It has been a very long time since I wrote a blog article. I have been busy teaching and traveling to teach. I am very happy to be able to sit down and write this post.

I love this time of year — The Autumn Equinox. The weather is more moderate with warm afternoons and cooler nights. It is almost sweatshirt weather during the day. You can just barely feel a coldness at the end of a breeze.

Taking time to clean out closets, the basement and garage feels like we are preparing for the coming winter. The maple trees around our home are beginning to change into their colorful coats and even some are losing their leaves already. Even my teaching schedule is starting to wind down. I am teaching next week a space clearing 6 day certification course, a drum making workshop in the state of New York November 1 and my last drum making workshop in Wisconsin (Aquarian Gardens in New Lisbon)November 8. After that last drum making workshop, I will be snuggling in for the winter as I prepare for the 2009 courses.

I love what Ted Andrews wrote in his book Nature Speak about the Autumn Equinox.  He calls the Autumn Equinox the Beginning the Hero’s Journey.  This is the time of year that is about endings and beginnings.  This is a time of new starts as we clean out the old.  We have a harvest this year.  We had an abundant year of inner work, peace, solitude and joy.

As we begin the Hero’s Journey, I am planning gardens for the next growing season. I am planning my courses for 2009 and setting dates.I will continue to teach certification courses in Interior Alignment™ (instinctive feng shui and space clearing), guiding Rainbow, 12 Gifts and A Song™ ascension groups, teaching sacred geometry,drum making, Medicine Wheel Feng Shui and Space Clearing™, Beauty Space and Balance Advanced Space Clearing, and holding the Sacred Space Fellowship August 2009.

Thanks for reading Between the Beats.

Blessed Autumn Equinox,
Neshi

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

As the New Moon Solar Eclipse comes and goes today, leaving behind the energy of going from darkness to light and from old to new, I too feel a sense of completion.

I returned home from a week of teaching at the annual Great Lakes Retreat in Olivet Michigan. I taught a drum making workshop, I also taught a single session about Medicine Wheel Feng Shui and Space Clearing - Harmonizing, and also presented a lecture about my Medicine Dress. I love to teach, to share information and be a witness to others spiritual growth.

I have actually been off line for a month to six weeks. As I prepared for the Beauty Space and Balance Advance Space Clearing course which I co-taught with Deb Swingholm and Minnie Kansman in June, I took a week to finish preparations for the Great Lakes Retreat travel and course material. I had held energetic space for both teaching venues for almost a year and now that both are completed, I feel a huge sense of personal completion. Today, I am cleaning off my desk (yes, I can finally see the top of my desk) feeling like I should be doing something, much like when I finished my Masters degree course. After a few years of juggling a full time job, family, and an accelerated Master’s degree course, I had lots of time to myself when I completed the degree — time on my hands.

This sense of completion reminds of the journey through the Medicine Wheel. I began both teaching projects in the Eastern portion of the Wheel where birth and new beginnings occure. As the projects began to come together, building energy, I walked the Wheel through the south and young adulthood. As I moved the teaching projects to the West energies and experiencing the abundance of the south with the sense of harvest from the west energies, the courses came to fruition and completion. As I file away notes and copies of course information, I feel the energies of the North and dormancy as we begin to gathering energies to begin germinating seeds for the next teaching dates for both Beauty Space and Balance and also the Great Lake Retreat for 2009.

Its good to be home and turning my energy towards the upcoming Feng Shui and Space Clearing certification courses I am teaching in September, turning my enery toward the short story I am writing about the Drum Mother for a new book called The Wisdom We Gained, and also spending time with my family.

I am looking forward to writing blog posts both for Two Feathers and Where Energy Flows.

Migwiitch for reading Between the Beats. Blessings, Neshi.

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

Listening to gentle rain fall on the roof as you are drifting off to sleep or to feel the ahhhh as you soak in a hot tub of water you feel the comfort from the Spirit of Water. The Spirit of Water can be so soothing and relaxing. Here in Wisconsin we have had a little too much water as rain and severe weather has brought the cleansing and clearing aspect of the Spirit of Water.

My state has been in the national news this past week due to flooding and the failure of dams or levees. We have had a lot of rain in the past few days. The most watched video of the flooding is the result of the water in Lake Delton drain after exploding through an earthen levee. In the video there are houses being torn from their foundations and float away into the Wisconsin River as the lake drained into the river.

I grew up in Wisconsin Dells and know Lake Delton well. I heard about the disaster at Lake Delton within an hour of the levee failure. The news traveled much like the water draining out of the lake…fast and furious. My husband and I drove down to the city of Lake Delton which is about an hour south of where we currently live to see for ourselves. It was sad and surreal.

We have fond memories of Lake Delton. We both worked at a giftshop/museum called Parson’s Indian Trading Post. We met and fell in love here. Paul’s family owned a summer home not too far from Lake Delton near the Wisconsin River. I worked in the “Little Post” located in Tommy Bartlett’s Water Show. I learned how to waterski on this lake to impress by new boyfriend who was to become my husband. Seeing the drained lake felt much like a friend’s death. Their passing marks a new chapter and in this case a whole new book.

As I thought about all these memories and knowing Spirit of Water, I had to consider that maybe this “disaster” is really nature balancing it self. The Wisconsin Dells/Lake Delton area changed so much over the last few decades. It went from a place where people vacationed to be close to nature to a place where people vacation to play in water parks, miniture golf and enjoy carnival type rides. There is a lot of concrete and black top. There is also a lot of hotel and motels to house all those coming to vacation. Once a long time ago, vacationers came to stay in lodges along the Wisconsin River and enjoy the quiet beauty of the sandstone bluffs, eagles, deer and of course watch the Native American dances.

The Spirit of Water is both gentle and powerful. As we can see it can be a major player in a space clearing. In the Medicine Wheel the Spirit of Water is one of the four elements and resides in the south winds or the west winds depending on the belief system of many Native American Nations. The spirit of Water represents or symbolizes emotions.

I pray that those affected by the recent flooding be blessed with a multitude of angels that can help them heal and find peace as they continue on the soul’s journey. I also pray that nature finds its balance gently and easily for the highest good of all.

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

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

Come join us at a Spiritual Gathering in Olivet Michigan for the Great Lakes Retreat….Where Heaven and Earth Meet. I will be presenting Sacred Drum Making, overview of Medicine Wheel Feng Shui and the story of my Healing Dress at the Great Lakes Retreat this year.

The Great Lakes Retreat begins on Sunday, July 20, 2008 and ends on Friday, July 25, 2008. We are meeting at Olivet College in Olivet Michigan. (www.thegreatlakesretreat.org)

My good friend and collegue Minnie Kansman is also presenting at the Retreat. She is presenting on her book Spirit Gardens: Rekindling our Nature Connection,as well as Fairy Houses and Altars.

I am looking forward to teaching at the Great Lakes Retreat and to spend time with friends. If you are looking for a week where you can learn about spiritual topics, rest, relax and have fun….register by going the Great Lakes Retreat website. See you there!

Have you ever seen an Elk calf? We recently had the rare opportunity to assist our state Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) in their annual calf count and tagging. I was so excited to be on this outing. We volunteered to walk parts of the incredible Chequamegon National Forest in Northern Wisconsin to look for newly born Elk calf.

The Chequamegon Elk herd in Wisconsin is about 150 in number with about 20 new calves this year. Not all calves will make it to adulthood as the natural life cycle is honored.

Elk are one of the largest of the deer family, only the moose is larger than the elk. Calves are born at the end of May to early June and weigh on average 30-35 pounds. Calves are born with spots just like whitetail deer. Their spots fade by late summer. The spots help to hide them to keep them safe from predators. This camoflage works very well as the baby elk blend into the forest floor.

We found only one male elk calf that weighed 39 pounds and was two days old. I was able to take a couple of pictures but not touch the baby due to leaving human scent. The DNR staff were very gentle with the calf as they took weight, age and gender information. They cover the calf’s eyes so not to cause more trauma and fright.

We also were graced with seeing a herd of 17 adult elk. In the picture you can see the tracking collars that the DNR uses to manage the herd. Seeing these large animals crossing in front of me in my home state was exciting and humbling all at the same time. I felt a surge of energy being so close to Elk Medicine.

According to Ted Andrews, Animal Speak, Elk medicine is of strength and nobility. Elk also teach us how to pace ourselves. Elk are vegetarians eating mostly grasses and vegetation. Those with Elk medicine do well with vegetarian diets as they may feel stronger, stress levels lessen and stamina increases.

We find deer in the Medicine Wheel at the Southeast winds from May 21-June 20. This is known as the Flowering Time. Elk and Deer give birth during this time frame so this part of the Medicine Wheel has the birth totem of Deer. Deer blend into their environment and are sensitive to sound and to movement. This sensitivity makes Deer people sensitive, alert and fast moving. Those with Deer Birth totem can be compassionate and understanding. Although, they may not always be attentive listeners as their minds race so quickly and jump from one subject to another. Deer also tend to herd with the same gender so they feel more comfortable in a community of their same sex peers.

According to Ken Meadows author of Earth Medicine, Flowering Time is the last cycle of the spring season. This part of the Medicine Wheel is compared to the time of youth growing into adulthood. This is a time of information seeking to gain knowledge, but understanding the knowledge comes at a later time in the Medicine Wheel. Flowering Time is a time of expanding awareness and to exercise intuition in order to comprehend things beyond the physical senses. This is a time of transition from spring to summer when trees are in full leaf and flowers are blossoming.

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

All Rights Reserved. copyright, Yvette Neshi Lokotz, June 2008.

Many of us have read or heard the Native American phrase, “All my Relation”. When I first began my Interior Alignment™ training, I found this same sentiment in the space clearing tenant, “You are not separate from the world around you”.  The founder of Interior Alignment™, Denise Linn, reflected on her native heritage to put the phrase “All My Relation” into her own words. I connected with her words on so many levels. I recently read an the article, All Together Now, in the May 2008 issue of the “O” Magazine, which about how we are all interconnected.

The article All Together Nowis about how Dr. George E. Vaillant brought together science and spirituality in his book Spiritual Evolution: A Scientific Defense of Faith. Dr. Vaillant describes the use of language to describe emotions, which is near impossible to find a word that accurately describes exactly what you are feeling.  The same line of thought is how we describe spiritual people, finding the words to accurately describe them leads us usually to what they do such as serving others. They are not totally focused on themselves but spend time focused on others.  This service to others is the bedrock of a community.  It is a way to describe the social doing and being.

For me this means we are not only in service to other human beings but also to the plants, animals, water…we are in service to the planet. What we do and be affects everyone and everything else - All My Relation and We Are Not Separate From the World Around You.

The other item I found fascinating in this article was Dr. Vaillant’s theory about brain’s limbic system. The limbic system is the site of positive emotions, the site of spirituality.  It is also the site where mammals know how and why to care for their young. The limbic system is also the site that makes experiences memorable and important. It is also the site in our brains that hold the neurotransmitters for addiction. Addiction is the attachment that is an out of balance attachment to something. 

This “addiction” stimulates our feel good in our brain.  We use this in balanced healthy ways too such as when we meditate, interact with someone we love and for some the runners high.  The article stated that “positive emotions work better than negative emotions in an evolutionary sense.” Positive emotions have a higher rate of survival than negative emotions.

I found this article profoundly thought provoking about how we affect others as we evolve our positive emotions and allow our negative emotions to meet their end or rather transmute to a positive emotion as they are released.  This gives rise to another layer and understanding of space clearing.
 

Migwiitch (thanks) for reading Between the Beat.  Blessings, Neshi.

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

I recently had one of those ‘ahhh ahhh” moments. I am one of the millions of people reading and attending the Eckart Tolle and Oprah Webinar - A New Earth. Last Monday night we went over chapter 8, Discovery of Inner Space.

I found this chapter title and information so interesting especially from a space clearing point of view. The total amount of empty space between the molecules of our body is 99.99%. I had to sit with that statistic for awhile.

I thought about how that compares to the empty space in a home. Without any scientific measurement, I would bet it is very close to the same percentage. In the belief system of Interior Alignment™, we believe that our homes are a metaphor for our lives and that we are closely interconnected with our homes and all of Universe. So why would the amount of empty space be different within our homes?

This question led me to think about space clearing. In space clearing, we move stuck and stagnant energies out of a space by using clear intention and divine energies flowing through our tools. I remember one of my clients stating that she could feel the beat of my drum in her body as I was clearing her home. She told me the beat of the drum like her pulse as I drummed. I realize now that I was also clearing the inner space of my client. The sacred sound of the drum moving any stuck and stagnant energies that in and around the client’s body(s).  Was I clearing the 99.99% of “empty space”? The empty space may not be entirely empty as we have energies that linger, such as thought forms.

This uncovers another dimension to my space clearing. I had never stopped to think about the “empty space” of our bodies. The importance of having a clear intention in a space clearing is even more critical.  As a space clearing practitioner, I assist clients to clarify what kind of energy do they want to fill their home once the stuck and stagnant energy is removed.  The question then becomes, “What kind of energy do you want in your empty spaces?”

The discovery or rather the conscious thought of inner space, that quiet place that some tribal nations call, “going into the silence”. Going to our quiet spaces, our quiet inner spaces that are clear of unwanted debris.  A new and broader definition for sacred space.

Migwiitch, thank you for reading Between the Beats.  Blessings, Neshi.

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.

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.