These days, many of us are staying home far more than going out in light of COVID-19. The abundance of at-home time is a welcome respite for some. For others, it can be stressful—surrounded by family 24/7, tending to children whose schools are closed while also working remotely, possibly grappling with unemployment, or living alone and feeling isolated. It can also just be monotonous.

“When we’re stuck inside and can’t go anywhere or do much of anything, we get very weary of seeing the same old rooms,” says Tarot reader and metaphysical counselor Victoria Williams. “We can feel there’s no reason to get dressed or make any kind of effort, which leads to low spirits and negativity.”

“Even though we’re at home cooking and cleaning when there’s no pandemic,” adds psychic medium and intuitive coach Susan West, “we feel the freedom to come and go as we please. When we’re home doing the very same things during this pandemic, we can feel stuck, possibly even claustrophobic.”

Since we’re spending more time at home than ever before, what can we do to clear our homes of stuck energy? How can we raise the energy in our living spaces so they’re more enjoyable to be in?

Here are some simple tips from some of Kripalu’s metaphysical advisors:

Seek Out Sound

Metaphysical counselor Anita Raviele, who performs energy clearing on homes, recommends listening to Gregorian chanting, yogic chanting, and hymns.

“Everything has an energy frequency,” she says. “[Chanting and hymns] are high vibrational sounds and will automatically begin to raise the vibration around you. When that happens, negative vibration doesn’t really feel comfortable there and it leaves.”

Metaphysical advisor and sound therapist Elise Manzo turns to Tibetan singing bowls to elevate the energy in her space. “They come with mallets and you hit the bowl towards the top rim and they sound like beautiful church bells. On YouTube they have mantras with captions so you can chant along,” she says. “I find that sound immediately raises the vibration in a room.”

Get a Move On It

“Snap your fingers and clap your hands all around your head, shoulders, and body,” suggests Victoria, who advises repeating the same action in the corners of rooms, where negative energy can more easily become trapped. “Snapping and clapping break up toxic blockages and instantly raise energy,” she says.

Victoria explains that when we put our bodies in motion and combine them with focused intention, we can introduce fresh vibrations into our surroundings.

“You can also do a wild stand-in-place wiggle,” she notes. “Flap your arms, stamp your feet, and shake your body, all the while calling out the name of the deity whose help you want to summon. That energy will spread throughout your space.”

Crystallize

Modern devices such as radios, computer chips, and digital watches rely on quartz crystals because of their ability to transmit energy. It should be no surprise then, according to Anita, that placing crystals, especially quartz crystal (like amethyst, citrine, and clear quartz) around your home will elevate the energy inside.

“It takes a little bit of time for it to integrate into your home,” Anita says, noting that crystals can be purchased inexpensively online. “It’s not five minutes after you put a crystal on a table that you’ll feel it, but it will permeate the whole home eventually and create a nice positive feeing inside. You’ll just feel more comfortable in your space. When people come to my home, they always say, ‘Oh, it feels so good in here.'”

Pull Out a Pendulum

“Anyone can use a crystal pendulum to help move energy,” Anita remarks. “You can even use a necklace as long as it has something weighty on it that will make it spin in circles.”

Anita says the simplest explanation for why pendulums can clear energy is that energy is impressed upon matter. “It’s all about intent,” says Anita. “The pendulum carries your intent.”

Anita recommends either standing in a specific room where energy feels stuck or–if you’re uncomfortable in a particular room–standing in a different room entirely and asking Divine Light to remove from the room any and all negative energy while the pendulum spins.

“You don’t hold the pendulum and hope it will move,” Anita admits. “It needs a little help. You get the pendulum started by spinning it in a counterclockwise motion [to remove negative energy], but then you keep your hand still, asking Divine Light to clear negative energy from that room or your home–or even from a person. You allow it to spin until it stops or it moves in a different direction. Then you know it’s done.”

To enhance the energy among family members in your home who may be at odds, Anita suggests being alone, getting quiet, holding the pendulum, and nudging it to swing in a clockwise direction (to bolster positive energy), while asking Divine Light to harmonize the energy among family members in your home. “It really works and it works immediately,” she says.

Smudge

To create sacred space at home, Victoria recommends lighting a candle, setting an intention for peace and harmony, and smudging a room or your whole house with birch bark—the tree of birth and new beginnings.

“The smell of birch bark reconnects you to the natural world,” she says. “You can visualize wind tossing leaves deep in the forest. You can say a blessing or a prayer as you smudge. Using fire, tree medicine, and your own mental focus, you can shift, raise, and change energy. You’ll feel invigorated, refreshed, and lively. So will your home.”

Ask

While crystals, pendulums, and birch bark can help to enhance positive energy in or remove negative from a home, they’re not absolutely necessary. Just asking Spirit for help is often enough.

“If you use your intention, you can clear energy,” Anita says. “Energy follows thought. It’s all about being mindful. Take a few breaths. Get calm. Ask for a higher force to help you. Say, ‘I call upon my spirit guides to clear from my home all negative energies for the good of all involved.’”

Alternatively, you can ask the spirit of love or harmony to enter your home. “People forget they can call on angelic energies,” Anita comments. “Just say quietly to yourself or out loud, ‘I call on the spirit of love or peace to enter my home.’”

Before asking, however, it’s important to be in a balanced state. “You don’t need to meditate,” Anita notes, “but the [angelic spirits] can hear you better if you’re not agitated. Agitation is perceived as dissonance—it’s like having a lot of static on radio waves. They can’t hear you, so it’s hard for them to come through. Just take a few deep breaths to calm your emotions and ask. People don’t realize how much of a difference it can make.”

Psychic medium Susan West says raising the energy in our homes ultimately starts with us. “It’s really not the space,” she says. “It’s you. You create your space. There’s no way you’re going to clear up your space with a sage clearing ceremony if you’re doing it with pandemic fear.”

Susan explains that within six to 12 inches of the human body is the etheric body, where the emotions lie. “You emanate from your etheric body out,” she says, “so when you work on your internal self, the room automatically lightens up. Whatever you’re emanating is what happens in the room. If you feel differently, your home becomes a brighter place because you feel brighter.”

For a minute every day while doing something simple like making a cup of tea or taking a shower (and with electronics turned off), Susan simply suggests saying out loud, “Divine Spirit, Divine Parents, I respectfully request all spirit guides of the highest vibrational frequency to please join me in this prayer right now because I’m ready to connect with you. Please join me so I can start to feel more comfortable in my home. Amen.”

Susan underscores that it’s not necessary to ask Spirit to raise your vibration per se–you just have to ask them to connect with you. “You’re asking them to come to your home to hang out with you, basically,” she says. “Even though they’re always available, you’re making yourself available to them so you can sense that they’re there. What happens is that you begin to feel OK, and then the energy in your home actually raises up and your home feels OK, too.”

Whether you play uplifting music, burn birch bark, adorn your home with crystals, swing a pendulum, or ask Spirit to infuse your home with love and peace, the end result, says Anita, is that “you’ll begin to notice you’re a little bit calmer. You’ll begin to allow more positive thoughts to come through. People will get along with each other better, and, ultimately, you’ll find that you can handle what’s happening.”