Michael is an award winning architect and member of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland. He studied at the School of Architecture in University College Dublin.
He set up his own practice in 1998 based in the Slieve Bloom Mountains in the heart of Ireland, specialising in Sacred Design and Living. He is kept wonderfully busy designing beautiful homes all over the world. He teaches ‘Sacred Geometry and Coherent Emotion’ internationally, and has gained a reputation as a dynamic and playfully enthusiastic presenter.
He has travelled extensively and studied Architecture / Natural Design, Martial Arts, Science and Philosophy for over 25 years, and brings this understanding and practical experience to both his design work and his teachings. His knowledge of the Science of Creation offers deep insight into how literally the shapes of our thoughts and emotions create our worlds.
He lives with Heather, and five amazing home educated kids, currently in the midst of building their new home 'Dreamfield'.
I was born in Ireland in 1967, and moved around quite a bit due to my fathers work. My earliest memories are of packing and unpacking as well as exploring and adjusting to new houses and environs.
I recall been fascinated with art in general and house drawings in particular. My mother would often work with greaseproof paper as an overlay on the building drawings, playing with possibilities for extensions and alterations. I would sit with her and continue sketching without any confining ideologies or perceptions about what was considered ‘good design practice’.
So this early influence seemed to fuel a latent desire to work with space and form, and the seemingly constant moving, although in some ways disruptive, helped foster an independent spirit, which has to continued to serve me to this day.
In secondary school my favourite subjects were Physics, Geography and Art, and through a series of wonderful synchronicities I was offered a place in the School of Architecture in University College Dublin in 1984. It was a very exciting and intense time, offering many opportunities for growth.
It was in this year of transition that I was drawn to start studying Shotokan karate, a traditional martial art being taught at the University. Far from being just a hobby, this study evolved into a way of life and way of seeing the world that counterbalanced my architectural studies beautifully. The polarity of opposites afforded me a glimpse of the importance of maintaining balance between mind, body and spirit.
My years at the School of Architecture were far from smooth in terms of being considered a good student. I perceived the prevalent attitude to design being presented at the school as being somewhat contrived. There was much emphasis being placed on adherence to a style of architecture known as Post Modernism, which seemed to result in building designs that consisted of white forms and creating tension among them.
Each design, in order to justify its existence, needed to be supported by much architectural treatise and theory, which to me seemed for the most part incomprehensible. I found it hard to fit in to the expected mould, and even harder to resonate with the language being used.
In my martial art studies, I was encouraged to seek simplicity of form and motion, which was the way of the Tao, the way of Nature. In my experience, that same searching expressed in terms of architecture was viewed as being too simple and not sophisticated enough.
In one aspect of my life I was actively seeking to understand the Pure Principle behind perfect awareness in terms of the Mind, Body and Spirit. However, in my architectural studies there seemed to be no apparent underlying design philosophy rooted in Pure Principle.
What I perceived was a plethora of contradicting opinions, battling egos and overall design dissonance, which seemed to lack any fundamental coherence. I am eager not to present the impression that I had a wholly negative experience there. On the contrary, my years at this school greatly enhanced my desire to seek greater understanding and clarity.
After fourth year, I went to work in London for a year, desiring to take some time away from college. I was very fortunate to be invited to attend a particular Karate club, which was considered the best place to learn outside of Japan. This was a very exciting time, culminating in my attaining ‘’Shodan’ level (Black Belt) in Karate.
Another string of coincidences led to me teaching Karate in an American summer camp. I got the opportunity to travel extensively across America, hopping from one National Park to another, which was deeply affecting to say the least.
These experiences directly informed the subject matter of my final year thesis, which was a design for a summer camp for children in the Wicklow Mountains, in east Ireland.
However, my desire to keep the design basic and simple was not particularly supported or understood and I began to have doubts that I would actually pass my final examination. In the end, thanks to a good set of drawings, I graduated and was free to explore without hindrance or judgment.
I was blessed to connect again with Heather, my wonderful wife, and we were married within 9 months of graduation. We moved into a small apartment virtually next door to my first place of employment, by the seafront in south Dublin.
This first job was the perfect post-graduation experience, as I was working with a remarkable man who fully supported me on so many levels. I was free to explore different design possibilities as well as gaining valuable experience following through on site.
Things began to take a new turn when I was shown an unlikely advert, which had appeared in an evening paper. It was seeking an Architect with experience in ‘Feng Shui’ for a project, which was been developed down the country. I had heard the term in my reading around the area of oriental philosophy, but had minimal understanding of what it might involve. I knew that it referred to an ancient form of natural design, working with the energy of the land, but that was the extent of my knowledge.
My father in law was a classic renaissance man, skilled in many disciplines and very well read in a myriad of subjects. He had an extensive library, which he delved into to seek more information about Feng Shui. Most of the references he managed to uncover merely mentioned the subject in a historic context, without offering any real insight. But my interest was awakened, and the sense of adventure was building. I searched in any bookshop I went into, as I was not yet connected to the Internet, and found several books on Feng Shui.
I was intrigued with the content of these books but yet again a little frustrated at the lack of apparent deep explanation for the ‘how’ Feng Shui might work. I was far from being skeptical, but did yearn for a deeper grounding in the pure principle behind this philosophy.
I instinctively knew that if there was in fact a pure principle underlying design, then it had to be natural, not contrived. I knew it must have something to do with shape and form, and be completely in tune with cycles of time and space. The beginnings of my interest in Sacred Geometry began to make an impression. There was again precious little information available and so I was left a little directionless, yet enthused.
It would be safe to say that at this point I had no conscious awareness of any sense of personal spirituality, and had a thinly veiled contempt for people who seemed drawn in by what I considered to be New Age nonsense. Yet my souls journey of embracing my true nature was not going to be dissuaded and I guess a fresh approach was necessary.
It came in the form of a series of almost unbelievable experiences, which came our way soon after the birth of our second child.
In summer 1998, I bought a copy of a popular international magazine called ‘Feng Shui for Modern Living’, and the first page I opened had a half page advert for a ‘Feng Shui Ecology’ conference to be held over two and a half weeks in a yoga retreat centre in Massachusetts, America.
I was instantly drawn to the idea of attending. By now we had two beautiful children and as I worked from home, and we home educated them, we were understandably very close, and the idea of being away from them was painful. But when the pull of emergence begins to tug it is hard to resist.
The conference was organized by Roger Green, a remarkable man from New Zealand, who has been traveling the world for many years teaching Feng Shui. He had pulled together a very impressive list of teachers and presenters, all experts in their fields. The subjects set to be covered included Feng Shui, Sacred Geometry, Dowsing, Geomancy, Shamanism, Space Awareness and much more. It was the dream line up, and I was very excited at the prospect of attending. I left home filled with the spirit of adventure, but also very aware of the difficulty I was putting my family through by leaving.
It was on the second or third day of the conference when Roger gave his profoundly simple yet deep introduction to the pure principle behind Feng Shui, and literally within 40 minutes everything clicked into place.
He had provided the skeleton of the pure principle, which was an anchor point on which to place the groundless information that cluttered my mind. It made sense, and just like in martial art, there was a position, or stance, or viewpoint from which everything else made reference to. I was getting a glimpse of the infinite connectivity and complex interrelationships that existed between one thing and another.
This expansion of perception in terms of appreciation of space and form was mirrored in so many other aspects of my consciousness. I came back full of fresh thoughts and feelings. And utterly ungrounded!
I committed myself to learning more, and over the next few years went on to attend many seminars and study trips with Roger from Amsterdam to Tibet to Australia. My interest became more focused and I delved deeper into the world of ‘Sacred Geometry’. I was deeply inspired by the pioneering work of Dan Winter.
His work continued to be an ocean of information and inspiration and as I swam further out of my depth my enthusiasm and desire to learn more was been fueled logarithmically. I was, as ever, reluctant to accept all of this new/old knowledge as fact without exploring the pure principle behind it. A part of me was insisting that I learn yet again the ‘why’ of all this knowledge. I was very aware that it would serve nobody if I began to make design decisions for people’s homes and businesses based on something I could not explain.
Ultimately, I reasoned that if this information was truly based on pure principle, then it should not be hard to understand. In truth it should be teachable to a child, or with some more effort, to an adult.
In response to this internal ‘request’ I began receiving an increasing number of opportunities to teach this information, mostly in the United States. They say that one teaches what one most wishes to learn, and indeed as I continue to teach this information, and receive the insightful questions from the audience, my knowledge deepens and my understanding becomes a little more inclusive.
I am thankfully aware of the limitations of my knowledge, but continue to make myself available to learn.
I was very lucky to have continuous opportunity to develop and explore this new old learning in my architectural work. This meant that my understanding of the information directly informed the designs and effectively grounding them with the opportunity for direct feedback from everyone involved. I found myself being drawn to and using underlying grid matrices forming the generative geometric form or shape of the buildings.
Since going out on my own in 1998, without advertising, business cards or even a phone listing I have been as busy as I could wish for. Each job that came in was another opportunity to explore and let go of pre conceptions and design prejudice.
The last few years have seen this approach develop in ways I could not have imagined. As I continue to let go of ego based ideas and illusions of expertise, the design concepts literally download into my awareness. I start getting geometric and finished building images as soon as the clients contact me, and sometimes even before I first hear from them.
I invite the clients to allow an image to bubble up from their subconscious, and to try not to interpret of package whatever image emerges. This image or images will directly inform the design shape and the eventual building.
As nature uses shape to hold charge or life force, it makes complete sense to use nature’s shapes and proportions for the shape of our spaces and buildings.
So my design approach is one of surrender, trust and gratitude. It is literally a case of stepping out of the way, and being of service to manifest the shape of the dream, and being grateful for the opportunity.
Quite often this dream is not in the form of what the clients had in mind but rather in the shape of what they ‘need’. It would be the height of arrogance to imagine that I, as architect, would know what the client, the land, the builders, the neighbours, or whoever’s ‘need’ in terms of conscious judgment and design projection. As the Rolling Stones song says…’oh, you don’t always get what you want, but if you try real hard. you will find that you get what you need’.
By releasing assumptions of knowledge or wisdom, and by clearing myself of attachments to being viewed by people as having any particular skill or expertise, I become a more useful vehicle for Creation.
My reference to creation here should not be interpreted in any quasi-religious context. I refer to the perfect unfolding of consciousness that we are all experiencing, whether we are aware or not of this reality. I make a point of telling my clients that the least reason we have entered each other’s lives is to merely design a space together.
In truth, as long as we are coming from personality, we cannot know what part or role we are playing in this immense drama. All we can do is to continue to raise our own awareness and essence, and continue to make our selves available in each moment. Our potential greatly exceeds the limitations we impose on each other and ourselves, and we are all here to help each other reach our full potential.
In terms of architecture and design of space, I believe that by creating spaces that are based on the pure principles of natural design we provide a sacred environment that can nurture our bodies, minds and spirits. We can literally design to raise the vibration of the inhabitants. We can use our quantum consciousness to create the space, and to clear it of any stresses that do not serve life.
The choice of building materials, whilst an important element in any harmonious design takes second place to the shape of the spaces that makes up the building. Each element contributes to the whole, but if the shape alone does not have the ability to fractally attract and self organize electrical charge, then the shapes ability to hold charge density, or life force is greatly reduced. In my opinion there is an over emphasis on this aspect of building procurement especially within the political context of green and environmentally sensitive design. In most modern architectural instances, not only is the opportunity lost but the design itself can actually be fractionating or breaking up the charge density, making the space less supportive of life.
The Mind forms the basis of our entire reality, and is also the worlds greatest pollutant. A change of mind is required, not a change of matter or material.
I am eager not to confuse people with the use of language that may be unfamiliar to them. However, in order for information to be truly sharable, and with consideration of the fact that all our institutions are based on a limited perception of reality, I believe it is important to use the language of rigour expressed in scientific circles. It has been and will continue to be useful to be able to describe the concepts and phenomena of sacred geometry in solid scientific terms. It is only then that this information can become cross platform and extend naturally to all areas of expression and understanding.
Conversely, understanding of these scientific terms is not required in order to appreciate and create sacred space. That is our natural inclination and emerges when we let go of limited and unhelpful perceptions and belief systems.
There are countless examples of ancient buildings, temples and entire cities built with full conscious understanding and alignment with natural principles of harmonic design. I imagine that the architects, designers and craftsmen / builders all effortlessly embedded these natural principles without the need for complex scientific language.
Questing for beauty and perfection of form is our birthright and it is a case or rediscovering and remembering this information rather than trying to reinvent it. It is not possible to reinvent pure principle, but it can be necessary to use new and more appropriate language to describe it.
To date, the mind body construct calling itself Michael Rice may have been marginally useful in terms of generating some enthusiasm and a little understanding of natural design, but I am also aware that all is unfolding with perfection. Folk will build and create a life that is a perfect reflection of who they are. Therein lies the fun.
In essence, we are nothing more or nothing less than Oneness / Aliveness exploring what is possible. I know that we do not exist as separate individuals. Rather we are perfectly immaculate bio / mind constructs with emergent thoughts and resulting actions. We hold the illusion of free will, choice and destiny with great style and fervour, but in truth this is all there is. Perfect brilliant stillness, creating the illusion of separation – generating a world of apparent choice and conscious design. This is the playground in which life plays and is seen by no one to evolve!
“Since first being introduced to Michael Rice’s work by physicist Dan Winter, I have been enthralled with his approach to design, as an architect, and approach to life as a human. Michael’s passion for design and capability to spontaneously sketch out a new wing to a house, or a different layout for a bedroom, have been consistently impressive. In every interaction I have observed between Mike and his clients, contractors and builders there has been a lightheartedness that seems almost out of place in the architectural arena and a borderline mischievous humor in the way he conveys new ideas to his colleagues.
I had the pleasure of joining Michael in Cairo to envision how Biologic Architecture concepts could be applied to a school setting. What transpired in less than 3 days was a flurry of creativity, brainstorming with the clients, who quickly became friends, and adventuring through the pyramids, deserts and marketplaces of Cairo. In between camel rides and Turkish coffees I saw the essence of Michael’s creative genius; To not be attached to any specific outcome, yet always willing to work towards the one that seems most appealing at any given time.
Michael Rice’s designs, attention to the environment and holistic approach to creating enclosed spaces are a breath of fresh air to be enjoyed time and time again.”
Managing Director, Renewable Fuels & Technology Group
WestCap Securities, Inc.
I am but a dream character within a dream... Within the dream many energetic events arise... From splashes to crashes... Feelings to thoughts... Births to deaths... All apparently real with direction, meaning and evolution...
All is just happening, with a playful inevitability... As waves meet and greet, ascend and descend... One of these wave phenomena is the human mind... And one repeating pattern therein is a thought that is given huge energy and therefore has taken on the illusion that it is primary... Powerful... Meaningful and directional... This thought is a thought that contains an idea that it represents a separate identity... And unique individual.... A soul that is on some journey to remembrance and reconnection... Because it believes it is separate it cannot help but create relativity and meaning... And establishes boundary conditions called accepted believes and notions of right and wrong.... And of course levels of spiritual attainment and achievement... Seeking and attaining... Deep yearning to re-member... To become an enlightened individual... To survive death etc...
Pure presence is outpouring... Being without anything being... Awareness without anyone being aware... All just happening... Oneness playing a cosmic joke on itself... And the playground is the dreamworld we call 'reality'...
We have no power , no choice, no free will... But that persistent thought of 'I am' keeps us imagining we do... We are so in love with the searching and seeking... That the idea that there is no one home sounds so counter intuitive and actually ridiculous... as to be resisted vehemently... The mind, the ego presence, will say and do anything to justify its existence... Including imagining that the mind body construct called Michael is seriously deluded!...
Being deluded, skeptical, humoured, understanding, seeking, spiritual, nihilistic etc etc is also just oneness exploring life options passively and without agenda...
Designing a so called sacred space or writing a book on spiritual development and societal paradigm shifts is absolutely perfect... As it too is just happening... Believing it has meaning is also perfect...
Believing is hasn't any inherent meaning is also perfect!... As that too is apparently just happening...
Right now the mind body construct calling itself michael is still an apparent individual... with an added dimension that a fresh thought arises occasionally that it doesn't actually exist as a separate individual... The mind body gig is not liberation... It is just a mental construct...
Liberation / the dropping of self may arise... But not because of anything apparently being done by the dream character...
The illusion of choice is SO seductive and comfortable... And so conditioned to believing its own propaganda... That it is hard to imagine a different way of being... But thats the paradox!... The mind cannot imagine something so vast, so infinite, so non existent... So whole, so immaculate, so beyond comprehension... So it decides to create a parody....much more sustainable...
So I (ha ha) know that what I do, in terms of inspired spaces, and coherence blah blah, is apparently useful, beautiful and meaningful... And that perception is also just arising within the dream... So its all perfect... No matter what happens... Apparent change happens when a collective of apparent separate individuals meet and share... There is energetic shifting and software upgrades... The egoic mind loves these gigs as it get to 'own' the experience...
Imaging it is in the driving seat... deciding to attend, to witness, to accept, to shift, let go, learn, grow and evolve... all of which is happening anyway... Inevitably as rain falling and puddles splashing...
Our body mind mechanisms are like flutes... With life blowing through , creating the songs of our lives... We are not blowing... We never were... And never will... But apparently oneness reckoned it would be a good laugh to witness a life form emerge in the totality of being which was conditioned to imagine itself as being in a driving seat... It smiles... Without agenda or assumptions... With limits only as set up within the dream... And every now and then, an energetic shift occurs... With beauteous inevitability... With no preconditions, where the sense of separation drops away,... And what is... Is seen... But not by anyone...
The design process... Is just an expression within the dream... Made more meaningful by the minds of dream seekers... Who are very busy 'reconnecting' to the Source, the Mother, their Soul Purpose... Never stopping to acknowledge the possibility that there is no one there that needs healing, need reconnecting etc... A letting go is what is needed, but of course nobody to let go!...
Beautiful unfolding... Perfect stillness... Outpouring... Play!!
