SoulSpace: Transform Your Home, Transform Your Life -- Creating a Home That Is Free of Clutter, Full of Beauty, and Inspired by You

160 Pages·2011·1.07 MB·English

by  Xorin Balbes, Marianne Williamson

SoulSpace
SoulSpace
Transform Your Home,
Transform Your Life —
Creating a Home That Is Free
of Clutter, Full of Beauty,
and Inspired by You
Xorin Balbes
FOREWORD BY
MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
New World Library
Novato, California
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way
Novato, California 94949
Copyright © 2011 by Xorin Balbes All rights reserved. This book may not be
reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, or other — without written
permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief
passages in a review.
Text design by Tona Pearce Myers Library of Congress Cataloging-in-
Publication Data is available.
First printing, October 2011
ISBN 978-1-60868-037-5
Printed in the United States on 100% postconsumer-waste recycled paper
New World Library is a proud member of the Green Press Initiative.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my mother,
who let me redecorate her living room when I was seven years old,
and always told me that I would write a book someday.
This one is for her.
“Create beauty not to excite the senses
but to give sustenance to the soul.”
— Gabriela Mistral
CONTENTS
Foreword by Marianne Williamson
Introduction: The Eight SoulSpace Stages
Part I: Knowing the Past
STAGE 1: ASSESS
Open Your Eyes and See What Is Truly There
STAGE 2: RELEASE
Let Go of the Past That No Longer Serves You and Make Room for Your Future
STAGE 3: CLEANSE
Connect to Your Gratefulness through Cleansing and Caring
Part II: Manifesting the Future
STAGE 4: DREAM
Imagine the Ways in Which Your Space Can Support Your Dreams
STAGE 5: DISCOVER
Find the Things That Inspire You to Live a More Soulful Life
STAGE 6: CREATE
Allow Your Dreams to Become Reality
Part III: Living the Present
STAGE 7: ELEVATE
Turn Your Home into a Temple for Your Soul
STAGE 8: CELEBRATE
Live and Love in Your New SoulSpace
Conclusion: Welcome Home
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author
FOREWORD

grew up at 3616 Tartan Lane, in a home my parents built when I was two
Iyears old. I didn’t know, growing up, that not every family’s home was the
emotional base camp that 3616 was for us. My parents were world travelers and
took their children with them to many exotic places. But there was never any
doubt where home was; our house was the beginning and end point of all trips,
no matter how great the distances we’d traveled. My father used to say that the
best part of a trip was coming home.
Today, while I don’t travel the world as extensively as my parents did, I do
travel often. And I can’t imagine what my life would be if my home were not a
place where I could rest, restore, and revitalize in the midst of a hectic schedule.
As Xorin Balbes would say in this lovely book, my apartment is my SoulSpace,
or spiritual sanctuary. And that makes a tremendous difference in how I
experience my life.
This book makes a point that I’ve lived for myself and believe in
passionately: that your home both reflects who you are and can help transform
who you are. I’ve learned that an African artifact can represent a wild and
exciting time in my past, that I can place it next to my late grandmother’s chaise
lounge and be reminded of her love for me, and enjoy sitting on the chaise as I
gaze at a photograph of my mother on her wedding day and imbibe her romantic
joy. All those things bring harmony to both my heart and my mind. And whether
the touchstone in my home is a crystal I wanted with me wherever I lived before