Autumn Beginning at La Vida Dulce

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.

In my studies of sacred geometry, 12 strand DNA, and soul clearing for Rainbow, 12 Gifts and A Song, I found that in Egypt when the planet Sirus comes up over the horizon in July that marks the “new year”.  According to the book, The Sirus Mystery, the Egyptian New Year was when the Nile flooded bringing fertile soil to the region. It also meant brought warmer weather.

The planet Sirius is known as the Dog Star by many people including the Dogon Tribe in Africa. I am not entirely sure how the Dog Star was brought into English language and Western culture. The Dog Days of Summer relate to the Dog Star, planet Sirius. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky.

In Anne Brewer’s book, Power of 12, she states that Beings from the planet Sirius and the Pleiades brought the 12 strand DNA to planet Earth. As Being from Planet Earth we share our history with both Sirius and the Plaides. At first I was not sure if I believed this information. But, then if we are all truly connected through out the Universe then why couldn’t our 12 strand DNA information come from somewhere else.

It isn’t all that far fetched as most Americans attribute their genetic DNA from other continents, like Europe. As I studied 12 strand DNA material and also went through the process of reconnecting my 10 strands into my eneretic bodies 5 years ago, I realized that this is another creation story. A galatic creation story.

This past winter I found a picture in a local newspaper from Fort McCoy. The fort has many hundreds of acres of land. They placed motion cameras out in the “wild”.  A few winters ago the cameras photographed a wolf pack. Since we are in the Dog Days of Summer, I thought it would be nice to share a cool winter scene along with a look at wolves.  Enjoy.

Two Wolves at night

Blessings, Neshi.

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

At the Great Lakes Retreat held at Olivet College in July, I presented the first class on Medicine Wheel Feng Shui and Space Clearing. This was a overview class that laid out the basics.

I covered the characteristics of the four directions of the Medicine Wheel using my Potwatomi culture and also drawing from my Interior Alignment training. Since we had a short 2 hours to cover the information, I felt like I was a stone thrown to skip on a lake. I could only hit so many hit spots within the material I brought with me.

I laid a Medicine Wheel drawing over a drawing of my property and home to show how the areas of the Medicine Wheel effect the different areas of my property. Using the compass directions to locate east, south, west and north to lay the medicine down. My drive way (mouth of life force of the property) lays in the southeast as well as the front door of my home. The energies of the east are air, new beginnings, birth, spring, male, and yellow.

As we walked the Medicine Wheel in a clockwise fashion, we walk to toward the south. The energies of the South carry abundance, fast growth, youth, water, summer, female and black. Walking toward the West energies we come to adulthood, harvest, fire, male and red. The energies of the North are about completion, elderly, death, rebirth, earth, female and white.

I had so much fun showing how the Medicine Wheel energies line up with different parts of my property. We also talked about the similiarities to Chinese feng shui. In Medicine Wheel Feng Shui we still have life force energy or chi moving in a clockwise fashion through a space, we still have clutter effecting the flow of the life force energy, we still have to balance the nature elements, we still have the mouth of chi or life force energy, and we still have the balancing of male/female energies (yin/yang). The major differences are between the use of the 5 element theory (air, water, wood earth, metal) and 4 element (air, water, fire and earth), locating how the energetic map (bagua or Medicine Wheel) is laid over a property, and the qualities of the four directions rather than the guas of the bagua.

I can’t wait to teach this course again and to use Medicine Wheel feng shui with my next client.

Blessings, Neshi.

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

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.

Beauty Space and Balance, an Exploration of Advance Space Clearing course that I co-taught with Minnie Kansman and Deb Swingholm concluded on June 23. This course was an amazing experience of sharing information, joy and connection to our work of space clearing.

Our students were able to experience space clearing tools that they may not have used before, we led several guided meditations (syncro-alignments) to deepen our connection to our spirit guides and space clearing tools. Our intention was to assist students to become more confident in their space clearing skills. Our students completed a practicum with real clients. From comments from the students we achieved our goals.

Through out the course we referred to our work as Interior Alignment (feng shui and space clearing) practitioners to honor our space clearing roots. We also honored our teacher and mentor Denise Linn as we shared with our students our humble beginnings as practitioners. We shared with them how we built our individual practices, how we prepared our clients, our tools and our selves for a space clearing.

One of the students contacted me last week to share with me that she had her first space clearing client since the completion of Beauty Space and Balance. She shared that how she prepares for a clearing and the effectiveness of her work has improved and most importantly she felt energized after the clearing was completed rather than feeling tired and exhausted. She noticed that the house she space cleared sparkled and her clients were very grateful for her work.

I love teaching but what most touches my heart is when a student or a client shares with me their success due to the information I shared with them.

Minnie, Deb and I have begun to plan 2009 Beauty Space and Balance course we can’t wait to teach together again.

Blessings, Neshi.

All Rights Reserved. Copyright, Yvette Neshi Lokotz, July 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.

The students did an outstanding job on their practicum. They had a real feng shui client to consult with and to prepare a feng shui consultation report. The client is a business owner who is currently going through a transition from a partnership to a sole proprietorship. The client was looking for assistance to balance out the remaining energies.

The students worked diligently with the client and prepared a well thought out report that will help the client balance the flow of chi, balance yin/yang energies and balance the five elements. The client is very pleased with the students and with the work they did for her. The client has already begun implementing the suggested enhancements.

As their teacher, I help the students prepare for the consultation, I begin the consultation so that the students get an idea of how a consultation begins. I then turn the consultation over to the students. I am in the background available for questions and support.

In Interior Alignment we suggest that new practitioners have up to 10 practice homes or business before they begin to charge their clients so that they can build up their experience level. I am available to those practitioners who study with me as on going support. I have had new practitioners email floor plans or pictures of areas that they have questions about. I even have had new practitioners come with me to my own client consultations when the practitioner needs just a little more confidence building.

Two Feathers Interior Alignment certification course have a maximum of four students per course. I love small groups because we can have detailed and specific discussions about their own homes and their practice. I also expanded the building your practice section of the course. I have a marketing expert, Tami Gulland of Graceful Marketing, come to the last day of the course. Graceful Marketing helps a studnet to build to lay the foundation of a spiritually based business. Tami talks about the very basics of beginning a business and career. Tami specifically works with the students with Law of Attraction (having a clear intention). One of the biggest highlights is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to clear issues surrounding success. Graceful Marketing will also be joining us for the Advance Course in August as we support Two Feathers students build a spiritual business.

It has been one week since the end of the first certification course and I do miss the students, but I also know that they are consciously beginning their new careers.

Blessings, Neshi.

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

Have you ever prepared for a special gathering? A gathering that you just know will be full of special moments that create opportunities for personal growth. Well, that is exactly what I am in the midst of doing. I am preparing for a special gathering. This gathering is an Interior Alignment™ feng shui professional certification course.

This is the beginning of my fifth year of teaching Interior Alignment™ professional certification courses. The professional certification course is designed to certify others as professional feng shui practitioners.  I love teaching and all the preparation it takes to conduct a course.  I have a checklist of items for the course, the students, and the venue. There are a million details, but it is the details that make the time together special.

My favorite part is selecting the different meditation music. I have lots and lots of cd’s for selection. The synchro alignments that are done through out the course help students to become familiar with this unique tool of Interior Alignment. Synchro alignment is similar to a guided meditation and meant to bring together our conscious self with our higher self.

The day before the course starts it is very busy as the chef brings in the food and fills both refrigerators and both pantries. The cleaning people are in and I am working on flower arrangements for the students bedrooms, the bathrooms, and the dining room. I also put the finishing touches to the special altar for the course.

The morning of the first day of the course has the energy of anticipation. I go from room to room double checking to make sure that everything is in place. I go out to the front walk to sweep and spray it down with water as this gives the walk a fresh appearance. I make sure the fountain is running and the potted plants are watered.

Finally, the students begin to arrive. I meet them outside at the front door with a smile and hug. As they go into the house, they meet the chef who has a yummy snack and beverage waiting for them. We get comfortable in the living room to discuss bedroom assignments and go over housekeeping items.  The students then bring their luggage in and begin to settle into their rooms.

When it is time for us to reconvene in the living room, we begin the Interior Alignment™ feng shui journey. A journey that will be life changing for some of the students and an introduction to a new career as a feng shui practitioner. I am truly honored and grateful that these feng shui students chose me for their teacher and to share this part of their soul’s journey.

Blessings, Neshi.

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