House Cleansing On A Budget

    I am moving into a new home in a week! In all the confusion and commotion of getting all the paperwork handled, the inspections, arranging help to move (especially during a pandemic), and the packing I didn't think to stop and prepare a house cleansing ritual with all my witchy accouterments before packing them away for the move. Realizing that we would be moving into a home that we didn't really know all the details of why the previous owners were selling cleansing the house is important. 

    It's always important to cleanse a house, apartment, etc before moving in and filing it with all your things. This time I had discovered the house was being sold due to a divorce. Being that I am happily married I wanted to make sure that all the energy from the previous owners is cleared out, and the energy for myself and my husband is correct before we start moving our furniture and belongings. But all my oils, herbs, dirts, feathers, charcoals, (and most of my incense) is packed away. 

    I like being sensible with my money and space so I decided that I was not going to go to the local WooWoo shop to buy extra herbs or oils. I have been excited to see this as an exercise in getting back to my roots. I started practicing witchcraft over 24 years ago, and at that age did not have money or access to all the magical items and ingredients that I do now. Back then I had to (sneak a lot of the time) go to my mother's spice rack and medicine cabinets to make magical potions, powders, washes, etc. That is exactly what I did this time. I went to the spice cabinet and looked to see what we had that wasn't packed away yet. There are so many common cooking herbs and spices that are so helpful for magical workings! 

(my recipes will be posted at the bottom of the post) 

    When I cleanse a home there are certain actions I always do. 

1. I quietly center myself in the home, sit down on the floor, and connect to home. Once I feel that I have connected I greet the home (tell it my name and my purpose in the home). A lot of time I will just do this mentally but sometimes I speak aloud. 
2. Open a window, or door so that the energy will have an exit as you are cleansing.
3.  I set up the items I will need.
1. Broom
2. Vacuum Cleaner
3. Mop Bucket
4. Cleansing Powder
5. Floor Wash
6. 1 White Candle and 1 bay leaf per person moving into the space
7. Fireproof Bowl
4. I then charge all the items again (I charge the floor wash, and the cleansing powder as I am making them)
5. Starting with the broom I sprinkle a little bit of powder on the broom, and then start to sweep the room from ceiling down the wall to the floor. (move from room to room sprinkling a little powder on the broom's bristles for each room.) I like to go from the front door and around the house in a counter clockwise direction to remove the energy. If the house is two stories I start on the second floor to push the energy down and out. 
6. After sweeping off the ceiling and walls. I then sprinkle the powder on all the floors. Carpet, linoleum, hardwood etc. Moving int eh counter clockwise direction. Then going back through and sweeping it up. Empty the dustpan outside the backdoor (preferably off your property line if you can).
7. If you have carpet I vacuum the powder up after I sweep the other floors. 
8. Once the powdering steps have been done it's time to move onto the mopping part. 
9. Fill your mop bucket up with warm water, and then add the floor wash to it. 
10. Following the same pattern as before move in a counterclockwise direction on the floors that can be mopped. 
11. Pour your dirty mop water out the backdoor and off your property if possible

    As you are performing these steps speak either mentally or aloud prayers for the removal of the energies that were previously there. You can pray to the universe or to whomever you worship. 

    Once the physical and magickal cleansing parts are complete you want to then invite the correct energies. I like to light a white candle, center myself, pick up a bay leaf and charge it with the energy of my intention (for inviting the correct energies I would hold it in my hands and say something similar to: "I charge this bay leaf with the correct energies for myself and my husband as we live in this home.") Then light the bay leaf on fire and put it in the fireproof bowl. Have each person that is moving into the space do this with a bay leaf. They can charge the leaf with the energy of love, intellect, compassion, cleanliness, etc whatever energy they want to bring to the house.

Once everyone has lit and burned their leaf carry the candle through the house. Starting at the front door and moving in a clockwise direction this time. Stop in the center of each room and chant, pray, etc.

    When you have done this in every room carry the candle out the front door, lift it up above your head and ask the universe or whomever you worship for all the correct and perfect energy to fill the space.

Extinguish the flame. Then each night after moving in light the candle at the same time every night and let it burn for one hour until the candle is spent. Dispose of the candle wax appropriately. 

Home Cleansing Powder:

4 TBS Baking Soda

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

2 tsp Rosemary

1 tsp Ground Clove

1 tsp Ground Ginger

3 Bay Leaves

As you add each item to the bowl charge each item individually. With the bay leaves I crushed them between my fingers as I add each one. As you stir the ingredients charge the powder.

Floor Wash:

1 capful of ammonia 

1 cup Florida Water

You can make this floor wash on the spot or prepare it beforehand. I usually just add the ammonia and Florida Water to the bucket of mop water. 

(I always have Florida Water on hand as I use it as an aftershave in my barbershop.) 

If you do not have Florida Water you can add vinegar, or other oils if you have them on hand.

Understanding Real Magic -Lesson 1

Lesson 1: Understanding Real Magic

By Ian Allan

When I was first learning about Witchcraft I was always concerned about doing majick the right way. As time would go by I would learn all of the different definitions of majick, and all the different ways to create it and wield it. Ultimately, the best lesson that I feel is important is understanding energy flow and work. Specifically, how the energy flows through a person, a tree/plant/etc, and how it connects to the Divine. A Witch connecting to their Divinity (however, you define that as such) is where power can be greatly magnified and focused for the Witch's desired goal.
Aleister Crowley wrote that magic is “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with will.” Dion Fortune and Starhawk wrote that magic is the art of changing consciousness at will.” Both definitions are accurate and helpful. 

However, real magic is more than just changing consciousness and reality at will. Magic is truly more than projecting will into thought forms. It doesn’t just happen in the mind or just on astral planes of existence. It is also more than just something we do to control the world around us or to manifest our desires (Curott, p28).

Magic is what happens when you have encountered the Divine. It becomes a life changing experience of connecting to the divinity that lives inside you and the world. Real magic is your relationship with the immanent divinity, and it how you craft yourself as a Witch (Curott, p29).

    When we craft magic it is a co-creation of reality between the Witch and the Divine. Real magic becomes a manifestation of the Divine in the world. 

So how does one encounter the Divine? 

The Divine is encountered by shifting our perception (altering our consciousness). Meditation can create this. Meditation, however, does not need to always be Zen meditation. Meditation happens in different ways. But it happens when we can get our minds clear enough to focus on only one thought or idea thus creating a sacred space inside ourselves. Creating a sacred space within yourself is helpful in that it is like building a temple where we can realize the Divine dwells. 

Opening yourself up to the Sacred, you will begin to see that you don’t have to be in an altered state to have magical experiences to know that the Sacred is present.We all have magical encounters everyday regardless of how psychic we may think we are. 

Exercise: Finding the Divine Presence 

Begin with a quiet meditation. Count yourself down with the Alpha meditation if you need to. Or use another way to slip into a meditative state. As  you feel peaceful and calm focus on a memory of an occasion when you were aware of the presence of the Divine. What did it feel like? When did it happen? Focus on the physical and emotional responses of that encounter. Allow yourself all the time you need to feel now as you did then. Take your time with this meditation. Ask the Divine, the God and Goddess, or both to be with you and to guide you. Stay in this physical and emotional state until you are ready to return to your wakeful state.

Exercise: Grounding and Centering

It is important to know how to ground and center yourself especially when working magic. The act of using and moving energy can sometimes leave residual energy in the Witches’ body, and this can sometimes make the Witch feel sick or dizzy. Knowing how to ground the energy and center the body is helpful in avoiding these reactions. One way to ground and center the energy is the Tree Meditation

The Tree Meditation

After doing any meditation or magical work you may find it necessary to dispel some left over energy.

Sit quietly (if you can sit outside by a tree all the better, but if you can’t you can sit where you are). Feel your body and your seat. Breath deeply and visualize roots growing from your seat down through the floor reaching to the ground. As they puncture the ground visualize a green energy flowing up the roots, and into your body. 

As the energy fills your body visualize branches growing from your head, and reaching up into the sky. Continue visualizing the energy flowing up the earth, through your body, into the branches, and see the branches reaching back down to the earth where the energy then flows back out into the ground. Continue with this visualization for a few minutes or until you feel your body returning to normal. When you are ready visualize the roots and branches pulling back into your body. Once fully retracted. Take a deep breath and slowly return to the space you are in. 

This mediation can also be done to heal your body with the energy of the earth. However, instead of growing branches out and back to the earth you will pull the energy up from the earth and move it to the area of your body you need healing, and allow it to fill the space with its earth energy. And then create a cycle of the earth’s energy filling the space, and the illness’s energy being cycled down to the earth.

Source: Witch Crafting; Curott, Phyllis