Space clearance (or "smudge ceremony") is more than just wafting a bit of incense around and hoping for the best. A smudge ceremony unites three separate aspects of healing to cleanse the energies in your space: aromatherapy; sound healing; and spirit-guided shamanic practice. These elements are expressed through ritual - special invocations and repeated actions that strengthen your intention. Focussed and serious intention makes your practice work.

What energies do we intend to heal using a smudge ceremony? I call them "the three E's":

1. Environmental - the physical condition of the energy in a space, which can contain emissions from air conditioning, electrical equipment etc that make you feel stale, tired and lethargic.

2. Emotional - negative emotions dumped out during difficult situations can linger on as lower vibrations that disturb your peace and ease long after the event is over. Properties can retain the emotional vibrations of previous owners too.

3. Earthbound - those who have passed away, but who are unable to pass over, whether that is due to shock, denial or fear of judgement. Earthbound energy gathers where life is in order to feel "aliveness", but there is disharmony because it is in the wrong place. It has a real effect upon your perceptions and behaviour, whether that effect is subtle or obvious.

Spirit connection is a major part of the ceremony and a clearly voiced request to the powers or guides you believe in at the start of your practice will serve to protect you and make your efforts effective. Ask for the assistance of Archangel Michael. He is the angelic power assigned to dealing with metaphysical attack and moves earthbound energy onto its rightful place of healing and transformation. We do not destroy earthbound energy, but firmly send it on with love.

Shamans of diverse origin have communicated with the spirit of plants in order to understand their healing properties. Burning certain plants releases fragrances that have spiritually cleansing and uplifting effects. Sage is the traditional savoury-smelling Native American power plant. The gum resins of Frankincense and Myrrh are a sweet-smelling Middle Eastern combination. Sandalwood is the woody-scented Far Eastern equivalent. All work with us to clear stale and earthbound energy. In a smudge ceremony we respectively honour the power plant for its wonderful gift to our well being.

Sound has been regarded since the most ancient of times as a profoundly transforming force. It is associated with both the great scientific and spiritual explanations of creation, from Big Bang theory through to the sacred mantra Om, a sound that is the seed of being. It is the vibration of sound waves combined with highest intention that brings energetic change, harmony and healing. I use an array of instruments (drums, bells, gongs, tingshaws) that produce the full spectrum of low, medium and high-pitched tones, the intention being to shake, wake up and cleanse on every level.

Having smudged some challenging properties this is my advice: be orderly, diligent and voice your intention clearly. Know your tools and understand your reason for using them. Trust that you are powerful, especially when your firmness is combined with love. Never feel unworthy of asking for the highest help. Archangel Michael wishes to serve in this way.

Whether you consider yourself to be healing practitioner or not, clearing space properly is a healing activity that empowers you within your own home space. Smudge Ceremony teaches so much about the basic principles of healing that it is a great starting point for anyone wishing to dip their toes into the vast waters of spiritual practice and therapy.

Space Clearance workshop 27.01.07, 10am to 1pm, The Daisy Centre, Glastonbury, Somerset (£30).

Let the Runes be a mystery to you no longer! Let them into your life and acquire a fantastic tool for spiritual growth and development. Work with them over time and weave a new thread of energetic awareness into your existence.

The Runes are twenty-four symbols that comprise an ancient Northern European system for working with and understanding energy. Each rune represents an energetic that is fundamental to existence, whether that is on the largest cosmic scale of activity, on a more personal human level, or on a cellular / microcosmic level. However big or small the matter may be, the runes run through all experience and help you to recognise the hidden forces and powers that lay behind the world of everyday appearances. Indeed, the runes are not a tool created by mankind, they represent a body of wisdom received by mankind from our observant and open interaction with nature and spirit.

"Rune" has several meanings. It means "mystery" or "secret". Each rune's particular "secret" pertains to one of the energetic mysteries of the cosmos, whether that is the energy of grounding and the physical manifestation of life force or the light-filled, expansive, visionary energy of spirit. The twenty-four rune energies taken as a whole show us that life is filled with many energetic experiences and each one is guiding and empowering.

"Rune" also means to "whisper" and to "roar". The sound value of each rune is a vibration that transmits its inherent energy. So you can use runes in sound work, whether that is within personal meditation or healing directed for the benefit of others. The runic energy is also contained within its shape, known as a "stave", so rune symbols can be channelled for healing too. Runes are not just confined to divination, though they're also amazing divinatory tools that give truthful and wise energetic counselling to people.

The Runes can also be ordered into a calendar, a cyclical arrangement in which each rune energy rises and ebbs in power during a half-month time slot. Seeing how the runes relate to the forces that flow and diminish within nature throughout the year enriches both your understanding of rune influence and your perception of nature's cycles. Learning how to synchronise your activities with a runic calendar can be profoundly supportive to your efforts.

The Runes are a tool for showing us the energetic threads of life that weave around us all the time. The Runes also teach us to take responsibility for how we choose to work with those threads to create our destinies.

This one-day workshop is designed to help you understand the origins of the runes, their many uses and will give you tips on how and why to make your own runes. It will explain how runes are bound up with the concept of Wyrd, which is an understanding of destiny that places us fully in the "driving seat" of our own lives. It will also introduce you to the concept of the Rune Year Wheel, which provides a time frame in which to study the runes that synchronises with their presence in nature.

The Runes have woven themselves into the fabric of my consciousness and expanded my ability to relate to events on an energetic level. They have an uncanny way of helping you to unleash your creativity, for ultimately you will find your own fulfilling way of working with their power that will inspire new realisations and ideas within your life. This workshops aims to fire your enthusiasm about a fascinating subject and give you the confidence to explore the runes further in your own unique way.

Saturday 24/02/07, 10am to 5pm, Daisy Centre, Glastonbury, £50*

This workshop uses the help of three particular runes aligned to the Spring quarter to explore and balance our inner male and female energies. The workshop is timed to synchronise with the natural energies of the Vernal Equinox and shows how rune work can be done in accordance with the powers rising in nature for maximum effect. It uses meditations and guided visualisations to help you connect with and honour the male and female energies that reside within us all, whether we are men or women.

Sunday 25/03/07 10am to 5pm, Enlightenment, Glastonbury, £50*

* These workshops are priced at £90 for attendance of both

Sunday 15/04/07 10am to 5pm, Enlightenment, Glastonbury, £55.

Pre-booking and deposits required for all workshops. Contact Rosemary: 01458 832157 / 07906 865717, rosemary@sacredhill.co.uk, www.sacredhill.co.uk.

Other workshops may be available throughout the year. Contact me to log your interest or find out when the next date will be.

Voice is your very own sacred sound tool, so why not use it? This workshop introduces you to a clear and simple set of chakra sounds that can be used to meditate and self heal. I also guide you through a set of procedures that show you how to direct these voice sounds for the healing of others. This workshop is suitable for those wishing to add a valuable skill to their healing "CV", but is also accessible and powerful for beginners who wish to discover new ways of tuning in and working with chakras.

Preparing space, grounding, psychic protection, working with chakras and basic guide work.

If you are bringing a group to Glastonbury or if you run a spiritual group that occasionally needs fresh, new input, I can tailor a workshop to your requirements.

Please bear in mind that reasonable prior warning is required so that dates, times, venues, costs and workshop subjects can be properly planned. Consider giving at least six months lead-time for new original workshops. However, some tried and tested workshops can be run at fairly short notice, providing they are on certain days. I can usually find accommodation for groups of six to ten people, but details need to be discussed first.