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by Carol de Giere and Megan Robinson
November, 1996
The construction boom in Fairfield is, of course, being powered by the booming economy--but in many cases the motivation to build is simply to create an environment that makes the occupants healthier, happier, and more successful. How could a building do that?
Imagine an architectural discipline responsible for building homes, businesses, and schools which increase the clarity and contentment of the people who use them. Imagine your home as a work of art, designed to be a refuge and a place of renewal. This is the sort of environment created by Maharishi Sthapatya Veda. Brought here from India by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, this ancient science includes architecture, city planning, gardening, and sculpture--all in accord with Natural Law. The main goal of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is no less than to create an ideal world.
The idea that we are affected by our environment is not a new one. Just about everyone has experienced buildings that are a joy to visit--or buildings that are a relief to leave. Sthapatya Vedic structures are built precisely to uplift and energize the people who live in them. Ask anyone who operates in a Sthapatya Vedic environment, and most likely you'll hear, "It makes such a difference."
This spring Jane Hopson moved into her new home on the campus of Maharishi University of Management where she is the Director of Development. "I definitely expected to notice a good effect when I moved in," she says, "but it has been much greater than I had imagined. The whole atmosphere is truly bathed in silence. It's something quite tangible and real and very, very comfortable."
How does it work? The basis of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is the ancient formulas of Vastu Vidya--the science of intelligence within everything, every object, every grain of creation, the whole universe, says Dr. Eike Hartmann, Department Head of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda for Maharishi Vedic University in Vlodrop, Holland.
"In practical terms," Dr. Hartmann explains, "Vastu is used to denote the aspect of order and intelligence of the dwelling site." Before constructing any building or town, the Vastu has to be established as a square or rectangle, perfectly levelled and aligned to east/west and north/south directions. He says that it should be marked by a wall or fence and that it have only one very auspicious entrance--from the east.
"From this we can understand that the most basic principle in Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is right orientation," Dr. Hartmann says. "When the Vastu is oriented properly, the houses will also be perfectly aligned, and the activity of the inhabitants is always in tune with Natural Law. Even the word 'orientation' means directed towards the orient--the direction of the rising sun. Once we are oriented properly towards the east, all activities become supported by Natural Law."
Very interesting. It is, after all, quite a strong statement to say that the orientation of a dwelling can influence the inhabitants. One might naturally wonder if there is a scientific basis. According to Dr. Hartmann, there is. He cites recent research by Dr. Tony Nader, who has discovered that "the structure and function of the human brain and of the whole physiology replicates the structure and function of pure consciousness or cosmic intelligence."
According to this research, the firing patterns of the neurons in the thalamus are altered by the direction the brain is oriented. When you face east, the brain functions differently from when you face north, south, or west. In addition, there are certain "place neurons" in the hippocampus--a part of the brain involved in memory--which signal the place or orientation of the body within a room or given environment. Dr. Hartmann explains that "This natural tendency of the brain function to align with the cosmos is held to account for the tradition of making buildings face east to gain the full support of the rising sun, which is the strongest influence of Natural Law on earth, and to allocate all the rooms within a building according to their function with reference to the different energies of the sun. During its move from east to west, the sun generates different kinds of energy, which should correspond to the specific activities performed within the different rooms of a home or building, so that Natural Law sympathizes with every aspect of our daily activity."
What happens if a building is not in alignment? "When a building is facing the wrong direction, and when the environmental parameters are distorted, then the brain becomes confused, the firing patterns of the neurons are reset in the wrong way, resulting in anxiety, ill-health, suffering, lack of creativity, poverty, or even criminal tendencies." We wouldn't want that.
Unfortunately, many modern cities have grown up sporadically, with very little planning or attention to a city's relationship with the environment. This has resulted in traffic congestion, air pollution, and stress. "Modern modes of thinking are fragmented," says architect Tony Lawlor. There's fragmentation of the mind/body and between people. If we want to have true wholeness we want all levels mind, body, and environment to embody it, or it is not complete. In the same way as we've forgotten the knowledge of caring for the mind/body in a holistic way, we lost the knowledge for buildings. Now we can restore that knowledge."
Mr. Lawlor was the architect for the Katie RAM building and the new Amy RAM building, the first office buildings constructed according to the principles of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda. Rick Blake moved into the Katie Ram building when it opened almost two years ago, as General Manager for Unified Division of Utilicorp United. Mr. Blake feels the Sthapatya Vedic environment has benefited his company. "The Katie Ram Building has been good for me and our company," he says. "We're well perceived in our industry and we're having our best year financially."
One of the features of the Katie Ram Building is the central fountain. This is the Brahm-sthan, an essential element for all Maharishi Sthapatya Veda structures. As musicians build compositions around the silence between notes, so the Sthapati designs a building around the silent center of a Brahm-sthan.
"We instinctively are enchanted by light-filled courtyards, and traditionally the citizens of small towns have congregated in and treasured their town squares," says architect Jonathan Lipman. According to Mr. Lipman, a few features of Sthapatya Veda, such as the Brahm-sthan may have filtered their way into Western architectural traditions.
"Some of the most basic, moving, and ubiquitous elements of our traditional architecture and urban planning seem to derive from the ancient Vedic system of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda," he says. "The town square has an architectural pedigree that traces back to ancient Rome. Architectural historians speculate that when Alexander the Great went to Macedonia, he picked up influences from India that were then passed along in Greek and Roman designs. The town square is our civilization's restatement of the Sthapatya Vedic concept of the Brahm-sthan. The courtyard houses of Mexico, Spain, and Italy likewise have their roots in Roman courtyard houses that may well have been influenced by Maharishi Sthapatya Veda."
The central Brahm-sthan is one of Dee Johnson's favorite parts of her new home. Chris and Dee Johnson developed the Chalets by the Lake at the Mandala project before settling into their own home designed through the Maharishi Sthapatya Veda consultancy service. "It's an amazing experience to walk through the center of your home and feel yourself becoming reestablished," Ms. Johnson says.
Those interested in building their own Maharishi Sthapatya Vedic house can contact the Maharishi Sthapatya Vedic Review Service. Be prepared to pay $1.50 per square foot of finished floor space to have your floor plan evaluated.
(photo next)The Katie RAM Building was the first Sthapatya Vedic office building in North America.
Jim Huffsmith passes along his advice to prospective users of the Maharishi Sthapatya Vedic consultancy service. "What I'd recommend is not to worry too much about what Sthapatya Veda might recommend, but to think what you would like and then submit that drawing to the service. Then have an open mind and heart, realizing that there may be changes. But if you don't put through what you want, you won't get it."
For more information on constructing and rectifying houses and Vastus, contact Maharishi Vedic University, International Consultation Service on Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, NL 6300 AG Valkenburg, Postbus 272, Netherlands, or fax 011 31 4360 132 62.
