HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOME A SANCTUARY AND PROTECT YOUR ENERGY
Now more than ever the need to have a safe-space to relax, recharge and feel at peace in has never been more important. For most of us this space is our homes and as we find ourselves spending more time than ever in our flats and houses the need to create a space that is both comfortable and calming is essential to our overall wellbeing.
For some of us that might mean clearing out clutter, undertaking a deep clean or just simply buying a bunch of fresh flowers to lift our mood. But there is one approach to creating a peaceful space that you may not have thought of and that is energy cleansing.
Everything on the planet is made of energy and everything is in a constant state of giving out and receiving energy. These vibrations can build up and get blocked in our auras and in our homes. Spiritual cleansing is the practise of clearing out this stagnant energy, a type of deep cleaning or a detox but on a spiritual level.
We spoke to Giselle La Pompe-Moore a spiritual guide, reiki master and founder of Project Ajna to learn more about energy cleansing and what we can do to make our homes a sanctuary and protect our energy.
TELL us a little bit about yourself and your spiritual journey?
I’m a modern mystic, spiritual guide, tarot reader, reiki master and meditation teacher. Before this I worked in the fashion and beauty industry for over 10 years. My spiritual journey started when I was child, as I would have clairvoyant visions, but I didn’t really understand them as I was so young. I was always fascinated with books on spirituality and the mind-body connection but it wasn’t until I was about 15 that I started to delve deeper and make it a part of my life. I started manifesting and doing my own rituals. As I really struggled with anxiety attacks, I started meditating, which changed my life. My spiritual practices became this really beautiful thread that helped me to navigate my life and career.
Tell us about ‘PROJECT AJNA’ and why you decided to create it?
I started Project Ajna nearly three years ago. I really wanted to start the practice so I could share with people how to create and curate their own spiritual practices. Spirituality can often be confusing and hard to grasp, so I wanted Project Ajna to be where the mystical meets the practical, with a really down-to-earth approach.
My mission is to support my clients through life experiences and changes, so they can handle whatever life throws at them. I do this through spiritual guidance, energy healing (Reiki) and tarot readings.
What is stagnant energy and how can it build up in our HOMES?
First of all, energy is all around us and also within us, from the chair you’re sitting on to your kitchen table. We are also energy, it’s our life source and connects us to everything in the universe — we’re all made of the same stuff. This concept has been a part of many spiritual practices, traditions and religions for thousands of years.
For optimal wellbeing, we want this energy to move in a free-flowing way in our bodies. We can also pick up energies too, our energetic bodies are affected by our lifestyles, stress, the people we meet and our own individual life experiences and the same goes for our homes too. I wouldn’t use the word negative, as energy is just energy and some energies may just affect us in different ways, such as making us feel a bit heavy, fuzzy or tired, but there’s no good or bad energies. Our homes are witnesses and containers for our emotions, the people who come in and everything we do in the space, so it’s nice to create space by cleansing the energies.
How can energy affect us?
Spiritual cleansing in the home marks the space as sacred and releases any lingering energies that aren’t serving you anymore. Sometimes when you come home you bring the day with you and just feel this sense of heaviness or unease. It’s like the next level of doing a spring clean, but cleansing the energies we can’t see. Energy cleansing adds a sense of calm to your surroundings and can welcome in new beginnings by creating space. So, it’s great to do after big life transitions, such as break-ups, moving house and new jobs.
WHAT tools or products are needed to energy cleanse your home?
Smoke cleansing is a beautiful practice and you can do this with plants and herbs. The herbs we can use for this often carry their own spiritual associations. Herbs should be treated with reverence and I always encourage using plants that are local to where you live, where possible. Bundles including herbs such as mugwort, rosemary, lavender and basil are lovely to burn and waft the smoke around your home or these apple wood incense sticks from British brand Haeckels.
I don’t recommend using white sage, as smudging is a Native American ceremonial practice and many members of the community have expressed their unease about the appropriation and commodification of the practice. Both palo santo and white sage are severely over-harvested so I discourage using these.
When you have your bundles or stick, burn them and waft the smoke around your home, making sure to open all windows and doors to allow the energy to clear out.
Go into all four corners of the room and the most powerful piece here is using your intention, so as you move around your home with the smoke, set an intention. You can say something like, “I cleanse and release any energies that are no longer serving me and welcome in only the energies that are in my highest and greatest good.” Then visualise this happening.
How often should you CLEANSE your home?
Use your intuition to guide you, start to tune in to how you feel in your home. If you feel uneasy, tired or feel that something is a bit “off” then a cleanse would be a nice idea. I always cleanse before doing any self-care or spiritual work, but there aren’t any right or wrongs here.
Do you have any other TIPS for helping to make your home a sanctuary?
If you don’t want to use smoke to cleanse your home, then you can also use crystals around your home such as selenite, black tourmaline and celestite. Sound is also a lovely tool for energy cleansing and you can use instruments to clear and move energy, such as crystal bowls, bells, drums or a gong.
Having the elements represented in your home is also really powerful and my favourite way to create a sanctuary and reconnect to nature. The elements are earth, air, water and fire. So, for earth you can have a bowl of Himalayan pink salt, soil or some crystals. Air can be incense or smoke cleansing, candles for fire and bowls of water or frequent baths for water.
When outside of your home what can you do to help PROTECT your energy?
Setting an intention before you leave your house can be a lovely way to protect your energy as can visualisation. Connecting to the universe, spirit or whatever you believe in, is always the first step. If you choose to take some black tourmaline around with you, then you still need to set an intention first.
Visualisation is one of the most powerful tools, and you can do this before you go out by closing your eyes, tuning in to yourself and asking for any energy that’s not in your highest and best interest to be released and spend some time imagining this. You can visualise this energy leaving your body or you can visualise a white, loving light surrounding your aura and moving throughout your body, and filling you up with a sense of calm or protection.
CAN you cleanse your energy, if so how often should you do a spiritual cleanse?
You can use the same methods that you would in your home, you can smoke cleanse yourself by passing it over and around your body. You can also work with crystals, visualisation and sound healing too. Dancing is great as the physical and energetic bodies are deeply connected and it allows you to shift energy and release emotions. As you move your body, really feel any heavy energy moving up and out of you.
Connecting with your breath through meditation and taking the time to be aware of your breath and be in the present moment, is very cleansing for mind, body and soul.
Do you have any RITUALS that you perform every day to help keep you centered?
My spiritual and self-care practices, really help me to feel balanced and come back to myself. I start every morning listening to my Daily Activation, which is a mix of meditation and guided journaling, to get me into the right headspace for the day. I’ll then do a 10-minute energising yoga practice, before I have breakfast.
At night, I’ll either give myself Reiki in bed or I might do a longer ritual if there’s a moon that I want to work with and then I’ll listen to the Daily Activation again, but this time the PM one.
Is there anything else to consider when thinking about cleansing and protecting your ENERGY and the energy in your home?
It’s important to have fun and to feel good about your practices, don’t worry if you don’t cleanse your home often and there’s no right or wrong way to do anything, so release any superstitions. I don’t believe in “good” or “bad” energies, your intuition and your intentions are your best guides and teachers, so keep trusting. See it as a way to elevate your surroundings and mood.
Follow: @gisellelpm and @projectajna