Making a Start

Before you do anything, you must first clear away any negative or bad energy that's been dormant in the house, home, or workplace. If you want to start afresh, there's nothing like clearing out all the clutter and cleansing the spaces of your home and hearth.

Decluttering

To accomplish this task successfully, you have to be ruthless with yourself and your family, so approach each room in turn and decide whether you really need those things that are piling up in the closets. You might even have boxes full of things you've forgotten about stored in the attic or cellar, so don't neglect these areas, as they can harbor stagnant or negative energy. Before steaming in with the vacuum cleaner and the trash bags, though, understand why you are doing this, because understanding the process is as essential as doing it. Also bear in mind that while it may feel difficult to throw things out, once the junk is gone, it's remarkable how quickly you'll forget about it. The number of possessions you have is also a symbol of the type of person you are. The more junk you hoard, the more likely it is you need to reassess your values. Why are you so acquisitive? Do you feel insecure without possessions? Similarly, if you live in a minimalist cell, you might need to ask whether your values incorporate the needs of others.

Once you have decluttered your home, you'll feel not only virtuous but also excited about the fresh start you're making on this new phase in your life. Now you need to cleanse the empty spaces of your home and revitalize the home with positive energy.

Space-Clearing Techniques

There are many ways to clear away negative energy and revitalize the home. Here are some suggestions. If you don't like one idea, then try another that suits you better. Some individuals might like clapping, while others might like purging with candles or incense, so take your pick.

1. Burning

Cleanse a whole house or room by burning small perfumed candles in each room. Let the candle burn right down before you extinguish it. Alternatively, use incense — sandalwood, lavender, and geranium essences are the best fragrances, but this is a matter of personal taste. Candles burn away negative energy and reconnect vibrations and an atmosphere that is reflective of you. Use colors that are suited to your needs, for example, white for purification and clarification, red for passion, blue for career prospects, green for friendship, yellow for good communication.

Note: Be very careful not to leave any burning candles unattended when you leave a room, as this could present a significant fire danger.

2. Clapping

Walk around the room or house and clap your hands briskly and rhythmically. Don't forget to clap in dark corners and at ceiling height, too. The sound of your hands will become a mantra for the energy, and you will soon start to feel the energy shifting and becoming clearer.

3. Sweeping

In Malaysia, Feng Shui practitioners often used an old bird-of-paradise nest that they tied to the end of a piece of twine and then whirled around in the air. However, a broom or a large spray of dead branches will work equally well. Lift the broom and sweep it through the air to stir and disperse any negative energy. Another method is to move your hands with open fingers through the air; if you feel any resistance, just push it away with wide sweeping movements of your arms.

4. Laid-Back Space Clearing

Sit cross-legged on the floor. Write a letter to the room or home and tell it that the changes you are about to make are functional, beneficial, and spiritual. Convey that the energy needs to be channeled for the benefit of you, your home, your workplace, and the world. Once you've read your letter out loud to the room, burn it or bury it in grand ceremonial style.

5. Touching

Touch all the things you are going to keep. Give them a name and make them feel wanted and loved. Touch the walls and the floor, too. This emotional contact with inanimate objects may sound silly, but you are acknowledging the presence of everything in the home, which has its own hidden positive energy, too. This way any negative energy will be dispelled.

6. Bell Ringing

Hold a thought of goodness and clarity in your mind. Begin ringing a bell as you circle the room. The sound waves will carry your thoughts to every part of the room. Finally, close the energies of the room down by moving the bell in a huge circle or a figure eight shape in the middle of the room. For those of you who practice spiritual, psychic, or healing work, this is like closing your psychic center at the end of a session.

About Yin and Yang

Yin and yang are complementary energies in Chinese philosophy. They are the source of the Ch'i as it flows through the universe. The Taoist Tai Ch'i symbol, a circle, creates a unity between the black and white areas. Yin is dark and passive, usually associated with the feminine and receptivity, and yang is white, positive, extrovert energy and usually associated with the masculine. Within each section, there is also the circle of its complementary energy, so in yin we find yang and in yang we find yin. The symbol reveals that nothing is ever totally yin or totally yang, but a combination of them both.

Yin's qualities traditionally have been associated with water, the moon, stillness, cold, and darkness, whereas yang relates to the sun, fire, bright light, and movement.

In the earliest Feng Shui schools, the environment was more important than the home itself. Yin represented the north side of a mountain, lakes, or shady places where not much sun was found, while yang landscapes were south-facing slopes and sunny places.

Mountains are usually yin and water is usually yang, because water moves (unless it's a still lake or pond; then it's considered yin).

In modern Feng Shui, assessing yin and yang energies is useful for getting the general feel of the home. Is your home more yin or more yang? Does it have lots of light or not enough? Traditionally a home is considered to be more yin than yang. This is because it is usually a place of calm, peace, and retreat from the world. Nowadays many people work from home, so it's important to activate a more dynamic yang feel to the office or work area with yang colors such as reds and orange and bright lights to balance the yin feel of the home.

If you live in the countryside, there will be more receptive yin energy around you, but if you live in a city center surrounded by skyscrapers, in a town, or in the suburbs, then the environment will be highly charged with yang energy. If you live in a city, you need to encourage more yin into your home by introducing soft furnishings, fabric wall hangings, huge, comfy cushions, and soft, earthy colors. You can also enhance yin with...