As the year draws to a close, the global focus on Old Year/New Year makes it a prime time for clutter clearing – out with the old and in with the new. Coming straight after Christmas, which for many people in the western world also means an influx of new material possessions in the form of gifts, it makes even more sense to spend the New Year period setting your aspirations for the coming year and letting go of concepts, behaviours and things that do not fit with where you’re heading.

First to go can be any unwanted gifts you receive this Christmas, before they even take root in your home. Make this the year you sincerely thank the giver for the thought and let the gift go. Recycle it in some way, such as giving it to someone else who will appreciate it more than you, rather than keeping it indefinitely and always feeling disappointed whenever you look at it.

Next to go can be any objects you no longer love or use. Donate them to charity or goodwill organizations, give them to friends who can use them, or if they are no longer useful to anyone, send them for recycling or dispose of them in the trash. By the end of the first week in January, aim to have around you only those things that truly reflect who you are and who you want to be in the coming year. Set the space for this to happen rather than just hoping it will.

Of course there is no better way to give yourself the best possible start to 2008 than by Space Clearing your home at this time, clearing out all the old energies that have accumulated and consecrating the space to new, higher frequencies. This is one of the most effective times of the year to do the ceremony because you can ride on the New Year wave that ripples through the world as the calendar changes from 2007 to 2008.

The ideal Space Clearing altar to use is the ‘New Beginnings’ one, pictured here. In the coming months I will be doing a series of articles about altar designs, explaining in detail how to create the best one for Space Clearing your home in any situation you may have in your life. The 'New Beginnings' altar is the first of these, and can be used in any situation where the main focus is a fresh start.

When creating the altar, choose the colourizers that represent the new frequencies you wish to bring into your life:

Red = To anchor the frequencies of Motivation, Action & Accomplishment
Pink = To anchor the frequencies of Passion & Love of Life
Orange = To anchor the frequencies of Creativity & Confidence
Yellow = To anchor the frequencies of Hope, Joy & Happiness
Green = To anchor the frequencies of Harmony, Healing & Vibrancy
Turquoise = To anchor the frequencies of Ancient Resonance & Inner Calm
Blue = To anchor the frequencies of Truth, Integrity & Purpose
Purple = To anchor the frequencies of Prosperity & Empowerment
White = To anchor the frequencies of Clarity, Simplicity & Purity

I didn't include information about altar design in the original version of my book, Creating Sacred Space with Feng Shui, because at that time I was only teaching the skills to professional practitioners, but I've discovered that setting up an altar like this increases the effectiveness of the Space Clearing ceremony so much that I will be including a large section on it in the new, revised version of my book which will be published in 2008. A range of altar cloths and colourizers in large, small and miniature sizes are available from Space Clearing online stores.

A very Happy and Transformational New Year to you all!