New House

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[Herne]

(I wasn't sure where to post this. I hope this is the correct place...)

Hello everyone!

I just moved from my apartment into a house, and I have a few questions.

Are there any good rituals for cleansing a house of old negative energies/beings? I don't know for sure that there are any, but it never hurts to be sure. Someone suggested smudging, but I'm not real clear on what this is or how to do it.

Also, I'd like to find out if there are any ghosts or such around. Are there ways to find out?

Thanks in advance for your help in this...

[Rae*ShadowWolf]

(I wasn't sure where to post this. I hope this is the correct place...)

I just moved from my apartment into a house, and I have a few questions.

Are there any good rituals for cleansing a house of old negative energies/beings? I don't know for sure that there are any, but it never hurts to be sure. Someone suggested smudging, but I'm not real clear on what this is or how to do it.

I agree with the smudging!  All you need is a white sage smudge stick.  Light it until it smoulders (it will take a bit) then hold it and waft the smoke around the rooms (make sure to get the corners).

I did this when I moved into my hubby's house.  It reeked of negativity from his previous girlfriend and from the death in the house years before.  I recommend re-smudging often.  Which reminds me that I need to do it as well.

[FierFlye]

Are there any good rituals for cleansing a house of old negative energies/beings? I don't know for sure that there are any, but it never hurts to be sure. Someone suggested smudging, but I'm not real clear on what this is or how to do it

Thanks in advance for your help in this...

We cleaned my house before I moved in.  First we banished with noise and smudge.  I thought about exactly what I wanted to banish.  I wanted to get out all the old negative energy that might be lingering, but I didnt want to remove good memories, or necessarily banish any spirits.  I wrote a chant that was something like, "hate, anger, fear, you are no longer welcome here..." ect.  We went from room to room chanting, banging pots and pans, ringing bells, generally making a ruckus.

After we went through the entire house in that fashion, we back through again working on bringing in the good things I had decided I wanted.   We had the smudge, salt, water, fire, and a blessing that I had written and we blessed each room with the new chant.

If there is a particular Diety you work with, you could ask them to help.

After living in the house for a couple months I noticed a change in the feeling of it.  Maybe it was the change of filling it with our own energy?  The best way I can describe it is:  the first couple months the house felt like it was 'holding it's breath'.  After awhile that feeling went away.

[Vale]

Also, I'd like to find out if there are any ghosts or such around. Are there ways to find out?

Thanks in advance for your help in this...

I think it will very soon become obvious if there are! My house is 200 years old and has certainly seen a thing or two. I am not very psychic but even I can't ignore ours. Many things get "borrowed" and returned by her. It's definitely a her. She borrows jewellery and shoes mostly but also other things. Mostly they are returned eventually but I'm still missing a few things!

The first thing that happened which totally freaked me out was my bracelet disappearing. It was made especially for me and I rarely take it off. One day though it vanished. I turned the house upside down looking for it. Around six months later I woke up one morning  - said to my myself it's on the dressing table and indeed it was.

Every so often we will have an upsurge in activity but once she has got my attention it normally quietens down again for a while. I am also told that there is a lot of low level activity in some of the rooms but I don't feel it myself.

[Jenett]

Are there any good rituals for cleansing a house of old negative energies/beings? I don't know for sure that there are any, but it never hurts to be sure. Someone suggested smudging, but I'm not real clear on what this is or how to do it.

Along with smudging (already described) you can use other kinds of incense if you prefer. I also set wards on everywhere I live more than very briefly. (Though how I do it is a little complicated: they're actually anchored in my harp, and my last few moves, simply moving the harp in makes a big difference. Yay for 10 years of accumulated energy and focus.)

Other things worth considering:
* some sort of protection symbol drawn on the windows and doors (or just inside them) with incense smoke or salt water. (My symbol of choice is a pentagram, for this, but there's lots of other options.)

* Warding and cleansing all drains and other places water flows out - salt water down the drain and a little energetic push and seal (bad stuff down the drain, and the 'seal' to stop it flowing back up.)

* Specific choices of decoration that help you focus your intention for your home. This can be perfectly ordinary objects - but there are some reasons my altar is where it is, and my plants are where they are, and my harp is where it is, for example.

[Skysinger]

I've attended several house blessings, performed two, seen articals about it.

Have a party, preferably potluck! Do your ritual with friends. You basically want to encircle your home with protective light energy, speak blessings and/or make good wishes, and open the energy circle. If you don't have pagan friends, you can do the circle casting before your guests arrive, smudge them as they arrive if you think they would be ok with that, and open your circle after they leave.

To smudge you need western sage, usually available at your local magickal place. A mixture with other herbs such as sweetgrass, juniper or lavendar is fine. If you get loose dried herbs, you need a container for burning. A large ashtray will work, a big flat seashell. Try it beforehand so you are able to get it lighted easily. Sometimes you need a thin dry piece of wood afire or big long matches. Then you just walk around with the smoke wafting and fan it with your hand or a feather where you want the energy to go and speak your intentions.

All kinds of people smudge these days. You can pass around the container with the smoldering sage and people can smudge themselves. Some people just like to inhale it. If you want to smudge a person it's nice to do it all around, high and low. Silence is nice; drumming is nice; music is nice; chanting is nice.

Mark the four directions plus above, below, & center if that's your custom. Cast a circle and call in whatever energies or beings you want to invite. Do some singing, read some poetry, tell some stories or play some games. Make a way for each person to participate such as: *write a little note on paper you've supplied; or *take a stone from a container, charge it with a spoken blessing and put it into another container which you'll keep on your altar; or *string colored ribbons over a tree outside with blessings and dance around it. Remember to thank and dismiss the energies or beings you invited to your circle and devoke your circle. Have fun!

Skysinger

[Selegna]

Are there any good rituals for cleansing a house of old negative energies/beings?

Smoke and noise, as has already been said. Also, you can use an incense stick, take it around in every room. Light a black candle in every room to absorb the negative energies. Open doors and windows, so the energy will flow free.

Selegna.

[FierFlye]

Open doors and windows, so the energy will flow free.

Oh yes.  I forgot this, but we did open all the window during my house cleansing (during the banishing part).

[Selegna]

Light a black candle in every room to absorb the negative energies.

I just remembered that you can also use a purple candle to turn negative energies into positive energies.

Selegna.

[FierFlye]

I personally think that casting a circle is neither necessary or appropriate for a house blessing.  In my tradition, circles are cast to contain energy, and in Herne's case, he wants to rid the home of negative energy.  So he doesn't want to contain the energy, he wants to get rid of it.

[Darkhawk]

Are there any good rituals for cleansing a house of old negative energies/beings? I don't know for sure that there are any, but it never hurts to be sure. Someone suggested smudging, but I'm not real clear on what this is or how to do it.

An article I wrote last year on household cleansing and protection:
http://www.rendingtheveil.com/article.php?article=61

[ShatteredDreams]

(I wasn't sure where to post this. I hope this is the correct place...)

Hello everyone!

I just moved from my apartment into a house, and I have a few questions.

Are there any good rituals for cleansing a house of old negative energies/beings? I don't know for sure that there are any, but it never hurts to be sure. Someone suggested smudging, but I'm not real clear on what this is or how to do it.

Also, I'd like to find out if there are any ghosts or such around. Are there ways to find out?

Thanks in advance for your help in this...

I see you got a lot of good answers on how to cleanse your house of negative energy.. I just wanted to say congrats on getting a house.  It is a big step from a apartment to a house, and alot of people are never lucky enough to have there own home (be renting or owning), so i just wanted to say congratulations!!!

[Prickle]

Are there any good rituals for cleansing a house of old negative energies/beings? Thanks in advance for your help in this...

Some folklore type house cleansings involve a new broom, salt and a loaf of bread. A new broom to sweep out the old energies, salt for prosperity and bread so that you never go hungry.

Sweeping should be done in a circular route through all rooms from front to back ending with sweeping all the dirt and old energy out the back door, if there is one. Once done bring in the salt and bread. If you want to you can ward the doors and window sills with the salt.

As mentioned above, you can smudge with a banishing herb like sage. Once the cleansing is done to your satisfaction, open all your windows and doors and burn a sweet herb, like lavender, sweet grass..etc..to attract the "sweet" positive energies in.

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