Do It Yourself Space
Clearing: How to Clear the Old and Make Way for the New Year
by Christan Hummel
In the lyrics of a song from the musical South Pacific, “I’m gonna wash that man right outta my hair!,” we see the
understanding of the need to release more than just the physical as we move from the old to the new.
As we embark upon this new year, while it is a time for that new diet (as we recover from the binges of the holidays) to shed the
unwanted pounds they have brought, and a time to embrace our New Year's resolutions affirming our ideals and aspirations for a
better future, it is also a time to let go of the old energies, which may be lingering in our homes to make way for the new. The start of
a new year presents an opportunity to turn our attention to the energetic remnants lingering from the past, for a fresh start of the new
year.
While feng shui has become a multi-billion dollar industry catering to the likes of corporate CEOs as well as Hollywood celebs, the
aspect of feng shui called space clearing is quite accessible to most of us. As such, there are techniques that any novice can do
to clear the energies of their home or office to let go of the past, and prepare out space energetically for the new year ahead.
Listed here are some simple space clearing tips that anyone can use to clear our spaces of the vibrational imprints of the past.
Although these tips are by no means comprehensive, they will provide a quick and easy way to align the energies of your
environment with your intentions for the new year. These 6 C's of Space Clearing will empower you to sweep out the old and make
way for the new in your environment.
1. Clutter: To our subconscious mind, clutter triggers images of stagnation, stuck energy and places where life doesn't move. It
usually represents the things we are resisting and where we don't want to put our attention. Simply put: clean out the clutter.
Piles of laundry, papers, boxes, mail...whatever it is, when we see clutter, our mind equates it with chaos and dead energy. So
make a point to dive into your clutter like a heat-seeking missile. Go straight for it, put it away, find a home for it, make
decisions about it, address it! Once you move that dead energy in your home, you will be surprised at how it moves in your life!
2. Corners: Keep them especially free of clutter as corners are the places where the life energy or Ch'i of our environment comes
to a stop like traffic at a four-way stop sign. Put things in your corners that move energy: a fountain, wind chimes, or even a
plant will keep the energy moving and flowing instead of stagnating. Use some common sense and your intuition. Trust how it makes
you feel. There are many rule books out there; but ultimately, if you feel more harmony, peace and joy when you look at that space, you will
usually be on the right track. An altar is usually a nice way to redirect the dead energies of a corner. Put things in the corners of
your home or office with intention because these are special energy spots in the house.
3. Closets: Clean them out! They are the bowels of our homes and offices, the storage bins for old, dead energy. If you don't use
it, loose it! Keep your closets clean, neat, and free of unwanted, old, unused items. Yes, you looked marvelous in that dress
you've been holding onto for the last five years, and one day you'll loose that extra 10 pounds and will fit in it again, but for
now, give it to a friend or family member who can use it. When you loose that weight, you'll owe it to yourself to buy a new
dress! Don't allow your closets to become black holes, or they will reflect that energy.
4. Ceremony: This is sadly lacking in our modern society. Where we do have any kind of ceremony, it is usually around a sporting
event, food, or commerce. Ceremony is a time when we honor life, the seasons, and those aspects of living beyond the physical. It
brings us in touch with the worlds beyond our everyday, and reminds us of a vastness of life beyond our immediate attention. Make
time for ceremony in your life and your home and you will open a doorway into another dimension beyond this one allowing fresh new
ideas, inspiration and energies to flow into your home.
It could be a simple ceremony like a ribbon-cutting ceremony to initiate the new energies of your place, or popping of the champagne cork to signify the bringing in of the New Year. Whatever the ceremony, when you do it with intention and awareness, that ceremony heralds in the energies of your intention in a much more profound manner than when we simply and perfunctorily go perform the same act. Even the simple ceremony of smudging a new dwelling can be quite profound when done with an awareness of the intention. Burning a candle each night, and ceremonially letting the problems and worries of the day burn in the fire, is a simple ceremony and one which keeps the energies of your home clean and clear of the burdens of the day. Ceremonies to acknowledge and honor the ancestors of the past, through music, song or dance, is another way in which ceremony helps to keep the energies of your space clear and clean. Keep ceremonies simple and heartfelt and they will do wonders to keep the energies of your space aligned with higher dimensions and energies.
5. Consciousness: The power of this cannot be overstated in my experience. Where we put our consciousness, we put our life
energy. So find the aspects of your home or office where you have vacated your consciousness, those closets, corners, and dead
zones that you pretend are not there, or wish weren't. For some people, it could be a room where their dead parents used to live, or
where the kids used to live before they went off to school, or the pile of paper in the office that calls out for help, but we
pretend isn't there. Put your consciousness into that space, with intention, and yes, even ceremony, and notice the MAGIC that
happens when you do! Energy flows where attention goes!
6. Cycles: There is a rhythm to life, a time for growth and a time for death. Cycles are important to observe: moon cycles are
often used for planting, cutting hair, beginning new projects. Similarly, observing the cycles of the sun of day and night, being
more active during the daylight hours, and winding down in the evening when there is less energy available. As well there are the
larger seasonal cycles, solstices, equinoxes, and the times in between them (what the Celts called the cross quarter days.) When we are in tune with and align consciously with these cycles of nature, the rhythm of life, we find more harmony and balance in our
lives.
The season of Winter is a natural time to go inside--hibernate in the cave like the bear--reflect, pull our energies inwards, a kind of death to the old, so that we can go forward in the Spring with new energy and enthusiasm unencumbered by the past. Then,
beginning February 1st (Ground Hog's Day), we enter the cycle between the Winter Equinox and the Spring Equinox, a time
traditionally honored by the Celts as the time to plant the seed of the new idea so that it may sprout in the Spring. When we follow these cycles, we harness the life energy of the planet and begin to dance to the same beat of life. So by paying attention to the cycles of life, we begin to work with them to receive the gift of their energy.
With some small investment on our part, we can dramatically change the energies of our environment, making our homes a sanctuary to
reflect our highest intentions and dreams.
(excerpted from the best-selling book, the “Do It Yourself Space Clearing Kit. Special offer available now through:
www.earthtransitions.com/specialoffer.htm)
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Christan Hummel is the author of the best selling book the “Do-It-Yourself Space Clearing Kit.” She travels internationally
lecturing and teaching people how to access nature in a co-creative spirit. For more information see:
www.earthtransitions.com
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