House Blessing
Moving into a new (or new to you) dwelling is a turning point; a rite of passage if you will, marking the beginning of a new phase in your life.
Most cultures and religions have some sort of tradition for "warming" or blessing a new home, many of which have been around as long as humans have lived in housing of any sort. The rituals themselves vary considerably from place to place, and often involve prayers, blessings or offerings meant to ensure peace, safety, harmony and prosperity for the owners.
For example, in some ancient cultures, when the eldest son married, he took fire from his parent's hearth and used it to light his own hearth fire. This was a way of keeping the family/ancestral spirits with him, and would be passed down to his first son. To this day, we still see several house blessing traditions that involve the first fire in the hearth, such as the installation of a key tile around the hearth or the burning of special wood or peat, or the adding of particular herbs or incense to the first fire.
When a Jewish family moves to a new house, they attach a mezuzah, a small holder for a parchment scroll carrying two quotes from Deuteronomy, outside the front door on the top right door frame. This is not a good-luck charm, but a reminder to those entering of the presence of the Lord.
In yet other customs, a sacred object or lucky charm would be hung in a certain place in the house to act as a blessing, protection or to ward off evil. I'm sure we've all been to someone's home and have seen items such as a cross, a horseshoe, or even a wreathe hanging on the wall or door.
But the purpose for a house blessing doesn't have to revolve around any particular belief system or tradition. The simple fact is, the act of blessing a house, apartment or condo before occupation can ease the stress of moving, make the new dwelling seem more like "ours", and can set the tone and intention for the new life/lives that will be lived there.
House Clearing
Before you perform any sort of blessing for you new place, however, you probably want to clear out all the old energy first (not to mention doing a physical cleaning and/or de-cluttering). After all, would you try to lay down a new coat of wax on the floor before sweeping and washing the old dirt off first? Of course not. Well you shouldn't do that with the energy of your space either.
Ok. There. I've used the "e" word. Energy. Sound a little too new-agey for you? Well truthfully, it's far from it. Many cultures the world over and for thousands of years, people have understood that energy permeates everything. They might not have called it energy...but rather spirit...chi...life-force, etc.
And now, modern science has verified that everything is energy. Not just the air between things, but the things themselves. Like your coffee table. Everything is energy. And energy can be felt (because all energy vibrates at a particular frequency). Generally speaking, lower, heavier or denser frequencies are associated with stagnant, ill, angry or limiting types of energy. While higher, lighter frequencies are associated with awake, healthy, happy, harmonious types of energy.
Clearing (also known as cleansing) and then blessing a physical space is the process of changing or getting rid of the lower energies in your space and supplanting them with higher energies. This can result in your space being more in tune with you and your family, make it feel more comfortable and pleasant, and improve the overall quality of your life. People often report benefits such as sleeping better, fewer illness and even more prosperity or opportunities in their lives.
How does a space become laden with these lower, heavier frequencies? Mostly, it comes from the energy fields of the people who occupied the space previously. If there was a long, serious illness or even death; a divorce or other unpleasant separation; hard times and even general unhappiness can cause a buildup of these types of energy over time. It also can also happen if the previous occupants were pack rats, didn't clean the space, or if the space has been unoccupied for a time. Even in a new home, the energies of all those who were involved in the building and selling of the building can be stuck in the space. In rare instances, it can come about because of the land the structure was built on or near, or the proximity of things like power lines.
In addition, this build up of less-than-desirable or stagnant energy happens to your space WHILE YOU'RE LIVING IN IT when any of the above situations occur or just in your day to day interactions with other people, places and objects and bringing that energy home with you each day.
When to Clear & Bless Your Space
While anytime is a perfectly acceptable time to clear and/or bless your space, there are some occasions that it is more strongly recommended:
- When moving into a new (or new-to-you) house, condo, apt, etc.
- When opening a new place of business
- Before moving out of a home to help ease your transition
- After a long illness, or periodically during a chronic one
- If you are just not feeling "settled" or "comfortable" in the space
- If you've been having a lot of "bad luck" or things don't seem to be going favorably
- During transitional periods in your life including when there are new additions (babies, pets, partners), coming of age (puberty, adulthood, Croning/Saging), loss of a job, a new job or promotion/raise, marriage, separation, children leaving home, etc
- After a death, or after a divorce
- To help sell or rent real estate
Who, What, When, Where, Why and...How?
We've pretty much covered the "Who, what, when, where and why" of space clearing and blessing. So now the question remaining is "How"? In other words, what exactly are we going to "do" when we come to your home? And maybe more importantly, what do you have to do?
Well, there really is no set answer to this question. Unlike many clergy who are limited to performing the rite dictated by their particular religious organization, or the feng shui practitioners, whose eastern practices may seem a bit too complicated to you; at Life Rites and Celebrations, we are open to developing the clearing and blessing ceremony that fits perfectly with your particular lifestyle, beliefs and intention.
Having studied blessing and clearing techniques from many cultures and religions, we feel we are uniquely equipped to help you design a personalized and customize ceremony, whether based on one or a blending of different cultures, religions or practices, and including as many or as few people as you wish.
If you're planning to move into a new space, opening a new business, or simply want to revitalize your old space or business, contact us today! Let us show you how we can design the ceremony that is perfect for you!