House Clearing Ceremony

My House Blessing Altar

 The symbolism behind the objects I chose for my altar.

 This was a cottage I painted onto a stone to represent my home(Wyldestone Cottage), floating on a raft made from a heart on a dark blue silk cloth to represent the water. It has a small Buddha at the front door to symbolize peace to all who enter. There are three red hearts surrounding the house so that it may always be filled with love. I drew a card from the Angel Card series and got an angel climbing a mountain with the word purpose. ( I love this, I am a Capricorn often depicted as a hard working goat always striving to climb the mountain/overcome large obstacles in my life. This house renovation has given me a defined purpose like nothing else.Its a steep mountain but I am enjoying the view!) The cottage is surrounded by a braid of sweetgrass to keep good energy and a connection to spirit surrounding this space.

 The house has two dragons protecting it on either side as well as a phoenix at the top to represent the changes it will be going through during its transformation.The two jars at the top corners hold salt to represent the earth on the left and sacred water from Mongolia on the right.

 The top left corner holds Mother Mary supporting me with her prayers (Spirit) and the top right corner holds two joined lavender candles to represent fire and the balance of Libra which we have just passed into. There is a jade moon healing stone in the bottom left corner to bring healing into the house and in the bottom right corner is my medicine bag with bear medicine to support healing and knowledge.

 I used alternating glass beads to form a heart . Again playing on the balance between light and dark at this time of the year.

 There is a quartz crystal to amplify the prayers I want to put out to the universe.

 I have pictures on either side that represent to me both aspects of my Capricorn , water and mountains. The bottom picture also is a picture of a standing stone circle near my family home in England.

 The middle picture is a picture my Father took in Indonesia of a Buddha. This is to look over everything and bring peace to my endevours.

I meant to do a house clearing ceremony when I first got my house but so much happened so fast, that before I knew it my stuff was in the house already and I was starting on projects. A few full moons went by and each one I started to do this and for some reason never went through with it. Now it is Autumn Equinox and it just happens to fall on the Harvest Full Moon . I think that this is the most auspicious time of the year to do this ceremony. It is important and helpful to bless your home, put a circle of protection around it and infuse the rooms with meaningful intent ( peace, love, security, inspiration, health, abundance) ....any of the things you want in your life and the lives of those that enter your space.

I have been dreaming of owning my own home for most of my life but I think I really manifested it when I started this blog six months ago at Spring Equinox, the first day of spring and all the new beginnings that spring  represents. Now it is Autumn Equinox and it is time to give thanks for a most bountiful harvest.

You can do a space clearing anytime it suits you and as many times as you want to. They are good to clear the energy of places after arguments, grieving, a new move or before births, celebrations, rites of passage or just any time you want to shake things up. To stir up sluggish, negative energy, use loud tools like drums.To soothe stirred up energy, use calming tools like singing bowls or soft chanting. The early morning hours especially after a waxing full moon is a good time to space clear, harnessing the energy of the full moon to magnify your intent.

"Space clearing can have enormous impact on every aspect of your life. When you call for blessings and assistance from the unseen realm of Spirit., untold magic and joy can fill your heart so that your house becomes a home for your soul."
 Denise Linn, author of Space Clearing -  how to purify and create harmony in your home


Ideally you want your house to be freshly cleaned and cleared of all clutter to do a really good job. That's not going to be the case for me as the chaos is too great to do much with at this time. It is all where it is because at some point it will be put to use where it is or it is out of the way of an ongoing project. I would feel much better though if it was all tucked away and organized. For now I will be happy to bless my space such as it is and fill it with intent to become my dream home in it's finished state.

(Before I start with the space clearing for the inside of the home , I will first be doing this ceremony to put some protection around the perimeter of my property and my home)

There are four steps in space clearing:
Preparation, Purification, Invocation and Preservation

Preparation

Spend time  in nature, slow down and become aware of the earths energy. Practice walking slowly around a room with your arm outstretched and notice where you feel subtle changes in temperature, stickiness in the air etc. Become aware of the subtle energies all around you. Where intention goes, energy flows, so be very clear on what you want to accomplish with your space clearing ie. to raise the energy of a space or to bring peace and harmony. Spend some time with the thought that your body is a sacred vessel that the vast  loving energies of the universe can pass through and out your hands into your home. Before you start, clean your house physically, let in fresh air, clear away all clutter and things like dead plants.Cleanse yourself with a bath or shower, cleaning your head especially to open communication with the higher realms.
Protect your energy field by imagining you are surrounded by a white light of sacred space or put some salt in your pockets to help ground you.

 Prepare your space clearing tools

Choose the tools you wish to work with, things like feathers,crystals,bells,drums, incense etc.
All tools should be cleaned both before and after your ceremony. Crystals can be put out to charge in the sun for a few hours. The other objects can be purified by passing them through the smoke of burning sage or cedar. Store them in a clean protective silk cloth until your ready to use them.

Preparation on the day

- tidy the space
- put any food and pets away
- cleanse yourself ( bathe in water and then purify yourself with the smoke of a sage smudge stick. Cup the smoke in your hands and wash it:
  - over your closed eyes" so I may see the truth"
  -  over your ears, "so that I may hear the truth",
  -  over your throat " so I may speak the truth",
  -  over your heart "so that my heart remains open"
  -  Cup your hand and pull the smoke over your arms and legs, front and back, over your head and offer some back to the Creator
- drink lots of water
- remove all jewelery
-set up your* blessing altar ( see below for more information on blessing altars and holy water)
- prepare flower offerings ( pick flowers as the sun is rising, do not smell them, leave the first scent reserved for the spirits)
- Meditate on the task before you
- talk to other members of the household about their intention for the space
- focus your intent on the results you wish to achieve
- Offer prayers at the blessing altar for the success of your ceremony

Purification

-Gather the items you will be using for the space clearing and put them on a tray that you can use to carry from room to room. Start at the bottom of the house and work your way upwards.
-Place the tray in the center of the room and stand in the doorway and attune yourself to the energy of the room. Radiate your intention into the space and send prayers to the Creator for guidance and assistance
-using the tools you have selected, circle the room clockwise( or counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere) and use them to break up stagnant energy. You can ring bells, drum, fan sage or cedar smoke, sprinkle salt( or salt and rice mixed with the ashes of prayers written on paper and burnt....sweep this up the next day), push the light of a candle into the corners, and sprinkle** holy water using a feather, a flower or your fingers. This covers air,earth, fire and water, using all the four elements to bless your home.
-once you are finished , go around the room smoothing the energy field with your hand, like you are petting a cat until you sense that it is settled and smooth.
- leave a flower offering and a tea-light(beeswax is best) candle burning in a bowl of salt in the center of the room


Invocation
The invocation stage entails calling on a higher power for assistance, support and inspiration for filling your space with blessings. You can pray for the blessing you wish to instow in the rooms . You can make symbols in the air using your first two fingers or a quartz crystal to symbolize your intentions such as a heart, or peace sign and draw a figure eight ( the symbol of infinity) at the doorway when you are done to seal the energy in the room. When you have cleared all the rooms, cleanse and bless each member of the household to align their energy with the newly cleansed energy of the home.Return to the blessing altar and give thanks for the good fortune for the home and all its occupants and visitors. Do this with reverence, respect and devotion.

Preservation

Once you are finished you can preserve the wonderful energy you have created by several methods:
-You can write a prayer on a piece of paper and plant it in a favorite plant. Every time it gets watered it will release the prayer
-Draw a symbol or word on a stone to place by the front door or near a plant
-Place a figurine of an angel or something that represents your form of spirituality( Buddha etc) in a special place in the home to watch over you and yours.
-Hang Tibetan Prayer Flags where they can blow in the breeze, releasing prayers to the universe
-Wash your hands in cool water afterwards. Have a snack of organic fresh food to eat to ground yourself. Everyone from the household should have a salt water bath ( or scrub with salt in the shower) within 6 hours of the space clearing

For more information on the importance of ritual and the specific components of ritual and altars read this post

*Blessing Altars
Altars are a way of creating sacred space and anchoring your intent when performing any kind of ritual. A blessing altar can be created to represent the type of energy you wish to draw to your home. For example an altar to attract love might be set on a pink or red cloth with pink candles, rose quartz, rose petals and a statue of Venus or Aphrodite watching over it. An altar for peace may be set on a blue cloth with blue and white candles, clear quartz crystals, cornflowers and a statue of Buddha for inner peace. Place things that signify your intent and a representation of your higher power. You may wish to mark the four directions or four elements ( the colours are white/north, yellow/east, red or green/south and black/west. The elements are earth(salt)/north, feather/air/east,smudge or incense/south and bowl of water /west.
All your tools that you will be using for your space clearing ceremony should be there as well.

Start your ceremony at the altar, take time to meditate there on your purpose, call in your higher power, say your prayers and state your intent.

 An example of a prayer for this might be:
I dedicate this space clearing to love, joy and good health. May harmony and peace embrace all the members of this family and may all that enter this place find comfort here. I humbly ask for spiritual guidance during this space clearing ( Denise Linn)

 When you are finished your ceremony, return to your altar to ground the energies that may have been stirred up.

An example of a prayer you may use at the conclusion could be:
Creator, spiritual guardians and angels, thank you, for the loving assistance that was given to us during this space clearing ceremony. Thank you for the peace and joy that is now flowing in this home. may the effects of this clearing and blessing continue for the months ahead, and may the wonderful, positive energy that has been instilled in this home bring comfort and rejuvenation to all.( Denise Linn)

** Holy water- you can obtain holy water from a temple or shrine or make your own. Water from a sacred place is best or at least make sure it is from a natural fresh water spring and bottled in glass.Water to be used for a space clearing should be in a glass or ceramic container( not metal or plastic). Pray and say incantations over the water such as "May the Creator within all things fill this water with blessings and peace. May the water bring purification, healing and love to this home and all who dwell there. So be it!"


Then use one of three ways to charge the water:
-leave it outdoors in direct sunlight for 3 hours for infusing your home with vibrant life and energy
-leave it outdoors under a full moon for creating a restful, nurturing,inspiring energy
-leave it outdoors on a moonless night with lots of stars for stellar energy which is joyful, full of magic and rapture
 Use feathers, flower petals, sprigs of rosemary or cedar to sprinkle your holy water or use it in a mister to mist the room



blessings and joy in your beautiful space,
namaste,


I am linking with Cindys Show and Tell Friday

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