Where Energy Flows

I usually try to be as green as possible. I recycle, re-use, reduce, compost, and buy chemical free and organic products as much as I can.

There are quite a few parts of my life when I am not as green as I could be though. For instance:
• I use Charmin toilet paper. It is not recycled, it is chemically treated, it is not good for the environment in any way…but it’s good for me. The recycled toilet paper, that I have come across, is very scratchy.
• I shop at Old Navy and Target. I know these clothes are not made from organic cotton, and synthetic dyes are probably used too. But, the clothes are adorable and affordable.
• I drive, and kind of like, my car. Now, I did buy carbon credits for the use of my car for one year, and I think it was less than $60, but I know I should walk and bike more.
• I use chemical laden spider killer sometimes. I am getting better at letting the little spiders live and hang out it corners, but once they get big and scary – they die if I see them in the house.
• I’m a sucker for a nice Porterhouse steak – medium – with mashed potatoes and Caesar salad - mmm. I should be vegetarian or vegan, or at least buy grass fed beef. But, I can’t find it anywhere – and those mail order places are too expensive.
• I use bleach on occasion to clean my sink. It is the only thing I can find that really gets rid of the coffee and tea stains on the stainless sink.
• I still get paper magazines. I know that it would be greener of me to read everything online, saving trees. Yet, there is something so nice about being outside, or away from the computer screen for a while, and leisurely reading a nice magazine.
• I am unwilling to invest $35,000 in a solar roof to save $25 a month on electricity.

So, what does this say about me? It means I’m not getting as many green leaves on Facebook as I might want, and I know I should be better in certain areas. Or maybe it means, I do what I can. Maybe it means, who I am is enough.

This is a tricky subject, because I don’t want to encourage you to throw everything away and not worry about the environment. I want you to do what you can – to try – but to be comfortable with the changes and find your own balance.

I have some slight obsessive tendencies in my personality – and so do all the other women in my family. When I first discovered Feng Shui, I took my book and made all the suggestions it said in every part of my house, and then waited for things to change. When I first discovered Green Cleaning, I was a regular mad scientist with my funnels and mixers and vinegars. This is who I am – I really get into things. Can you relate?

I am really okay with some of my non-green ways…even though I truly believe in living as lightly and sustainable as possible. This time, I am working on being less obsessive and more me. And, I’m starting to kind of like this me - the recycling, green cleaning, composting, spider killing, porterhouse eating, soft toilet paper loving Feng Shui lady!

What are your green habits and secret non-green indulgences? Let’s share!

You never know when there is a new brand of soft, recycled toilet paper that isn’t toooo expensive.

© Elise Rebmann, 2008. All rights reserved.

It is human nature to want logical proof that something works.  It is also human nature to procrastinate. And, as human beings, one of our best qualities is that we are exceedingly quick to adapt.  These traits can often become the challenges we face when it comes to implementing feng shui cures and enhancements…  We put things off.  We hope the problem will resolve itself.  We doubt and we question. Is this really going to work?  Will it be worth the trouble?  Will it be worth the expense?  Will I really see any big results?  Even as a feng shui consultant, I find myself with these kinds of nattering questions.

Take today.  I really need a new office chair.  The ergonomics of the small, metal dining room chair I have been using just don’t cut it anymore.  For one thing, the chair has no lumbar support.  It has no arms. And, it is too short.  My back hurts.  So does my shoulder and neck.  I know these physical discomforts are a result of many hours spent working in this chair.  And yet I find myself entertaining thoughts like “C’mon, will a new chair really make that much of a difference to my life?”

Of course, my consultant-self knows the answer is “yes”.  Absolutely. 

But, there is the lazy side of me I need to wrestle with; that part of me that would rather ignore the problem and hope it goes away.  I know I will have to spend a half a day, take the bus across town (we don’t own a car here in Thailand), shop for chairs, lay out the cash and then figure out how to get it home.  I talk myself into how it is just easier, cheaper and more convenient to stay here at home and try different sitting positions.  Pillows.  Even ibuprofen.

Eventually I know that my consultant-self will win out.  I will consider how a better chair will help me be more productive.  I will perhaps view it as a symbol of abundance and success.  I know I will feel more supported.  And, certainly more comfortable.  Soon enough, I will be motivated by the part of me that knows good feng shui and good ergonomics do indeed make life better!

In the mean time, I think I’ll try a bigger pillow.

© Deb Swingholm, 2008.   All Rights Reserved.

I have the lyrics from the Beatles song Let It Be running through my head, “in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.” It is a song that keeps repeating over and over in my head. So, I take time to contemplate its meaning. I find that it is to write about how we can be calm and peaceful during times of trouble.

I recently wrote two articles for Where Energy Flows regarding the financial recession and what we can do to be positive during this time. Just the word recession has such low vibrational energy attached to it that we can feel our energy fall when we say or read the word.  I would like to try to bring up our energies through this blog article.

Interior Alignment™ taught me so many wonderful life lessons and also validated my conscious steps on my soul journey. One of these gems and validations is about meditation. As practitioners we are taught how to assist a client by using Synchro Alignment which is a form of guided meditation. As a teacher, I teach Interior Alignment™ practitioners how to use Synchro Alignment with their clients. Synchro Alignment has taught me how to be calm and peace during “times of trouble”. How we can bring those divine parts of ourselves all to one place and align so that we may be clear conduits for divine Creator energy. Interior Alignment™ practitioners know that our soul already knows the answer we just need to be quiet and calm to hear our soul’s voice.

The Onondaga Nation, calls meditation going into the silence or quiet. It is in the silence or quiet that we can hear our soul’s voice. We can hear the Creator through our souls.  As we use meditation as a tool to help ourselves to identify what we want from life, to set our intentions, we begin to live our lives from a peaceful place.

Once we set our intention to live our lives in a certain way, sometimes we just need to “let it be” and have the faith and believe that Spirit, Creator, the Universe is behind us as we do our part in our daily lives. 

As Mahatma Gandhi said,”we must be the change we wish to see in the world”. This means to me that we do our part and we start with ourselves. We start with ourselves by going into the quiet of a mediation to hear our soul’s voice as we make our way to a clear intention for our lives.

Blessings, Neshi.

© Copyright, Yvette Neshi Lokotz, August 2008. All Rights Reserved.

Yesterday, I went to the local market here in Chiang Mai (Thailand) and had an interesting Feng Shui experience.  The market is a trove of Feng Shui eclecticism and as I walk along, shopping at the various stalls, I always watch for brightly decorated altars, unusual good luck charms and other Thai variations of Feng Shui application.  But, today’s lesson was a little different…

When I bought the first item on my list, the vendor gave me change, and one of the coins she handed me was rather old and discolored.  The woman was reticent to give it to me.  She shook her head and was quite apologetic, saying that it was “mai suai”- not beautiful.  But, I smiled, said I didn’t mind, and went on my way. 

Later at another stall in the market, I pulled this same coin out of my purse pocket to pay for a basket I was buying and was shocked when the vendor rather abruptly handed it back to me.  “No, I cannot take this”, she said, putting it back in my hand and literally pushing it away. 

She was willing to lose the sale altogether, rather than take the discolored coin.  But, after some negotiation, she agreed to let me pay less - an amount that included a different, shiny coin.  After a few moments of confusion, I understood.  This was about luck.  This was about the Feng Shui of money!  My purchase was her first sale of the day and she didn’t want to tarnish her luck with a tarnished coin.   

I walked away smiling, intrigued by this exchange, and began to wonder about how to apply this in my life.  Even though much of traditional Feng Shui symbolism is related to money, luck and good fortune, I had never considered how Feng Shui might relate to the contents of my purse. But, this encounter with a tarnished coin made me think about how to use Feng Shui to increase our wealth, starting with our wallets.

 Here are just a few ideas: 

• Consider your wallet or purse as an extension of your Wealth/Abundance Gua.  
• Be mindful of the way you treat your wallet, your purse and your money.  For example, do you treat your purse like a place that protects your wealth or does it become a handy place to toss candy wrappers and wads of receipts? 
• Organize your wallet.  Cut up expired credit cards, remove old receipts, etc.
• Try to use new bills and coins, even if this means an occasional trip to the bank to exchange worn, dirty money.  There is something very uplifting about giving and receiving “beautiful” money…..
• Carry an amount of cash that feels like “enough”.  Nothing says “I’m not abundant” like an empty wallet.
• Keep something in your wallet that symbolizes money-luck.  This could be a gold or silver coin, a pearl or a stone such as citrine, aventurine or emerald (I carry a small polished emerald in my wallet).

I am sure you can come up with more ideas for bringing good Feng Shui to your wallet.  And, may you be blessed with good fortune and an abundance of bright, shiny coins!

  Deb Swingholm, 2008.  All Rights Reserved.

Creating an abundance altar in your home or on your property is a great idea during these times of recession.

When creating an altar intention is very important.  Begin by identifying what abundance, wealth, and prosperity means to you personally.  This is a definition beyond Webster’s dictionary.  Once you have a clear meaning for abundance, wealth and prosperity, you can begin to clarify your intention for your abundance altar. The time and energy that you take to define abundance, wealth, and prosperity is worth the effort as you will begin to accept that your definition may not mean abundance to another person. Identify what kind of life do you want to live. Identify what is important to you in your life.

Once you identify your definition for abundance and what kind of life you want to live, look for symbols that will hold these definitions for you.  For instance the energy of Buffalo (the American Bison) is a symbol of abundance for many Native American Nations.  I have a statute of a Buffalo with her calf on my abundance altar.  (I am Prairie Band Potawatomi and my Nation takes the stewardship of the Buffalo so seriously that we have a herd on our reservation to stay connected with the Wisdom of Buffalo.)  The symbol of Buffalo means health and vitality, life force, to many Native peoples. Not only did it provide sustenance but Buffalo also provided shelter - a home, clothing and luxuries.  The Annishabe Nation, you may know this Nation as the Ojibiwa Nation, may use the symbol of wild rice in their definition of abundance.  Your symbol of abundance needs to mean something to you in order for the symbol to have power.

Consider placing your abundance altar in the Wealth area of your home for the maximum assistance from your home to support your intentions, life goals and desires.

As you place thoughtful items on your abundance altar, consider including a symbol of your personal business or career.  This symbol of your personal business or career may be your business card or a brochure. You may even want to write out your intention on a beautiful card to place on your altar. 

As you receive payment for service to your clients or have your paycheck automatically deposited, place the payment or your payroll receipt on the abundance altar for a few days so that you may show your gratitude and also bless the payment.

I would also suggest placing a candle of your favorite color and scent on the altar. You may want to research the energetic qualities of colors (see Deborah Redfern’s IA blog articles about color) and the energetic qualities of certain flower essence or essential oils scents to add another layer of intention to your abundance altar.

On my abundance altar, I have a candle with the essence of Angel Wings, a lingam stone placed in a red glass bowl filled with sand so that the lingam can stand upright. I also have citrine stones which are known as the merchant stone for abundance. And, I have my business card in a prominent place on the altar as well. 

Each time I light the candle I have in my mind and heart all that I am grateful for and that I am open to all the positive abundance and prosperity flowing to me from Spirit.

May your abundance altar energize your home and hold the intentions for your life as Chi or life force energy flows through your home, may your altar receive the attention from the Universe. 

© Copyright Yvette Neshi Lokotz, August 2008, All Rights Reserved.

What gives a site good feng shui? 

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As Interior Alignment™ practitioners we actively use the form school in urban settings by using structures that are found in cities. For example tall trees or higher buildings in the back of your home represent the Pillow Mountain. Smaller buildings or plants on either side of the home represent the tiger and dragon.

We also use the principles inside the home, or the office to create ideal placement of furniture and energy flow, so that people feel secure and supported.

© Copyright Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved.

I have two tall beeswax candles in my bedroom which is also in the Health area of my home. They are a lovely golden color, they give off positive ions, and they smell ever so slightly sweet.

They are really bugging me and I need to take them down.

But I haven’t.

You see, I am leaving them there because they:
1. fill up an empty wall well
2. are the perfect Health enhancer (Earth color and Fire that supports Earth Energy)
3. were really expensive
4. give off positive ions

They are bugging me because I convinced myself I needed them, and that once I had them I would feel good. So these poor, innocent candles now represent stuff that I think I need in order to make myself feel better. Stuff isn’t the answer of course. The answer is learning how to feel better without buying anything. This isn’t all that easily done – it takes lots of practice, time, patience, and love.

I am worth it though gosh darn-it!

The candles stay for now. I do like the way they smell. I also like how you have to work at shaping beeswax candles as they burn. You have to keep pushing down the wax, yet without causing an overflow.

I find this extremely symbolic of inner strength and health. You have to keep at it, pay attention and stay in the flow. Just remember not to push too hard and too fast because you might cause an overflow.

© Copyright Elise Rebmann, 2008. All rights reserved.