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A Different Kind of Spring Cleaning

A Different Kind of Spring Cleaning

Last updated on: April 12, 2015 at 6:00 am by Katrina Rasbold

A Different Kind of Spring Cleaning 2015-04-07T19:09:07-08:00 Katrina Rasbold

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During this time of Spring Cleaning and the purging, it is important not to overlook home cleaning of a different kind. Just as we track in dirt on our shoes and hands, so do we bring in psychic debris from our ventures into the outside world. “Smudging” is the act of using the smoke from an herb to cleanse away negativity and is an important part of self-care.

It is impossible to completely shelter your house from negative energy. It comes through the TV, through our thoughts, and through even the most minor interactions with others. Energy in your home can become stagnant at best and contaminated at worst.

Here is how to fully cleanse your home of stagnant or negative energy, infuse it with positivity, and set up a boundary of protection around it.

You will need these items:

A black candle (tealights are fine)

A white candle

A pink, blue or purple candle

Graveyard dirt, brick dust, or plain salt

A bound stick of sage, cedar, sweet grass, or a mix of these, called a “smudge stick.” Some people like to use lavender or palo santo.

4 small quartz crystals (quality and size are unimportant)

4 sticks of incense that you enjoy

How to Do It

Choose a time when you are alone in your home or at least a peaceful time with minimal interruptions.

Disable any devices that could distract you (smoke detectors, phones, etc).

Open as many doors and windows as possible.

Place the black candle where it can burn safely, as close to the “heart” of your home as possible, and light it. Black absorbs. This candle is drawing in and burning off negativity. Let it burn all the way down.

Light the smudge stick and blow it out so that it glows and smokes.

While the black candle burns, wave the smoking smudge stick around the walls of your home. Start at one corner of your home and carefully work your way around your entire home with the smudge stick. If your home has multiple stories, begin at the highest point and work your way down. Give particular attention to corners (upper and lower) where energy can become trapped and to openings to the outside world such as doors, door jams, windows, ventilation areas, and fans. Give extra attention to areas that feel uncomfortable. As you do this, say out loud, “I cleanse this home of all that is not positive and pure. I cleanse this home of all negativity and ill will.” Visualize negativity in your home being driven out. Relight the smudge stick as necessary.

When you are finished, extinguish the smudge stick in a safe manner, close your windows and doors as you wish, and reactivate smoke detectors.

Place the white candle next to the black candle and light it. Allow the black candle to continue burning as you light the white candle. White reflects and emits. The white candle is filling your home with beautiful, pure light, driving out any remaining negativity. See it radiating purity and protection.

While the white and black candles burn, you will do some outside work. Bury one of the 4 quartz crystal pieces at each of the four corners of your house or apartment building. You do not have to bury them deeply; simply press them into the dirt near the corner of the building in which you live. You can use a knife or stick to make a hole, then push the dirt over each one. When you place the last crystal, the four crystals will connect with one another and form a barrier of protection around your home.

Sprinkle the graveyard dirt, brick dust, or salt around the outside perimeter of your home between the crystals. Little pinches at a time will do fine. This will help connect the crystals and protect your home. Pay attention to entry points, corners, and areas that feel uncomfortable. After you have done these two things outside, do not be surprised if some visitors hesitate to enter your home or even stand outside to talk to you without entering at all. Anyone bearing malintent toward you or your family will be repelled. They will not be harmed. They will simply feel a resistance to entering your home and a wish to leave quickly. The system works whether or not the person deliberately sent the energy.

When your outside work is finished, wait for the black and white candles to completely finish burning. Once they have done so, light the pink, blue, or purple candle in the same place where you burned the black and white ones. This candle is blessing your home. Choose blue for peace and tranquility, purple for “the highest and the best” of everything, or pink for joy and health.

While the colored candle burns, light each of the 4 incense sticks and place them in a safe burning place in each of the four corners of your home. Imagine that the smoke meets in the middle and permeates your home with blessings and protection. When the colored candle finishes burning, you are done. Your home is cleansed, protected, and blessed.

I recommend cleansing and blessing your home on a regular basis, particularly if there is increased or ongoing tension present. If there is no unusual disruption in your home, once a week or so should be sufficient. You do not need to replant the quartz. Simply use the sage to clean the air the same way you would sweep a floor. Start in the corners and circle the room, allowing the smoke to move into the center as it drifts. Smudging will quickly reduce tension in adults or in children and keep the energies in your home stable and clean while the quartz crystals and the barrier you created between them keep your home safe from outside negativity.

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