Dynamic Management of Energy of a Space vs. Shamanic Space Clearing: Comparing and Exploring the Differences

You hear a lot about "space clearing" and about people who do that. I used to do that. But is 'clearing' all there is to it? Is it one-and-done? Does a single 'clearing' fix everything?

The answer to these questions is simply "No." Space clearing is not one-and-done. And, it requires a bit more than a stick of sage and a match.

the energy of a space is always changing, and we must adapt as we go to keep it orderly.

I like to think along the lines of "dynamic management of energy of a space," rather than "space clearing." One, because It's more descriptive of what is actually being done, and two, it is an ongoing practice. It's dynamic because

Shamanic Space Clearing

"Shamanic Space Clearing" sounds and feels a lot like: cleaning, vacuuming, dusting, a clean sweep. Shamanic space clearing usually involves disinviting negative energies and their sources, and perhaps a bit of zhuzhing and ramping up the energies that remain. Which is not a bad thing and usually makes a space feel quite lovely. For a time.

And then the energetic weather begins rolling back in. The energies in the space might become stale or off-kilter.

What happened?

Entropy happened. In simple words: no space keeps itself tidy on its own. This goes for clutter, dust, and also for energy. Entropy is the measure of chaos in a system. The 2nd law of thermodynamics states that the measure of entropy (chaos, disorder) must increase over time in a closed system. That is, unless we do something about it, things get messier over time: our cars need tidying, our bedrooms need tidying, our bathrooms need tidying. Our homes need tidying.

Like vacuuming, space clearing doesn't last forever.

It's not one-and-done.

It's not "set it and forget it."

My teacher, Betsy Bergstrom, likes to use the analogy of opening up a summer cabin for the first time in Spring. It hasn't been tended all Winter, so the first thing we need to do is an airing out and a deep clean. We pull back the curtains to bring in the sunlight, and we open doors and windows to let in the fresh air to bring in some life again. We dust. We vacuum. We wash surfaces! Perhaps we need to roust out the family of raccoons that have made our cabin their home. Maybe a window got broken, and now there are dead leaves in the living room that we have to sweep up.

At any rate, we have to expend some energy on a regular basis to make things orderly again.

Dynamic Management of Energy of a Space: Creating and Maintaining Orderly Energies

When we know that our energetic surroundings need attention, too, we can add energy management to our list of cleaning tasks. Like folding laundry and putting it away, sweeping the floor and making the bed, we can bring order to the energy fields in our spaces.

But how do we make energies orderly?

The first thing we need to know about managing energy is:

Energy follows mind

Energy goes where we tell it to, and energy fields mold themselves to our thoughts and intentions. The way we think and speak about our spaces changes them.

A method of dynamic energy management of a space that anyone can do

Here is a simple outline of the basic steps of energy management of a space that anyone may take, whether you are an energy healer or not. I'll explain each one. We will be using our voices, speaking aloud as we go.

Speaking brings the energetic into being, into tangible form

There are many, many, many ways of doing this: I'm giving you something simple that works, a form that anyone can do.

1. Define the boundaries of the space you are managing. Claim it as yours.

2. Start putting things back in their rightful places: disinvite negativity

3. Clear and cleanse: invite the winds of clearing

4. Make it sparkle: say an invocation of sacredness

5. Blessing Field

Step 1. Define the boundaries of the space you are managing

This one's easy: visualize in your mind's eye the boundaries, the limits of your space. Maybe It Is your bedroom or office. Hold the image clearly. Claim ownership; claim this space as yours. (It helps if it really is yours.) Say out loud something like, "I claim this space as mine. This is my space." Do a quick 'scan' of the space; take a moment to notice what you notice energetically. There's no wrong way to do this. Notice what you notice, and how you notice it. Engage your clairsenses and perceive what the energies are telling you.

Step 2. Start putting things back in their rightful places: disinvite negativity

Everything has a rightful place in creation. However, not everything has a right to be here in your space with you. You wouldn't let a neighbor or a random stranger set up camp in your living room, would you? We don't have to allow energies and Beings to do this, either.

Here's how we do this: "I am addressing all energies, Beings, Spirits, Fields, non-Beings who are bringing negativity to this place, knowingly or unknowingly: you have no place here. You must depart now." It's helpful to repeat this, perhaps three times, and sense into the room as these energies depart each time. Energy follows mind: you say 'go' and they go. I often add, "you do have a rightful place; it's just not here." Again, notice what you notice.

Step 3. Clear and Cleanse: Invite the Winds of clearing

If you are an energy worker and you have other means of clearing, great! These brief instructions are meant so that everyone can do them regardless of their level of ability or training. Now that negativity and sources of negativity have departed, we can simply invite the Winds of Clearing to come and help us clear this space: "I invite the Winds of Clearing to come, and I ask you to please clear this space of any negativity that can be cleared at this time." Winds are powerful forces. They scour and clear our natural places. They are more than willing to arrive to help us clear our own spaces, too.

Step 4. Make It sparkle: say an invocation of sacredness

Now, we say words which define the conditions of what we want to allow here in our newly-cleared space, an invocation of sacredness. If you don't have a ready invocation, you can use this template for an invocation of sacredness on my teacher, Betsy Bergstrom's site. I will often add my own conditions, such as "here, there is a pact of peace. There can be no outside interference here."

Step 5. Invite the Blessing Field

The divine Intelligent field of all blessing is a field that anyone can invite and interact with. Being intelligent, it knows what we need even when we do not. The Blessing Field makes things better and smoother. We can invite the Blessing Field like this: "I invite the divine, Intelligent Field of All Blessing to arrive and open here in this place."

And that's it! Since energy is dynamic and constantly changing, I recommend doing this at least daily, twice daily if you think about it, or do these steps when things begin to feel murky or close. Over time, your space will begin to 'remember' these settings; calm, clear space will begin to become the norm.

If you want to know more, the first book I ever bought on space clearing, and still a classic, is Space Clearing, Volume 1: The art of clearing and revitalizing energies in buildings by Karen Kingston. In it, she gives simple and also more complex methods and ceremonies for clearing a space. Have fun!

This article was written by Jeffrey Rich, shamanic healing practitioner and educator. 

He sees clients worldwide via Zoom.