The Pagan Experience: "House Cleansing"

Wk 4 - Apr. 29 – Any writing for the letters G or H -I am keeping this familiar format on week 4 for those who have joined me from the Pagan Blog Project.

Be sure to check out my previous post on the importance of cleanliness!

Here is the House/Property Cleansing ritual that I use.  It is thorough and a bit long (if you have a big house and/or a big property) but it has proven to be most effective.

Anoint yourself with holy water and/or protection oil before you begin.  You can also wear hematite or obsidian, or something protective like a holy symbol or amulet.

Start in the center of the home.  State your intention to cleanse your space, such as “We are here to cleanse this home and property and anything within this space. This space will be cleansed of anything baneful, harmful, negative, or evil.  Anything baneful, harmful, negative, or evil will be banished from this person’s home and from this space. As I will it, so mote it be!”

Going counterclockwise, sprinkle salt, burn sage, sprinkle holy water or khernips, bang loud drums or bells or pots and pans, or spray Florida water diluted with pure water.   Do this around the home going counterclockwise.  Get every single nook and cranny.  Be certain go get every corner, closet, doorway, mirror, window, etc. Say “out out out out out” while you do it.  Do this until you’ve gone in every nook and cranny around the house, paying special attention to any type of entrance or exit.  Go counterclockwise until you’ve gone back to where you started.

Repeat the above outside.  Pay attention to outside windows, doors, ditches, trees, dark areas, etc. Do it especially at the driveway and the fence-line of the property, going counterclockwise.  Do this in both the front and backyard.

Once back inside, state your intention:  “This house is cleansed. This space is cleansed. Nothing baneful, harmful, negative or evil is in this home or on this property.” Or say something similar.

Next, after you have cleansed the space, bless the space. Start at the center of your home and with sage, holy water, bells, protection oil, holy items, or religious statues go clockwise. Repeat what you did above. Get every single nook and cranny and corner. Pay attention to entrances and exits.  Anoint the oil or holy water on every doorway, mirror, closet, window, etc. Say or think or chant “bless bless bless bless” or something similar.  Do this both inside and out, front yard and back yard.

http://www.luckymojo.com

Set up a barrier at the corners of the property.  I use quartz crystals, but you don’t need it. (It just really amplifies the work you’ve done, and can be re-charged later, too.)  At the corners of the property say: “this is a barrier. None may cross this barrier that is baneful, harmful, negative or evil. Only that which exists for my highest good and the highest good of the occupants in this space may cross this barrier.” Place crystals and state your intentions at every corner of the property.  Place another crystal in the center of the home, and imagine the barriers connecting like a protective grid, going all around, above and below. Do this clockwise.  This is a protection shield and when you are feeling under attack you can recharge it with your mind. About once a year or so you can re-do this whole ritual, or if you need a quick recharge, just repeat the actions or words in your mind as a creative visualization.

Once you are done, declare “this space is cleansed. This space is blessed. Nothing baneful, harmful, negative, or evil may enter this space. As above, so below, SO MOTE IT BE” or something similar.

Take a GOOD LONG shower after. Use sage or eucalyptus or mint in the shower. Cleanse and recharge any amulets or stones you have used. Wash your clothes.

Another thing I like to do after the completion of this ritual is give offerings to my house wights and land spirits.  I like to thank any deities I might have called upon, or spirit allies or ancestors.  I even like to give an offering outside of the barriers to the energies I have banished – “you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.”

How do you spiritually, magically, and energetically cleanse yourself, your space, your home, and your property?  What works for you, and what does not work for you?  Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments!

Don't forget to check out my previous post on cleanliness!

The Pagan Experience - F is for Fasting

Wk 4 - Mar. 23 - Any writing for the letters E orF – “I am keeping this familiar format on week 4 for those who have joined me from the Pagan Blog Project.”

F is for Fasting

I have mixed feelings about fasting.

I’m a fat girl who has always had blood sugar issues, so fasting isn’t easy for me.  (Though I understand it isn’t supposed to be “easy”…)  But the more I learn about the occult, the more exposure I get to the idea of fasting.  Back when I was a Baby Pagan I didn’t know anyone who ever fasted (unless it was for a fad diet.)  So while it’s not a completely foreign concept to me, fasting is not something I engage in very often.

I’ve been told that a light fast is good before a ritual, which would include eating simple foods like salads, brothy soups, fruits, veggies, and tea.  Sparse eating before a ritual ensures that your body isn’t too distracted by digesting your food.  It means you won’t get too sleepy or distracted that you can’t engage in higher processes, like chanting, charging an item, concentrating, serving as an oracle, or something similar.  I’ve also been told that fasting before sleep is really conducive for initiating active dreams.  A light-headed feeling allegedly helps you reach higher realms.

I know that I personally feel bogged down if I eat too much.  It makes me feel unwell, and if I don’t feel well I don’t want to engage in ritual.  But on the other hand, if you fast too much, you run the risk of getting too distracted from your hunger and bad feelings.  So, while too much food will bog you down and make you feel yucky, too little food may make you feel too light-headed and out of whack, which is also not conducive to magic and ritual.

from The Last Temptation of Christ

I’ve seen too many people get overly hungry in the middle of rituals.  They don’t eat beforehand, they don’t ground and center, they get loopy, their attention wanders, and they get whiney.  This isn’t just unpleasant to the person experiencing that moment, but it’s distracting for the whole group.  So what’s the point of fasting (a type of purity) if you just fill yourself with another type of impurity (negative and disruptive thoughts and actions)?

Certainly there is a historical precedence for fasting.  We’re all familiar with Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert before he decides to finally accept himself as a sacrifice.  Muslims also abstain from all food and water from sunup to sundown every day during Ramadan.  Certain groups of people rejected certain foods because of their supposed detraction from living a pure, religious life.  (Such as the Pythagoreans and beans, and Jews and pork).  So part of pre-ritual fasting may include abstaining from certain foods like coffee, tea, alcohol, red meat, processed foods, meat in general, or too much dairy.

Of course, while it’s advised to fast before ritual, it’s highly encouraged to eat after a ritual to make sure you get re-grounded.  I’ve seen people reach for the sweet (key lime pie), the salty (sacred Tostito chips), the carby (slice after slice of bread), the healthy (hummus and veggies) and everything in between.  I find that I personally feel better (post-ritual and in my life in general) with lots of protein, but with a fair amount of hearty carbs thrown in, too. 

There are examples of austere mystics and occultists who we admire because of their ability to fast and to reach higher realms, but this is something I rarely see modern people even attempting, let alone succeeding at.  All in all, it seems like fasting can be a useful tool, but that many of us don’t know our body’s strengths and limits enough to engage it effectively.  It’s all part of self-knowledge, I suppose, and of maintaining balance and health.

Please, chime in!  Do you fast?  How often, and for what reasons?  Do you cease the consumption of food and drink completely, or do you just cut back on certain items?  What are the pros for fasting, the cons for fasting?  What have been your successes or your failures?  I’d love to hear your thoughts?

Pagan Blog Project – week 37 – S#1 – Simple Self-Love Spell

Pagan Blog Project – week 37 – S#1 – A Simple Self-Love Spell

Here is a little self-acceptance charm I kept with me while I was managing a coffee shop and struggling with depression in a bad way.  Not only is it good for self-acceptance, but it also helps you be patient and more loving with others.  When you can accept yourself, you’re more likely to accept others, and vice versa.  Love ripples and expands, then bounces back and multiplies in infinite ways, so here is an easy way to bring a little more love into your life and into the lives of those with whom you interact.

You will need a bottle of impatiens flower essence.  Impatiens is a good flower essence to use for those who struggle with impatience (naturally), tension, intolerance, and general anxiety and stress.  The flower essence helps you to be calm and more harmonious.  It helps you find a balance and rhythm in your life, and reminds you to be patient with yourself and others.

What is your power number, your favorite number, or your lucky number?  Hold the bottle in your power hand (are you right or left-handed?  Use which ever hand is your dominant hand.)  Shake the bottle of flower essence while reciting quietly or out loud the qualities you’d like to bring into your life.  I would say “by the power of three times three times three, I bring love and patience to me!”  And as you will it, so mote it be, blessed be!

Now, take the essence and drop a few drops into your tea, coffee, or water first thing in the morning.  Working in a coffee shop I’d often have coffee first thing, so into my coffee it would go.  I’d recommend 3-4 drops.  It won’t change the flavor of your drink at all, especially if you only use a little bit. 

Before you take a sip, think of the qualities you’d like to bring into your life that day.  Blow your intentions, your energy, and your breath over the surface of the liquid until it is spinning clockwise.  Take your first sip, and offer a blessings to the Cosmos in thanks for the love and care it has given and continues to give you.  So mote it be!

Keep the tincture into a special place.  I kept mine in a silky, pink pouch along with a tiny piece of pink tourmaline.  Pink stones in general are good for love, including romantic love, universal love, and self-love. 

Pink tourmaline reminds us that to love ourselves is to love others, and to love others is to love ourselves.  (It pairs perfectly with impatient!)  Some use it as a protective stone, but it also promotes love, sympathy, patience, and friendships.  It helps keep you aware of yourself and how you connect to others, as well as how you connect to the Universe.  It helps those who suffer from depression and anxiety to find more balance in their lives, and it helps keep emotions into perspective, balancing the mind and heart.

Remember to be patient and kind to yourself.  If you’re not your own best friend, how can you expect to be a friend to anyone else?  How can you expect others to give you what you cannot give yourself?

Bless!

(I must give credit where credit is due!  The "blowing on your morning tea" spell comes from my Bee-Friend, who taught a workshop on herbal magic at a Pagan retreat I went to many years ago.  The flower essence for impatience was recommended to me from the owner of a local new age shop, who gifted me with the piece of pink tourmaline when she knew I was going through hard times.  Love to both of them for their kind gifts and the lessons they have both taught me over the years.  I am blessed to have kind, generous, and knowledgeable teachers and friends in my life!)