Cleansing your home

[Hedgewitch]

When first coming to the craft, many are taught or learn through books about rituals for creating sacred space. It is not hard to find a lot of information through the internet on how to consecrate and create circles and areas for various magical workings.


However; I have not seen very much information on how to create a magical home. I have found a paragraph here and there scattered throughout various books and on the Internet. On this our Wiccan path, our homes are brought from the mundane world into the sacred as often they are our place of sanctuary to do our works of magic. With this in mind I put pen to paper as I tell you about ways to create an environment where one you can incorporate magic into your life.


I have walked this path for most of my life and have learned a few tricks and hints a long the way. It is some of these hints I plan to share with you. In creating a Magical home you must start at the beginning, with a mop, bucket, a broom and a vacuum. You may think cleaning your house is not a magical task, but I assure you it is. I am often heard saying, “It is all in the intent.” I feel this way about cleaning too. Your home, sacred space, ritual place, always has a better feeling when it is clean. The act of cleaning changes the vibrational levels in your home. As do so many other things, from changing where furniture is places to the colors of your walls and what you hang on them.


Music is also a good tool to change the vibrations of a room and to help get you a little more motivated. Pick something you like which has an up beat to it, rather then a ballad which your mind will want to move slowly to. Make sure to warm water and set a bag of tea to steep, a tea which will energize you or fill a tall glass with ice water. Magical cleaning is hard work and I am always thirsty.


Let’s start with the vacuum, some people feel you need to start with a clean bag each time. I am not one of those people, since intent is what is most important, and land fills do not need any more waists, I can not see wasting a partly filled back. I have been known to add a bit of incense into the bag before I start vacuuming, incense which fits my mood.


Now let’s talk about the broom, I do have a kitchen broom and I also have a broom sitting outside of my front door. There is also a small broom I keep in my trunk of quickie ritual supplies for sweeping negative energies away. It is with his small broom I sprinkle scented oil on and sweep through my home if I feel there is something hanging in the air and I want it gone now and quickly. As I use this oil scented broom, I chant a short rhyme over and over focusing my mind to get rid of the unwanted in my home.


Once the floors, chairs, sofa, and corners of the floor and ceiling are all vacuumed, it is time to take out your mop. I like to use green house hold cleaners for the many possible ways of cleaning, and some of them come pre-scented. Personally I prefer something with a slight lemon scent, but what ever scent you like, will work just as well. To this bucket of water I add about a table’s spoon of sea salt. Salt left on wooden floors or on carpets can damage them; and so, I use this way to salt my home rather than take a chance of ruining my possessions. I always start at the top and work down; hitting everything I can reach from the tops of the door frames to the window sills. I have a chair rail through much of my house and so I make sure to clean that as well. Once you have finished with the rag it is time for the floors. Use the same bucket of hot water with the dab of salt in it to wash your floors.


Once this is done take a moment sit in your favorite room, take a sip of your drink and then close your eyes. Once you are breathing slow and deep, send out your mental feelers to see how well the energy is flowing in your home. If there seems to still be places which are in need, open your eyes and attend to these areas.


I don’t know about you but I tend to have spots in my home where “Stuff” just gathers. You know like a draw where everything has just been tossed into, or a pile of old news papers. Perhaps you have clothing you had every intention of taking to be recycled and yet there it still sits. Take the time to sort through that draw, organizing, tossing out and reclaiming it, take care of the old news papers, and put the clothing to be recycled into your car to take when you are finished with cleaning. Don’t feel bad if you suddenly remember you missed something, maybe it is the ceiling fan over head, or the top of the frig. You will never get everything, but doing a magical cleaning once a month will drastically reduce the negative energy in your home and mind. I like to clean my house just after the New Moon for new beginnings.


Now sit again, take another sip, if the energy in your house flows smoothly, you are ready to continue.


Put away your cleaning supplies and gather together a red votive candle, white candle, a bowl of clean water, and a bit of sea salt. If you wish you may start with this small ritual, before cleaning or you can end with something like it. If weather permits and you have not yet done so, open all the windows letting the fresh air into your home. Take a moment to inhale the breezes as they dance though your home. Enjoy all the clean scents from green and growing to moist soil after a cleansing rain fall.


There are many ways to do a magical cleaning of your house, and this little ritual is just one of many ways. Be creative and pick one which fits you, as it is your intent not mine which will change the vibrations of your home. It is a good thing to use the same ritual every time, re-enforcing in your mind what you are doing.


The house seems clean and now you are ready to do your magical cleansing ritual. There are several possibilities, choose one which appeals to you and repeat it regularly to ensure your household is good to go.


In your favorite room assemble the dish of salt, incense and burner, 1 white candle, one red votive candle and a cloth to use as an alter cloth. On the alter cloth, place the dish of salt in the North, the incense and burner in the East, the dish of water in the West and lastly the white candle in the middle. The white candle is the center candle from which everything will be lit.


Light the center white candle. From this light your incense and red votive candle. Now close your eyes and try to tune into the energies of your home. You can hear the sound of your clock ticking, perhaps a child’s fussing or giggling, thoughts rush into your mind, don’t worry, take note of them and let them go. Breathe.


When you are ready lift the center candle and three times round move it over the tools you have gathered and say something like this;


Tools of each element, I charge you (First turn with the candle)

To sweep clean my home, heart and mind too. (Second turn of the candle)

This is my will, So Mote It Be! (Third turn of the candle)


With the dish of salt in hand, walk towards the east, moving counter clockwise through your house. If you feel there is a spot which needs a dab of salt toss a pinch there. Each time you offer the dab of salt say something like this;


This house has been cleansed by the power of the earth,

Within each room there shall now be mirth.


Once you return to the table replace the dish of salt and lift the incense burner. Walk again towards the east, going counter clock wise. Follow the same route you used when you walked with the dish of salt, envisioning the incense smoke melting away the negative energies in your home.


As the smoke wafts through the rooms, say something like this;


This house has been cleansed by the power of Air,

Within each room comes all that is fair.


When you are again at the table where your tools lie, set down the incense burner and take up the red votive candle. Follow the same route as you did the two times before. Envision the fire burning away the negativity, while saying;


This house has been cleansed by the power of Fire,

Within each room as is my desire.


When you are again at the table where your tools lie, set the red votive candle down and take up the bowl of fresh water. Follow the same route as you did the two times before. Envisioning the water washing away the last of the negativity as you sprinkle some of the water in spots you feel still need help, while saying;


This house has been cleansed by the power of Water,

With in each room I welcome the Crone, Mother and her Daughter.


When you are again at the table where your tools lie, set down the bowl of water down and close your eyes. Reach out again with your mind, if the vibrations of your home are not satisfactory to you, repeat the ritual.


When you are finished, remember to close any open windows, and if possible let the candle burn and incense it’s self out.