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If you are like I am, an empath, you pick up on the feelings, emotions and general baggage of others, both the positive and negative. If you aren’t careful, over time these feelings, emotions, baggage and energy of others will drain you, and leave energetic sludge in your home, office or even car (although cars are much easier to clean do to the ease of getting a heavy air flow through them).
Sooner or later you will want to spiritually clean where you live. It is not all that hard to do.
First step
Second step
Third step
Fourth step
Fifth step
Sixth step
If you have a hearth with a mantle, set up a small altar on it. Light the white candle, then the black, then light one stick of incense and place in the burner. Sprinkle a small amount of salt. These candles should be the small novena glass type, two to four day burning times and should be lit in a place where they can remain until they burn down without being touched or snuffed. I never blow out a ritual candle; it puts too much air into the spell and shows disrespect for the element of fire. Or so I was told. Either way snuffers are very inexpensive.
Now at this point, you can either draw a full circle including calling the elements, and then expand it to include inside, outside and upstairs all the way to past the roof and under the floors (if you have a two story house) or you can simply ask god and goddess to bless your work. It depends on what works best for you. (I am a simple witch so “Mom and Dad, I need your help” generally gets the job done for me, unless I am dealing with a natural energy sync or a big spiritual nasty. If I have more than I can deal with alone, I ask for help. You should too.)
Seventh step
When you first enter the room, take the broom/besom and in a counter clockwise motion sweep the air in the room. See the heavy, dusty, musty, or stale energy gathering up into a ball and push that ball into the hall outside of the room. You will gather the balls from each room and push them out the front door. Once they are outside, see this energy sinking into Mother Earth, knowing she will make use of what is harmful to us, and use it to feed her growing green things. (I have a willow oak outside of my living room window; I push the balls out this window to it. It was rather large when I moved in, about the center of my 3rd floor window, but now it is at the top of my window. So do not fear pushing negative energy out into the world, Mother Earth knows how to take poop and make fertilizer, be that poop energy or the more material kind.)
A chant I say during the smudging is:
(Repeat your Air element chant or the one above until you are comfortable that the smoke has reached every space. Then see the smoke penetrating into spaces you can’t reach or might have forgotten.)
Take your candle and shed its light into all corners and spaces, moving still counter clockwise. Shine it under the bed (carefully) and all places that rarely if ever see light, especially behind toilets, inside closets, inside bath tubs and shower stalls, under sinks.
A chant I say is:
With this element of Fire I shed the light of truth, love and healing. I banish all darkness and harmful energies and emotions from this space. This element of fire burns away the darkness and leaves only love and light.
(Visualize the light penetrating every space, those you can’t reach like between the walls or inside of dresser drawers and any space you might have forgotten)
Take your water. You can either aspurge (sprinkle), spray (with a plant sprayer) or symbolically present the container of water to each area. I normally just carry a small cup or glass of holy water that I plan on anointing with later, and just present it.
My chant is:
(Visualize the water glowing and that glowing spreading to touch every inch of the space, leaving it spiritually cleansed as well as physically. The light penetrated into every space, those you can’t reach or might have forgotten.)
Now take the salt and moving counter clockwise, sprinkle a tiny amount across the carpet or tile (if you have a hard wood floor you might just want to do this symbolically and not really toss this abrasive on your floor).
My chant goes:
Now you bless the room by anointing the door knobs, window sills, the sinks, toilet lids, and the drains in the tubs, sinks and showers (any entrance to your house). Some use a Celtic cross (equal armed) within a circle, some use a pentacle (5 pointed star within a circle, one point is Up), others use a standard cross or an X (works great for keeping harm out, since an X often means NO), or you can find a rune that works for protection. But any symbol or shape that works for you would do nicely here. Use the one that seems more protective and strong to you. If you need to draw them on paper during your chant writing and rest, please do.
You can cast herbs under beds or between the box spring and mattress (I love lavender and crushed rose petals or buds, and I save any gifted flowers for blessing and protective uses like this). You can also use either rose thorns or whole cloves as a window sill scattering, but please don’t use this if you have any children under 6 or so (or any age that picks up stuff and puts it in their mouth), while rose thorns are not toxic, they could hurt, and enough whole clove can burn like a spicy pepper. (If you have pets that chew things up, might want to put these protective items in a black cotton or silk (natural fibers) bag and hang it near or in the window instead).
Take a table spoon or more of the salt and completely circle (crossing the starting point to ensure the circle is closed) moving clock wise this time. Visualize the loving arms of the goddess and god wrapping around this room, keeping all harm out, and pervading the room with love. Some see this love as a light sky blue or pink colored light that warms the area. I avoid visualize bright white light except in banishing as it can drive out all energy, leaving a void you must fill or it will be filled, maybe by something you don’t want or need.
The chant I say as I cast this circle is:
Repeat these steps for each room, especially include rooms you do not use often, storage spaces, and if you can get to it, the attic (Be careful up there, if need be, use a lot of visualization and do the ritual from the ladder), the basement especially, since lots of heavy energy will settle down into this lowest point of the house. Ghosts, earth spirits and other things, good and bad hide here, I tend to leave non harmful stuff alone. I tell it, you live here too, do me no harm and you are welcome, harm me and I will remove you. Deal? Deal! As for fairies and others mischievous beings, I tend to distract them with nice shiny glass marbles, glitter on an altar and other things they enjoy (one likes the junk toys from the candy machines at the grocery store, I even found a tiny fairy in one, so she feels she has company). I find they tend to return things or not even bother with them in the first place when they feel that they have all they need and a bit of what they want.
Once you have finished the inside, if you live in an area where you can, walk the entire outside of at least the building, once counter clockwise, seeing the negative heavy energy sucked away and dropping like dust into the ground. Then walk three times clockwise, making sure to close the third circle.
I say the following (if you live in a “Bible belt” area, you can often do this but mutter under your breath and use other “closeted witch” cautions like NO going skyclad, no wearing a hooded robe, and dramatic make up or HUGE pentacles and other scary things and try to look like you are just looking for something you dropped. I have done the once counter clockwise and once clockwise and found it worked well, my mother asked me to cleanse and bless her house and she lives in a neighborhood of fundamentalist Christians, so I did the three times around in her back yard and once in the front):
Above, below, and all around
Those that would do us harm
All that dwell within
Lord and Lady and blessed child
If you can, end your circles in the north (The Element of earth is stability, protection, healing and prosperity, all things any home, apartment, business or other building could use). Stop and turn to face the inside of the circle and stomp your foot hard and say something like “It is DONE!” or the faithful “So Mote it BE” What ever phrase you use that signifies your job is done and well done at that. Turn your back to the circle and release your hold on the energy and spells you have done, you are done now and need not worry.
Cut a door way and go inside the house. Go to your hearth altar and lower the circle as you normally do, closing the elements if you opened them and drawing the energy into either your wand, athame or sword or into a quartz crystal. (leaving a circle open can drain you and those that live in or near you of energy, it can exhaust you if you have open circles all over the place, since your energy is scattered). Gather and put up all supplies and feel the energy. If the candle you carried from room to room is still burning, set it on the hearth altar space between the black and white candles; leave all to burn themselves out. (If you have curious young cats or kids, or cats that jump up and get into, watch the candles well and snuff the 3 day candles when you leave the room) Feels lighter doesn’t it?
To keep this feeling you can, once a quarter (every three months) or every dark moon, which ever works best for you, do a shorter version. Tidy up, sweep, dust, mop, sprinkle salt and herbs on the carpet and let it set while you drink your tea or other drink. Then vacuum it up. I redo the anointing every third or fourth month or anytime a serious illness or injury has happened recently. Every week or more often I light a high vibrational incense; I usually place one stick in the kitchen, living room, and each bathroom.
Once a month I open the windows and doors and do the energy sweep from north to south (from Earth to Fire, symbolizing from material or spirit into a reformational state). I do this when the weather is the best, as close to new moon, or waning at the very least. The windows and doors do not need to be open for very long, a few seconds will work. The point is to get Fresh Living air into the home. I live in Texas, and we don’t get below zero more than twice a century…if that often. If I lived in the Dakotas or other Northerly climes I might have to altar this habit. But I would still open a window or door for a few seconds to let in some fresh air.
I do the full physical cleaning at fall and spring (so I can have the windows FULL open with fans blowing the air in the same direction the wind is blowing outside). I make a week long affair of the physical cleaning, gathering all clothing that is outgrown and finding a new owner, if that is the women’s shelter in town or a homeless shelter or the Salvation Army (I know some Pagans/Witches that will not donate to a Christian charity, but I don’t see any harm in Salvation Army. If you don’t like them, there are other charities like them but not Christian), Goodwill industries, or the Disabled American Veterans.
I gather up any electronic devices that are not in use but still work, package them up and find a charity that could use them. I am sure that even in the smallest town you have a charity or thrift store that benefits those in need, chose one you like). Even large ticket items like used washers and dryers, used cars that don’t run, computers that work fine, but are a tad out of date or other really BIG stuff can be written off on taxes (see your accountant or tax preparer about the details, and get a detailed receipt for everything). By getting rid of that which you don’t need, you make room for that which you need or want, it keeps the prosperity flowing.
If you have nosey controlling neighbors, plant rue plants around the perimeter of your property, or a single potted plant near your door will work. Roses work great, the sweetness of the smell and the protection of the thorns, as does dwarf holly bushes if you have the room.
If you do all of this and the energy is still heavy or dense, you may live in a natural energy node or line. There are two kinds of energy lines, neither of which I would want to live directly on. The positive energy line is line the ley lines of Europe, and the energy nodes that they built the cathedrals on. Great to visit, but can be way too much to live permanently on.
The second type is the negative energy sync, think of it as the grounding side of a battery. It sucks energy into it. Around these areas, people get sick more often, have immune issues (allergies, Fibro, chronic fatigue), and plant life is stunted, sick or dies easily, and pets or other animals tend to avoid these areas or run away. You can use metal/iron stakes hammered into the ground to help control the energy, but I tend to just avoid such places as Nature doing what she must.
There just isn’t too much you can do if the energy flow in an area is large scale and strong, other than move.
Goddess Bless, Lord Protect
The above information is given with the intent to suggest / advise.
Physically tidy up the area, for the more thorough method, throw the trash out, and donate what still has life in it, package up for storage what is good enough to gift to friends and family.
Gather together the following products to wash the area: Sea salt, Non iodized table salt, or Kosher salt (some Pagans do not like working with Judeo-Christian Items, but I find some of these two cultures items work well for my use. Kosher salt is Blessed by a Rabi, and has blessing energy of a slightly higher vibration than that of plain old salt. I would suggest you go to your grocer and find the Kosher salt and place the box between the palms of both hands, if you like the energy…buy the salt, if you don’t, find a box of sea salt instead.), vinegar (the clear kind, not apple cider kind), rags, sponges, broom and mop, and gloves if your hands chap easily. You could also try various herbs with a cleansing, healing, protective or banishing effect listed (I would NOT use Asphoteda {sp?} due to the fact that it tends to banish everything, living, spirit, energy due to its intense offensive odor). Some herbs you can make a tea out of (like chamomile) since they are light enough in color that they will not stain, others it is best to burn them in a small caldron or other incense burner using small charcoal tablets, and others make a nice addition to potpourri. Use your judgment on which herbs you need, and how to use them.
Gather your ritual items that you might want to use. Incense is pretty much a must. I would pick a light energy, high vibrational incense, something like frankincense or myrrh, but rose is good too, as are lavender and citronella. I would get a black candle and a white candle. The black candle is to absorb and transform the negative into healing or other more productive, helpful energy. The white candle is the “spark plug” for the black candle, giving it a seed of positive energy to start out with. You will also need a small snack of bread, crackers, or cookies and wine, mead or fruit juice of your choice, for after ritual, to ground, center and thank goddess and god for their help.
Open all the windows, weather permitting, this gets fresh air in, and a breeze blowing through, this will help blow the heavy or harmful energy out. If you have a happy, light mood music tape or CD, put it on and set the volume slightly lower than you normally listen to it. Take a small amount of the salt and sprinkle it around the floors seeing its energy absorb or transform the heavy energy into light, healing, and/or helpful energy. Leave the salt in place while you clean the surfaces, top down (any sprinkling herbs you want to use would mix well with the salt, but you might want to buy them ground or finely grind them in your mortar and pestle first). When you sweep or vacuum you will remove it. Using the cleaning supplies, sweep, vacuum, dust, lightly wash the walls. It helps to think of peaceful, calm and happy thoughts while you do this. Work in a counter clockwise motion, starting at the northernmost and upper most part of the house, work in a spiral (if in a two story). Also work counter clockwise in each room, whatever compass point direction you must enter and exit. Make sure you get the windows, mirrors and all chrome or metal surfaces as well. Light switch plates and door knobs too, since you touch them all the time. I also steam clean my carpets and add a pinch of Kosher salt to the rinse water (I spot test the carpets and mine can take it.) since I have two kids, one dog and a cat. For a serious banishing, you need a SERIOUS clean place physically.
Make a pot of tea, cup of coffee or other drink of choice other than alcohol (pre ritual drink, relaxing but not sedating not intoxicating). Sit and rest, ground and center. You earned this rest, enjoy it. Meditate if it helps you get into the mood for rituals. Meditate on the good job you did, and enjoy a little healthy self pride. If you use chants make up one now for the ritual. One that has a good meter and rhyme to it that you can repeat for 20 to 30 minutes with feeling. One that is protection and loving based towards those humans and animal friends that live there and one that makes those with harmful intent have a hard time finding you. You can say the chant as you move from room to room, and once around the outside of the house counter clock wise and a blessing chant going three times around the outside clockwise. If you are like me, and not a natural poet, but find or know a good spell/chant crafter that doesn’t mind you using it (if it is in a published book or on the internet, it is assumed to be permitted) feel free to use these favorite poems or chants.
Put your ritual supplies into a container you can carry from room to room (I use a container with a handle that is made for carrying cleaning supplies around). If you are using a caldron and incense or herbs, place it on a heat proof surface near the center of the house where the air circulates well (you will still need stick incense for use in each room as they are much more portable, but you can use anything on charcoal in your caldron, and stick incense fragrances do have a limit to the types and sizes). Place at least three sticks of the stick incense and either matches or your lighter in the container. Take about a quarter cup of salt with you to circle each room and put a liberal amount around the outside walls (enough to actually see the line on the inside of the outside walls and on the window sills). If you have pre made holy water, or banishing and blessing oils, pack those too (remember the protective bags or cloths to keep them from breaking). You will need some water to anoint the window sills and doors with. I also anoint the headboard and footboard of the beds, if they have one. I would not pack your athame, or wand. I would put those on the mantle. I would pack a very small cinnamon broom or tiny besom. The sweeping you will do with it is all spiritual in nature, so large sized ones are not needed. The three to six inch long ones you find in craft stores will do nicely for this purpose. A votive candle of whatever color you think would send light into each room should be packed too (most votives last two hours or slightly more, we hope you won’t need two, but if you wish you can pack two), and of course a votive holder.
Light one stick of the banishing incense, light the candle (the other two are incase you need them) take your mobile ritual kit and walk your house, counter clock wise. Take the incense into the room and smudge (ritually blow with hand, breath or feather, your choice) every space in the room, do not forget under beds, inside closets, under sinks, behind toilets, in bath tubs/shower stalls, I even open the medicine cabinet and give it a quick puff. I would not worry if you forget a spot, but I would imagine before I left the room, that the smoke is light, gentle but thorough in changing the energy and mood of the house.
With this element of Air I cleanse this room
Above, below and all about this sweet sent will keep harm out
With this element of water I cleanse this area of any heavy, negative or harmful energy or spirit. If anything has either harmful intent or harmful action it is not welcomed here.
With this element of earth, I banish all harmful energies or spirits, only love, light and healing remain.
Loving Mother, Kindly Father keep us safe from every harm. Those of love are welcomed here; none that could harm us can find their way near. Words and deeds of love, kindness and healing shall permeate the very walls.
(Repeat as needed to finish the circle)
Peace, love and joy abound
Healing, kindness and all things good
Find their place here as they should
By word or deed or spirit
Will find their path leads another way
And will find the light if they will but see it.
Be they human kith or kin
Be they animal friends most dear
Will find their way home most clear
Keep the spirits here loving and mild
Remind us as we go our way
That it is here that we wish to stay.
Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet again
Lady Brenda