“Spirit of place! It is for this we travel, to surprise its subtlety; and where it is a strong and dominant angel, that place, seen once, abides entire in the memory with all its own accidents, its habits, its breath, its name.”
~Alice Meynell, “The Spirit of Place”
Every place holds its own energy. Wild places and nature places contain the wisdom and language of the Earth. Many of them also contain the echoes of history.
Man-made places absorb energy based upon what has unfolded there – the daily patterns of life, the intense emotions of happiness or tragedy, images and information seered into the very fabric of the place itself.
Today, we are going to tap into the energy of places. We can find out all sorts of things simply by placing our hands upon the stones, or the walls, floors or the earth of a place. With practice you will be able to read energy from modern and ancient places.
What sort of information can you expect? To start with you may just feel energy; a tingling or electric sensation, warmth or cold. You may get colours or sounds, or a smell. You might even get a taste in your mouth. As you tune in further – with a childlike sense of curiosity – you may get images, emotions, words in your head, or a certain knowing. Trust what you get. If you stay open and trusting, suspending any natural doubt or disbelief, you will be far more inclined to receive a flow of energy and information. Practice will build your ability over time.
To do this we will first need to start by activating our hand chakras. If you can’t remember how, you can review that process from Week 2 here:
Places usually have quite strong energy, so we will use both hands for this process. If you are feeling confident, you may also use just your receptive hand. Here’s a quick review of that process from Week Three:
Once your hands are nicely activated follow these simple steps to feel that energy of place:
- Clear your mind. Allow yourself to become soft, relaxed and receptive.
- Place the palms of your hands against a surface, such as a wall, floor, a stone or the earth.
- Close your eyes and concentrate on the chakras in your palms. What do you feel?
- Stay calm and quiet, waiting…
- Don’t try to force anything. Stay in contact with the surface for at least two minutes, eyes closed, calm, breathing in a relaxed and comfortable way. This is the same sort of state you might move into during a meditation.
Places that are worth exploring include:
- historical sites
- homes and buildings
- places of worship
- places where people congregate, such as town squares or markets
- ruins
- natural places
- sites of historical events, even if any man-made influences seem long gone
This is a terrific way of energetically opening to and exploring places when you travel. It can also give greater connection to family and those who have passed over. Some people even find that it stimulates connection into past life awareness.
PS: If you’ve missed the first part of the program, you can catch up here:
Strengthening Intuition – A Program of Exercises
Thanks Nicole. This is really great. My Mum used to take me with her when she was house-hunting and would ask for impressions I might get. A lot of homes have a very definite feeling. She believed in this, obviously, and for some reason thought I’d pick up things she wouldn’t. She says, “I want you with me because you always know these things.” I had never really thought about it consciously until she put it that way. But it’s so automatic, when you enter a place, to feel it. It’s true that I usually, unthinkingly, would give my impressions of a place, which on investigation would turn out to be correct, but I never realised I was doing it, and never placed significance on it until she said that. Wow. Maybe I’ll pay more attention in the future..
This is interesting. I have often wondered about this type of thing. Do you know if some people are more open to these feelings then others. I have always been quiet effected by my surroundings. Two extreme ones being a place called WIlsons Promontory in Australia and an old house I lived in. Wilsons Promontory makes me feel amazing, I get goose bumps and a hot tingly feeling rushing up and down my back and down my finger tips, it makes me want to cry but in a happy way. I have never told people about the feeling as I feel a bit embaressed. The oher place an old house we were renting when I was younger. I was forever feeling watched and fearful, quiet upset. It also smelt funny to me. I was talking to my mum about that and she remebers me being quiet upset about things then, she also said she never felt happy or comfortable thre really.
Hi Laura, yes I do think some people are more sensitive than others. Don’t ever be embarrassed to be sensitive, it’s a wonderful gift! Much love to you xx
How lovely to see a picture of Rosslyn Chapel, it certainly has its own unique atmosphere. I got quite excited about this when I was reading the post, thinking I could go round the house feeling the walls. I’ve felt a distinct atmosphere in many places, but never thought before about using my hands to feel it in walls. I can’t wait to try it out!
Wonderful. I sat in my back garden, hands firmly on the ground. I felt the earth’s joy that I am slowly turning my little inner city block into something productive. Veggies, herbs, chooks, flowers & butterflies are returning. I could even hear the trees in the chook run singing. Life is being bread back into the garden and I could feel the positive energy through my tingling hands. Love it, love my newfound love for my garden.
Thank you so much for all the information you are giving us Nicole. Something really strange that i maybe shared with very few is that I somehow had this knowledge as a little kid. i had it all my life until the age of 16 when i was accused to be crazy and have illusions. I love to read about it. thank you