Energy cleansing with sound
Chances are that in the past months you have been spending more time than desired in your home.
Over time, the spaces we live in can get cluttered, not just with things, but also in an energetic way. Spaces as well as elements contained within them do collect ‘bad vibes’ or stale energy or simply ‘Qi’ (Chi). This is especially true if there has been a strong argument, disagreement, or tension of other sorts in that space.
Similarly, the energy of previous owners of a home or residents, furniture, and other previously used items can greatly influence the current chi of a space. All spaces and objects possess their own vibrational frequency or flavor of energy and hold an imprint of energy they were imbued with. So whether positive or negative, the chi of a space can influence the present and future circumstances of the inhabitants.
If not addressed properly, that energetic vibe can hang around and make the space feel dense or heavy. Surely you have experienced the feeling or sensation when, upon walking into a room or hall, the vibe is not positive, uplifting or inspiring, but it just feels dense and heavy.
On the flip side, when a home or space is ‘clean’, energetically as well as physically, you can feel inspired, uplifted and with the overall desire to just wanting to stay there to enjoy it.
Feng Shui and energy
Feng shui is an ancient philosophy that seeks to enhance the flow of energy in your environment and focuses a lot on the flow of energy. With that, we recently asked our dear colleague Laurie Pawli, the Founder and Director of Feng Shui Schools and long year Feng Shui consultant for her expert advice, she explains:
“A space clearing is the simple task of bringing perfect harmony into our home or office. Every day, we can bring unseen emotional clutter into our homes that can create a feeling of imbalance and stagnation. This can begin to produce a cluttered mind, lack of wellbeing, feeling out of sorts, and the inability to move forward in life. In Feng Shui, we see our home as our second body, so if the home is out of balance, this can create a lifeless feeling in your life.
The clearing of a space to disperse the stagnation in your home is easy. First, open the windows in your space. Choose to ring a wind chime or bell, clap, or even hit a spoon on a metal pot. Your mission is to create noise! Begin at the front door, and as you walk throughout the house, ring the bell near the floor and continue to ring the bell as you move it upwards toward the ceiling. This is the manner that will break up what is known as the “heavier” energy and lift the chi, or energy. Continue this method throughout the house. After that is completed, you can light incense, spray a cleansing throughout the house, or take orange peels and place them in the corners of the house for 24 hours.
When is the perfect time for a Clearing? Any time! But especially if there has been an illness, or disagreement. This can also be used after painting, moving furniture or redecorating. You are in charge of the feeling in your home and life, so when you need a bit of a lift in life, enjoy the benefits of a Space Clearing.”
Sound cleansing
We would add, that during our quiet time in the morning we play either our tuning forks, chimes or a Himalayan singing bowl in our meditation space because sound has healing properties. Very high-pitched sounds vibrate on a frequency beyond what our ears can detect, compelling the objects and atmosphere to resonate in harmony while neutralizing the space. Different methods of sound cleansing date back thousands of years, across cultures – and may feature Himalayan singing bowls and bells, or gongs. And while these sounds are powerful, you can use pretty much anything that makes a noise, even if it’s just your hands as Laurie mentioned earlier.
How do you know if the sound cleanse was successful?
Listen to the tone of the sounds you create, whether with your hands, voice, or instruments. The duller the noise, the denser and more stagnant the area is. You may need to repeat your sounds several times before you notice the tone becoming higher, clearer, and cleaner. When done over time you will develop a feel for a desired outcome as sound can expel ‘dju dju’ energy. As said earlier, when in the space, you will notice and feel a lighter and purer quality to the air and will feel good being there. And remember, all of this is very subjective and is a matter of your own belief, feeling and perception. We feel that there no right or wrong here.
Smudging with Palo Santo
In addition to sound, we smudge the space by igniting a stick of palo santo wood. Blowing down the flame gently to an ember allows for spreading the smoke around the space. Be sure to allow the wood to produce enough smoke to fill the air. When using the smudging method for the clearing of different areas in a room, we would recommend including corners and insides of closets. Smudging or space clearing can be especially useful when you encountered many different people or to refresh your home upon departure of your guests.
And if smoke is not your thing and you want to clear your space without smudging, sprinkle a pinch of salt into each corner of the room you wish to purify. Keep the area around the salt clean and clear of other objects (dust the corners if necessary!). Leave the salt out for one to two days, and then sweep or vacuum.
Moreover, if you like the idea of using sound for space clearing, or your personal energetic detox and re-balance, consider experiencing a sound bath. Whether as an in person, or online sound bathing experience to be played through speakers in your home, it will provide a deep cleanse.
Most importantly though, in all of the above, no matter which method of ‘clearing’ you use, infuse the generating and spreading of new energy with your positive intention.
What is Feng Shui?
For those who may not be familiar with Feng Shui, also known as Chinese geomancy, it is an ancient Chinese traditional practice which claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term Feng Shui means, literally, "wind-water". From ancient times, landscapes and bodies of water were thought to direct the flow of the universal Qi – “cosmic current” or energy – through places and structures. Because Qi has the same patterns as wind and water, a specialist who understands them can affect these flows to improve wealth, happiness, long life, and family; on the other hand, the wrong flow of Qi brings bad results. More broadly, feng shui includes astronomical, astrological, architectural, cosmological, geographical, and topographical dimensions.
Historically, as well as in many parts of the contemporary Chinese world, feng shui was used to orient buildings and spiritually significant structures such as tombs, as well as dwellings and other structures. One scholar writes that in contemporary Western societies, however, “feng shui tends to be reduced to interior design for health and wealth”.
We are grateful for a part of this entry having been contributed by Laurie Pawli, learn more about her school and courses on her website