In May of this year, research showed that two thirds of job-hunters were considering a career change, as they couldn't find work in their chosen field. So what do you do if you've worked as an architect, solicitor, builder or child minder for a number of years, and you now have to move into a completely different direction?

Where do you start? Go back to college? Visit the local recruitment agency? Log on to a job-seekers' website? Look into your soul?

Open as I am to all things self-improving, I decided to do a 'soul-coaching' course back in May. I was drawn to a sign on the notice board in the music school, and it turned out that the coach in question was my daughter's piano teacher, Paula Hughes.

"Soul-coaching uses techniques, both ancient and modern, to help you identify and gently let go of the clutter that is keeping you from living your best life," said the notice.

"Not another course," my husband said.

"I promise, it's the last one," I replied. "This will help me de-clutter the house, which should then help me focus on the right career."

That was enough to persuade him. Unfortunately for my husband, I'm not a domestic goddess, and would read a book on de-cluttering rather than actually clear out a wardrobe or a press. I also know that I need to get more focused, career-wise.

Joyful

"Soul-coaching is a simple, practical and joyful process that enables you to access your own inner wisdom," says Paula.

Ireland's only certified soul coach, she trained in California in May 2005 with the founder, Denise Linn, an international author and healer.

Paula was initially attracted to soul coaching as a way to deepen her feng shui practice. Now she offers a wide range of coaching experiences, from a six-week course, to a weekend workshop, to a soul cafe, where people meet over a coffee for a soul-to-soul chat.

Nature plays a big part in it all. "We work with the elements of air, water, fire and earth to shake loose that which no longer serves us and move courageously into our future," says Paula.

"This is a magical time of year," she says, referring to the fact that we are now in the Celtic new year, Samhain. "That is why I chose this time to run my Samhain event at the calming and nurturing Temple Country Retreat.

"It's my intention that on completing this workshop, participants will have a greater understanding of who they are and who they are becoming," says Paula. "Together we will begin the process of remembering what makes us tick and start again to recapture the joy and buzz in our lives.

"Soul-coaching really encourages people to embrace their passion and to step boldly and joyfully into the future," she says.

I have constantly been in a dilemma about whether to move house or extend, and I change my mind like the weather.

It's just the house. My heart isn't in it, or maybe my soul. I'm not sure which.

Before I did the course, I was convinced that the energy in my home was having a direct effect on my energy. The course verified that for me. One of the exercises was to de-clutter a corner in the house.

I was walking into it one morning on my way back from the school, and noticed the porch was filled with the children's skates and skipping ropes. God knows how long they had been there. I decided to clear the area, and put everything away.

Later that morning, a neighbour and friend dropped in to see us with a plant for our porch. I know nothing about plants, but this is a creeper with a beautiful purple flower, and has made the entrance to our home so much nicer. It beats tripping over the skates or catching your foot in a skipping rope.

By clearing the space in the corner of the porch, I had made space for the plant which I didn't even know about.

Music

From a career perspective, a 'movement to music' exercise got me thinking about writing for children. I had written a story five years ago based on effective communication for children, and just put it aside. I have since sent the manuscript to a publisher to read. Que sera, sera.

I was beginning to feel that I could make the house more of a home. I decided to call in an interior designer, Phil McNally, to make some suggestions on redecorating.

Phil had been recommended to me by a few people. I had heard that she was interested in feng shui and angels, and I thought, 'I need all the help I can get'.

Phil took a look around the house and seemed to approve of what she saw. She sat down and asked me how I felt when I turned the key in my hall door. I told her I wanted to turn around and walk back out again. Phil said that I had the energy block, not the house. Interesting.

Phil has been working in interior design for the last 23 years. In 1999, she decided to go to California to study feng shui with Denise Linn after hearing her being interviewed on the Gerry Ryan Show.

"Feng shui is connected to interior design, it's not separate," says Phil. "It's about how we can make our living space more comfortable. Is there enough light coming in? Where is everything placed in the room from an energy point of view?

"What's going on around the house -- trees, shrubbery etc. Are they healthy? Feng shui doesn't have to be complicated," she says.

According to Phil, all our homes are living energies whether we like it or not.

She believes that the clutter in people's homes can have a direct effect on their well-being.

"Where the clutter is can have a huge effect," she says. "If your attic is full to the brim, it can subconsciously impede your mind.

"You don't have to live in a pristine, minimalistic house," says Phil, "but you need to be aware of the energy blocks that clutter can cause."

Phil is a firm believer in space-clearing. "For every item you bring into your house, something has to go. Even if it's a pair of socks," she says.

Phil said that the main problem with our house was lack of space.

We had plans drawn up eight years ago for an extension, and put them aside. Within an hour of a consultation with Phil, we decided we were staying in the house and would get an extension. It was that easy. The builders are due to arrive today, and I'm actually excited.

Furniture

I visited a home interior shop near the estuary in Malahide recently called Out Of The Blue. This shop would lift your spirit and soothe your soul, especially after looking at all the dark and drab furniture for sale in some of the other outlets around.

Shirley O'Donohoe is the owner and is three years in business. The shop itself is so tastefully done. "The choice of soft furnishings are timeless and warm," says Shirley. "We select them ourselves from all over the world. We also buy old furniture from house auctions, antique fairs and markets, re-upholster it and sell it."

Fabric is their biggest seller. It comes from South Africa and is available in a mixture of colours and patterns -- floral, check, spots and stripes, making it contemporary and eclectic.

Shirley provides a free consultation for your home. "If you're not in a position to buy a new sofa," she says, "we might suggest that you get your sofa re-covered.

"We'll suggest painting granny's old chair that you don't want to part with, or covering a headboard instead of buying a new one.

"We can go through your house room by room according to your budget," she says.

"I totally believe in feng shui," says Shirley.

"If you put the right fabrics and furnishings in a room, it can change it so much.

"It's so important where you place your furniture, and the amount of light you have in the room.

"With the current recession, people aren't spending as much money on clothes. They're not moving house either, but they want to mark their patch and have nice surroundings," says Shirley. "People need to uplift themselves in their homes," she says.

"There are so many dark days and short evenings in this country. Just because you don't live in Miami, doesn't mean you can't have it in your home."

Anne Drumm from Dublin decided to do the soul-coaching course after receiving a mail from a friend of hers.

"It struck a chord and I decided to sign up," says Anne. "I had recently taken early retirement from full-time employment and was seeking some reassurance that this new course of my life was the right one.

Instinct

"I felt the course allowed me to trust my own instincts, my gut feelings if you like. It started me on the path of re-learning to trust myself," she says. "I felt that I had been concentrating on my job and work, trying to earn money to nourish my material needs, and I was not nourishing my internal self."

Dolores Ryan from Kildare also did a soul-coaching course. "The penny just dropped," says Dolores.

"I had been in a rut, and needed to change some things, but didn't really know what. I had been dithering about changing house for 10 years, and felt that I was looking for too much.

"The course helped me to identify what I needed for me. I was so busy being a wife and a mother, trying to be all things to all people.

"One of the exercises was to make a vision board with pictures from magazines of how I visualised my future. Within weeks, I found the house I had been looking for.

"After the course, I also became a certified life coach, and could even see myself becoming a soul coach."

It's no coincidence that it's All Souls' Day today. For anyone looking to nourish their soul -- maybe you've just been made redundant, or you feel you'd like to change something in your life, but aren't sure what -- it's worth considering.

Why wait for spring to de-clutter? It's already the start of the Celtic new year. We should clear out what we don't want before bringing in Christmas extras. Think of all those socks!

Some people might think this is all a bit new-agey, but what's the harm if it gets people to step out of the rat race, re-examine their lives, get their house in order and focus on something they're good at and which they enjoy?

- Catherine Moonan

Irish Independent