So a friend brought this up the other day and I realized we don’t really talk much about cleansing spaces beyond what is perceived as witchy – such as smoke cleansing. So I think it is time that we do.
As magical practitioners we are very in tuned to our spaces and the energies within them. When they are feeling “off” or need to be cleansed most people will go to smoke cleansing or energy cleansing techniques but often leave out the mundane aspects. For me they go hand in hand.
Clearing Stagnant Energy:
Now I will admit, some of mine my seem a little extreme – especially the one my family makes fun of me for often – rearranging rooms. Yes, I am one of those people who will completely rearrange rooms about every 3-4 months or so. I’m not just talking the living-room either – I mean every room including my kids rooms. There is purpose for it though. First, by doing this I can do a deep clean under all the furniture. This not only helps get those pesky little dust balls that collect under there, but it also stirs up the energies and clears out any stagnant energy laying about.
Stagnant energy can be just as destructive as bad energy. It creates “pockets” in our homes and festers like a piece of rotting fruit. We don’t really notice it until the smell starts to rise. The same is for stagnant energy. We don’t really notice it or think about it, but over time it starts to weigh us down and infect the positive energies we are striving to infuse.
I take this opportunity to completely rearrange and move furniture into different place, because it gives the mental feel of change as well. Adding a new flow to each room and bringing in a new flow of energy. You do not have to be that extreme to get the cleansing effect though, but you will have to move everything, clean under and around it, and then move it back in order to stir up and cleanse any stagnant energy.
Enchanting Cleaning tools:
Let’s start with your broom and vacuum. Now I love the look of old straw/ witchy brooms but the practicality of them for is is just not there. They always have some breakage and leave behind bits of themselves, so I choose more modern brooms.
There are many ways to enchant your broom and vacuum – oils, sigils, runes, chanting, or even casting a spell on it. It really depends on your type of magic and what works for you. Since these tools are used to remove/ sweep away / clear out – that is what you want to imbue into it. Every time you use it, watching the results of what it does in the physical world, your mind will be focused on what it is doing in the magical world. Thus, as it cleans away physical dirt it will be cleaning away energetic dirt as well.
This technique applies to any cleaning tool you use. The mode may be different depending on the tool and use. For example, sponges you use for dishes may be better served by chanting over them since you don’t want to carve into them or put oils on them. If you use cleaning cloths, you can stitch a sigil or symbol of your desire onto them for the effect you want.
By enchanting your cleaning tools, whatever they may be, they will serve dual purpose. Cleaning both in the mundane and in the magical.
Create, enchant, or use magical cleaning solutions:
You will need to be careful here, especially if you are adding oil or mixing chemicals. Know how they will interact and react to each other. If you are a bleach person, chose one with lemons in it. Write the symbols or words on the container of the job you want it to do with the energies. If you are using something like pine-sol it already has a great plant ally within it but you can still add to it.
You can also make your own cleaners with the allies you want (many recipes can be found online) and make them in a spell like fashion to call forth those allies to cleanse the space for you. You can also create magical oils and add a few drops to your solutions in order to infuse your intentions.
Crack a window:
This is something we would say and do in the hospital where it was possible when someone was dying. “Crack a window” so the spirit was not trapped there. I would say the same when clearing out your house. Crack a window or open the whole house up if possible. Give the stagnant and bad energy an easy escape. As you are cleaning think about the bad escaping out of the home and the good being brought in.
Our Environment Affects Our Mindset:
There is a place for aesthetics and a reason. We create altars, shrines, and witchy rooms not just for our pleasure but to put our mind into that magical space.
If your house is cluttered, dirty, or unappealing to you look wise, that will affect your state of being as well. It brings in the mindset and then the energy of being overwhelmed, not feeling well, low energy, all the way to full blown depression. There is science to back this and many studies on it. The more it goes, the worse you feel. I realize there are many circumstances and justifications we have for these issues, but in the end our environment influences our mental and physical health. I know for me, this is especially true. That does not mean my house is immaculate by any means – I have kids and pets after all, lol – but it is always something I am conscious of and working towards. For me floors are my biggest thing. If the floors are clean I am a happy witchy.
Clutter I think is the one thing most people struggle with and is one of the hardest issues. Small spaces and not enough places to put things. This has always been a struggle for me as well. We do clear out a lot of things each year but we were both raised with the mindset of “you may need that one day.” Our parents grew up in a time and families where money was scarce and you had to make do with what you had or could make yourself. That has served both of well throughout our lives so I won’t say it is a bad thing – it made us very self-sufficient. It definitely conflicts with the space issues though. So I will say this : Yes, you may need to keep certain things for later use but you need to logically evaluate those items and store them away in things like totes. His mother took it to extremes and is more hoarder now than frugal… and that has taken a huge toll on her health all the way around. If the clutter is spilling out into your living spaces, it is time to do some deep evaluation of what is really important to you. Is it “stuff” or is it your life. Yes, that is harsh but necessary.
Your environment, what you see as you look around you, how rooms flow when you are living in them, really matters. You may not have money to make it exactly what you want but you can get creative. Hang art that makes your mind turn towards the feel you want to create. Even if that is just printing out pictures and taping them to your walls. Make tiny sacred spaces of shelves here and there. Place a small figure on your bathroom counter. Even a tiny plastic plant can alter the mindset. These things may seem small, but small things add up quick in the mind and can completely change the energy of a room.
In Practice:
So this weekend I have some big spell works planned. I’m really excited and using some elements I haven’t worked with yet. First though, I need to cleanse the house.
For me that means vacuuming, sweeping, washing the floors in pine-sol, cleaning the kitchen (even though it is on a different level then my witchy work space, I know the mess is there along with that energy), wipe down the bathrooms, and clean up any clutter I see. Then I will take a shower and cleanse myself. I’m doing all this to clean out any negative or stagnant energy that may be hanging about that could affect the magical work I am doing.
So when you feel you have some bad energy hanging around. When you are moving into a new place. When you haven’t cleaned out the stagnant energy for awhile. Do not overlook the power of actual mundane cleaning. It is just as important as our magical cleanses, if not more so. You can burn all the herbs you want, but if you haven’t cleared out the bad, you are just putting a band-aid over that energy.
That is my experience and view at least.