Clearing the Energy in your Home

An extremely important aspect to feng shui is clearing the space.  Energy can linger in a home or office, and some of it may not be wanted!

There are several ways to go about this (see books by Denise Lynn and Karen Kingston), but, as usual in feng shui, a little goes a long way.

1.  Clean.   Yep, put on the yellow gloves and give the house a good scrubbing.  Cleaning the home is akin to cleaning the spirit, and who doesn't need that?!  Hiring a housekeeper works too but have them get into the corners!

2.  Clear the clutter.  I feel like I say this in every feng shui post I write, but, truthfully, I cannot say it enough.  If you have items that you do not love or use in your home (you know -- that vase your aunt gave you for your 26th birthday; the coat you got on sale that you've never worn; the armoire that has been in the family way too long), then it needs a new home!  Keeping so-so objects in your environment tells the Universe that you want a so-so life.  When you get rid of the so-so, you make room for the amazing.

3.  Open the door and windows.  There's nothing like fresh air (especially delicious fall fresh air) to get the energy moving in a home.

Jack Wild/Getty images

4.  Ritualize it.  Turn on your favorite beautiful, upbeat, or inspiring music.  Dance like you mean it.  Say prayers out loud.  Ask the angels to come in and help clear the space.  Tell the house you love it.  Ask the old energy to move on or transmute or purify or get the heck out.  And invite the good stuff in!

painting by Marius Michel-George

5.  Smudge.  As you are "ritualizing it," I suggest some tools.  White sage is one of my favorites.  It gets the job done.  Simply light it and woft the smoke around (aka smudging), setting intentions as you go.  (You may want to carry a tray to catch the ash.)  Sage is and was used in Native American rituals and is considered quite sacred.

from Incense Warehouse

Be sure to "thank" the sage when you are done.  If the sage smell isn't your favorite, you can also use frankincense or camphor.  Even spritzers with essential oils of your choice will work (lemon is good), and if you are super sensitive to smell, sprinkling salt water around is another option.  However, some places need more powerful solutions than these last suggestions.

If you're moving into a new place, or you and your ex have just had a fight, or you've just been in a funk, clearing your space is a must!  It's the quickest way to improvement, and it works.  It helps to do it from time to time anyway, but especially in those transition or tricky times.

Happy clearing!