxes to the extreme – Montreal’s Habitat ’67

From Apartment Therapy – A-Frame houses are A-Ok in my book.

That got me thinking about other forms of housing, homes, alternative architecture and design….

Roger Dean

Do these pictures remind you of anything?

Floating Islands – Copyright Roger Dean 2012

Floating Islands -Copyright Roger Dean 2012

If some of you guessed “Avatar”, you’d be right. If others guessed the album covers from progressive rock bands “YES” and  “Asia” you’d be correct as well. “Avatar” director, James Cameron basically stole the ideas of the dragons and the floating islands straight from the works of British illustrator Roger Dean (Dean has filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers.) Dean is also the mastermind who did all the visionary artwork and album covers for “YES” and “Asia”.

Dean’s artwork is full of mythological-inspired creatures like dragons and sphinxes, as well as inspiring towering buildings and pyramids and fantasy-like landscapes – Copyright Roger Dean 2012

Copyright Roger Dean 2012

Little known fact: Roger Dean is also an accomplished architect and his eco-friendly, earth-bound homes must have also inspired Peter Jackson when he did the sets for Hobbittown for the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy.

Roger Dean designed home

Roger Dean designed home

Roger Dean designed home

From his website rogerdean.com:

He questioned dozens of children about what they liked or disliked about their beds and bedrooms. Again and again, when they spoke of discomfort they were referring not to the softness of the mattress but the “feel” of the room. They said they were afraid of spaces under the bed, where monsters might lurk, or shapes made by clothes hanging on the back doors or highly patterned wallpapers. When asked what they would like, the children described caves or tent-like structures. They wanted to be enclosed; hidden from view but able to see out. In other words, in order to feel comfortable they had to feel safe. In adults this primeval instinct to seek security is blurred by the sophistication of taste. But it is still apparent in the way we behave in our daily lives. When you go to a restaurant you tend to choose a table in a corner with your back to the wall, so you know what is happening around you and no one can approach unseen from behind….The key to Roger Dean’s architecture is this strategic control of space. To be comfortable in a house, it must make you feel at home. This led Dean to design his womb-like rooms

Dean’s buildings are eco-friendly, extremely strong and cost very little to make in comparison to “normal” houses and subdivisions. A 1 story four bedroom home takes six (6) hours to assemble. Labour costs for construction are about 40-50% less than conventional homes.

I find it extremely enlightening that an architect would think in such terms. Dean holds strong views on the role of his structures within the environment. “For example, I love timber but would use it very sparingly in a house, even if it came from a renewable source. All kinds of architectural groups are calling their buildings environmentally friendly, but there isn’t such a thing. You’ve hurt the environment by building on it. There is a concept in Feng Shui that we are spiritual gardeners.”

Round Homes
There are a whole slew of companies now that specialize in building round houses or dome homes. Mandala Homes, based in British Columbia, Canada is a specialist in dome home buildings as is South Carolina’s Deltech Homes.

An exterior of a Deltech home

Deltech home in the desert

Wouldn’t it be amazing doing yoga in a space like this? (Mandala Homes design)

Now that’s a house – by Mandala Homes

I don’t know why by this reminds me of the kind of home where Peter Seller’s would have a party back in the 1960’s -Mandala Homes interior

Deltech Homes claims their houses are hurricane resistant and extremely strong. They also say that round homes are energy efficient because “The aerodynamic shape of a circular home means air flows around it instead of exerting pressure on flat wall surfaces. That in turn means less infiltration of exterior air than in a conventional home.”

It’s true all these pictures are from their website and are showing extremely affluent homes. However, you don’t have to be wealthy to afford such a place of your own. Both companies offer smaller-scale plans and they offer other options as well if you, like me, have your heart set on a round home.

A one-bedroom Deltech round house.

Round Timber Round Homes

Simon Dale  made his house for less than $10 000 USD in Wales.  By himself.

Simon Dale made this home for his family, with no previous building experience and with less than $10 000 dollars

It really does go to show you that conventional thinking and conventional design are by definition limited. That there are other possibilities out there that end up being more earth-friendly, more aesthetically pleasing and more…fun.

A cob-bale house.

When I look at these rooms and homes, they look inviting and warm. The lack of corners means that energy moves in circles, which any spiritualist will tell you is the way the universe works as well.

Based on Buckminster Fuller’s designs

I had the privilege of staying in and visiting many round rooms and homes in Cappadocia, Turkey. Most of them were literally built right out of the earth and there are many, many cave hotels and homes there now. I can say first-hand that the energy of these types of homes and buildings is completely different. You feel safer, more “at-home”, more comfortable and more connected somehow.

My very first spiritual teacher was the force behind Hotel Gamirasu and it was her energy that made it what it is today.

A typical cave-hotel room.

All in a cave.

All of which to say, that it really does pay to think outside of the box sometimes  (you know I had to insert that somewhere :-D).