Where Energy Flows

The earth has received the embrace of the sun
and we shall see the results of that love.
-   Hunkesni (Sitting Bull)

Sometimes, it can be difficult to stand in your own personal power.  We, as a society, are concerned about appearing conceited and/or selfish.  We hesitate to step on toes and worry about hurting other’s feelings.  Yet, sometimes we must stand up and be strong for the universe to help.

Case in point – I have had a long, painful, mysterious illness this year.  For the first 3 months, I was dealing with an over-worked primary care physician and an extremely difficult specialist.  The specialist made me feel like I was really bothering him when I was explaining my symptoms.  He interrupted me, he stopped me from speaking, he was a general pain in the behind to deal with.  Of course, he had no idea what was wrong and sent me away several times with a “let’s see if it gets better on its own” diagnosis.  When I called and told him my symptoms had returned, he said my blood work was back to normal so I shouldn’t be ill.  At first, I was looking at this as an opportunity to stand up to him – and tell him how he was making me feel.  I asked around and generally heard that he is an excellent doctor with a poor bedside manner.  So, I thought, I can handle him – I do need a good doctor.  The last straw involved me being very sick again and him chastising me for missing an appointment when I had asked his staff to re-schedule me if I needed to be seen again.   It was extremely frustrating and I had enough.

It was as if God were holding my hand.

I found myself sitting in my primary care doctor’s office telling the nurse I refused to go back to him and I needed a different referral to a different doctor.  They were hesitant, but obliged.  I made an appointment – I was seen – I had more tests – and finally…a correct diagnosis.  I was sent to a more specialized specialist…probably the best in the country for the procedure I needed….and within 2 weeks I was recovering from the first of 3 surgeries.  I had my final follow-up visit yesterday where I was given a 99.9% chance of never having any trouble like this again.  I feel great – I am healed!

I had to stand up and say no.  I had to be worth it…and once I told the universe I was worth it…..I was put on the perfect path.

On the Bagua, Inner Knowing and Health are close together….like they are holding hands.  It is so important for us to know ourselves, trust our guts, and stand in our power.  While it isn’t always easy to balance our fears and our strengths, my experience has been that guidance is there when you reach for it.  Yet you must raise your hand up, if you want God to hold it.

© Elise Rebman, 2008. All rights reserved.

As I was contemplating beauty, I remembered the Navajo prayer about “walking the way of beauty”. 

At the heart of the Navajo Way is the concept of harmony; seeing the natural state of the universe as having harmony, balance and equilibrium.  This concept is often translated as ‘Beauty’ in English.  The Navaho believe that well-being comes from being in harmony – being in right relationship, knowing yourself, knowing your purpose, following your heart and living in harmony with yourself, your culture and your surroundings.

Healing, wholeness and joy come when we are fully walking in this beautiful balance.  When things are out of alignment, when illness or problems arise, there is an underlying disharmony that must be put right. 

Interior Alignment shares this philosophy and I have collected many versions of this lovely prayer, which is used as a chant in healing ceremonies.  I share two here with you:

In beauty I walk

With beauty before me I walk

With beauty behind me I walk

With beauty above me I walk

With beauty around me I walk

It has become beauty again

It has become beauty again

In Beauty may I walk.
All day long may I walk.
Through the returning seasons may I walk.
On the trail marked with pollen may I walk.
With grasshoppers about my feet may I walk.
With dew about my feet may I walk.
With Beauty may I walk.
With Beauty before me, may I walk.
With Beauty behind me, may I walk.
With Beauty above me, may I walk.
With Beauty below me, may I walk.
With Beauty all around me, may I walk.
In old age wandering on a trail of Beauty,
lively , may I walk.
In old age wandering on a trail of Beauty,
living again, may I walk.
It is finished in Beauty.
It is finished in Beauty.

 

May you walk in harmony and may your life be filled with beauty.

Copyright 2008, Deb Swingholm. All rights reserved.

A few months ago I wrote about how my husband and I enjoyed watching a colony of bees that decided to build a hive on our porch.  I also wrote then about the mystery of disappearing bee colonies, and now that it is summer it seems like a good time to revisit this story. 

Bees and other pollinators are suddenly in decline due to a phenomenon that has become known as Colony Collapse Disorder. 

While the exact cause has not been established, there is some evidence that bees are dying due to disease, loss of habitat and pesticide use.  Other possible explanations include a new parasite, flowers that produce less scent and a combination of stresses such as poor nutrition, limited or contaminated water supplies, and the need for bees to be transported long distances for pollination of particular crops.

In some areas of the world the bee loss is being described as “catastrophic”, with some beekeepers in 2006 reporting between 30-90% losses. Similar losses were reported in 2007, but scientists do not know how many bees have died overall, since statistics only reflect what is happening in managed colonies.  

Consider for a moment what will happen if the pollinators of our planet disappear! 

About three-quarters of flowering plants rely on birds, bees and other pollinators to help them reproduce. And, bee pollination is responsible for $15 billion annually in crop value. 

Ice cream maker Haagen-Dazs and Burt’s Bees, a maker of natural personal care products, are among companies who have pledged money for research and begun efforts to help save the bees.  The problem affects about 40 percent of Haagen-Dazs’ 73 flavors, because ingredients such as almonds, cherries and strawberries rely on honey bees for pollination.

Haagen-Dazs has created a new limited-time flavor - Vanilla Honey Bee - and will use some of the proceeds for research on the disorder. Burt’s Bees has introduced Colony Collapse Disorder Lip Balm to “soften your lips while saving honeybees.”

The US government is also taking steps to approve financing for bee research.

One reason I am an Interior Alignment^TM Teacher is to awaken people to the interconnectedness of all things.  All creatures are a vital part of the web of life and we human beings balance carefully on the shoulders of all other life on this planet.  It is essential that we live in harmony with the rest of the animals and plants on this beautiful rock we call Earth. 

This summer, if you find a hive in a spot that you believe would be harmful to you, your children or your pets, please do not spray the hive with chemical poisons. Contact a local beekeeper to relocate the hive.  Also, raise awareness by sharing information about Colony Collapse with others.  You can even write to your local news editors - newspaper or television - asking them to run the story and highlight local beekeepers as helpful resources. 

Help the planet, save our ice cream, save the bees!

Copyright 2008, Deb Swingholm.  All rights reserved

Many of my clients have been asking about Himalayan salt lamps and wondering what they do. Well, the answer is simple and complex. They affect different people in different ways, and most often people find the lamps assist in bring peace and calm.

Just their colors alone create delightful gazing stones -a diversion and rest to release your eyes from the computer screen, TV or even the book or heated discussion. Their striated coloration reminds one of a camp fire, perhaps, easing your being into a relaxed state.

Himalayan salt lamps are formed from rock salt found in the Himalayan Mountains. The important reason in selecting salt lamps from this source is that they were formed in an area that was relatively pollution free during their formation.

Millions of years ago, when the earth was in its beginning times, an immense pressure caused the Himalayan Mountains to rise out of the ocean. The primordial waters that were present at that time were forced up inside the massive Himalayan Mountains. Under incredible pressure this salt ocean was converted into solid Himalayan salt. This is the salt that is mined by hand to create the majority of the salt lamps we enjoy today.

In addition to contributing to relaxation as a gazing stone, the lamps emit negative ions which help the human body to experience a sensory relaxation response. Thus you feel the exhilaration you experience near the fresh ocean air or the clean fresh feeling just after a thunder and lightning storm. Thus Himalayan salt lamps work great near computers, in bedrooms and are the perfect night light. Bring back a natural fresh quality to the air and improve your home or office ambiance. I have a salt lamp in nearly every room of my home.

…to be continued.

© Roberta Binder, 2008. All rights reserved. 

As a teacher and practitioner of Interior Alignment^TM, Interior Alignment Website I often use a technique called Synchro-Alignment with my clients. Synchro-Alignment is a guided meditation process that guides one to quiet the active mind and enter a deep state of relaxation. When the mind is quiet, such as the theta brain wave state, an individual has better access to deep inner knowing. The purpose of doing Synchro-Alignment with a client (which is uniquely associated with Interior Alignment^TM) is to become aware of what is best in a specific situation. Here’s an example of my own experience.

I had a colleague perform a Synchro-Alignment for me. The purpose was to meet the spirit of our home. In going through the process, I discovered the front entrance to our home was metaphorically hidden. I had to struggle to find an opening to get in, and once I did, the whole house was wide open.

I was very struck by this experience for a couple of reasons. One, the home we live in has a small and narrow foyer. Our guests have to enter in a single file until arriving in the living room. Then the space opens up. The other thing that struck me is that I had a tendency to be guarded. (And I still do in certain situations.)

The light bulb went off! If I had a tendency to be guarded, then of course I’d have a difficult time finding the metaphorical opening to our home. And, yes, I would be “attracted” to a home with a narrow entrance. The next step then became very obvious to me. It was critically important that I open up the foyer visually which I did with mirrors and lightening. And it was very important that I paid attention to my tendency to be guarded. As I have experienced, being guarded disconnects me in ways that I find unpleasant. And this awareness was a huge shift for me.

So, the point of sharing this story is to encourage you to find ways to enter the theta brain wave state and uncover the hidden gems in your unconscious. Entering this state can be achieved by listening to music designed for such a purpose like Tom Kenyon’s pieces. Tom Kenyon’s Music Entering this state can also be achieved by breathing very deeply with eyes closed. The information obtained in this way goes beyond the thinking mind which often blocks access to “real” issues. Give it a whirl and see what happens!

© Catherine Hilker, All Rights Reserved.

For the next month or so, I am spending time in Ohio, where I grew up.  This area of Northwest Ohio is called the “Oak Openings Region” and it is one of the Midwest’s rarest ecosystems, with oak woodlands and savannas, dunes, prairies and floodplain forest.

One of the few remaining Oak Savannas in the world is found here in the Oak Openings Preserve.  The savanna is comprised of Black and White Oaks that live side by side with a mixture of grasses, sedges, wildflowers, ferns and shrubs. Some very specialized animals are also part of the area, including the rare Lark Sparrow and several species of butterflies such as the Frosted Elfin, Persius Dusky Wing and the federally endangered Karner Blue butterfly.

I cherish the Oak Openings Preserve.  It is a place that truly feeds my soul and brings all my senses back into balance. 

I spend as much time as I can out walking the trails and taking photos.  For the last two weeks I have been out nearly every day photographing the wild Blue Lupine, which is incredibly abundant this year.  These tall, graceful stalks loaded with deep purple-blue blossoms are simply beautiful.  As I stand surrounded by these flowers, I feel my whole body respond.  I breathe deeply and slowly.  All tension melts away and the most wonderful sense of lightness and joy fills my whole being (there are photos of the wild lupine on my website photo gallery).  It’s just a perfect way to  start the morning!

The preserve has been expanding in recent years.  And, as people become more aware of the importance of the unique Oak Openings ecosystem, many property owners near the park are dedicating some or even all of their land to restoring rare and native plant species.  Conservancy groups are partnering with local residents to reestablish the region’s natural vegetation.  Even some local businesses are setting aside small areas for native gardens. 

This practice of landscaping with native plants is sometimes referred to as naturescaping or xeriscaping.  Interior Alignment advocates healthy, “green” practices such as this.  We believe in caring for the well-being of our Earth and our work includes harmonizing the land and connecting with nature in ways that nurture body and soul.  Wherever you live, I would highly recommend that you consider planting native to at least some degree.  Some of the benefits of naturescaping are:

• Low Maintenance - Native plants evolved to grow in local conditions. They do not require watering, chemical pesticides and fertilizers or frequent cutting.
• Water conservation - native plants need less water, so you can conserve water resources.
• Health - Traditional landscaping can use large amounts of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, some of which are suspected carcinogens. During rains, these chemicals often run off into public water supplies, lakes and rivers. 
• Land Health - Many typical landscaping plants are not part of the original ecosystem and therefore contribute little to it and in some cases actually cause damage and displace native plants.  Naturescaping contributes to the overall health of the land.
• Savings - The cost of maintaining a naturescape can be less than that of a traditional landscape because a naturescape essentially takes care of itself.
• Song Birds - song bird populations have dropped steadily for the last several decades and much of the decline is due to habitat loss.  Naturescaping is beneficial to native and migrating birds.  Other native animals benefit as well
• Enhancing Life - An ecologically healthy landscape offers so much beauty, color, sound and wonder to all of us. It is cleaner, healthier and it can bring enormous joy and a sense of being in harmony with the natural world.  And, this is what Interior Alignment is all about!

Copyright Deb Swingholm, 2008.  All rights reserved.