Feng Shui is the ancient art of working with the energies in your home or workplace/business. It is not a religion but a philosophy and can be used by anyone who wishes to make changes in their life.

We are all affected by our surroundings and by getting the balance right (the yin yang) in the home and the office, it will affect us in a more positive way.

If the energies are blocked then things will not move on in your life. Alternatively, if the energies are too free-flowing then there is no stability and life will feel as if it is out of control.

Feng Shui works on the nine main sections of your life (Career and Prospects; Love and Relationships; Ancestors and Mentors; Wealth and Abundance; Family and Health; Helpful Friends and Networking; Children and Creativity; Inner Knowledge and Relaxation; Fame and Recognition). Everything you own has your energy imprint on it and your home becomes an outward manifestation of your personality and how you feel inside.

Therefore, when subtle changes are made to the furniture arrangement, colour scheme etc this changes the energy which can have a corresponding effect in your life. This has been likened to a ‘twig in a stream’. Note how by dropping a small twig into a stream can cause a change and diversion of the water. By ‘rearranging’ the energies in your home, and having the chi running smoothly, changes can manifest in your life.

Sue often comes across examples of how a family’s life has changed since they have added an extension to their house. This extension creates a missing space by leaving the adjacent areas behind. However, all imbalances can be corrected with simple Feng Shui cures and remedies.

This is a very important part of Feng Shui. Clutter can take several forms: it can be the overflowing contents of cupboards and wardrobes; it can be unresolved issues in our lives or it can even be of a spiritual nature.

Quite often people hang on to clothes they do not want or cannot get into because ‘they may come in handy one day’ or ‘I may fit into it one day’. In the meantime, however, your wardrobe is full of clothes – and yet you have nothing to wear! In reality, if it is not handy now it will not be in the future. If it doesn’t fit you now, when it does you will probably want to buy yourself something new.

Sometimes we inherit items – not all of which we would choose for ourselves and there may be some feeling of guilt that we should not get rid of it. However, it is not good to hang on to the past unless there are good memories that we cherish.

We all need to let go of the past and live more in the present. Clutter-clearing is an excellent way of rejuvenating the energies in your lives and in your home. Go through your wardrobe item by item and make a pile of everything that no longer fits or reminds you of a situation where you were not happy.

You can be ruthless with the contents of your cupboards also. Those presents you were given that you have never really liked or bad buys (we all make them!).

The best way then to get rid of your clutter is to divide them into three piles: one pile is for items to give away, either to charity or to someone who has always admired them; the second pile to sell at a car boot or antique market, and the third should be destined for the rubbish bin.

You don’t have to do all your cupboards and wardrobes at one time but you may feel that once you have started you feel so good about it that you want to continue.

Springtime is an especially good time to do this. You can then open all the windows to clear stagnant energy that has accumulated over the winter months. By energising your rooms it allows for new opportunities to enter your living space. Burn some incense and bring in some fresh flowers. Bells can also help to raise the vibrational level.

Subconscious clutter takes the form of unresolved issues in our lives: unfinished conversations, debts left unpaid, letters that have gone unanswered. It is good to have all these issues cleared and out of the way as, subconsciously, they are always there at the back of your mind and could prevent you from relaxing.

Spiritual clutter takes the form of heaviness in the body. This can literally be the diet that you never got round to, or started but gave up.

Previous occupants of a home or building will leave residual energy behind them – this is called predecessor energy. It is always important when you buy a property to find out something about the previous occupants, or the history of the house or building. If the previous owners of an office went bankrupt then the energy would need to be cleared as it has been found that this could affect your business and money could be scarce and you could end up the same way. Equally, in a home, if a couple had countless rows and then divorced then the energy is left in the atmosphere. We have all experienced what the mood is like in different houses of friends. Some atmospheres are pleasant and calm to be in and some houses are just uncomfortable and you don’t really want to stay too long.

This can be overcome by space clearing which is also something that Sue can do to help you