Where Energy Flows

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.  

As Neshi wrote, our time together at Asilomar was truly a joy.  For me, it was a time to savor what I think is the best part of Interior Alignment™ - our community!  When even just a few of us are together it feels like time stops and the space between us is filled with a warmth that is beyond description.

The best way for me to share the essence of the experience is through photographs.  You are welcome to visit my photo gallery to see some of the images of our first Interior Alignment™  Conference, 2007.

 Enjoy!

Love, Deb

The traditions, practices, symbols and “magical” associations surrounding the art of weaving are some of my passions.  And, when it comes to creating Sacred Space, textiles can serve many purposes. 

I wear them during space clearing ceremonies or use them as the foundation for magnificent, colorful Altars.  I have some weavings that I use daily as a scarf or shawl.  I use exotic, tribal pieces as table runners.  I hang weavings on the wall (since after all, they are an art form) and I toss them over the back of a chair or sofa.  Handmade fabrics can instantly shift the energy and Feng Shui of a room.

Mostly, I find that hand-spun, hand-woven materials delight my senses and uplift my spirit and the energy of my home.  My heart sings when I look at them. 

Living in northern Thailand I am surrounded by an incredible wealth of textiles in a variety of fibers - silk, cotton and hemp.  The women of this region are famous for their intricate and beautiful weavings (a few lovely examples are pictured on my website: click here to see examples of beautiful hand woven textiles.

When I choose textiles, I consider the materials (silk, cotton, hemp), the texture, the color (muted or bright, earth tones, jewel tones), the type of dye (natural sources or chemical) and the energy and symbols they might have woven in.  Sometimes I choose a textile based on its history or who created it.

For example, recently I had the chance to visit Grandma Raza - a hemp cloth weaver.  Raza is Hmong and her tribal village is in the mountains north of Chiang Mai. 

She demonstrated the many steps of preparing, weaving and dyeing - it is difficult and time consuming work and truly a labor of love!  Weaving hemp is an all-female endeavor, handed down mother to daughter.  From Raza, I got a long, un-dyed hemp scarf that her own mother wove (Raza is 86, so the scarf is very old!).  It is plain and a bit worn, but it has a wonderful energy and a buttery texture.  It is a textile I will treasure and wear with great joy!

You can see my photo gallery of the trip, which includes some portraits of other women in the village at:   www.floweringmoon.com/hmonghemp.html

Copyright Deb Swingholm, 2007.  All rights reserved.