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.

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

On an early Saturday morning, I sit in a quiet place with a warm cup of tea.  As I sit comfortably and relaxed with an uncharacteristic quiet mind, I hear the tingling of wind chimes which hang outside my door.  The sound is so special and reminds me of healing through Sacred Sound.

In Interior Alignment™, practitioners are taught that Sacred Sound affects people and all things both emotionally and physically. Using Sacred Sound in Space Clearing is one way to remove stuck and stagnant energies in a space.  Sound creates form even those sounds that are not audible to the human ear.  As the sound moves out from the source of the sound, the sound travels through the space and even through what we tend to believe are solid objects.  Science now tells us that nothing is completely solid as there is space between the molecules that make up the “solid” object.  Sacred Sound moves through all things with in a space.

Space Clearing with Sacred Sound can take many forms: Bells, chimes, gongs, singing bowls, tuning forks, ting shas, Drums, rattles, prayer wheels, clapping and voice (such as toning or chanting). Each space clearing tool is unique to the practitioner using the tool as the tool is an extension of the practitioner and the practitioner is an extension of Spirit.We have written about the importance of Intention many times within our blog articles.  This article is no different. Intention is the most important tool in space clearing.  The practitioner holds the client’s intention for the space clearing as well as the intention that the Sacred Sound will break up the stuck and stagnant energies, dispersing them and releasing them to Spirit. When I teach this part to students, I use the analogy that learning how to consciously space clear is like learning how to drive a stick shift car.  As you first learn how to drive a stick shift car, you wonder how you are going to remember to do so much at one time.  Driving the stick shift car you are shifting the gear shift, using the clutch and the break at the same time, using the turn signal, listening to the radio and turning the wheel.  This is all at the same time.  At first driving the stick shift car feels difficult and at times over whelming, but with practice you become very adept at the new skill.  After some time driving the stick shift car you become relaxed and enjoy the experience.

I love space clearing.  I love to space clear using my drum.  I use a 15 inch Elk skin hand drum that I made in my Advanced Interior Alignment™ practitioner course in 2002.  As I begin to clear space, I feel the connection between the drum and me, a partnership.  The connection is palpable.  We are allies. I listen for a change in the sound of the drum as we space clear.  The speed of the drumming will also change as we move through denser energy and the denser energy begins to break up and move out of the space.  I will go back over the same space with my Eagle feather to smooth out the space after it has been shaken up.

As I stand in the center of the space, I sense or feel the space.  I can feel the change, but more importantly my client can sense and see the change as well.  Colors look brighter, and it is easier to breath.  The room looks crisp, clean and feels fresh.  The feeling of a Sacred Space.

There is an old saying, which I believe is Tibetan, “when a bell rings, its sound travels throughout the Universe and back to the bell”.  I like this belief as it can be attributed to all Sacred Sound.  This is a true blessing.

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

At this moment, I am in Santa Fe New Mexico and traveling with me is my friend and fellow Interior Alignment™ Teacher, Neshi Lokotz.  It has been a sacred and fascinating journey…  and it has reinforced the way we both view travel as a mystical adventure! 

As Interior Alignment™  feng shui teachers, we have been attuned to the spirits of the land and observing the way the energy changes dramatically from place to place.  We have also taken time to visit the sacred sites along the way. 
 
We spent one day at the Petroglyph National Park and another full day at Chaco Canyon. These two sites are sacred ground and as we entered, Neshi performed a traditional tobacco giving ceremony, asking permission from the ancestors and the spirts of the land to enter. 

It was wonderful to experience the energy of the land and connect with those ancient people who were here before us.  We could sense the ceremonies that had been performed there and felt the presence of the Ancient Ones on many occassions.  A few time we even heard the sound of drums or heard the Ancient Ones laughing or singing. 

From the designs of the petroglyphs and the alignments of the ancient ceremonial kivas, it was clear that the ancient people had a deep awareness of their environment and watched the movements of the heavens. 

Visiting the petroglyphs and the kivas brings the ancient knowledge that we all carry to a more conscious level - we know it is here and available to us, when we listen.
 
We are still on the road, but wanted to share with you just a tiny bit of our journey so far.. Visit my photo gallery here. 

© Deb Swingholm 2008. All rights reserved.  

This time of year is always so refreshing and vibrant.  Just feeling the change in the breeze and warmer days brings on the desires to play hooky.
 
I wrote an article for my blog, Two-Feathers, about the Spring Equinox and I mentioned that at the equinoxes there is a balancing of energies at the exact time of the equinox.  From a Feng Shui perspective this shift or change in the seasons at the time of the Equinox is when male and female energies are balance for a short time.  We can feel that change and the balance.  Change is the male energies as the wind blows faster at this time of year ushering in the warmer weather.  Balance is the female energy which is reached for a short time. 

As we move around the Medicine Wheel to the Spring Equinox we are at the north-east winds.  This is a cross wind which comes in stronger and faster moving.  We also notice that the snow melts and we have spring showers (female water element).  Depending on which version of the Medicine Wheel you use, we are either moving from a female energy in the north into a male energy of the east or moving from a male energy of mental thoughts into a female energy of birth.  No matter which culture or belief system you are comfortable with, we have the gift of feeling balance during the equinox.

The Spring Equinox is also known as the Awakening Time.  As we come out of a time of death into a time of rebirth.  In nature we begin to see the sprouting of the new grass and spring flowers, all of which were gathering energies during the time of germination.  As the gathering of energy of the North winds gives way to the energy of the East-Winds, the time of rebirth, the Awakening, we can begin to see the sprouting of new projects that began as mere thoughts that came from our intuition while we spent time in the energies of the North.

I remember as a child attending special gatherings to honor the Spirit each season.  My grandfather was a member of the Dream Drum religion.  We would make the trip with him for these gatherings.  I liked the spring gathering the best as there was a sense of openness, freedom in the drumming, singing and dance.  The adults spoke Potawatomi most often and since I didn’t speak the language fluently, I had the gift of setting aside the world of adults.  I was able to take in the feeling of the ceremonies without the encumbrance of labels.   As I reflect on these childhood memories of the Spring Equinox Drum Dance, I remember the feeling of the beat of the drum, the heart beat of mother earth, as the vibrations became more and more expansive ushering in the Spirit of the East.

Many blessing to you on this Spring Equinox.
 
All Rights Reserved. Yvette Neshi Lokotz, March 2008.