Geoff and Alice commenced their Maharishi Vastu Consultation in 2007. Then in 2012 the time was right to move forward to buy land and build as they explain in the following article.
Geoff and Alice have been innovative in creating a very inviting and attractive home on a limited budget. Although a small home the roof design and the two open patios on the East and North allow for outside living in the wonderful Maleny climate. An enclosed patio on the West and car port accessible from the East front entrance give size and balance to the house.
There is a master bedroom with ensuite, kitchen/meals area, lounge/sitting rooms, a small study, laundry and delightful meditation room. The total enclosed house space is 107 m² and the carport plus 3 patios are 42 m² compared to the lot size of a 855 m². Even though the house was ready to occupy in mid-2014 the owners are enthusiastically continuing with their internal decorating and the large job of landscaping the Eastern sloping lot.
The following article written by the owners is inspirational and we hope it will provide the encouragement and confidence to others that it is possible to build a comfortable Vastu home with limited resources.
“We thought we were preparing this house for us to live in, but in hindsight it seemed like Natural Law was preparing us for living in this house.
Maharishi has been so strong on the value of living in Vastu, yet it was the one pillar of knowledge we had not yet implemented. To achieve it we needed all the planets to line up.
For months we had been looking for Vastu land in coastal northern NSW with little success, when unexpectedly Wendy Rosenfeldt from Maleny, told us that the block next door to her Vastu home, which also had excellent Vastu, had just dropped in price. Within half an hour of us contacting the agent, we had bought it. Our first thought was, “what have we done?”
Once having committed to Maharishi Sthapatya Veda things happened quickly and easily.
Against all odds we secured a low interest loan, and we got the builder we were chasing thanks to an unexpected cancellation. Also I was able to keep my source of income despite moving 200kms away from my clients.
There was, however, one small Vastu concern with the land and that was the tall trees on the property behind us, within falling distance of our house. “Fortunately” a branch dropped on our neighbour’s cubby house which prompted the land owner behind to clear the trees back to a safe distance. In addition to removing the Vastu concern we ended up with an abundant supply of mulch and logs for our landscaping.
It wasn’t all roses though, more like a roller coaster ride. The challenge of building a Vastu home, one which satisfied our personal desires, but on a very tight budget, saw our moods swing between impossible one day to inevitable the next. At times the budget blew out but at other times money would come from unexpected sources, something that doesn’t normally happen to us.
We have been living in our Vastu home now for 18 months, and we often find ourselves spontaneously expressing how we love the house and feel blessed to be living here. Our experience in program has stepped up a notch, and we often feel more light and blissful in activity. Staying in good routine has become easier, and nature support is more frequent and obvious.
So why Maleny?
It’s definitely happening here, our community is growing. We have two new permanent Sidhas join us in the past 12 months. Also a couple from South Australia have bought Vastu land here and yet another couple from New Zealand putting in offers on Vastu land.
Compared to the city suburbs good size blocks here are very affordable – you are never more than 3 minutes from other Sidhas, and nature walks connect most houses to the town centre.
With a population of about 4000, Maleny is probably the most livable hinterland town in Queensland. It is about 425 m above sea level with views to the ocean and Glasshouse mountains. It has botanical gardens, rainforest walks and rockpools all within 5 minutes drive. Thirty five minutes away are the 6 beautiful ocean beaches and foreshore boardwalks that surround Caloundra and Sunshine Coast.
As I write this, I am looking over the impressive showgrounds, sportsfields, and equestrian centre. They include skatebowls, gymnasium, arts and crafts centre and 4 excellent tennis courts with an “honesty box”. Maleny also has its own 9 hole golf course financed by the locals.
Maleny dairy products are revered in Queensland and we have the best icecream shop in the state with a wall full of awards to prove it. One of the things we like most, is being able to buy fresh vegetables from Jim the local organic farmer at half city prices. Also Bill Scally, well known Sidha and TM movement chef, puts on an ayurvedic lunch for one and all every Friday at the Community Centre.
The Maleny atmosphere is soft and relaxed, the locals, an eclectic mix of artists, professionals, farmers, hippies, tourists and tree changers are all very community and environmentally conscious. The town has the largest film society and number of co-ops of anywhere in Australia.
There is only one problem with the area however – you have to get used to smiling, waving, and saying hello to everyone, but you get used to that 😉
A few words about Mike Lyons, Maharishi Sthapatya Veda Consultant:
His mission statement is to get as many people as possible into Vastu and making the process as smooth as possible. We found him true to these words. Very supportive, readily available and generous with his time and advice. When we became caught up in the details, he would bring us back to the big picture. Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to you Mike.
