Ever notice how some houses take on a mythic character in a neighborhood? Especially as children, we characterize houses—and often the people who live in them—as creepy, foreboding, magical or just plain different. These observations, readily recognized by children—which include an element of the community agreement– are apparent at an energy level, too.

As houses change hands, often their role in the community will remain the same. In this way, people tend to choose to live in houses whose function in the community matches the people’s concept of their own role in the neighborhood. Because of this law of attraction between the role of the house, and the type of people who feel comfortable in it, oftentimes houses will attract people who are amazingly similar to the ones who just left. Interestingly, though, sometimes the match between the energy of the house and its new owners is at a different level and not immediately obvious.

Consider an older Boulder neighborhood full of quiet, brick houses and mature trees. While I was reading the energy of one of these homes, I continued to see images from World War II, full of Nazi-style zeal and control. I confirmed that the original owners of this house had arrived from Germany. This house contained bottles of liqueur in the walls, and other hidden treasures in the attic. It was a house out of another time and place. Because of its strong, commanding character, set by the initial owners, this house assumed the role of overseer in the neighborhood. It held a level of scrutiny that acted to maintain a strict code of conduct within the neighborhood.

The current owners of the house had recently moved in, and were in the process of remodeling the house—in more ways than one. I saw the current owners’ energies flooding out to the neighborhood in an attempt to encourage camaraderie and team spirit—as well as a willingness to lead by example in lending a helping hand. The new owners of the house clearly value a strong community bond, based on supporting one another through all of the experiences of life.

So where is the match? This family, too, has strong values and ideals, a sense of working together for the greater good, a little perfectionism, and strong leadership skills. Only a strong family could have taken on the challenge of living in this house, especially considering its role in the neighborhood. This house has maintained its position of setting the tone of the local community. However, with the new owners, that tone has changed. The scrutiny that once dominated the subdivision has been replaced by a vision of neighbors who are willing to uplift one another in their community interactions.

It may be fun to notice the energy of the houses in your neighborhood. Are any of them scary, or fun, or eccentric? How do you and your abode fit into the neighborhood schema?

In what ways are you setting the tone in your community?

Written by Heidi Szycher, a staff member at the Boulder Psychic Institute. Check out her personal site at healings.biz.