Where Energy Flows

 ”The loss of my mare is not necessarily a bad thing. All will be shown for its true worth in time.” ~ from The Old Man of the Steppes Finds a Horse, Chinese teaching story

As a feng shui and space clearing practitioner and teacher I know I have touched many people’s lives, but it is not something I am comfortable talking about. This is at times difficult because many feng shui books are written from a ’success story’ point of view, and people love to hear success stories. They are fun and bring a sense of hope and wonder into the world. But I don’t focus on success stories  because the nature of energy is that we do not know what the final outcome will be. In my studies with Denise Linn, she shared an ancient teaching story about an old Chinese man and his horses. You may have heard it. The moral is “it isn’t good, it isn’t bad: we do not know the whole story.” Eckhart Tolle also shared a version of this story in The New Earth Webinar series.

Here is a story that illustrates this point. I often work with people who want to have a new romantic relationship in her life. This is a story about Sally. When I did a feng shui consultation for her, I saw that she had her desk set up in the relationship bagua area of her home (therefore on an energetic level, her relationship was with her work.) We moved the desk a few feet away into the reputation area, set up a beautiful altar dedicated to love and romance in the relationship area, as well as making several other enhancements and in addition to the manifesting work she was already doing.

A week later Sally called me very excited and happy because the energy shift happened almost immediately: not one, but several men were suddenly interested in seeing her and she had been going out on dates. It was an exciting and heady time for her, and she wanted to give me (and the feng shui) credit. It is tempting: It feels good to be thanked and to feel I have personally done something that has brought happiness, but in the back of my mind I heard those words “it isn’t good, it isn’t bad, you do not know the whole story.”

I didn’t hear from Sally for awhile but when she finally got in touch with me, it was to tell me she had began a serious relationship with one man, but some problems were coming up: the types of issues that often have to be worked through when two people begin to merge their separate lives together. Questions about roles and boundaries, and personal space. And now her gratitude for me has cooled because suddenly she has new and serious problems that she didn’t have before. As a feng shui practitioner, am I responsible for the problems? No, no more than I am responsible for the success, which is to say that my role is to help bring a change in the energy. No matter how strong my intention that the change be for the highest good of the client, I know only a small part of the story. The work may have brought up relationship issues that were there before, waiting for the opportunity to be healed. And I don’t know anything about the story and energy of other people involved in the story.

In my role as a feng shui practitioner, I don’t know how it is going to turn out, as none of us ever do. What I know is that each action we take changes life for another person — often many people. This is what feng shui teaches us: that everything in our universe is made up of constantly changing energy fields which have a type of consciousness (different levels depending on what it is.) We are a part of everything and everything we do touches and affect everything else. What happens is far too complex with so many levels and variables that it is clear that labelling is a problem. From where we stand there is such limited information available to us. All that we do simply is; not good and not bad.

© Deborah Redfern, 2008. All rights reserved.

In my last post, I wrote about “Sensual Feng Shui” and how we can enhance our surroundings in ways that activate and delight all of our five senses.  When the senses are fully engaged, our experience of the world around us expands as does our sense of joy and pleasure.

Over the last few days, I have been thinking more about this and one thing that struck me was how our Astrology also plays into what we find sensual, pleasurable and beautiful. 

Our Astrological make-up influences our desire and appreciation for art, furnishings, textures and color.  And, each Astrological sign finds different things stimulating when it comes to their personal surroundings.

In my own Astrological chart, the sign that most heavily influences my tastes for beauty and sensory pleasure is Taurus.  Taurus loves texture, fabrics and artistic, beautiful objects.  The Taurus in me is especially attracted to quality handmade objects like thick oriental carpets, pottery with voluptuous shapes and interesting glazes, richly colored hand-woven textiles with natural dyes and other earthy furnishings.

What about some of the other signs?  Well, someone with Cancer as their sign might find sensory pleasure in the kitchen or in the soft curves of a comfortable armchair.  Virgo may find their senses are most delighted in their herb garden.  Capricorn loves things that have a practical nature and furnishings that have a good structure. Someone governed by Libra may appreciate sensory pleasures in the master bedroom with luxurious high thread-count sheets or satin pillows.  And, Aquarius may find their senses are stimulated with objects that are high tech and modern. 

These are just a few examples. 

Interior Alignment™ practitioners use astrology to help tailor feng shui changes to our client’s individual needs.  Interior Alignment™ focuses on one’s Moon sign, but I have found it useful to consider the attributes of both the Sun and Moon sign.

So consider the attrubutes of your sign and think about what sorts of things might please your senses.  Enjoy discovering what satisfies your sign!

Copyright 2008, Deb Swingholm.  All rights reserved.

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.

A few days ago I reviewed a great resource guide and DVD on reducing toxic exposures in the home for pregnant women and their babies. The title is Better Safe than Sorry - Hidden Exposures all Parents Need to Know, and it is put out by the Center of Education for Children’s Health and the Environment.

This is an excellent resource and very in tune with the Healthy Home part of the Certified Practitioner of Interior Alignment™ training. For many years Interior Alignment™ has stressed the importance of reducing toxins in the home. 

There have been so many changes in home environments in the last twenty to twenty-five years. Homes are more energy efficient and many do not naturally exchange air, unless we remember to open the windows or install an air exchange system. The huge increase of chemicals in our environment is creating chemical sensitivity in many people, and pregnant mothers, babies and young children are particularly at risk. 

Many of the products mentioned in the Better Safe than Sorry DVD are things you would not necessarily think about as being harmful but in fact most homes contain a complex cocktail of pollutants from many common household products (see Helen’s post Natural Cosmetics for a Healthy Home for example.) These common household products can include formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, ozone, radon, sulfur dioxide and particulates from cigarette smoke.

The Better Safe than Sorry guide tells you what products to avoid in the workplace while you are pregnant and what to use in your home — which are the safer plastics, what to look for when setting up your nursery, and how to read labels on cleaning and personal product labels to make informed choices. And there is much more.

You may be aware that a Certified Interior Alignment™ Practitioner can help you design a child-friendly environment (for example see  Brenda’s post on creating emotional safety for children through feng shui.

But did you know CPIA’s are also trained to do a Healthy Home assessment? We can help you to create a healthful environment for whatever stage of life you are in — from your 1st pregnancy and baby, to welcoming your new grandchild into your home. 

Last week I wrote an article “Five Elements and the Wizard of Oz.” The next morning, I opened my e-mail to find a note from June, the editor at Self Healing Expressions. She asked if I had any articles for this month’s newsletter. I wrote back and said, “of course! Is there a theme?” The reply: Lessons from Oz. I wrote back and said, “You aren’t going to believe this, but yesterday I wrote a piece on Oz!”

The idea for the five-element piece linked to Oz had been percolating in my subconscious for quite a few years. I keep a folder of article ideas and it was in there — not much more than a title. But the timing — why I opened that folder and clicked on that file on that day? That is a wonderful mystery. Call it chance, or coincidence, or synchronicity…I call it the law of attraction.

Very simply, a vibration was sent out (June’s intention to center this month’s newsletter around Oz) and I received it. I wrote the article very quickly; it seemed to flow from me and I felt very aligned and confident. You might like to see the finished article on the Self Healing Expressions newsletter website. Mike, the web designer, added fun sound effects from The Wizard of Oz. Click on the link to read the interactive version of The Five Elements and the Wizard of Oz.

Much of Interior Alignment™ is about the law of attraction. Some would say it is all about the law of attraction because behind all that we do as practitioners and teachers is Intention. Intention is simply this: what do you want in your life? Then, we as Interior Alignment™ practitioners and teachers give you examples of how you can create a conducive environment, one which is in alignment with your intention. When you are sending out a vibration which matches your intention, you have created the first important step in the law of attraction and drawing to you what you desire.

© Copyright Deborah Redfern 2007.  All rights resserved.