Mind, Body, Home: Transform Your Life One Room at a Time (17 page)

Laced in my energetic protective bubbles, stones, and mantras,

I continued on. After an arduous hour, I was able to clear the energy

from the basement as much as possible. I encouraged my client to de-

clutter the space and proceed with renovating the space. The more the

owners energetically “own” the space going forward, the more it will

help to continue transforming the energy. Luckily, this couple had the

knowledge to have the space cleared before experiencing more negativ-

Your Home’s Past 97

ity or selling the home to the next unlucky buyer. While this was an

extreme example, it shows just how much effect the energy of previous

owners can have on the energy of a home and our lives. It is important

to learn the history of your home prior to purchasing it, especially that of the most recent owners.

Patterns of Energy

Just how does energy from the past linger within spaces? We are con-

tinually emitting our emotions through our energy field throughout

our day. Our home is the space in which we are the most vulnerable

and emotional. We often use the phrase, “what happens behind closed

doors,” meaning we do things in our private home that we would not

do anywhere else. Our home is the container for our emotions. As our

emotions are emitted into a space it can affect the energy field of other occupants. Energy is actually absorbed into the walls, and even taken

on by the furniture, floors, and accessories.

The heavier and denser the energy, the more likely it is to coagulate

or stagnate in parts, places, and crevices of your home. From a scientific perspective, the higher the energy vibration of energy, the lighter the energy. We often refer to this as “good” or “positive” energy. By its very essence, the higher the vibration of energy, the less likely it will become stagnant. On the other hand, a slow frequency or low vibration is heavy and dense and more prone to stagnation. We think of this as “bad” or

“negative” energy. Regardless, like attracts like, and over time the same vibration will attract more and more of the same type of energy. Eventually, as a result, patterns get created.

Think about the last time you went on a long vacation. While on

vacation we start to take on different routines and habits. We start expanding our mind and perspectives. You might have even declared you

would make some lifestyle changes upon returning home, such as a new

exercise program or healthier eating. However, within hours of return-

ing home you simply fall back into your usual patterns. Your patterns are within your home. Partially, this is due to the location, floor plan, and other factors discussed in preceding chapters, but it is also because

98 Your Home’s Past

of energy patterns in your home that may have started with previous

owners, and definitely patterns carried forth in day-to-day living.

In
The Timeless Way of Building
, Alexander focuses on the power of patterns in our world, our lives, and our living spaces. In fact, this idea of patterns was such a prevalent theme that it spawned his next book

and classic,
Pattern Language
. Alexander theorizes that our world has a structure that is made up of repeated patterns that largely account for the events that take place. He says that we “tend to forget too easily

that all the life and soul of a place, all of our experiences that depend not simply on the physical environment, but on the patterns of events

which we experience there.”8

These patterns are ingrained within our cultures, our families, and

individual lives. Our living spaces are the holder of these patterns and largely determine our daily life while living there.

“Activities; events; forces; situations; lightning strikes; fish die; water flows; lovers quarrel; a cake burns; cats chase each other; a humming-bird sits outside my window; friends come by; my car breaks down; lov-

ers’ reunion; children born; grandparents broke…

My life is made of episodes like this.

The life of every person, animal, plant, creature, is made of similar episodes.

The character of a place, then, is given to it by the episodes which

happen there.”9

Patterns in our spaces are created by repetition that locks in the en-

ergy and keeps those in its grip stuck as well. As a result, we are prevented from making changes. This is why it is important to space clear

your home upon or before moving in. Even if there were no negative or

traumatic events in a home’s history, it is still imperative to space clear before moving into a space. You do not want to fall into the patterns of those who previously lived in the space. Instead, create your own conscious energy, choices, and memories.

8.
A Timeless Way of Building
, 62.

9. Ibid.

Your Home’s Past 99

Foreclosed Homes

An emerging negative pattern in homes is foreclosures. The financial

collapse of 2008 left many with financial woes. Homes also took a par-

ticular beating. Since 2008, a record number of homes have been fore-

closed upon. According to RealtyTrac,10 close to 3 million properties

were foreclosed on just in 2010. A foreclosure is usually accompanied

with a decline in maintenance of the home. Repairs go undone, the

yard is no longer adequately maintained, and improvements are cer-

tainly not made. It is common for occupants to simply leave the home

in a cluttered, abandoned state upon being evicted. This alone wreaks

havoc on the energy of a space. The homeowners may also hold resent-

ment, remorse, or guilt toward the house itself.

Furthermore, the occupants undergo a high level of emotional stress,

which is often accompanied by relationship stress within the home.

While many theorize a correlation between foreclosure and divorce

rates, the statistics are mixed. It would stand to reason that relationships are strained under such conditions since money is the number one

reason for divorces. At the same time, many couples wanting to divorce

simply couldn’t afford it. Because the real estate market was so bad,

they couldn’t afford to sell their home and instead were forced to con-

tinue living together. In the case of a divorce, the potentially foreclosed home may even become a pawn or bargaining tool, a far cry from the

white-picket-fenced American dream the homeowners may have had

upon moving in.

When a new owner moves in, the home is layered with the energy

of the distraught, foreclosed, previous owners. Without a proper and

deep clearing of the previous owners’ energy, the new owners will most

likely struggle in this new home. One of my clients, Denise, and her

husband purchased a foreclosed condo. When they took ownership, the

home was trashed. According to neighbors, the previous owner was

extremely messy and most likely a hoarder. At the time, however, the

10. http://www.realtytrac.com/content/press-releases/record-29-million-us-properties-receive-foreclosure-filings-in-2010-despite-30-month-low-in-

december-6309

100 Your Home’s Past

price was too good for them to turn down and they were eager to make

it work.

From the moment Denise moved in, she did not like being in the

space. She said that whatever she did to the space it never felt like home.

She even found reasons not to go home at times. It was in their second

year of living there when they began experiencing financial challenges and soon thereafter marital problems. By the end of the second year,

they filed for divorce. It turned out that instead of fighting over who kept the home, they fought over who had to keep it.

It is important to be consciously aware of the energy in your home

and not fall into a negative energy pattern that is not even yours. Al-

though we are energetically attracted to homes that are a “match” for

us, there is no reason to enhance a negative energy pattern already

within ourselves if it can be avoided. If you already live in a space with a negative past, then it is imperative to hire a feng shui consultant or energy healer to clear the space. Space clearing techniques can be performed by the homeowners as prescribed in this book. However, it is

sometimes advisable to have someone outside the household perform

the clearing in such cases where the occupants’ energy is too closely

intertwined with the negative energy that needs to be cleared.

In the case of Denise and her husband who bought the foreclosed

home, it is not coincidental that the couple found a home in such bad

straits. Although their relationship did not show visible signs of having problems at the time they purchased the condo, underneath the surface

their relationship was fragile. While divorce or financial difficulty may not be avoided regardless of where you live, living in a positive energetic environment can help bring an amicable transition or resolution.

It turned out that the couple’s divorce turned quite nasty, not too unlike the state of the condo when they moved in.

Ghosts and Other Entities

I never sought out to be a ghost buster, but I soon learned that it was part of the job description for a feng shui consultant. Perhaps not coincidentally, I grew up in a neighborhood that had many reports of ghost

Your Home’s Past 101

activity. The home I grew up in was on the site of what was believed

to be former Native American grounds. In fact, the neighborhood was

named Indian Lake Forrest for this reason. On the adjacent empty lot

was a cave where we would find arrowheads as frequently as we would

snakes and crawdads. My best friend lived across the street and for

about five years, her home and the house behind hers experienced oc-

currences consistent with ghost activity.

The oven would mysteriously turn on. The dog would suspiciously

start barking in the middle of night at something across the room.

Items would go missing. Even the realtor showing the adjacent house

experienced an incident that was to never bring her back to the house

again. It was theorized among the residents that a Native American

had once lived on the land. Despite having spent a lot of time at my

best friend’s home, I was never scared of the prospect of a ghost and although the stories were interesting, I was unattached to the drama

around it. I now see how this is an important component to success-

fully clearing spaces.

There are a lot of theories relating to whether ghosts really exist.

Most people have experienced some sort of paranormal occurrence in

a space to give them reason to believe in ghosts or some sort of entity.

People often report a presence in a room, someone touching them, un-

explained noises, footsteps when no one else is at home, among many

other common occurrences.

One theory is that a ghost is just a ball of leftover energy that builds and becomes more sophisticated over time. Others theorize that souls

become trapped in between dimensions, similar to that depicted in the

movie
Ghost
. Regardless of one’s belief, the commonality in most incidences of paranormal activity is that the energy can be pinpointed

to a specific room or area of the house. Particularly in the event of a traumatic event, the energy will become trapped in that particular area of the house and become reinforced over years each time someone re-experiences the ghost-like activity. The thought form or ghost can be as sophisticated as an apparition, or as faint as a slight feeling you get as you walk into a room.

102 Your Home’s Past

The more severe the trauma, the denser the energy will be and

the more likely it will get stuck. Years or even centuries later, a sensitive person may pick up on the energy. There is usually something

within them that resonates with the energy. Each time someone reacts

to the negative energy, whether conscious of why or not, it grows and

become more and more sophisticated. Occupants not sensitive to the

energy will be affected by the negative energy on some level, but not be as aware of it.

Ghost activity is an extreme case of what happens everyday within

our homes. Suppose your spouse or teenage son comes home after a

bad day. An argument ensues in the living room. As the energy is re-

leased from the argument, those emotions will hang out in that area

of the home. Whether they dissipate will depend on the severity of the

emotions and also the feng shui of the room. As the emotions linger in

the space, it becomes more likely for an argument to break out in the

same place in the near future.

This same concept pertains to other types of situations besides ar-

guments. For example, there is a spot in the kitchen where my dog is

afraid to go because the floor transitions from carpet to tile. In this area is a cabinet with pantry items. Not coincidentally, items are commonly

dropped in the same location. Our dog’s constant skittishness in this

area leaves an unsettled energy leading to accidents such as these. Positive energy can also be instilled into a space as well. Think of your favorite spot in your home. It most likely holds only positive associations for you. The same is the case with a meditation space. As the meditative energy builds over time, it makes it easier each time to drop into meditation.

Sometimes the energy of just one person is enough to leave a trail

of negative energy for others. You’ve most likely walked into some-