A Bundle of Bad Energy

What do you do when faced with the negative feeling known as “predecessor energy?” Learn the step-by-step process of reclaiming, resetting and refreshing the vibe at home

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: We moved to our current home at the beginning of the year, and since then, have been hearing things from the neighbors that the couple that used to live here argued and fought “all the time.” This confirms why I feel uneasy here. I can’t help but wonder if this negative energy can “rub off” on my relationship. People suggest a home blessing, but we don’t have the funds right now. Is there something I can do myself?

Yes there is, and later in this response I’ll give you a few things that you can do to clear out the energy of the past inhabitants, claiming the space as your own and restoring energetic balance. What you describe as “negative energy that can rub off” is known as “predecessor energy,” something that many people can intuitively feel. It is the unseen energy of either the land or the former occupants of the space. Although unseen, predecessor energy is impactful because its life force can be felt.

Seeing predecessor energy firsthand

I saw predecessor energy “in action” when I learned about what happened to a woman who moved into a cottage unaware of the importance of such energy. A self-employed woman, her business was financially okay, and for years she had been making enough to support herself. At the time she moved into her new space, her health was good, she was close to her adult daughter, and on good terms with her ex-husband, who owed her some money and was slowly paying her back.

Going downhill fast

By the time she called me eight months later, she had lost 75 percent of her clients, her ex-husband had stopped sending her the money he owed her, and her relationship with her daughter had become unusually strained. In addition, she was dealing with some medical challenges that arose after she moved into her new space. She felt as if her life was crumbling around her.

What is the problem?

After hearing her story, I asked her who lived in the space before her. She found out that the man who lived there previously had been a tenant for more than seven years, but had stopped paying rent two years before he actually moved out. He had lost his job, his family support, his health, and eventually began taking illegal drugs. Two weeks prior to her moving in, he was forcefully and unwillingly evicted from the cottage.

Although that was an extreme case, it demonstrated to me that predecessor energy is real and the history of a space is important.

Clearing predecessor energy

To clear the predecessor energy without having to move out, you can either have the home blessed by another or “clear the energy” with a blessing that you do yourself. Any type of spiritual ritual or blessing can help to reset and refresh the energy, making a difference to the energetic feel and impact of the environment.

Below is a guide to a simple clearing that you can do yourself. Hundreds of ways exist to do a clearing. If you go online and search “home blessing ceremony” or “space clearing ritual,” you’ll find many different methods. You can choose to do one that feels right to you, keeping in mind that the most important element of any method is the intention you set.

Basic home blessing

Do this alone or with family or friends. I commonly use these four basic parts in a clearing or a blessing:

• Preparation. Clean the house, do the laundry, get your home in “good shape.” When it’s time to start the session, further prepare by turning off cell phones, music, and other distractions. Open the windows and allow fresh air to circulate.

• Intention. Stand at the front door and begin with a few moments of silence. Consciously bring the feeling of love into your heart and have each person speak aloud or hold an intention in his or her mind of what this blessing is to achieve, and what the final results are to be.

• Action. Being mindful of the intention you set, from the front door, walk through the space in a clockwise direction, going in and out of any room on your left, until you eventually end up back at your front door. As you are walking, visualize your connection with your home and what you want to experience, and see all the positive aspects of your life amplifying.

• Perpetuation. “Seal in” the refreshed energy, using a fountain, figurine, candle, or plant, creating a focal point to represent and remind you of your newly set intentions. Place the item in a prominent position to remind you and others of the new intention for the space.

Don’t equate the simplicity of this process with its effectiveness. Your home will reflect the intentions that you set, overriding the predecessor energy. Do this as often as you feel you need to, until you feel the space is wholly yours.

As an inhabitant of your home, your ability to clear your space and set the intention for what you want is powerful. It is unnecessary, as many of us were taught to believe, that someone in high spiritual service must do this.

Even if you feel no predecessor energy, you may want to bless and clear your home to give it the energy of renewal, providing everyone occupying the space a fresh start.

Alice Inoue is the founder and Chief Happiness Officer at Happiness U, a friendly and warm educational establishment at Gentry Pacific Center on Nimitz Highway. At Happiness U, one can learn how to be happy, a subject you won’t find in a traditional school. Happiness U offers classes such as feng shui 101, clutter clearing plan 101, positive mindset 101, happiness 101. Learn more at www.YourHappinessU.com.