We are profoundly influenced by the spaces we inhabit. Our homes have an enormous impact on our state of mind. They can be places that uplift us and bring us a sense of joy. And they can be places that drain our energy and create a sense of unease.

We’ve all had the experience of walking into a room after an argument and the room felt uncomfortable. The energy in the room felt thick and heavy – the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

And we’ve also experienced spaces that felt warm, comforting and inviting. Space clearing raises the vibration, the energy within a space literally liberating old stagnant energy and imprints and replacing them with fresh, vibrant, nurturing energy.

Space clearing is a way to instantly shift and transform the subtle, energy or the feeling in your home or workspace.

Space clearing is a term first used by Denise Linn in the early 90’s. It is an integral branch of Interior Alignment®.

In Interior Alignment® we believe our homes aren’t simply four inanimate walls. We believe our homes mirror and reflect our consciousness, our inner state of being, and the act of clearing or re-aligning the energy in our living spaces shifts our energy and our experience of the energy within our homes.

As Denise Linn states in her book Sacred Space, “Homes as well as people are nourished by how we hold them in our hearts. They have a living spirit that is sustained through the reverence and love that we hold for them. Without that care they become inanimate and lifeless; the spirit recedes and they become merely physical structures that can neither sustain or nurture us.”

Space clearing can help you:

• Release old emotions
• After an illness
• After a move or life change
• After an argument
• After remodeling
• Release recurring patterns of behavior
• Increase vitality
• Enhance the quality of your life and living environment

There are four basic steps to Space Clearing.

1. Preparation
2. Purification
3. Invocation
4. Preservation

Preparation. It is important to take time before the clearing process to establish your intention - what it is you’d like to achieve or change by clearing your space. Your intention is your most powerful ally and the most powerful tool you can use to re-align your living spaces. Without intention, all actions are hollow and meaningless – like going through the motions.

With intention your actions have purpose, clarity and direction. There is meaning and power in everything you do.

This is also the place to incorporate a bit of clutter clearing. I know, you’re thinking, “Oh no, not clutter again!” Clearing clutter is an on-going process and one that is particularly helpful prior to space clearing. It’s good to release items that are no longer useful, needed or desired. This way we have made space for the change we desire and our space clearing actions will be more effective. (For more information about the clutter clearing process, click here.)

Purification. This is the actual clearing or re-alignment process. There are many different methods and techniques you can use to clear a space.

Some are:

• Incense
• Smudge or sage
• Sound instruments (drums, bells, etc.)
• Water
• Crystals
• Salt

My personal favorites are sound instruments. I love how the resonance of instruments expands and fills a space as the energy is re-aligned. You can actually hear the difference!

The actual tool you use is less important than establishing your intention – any tool will work. Choose a tool that aligns with you, one that feels comfortable and natural for you to use.

Before beginning, stand in silence with your eyes closed. Breathe in and out slowly; focus your thoughts on your intention and the energy of the room. With each breath, feel your energy expanding and becoming more powerful. When you feel ready, begin to move through each room in a clockwise manner, releasing stagnant energy as you move through the room.

Invocation. After you’ve cleared the stagnant energy from a room, return to the doorway of the room and once again close your eyes and focus your thoughts and breath on filling the space with positive, uplifting energy. Put your intention into the space. You can do this with the use of an affirmation, a house blessing or dedication or simply by giving thanks for all this is good in your life.

Preservation. This is the Feng Shui step! To maintain the energy and clarity of the clearing it’s good to create a physical affirmation. This can be many things, just about anything, as long as the item has meaning for you and represents your intention for your home.

Objects hold the energy you give them, positive or negative. It is the power of your association with things that empowers them. So, the actual object chosen is less significant than your association with it.

Choose objects that resonate with you, objects that fit seamlessly into your personal sense of style and your spaces. If I can look around your home and see ‘Feng Shui cures’, you haven’t selected the right items. The best Feng Shui is the Feng Shui you feel, not the Feng Shui you see. And the only way for Feng Shui adjustments to feel right is when they fit into the space in which they are used  and they look like they belong there!

Some things you can use are:

• A crystal
• A written affirmation put into a place of honor.
• Placing a written affirmation in the soil of a plant – then every time you water the plant envision that you are nourishing or energizing your intention.
• A beautiful lamp
• New positioning of your furnishings to reenergize and realign your space with your intention
• An accessory that you LOVE that supports the energy of your intention
• A picture or piece of art symbolizing your intention
• A beautiful, lush plant
• A home altar
• Any object that symbolizes your intention

The energy of a place is created in part by the people who have been there, past events, past emotions and the energy patterns inherent in our style of building.

Energy doesn’t flow with ease in corners, which is why these areas tend to create pockets of stagnation or dull energy. There simply isn’t any movement.

10 Simple ways to uplift the energy in your home

1. Clean and vacuum
2. Clear clutter
3. Clean the windows
4. Replace old, burned out light bulbs
5. Open the windows; let fresh air flow into your home
6. Spritz your rooms with essential oils (lemon, lavender, eucalyptus and pine are wonderful for this)
7. Burn incense or use an essential oil diffuser
8. Light a candle
9. Add fresh flowers or a beautiful plant
10. Play inspiring music

Space clearing re-aligns the energy in our spaces, creating movement and vitality in place of stuck, stagnant energy.

When the spaces around us are nurturing and supportive our quality of life improves.

And that’s a good thing!

© 2010 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com

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