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articles about and by Carol Olmstead
Space Clearing with Feng Shui
Space clearing with Feng Shui is the process of cleaning the negative energy in your home or office to allow positive chi to enter. You can use this process whenever the energy feels stale or stuck, and especially after someone in your household has been sick, after an argument, or after a breakup, separation, or divorce. I often help my clients conduct a space clearing with Feng Shui at the end of each season to welcome new energy. The two most common types of space clearing with Feng Shui are smudging and ringing a bell. With each of these space clearing methods, start by downloading a bagua to locate the nine areas of your home or office.
Smudging
Smudging is a purposeful burning of herbs and using the smoke to cleanse or change the energy of a specific space. The most common herbs used are sage, cedar, and sweetgrass. Sage is associated with purity, cedar helps dispel negative energy, and sweetgrass is thought to drive away negative thoughts and ill spirits. The procedure for smudging your home as part of a Feng Shui space clearing is relatively simple.
First, obtain bundles of dried organic herbs for smudging, which you can find at the local health food store or farmer's market. Whenever possible, try to use locally-grown herb bundles or sage sticks for your space clearing since they bring a deeper connection to your particular part of the Earth. Light the bundle of herbs and blow out the flame. Hold a small ceramic bowl under the smoldering bundle of herbs to catch the burnt herbs as you move through your home.
Next, begin smudging the room by working clockwise starting at the upper left hand corner, which is known as the Wealth and Prosperity area. Cup the smoke with your hand and move it around the perimeter of the room, using flicks of the wrist to push the smoke into the corners of the room. Some people use a feather to push the smoke around the room, but that isn’t required. As you move around the areas of the room that relate to the nine areas of the Feng Shui bagua, repeat positive affirmations about want to attract into that area of your life. For example, in the Love area of the room, your affirmation might be This home is now filled with loving relationships. The affirmation for the Health area could be I am now healthy, strong, and free from illness.
After you finish smudging, open all doors and windows to draw out the negative energy, and keep them open for at least an hour.
Bells
Another way to clear a room or entire home is by using the sound of a bell. Although a bell made of any kind of metal can be used, I find that a high quality brass bell is the best way to clear the energy in a room, because the sound of a bell continues to resonate far beyond the time that you can actually hear it. The most important aspect of choosing a bell for space clearing is how it feels and sounds to you. The bell I use personally is a Korean bell that was received as a gift, and the personal association makes it especially powerful in attracting positive energy. Some people prefer silver bells because of their pure sound, and others select Tibetan bells because of their multidimensional sounds. The choice is up to you.
To begin the clearing, hold the bell in your hands. Then, stand in the center of the room, ring the bell, and listen to the tone. A muffled tone means that the energy is stagnant, while a tinny or shrill tone indicates that the energy is erratic.
To correct the energy and bring it back into balance, start in the Wealth and Prosperity corner and move around the room clockwise. Hold the bell in your right hand and feel the energy with your left hand. Repeat positive affirmations about each area of the room, and continue ringing the bell until the energy feels clear. When you are satisfied that the energy feels positive, finish the process by making a figure “8" with the swinging bell to represent the infinity sign.
Smudging
Smudging is a purposeful burning of herbs and using the smoke to cleanse or change the energy of a specific space. The most common herbs used are sage, cedar, and sweetgrass. Sage is associated with purity, cedar helps dispel negative energy, and sweetgrass is thought to drive away negative thoughts and ill spirits. The procedure for smudging your home as part of a Feng Shui space clearing is relatively simple.
First, obtain bundles of dried organic herbs for smudging, which you can find at the local health food store or farmer's market. Whenever possible, try to use locally-grown herb bundles or sage sticks for your space clearing since they bring a deeper connection to your particular part of the Earth. Light the bundle of herbs and blow out the flame. Hold a small ceramic bowl under the smoldering bundle of herbs to catch the burnt herbs as you move through your home.
Next, begin smudging the room by working clockwise starting at the upper left hand corner, which is known as the Wealth and Prosperity area. Cup the smoke with your hand and move it around the perimeter of the room, using flicks of the wrist to push the smoke into the corners of the room. Some people use a feather to push the smoke around the room, but that isn’t required. As you move around the areas of the room that relate to the nine areas of the Feng Shui bagua, repeat positive affirmations about want to attract into that area of your life. For example, in the Love area of the room, your affirmation might be This home is now filled with loving relationships. The affirmation for the Health area could be I am now healthy, strong, and free from illness.
After you finish smudging, open all doors and windows to draw out the negative energy, and keep them open for at least an hour.
Bells
Another way to clear a room or entire home is by using the sound of a bell. Although a bell made of any kind of metal can be used, I find that a high quality brass bell is the best way to clear the energy in a room, because the sound of a bell continues to resonate far beyond the time that you can actually hear it. The most important aspect of choosing a bell for space clearing is how it feels and sounds to you. The bell I use personally is a Korean bell that was received as a gift, and the personal association makes it especially powerful in attracting positive energy. Some people prefer silver bells because of their pure sound, and others select Tibetan bells because of their multidimensional sounds. The choice is up to you.
To begin the clearing, hold the bell in your hands. Then, stand in the center of the room, ring the bell, and listen to the tone. A muffled tone means that the energy is stagnant, while a tinny or shrill tone indicates that the energy is erratic.
To correct the energy and bring it back into balance, start in the Wealth and Prosperity corner and move around the room clockwise. Hold the bell in your right hand and feel the energy with your left hand. Repeat positive affirmations about each area of the room, and continue ringing the bell until the energy feels clear. When you are satisfied that the energy feels positive, finish the process by making a figure “8" with the swinging bell to represent the infinity sign.
