How to say "hello" to a building
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 10:12 am
I accepted the responsibility for finding a hall for our union, since I'm going to be the live-in caretaker. I looked at a lot of different places, but the instant I got a piece of e-mail about the place we ended up getting I knew it would be ours. I'd looked at dozens of places, but I knew instantly that there was something special about this one. I knew even before I saw it that this would be the one, and when I stepped inside the first time, I got a feeling of incredible rightness.
The second floor of the building has residential units which are occupied, but the main floor and basement have been abandoned for the last 7 or 8 years. The basement is huge and rambling, filled with old machinery and such. It's where I'll be living. Even though the basement is damp, spidery, unfinished, and full of shadows, it doesn't feel scary or threatening at all. It feels... welcoming. A week ago, a native friend of mine in the union quietly asked me what sex the place feels like. The weird thing is, it should have felt like a strange question, but it didn't. I answered "female" without any hesitation and he agreed, having felt the same thing himself. It just feels feminine. We're currently renovating the space and getting it ready for occupancy. I'll be moving in at the end of July.
My question is, what sort of ritual should we do to formally introduce ourselves to the space? My native friend knows some elders who could do a smudging ceremony, but the place doesn't need cleansing. I don't want to insult a space which appears to have been waiting a long time for us, and has made us feel welcome and safe. I'd like to say "hello" with something formal, and sanctifying or cleansing rituals seem to me to be rather offensive. Any suggestions?
The second floor of the building has residential units which are occupied, but the main floor and basement have been abandoned for the last 7 or 8 years. The basement is huge and rambling, filled with old machinery and such. It's where I'll be living. Even though the basement is damp, spidery, unfinished, and full of shadows, it doesn't feel scary or threatening at all. It feels... welcoming. A week ago, a native friend of mine in the union quietly asked me what sex the place feels like. The weird thing is, it should have felt like a strange question, but it didn't. I answered "female" without any hesitation and he agreed, having felt the same thing himself. It just feels feminine. We're currently renovating the space and getting it ready for occupancy. I'll be moving in at the end of July.
My question is, what sort of ritual should we do to formally introduce ourselves to the space? My native friend knows some elders who could do a smudging ceremony, but the place doesn't need cleansing. I don't want to insult a space which appears to have been waiting a long time for us, and has made us feel welcome and safe. I'd like to say "hello" with something formal, and sanctifying or cleansing rituals seem to me to be rather offensive. Any suggestions?
