PDA

View Full Version : Final lesson #9 -- Home blessings



~Elise~
February 18th, 2006, 06:12 PM
The hearth and home are often safe, sacred spaces in pagan traditions. The home can be a private retreat, a place to recharge, and a blessed spot to gather. A house can be just a shelter, but the concept of “home” implies nourishment, abundance, strength, community, and more. Energizing and tending to one’s home can enrich daily life and lay a foundation from which greater magickal workings can flow.

The greatest attention to house energies often comes when moving to a new residence. This is often a special focus of apartment dwellers, where the tenants not only turn over more often, but the previous residents are rarely met and are assumed to not have the same respect for the space as an actual owner might show. Many new homeowners would like to not only honor their accomplishment at purchasing a home but bless their new space and having a small ritual often brings that essential feeling of “mine.”

It doesn't need to be a new, recently purchased house or apartment for it to warrant a home blessing ceremony.... You may love your place, have no reason to move, but you just ended a relationship and want to clear the space....
Maybe you threw a big party and people were smoking, or perhaps some of the guests weren't welcome.... This can also be done on your office space--you just have to be a little more discreet, (or sometimes a LOT discreet)

No matter the reason, whether to clean up, shake things up, open up new possibilities, or close yourself off from unwanted energies, a home-blessing ceremony will make it easier for you to connect with your space, and to help transform it into your special sanctuary.
To create a joyful and loving environment; to infuse your home with feelings that evoke peace, refuge, comfort and harmony; to bring in new energy, a home-blessing — performed alone or with friends — is all you need!


Try This...
Fill a plate with freshly picked red rose petals, which serve to generate warm, joyful, abundant vibrations in the home. Place a white candle in the center to invite clarity, spiritual guidance, and the brilliant light of God into your household. Set it on the altar in a spot of your choice and light the candle.


Many people like to set up a few blessed objects or a small altar when they first start moving into a new space. Making a small focused area with a spiritual focus is much like carrying an ember to start a new fire. Moving into a new residence is also a good time to honor any new changes you are attempting to manifest along with other new beginnings (starting a new family, a new job, living in a new city, etc.)

Tradition in my household for moving into a new space is to have all members of the new household cross the threshold first. We bring in three items: a container of salt, a loaf of bread (or its equivalent), a bottle of wine. (PS…you need have something to open the wine with and glasses to drink out of…voice of experience here)

The salt is for protection--I keep this container of salt on a high shelf and it is never opened. I have moved this container through three households now. We break the bread saying May we never hunger. We drink the wine (or sparkling grape juice) saying May we never thirst.

The house is then smudged opening all cabinets, drawers, etc making sure that smoke gets into every corner. The chant/spell that is used is one I got from Francesca DeGrandis in Be A Goddess:

Goddess within,
Goddess without
Make a circle all about
Bring love in; keep evil out

Here is another blessing/ritual that I’ve not tried, but looks decent:

First, mix equal parts of
Thyme
powdered garlic
rosemary
sage
cloves
After you have mixed the above well sprinkle it around your home while chanting:
Magic wheel twist magic wheel turn
round this house this spells begun
all fights against evil my battle be won
mother goddess shine your light on this place
this (day) night protect the occupants protect this home
with harm to none this me will be done.

The following two were taught by Selena Fox:

A home blessing meditation for charging a room:
• Sit Straight with palms on lap, take deep breaths, relax, and move into a mental space where you activate your intuitive senses,
• Imagine a cord of energy from your spine connecting you to the Earth, and channel energy from the Earth through it,
• Silently ask for divine protection, guidance, and blessing,
• Direct your psychic sensing outward, and feel lines of force coming out of your aura,
• Note where the strongest energy is (check out the floor, ceiling, directions, etc.), Note spots that feel empty or dead, note places that feel full alive, focus on where you are sitting and how you feel at that particular spot,
• Imagine a sphere of light and love energy at your heart, feel it pulsing outward with every breath.
• Feel the radiance increase with every breath, feel your self as a star, continue to breathe deeply and send out the energy, letting it pulsate in the room,
• When ready, start making power sounds representing the love and light you are channeling; use it to amplify the light you are weaving; and fill the room with the energy,
• Then shift focus to sending a probe out into the room, and note the differences in the quality of energy and how you feel about it,
• Repeat if necessary,
• When done, feel the completeness of the work.

A room blessing involving elemental quarter invocations:

• Face each direction (with arms out in appropriate elemental invoking gesture), and say, while channeling and visualizing elemental power:
Powers of (say direction),
Powers of (say corresponding element),
We great you, we honor you, we welcome you here!
Watch over and bless and protect this place.
• After each invocation, shape the energy into columns of light by sweeping ones arms together until they are parallel and sweeping them up and down while channeling and shaping the energy,
• When the energy is properly shaped, say so "mote it be."
• After you have done all four quarters, channel in spirit energy.
To return the energy to a more mellow state while energizing yourself, put your hands out and take in a bit of the energy into your self from each direction, going widdershins, hold hands to your heart and take in the energy (techniques also exist for bringing it into a stone and retrieving it when needed).

Here is another one:

Take white rags, natural brooms, or anything else that you feel drawn to as a symbolic cleansing "tool," and walk all through the house, chanting or singing about how you are clearing away the old. Visualize this old energy returning to the earth or to the sun to be recycled. You can prepare something to read in advance about this, or you can simply allow everyone to contribute as they feel moved. It might sound something like this:

"We clear this home of all that has gone before..."
"We clear away the old, we wash away all that lingers here..."
"It is blank, and clear, and rich with potential..." etc...

You can have one person drumming a beat as you go along, and everyone singing or chanting or talking out loud to get the team focused on the same intention in a powerful way. Move through the house, pretending to "clean" the energy, and then after you've gone all through the house, go to a door and pretend to sweep out all you've collected, and to shake out your rags and otherwise "cleanse" your tools. Wipe your hands, and affirm that now the space is clear and clean, it is done.

Walk through the house a second time celebrating the clean energy, appreciating how clear your home now is. Feel the difference, and affirm it. Imagine this clarity and pure potential expanding out past the four walls, into the yard, and to the edges of the property. Imagine bright white or iridescent light filling the property, and breathe deep of this pure potential with gratitude and satisfaction.

Now walk through the home a third time singing a song of love, joy and appreciation. You can make up your own song as you go along, or sing a song such as "Amazing Grace" or any other uplifting and inspiring song. Sing or chant of all the things you wish in your home: of abundance, love, good friends, good health, warmth, and comfort. Do not focus on protecting your home or on anything you don't want. Simply establish that this is a safe, warm, secure home, and only those people or influences in harmony with this love and joy will enter, and they will enter abundantly. Sing, dance, and celebrate this overflowing positive energy as it swells and fills the dwelling. You can tone, dance or drum to raise more energy to feed this fire. The point is to get everyone powerfully focused upon and feeling this joyful energy.

When this part of the ritual naturally dies down, gives thanks, celebrate, break bread, drink wine or pure water, and smile with the knowing that your home is newly invigorated with beautiful and joyful energy!




http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art34628.asp
www.spellsandmagic.com/Home_blessing.html
http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Space_Clearing/id/35197

~Elise~
February 18th, 2006, 06:15 PM
Perform a home and/or space blessing. Tell us what you did and what you feel the results were.

All homework from this and ALL previous lessons needs to be complete and posted here in the appropriate threads by March 1, 2006 to graduate from this class.

It has been a pleasure teaching you!

Elise

RunningRiot
February 21st, 2006, 05:13 PM
Some really awesome rituals you posted! ^_^ Here's what I did;

I took sandal wood insence and went through every room in the house, washing it over the closets and into the cabinets and closests. Then I went to the center of the house and spun the smoke in a counter-clock wise circle and said a chant to banish all the energy inside. I did a meditation when an inverted tornado and imaged it falling down on top of the house and sucking up all the energy, then returning into the sky to recycle itself.

I then went to all the windows and doors with a mixture of holy water and vanillia, and sprayed once over each entrance and exit, then I made an equal-armed cross over it in the air.

The house felt empty and full of fresh new tidings, which was so clean it made me sleep easy for the first time in a while!

~Elise~
February 21st, 2006, 09:33 PM
You could burn some sweet grass now to bring in blessings, if you wanted.

Sounds like you did a good job.

Elise

MariThorn
February 21st, 2006, 10:06 PM
I don't do house blessings unless it is a new moon. That way the old is taken out and new is ushered in. I can do my ritual on the 27th and let you know then. Is that ok? :)

~Elise~
February 21st, 2006, 10:39 PM
yup--that's fine.

Hærfest Leah
February 22nd, 2006, 09:36 AM
I did this not too long ago.....I first physically clean the house top to bottom (or as much time allots for) usually with lemon, or rosemary in my water and get it all sanitized & organized, then I like to add a touch of visually pleasing home decor like new candles, fresh flowers and something new I got for the house that I've been wanting. I put on some earthy music, light the candles & some lavender EO (sometimes rose if I have it).

I then ask for aid by the elements, deities Frigga (for the hearth and home) & Thor (for protection) and my ancestors (can't let them think they've been forgotten). I make the whole house a sacred place. 1st I open the fireplace up, next I take a sage smudge stick around the house to each room and cleanse that way, also some asperging with salt water & visualize all things negative & stagnant floating to the fireplace and out thru the chimney. I either just do it in silence just listening to the music or I say whats on my mind at the time. I visualize all negative

When done I then set out food and drink offering for all invited and then I thank & release them if they wish to leave or they can stay.

I definitely plan on doing this 1st thing with our new house when when we move to a new base this year. And if we have no chimney I'll need to come up with a new visualization.

And as for this beinig the final lesson....it was a great class! Thanks

PoisonIvy
February 26th, 2006, 05:40 AM
Well,I cleaned each room in the house as best as I could mundanely speaking and then I smudged each room with sandalwood and dragonsblood incense(I would have used sage except for it's still pretty cold here and I can't open up my entire house yet.)
Then I went into each of the rooms(working my way from the outer rooms in until I got into the livingroom) and swept all of the negative energies out of my back door with my besom.
Then I went back into each room and asked my Lord for protection and to bless our home and I asked my Lady for love,peace,harmony and her blessings for our home as well, then whilst turning to each direction,starting at the east,I drew a pentacle in the air with my dominant hand.
I have a cinnamon besom above my front door and sea salt and Burdock root in each doorway(and in the window ledges) to keep evil out.

I just wanna say that this has been a wonderful class and I wish everyone here the best with all of their future magickal defense!

Blessings to you all!
Ivy

Rin Daemoko
February 27th, 2006, 05:08 AM
I had a lot of fun with this one. I began by cleansing and consecrating a bag of white tea. I did the same with several cups of water. I then brewed tea using the bag and the water. I allowed the tea to steep for about ten minutes before removing the tea bag and setting it aside for later.

I then poured the tea into a bowl and went to my room where I cast a circle, called the elements, divine, and the buddhas. During this ritual, I asked each of them to impart their blessings to hearth and home so that whatever was touched by the tea would be protected from harm - would be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. That those who sets foot in, sees, or remembers the places where the tea fell would be free in that moment from their negative karma, and their mental hindrances that cause affliction, ill-will, anxiety, fear, and craving.

I then empowered the tea for several minutes while chanting Avalokiteshvara's Mantra. I repeated the above with a bowl of salt and powdered rose petals. With these things prepared, I uncast the circle and dismissed that which had been called.

I set about walking the house while ringing a bell and tracing the perimeter of the house with a dorje (http://www.natashascafe.com/html/dorji.html)(while channeling white fire through it). As I did this, I chanted Tara's Mantra. Once this walk was completed, I dedicated that blessing to the Buddha (the first object of Refuge (http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/refuge.html)).

On the next walk, I sprinkled the tea around the perimeter while chanting Vajrasattva's Mantra. I dedicated this walk to the Dharma (the second object of Refuge).

For the third walk, I sprinkled the mixture of salt and powdered rose petals while chanting Shakyamuni Buddha's name. I dedicated this walk to the Sangha (the third object of Refuge).

With the left-over salt and powdered rose petals, I covered the tea bag originally used to brew the tea. I then waited three days for the bag to dry out. After the three days, I wrapped the tea bag in a white cloth along with a small pentacle, a piece of amethyst a small, and a rolled up scroll (4cm wide, 30cm long) upon which I had written "om mani padme hum" in Tibetan.

This "charm" is now tied to the main air shaft that connects the furnace to all of the other airducts of the house. As the warm air in the winter (and cool air in the summer) circulate passed the charm, it will carry the blessings given by the elements, the gods, and the buddhas. Everyone who is touched by or breathes the air of this house will be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. They will have happiness and the causes of happiness. They will have equanimity, and they will never be parted from higher rebirth.

Penthesilea
February 28th, 2006, 07:36 PM
I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for so I composed my own using several sources. I put a small dish of salt (earth), a small bowl of water (water, obviously!) and a burning bowl of sage (fire and air) on a tray. Starting in the north, I carried the four elements into each room of the house, visualizing the negativity being banished from the room. When I had completed my circuit of the house and cleared all the rooms, I put the tray on a barstool that I had placed in the physical center of the house. Then I read this invocation which I've adapted from the Invocation of Hestia found in Mysteries of Demeter by Jennifer Reif.


I call Hestia,
Goddess of hearth and temple fire,
Of the spiritual center of the world,
And of all sacred places.
Hestia, beloved Goddess of the spiritual flame
Come and enter this home.
Make all that is here holy and sacred in your Name.
Bring to us the peace and sureness that comes with Your blessing.
Bring Your purity and beauty to this home.
As I honor You
Who are the center of the spiritual flame.
So be it.

Then I let the incense burn out.

As far as results go, the house seems to have a calmer "feel" to it. In September, after the major repairs we plan are finished, I plan to repeat this in a more elaborate form that will involve marking every opening in the building from the basement up with protective symbols and then to repeat it every three months.

~Elise~
February 28th, 2006, 09:32 PM
Excellent work, guys. Keep it coming!

Elise

MariThorn
March 1st, 2006, 08:55 AM
Well here it is :) We gathered as a family in the sunshine yesteday outdoors. All the windows of the house were opened letting winter out and spring in . . . We then went about gathering dead branches and so forth into a bonfire pile out front in the side yard. One of us stayed and tended the fire . . . while chanting burn out the dead bring in the new. The other two of us went in and carrying the four symbols for the elements we walked the house around three times chanting the poem of Amorgen and renewing the wards that are up to protect the house.

There is a lightness in the air today, and one can feel the prospects that are new and waiting for fruition. :) Anyhow, that is what we did . . .

Marithorn

slave_isabel
March 1st, 2006, 10:18 PM
As I am not living on my own. I am not capable of it at this point in time I was not able to do a home blessing. I did discuss home blessings with the people I live with and the reasons for them and at a future date when and if I am able to again live on my own I will be able to do one and understand what and why I am doing it.

~Elise~
March 2nd, 2006, 07:14 AM
As I am not living on my own. I am not capable of it at this point in time I was not able to do a home blessing. I did discuss home blessings with the people I live with and the reasons for them and at a future date when and if I am able to again live on my own I will be able to do one and understand what and why I am doing it.

Can you do just your room?

~Elise~
March 2nd, 2006, 07:25 AM
keep 'em coming, guys!

Elise

Salanthos
March 5th, 2006, 05:48 PM
Ok, sorry it's a bit late

I did a space cleansing on my room in my parents house.

I mixed a bowlful of saltwater, and focused my thoughts on clearing and cleansing. I took the saltwater to my room and sprinkled the water around, in every cubourd and drawer, in each corner (and it took a lot of flicking to convince me I'd done the ceiling-corners right). As I did so I visualized silver light flowing from my hands and "washing away" the past from whatever the water touched. I went over the room twice to be sure I hadn't missed anything, then used up the rest of the water on myself. I washed my hands so they'd be salt-free and went back through my room again.

this time, I filled my hands with copper light, and as I looked and poked at my things, I remembered where they were from, what they meant to me, how I had gotten them, and so on. sort of giving them back their past that related to me, but leaving gone what had come before, or with other people. I also left out all memories of fights and disagrements which had occured.

After that, I go to the door. I press my palms against it and fill it with energies, protecting, gaurding, welcoming. All to keep out who I want out and welcome who I invite in.

leaving one hand on the door, I pick up my wooden sword - I made it a couple years ago. with the hilt, I gently scribe my symbol onto the inside of the door, while saying this chant*

what comes to me I'll keep
what goes from me I'll free
but against all I stand
who carry not my key

at the last line I shift my one hand to the lock on the door, and with the other bring the hilt to my heart, so the blade points out to the corridor. a dramatic pose, but all over symbolic of heart and seal and key, and defense.
I then cleaned everything up.

the result is that my room seems warmer and more welcoming, and the air seems cleaner. my room had accumulated a lot of 'clutter' from being the place I went when hurt, sad, or angry, and this really cleared the room out.

*the words to this chant were sneak-thieved from "the crone's book of magical words and incantations", just because I loved it when I read it years ago.

~Elise~
March 5th, 2006, 06:38 PM
don't worry about sneak thieving the words... if they wanted them kept secret and no one to use them... they wouldn't have published it!

good work