HOME LIVING

Article by Emma McCann

The first record of a bath in use was around 3000 B.C and they were not commonly used for hygiene purposes, instead water was seen as a religious symbol, as a purifying symbol for both the body and the soul, therefore it was uncommon for people to clean themselves in holy water. Baths were initially shared between towns or villages and were not associated with the home, in order to try and keep evil spirits from entering a domestic area.

A bathroom has many different functions due to its cultural context but the most literal sense of the word means ‘a room with a bath’. Though as the bathroom makes way for new technologies, such as the shower the bathroom has become more of an impartial word and has become a room ‘where one bathes’. Bathrooms differ ranging from a room with just a shower, just a bathtub or maybe even both. Though many bathrooms within the 21stCentury are what one would call a bathroom suite, including a bath, wash basin (sink) or lavatory (toilet).

Bathrooms differ from country to country but there main 21stCentury purpose is a room where people can wash themselves. A bathroom may be a room with simply a bath with the home comprising of a separate lavatory, it may include a bathroom suite, or it may even be a separate full bathroom suite connecting to the master bedroom, either one can be very expensive to replace.

Essential oils as well as the plants they come from have many different, wonderful uses and they are all natural.  Here is some useful information on the different types of essential oils and plants that you can use in your garden as well as other places in and around your home to keep the insects away.

* Ants – repellant plants or plant teas that you can use are peppermint, pennyroyal, spearmint and tansy.  You can grow these plants in your garden or near the doors of your house in the ground or in pots.  Essential oils that you can use are citronella, garlic, peppermint, pennyroyal and spearmint.  You can put the essential oil on cotton balls and place by the shelves where the ants are seen and on their nests.

* Aphids – repellant plants or plant teas that you can use are basil, garlic, horseradish, nasturtium, parsley, potatoes, spearmint, southernwood and stinging nettle.  You can grow these plants in your garden or home.  Essential oils that you can use are cedarwood, hyssop, peppermint and spearmint.  You can put the essential oil on cotton balls and place them where you have seen the insects to keep them away or where you are afraid they might appear, to keep them away. 

* Bean Beetle – repellant plants or plant teas that you can use are potatoes and thyme.  You can grow these plants in your garden or in your home.  Essential oils that you can use are garlic, peppermint and thyme.  You can put these essential oils on cotton balls and place them around you home in various places where you don’t want insects to creep in to keep them away.

I recently attended The East Coast Academy of Feng Shui’s four-day certification training program, which is a crash course on feng shui for the Western world. Feng shui is derived from the concept of yin and yang – opposites that cannot exist without one another – and the invisible force “chi” (“energy”) that affects us physically, mentally, and spiritually. The practice that dates back to ancient China acts on the idea that individuals are directly influenced by their surroundings. According to Michelle Luongo, director of the academy, attendees find that knowledge on these concepts can prove to be very revealing about one’s personal sense of serenity.

“You can immediately tell what’s going on in someone’s life as soon as you see their living spaces,” says Michelle, “The quality of their relationship, health, self-esteem, and everything else – it’s all apparent according to feng shui.”

Although there are poignant differences between the ancient Chinese practice of feng shui, which tends to be more mathematical and extensive, and its more esoteric, Western counterpart, there are some basic constants. The intent is to establish a balance between the elements fire, water, earth, metal, and wood – inviting positive chi that enhances your quality of life as a result. It’s about eliminating obstacles like clutter and whatever may manifest negative feelings or thoughts.