“I’ll see you later. ‘Wag hayaang may masamang makapasok. ‘Wag hayaang may masamang mangyari. I’ll be home soon.” (“I’ll see you later. Don’t let anyone bad enter. Don’t let anything bad happen. I’ll be home soon.”)
I say this to my house while patting the walls on my way out the door, each and every time I have to leave. If you ask me for a scientific explanation, I have none. It’s just that I know doing so sets me up for the day and I exit my gate feeling secure and confident.
I acknowledge that the house protects me, encloses me, and keeps me safe while I sleep or when I am most vulnerable so, yes, I thank it. I also ask for its help to keep everything in it safe when I go out, and even when I am home.
‘Programming’
I had no name for that habit until I told Camille Escudero, founder and CEO of Lily of the Valley (innerwear), during an energy balancing session she was doing with me. Camille offered to work with me in restoring balance in my life at the start of the year, and I happily accepted it.
(She uses the Balanced Life Strategy and Energy Management Program of the Wisdom Institute for Leadership and Global Advancement. Look it up!)
“You’re programming your space,” she said after I told her about that habit. “That’s good.” And I realized it really was; because it helps me feel secure, at peace, and grateful as I leave the house and go about my day.
It’s the same thing people do when they burn sage to cleanse their space and palo santo to attract good energy and blessings.
Our space is an extension of who we are
Have you ever felt uncomfortable when people violate your physical space and come too close without your consent? Or when they violate your emotional space by being inappropriately intrusive?
And so you decide to draw invisible boundaries, even when it comes to how others speak to you, treat you, or work with you. They say we teach others how to treat us.
It’s the same with our physical space: we program its energy and how it takes care of us.
Look at your work desk: how have you decorated it? For some people, they don’t have to think much or put too much effort; but one look at their work space and you have an idea of who they are.
And we probably decorate it a certain way so it would feed us the energy we need when we are in it: like study rooms, living rooms, and bedrooms. We fix them and program them so we can study well, really live and enjoy the space, and sleep soundly.
Clear your space
According to Economic Times, the Year of the Wood Snake (which we just ushered in) “encourages growth, new beginnings, and the shedding of bad energy.”
Just as you have to bathe every day and clean your house regularly, you also need to clear your space for the windfall of blessings to take their place in your life.
Intuitive psychologist Dr. Debra Reble, in an article in Aspire Magazine, shares the following practical tips to help you clear your internal and external space.
In my first column, I wrote that everything is energy. The same is true with your space. It reflects your energy, and so we need to be mindful about the energy we put into it. It’s the energy that will envelop us when we are in it.
I’m sure there’s a neuroscience explanation there somewhere (hence, craniosacral therapy) but we’ll talk about it another time. For now, I leave you with the words of Dr. Debra Reble:
“I bless and release anyone or anything that isn’t in alignment with my soul’s path.”
Internal space
- Take five minutes to meditate, journal, or reflect after a stressful situation. This will recalibrate your energies and restore balance.
- Turn your shower or bath into a clearing ritual by visualizing the water as a stream of light, “moving from the top of your head down to your feet, clearing the toxic energies from the day or situation.”
- Bless and release people and situations that have hurt you. As they say, “Put them in a bubble and blow them away.” Let them go. Release a sigh if you have to. You’ll feel better.
External space
- Smudge your space with incense or sage. Open doors and windows to let the negative energy out.
- Let go of things from past relationships or experiences that bring back negative feelings. Then light incense or sage, or diffuse essential oils.
- When moving into a new space, do so mindfully and intentionally. Enjoy the open space instead of rushing to buy things.