WAIMEA — In India thousands of years ago, temples and houses were often constructed using specific building codes written in texts called Vaastu Shastras. Comprised of strict rules governing mathematics, proportion and geometry, the ancient Indian architecture acted as a guideline to design homes that enhanced positive energy.
In modern times, Vaastu has also been used to design structures of importance in Hawaii. Famous Indian architect and sculptor Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati designed Kauai’s Hindu Monastery based on Vaastu principles. Within the lush grounds of the monastery lies the Iraivan Temple, which is made of granite stones carved from Bangalore, India. This temple has become a pilgrimage destination and a place of spiritual uplifting.
On the Big Island, a private residential structure currently under construction in Waimea was designed based on Vaastu principles.
The knowledge of how to design and build a structure that would vibrate in such a way as to elevate the very soul of a person has been kept secret for thousands of years. Unlike the architecture of today, which focuses on what the structure looks like, Vaastu architecture focuses on the subtle unseen energies of space itself.
It is this “Vaastu effect” on the dweller than can have many benefits such as nourishing the mind, promoting greater awareness, improving physical health, increasing financial wealth and influencing a happier and more spiritually enlightened life.
“Vaastu structures can be viewed as living entities; they have a sense of spaciousness, light and air that allows the building to breathe,” said Jen Jones, an architect and Vaastu consultant who resides in Waimea. “They are a combination of the five subtle elements of space, air, water, fire and earth, as well as the four directions — north, south, east and west. Just like us, houses need to be free of blockages and designed for energies to flow freely. The buildup of energy in a Vaastu home can be felt and experienced as a very subtle feeling of contentment, joy or bliss.”
Vaastu pre-dates feng shui and its codes were used to design places such as Angor Wat in Cambodia, Machu Picchu in Peru and Chidambaram Temple in India.
“Vaastu is very specific when it comes to the land selection. Not all land is suitable for a Vaastu structure,“ Jones said, who received her Vaastu training at the American University of Mayonic Science and Technology, founded by Dr. V Ganapati Sthapati and Dr. Jessie Mercay. “The land must already have a certain resonance, be flat or primarily slope down in a north or eastern direction to be considered. All Vaastu structures receive their energy from being placed on the cardinal directions while allowing for a slight defection. Most importantly, Vaastu structures are carefully designed with a precise mathematical formula that has been handed down through the lineage. It is a formula that governs the building mathematics to within 1/16” and specifies the proportion of room sizes.”
Room functions are specifically placed according to the elements and directions in which they reside. Vaastu science is being discovered as an ancient key to making architectural space sacred, bringing beneficial new qualities to buildings which can bring unexpected benefits to their occupants.
