Simple House Blessing & Cleansing

Cleansing, also known as purification, is the practice of clearing out and releasing negative energy, as well as energy that’s just old, stale, stagnant, or no longer serving you. Some people refer to this as “energetic hygiene” because it’s not just something you do when a negative experience has occurred but really something that can and should be done on a regular basis.

This can be true for just about everyone but is especially important for those who are empathic or very sensitive to the energies and emotions of others. 

We’ve all walked into a room and immediately thought: wow, this place has bad vibes. Or even just weird, funky energy, right? Whether it was a room in your own home or your new place, at a friend’s house, or in a public setting, you might have felt unsettled and on edge but been unsure what to do about it. 

This is where cleansing comes in! Cleansing is a ceremony or ritual that you can do whenever the vibes are feeling off and you know it’s time for a refresh. This is about clearing out the old and making way for new, fresh energy to flow. Spaces and objects can pick up the energy of the people that move through them and cleansing helps to keep that energy from lingering long term. 

For example, if you’ve been sick for a week but you’re finally feeling better, you might feel the urge to wash all the linens and open all the windows. This is about both physical and energetic hygiene – we want to wash away the illness and also the stagnant, sickly energy you felt while stuck on the couch for days, feeling miserable. 

That misery you felt at feeling crummy, not being able to go to work or school or out with friends, and missing out on your life seeps into the walls and furniture and can keep you feeling gross, even if you’re physically recovered. Cleansing helps to release the germs and the emotions from your illness so you can perk up and move forward. 

Why and When Should I Cleanse? 

Illness is just one example of when you might want to do a cleansing ritual. Other examples include after an argument or unpleasant conversation, at the end of each season so you can move forward with a fresh start, or after you’ve had visitors to release their energy from your home.

If you practice magick and witchcraft in other capacities, it’s also a good idea to cleanse yourself and your space before and after rituals and spellwork, especially if you’ve communicated with spirits. These are all good examples of how cleansing can help you move on after negative or foreign energy has entered your space. 

The most common and popular form of cleansing is with smoke. Some people burn incense or candles, while many burn bundles of dried herbs. These bundles are tied with string so you can easily hold them and are typically lit with a match or lighter on one end and extinguished so they smolder and produce smoke. You can find these bundles in just about every shop these days, as well as online. 
Sage is a wonderful cleansing (most used) herb and common garden sage is perfect for smoke cleansing but it’s best to steer clear of cleansing with white sage.

Steps For Cleansing

• Start by getting grounded. Place your feet firmly on the floor, take a deep breath through your nose, and sigh it out of your mouth.
  When you are ready, clean and declutter – remove anything from your home that you feel gives off negative energy and surround yourself with things that have a positive feel to them.
• Open all windows and doors and let the light and fresh air flood in!
• Don’t forget to open all closets and drawers so you can be sure you have cleansed every space.
• When walking around your rooms, always start at the top of your home and work down – and walk counterclockwise through each room (since counterclockwise is the direction used to banish unwanted energy.)
• There are several incenses, herbs, or resins you can use depending on your desired results – here are some examples:
  • Lavender – calming and protecting – will attract peace and love
  • Dragon’s Blood – Banishing and protecting
  • Peppermint – Purifies, calms, and heals
  • Sandalwood – Protects and heals – will attract serenity and peace
  • Frankincense – Protects and attracts good fortune
  • Cedar – Protects, purifies, and heals
• As you burn your chosen incense/herb/resin – walk counterclockwise through each room from top to bottom, blowing the smoke carefully into each corner and every cupboard, as you do so, state your intention (feel free to use your own words or those below)
  “Negative energies leave this space, love, and light, take its place”
• Once your cleansing ritual is complete, close all windows and doors and as you do so, again, state your intent:
  “Only good may cross through here, my space remains light and clear”

Other Ways to Cleanse Negative Energy

What if you’re not interested in smoke cleansing, though, or if it bothers you or someone in your house, or if you aren’t allowed to burn incense or candles in your apartment/house? There are lots of reasons why smoke cleansing might not be an option for you but don’t worry: there are many other methods of cleansing you can try as well! 

Cleansing sprays are an excellent option that you can even carry with you to spritz surreptitiously if the vibes are funky somewhere. These are spray bottles filled with typically witch hazel or Florida water and that might have other essential oils added as well, such as sage, cedar, lavender, or lemon. You can use these like a room spray, spritzing them around your space, or even as a perfume, spritzing them on yourself or your clothing. as

Another option is to use salt for cleansing, which is one of the most commonly used purifying and protective elements in magick in many different cultures. You can sprinkle salt along doorways and windowsills to protect them from negative energy entering, take a bath with sea salts to cleanse your energetic body, or just keep a small bowl of salt on your altar, mantelpiece, or coffee table to absorb and dispel negativity. 

Clear quartz, selenite, and black tourmaline are some of the most cleansing crystals. Selenite is perhaps the best option because it absorbs and dissipates negativity, so it doesn’t need to be cleansed itself. If using clear quartz, black tourmaline, or another cleansing crystal though, it’s a good idea to pass them through cleansing smoke every few weeks or set them out under the full moon to be cleansed and recharged so that they aren’t holding on to the negative energy they’ve absorbed. 

Physical Cleansing

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not also mention physical cleansing. Although it’s important that we clear the energy in our homes, it’s also important to keep ourselves and our spaces tidy and physically hygienic as well. This isn’t just for practical and health reasons but also helps to keep the energy clear and flowing.

You might consider coupling physical and energetic cleansing practices together. For example, you can take a bath with sea salts and then visualize any stuck or negative energy washing away down the drain or you can burn a smoke bundle and then open all the doors and windows and sweep the floor, sweeping the physical and energetic dust outside. 

Your space and you are now cleansed!