As more people seek meaning in new spiritual practice or renew their committments to traditional religions, they are creating homes that reflect and enance the spiritual aspects of their lives. This volume presents Buddhist meditation rooms alongside personal shrines to Catholic saints, altars to Santeria deities, lavishly decorated Sabbath tables, private temples to creativity, memorials to friends and family members, and offerings to Hindu Gods. Laura Cerwinske's text and Matthew Fuller's photographs explain the content of the home sanctuary and describe specific interpretations and applications of spiritual style.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
In the modern world, style devours everything, even the spirit. In this peculiar combination of interior-design picture book and spiritual primer, author Cerwinske (In the Romantic Style, 1990) shows the reader how to transform that drab extra room into a Hindu shrine--or perhaps a goddess temple, or maybe a bedroom evoking the spirit of Aphrodite. Wherever your spiritual yearnings take you, traditional or New Age, there's wallpaper to match. Once one overcomes a certain revulsion at the trivialization implied by the phrase spiritual style, it is possible to appreciate this collection of photographs and accompanying text for what it really is: a rather nice interior-design book that happens to employ art and artifacts that possess an often vague religious connotation. (Less spiritual readers will be surprised to note that an artful arrangement of family photos classifies as an ancestral shrine.) Interior design lives on trendiness, and spiritual matters have certainly become trendy. This book is the inevitable result, and as such, it is sure to attract curious browsers. Ilene Cooper
Review
Suggestions for transforming one's house into a haven fill "In a Spiritual Style," which shows that art, objects, and decorative touches ("meditative light, exalted imagery, soothing color or reflective finishes") can not only make your place look good, but make you feel good in it. -- Phoenix Arizona Republic, Steve Rabey, 5 December 1998
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inner peace in your home,
By
This review is from: In a Spiritual Style: The Home as Sanctuary (Paperback)
As you browse throught this book you will feel inspired in many ways; you will be inspired spiritually of course but also at looking at the world in a different way. In this book the differences between religions are erased, the belief in ancient dieties mesh with contemporary reflections of Jesus, Buddah, Hindu Shiva and Shakti figures, African fetish figures or sculptures are intermingled with Burmese textiles and Mexican altars , complete with crosses adorned with milagros are juxtaposed on other pages with devil wood carvings and images of death in the form of calaveras (skeletons). There is even a section on Santeria altars where the text explains the origins of the religion as coming with the slaves from Yoruba to Cuba and spreading throughout the Caribbean. The book is organized with a text and accompanying pictures of the history of sacred design and the meaning of santuary. If you look at the table of contents you will see that the author explores gardens, rooms and shrines, altars , art and artifacts. The text is less than spellbinding but the pictures are magnificent. The author takes you into several artists homes and naturally they are some of the most spectacular. If you are into wood work from New Mexico than you are in for a real treat. There is nearly a two page spread of renowned santero Ramon Jose Lopez bedroom that shows his "chapel" where he sleeps. The bed has six panels, featuring various saints, a room divider with more hand carved panels of saints, many styles of crosses, including an altar made of wood in form of a pyramid where each level is lit by candle light and colorful retablos. It is a sight to behold and helps explain the inspired beautiful work by Lopez. In general this is a book that opens up the possibilities for creativiy to flow and create your own santuary. Having a mini altar myself that continues to grow and having seen some impressive homes where sacred places exist , this book helps to borrow ideas from or develop some new ideas. The gardens featured range from simple, rustic places to elaborate arts of work complete with sculptural panels and life sized sculptures looking as though they are dancing in the garden in their inanimate state. The colorful pictures seem to reveal something new each time you look at the book, it as though the spirits reveal themselves when the time is right. A fine book for browsing after taking a break from the task at hand, this book will inspire you and elevate your senses as you look to the heavens and give thanks for all the beauty around you.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Done borrowing from the library, time to purchase.....,
By A Customer
This review is from: In a Spiritual Style: The Home as Sanctuary (Paperback)
I found this book inspiring. Many different icons and symbolizations are represented from various sects of religion so I believe it has broad appeal. I witnessed glorious worlds beyond my own which to me is the very essence of opening a book in the first place. The photographs are lovely and each time through I have noticed something different in detail from the time before. Serenity flows from the pages. We were inspired by another book, Holy Personal by Laura Chester, and built a 10' x 12' meditation room in our back garden. In A Spiritual Style has only affirmed our desire to transform our interior living spaces into sacred, meaningful places of comfort and self-expression for our family as well.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Sacred Book for the Home,
By W. H. McDonald Jr. "The American Author Assoc... (Elk Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: In a Spiritual Style: The Home as Sanctuary (Paperback)
An inspirational book that can help make your home a more peaceful place to live, work, and meditate in. I enjoyed looking at the photos and reading the text. I would ceretainly recommend buying a copy.
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