Forget "there's no place like home." Sometimes, a place is no home.

Or at least "home" in the sense of an environment that feels right, that enhances our lives, and even helps us succeed.

That's the thinking behind "House to Home," an event on March 26 that explores how where we live affects our moods, how we work, and our relationships. More to the point, it purports to tell us how to live in harmony with our hallways and hide-a-beds.

And if you're wondering when the words "feng shui" come into play, the answer is right now. The event, at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, is being presented in conjunction with the Wind & Water School of Feng Shui, a Minneapolis school that trains students in the theories of Black Sect Tantric Buddhist Feng Shui. Founder Carole Hyder is among those speaking at the event.

So what does it mean when our houses works against us? Here are a couple of stories provided by Hyder:

A client who'd recovered from a serious illness wanted to write a book about her life, but couldn't find the inspiration. Her breakthrough came when she moved her writing desk out of her home office and into her bedroom, which she found a more creative environment.

In an effort to become more independent, a client slowly began removing all the furniture that she didn't like or had been given to her, and replacing it with items of her own choosing. As her home began to look more like "her," she gained the confidence to ask for, and get, a promotion at work.

Normandale is hosting the event through its Integrative Health Education Center, one of the largest centers of its kind in the country. Director Sunny Ainley said the event is designed to help participants understand how beauty and balance increase potential for emotional and physical health, how creativity and collaboration enhance joy, harmony and satisfaction, and how money and meaning clarify direction and focus.

And, for those who crinkle their noses at the New Age whiff of such an event, promoters note some very pragmatic reasons to look carefully around the four walls in which we live, eat and sleep:

If you've given up trying to sell your home in this economy, why not focus instead on enhancing it for the foreseeable future?

When times are tight, we spend more time at home, even in lieu of going on vacation. We should enjoy our homes.

Boomers averse to the idea of ever needing an assisted care facility want to make their existing homes serve them through the next period of their lives.

Energy costs are driving many homeowners to go green, but they need help making it happen.

The event is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 26. Cost is $59, although participants registering by March 22 pay $49. To register, or learn more, visit the Normandale Community College website at http://normandale.augusoft.net or call 952-487-8343.