Everyone deals with negative energy in life, but did you know you can clear it?
We all know that mess and clutter can cause emotional stress, but did you know that unseen energy can build up too? Every argument, every illness and every sadness can hang around in our homes. More recently, there has been a lot of fear, hate, loneliness and anxiety to add to the list of negative emotions that create bad vibes which can linger in our sacred spaces.
In the West, we rarely use energy clearing techniques in our homes, so our moods and emotions can affect the energy around us. Even if you're not a trained Zen master, you can feel the subtle frequencies of energy if you pay attention.
A cleansed and energised room should feel light, fresh, and inviting when you enter. But the good news is that just like cleaning the dirt and grime in our homes, we can clear the negative energy away too.
When you learn how to cleanse your house of negative energy, you'll be able to experience tranquillity and harmony in your life. When you make the extra effort, it will be worth it when you and your family feel more balanced and clear.
Like anything in life, getting rid of negative energy takes daily practice. With these techniques, you only need 5 to 10 minutes a day to truly transform the energy of the space.
Here are five of my favourite energy clearing techniques you can try for yourselves.
Clear the clutter
Physical dirt and clutter can make a space feel unwelcoming. Keeping a clean, clutter-free home means negative energy won't have a place to congregate. We can read several books on Feng Shui, and each has different ideas of what to fill our homes with. But my favourite tip is to ask yourself how the energy of an item makes you feel?
When we declutter, we are removing all the negative energy of stuff that no longer sparks our energy and creating space for new things to come into our lives. However, sometimes we hold onto things because of sentimental reasons, like 'it was my nan's favourite teapot'… if you love that teapot because it reminds you of happy days visiting your nan, then great. If you feel it's ugly, doesn't go with your décor, or just you have not emotional attachment at all, then it needs to go.
Bring things into your home that expand your energy and make you feel good. Otherwise it's time for a clear out.
Clapping loudly
It sounds so simple, but the sound and vibration from clapping can help remove negative energy from you and your space. It's a quick and powerful method to use as it disperses the energy around.
Following the Balinese Tradition, take a shower, put on fresh clothes, go barefoot and open your windows. Now move around your home clapping in corners, under the stairs, or any other any area where energy can get trapped. Start low and clap up towards the ceiling as high as you can. As you go, imagine you are dispersing all the stagnant energy as it drifts out the windows leaving your space and energy clear.
Repeat as many times as necessary, and that's it. When you have finished clapping, wash your hands under running water.
Smudge with sage
I wrote a blog a few months ago about the power of smudging. The fragrant smoke from burning herbs or resins has been used for cleansing negative energy for centuries. In fact, most people interested in clearing energy start with sage.
It comes from the Native American traditions where you use a bunch of sacred herbs (using sage) or make you own smudge sticks. Try using dried lavender, sage and sweetgrass, binding them together with brightly coloured cotton. Light the end, and fan the smoke around the house, into every corner and around yourself. It is the smoke that purifies. Again, open the windows and let the negative energy waft out.
If smudging seems like too much of an effort then burn incense instead. You can get sage incense sticks which are a great alternative. It is thought to be a vigorous energy cleanser; just light one end of a stick and spread the smoke as you would with smudging.
Cleanse with sound
Using sound is a simple way to move energy by raising vibration, creating space, and breaking up stagnant energy. At home, I like to use a singing bowl. Tibetan singing bowls are a type of bell that vibrates and produces a rich, deep tone when played. They are said to promote relaxation and offer powerful healing properties, and are also used to shift, remove and cleanse stagnant energy to create a clear, calm, serene and peaceful surrounding.
Many cultures use bells, rattles, drums, gongs and other instruments to the same affect. The ringing of bells or wind chimes is a common feng shui tool that literally vibrates the negative energies into alignment, creating a positive flow, or chi (energy).
To try this technique at home you can put some dried beans or popcorn kernels in a covered container, like a plastic storage container. You can use a book or tabletop to drum on, or bang a wooden spoon against a saucepan. Basically, choose anything that makes a great sound – whatever works for you, and visualise the negativity being driven away by the sound.
Essential oils for clearing energy
Essential oils have been used since ancient times to help release negative energy and promote positivity. They can have a direct impact on our mood and emotions, making them perfect for clearing negative energy.
Depending on your personal beliefs, essential oils have the potential to uplift the spirit, purify the environment and combat the negativity that we experience daily. I use essential oils routinely in my therapy room to help me stay grounded, focused on the positive and to keep my environment positively energised and pleasant.
Not everyone likes or can tolerate the smoke from smudge sticks. An aromatherapy or essential oil diffuser is a good alternative. While not identical to the fresh or dried herbs, an essential oil derived from one of the herbs mentioned above will have many of the same energetic or subtle properties.
An additional advantage of using a diffuser is it can provide continuous clearing as long as it is diffusing the essential oil blend. With the right essential oils, a diffuser can also set a positive, safe space and reduce the accumulation of negative energy in the first place.
Several essential oils can be blended to create a more complex and supportive diffuser smudge. The subtle properties of essential oils are effectively expressed in very light dilutions. In fact, less is best.
Here are some oils you could try:
Cypress will purify surrounding energies while uplifting vibration levels at the same time. Cypress is the oil of motion and flow so it helps to remove stagnant energy that may be keeping you feeling stuck, and promotes energetic flow. You will feel grounded and secure as a result.
Frankincense not only clears negative energy but it also invokes spiritual protection. Use Frankincense to help protect against negative energy in the first place. You can also apply topically by diluting with a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil to protect your personal energy field. Frankincense works well diffused in a room.
Juniper negates negativity. By purifying negative energy in the environment and from other people, Juniper cleanses energies harmful to good health. Juniper can also transform negative emotions into positive.
Lavender clears out energies that will not leave a space. Traditionally used to neutralise bad frequencies during cleansing rituals. Lavender is also known to be relaxing, so having it in a room before a social event can prevent negative energy before it starts.
Sage neutralises existing negativity and makes a psychic shield against tensions. Historically used by Native Americans to clear the air of negativity.
I like to include Juniper in my smudge blend because, in addition to clearing, it draws in positive, protective energy and promotes detoxification. Lavender is calming. Frankincense raises the energetic vibration, and is good health and wellbeing.
Energy flows where attention goes.
Decide what kind of energy you want to live in.
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