It isn't only the energy within a home or business that can keep us stuck in a time warp, the images we display on our walls are also subliminal messages to ourselves and others who live, work or visit those spaces.
Often our environment becomes so familiar to us that, although we see it everyday, we don't always appreciate what we're looking at. When we decorate we take our pictures down but then very often put them back up again automatically without questioning what we might be doing symbolically.
Any parent will know that when our children are little it is natural to take lots of photos and to give them pride of place on display. However, as they become adults have the pictures been updated to reflect this? If not, what messages could this be sending to your “child”? You are only proud of them when they are cute? You don’t want them to grow to be independent? You don’t see the adult they’ve become? I’m sure there are many more interpretations however, if you ask most parents why they display photos of this nature they will say they just haven’t got around to updating them!
Many people who have been happily married for years may have a lot of wedding photos on display. Realistically when you get married you will spend a lot of time and money on the dress / suit, hair and make-up. This will usually be the day that most of us will look and feel glamourous, so why not have some photos on display? However, if you have been married 20 years and haven't replaced the wedding photos with images of your life together since, are you keeping your relationship stuck in a rut? Is the wedding the pinnacle of your relationship or the begiining of your adventures together?
Lifetime pet owners may have lost more than one pet and whilst their fur baby was happy and healthy no doubt lots of photos will have been taken and put on display – the issue here is that if the animal has passed then that represents a “dead” energy for whatever life area their photos are located. These pets were family members and their lives should be honoured but be mindful not to have too many images on display once they have passed.
In a corporate setting, it might be that there are photos still on show of people who have left the business, the most up to date organigram isn't on the wall, or only old newsletters or briefings are on display. This would not only be confusing to new staff but it could also be holding the company back, instead of progressing and changing with the times, symbolically, they are stuck in the past. Companies in the hospitality profession might have awards to display, for example "Best Cafe 2014", but as this was 10 years ago it only highlights that they haven't won anything recently, in which case it might be better to remove the award.
It is not always easy to "see" the familiar, but if we pay attention to what our environment is saying about our lives (and place of work) then we can spot any patterns where we might be holding ourselves back and breakfree from our personal timewarp!
Karen x
Comments