Space Clearing

How to Get Rid of Stagnant Chi with Simple Yet Efficient Techniques:

Mental and emotional imprints gather and accumulate in our living spaces over time. It is as if everything that happens, especially the more dramatic experiences and deep emotions, become registered in the walls.

This residual energy has a definite effect on the people living there, whether they are aware of it or not.

This psychic “dust” must be cleansed somehow, just as we clean our houses of physical dust. It is most necessary when we move into a new place which feels somehow not quite ours. Or after a long time in a place, particularly after there has been a serious illness in the family.

In one form or another, space clearing has been practised down the ages in many different cultures.

I remember in my native Turkey my mother burning incense and asking us children to jump over it to clear away obstacles.

The old Christmas traditions of taking into the home a living tree, and then decorating it with bright objects and singing and dancing around it are other examples of a form of space clearing. There is nothing like sound and movement to shift and move around the energy.

In Tibetan tantric rituals, there is always some equivalent to a space clearing ceremony at the beginning. Native Americans also gave a lot of importance to space clearing and many of the methods of space clearing in use today, such as “smudging” and using drums, originate from Native America.

Smudging is a ritual burning of herbs, such as sage, cedar and sweetgrass. Sage is associated with purity and is excellent for cleansing stuck energy.

Cedar, in the form of evergreen needles, is especially effective to dispel negativity and often used in Native American “Sweat Lodges” to dissipate heavy emotional energy.

Sweetgrass has a very fresh green smell. It is often used to drive away negative thought patterns and ill spirits in purification and healing ceremonies by many tribes of Native Americans.

One can buy these herbs ready prepared as bundles (sage and sweetgrass) or loose (cedar needles).

For smudging with the bundles, one needs a rather large fire proof bowl filled with sand about half way, to catch the smouldering sparks. After igniting the bundle, blow the fire out and it will continue to smoke. I usually stick the bundle in the sand in the bowl at this stage and use a feather in my free hand to spread the smoke effectively. After you have completed your ceremony, tap the bundle in the sand until the smoke dies out and leave the bowl in the kitchen sink to make sure the fire is out. It goes without saying one needs to be always careful working with fire.

Loose herbs can be burned on top of a charcoal tablet, often available from camping stores.

A space clearing ritual is a very good idea before one considers any Feng Shui cures. It is of less importance which tecnique one uses, the point is to move the stagnant, old energy away and invite the fresh, sparkling energy in.

Designing Your Own Space Clearing Ritual:

If one understands the basics, it is very easy to design one’s own ritual that can be just as effective as those found in standard books or traditions.

Each space clearing ceremony begins with a preparation stage. On a physical plane, this is the thorough cleaning of your living space, including the windows. It is also important to clarify your intentions and motivation. What is the energy you want to clear out and what kind of energy do you want to bring in. My space clearing teacher, Denise Linn says “Where intention goes energy flows”.

At the purification stage, you need to find an element to work with. For example, if you like working with fire, incense or smudge sticks are useful. If you choose water, you can put a bowl of fresh water in the middle of the room. This water needs to be thrown away at the end of the ceremony. Or you might use a combination of elements. Such as salt, representing the earth, together with water or fire.

At this stage, it might be useful to choose your tools as well. What are you going to use to loosen the stuck energy and what tools to use to bring in the fresh. Sound is an excellent medium to break up stuck energy. Actually anything that makes a sound can be used, such as rock music, rattles, small drums, etc. I personally prefer clapping of the hands. It is very simple but very effective.

After the cleansing of the stuck energy, we invite the new vibrant energy in carrying  our intention. This is called the invocation stage. This can be done in various ways, for example, with bells. There are many types of bells. The ones that are used in space clearing for the invocation stage must have clear and pure tones. Temple bells from Bali are said to be one of the best but very difficult to find. I use a Tibetan temple bell. Tibetan bells are produced for rituals and the unique combination of metals used produces a very clear sound. These can be purchased in stores selling Tibetan curiosities.

The place of drums in space clearing is very important. Drums can break up the stagnant energy and invite the most wonderful energy at the same time. I personally find drumming very healing, both for the space and for the drummer. You can often feel the difference in a space after clearing with drums. The air will feel fresher and the colours will look brighter. Sounds will be crisper and clearer. However, it is not easy to find a good drum. Hand made drums in the Native American style are usually very good. I am very fortunate to have been given a Tibetan shaman drum beautifully hand painted. The curious thing is that a good drum feels like an extension of yourself rather than a separate tool.

The last and the fourth stage of space clearing is the preservation stage. The purpose of this is to protect the home from reverting back to a stagnant state. This can be done in various ways. I often stand in the middle of the room and visualise a net of shimmering light descending from the heavens and covering the whole space. Sometimes it is good to write down one’s intention on a small piece of paper and bury it in a flowerpot. Every time you water the plant you will be reconfirming your intention. This is an excellent way of preserving the energy.

For an immediate uplifting of energy in your home, you can try these measures below:

– Give your home a through cleaning.

– Get rid of everything dragging the energy of your home down: Take down photos or pictures with negative symbology, throw away broken items, dead plants and all dried flowers.

– Open all windows.

– Put some fresh flowers.

– Light a candle, burn incense or essential oils.

– Play some inspiring music.

– Close the windows and enjoy your new clear space!

For a more elaborate space clearing ritual, you might want to try this:

Preparation:

– Clean your space, put away fresh food/fruit away, turn off smoke alarms and telephones.

– Remove your watch and jewelery.

– Meditate on your intention.

Purification:

– Open a window and put a large bowl of water in the middle of the room.

– Toss salt in all corners and thresholds, starting from the entrance door and walking briskly in a clockwise direction.

– Starting from the entrance door again, clap all corners in a clockwise direction.

– Rinse your hands with cold water.

– Smudge if necessary.

Invocation:

– Use the drum and/or the bell now, starting again from the entrance door, walking clockwise, concentrating on the corners.

Preservation:

– Shield the space by imagining a protective net of light covering the space.

– Write your intention on a piece of paper and burry it in the garden or in a flower pot.

– Throw away the bowl of water.

This is just an example, and so feel free to add your own personal touch to it. However, focus is very important in all space clearing work. Therefore it might be helpful to work briskly with a tempo. This can help to keep you focused until the job is completed.

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