I find that through all my work, I really get to see and feel

“I find that through all my work, I really get to see and feel energy, health, and vitality between people and their surroundings and how they interact with each other.” Thus spoke Alexandra Stoddard, an artist of living and philosopher of beauty, whose wisdom reminds us that the harmony of life flows not only within the body, but between the soul and its world. In these words, she reveals a truth that the ancients knew well — that energy is the invisible thread weaving through all things, and that our health, our vitality, even our joy, arise from how we live in relationship with our surroundings.

In the days of old, the sages taught that the universe is one vast organism, that the breath of the divine moves through earth, air, and living being alike. The Greeks called it pneuma, the life-force. The Chinese named it qi, the flow of energy that unites heaven and humanity. And even the mystics of the West spoke of the harmony between man and nature, between home and spirit. Alexandra Stoddard, in her modern wisdom, speaks in this same lineage. Through her art, her design, her way of seeing, she perceives how a space can nourish or diminish the soul — how colors, light, order, and texture become not mere decorations, but conduits for well-being. For when our surroundings are in harmony, the spirit itself begins to heal.

She reminds us that energy is not confined to science or philosophy; it is the living essence of connection. When she speaks of feeling “energy, health, and vitality between people and their surroundings,” she reveals that we are not separate from the world we inhabit. The way sunlight enters a room, the scent of flowers by an open window, the sound of laughter echoing through a home — all these are forms of energy that affect the body and the mind. A space filled with warmth and beauty nourishes us, while one filled with neglect or chaos drains the spirit. Thus, to live well is not only to care for oneself, but to create an environment where life itself can breathe freely.

Consider the ancient builders of Japanese tea houses, who designed their dwellings not for grandeur but for serenity. Each space was arranged with intention: a low doorway to humble the guest, tatami mats to soften the step, a garden path of uneven stones to slow the pace of walking. In this way, architecture became a meditation. The host and the guest, the room and the landscape, existed in perfect balance. Alexandra Stoddard’s words echo this same philosophy — that the interaction between people and their surroundings is not passive but sacred. When we design or inhabit a space with awareness, we shape not only matter, but the invisible energy of life itself.

There is also a moral lesson hidden within her insight. For when we neglect our surroundings, we neglect a part of our own soul. A cluttered room mirrors a cluttered heart; a dim light can extinguish enthusiasm; a neglected garden reflects an untended spirit. But when we honor our space — when we bring order, color, and grace to it — we restore harmony within ourselves. Thus, energy and health are not external gifts; they are cultivated through attention, care, and love. The ancients called this practice ethos, the shaping of character through habit. Stoddard calls it living beautifully, a philosophy that sees the arrangement of one’s environment as an act of reverence toward life.

This principle extends beyond the home. When communities nurture their surroundings — when cities plant trees, preserve gardens, and design spaces for gathering — the very vitality of the people grows. Studies in our own age confirm what the sages always knew: that beauty heals, nature renews, and connection sustains. A child who grows among light and color learns hope; an elder who walks in green spaces finds peace. Thus, our surroundings are not mere backdrop, but partner in the dance of human flourishing.

The lesson, then, is clear: attend to the energy that surrounds you. Do not live as if your environment is dead matter, for it is alive with influence. Choose spaces, colors, and forms that uplift your soul. Bring beauty where there is neglect, order where there is confusion, light where there is shadow. And remember that every gesture of care — a swept floor, a tended plant, a kindly word — restores not only the world around you but the world within you.

So remember the words of Alexandra Stoddard, and let them become your guide: “I really get to see and feel energy, health, and vitality between people and their surroundings.” To live with awareness of this sacred connection is to live as the ancients did — in reverence, in harmony, in gratitude. Build your life as a temple, and fill it with light. For when the space around you glows with beauty, your own spirit will rise to meet it — radiant, strong, and whole.