Imagine walking up the side walk to a home’s front door. The side walk is lined with flowers and green plants. You see and hear an outdoor water fountain near the front door. The front door area is so inviting, warm and friendly with the tinkling sounds of a wind-chime. As you knock on the door you are met by the owner who has a warm smile recognizing you as a friend.  As you step into the doorway your eye catches a table with a beautiful cloth draping it.

You manage a warm hello for your friend, but the table keeps drawing your attention. As you walk further into the home, you walk directly to the beautiful table. On the table you see a lit candle, smell a fragrant incense and you reach out to feel the soft texture of the silk cloth. There is also a statue on the this beautiful table and a small vase of pretty flowers. The statue is of a woman in standing position with the palm of her hands touching each other as if in prayer at chest height.

The scene I just described is how Chi is invited to the front door and into the home. The table with beautiful items placed on it is an altar. Actually a particular altar known as a protection or guardian altar that is found near the front door and off to the side of the front door (not directly across the door).  The statue is a statue of Kwan Yin in a protective mudra.

I recently read a book by Daniela Schenker called Kuan Yin, Assessing the Power of the Divine Feminine.  Ms. Schenker goes into great depth about Kuan Yin. I appreciated this depth and sharing as I have fondness and connection to Kuan Yin. I have to say that this book also held another surprise gift. The forward was written by my teacher, Denise Linn. I had no idea that Denise had written this forward where she called for Kuan Yin to come and help with the birthing of a baby for a friend of hers.

Kwan Yin is a bodhisattva known for her deep compassion for all sentient beings as she hears the cries of the world.  Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have attained the wisdom of Buddhas but have postponed their final “liberation” or ascension. Instead they provide compassionate support to sentient beings in this world until they can achieve their own ascension.  She is also known as the protector of women and children.

A protection or guardian altar counteracts any lower vibrational energies such as negative thoughts from entering your home. According to Schenker, the peacock was the protector of Kuan Yin. The peacock feather holds this energy and will protect the home and its inhabitants from accidents, other disasters and can absorb negative energies.

Kwan Yin is only one example of a Helpful Person/People that can be enlisted to protect your home. You may choose from your own belief system or culture to create a beautiful guardian altar at your front door. For instance, in the “old days” Native Americans living on the great plains used the Medicine Shields which depicted the man of the home (tepee) protection. This could be in the colors used on the shield, picture of animals or birds. The shield was placed at the opening or doorway of the tepee.  It also indicated if the man of the home was in.  Other cultures may use a pair of lions at the entrance to their property (driveway) or a pair of Foo Dogs as guardians.

I believe that the most important element is your intention for the placement and also other items placed on the guardian altar. Your clear intention is the energy that holds these seemly separate items together on the altar. 

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

In my Interior Alignment™ training as both practitioner and teacher, Denise Linn, instructed us to hold sacred the preparation for space clearing as much as the purification itself.  As a practitioner sets up for a space clearing with their client, the practitioner assists the client to fine tune their intention for the space clearing as the intention is embedded into the overall ceremony.  The altar that is set up in the client’s home holds items of both literal and symbolic of their intention.

The altar is the focal point through out the space clearing.  The altar becomes the point to begin the opening prayer and the returning point at the end of the space clearing to close in prayer.  Some clients and also students not familiar with ceremony wonder why so much attention is paid to the details of the ceremony itself (preparation).  I believe the reason why we spend so much time on the details of the ceremony is because in the past, people were more connected to Spirit and took time during their normal day to set time aside for ceremony or ritual in a conscious way. In modern times, we are not aware of our rituals or ceremonies on a conscious level, such as our morning showers or preparing a meal.

As Interior Alignment™ pracitioners prepare for the space clearing we are consciously intending.  As the practitioner becomes conscious of all those details, we begin to bring in the depth of the meaning for the ceremony from hearts to our mental minds.  Our mental minds that are going at the light speed during much of our day so when we slow down to fine tune intention and to decide what is meaningful to place on the altar this process brings the practitioner and the client into the present moment. 

I have to admit, it take practice to decide what one’s clear intention is and also how to bring together the elements of an altar as each piece that is placed on the altar from the altar cloth color and texture to the placement of each item on the altar.  When the physical altar is set, then we can move toward the words that will be shared with Spirit in prayer.  As Don Miguel Ruiz states, “the word is sacred”.  The Interior Alignment™ practitioner is taught to bring the feeling we have in our hearts together with the verbal word - melding our heart with our conscious mind. As we begin the space clearing with a prayer that states the client’s intention, we are beyond man’s measurement of time and space.  The practitioner stands in the crux of the present moment. That present moment outside the measurement of time and space is the segue into the physical space clearing.  The practitioner’s space clearing tools are a part of the ceremony and an extension of the practitioner doing the space clearing.  As in any other healing, the practitioner is not “doing” the healing but rather is the conduit for divine energy flowing through them and their space clearing tools which the home and its inhabitants are able to access and receive.

As I bring together the act of space clearing with the act of ceremony, I realize that Interior Alignment™ space clearing practitioners are the bridge between the seen and the unseen, as they work consciously in the present moment. As the practitioner creates the physical altar for the ceremony, their clients are brought to the present moment and consciously takes in or absorbs the meaning of the ceremony. As this meaning reaches their conscious mental mind, the space clearing and its affects becomes real. The affects come into the physical world.

I love being a space clearing practitioner and teacher.  I can sense and see the moment when a client or student becomes aware of the depth of the ceremony in their eyes.  This moment is priceless.

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

 Have you ever wondered what you are suppose to being doing with your life? What contribution are you suppose to give to the world?  This is how I began my journey to becoming a feng shui and space clearing professional.  It was back in 1994 that I began asking myself these questions. 

I believe that the Universe answered my questions as I found a very small article in a a Glamour magazine on feng shui. I had not heard of that phrase. Within a 2 week time frame the phrase feng shui found its way into my life. I decided to check out what the Internet had to offer. I found page after page of feng shui related items.  I noticed that there was nothing offered in the Midwest at that time, which was 1995.  I was in a bookstore some months later and found a book on feng shui, Feng Shui-Arranging your Home to Change Your Life by Kirsten M. Lagatree. There was only 3 books available at that time and I chose Kirsten’s book.  I must have read that book at least 4 times.  I started to move my furniture around and our life began to change. Paul received a new duty station in Madison along with a promotion. I was hired by the state to be a policy analyst (a nice raise to boot).  So, we moved to a small town near Madison in 1996.

Do you feel a draw or pull toward feng shui or toward space clearing and not know why? I believe that at a soul level we already know so many things. It is when we make a conscious decision to find out more or to take another kind of action that we begin to consciously step onto that part of our Life Journey, our path, to be of assistance to others. This is what feng shui and space clearing are about, being of service, at least from an Interior Alignment™ perspective. 

There are two distinct areas for consideration. The first area is on the physical or worldly level.  Does something like feng shui or space clearing interest you as a profession. Are you already an interior designer or real estate person who can add this on to the services you already provide to others. It is a business decision.  The second area of concern is in the spiritual world.  Do you feel or have a sense like you have done feng shui or space clearing before?  Do you feel a sense of joy and excitement when you read information about feng shui and space clearing?  This is your soul telling you to follow your heart.  This is a spiritual decision. 

The first time I assisted a friend to move her furniture around, I felt so elated when she felt the change in the room. Or, when my very first paying client sent me flowers to say thank you for their “new home”. The feeling of assisting others to realize their goals, their dreams, their intentions was so way better than I ever felt drafting state law.

I have been practicing space clearing most of my life. I watched my mother and my aunties clear their homes and when I was old enough, I assisted my mother.  When I read Sacred Space by Denise Linn is when I found my heart’s work. Space Clearing to me is like breathing, natural.  When you are drawn to space clearing you also are drawn to a deeper connection to Spirit as we work with the formless. The shifts in energy are not seen but felt, felt at a soul level. When a client describe their home after a space clearing they talk about how they can breath more fully, how it feels lighter or how it feels to comfortable for the first time in their home. They speak about feeling rather than seeing.

If you are interested in becoming a professional feng shui and space clearing practitioner, you may find yourself asking yourself, “why do I want to become a practitioner?” Doing what you love is a big part of the answer, being of service to others, and getting paid for assisting others in realizing their intentions may just be your answer.  I believe that the world needs more space clearing and feng shui practitioners. As people begin to awaken to their soul’s work, to their life journey, they will need assistance to create an environment that will support their endeavors to reach their goals. They will need a home that will offer them a place of peace to unwind and relax at the end of the day. Just think, or imagine that could be you assisting them. 

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

My journey to New Mexico began about 2 years ago.  I had just finished teaching a practitioner certification of Interior Alignment. I was spending the next couple of days cleaning and putting aware the space clearing tools and such.  As I worked, I could hear
whispers of the name Albuquerque.  My husband and I went out to dinner and as we waited for our table, we sat chatting about our day.  As I was listening to Paul, I heard another voice say in a rather loud conversational tone — Albuquerque.  I had no clue as to why or what this all meant.  Paul teased me and said that I couldn’t go there until I knew how to spell Albuquerque.  I began my research and interest in Albuquerque. 

It was almost 2 years later in September 2007 that I received an email regarding the course, The Way of the Shaman, being taught by Sandra Ingerman in Santa Fe, New Mexico in March of 2008. I loved Sandra Ingerman’s style of writing and had heard such praise for her style of teaching.  I decided the day I received the email message that I would attend this course with Sandra. I wrote out a check for the entire course fee and
mailed it off. 

I shared my decision with my good friend and fellow Interior Alignment™ Master teacher, Deb Swingholm, that I would be attending The Way of the Shaman course.
I sent Deb the class information and she too decided to attend the same course.  I still had no idea why I had to go to New Mexico, just that there was a very strong pull to go to Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

New Mexico is a beautiful state that has many different ecosystems.  We spent our first full day visiting ancient petroglyph sites at the Petroglyph National Monument Park in Albuquerque. My favorite site was the Piedras Marcadas Canyon (Canyon of the Dark Rocks).  This is the home of the densest concentration of petroglyphs along the 17 mile escarpment with 5,000 images.  Most of the images were created between 400 and 700 years ago by the ancestors of today’s Pueblo Nations. This area and the petroglyph carvings were thought to be used to conduct sacred ceremony.

Science shows that 150,000 years ago a series of volcanic eruptions flowed to create the mesa and the dark basaltic rock that were used to carve the petroglyphs. The petroglyphs contained both animal and human forms.  As we approached the trail head of the Canyon, I did a tobacco giving ceremony to ask for permission to pass into a sacred place.  I was given permission and called granddaughter. We hiked some distance, stopping occasionally to take pictures and to tune into the energy of this sacred place.

One petroglyph in particular caught my attention. The image of a woman, a female shaman, at the very back part of the canyon.  This particular carving was different from other shaman carvings as it was plain to see that this shaman had a dress on. Other shaman carvings was shown in stick person form. As I closed my eyes to feel the energy here, I felt compelled to turn and look in the opposite direction.  The view was looking down the canyon to see where it narrowed and then opened up to the valley which Albuquerque is located.  The shape of this canyon reminded me of a womb and birth canal. The female shaman petroglyph was at the very back of the womb.  She held a stick in one hand and a corn stalk in the other. I could hear drumming and women singing as I imagined what it might have been like to be there in ceremony.

As I stood in the center of the womb, giving thanks for the opportunity to experience the energy of this sacred place, I could felt in my heart that this is the reason, the
female shaman, that I was to make the sacred journey to Albuquerque. A special thanks to Ed and Yvonne Boudreaux for being such great hosts and tour guides.

Thank you for reading Between the Beats.  Many Blessings, Neshi. 

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

This post is from my most favorite book on Space Clearing, Sacred Space by my teacher Denise Linn.

There are three basic tenets that are the foundation of all space clearing techniques:

• Everything is composed of constantly changing energy.
• You are not separate from the world around you.
• Everything has consciousness.

“Your home is an evolving being much as you are an evolving being.  You home’s Beingness is one that you may communicate with, it provides protection and healing”, Denise Linn.  Learning how to communicate with your home can help you to create a life that is balanced and in harmony with life (nature).

The Sacred Spacebook is the basis for the professional Interior Alignment™ certification course and most of the workshops I hold for the general public. 

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

I recently collaborated with two other Interior Alignment™ Master Educators, Deborah Redfern and Deb Swingholm regarding our desire to assist all certified Interior Alignment™ practitioners.  As educators of Interior Alignment™ we have a special stewardship regarding the ongoing education of current Interior Alignment™ practitioners, current Master Interior Alignment™ Teachers and of course future practitioners and teachers.

Deborah, Deb and I have been spending time researching and learning how to optimize our personal business websites.  We teamed up as we all have a passion for research and putting together puzzles. We are not experts in website search optimization, but I think we have tapped into a solid understanding of why website optimization is important and also the how to actually get basic optimization done.

If a feng shui practitioner has a business website, the basic reason for the website is for other people (future clients and students) to be to find you and the kind of services you provide.  We all know that the internet is a huge virtual space that takes some skill and self confidence to actually find what you are looking for.  By completing very basic website optimization a practitioner’s website ranking is vastly improved.  For instance, with some tweaking of meta tags and also title text changes both Deborah and I have moved our Google ranking up from “no where land” to second and third page ranking.

Each of us has placed a document of how to apply very basic optimization ideas on our business websites under Resources.  This document is in PDF form. Here is a link to my Resource page: http://www.two-feathers.org/documents/SEO_HowTo.pdf

Another great tool is Google Analytics.  This is a free service from Google.  They provide a code to track pages of your website so that you can determine if your money and energy is well spent. The statistics will also assist you in seeing how effective your website is by how many people visit your website, what pages are read and what key words they used to start their search that brought them to your website. This is fabulous information to help a practitioner to set clearer intentions for their website.

Another Interior Alignment™ practitioner or teacher may wonder why three Interior Alignment™ Master Educators would want to share such valuable information with possible competitors.  The short answer is we believe that we are here to serve and if you are a practicing Interior Alignment™ practitioner and teacher, we know that you made the conscious decision to be of service to others, your clients and students.  Personally I believe that competition is an illusion. 

Those who are meant to study with me or become a client are drawn to my unique vibration.By sharing the website optimization basic information we are assisting other Interior Alignment practitioners and teachers to become more visible to those who are attracted to their unique vibration.

When we, Interior Alignment practitioners and teachers, come together as an Interior Alignment community which is in service to others, we all prosper including and most importantly all our clients and students also prosper.

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

As we approach a very powerful time of year, I feel the renewed energy of growth and new beginnings. A time of exhilaration as I feel the desire to play hooky and spend time outdoors.

The Spring Equinox marks a balance point of time when energy starts to rise as experienced through tree sap rising and beginning to flow. We also see maple trees being tapped for their sap and we look forward to (okay drool) the maple syrup and candy to made.  This time of year we balance an egg on its end which is a visual of the balanced energies on the exact Equinox.  The Spring Equinox is a time of balanced male and female energies found in the changing and new beginnings.  From a feng shui perspective this can be seen as a balancing of the element of water and the element of fire.

The Spring Equinox comes from the place of the crosswinds on the Medicine Wheel.  The north-east direction celebrates the end of winter and the arrival of spring when everything comes back to life and awakens.

The Spirit, wind, of the East is the influencing wind during this time.  We can begin to feel the aliveness in the breeze and smell the aroma of Mother Earth as the cycle of rebirth begins. We can feel the faster moving energies that come with the equinoxes.

On the Medicine Wheel, the birth totem for March 21-April 19th is the Falcon. Kenneth Meadows, author of Earth Medicine, writes that Falcon people learn the life lesson of adaptability without compromising their ideals and principles.  They spread their wings as a symbol of new ideas and experiences.

Ted Andrews states in Nature Speaksthat the Spring Equinox is a timie to focus on conscious transmutation. I believe this means taking time to become aware of what needs to be changed in your life.

You may consider taking some time to sit in quietness for some time outdoors and consider if there is anything in your life that you would like to transmute, balance, birth as a new project. 

May your Spring Equinox bring you many blessings.  Neshi

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

I recently wrote a blog article for Where Energy Flows blog regarding creating an altar and space clearing my office cubicle.  I thought maybe it would be an interesting read for Between the Beats, if I shared a little bit more of that experience.

I worked in a government building with a grey concrete exterior much like most government buildings built in the 1970′s.  The last 4 or 5 months of my employment, I had many mornings where I felt like I was in the movie Joe versus the Volcano starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.  In the very beginning of the movie, Tom Hank’s character, Joe, is walking toward a big grey building in which he works.  As he gets closer to the building his steps become slower and slower.  Joe then pauses for a very long while before he actually enters the building.  I know what that actually feels like.

The building I worked in is well known for its possibilities of having the Sick Building Syndrome.  I knew that in my training from Interior Alignment™ that I had options to create a sanctuary in my cubicle.  My cubicle could be a space that could support me both physically and spiritually.

I took steps to clarify my intention for my cubicle. How did I want to feel when I was there?  How could my cubicle support me in my work?  Most importantly, how could I be a role model for my co-workers?  I wanted to live by Gandhi’s famous quote, “be the change you wish to see in the world.”

As I used feng shui principles in my cubicle such as adding color, placement of bookcases and binders, as well as placement of pictures and altars.  I also had to deal with a computer monitor that was situated in a way that had my back to the entrance, doorway, of my cubicle.  I placed a small round mirror next to my monitor that allowed me to see the reflection of someone standing behind me at my door.  Most of my co-workers thought I was using the mirror as a communication tool for phone calls.  You know, people can hear your frown or smile over the phone.

Once I had the feng shui set in my cubicle, I then performed a space clearing ceremony.  I went in much earlier than usual.  I created a very small and simple altar for the ceremony.  Since there was a rule about not having open flames, I still used a candle to symbolize fire, but didn’t light the candle.

I also used a very quiet method of space clearing called the Breath of God.  I couldn’t use my drum or bell as it would have been too big and too loud for the space as I was only clearning my cubicle and not the entire office.  Since I was not asked to perform a space clearing on the entire space, I could only take responsiblity for my own cubicle.

The results from creating a sacred space in my cubicle is that I had visitors.  My co-workers would stop by because it felt good in my cubicle.  The best example of how my space supported me and those who came to visit was 9/11.

I was at work that day.  I remember our receptionist telling a co-worker and I that she had just  heard on the radio that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York.  A short time later, the receptionist came back and told us that there was a second plane that also crashed into the World Trade Center.  I remember saying to my co-worker that something was wrong and that it sounded like a terrrorist act.

As the morning wore on and our employer placed a television in our conference room, I could feel the energy shifting within the staff and office.  I went to my cubicle to be met by two co-workers sitting in my cube waiting for me.  They just wanted to be in my cubicle because they felt safe.  At one time I had 6 people in my cuble besides me.  At lunch time, I stayed and space cleared my cubicle and reset the energy.  I cleared away the released emotions from that morning.

As I look back and remember that time, I know in my heart that my cubicle was an island of comfort and safety during a time of such distress.  The intention I set for the energy of my work space is important even now as I work from my home office.

I will write a future blog article about creating an altar for space clearing.  Or, if you like, please visit http://www.wherenergyflows.com to read my articles about space clearing and feng shui that I have already written.

Thank you for reading Between the Beats.  Many Blessings.  Neshi.

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

My family members, my clan, gathers for the naming ceremony for one of our daughters.  She is a year old and will not remember this special ceremony in her honor.  Her grandfather speaks in his native language, Potawatomi, as he calls to the Creator and to all that the Creator has made.  The little girl’s grandfather holds her in his arms as he bestows her Indian name upon her.

As the child is given back to her mother, the child’s grandfather continues with the ceremony.  The name he gave to his granddaughter is of the Thunderbird Clan.  Within this family’s naming ceremony, ancestor names are carried down to the new generation so that those who have passed are remembered and honored.

I describe my own naming ceremony.  I have asked my mother questions on different occasions about that time in our lives.  As I grow older, I become curious about the ceremony itself, how my name was selected, what the feast was like, what gifts were given.  I received my Indian name at such a young age that the name has become a part of me just as much as my English name and the breath that I take. (more about this in a future blog article)

My full Indian name in Potawatomi is Bneshiqwe.  The English translation is Bird Woman. My grandfather, my Misho, shortened my name to the nick name of Neshi.  He passed away 28 years ago. After he was gone, I heard my name infrequently.  My mother calls me Neshi on rare occasion but generally writes in my birthday cards.

On Monday night, I was one of the 700,00+ attendees of the Oprah and Eckhart Tolle’s New Earth Webinar.  As they discussed the ego and labels, my thoughts drifted to our individual names.  I also had a passing thought about the  nurmerology of our names and how much numerology identifies our physical life.  More importantly, I thought about my Indian name and other non-native people who I know who have received a Spirit name.

If I received my Indian name at such a young age that I identify with a clan and totem, according to Mr. Tolle, who I am becomes entangled with the identity of a bird. Once we name or label a physical object we attach to the mental concept rahter than the essence of the object.

Following this train of thought…then, Iam called Neshi, rather than I am Neshi.  I really get that concept.  Most Native American Nations have a belief system that all things are a live and have a Spirit as we all come from the Creator/Spirit, we are connected to Spirit.  This concept of Mr. Tolle’s helps to explain how we honor and respect the life essence of all things.  How cool is that?!

Thank you for reading Between the Beats.  Migwiitch, Neshi.

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

Feng shui your front door is an invitation to Chi.   This statement means thatwhen your front door is pleasing to Chi (Life Force or Vital Force); you are attracting and inviting Chi to your home.

Take a moment and imagine standing across the street from your home.  Visualize the front of your home.  Focus in on the walk to the front door.  What does it look like? If you walked up to your front door what items do you see?

As you do this imagination you are Chi being invited to your front door.  Are you welcome and invited in?

According to my training in Interior Alignment™, instinctive feng shui, the architectural front door of a home is the “mouth of chi”.  We also have a belief that very thing contains Chi, life force, even items that may seem inanimate objects.  So, your home is just as a live as you are.  When Chi is invited to your home, it is like your own body receiving an extra boost of energy.  When this energy has a smooth and balance flow, it feels great.  When this energy moves to quickly and fast, it does not feel so good.

Why is feng shui for your front door important?  Well placed items, such as plants and lighting, encourage the flow of Chi to be smooth and balanced.  Chi loves beauty.  If you have healthy plants, and low voltage lights lighting a meandering path…Chi will flow smoothly as it is led to your front door. 

Your front door affects the energy of the entire house and creates a first impression for Chi.  Is your front door a pleasing color, is it in good healthy condition, can the door be opened easily and fully?

The ideal front door will be proportionally sized to match the overall size of the house; there is a beautiful water feature in the front of the home; the front yard feels expansive; there is a curved meandering front walk; healthy plants are along the path and near the door; there may be a wind chime near the front door; and the color of the front door matches the overall intention for the home (is your home a quiet contemplative home or is your home party central for friends); lawn ornaments and statuary are scaled to the house and gardens.

Spring is just around the corner.  Now is the time to consider what the outside of your front door looks like and ask yourself is Chi is invited to your home.  Take a picture of your front door and make a few paper copies. Take the paper copies and draw in where you would like a garden or two.  Draw in potted plants and water feature.  Play with the possibilities…dream about your ideal front door.  Then take action and decided what can be done easily.  Decide what will take some time to plan and money to complete. 

In this picture of my previous home, we took three years to plan and build the covered front porch.  This made the whole home feel much warmer and friendlier.  We were also the only family in our neighborhood with a front porch.  We met our neighbors as we sat out to read the paper.  And, when it was time to move to another home, this porch was the main selling point of that home.

All Rights Reserved, Yvette Neshi Lokotz, March 2008.