Where Energy Flows

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.

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.

When filling your vehicle with petroleum, gasoline, means paying substantially more than this time last year, we have to wonder how can we approach these times of recession in a more positive way. As Interior Alignment™ practitioners and teachers we have the ability and tools to assist our clients with supportive feng shui and space clearing techniques to achieve this goal.

How can feng shui and space clearing help me pay for my full tank of gasoline?  Well it starts well before filling the gas tank. Now more than ever we need to be clear about our thoughts and intentions. Having a clear intention about what kind of life do we want to live and what is important to us in this life is the foundation for creating that life we wish for.  It is times such as these that help really identify what is important to us, such as being financially secure or having a fulfilling peaceful life. Once we are clear about our intentions, then it is our emotions behind thoughts that support or rather fuel the intentions to bring them into the physical world.  This is also the basis of the Law of Attraction. When we have this clear intention, emotions and thoughts then we turn to feng shui to help turn our homes and work spaces into areas that can support these intentions.

First we ensure life force energy is invited and welcomed into our home-mouth of chi which is our front door. Second, that life force energy can flow through each of the rooms of our home and energize critical areas that hold our intentions and spend more time and energy there (abundance altars). Third, we ensure that the natural elements (fire, air, wood, earth, metal) energy is balanced to be in harmony with nature. Fourth, that yin and yang energies are balanced so that those opposing energies in nature are balanced in our home. When we have these items in balance, then our home is ready and able to help us to create what we desire.

Space Clearing is the otherside of the Interior Alignment™ coin. Once the feng shui is in place, then a space clearing to remove unwanted energies that are no longer useful to us can be released. The template is set through the clear intention, the feng shui supports the intention, space clearing clears blocks to energy flowing to that intention. Space clearing brings all the aspects of the Universe to help support your intention through prayer and ceremony. Your home becomes a sacred space that supports the life you intend to live as you and your home are in balance with all of nature and Universe.

What is your intentions for your life and are what are you emotions around your intentions? Its time to seriously know what you want from life.

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

I love listening to Aretha Franklin when I clean my house. It is music you can move with and I use it to inspire me to do my weekly cleaning.  One of the things my mother taught me is when a person works with their hands their “thought” are put into the item they are working on - so have good thoughts.  All these years later, I remember this when I clean my house and I use this same analogy when I teach Space Clearing. 

I think of my weekly cleaning as mini space clearing and I keep my Intention in my mind and heart that I am moving out lower vibrational items and replacing them with love. I love my home and when I listen to music I love, I am embedding the Energy of love into my home.

As an Interior Alignment™ practitioner I share Feng Shui and space clearing information in workshops. Many times I ask my audience if they listen to music when they clean.  Most hands go up.  I also ask if they like to open windows when they clean, some may answer yes. I share what my mother taught me and also that they are also doing a mini space clearing.  In order for the space clearing to have “heart”, all they need to do is set an intention for their cleaning and what energy they want to embed into their home. As an aside, opening a window, you are inviting the Spirit of Air into your home. From a cultural perspective, opening windows when cleaning is a Germanic custom.  My mother in law told me that is how she was taught to do this when she cleans so that fresh air circulates through out the home as they clean.

I share with you dear reader a free handout that I share with workshop audiences - Ten Ways to Lift Energy In A Home. This is information Denise Linn shared with Interior Alignment™ practitioners and teachers.  I am sure that there are one or two items on this list that you already do in your home to raise the energy or Chi.

TEN WAYS TO LIFT THE ENERGY IN A HOME

• Give the home a surface cleaning- dust and vacuum.

• Toss sea salt in all the corners of every room - be sure to place salt on strips of wax paper or use a small dish in order to protect flooring from salt ring stains.

• Briefly open all the doors and window.

• Take down any negative photos or paintings.

• Get rid of any dead or dying plants - even if you think you can revive them as you are honoring the cycle of life.

• Put out fresh flowers.

• Light a candle.

• Burn incense or essential oils - use the best quality you can afford.

• Put on inspiring music.

• Say a prayer and ask that Divine Light fill the home.

All Rights Reserved.  Copyright, Yvette Neshi Lokotz, April 2008.

As Interior Alignment™ professionals, we become observant of symbolism and metaphors in a home. I recently met with a Feng Shui and Space Clearing client, we have been working together for a few years. My client is ready for a lifestyle change as she moves into retirement in a few short years.  She knows that her home can support her plans for after retirement.

As we sit in her home, I look around and see that nothing has changed in the last 3 years. The same photos are up, the furniture is in the same places and nothing new really has been added to her home. We begin by talking about what is going on currently in her life.

My client states that everything is status quo, not much has changed. She is in the same job position, no change in salary and no change in her social life. I share with her my observations that her home has not changed since she employed the feng shui suggestions from our last consultation 3  years before.  She had not noticed this at all. 

So, we talked about how our homes and work spaces are a reflection of our lives. Our homes are metaphors for our life. As she looks toward a transition from her current job into semi retirement (really isn’t going to retire but begin to work on her art and music which she loves). We talk about how her home will begin to reflect this slow change from her corporate employment to self employment in the art and music world. Even just talking about this change I could feel her energy rise and her home’s energy rise in anticipation of a new support role.

You can begin to use the skill of observation by taking stock of your home and how it reflects your current life. What role does your home play in supporting your goals and dreams? As we partner with our homes to live our best life, we become more aware and conscious of the connections we have with our home and in our life.

© Yvette Neshi Lokotz, 2008. All Rights Reserved

Interior Alignment™ is a blending of many belief systems that provides a depth and wealth of knowledge.  As practitioners and teachers of Interior Alignment™ we are also trained to create Altars that bridge the seen and unseen worlds in which we work. I am asked quite often about front door altars. I thought I would share one of my favorites kind of altars, Kuan/Kwan Yin for the front door.

Front door altars from a Feng Shui perspective assists Chi to floor through the door as the altar invites Chi in and from a Space Clearing perspective, the front door altar can provide protection from unwanted energies coming to your home.  So Front door altars provide both a welcome and protection at the same time.

I recently found a book by Daniela Schenker called Kuan Yin, Assessing the Power of the Divine Feminine.  Ms. Schenker goes into great depth about Kuan Yin. I appreciated this depth and sharing as I have a fondness and connection to Kuan/Kwan Yin. I have to say that this book also held another surprise gift. The forward was written by my teacher, Denise Linn. I had no idea that Denise had written this forward where she called for Kuan Yin to come and help with the birthing of her friend’s baby.

Kuan/Kwan Yin is a bodhisattva known for her deep compassion for all sentient beings as she heard the cries of the world.  Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have attained the wisdom of Buddhas but have postponed their final “liberation” or ascension. Instead they provide compassionate support to sentient beings in this world until the sentient being can achieve their own ascension.  She is also known as the protector of women and children. What I did not know was that is 33 images of Kuan/Kwan Yin for contemplation.  So there are 33 different images of Kuan/Kwan Yin to select from for your front door altar. 

The front door altar would be considered a guardian altar as it will face the front door but not directly
across the front door. The best placement is off to one side across the front door. The image you choose of Kuan Yin will protect the entryway of your home.  She will welcome visitors at the same time she will conteract any lower vibrational energies such as negative thoughts from entering your home. As you select items to add to the altar be aware of the significance of the items and your intention for the altar. You may want to add a special candle, flowers, or incense.  A special addition would be peacock feathers. The peacock is known to be Kuan/Kwan Yin’s guardian and will protect us from accidents, other disasters and can absorb negative energies.

Possible images of Kuan/Kwan Yin for the front door altar are with her using a protective mudra which is arms lifted to her chest height and the palms of her hands are parallel and facing each other; or a fearlessness mudra which is the right hand is raised and the open plam faces forward. Images using these mudras are the Four-Armed Kuan/Kwan Yin and the Kuan/Kwan Yin with a Halo of Fire (Kuan/Kwan Yin of Complete Light).

May Kuan/Kwan Yin bless your home.

© Yvette Neshi Lokotz, 2008. All rights reserved. 

Today is such a beautiful and glorious day here in Wisconsin. The final bits of snow have melted and we have a sunny blue skies day. In fact this is a Wisconsin kind of a day. We have 71 degrees with no humidity, the sun is out, the sky is cloudless and brilliant blue. Another good reason it is a beautiful day is I can actually open the windows to ask the Spirit of Air to freshen up my home.

For me the Spirit of Air dwells in the East. I think about how much I connect with the Spirit of Air. In the ascension courses I teach we spend quite of time on breath work and in my Interior Alignment™ Space Clearing work I use feathers, incense and sage bundles to assist as Spirit of Air. I love the smell of sage burning. In fact, each year the very first fire my husband and I have in our outdoor firepit, I give tobacco for all that we have and we are grateful for. I include pinches of cedar, sweetgrass and sage and smell the aroma of and watch as the smoke (the Spirit of Air) carries our prayers to the Creator.

When I perform space clearing ceremonies, my eagle feather, represents the Spirit of Air. I actually use two feathers (the name of my personal business) in space clearing ceremonies both are eagle feathers. One feather I use in the purification part of the ceremony and the other is my dance feather which I use when I dance in my Healing Dress for my clients at the end of the space clearing ceremony.  In my culture and in my clan, we believe that bird feathers carry the message and energy of the Creator. My eagle feather shaft is hollow which makes it is a clear conduit for divine energy. I pray that I too am the clear conduit for divine energy (the Creator’s energy) flow through me as it flows through my eagle feather.  My space clearing feather is simply adorned. I have only a deerhide leather tied on with a few beads. This simple adornment represents my belief in being humble as well as simple adornment means that the adornment doesn’t restrict my movement in a space clearing. 

Most times my primary space clearing tools are my elk hide hand drum, my eagle feather and my Healing Dress.  My drum breaks up stagnant and stuck energies (really shakes things up), my feather moves the stagnant energy remnants out, balances and smoothes out the positive energies.  My Healing Dress is to balance and smooth out the subtle energies and also gives a blessing to my clients.

When I teach the space clearing portion of Interior Alignment™ practitioner certification courses, we cover the Spirit of Air in section called the Alchemy of Air.  My students have the opportunity to feel what it is like to space clear with an eagle feather as this may be the one and only time they are able to have such experience. I am told by some students that the eagle feather vibrates or moves in their hand. This is such a special moment to connect with the Spirit of Air and the essence of Eagle.

May the Spirit of Air bring good tidings to you.

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