I once saw a photo of a microscopic view of a piece of a shirt collar. All the strands of cotton were neatly interwoven into an attractive criss-cross pattern. Next to it was another photo of the same shirt collar 24 hours later, after having been worn by someone. What a difference. The strands were now coated with thick, encrusted layers of gunk.

Sylvia Branzel, a science teacher in California, has taken this aspect of microbiology even further. In a New Scientist article in December 2001 she explained, “If I walked into a classroom and said, “Raise your hand if you want to learn about the excretory system”, no-one would move. If I walk into a classroom and say, “Raise your hand if you want to learn about spitting, burping, pooping, peeing and farting”, all the kids raise their hands. She calls it Grossology, and has so far authored four books on the subject. Needless to say she’s a huge favourite with her pupils.

Etheric & Astral Excretions

My own excursions into the world of Grossology are from a different perspective. For nearly three decades I’ve studied the unseen worlds of energy in the context of Feng Shui, Space Clearing and clutter clearing.

Physically we excrete through the colon, kidneys, skin, lymphatic system, lungs and so on. But we are more than just physical beings. We also have an etheric body - a layer of life force that permeates and animates us. This also excretes, leaving etheric deposits of ourselves wherever we go. And we have an astral body, consisting of thoughts and emotions. This excretes too. A tangible example would be how unpleasant a room feels if you walk into it just after an argument.

If we lived all our lives outdoors, this wouldn't be as much of a problem. The forces of Nature - earth, air, fire and water - disperse these energies very effectively. But if we live in buildings, they collect in corners in much the same way physical dust and cobwebs do and build up in layers in the walls, furniture and other objects in the space.

Science has not yet developed equipment that can detect these more subtle levels of excretions but it’s all there to be read if you just know how and one of the skills I’ve acquired is being able to do just that. By energy sensing with my hands I can read the history of what has happened in a building, and I’ve trained many other people how to do this too.

What’s become very apparent to me over the years is how much these embedded energies can affect us. If the people who lived in your home before you were happy, the imprint of that will still be there and will be affecting you in positive ways. If they were sad, got divorced, went bankrupt, got sick, put on weight or any of a million other things, then you’ll experience a far more negative effect. Habitual patterns and traumatic events imprint the most deeply and affect you the most. On top of this your own etheric and astral excretions will also build up over time. Frankly some homes are like pig-pens that are never cleaned out.

How Do You Know If Your Home Needs Clearing?

The most common symptom is feeling stuck in your life. This may show as feeling stuck in a rut, having relationship difficulties, health issues, blocked finances, or other similar dilemmas. The problem will be exacerbated if your home has poor feng shui or if there is clutter on the premises. Clutter will clog the flow of energy in your home and give the stagnant energy a delightfully permanent anchor to rest on.

So this year, don’t just spring clean. Go much, much deeper. Spring clear.

Spring is an excellent time of the year to start anew. Begin by making a tour of your home with paper and pen in hand. Imagine that next week a major film crew will be coming to your home to make a documentary about who you are by examining how you live, and they will be filming all your rooms and the innermost recesses of your cupboards and drawers. This will then be broadcast to the whole world for everyone to see. What would you want to change between now and then? What would you want to tidy, clutter clear, change, repair or improve in some way? What in your outer environment do you feel is not in keeping with the person you would really like to be?

Write down, room by room, what needs your attention. When you’ve done that rewrite your list, breaking down the tasks into categories of small, medium and mammoth. Forget the mammoth and medium for now. Begin with the small jobs, and asterisk the ones that irritate you the most. These are the ones to start with and you’ll discover a seemingly magical thing that happens when you do - each small area you clear releases energy for you to do more.

“It is true - my energy level goes up dramatically with every sack of garbage I fill up,” one woman emailed me to say.

So begin with a shelf, not a whole wardrobe. Tackle a small drawer, not a whole room. Work your way around your home in manageable bite-sized chunks and you’ll have clutter cleared before you even know it.

The Ultimate Spring Clean

The next stage is Space Clearing. Now before I describe this in more depth let me just include a word of encouragement for any of you who have so much clutter that accomplishing the last few paragraphs could be a lifetime’s work rather than an entertaining afternoon or weekend. It’s always best to do clutter clearing before Space Clearing but if this is just too daunting a prospect, don’t panic. Go straight to Space Clearing, which will loosen the stagnant energy around the clutter and make it much easier for you to clear. It will mean more work in the long run because after finishing the clutter clearing you’ll need to space clear again to reconsecrate your home, but that’s life. Everything is hard work when you have clutter!

So what is Space Clearing? It’s become something of a generic term these days but it’s actually a name I coined in 1989 for a profound and beautiful ceremony I pioneered over the previous twelve years and have further progressed since then. Put simply, it’s the art of clearing and consecrating energies in buildings. It clears out the old and brings in the new. Most people can do it and achieve a result. Of course there are much higher levels to this art. The advanced practitioners I have trained have exceptional skills that take many years to acquire. Through high angelic connections they powerfully cleanse and purify the space, creating sacred atmospheres where great spiritual connections are made possible. But the basic level begins simply with cleaning up the energy of your home, and to prepare for this there is no better way than a deep and thorough spring clean!

It’s not possible to describe the whole ceremony in such a short article but briefly it consists of going around the inside perimeter of your home a number of times using a series of techniques such as clapping and Balinese bells in order to clear the different layers of energy. What’s important to know is that this needs to be done in the specific order I describe in my book, Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui. Sometimes I hear about people simply banging drums or burning incense and calling that Space Clearing, and I have to smile. This is only touching the surface of the dynamic transformations that are possible when this ceremony is done in completeness.

Results

It can be hard work but it’s so worthwhile. After clearing all the grungy energy many people report that that there seems to be a new quality of light in their home, as if everything looks brighter, more distinct, more defined. And here’s the best bit – because you are connected to your home, the effects aren’t just limited to the building but also permeate you. This generally creates more clarity in your thinking, relationships, and all the other aspects of your life. It’s as if you’ve awakened a little and can therefore see things more clearly. You are free from the stifling effects of the stagnant energy in your home and your life force energy can thrive once more. It can feel like a whole new world and a brand new start.

Spring is most definitely one of the best times of year to do clutter clearing and Space Clearing. It’s when everything in Nature is in a state of renewal and regeneration and you can harness that energy to help you move forward. The recipe is simple: clear the clutter, clean the house and space clear everything. That’s the order to do it in and you’ll be very glad you did!

ALL ARTICLES BY KAREN KINGSTON

What is Space Clearing?
Why It Feels So Good To Sleep In Your Own Bed
It's Spring Cleaning, but not as you know it...
Practitioner Level Space Clearing
What's Your Clutter Ratio?
Understanding The Unseen Worlds
A Feng Shui Hotel in Bali