Here's an interesting question that arrived in my inbox recently:

Dear Karen, I'm curious whether you are using the vocabulary of energy and astral bodies and such metaphorically, or whether you truly believe that the previous owners of a house can imprint unpleasant energy and somehow cause the new resident to get fat?

I've been pondering this same topic of late while writing my new Space Clearing book, so the question is very timely. I've been pondering how amazing it is that walls, furniture and objects can act like a tape recorder for events that happen in a place. They are made of just ordinary materials, after all, so you wouldn't think it would be possible. But it is. I'm not talking metaphorically at all. I can actually read imprints in with my hands as clearly as I can read words in a book with my eyes, and I have trained other people how to do this too.

In fact, reading a book with one's eyes is a very good analogy for explaining how the process works. How is it that we are able to translate the tiny geometrical shapes we see printed on a page into meaningful - and sometimes highly complex - concepts just by scanning our eyes over them? Most people would not be able to explain this if asked, but we all do it just about every day of our lives. With hand sensing the principle is the same, but it's unseen energies rather geometric patterns that are being read and translated. And with practice, it can be developed to a very high level of accuracy.

Can anyone do it? Yes, to a certain extent. In my public Space Clearing workshops I include a section on hand sensing and 99% of participants report afterwards that they are able to feel the difference between energies that are stagnant or free-flowing, dense or buoyant, prickly or soft, and so on. The technique is done not by touching objects but by holding the hand a few inches/centimeters away. Being able to read energies of this type gives a very useful indication of the effect a room will have on its occupants.

To learn how to read astral imprints take a lot longer - years in most cases, and only a few people ever become very proficient at it. Etheric imprints determine the general feel of a place; astral imprints contain the precise history of what has happened there. Repetitive behaviours and traumatic events are the most deeply imprinted, and it is also possible to detect a range of information about previous occupants such as their state of health, fitness, prosperity, happiness, and so on. All the professional practitioners I train learn to be able to read both types because this is what enables them to read the energetic cause of problems in a client's home when they conduct a Space Clearing or Clutter Clearing consultation.

In feng shui terminology, the combined etheric and astral imprints are known as 'predecessor energy', meaning the energy left in a place by previous occupants, and it is a well-established fact that this energy tends to cause history to repeat itself and affect future occupants. And of course while you are living in a place you are creating imprints yourself, which will affect you while you're there and will affect future occupants after you leave. Sometimes it's just stagnant energies that accumulate on an everyday basis causing you to feel stuck, but if you've been through tough times there your own imprints will affect you in more profound ways, perpetuating the problems.

The beauty of the Space Clearing ceremony I've developed is that it safely and effectively removes these imprints in order to give people a fresh start. Other energetic techniques may move energies around but real skill is needed to be able to permenantly change spaces for the better. My advice is to be extremely wary of any professional space clearer claiming to be able to do this unless they can read energy imprints in such a way that you're sure they are not making it up. If they give you some story about previous occupants that you can't substantiate, or run around clapping, belling or waving incense about without doing energy sensing at all, then they are doing it blindly.

In the early years of training Space Clearing practitioners, many of my students gave up because they weren't prepared to do the personal work to develop their subtle body structures to be able to accurately read energies in this way. They sought out other less demanding methods such as dowsing, which can be learnt in a one-day workshop but is notoriously unreliable. Now I'm happy to report that all the professional practitioners I train are able to access deep levels of information through hand sensing, and clients find it to be one of the most interesting and insightful parts of a Space Clearing consultation. And of course the more accurately a space clearer can read imprints, the more effectively they can clear them and transform the energy of a space, which is the whole point of doing hand sensing in the first place.

Copyright © Karen Kingston, 2009

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I received an email recently from a woman who lives in Argentina, where the average wage is only about $1 per day. She wants to do Space Clearing but buying a Balinese Space Clearing bell is completely beyond her means. She's tried to do the ceremony with an ordinary brass bell but it created more problems than if she had left the space alone and done nothing.

From time to time I receive other emails like this from very genuine people. I also very occasionally hear of someone who has bought a Space Clearing bell, perhaps used it once and never used it again. So this got me thinking...

It's likely that most of the people reading this newsletter already own a bell, use it often and would not part with it for anything. But perhaps some of you have friend who has a Balinese bell they never use, who would be generous enough to mail it to someone in a Third World country who could never hope to own one otherwise? If so, please email my International Office and we'll do a matchmaking service, pairing bells with new owners.

Copyright © Karen Kingston, 2008

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In my book, Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui, I explain that incense is used in most of the major religions of the world because it is a quick, easy way of raising the vibrational level of a place. It is not actually a Space Clearing technique because as soon as the aroma dissipates the effect is lost, but Basilica incense in particular can be very helpful as an aid to Space Clearing, especially in very old or grungy buildings, or where there is a lot of clutter. The professional space clearers I train still use this incense in these types of situations, and many people space clearing their homes for the first time also find it gives them extra oomph to get the job done. It is best incorporated into the ceremony at the flower offerings stage.

Basilica is a very pure granular incense made from a blend of Eastern gums. It's made by a community of Benedictine monks at Prinknash Abbey in England. The exact ingredients are a closely guarded secret but they tell me the main one is a type of frankincense called Gum Olibanum, which is completely different to Gum Thus, the mock frankincense found in most other types of incense. Basilica also contains pure, natural oils and two other kinds of gums.

The best way to burn it is to light a self-igniting charcoal block and place it in an incense burner, wait until the block is glowing red hot and then sprinkle the incense on top of it. The resin melts and starts to give off a beautiful wispy smoke, which you can then waft around the space. Start at the front door and go from room to room around the space.

The monks at Prinknash Abbey make a number of other incenses, but Basilica is the one that is best used for Space Clearing. Over the years I have personally tested about a thousand different types of incense from all over the world and it is by far the best of them all for this purpose. You can buy it from my online stores, direct from Prinknash Abbey, or follow the links on their website to retailers in the USA, Australia and South America.

I personally love the smell of Basilica but for people who don’t, this step it can be left out of the ceremony. It’s an optional extra that's extremely helpful, especially if you have clutter, but it's not essential.

Copyright © Karen Kingston, 2009

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A question I'm often asked is whether it is OK to include smudging when doing a Space Clearing ceremony. Smudging is a purification practice that comes from indigenous American Indian traditions. It consists of lighting a stick of dried herbs (usually sage or cedar) and wafting the smoke around. It's inexpensive and anyone can do it.

It does not clear energies in the same way that Space Clearing does, though, and there is no point in including it in a Space Clearing ceremony. It's not necessary, and it's not wise to mix traditions. Changing or substituting any of the steps of the ceremony also considerably weakens its effectiveness.

American Indians use smudging to in the context of specific rituals. The use of smudge sticks has survived in modern times but most of the rituals they were designed to be used with have not been passed on with them, except in substantially watered down form.

If you like the smell of smudge sticks, it's fine to burn them in your home from time to time. Just don't rely on them to do anything more than temporarily lift the atmosphere of a space. They do not substantially or permanently change energies.

I'll write an article soon about the use of incense in relation to Space Clearing.

Copyright © Karen Kingston, 2009

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