7 Feng Shui Space Clearing Must-Haves
Photo by Conscious Design on Unsplash
In feng shui, we pay attention to the quality of qi (life force energy) in our homes. Space clearing is a great way to transmute challenging or stagnant qi, harmonize the energy in your home, and create a fresh start. There are many ways to clear space, and we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorites below:
-
Bells and chimes
Metal bells, chimes, and singing bowls are some of our favorite space clearing tools. The vibrations created by these objects can move through your space and transmute stagnant energy. When you’re choosing your bells or chimes, look for ones that are metal and ones that make a very clear ringing sound. We also recommend choosing the highest quality you can afford. If you’d like, you can use tingsha Tibetan bells that are traditionally used in meditation practices. Wind chimes are another great option. When you do use these tools, it’s important to ring them clearly and then wait while the vibrations move through your space.
-
Your own voice
Instead of bells, you can also use the sound current of your own voice to transmute the energy in your space. You can do this by reciting a mantra, phrase, affirmation, or prayer that is meaningful to you. It can be something in your spoken language, another language that you understand, or even a language you don’t know, since this is really about using the sound of your voice. In feng shui, we love to work with the Sanskrit mantra om ma ni pad me hum, which translates to “The jewel is in the lotus.” You can simply use your voice with intention, or you can use prayer beads or mala beads to help you keep track of how many recitations you’ve done. For instance, a mala usually has 108 beads, and this is a very auspicious number in feng shui as well as in Buddhist traditions. As you do this, you can visualize that the sound of your voice is filling your entire space and transforming the energy in your home.
-
Herbs and incense
Clearing a space with smoke is a well-known technique that is used across many cultures. In both Eastern and Western traditions, working with smoke is a traditional way of purifying, as well as sending intentions or prayers up to the heavens. We suggest that you honor your own culture’s use of smoke to cleanse and clear, and be mindful of the materials you are using. You can also cultivate and dry your own herbs for this purpose, including bay, rosemary, lavender, or cedar. From a feng shui perspective, burning wood resins and materials from the earth is a way to work with the elements of fire, earth, and wood. We recommend starting at your front door and walking around the perimeter of your home as you let the smoke move throughout your space. You can also use steam rather than smoke by simmering herbs, which also incorporates the water element. We have a ritual in our book Mindful Living: A Guide to the Everyday Magic of Feng Shui that shows you how to create your own cauldron, in case you’d like to try this. Whether you are using steam or smoke, you are allowing the materials you’ve chosen to permeate your home and shift the energy.
-
Salt
Salt is a crystal that can absorb and shift challenging energy. It’s also a symbol of purity and rejuvenation. You can use any kind of salt you like, including simple table salt. If there’s a room in your home where you would like to refresh the qi, place a small bowl or slab of salt there. After the salt has been sitting in your room for some time, it’s a good idea to clear it by leaving it under the light of the sun and moon for one 24-hour cycle. Once you’ve cleared your salt with the energy of the sun and moon, you can work with it again — there’s no need to throw it out! When choosing a bowl to put your salt in, you may want to select a favorite bowl or one that has certain colors or symbols that are meaningful to you. We shared some of our favorite feng shui symbols in this podcast episode in case you’re looking for inspiration.
-
Essential oils
Essential oils got very popular a few years ago, but they’ve actually been around for centuries. They can be used in a diffuser to clear a space, or you can create your own clearing mist by adding a few drops of essential oil to a spray bottle. Choose an oil that you really like the smell of, or consider the meaning of different plants and look for an oil that will help you shift the energy in a certain way that is supportive to you. Some of our favorite essential oils to work with are geranium, rosemary, sweet orange, and neroli. We especially love to use earthy, woody scents like frankincense or sandalwood when doing space clearings to bring more wood and earth qi to our spaces.
-
Black tourmaline
Black tourmaline crystals, along with other black stones like shungite and jet, are known for their ability to absorb and repel negative qi. They can also help to clear and purify spaces as well as transmute electromagnetic forces. Simply place a few pieces of black tourmaline in the areas of your home that need clearing, or put one in each corner of your home or desk. You can also wear black crystals for protection and clearing when you need this type of support as you move through the world.
-
Oranges
Of course, we couldn’t make a list of feng shui space clearing essentials without oranges! In feng shui, oranges symbolize vibrant yang energy. This is the life-giving energy that gets you up and going, like the sun at high noon. Just think of the bright, energizing scent that’s released when you peel an orange. You can space clear with oranges by peeling them and keeping the peels with you, or adding these peels to a misting bottle. We also love adding orange peels to a bottle of vinegar to make a cleaning solution with energetic benefits. A really easy way to work with oranges is to simply place a bowl of 9 fresh oranges in an area of the home where you would like to uplift the qi. And yes, you can eat them! As you peel each orange, enjoy the smell and taste it offers you, and visualize the bright yang energy that they embody.
We hope this inspires you to clear your space this fall!