We've all walked into a house and immediately felt right at home or walked into one that we could hardly wait to leave. Subconsciously you are experiencing the energy of the room. Houses can accumulate energy, which can make them feel uncomfortable or stagnant and unpleasant places to be in. This in turn can affect the people occupying the space, their relationships, their work and even their sleeping patterns.
Space clearing is the art of harmonising our spaces by removing negative energy and replacing it with positive, vibrant and revitalising energy. It is an ancient practice used in many cultures around the world. In some cultures it is unthinkable to move into a new house without clearing and blessing the space first. The Native Americans use drums, rattles and burn herbs. In Europe space was 'cleared' with salt and prayers. The Chinese used gongs, chanting and incense. There are many ways to perform a space clearing -- the instructions in this article are just to get you started.
You can do a space clearing anytime you feel stuck or for specific events, like; moving into a new house or office, after illness or a conflict in the home, after big life changing events or when you want to make a fresh start. It's also a good idea to space clear your house at least twice a year.
We are going to do a simple space clearing with tools that are readily available in your home.
Preparation
Start this at least a week before the space clearing.
1. Clean your home or office -- clutter is stuck energy. Get rid of any clutter and then sweep, vacuum and dust. Getting rid of clutter is amazingly therapeutic and even though this might sound like the worst task possible you will feel a whole lot better for doing it, and who knows you might even enjoy it.
2. Once the physical clutter is out of the way, why not tackle some of the mental clutter. Pay your bills, answer your emails, clear your mind of all those things that you've been putting off.
3. During this week of preparation take some time to practise making yourself sensitive to the energy around you. This is not difficult to do and once you get started you will be doing it quite unconsciously. A simple technique is to gently rub the palm in a clockwise circle with the thumb of your other hand. You should feel a tingling sensation. Swap your hands around and repeat the process. When both of your hands are tingling relax them in your lap, palms facing upwards - you will slowly begin to feel the energy around you. Repeat this process in the days leading up to the Space Clearing.
The Space Clearing
You can do a Space Clearing in just one room; the instructions below are for a whole house and should be repeated in all the rooms and corridors. Depending on the size of the house it will take between 30-60 minutes.
1. Take a bath and wash your hair. During the bath relax and focus on what you want to achieve. Add some flowers or essential oil to your bath water to aid this process.
2. Prepare a tray with all the items for the space clearing: salt, candles, flowers and incense.
3. Open all the doors and windows.
4. Start at the front door of your home. Take a few deep breaths to still yourself. Throughout the space clearing make sure you take deep breaths to stay focused, this will also help you to feel the energy.
5. Sprinkle the salt along the sides of all the rooms paying particular attention to the corners. Salt is great for absorbing negative energy. Ideally the salt should be left for 24hrs. It should only be used once and definitely not eaten.
6. If your house is on more than one storey start at the bottom and work your way up through the house repeating the next five steps in every room. Otherwise start at the front door.
7. Hold your hands out in front of you and move slowly into the room, hold them close to the wall to start feeling the energy of the room. You will notice that the energy will feel different as you move around the room. Starting at shoulder height, begin clapping to break up the stagnant energy. Use your hands again to feel the energy and listen as the sound of the clapping changes as the negative energy breaks up. Pay particular attention to the corners of the room as this is where negative energy is prone to gather.
8. Repeat the previous step in all the rooms. When you have completed them all, wash your hands to remove any residue from the clapping.
9. Next you need to neutralise the energy of the room, creating a blank canvas. Simply take a long deep breath and slowly chant "Om" (Ah-Ohhh-Mmmmm). This very powerful Sanskrit word signifies the sound of the Devine and the totality of all life.
10. Now that the room is empty, you can fill it again with whatever energy you want. You might want it to be calm and serene, or vibrant and energetic - you decide how you want to use the room. Take a deep breath and then visualise the room filling up with the new energy.
11. If you want, at this point you can leave an offering in the room (you don't need to do this in the corridors if you have children in the house). This could be a candle, some flowers or a stick of incense or combination of these items. You might also want to say a blessing, for example "this room is now filled with love and happiness".
Remember to sweep the salt out after 24hrs then dispose of it by washing it down the drain.
Good luck with your Space Clearing -- it's really easy once you get started.
If you would like to learn more about Space Clearing, I recommend the book "Space Clearing" by Denise Linn. Lenny Balston is the director of the alternative lifestyle portal Harmonious Living. Visit www.harmoniousliving.co.za | |
