My Norwegian farm grandmother used to tell me that the state of my kitchen is the state of my soul. They were meticulous farmers. Tools were always cleaned and put away.  Leaving a tool laying around was understood by my mother and her siblings as a severe breach in health and safety for the family. Someone could injure themselves through this negligence. Loss of a tool can mean loss of food and shelter. Neglecting a tool shows disrespect of the tool and the work it will perform less efficiently after being rained on. Health and safety were serious concerns on the farm. You don’t wear barn boots into the house. You don’t wear house shoes into the barn. And you always wash everything very carefully. Disease is spread through ignorance of the principles of cleanliness. Disharmony occurs when tools, books, clothing, the things of life, are not cleaned and put away. If you own a cow, an ax, or a pair of shoes, those things must be attended to. They consume some time and energy and in return you are given milk, efficiency in use, and longevity of service. This user to tool relationship is two way. We give attention to the tool and it performs well for us. This is a very ancient concept in Norse tradition. Weapons, spinning wheels, farm animals, landmarks in nature were given names. Lineage of these tools and places were remembered and passed down. These principals were instilled in my mother who instilled them in me. I have even been given tools used by my grandmother and great grandmother. These things I continue to use so the relationship stays alive and I add my name to the lineage of tools.

In Relationship

The reality of relationships with our surroundings gives rise to another Nordic value to add to cleanliness and orderliness. Simplicity. The more things you have, the more attention you must pay these things. In most Scandinavian households in Minnesota you will find few things. But those things will be of highest quality, well maintained and serviceable, and full of the charm of life. There is a free flowing energy in homes like this. Not a barren and cold feeling but rather a clean and well used feeling. I found these principles alive and well in Norway this past May while visiting farms and homes. It is prevalent in Scandinavian design as well, natural materials in clean lines, easy to keep clean. Just look into any Ikea! Throughout history, humans have understood their environment as a balance between seen physical reality and the energy that holds our physical world together. In Norse tradition we personified the energy of the things and places in our lives. In the best barns lived the Nisse, the “little folk” who help keep order and energy in the barn. There are house wights or vaettir who help keep things in order in the home. These creatures must be given attention as well or they might just start messing with the energy of the place.  These days, homage is given to them by placing their likenesses around the house and gardens. Some homes have little altar areas for the good folk that are kept, yes, very clean. Some areas of the land are still honored by prayer ties in trees or offerings of crystals or other trinkets. All this is in the hope of creating good energy with balance and flow that helps us live well and do good work. As I began studying the Chinese art of Feng Shui, it became clear that my grandmother practiced perfect Feng Shui. In reading the five principals Destiny, Luck, Feng Shui, Education, and Philanthropy that create enlightenment in humans, I easily understood these things in light of my Nordic background. I will elaborate on the five principals here and correlate them to Nordic philosophy.

Five Principles

Destiny is your predisposition, genetic material, astrological chart, what we understand to be our ultimate purpose for having come to Earth. In Norse tradition this would be our oorlag as it relates to the web of wyrd. My great uncle was emphatic that each of us would find “God’s highest will and purpose in our lives.” Evaluating ourselves, determining what our best gifts are, and then aligning our daily choices to this is what creates our destiny. Flowing with our highest purpose creates the most interesting luck! Luck, the second principal, is neither good nor bad. Everyone is given a certain amount of luck. The more present and in the moment we are, the more we experience serendipity. It is our attitude and perception which determines whether our luck will be "good or bad." It makes a huge difference if we see the glass half empty or half full. They are not the same thing, though they are similar. What makes them different is the observer. Expectations create reality on the subatomic level. So if I choose to see the glass as half full, I am excited because it's almost there! Only half to go until it's completely full. If I see it as half empty, then I am depressed because half is already gone and it won't be long until the rest is gone and I am left with nothing. These perceptions will color my actions and create very different outcomes. Luck, in Norse tradition, the head of the household holds the luck for the family. As the head of my household, I know that I can generate luck for my family by keeping everyone clean, healthy, happy and full of motivation for the future. Feng Shui is the third principal and means literally wind and water. It is the awareness of the flow of energy or Chi. Chi flows like wind and water through our environment. How we arrange our internal and external environments can enhance the energy flow or block it. Our sensitivity to the subtle energy flow increases as we practice manipulating our environment. This art pertains to everything from cleaning out junk food from our internal environment to cleaning out the junk drawers in our kitchens. The practice of Tai Chi, the martial art, has assisted me greatly in my ability to detect and direct the energy of life towards harmony and balance and to my benefit and that of the community. My grandfather used to be the well finder in Polk County, Wisconsin. He would use willow sticks and divine the flow of water beneath the earth. They would dig where he told them to and would always find water. Scandinavians maintain a deep connection to nature’s energy. There are places where construction has been called off due to the area being inhabited by huldre or other land vaettir. Education is the fourth principal. Scandinavians are emphatic about education. The Norwegian immigrants set up schools and colleges in Minnesota faster and more prolifically than any other group. When my great grandfather ordered the dictionary for the schoolhouse in rural Wisconsin, he ordered a copy for the family as well. It was an amazing thing for a household to have a dictionary. It had a special place next to the family Bible and was read with reverence and care. Woe to the one who had not washed their hands! From the Ming Dynasty in China to the Age of Enlightenment in Europe, education was liberal arts oriented. Music and art, history and language, medicine and science, martial arts and nature studies were included in all superior education. The more education we have the more choices we have in the direction of our lives. The more self knowledge we seek, the less likely we are to repeat past mistakes and carry forward learned dysfunctions. Philanthropy, the fifth and final principal, means much more than corporate donors giving money to public radio. Philo means love and anthropo means humanity. It is the most important principal of all in my view because it can not be achieved by an individual unless they first love themselves. My grandmother used to read the New Testament passage "Love your neighbor as your self." It entails that we love ourselves first. In a way, the first four Feng Shui principals strive to create in each person a strong central core of self. A pledge to this that I grew up saying was from 4H, "I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service and my health to better living for my home, my club, my community, my country and my world." In the Havamal we find many passages supporting these five principals. Philanthropy is a way of applying our destiny, luck, feng shui and education to the betterment of our family, friends, neighbors, community and world. In this way, to paraphrase this Old Norse text, men die, cattle die, friends and family die, but our reputation lives forever. Incidentally, my grandmother also taught me to roll a mason jar under my feet every night to relieve the stress of the day,  Norwegian Reflexology. © 2009, Kari Tauring