Space Clearing

Space clearing is one of the most important, and unfortunately, overlooked aspects of Feng Shui. Here's a quick list of some refreshing, summery options for clearing your home & office. Choose any or all of the below suggestions. And by all means, feel free to make up your own!

ESSENTIAL OILS
I've found orange, lemon & rose oils to be some of the best for space clearing, especially in the spring and summer months. The have a fresh, light, energized aroma and do wonders to wake up the energy. There are also some special blends you can get (I'm a HUGE believer in the Young Living Essential oils line - they have a wonderful oil called Purification that I'm using this very moment. Feel free to email me or check out the secion of my website where you can buy these amazing oils: Young Living Oils).

Ways to use essential oils:

1. Atomizer: I have a great little machine that continually bursts essential oils out into the air. I couldn't recommend it more!

2. Spray bottles: take a clean spray bottle, fill it with distilled water, and add a few drops of your favorite essential oils, or the ones mentioned above, for a refreshing lift! Feel free to spray yourself while you're at it (just make sure to avoid your eyes!)

3. Diffusers/burners: these are simple ceramic structures that hold essential oils & water in a bowl-shaped well while a tea light beneath heats the oils. (I have a make-shift one burning right now on my desktop made from a sculpture, a small bowl and a tea light!)

4. Directly onto Skin: And while you're at it, go ahead and use those essential oils on on yourself! Placing high-quality essential oils on the bottoms of your feet, the back of your neck, your chest, forehead, palms, etc. can do wonders to lift the spirit and create lots of rejuvenating energy!

INCENSE & SMUDGE STICKS
I actually no longer use incense and smudge sticks (sage bundles) in my home. After studying and testing many other space clearing techniques, I've personally found that incense & smudge sticks leave a heavy, smokey residue and weigh down the energy of my home, masking instead of deeply cleansing the energy. Others still swear by these methods, so use whatever speaks to YOU! Honestly, it's my belief that it's your intention that matters most, not what you're doing, or even when you're doing it!

To use a smudge stick, begin burning the ends of the stick over a gas range, or over a lit candle. Once the embers begin glowing on the end, start gently waving the stick throughout your space. I like to being at the doorway of my home, moving clockwise. Cover every nook and cranny - up high, down low... Wherever there might be stagnant energy. If you have a prayer, mantra, affirmation or wish that you'd like to manifest, incorporate that as well. What you're looking to create is an alive, present, open-hearted sensation throughout your entire body. If you get chills while doing this, all the better! I believe the feelings generated during any ritual are the key to their success!

SOUND & CLAPPING
Sound is an amazing space-clearing element. The vibrations of certain sounds freshen the energy much like a good vacumming can do to a dirty rug. Try playing soothing music, Mozart, bells, or other soothing and uplifting sounds. Experiment and see what speaks to you.

And clapping you say? Absolutely! This is without a doubt my favorite space-clearing technique - and best of all, you only need two hands and an open heart! The sound waves generated by clapping can transform the energy of a space. Get your hands stretched out before you, one on top of the other like giant alligator jaws, and clap to your heart's content. This is a wonderful ritual to do with children since they're naturally built to create lots of noise! Aim your hands into those tight spaces - corners & baseboards, ceilings, under furniture, behind cabinets...anywhere dust & dirt would accumulate and stagnate. And keep clapping! You'll actually hear the resonance shift as you go, and you'll instinctually know how long to stay in each area. Try it out and let me know the results!

BURNING EPSOM SALTS
This is a fabulous ritual that should only be done under supervision. Second to clapping, this is my next favorite ritual. It puts ions into the atmosphere, literally changing the quality of the air within a space. And the use of fire has long been used in space-clearings. It's dramatic, exciting, and feels absolutely wonderful after completion.

You simply take a metal fireproof bowl and pour a mount of Epsom Salts in the center. Then you pour a moderate amount of rubbing alcohol over this mound. Place this metal bowl into another larger bowl full of water (this helps cool the inner bowl and prevent burns - the inner bowl will get extremely hot! When you're ready, you can light the salts with a match. Depending on the amount of salts & alcohol, a large flame will spring up. You then carry this bowl from room to room, chanting, praying, or simply holding your intention for the space (again, whatever speaks to your beliefs and personality type).

NOTE: Because of the obvious fire hazard, you should definitely test this technique first outdoors or under supervision from a Feng Shui consultant who has performed this ceremony before!

RED ENVELOPE RITUALS
However much I try to keep all my Feng Shui rituals and practices very modern and western, I've personally loved the ritual of using Red Envelopes (you can use any envelope you like - just make sure it speaks to you). Take a piece of paper, and from a centered and clear place, write your intentions or wishes. Make sure to write them as if they have ALREADY happened, not from a place of "wishing for". You always want to be coming from a place of having what you want. That changes your energy field to draw like energies to you. [Read Ask And It Is Given by Esther Hicks for the absolute best book on manifesting] Then place this piece of paper into a red envelope. Depending on the wish, I usually place these prayers into my Helpful People, Reputation or Weath quadrants of the bagua (contact me for more information on determining where these areas are in your own home: stephanie@evolvingarts.com). Setting these intentions can add great benefit to your other space-clearing rituals!

WHITE LIGHT
Here's another simple technique that I utilize constantly. In your mind's eye, visualize the space that you would like to clear, and imagine that you're filling that space, edge-to-edge, with the most beautiful white or golden light. Call it what you will: the light of God, Christ's light, Buddha's light. And make sure to fill all the doorways and windows to add extra protection. When I've had uncomfortable energy shifts within my own home in the past, I used this as my nightly ritual, filling my entire home, from the farthest corners, with the most beautiful white light, and added a blessing at the end. Try this and see if this speaks to you... It may very well be the most powerful space-clearing and protection ritual you'll try.

CLEANING & CLEARING
Last, but not least, is the foundation of any space clearing ritual. If you try all the suggestions above but have not thoroughly cleaned your home (that includes every nook and cranny!), or haven't thrown out those old clothes, vitamins, shampoo bottles & broken appliances, then you'll most likely find that your results are minimal, at best. Take the time to organize, purge, and thoroughly clean everything in your home during these warm summer months. There's no time like the spring and summer seasons to cleanse your space.

Also, make sure that you stay focused and present when cleaning & clearing. If you're doing the dishes, but resenting that you're not outside in the park instead, you are depositing that resentment into your dishes. Same goes for dusting, sweeping, and cleaning the bathroom. Whatever you think about, you are placing into the walls and objects of your home. So as best you can, try to be mindful while cleaning. Are you moving that couch so you can sweep under and behind? Are you wiping that kitchen counter all the way back to the farthest corners? Are you dusting those footboards? Are you cleaning behind and around the back of the toilet bowl? If you're loving your home, then you'll be depositing love right into your space. And trust me, it's like a spiritual bank-account. What you put in, comes right back to you, ten-fold!

© 2006 Stephanie McWilliams. All rights reserved.