Where Energy Flows

Himalayan Salt Lamps have been used for years to improve the quality of the air in the home. I purchased my first one over a decade ago and it continues to work beautifully clearing the air. Since they operate on a nightlight bulb, their operation is inexpensive and they are easy to maintain. Over the years, I have added many more to there being one in nearly every room in my house, quietly doing their amazing work.

Although some people remain skeptic, further scientific research is revealing that the lamps can really change your physical well-being, especially related to breathing problems like allergies, asthma and second-hand smoke. New studies now reveal that they can also improve your mental health as well. We all want to lead calmer, happier lives so read on.

The conveniences we surround ourselves with in our every day world: cars, radios, televisions, computers, tobacco, microwaves, the list grows, output positive ions at a much higher rate than the environment can balance them. Scientists are beginning to realize that this is a red flag for your mental health. Himalayan salt lamps give off an overabundance of negative ions, which can help to counteract the positive ions given off in your home that lower healthy air quality.

Since negative ions are found in large numbers at the beach or mountains, away from the cities we generally live in, our brains associate negative ions with happiness and energy. Doctors are now beginning to study the connection between negative ions and the release from depression, as negative ions also have a positive affect on the serotonin levels in the brain.

Many of my clients report significant calming effects from their salt lamps. Most likely this is due to the negative ion output into the air. They report feeling of greater peace, tranquility and happiness. They find their stress levels reducing and enjoying greater levels of calm. Stress is a major catalyst to more serious health problems, an indication that salt lamps might help you discover a healthier, happier life. Several of my clients have salt lamps in the bathroom. They report noticeably lower levels of stress from the feeling of spending time at the beach - while day-dreaming in the tub. Logically the salt lamp is imitating the wonderful negative ion filled air that is created by the ocean water condensing and the salt drifting on the breeze.

Other clients find that having a small salt lamp in their office at work helps their day go faster and their stress level greatly reduced.

Salt lamps can be purchased from many sources. Metaphysical stores often carry them. Several health food stores in my area have them. They can be ordered online. Make sure you purchase them from a reliable source and that they are genuine Himalayan Salt Lamps.

Peace and Harmony - enjoying negative ions….

© Roberta Binder, 2008. 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. 

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.

When I began learning energy healing systems many years ago, I remember long, enthusiastic, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations I had with friends about which modality was deeper: was Reiki ‘deeper’ than Therapeutic Touch because the hands were on the body? Or was Therapeutic Touch more profound because the practitioner was sensing subtle energy fields around people?  Oddly enough, I remember hearing people’s opinions that massage was not as deep as Reiki. You can’t get much more ‘hands on’ than massage.  Hmmm… 

Our understanding of Energy is what has really deepened over the years: There is only one source of energy which operates exactly the same whether the modality is TT, Reiki or another. (I mention these two because these are the ones I’ve studied in depth.)

I see some of the same discussions happening around Feng Shui and Space Clearing today: that one type of feng shui (or the original or ‘real’ feng shui) is better than another, or that a particular space clearing ceremony is preferable over another, or is only effective so long as it is done with specific space clearing tools.

As an Interior Alignment™ feng shui and space clearing teacher, my main concern is the information being put out is fear-inducing and/or doubt producing. I’m talking about the schools who publicly ‘evaluate’ other schools. Imagine how a person would feel after reading or hearing an established teacher and/or school dismissing other schools…what if they are talking about your school?! I went through that stage myself when I first began practicing Interior Alignment™.

For a short time I honestly thought I had made a dreadful mistake in the school I chose, but when I was able to be objective, I saw the comparisons with the Energy Healing modality discussions and I also remembered the generosity of spirit that attracted me to Interior Alignment™.

What I learned from my teacher Denise Linn and Interior Alignment™ is that the depth, intensity or profoundness of the method depends on how focused the practitioner is and whether they understand Intention: energy flows where intention goes. Having compassion and integrity are also important.

The tools and techniques are not the most important thing. A $20 Bell is as effective as a $200 Bell if it is loved and treated with respect and as a sacred object. In fact, space clearing can be done with no tools at all: as with Energy Healing it is done through holding the Intent and being sufficiently focused.

So it is really what resonates within the practitioner, what interests and excites us, what feels like a natural fit, or makes us feel like we are ‘called’. On the other end, of the client, there is usually a vibrational match: the client will feel drawn to a particular modality, or a particular practitioner.  

A point a yoga teacher made has stuck with me: she said half an hour of a lower vibration emotion such as anger or fear can do more harm than eating white bread and sugar for a week. So rather than engaging in the discussions about what is best, authentic or deeper – which almost inevitably will lead to experiencing lower vibrational emotions – I simply know that if one school resonates with a person, it is the right school for them.

© Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved.

“I have come back again to where I belong; not an enchanted place, but the walls are strong.” — Dorothy H. Rath.

When I did my Interior Alignment^TM and Feng Shui training in California in 2001, I learned Synchro Alignment, which is a system that synchronises and aligns a person’s energy and Intention with their home. It can also tell us how our home affects us on a subconscious level.

The first time we practiced this technique, we had to lead each other through the rooms of our home through guided visualization beginning at our front doors. When my partner led me, the first thing that I noticed is that my front door really bothered me. The screen door squeaked and the spring was too tight so that the door smacked me in the back as I was unlocking the front door.

I knew both things in my waking consciousness, but until I did this exercise I didn’t realise how much irritation was involved. Basically every single time I went into my house the first thing I felt was irritation. This is significant. The front door is where all the energy for your home enters. Terah Kathryn Collins in Feng Shui Room by Room, calls the front door the “avenue of good fortune that attracts helpful people and opportunities into your home.” The front door is the place you and everyone who comes to your home, makes lasting impressions about who you are.

Good feng shui for front doors is common sense. We know it reflects poorly on us if the finish on our front doors is damaged, or if the paint is chipped and peeling. We know lighting over the door is important, and that it should be replaced promptly when bulbs burnt out. Obstacles on the path or steps leading to your front door can be dangerous, so we know already they should be moved out of the way. We do a good job on the ‘big’ front door issues already. It is sometimes the more subtle things that give pause for thought.

When we neglect things like squeaky hinges, doorknobs that wobble, or doors that do not fully open because of items stored behind them, this can indicate a degree of neglect for ourselves. We might fix the problem for someone else, but not for ourselves.

The first thing I did when I came home from California was oil the hinges. And I loosened the spring on the screen door. I painted the cement pathway a gorgeous eggplant colour and stencilled some stars in a meandering pattern with metallic paint. The screen door is painted in the same shade of purple and the inner door is painted is a softer lavender. Now it looks so pretty, like a much-loved old pair of blue jeans, and it is part of the Energy of my home. It is comfortable and accepting. It is a place where I can be myself. And I now when I come home I feel welcomed. 

© Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved.

In Nature, nothing exists without its opposite. We would not know what light was, if we didn’t have dark to compare it with. We couldn’t appreciate the sun without periods of rain. This law of opposites is the essence of Yin and Yang: opposites that complement each other and bring a greater sense of harmony.

Extremes are not comfortable Feng Shui. Like the children’s book the Three Little Bears, we like our chairs to be not too soft and not too hard, but just right. Feng Shui looks for the balance, neither too Yin not too Yang. Yin is characterised by environments that are dark, small, ornate, quiet, curved, rounded, floral and feminine. Yang is defined by light, large airy spaces, plain, noisy or lively, straight or angular lines and masculine.

The Victorian Era was predominantly Yin. When I think of the Victorian style, what comes to mind are very quiet, dimly lit rooms with dark floral wallpaper, heavy drapery, ornately carved legs on furniture and tables draped to the floor with heavy cloths. The Energy feeling I get is grounded, cozy but claustrophobic.

In contrast, modern homes are often very Yang with large rooms, high ceilings, lots of angles and large expanses of glass and wooden floors. With the cavernous ceilings, sound echoes throughout.  The feeling I get is expansive but also exposed. It can be difficult to create a cozy retreat.

We can usually sense when a room or a home is slightly out of balance without being able to precisely put our finger on the problem. One thing to look for is the contract and extremes between Yin and Yang and when you find it, balance it some energy of the opposite.

Some examples:

• balance very bright overhead lights with lamps and task lighting so you can change the level of brightness and create mood areas.
• brighten up any dark areas, even if they are not functional, with a lamp or pot light.
• paint different rooms in the house a different colour. Warm up cool wall colours with warm accessories and vice versa.
• use and combine different textures and patterns can be combined. For every busy, vibrant pattern, add a subdued one. For each smooth texture, add a touch of roughness.
• look for contrast in shapes, e.g., put apples or oranges in a square dish instead of a round one.

Every little change you make towards balancing extremes affects your life in a positive way. You will feel more comfort and harmony in your home, and that is the art of living well with feng shui.

© Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved. 

Staying in a hotel when on vacation or business trip can be uncomfortable from a feng shui and space clearing perspective.  I just returned from a trip to New Mexico.  I traveled with my friend and fellow teacher, Deb Swingholm. 

Deb and I shared a room while attending a shamanic course in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  When we entered our shared room we both had the same feeling, “get a different room”.   Deb did inquire but there was not another space as nice! We knew that we had to do some Feng Shui and Space Clearing in order to feel comfortable in the room.

As we went out to our rented car, I turned to Deb and said, “we are moving the bed from the extra room into the larger space”.  The extra room was next to the bathroom and felt isolated.  So, that is exactly what we did.  We dismantled the single bed and it moved between the fire place and a large walk in closet which was in the main room.  We also moved the small club chairs.  One chair was moved to a corner we had designated for reading and the other chair next to the fire place.  The second bed was in an windowed alcove that opened into the main room.

After we finished moving the furniture around, I placed one of my shawls over the full length mirror that hung on the walk in closet door.  We stood back and assessed our work by tuning into the energy of the room.  The room felt so much better as the Energy flowed with balance and harmony.  We used the room off the bathroom as a dressing room and storage for luggage.  This worked out so well as the extra room also had a door that we could close.  I also placed a sheet over the bureau mirror at night which comes from my Native American culture.  This transformed the main room as the room felt like a safe haven in the evening.

When we were finished arranging furniture, we set up a small altar.  Deb and I set our intention for the space and began a space clearing Ceremony.  We used our Drums and a [tag[bell[/tag] to space clear the rooms.  This is the first time Deb and I have worked together as a space clearing team.  I have to admit it was so much fun.

The bell is one of Deb’s primary space clearing tools and watching them work together was magical.  We transformed a space that began as a confined with stale energy to one of beauty and easy to take full deep breaths in.  And, we did all of this in less than an hour. 

We all know that keeping a sense of humor is vital. Well, Deb and I wondered what it would have been like to video tape this feng shui and space clearing to show on YouTube. We would have entitled the video, “What do Two Feng Shui Teachers Do on Vacation?!”

On the last morning that we stayed at the Inn, we had breakfast with a few of the other course attendees.  I asked them how they liked their rooms.  Their response was their room was fine and loved the view of the mountains. Deb and I told them that we were Interior Alignment™ Master Teachers and that we incorporated feng shui into our room by changing the furniture around and doing a space clearing ceremony. Their reply was, “I wish you could have done my room too I could have slept better!”

I believe the important thing to remember is that if you have a basic feng shui knowledge you can create a comfortable place for your soul and physical body anywhere you go.  If you add a space clearing ceremony to that same space, you create an intentional sacred space. 

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