An Interview with Tess Whitehurst

1. Your new book, Magical Housekeeping, is about making your home’s energy work for you. What inspired you to write such a book?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been interested in magic and metaphysics. When I discovered feng shui and space clearing years ago, I realized that they’re branches of magic, and draw upon the exact same energy. It wasn’t long before every former “mundane” tasks (e.g. sweeping, changing light bulbs, washing windows), as well as every aspect of at-home self-care (e.g. aromatherapy, gardening, crystal therapy), revealed its true nature as a magical act and an aspect of one comprehensive spiritual path and magical system that I now call “Magical Housekeeping.” It’s honestly transformed my life into an utter joy! So of course I had to write a book about it!

2. Why do we need to be in tune with our home?

Our homes are so intrinsic to our everyday lives, and how we interact with them and feel about them both reflects and reinforces the ways we interact with and feel about ourselves and our life conditions. To illustrate, imagine you’re watching a movie and you see the home of a character before you’re introduced to the character: there are some basic, highly accurate assumptions you will probably make about the character based on the condition and appearance of his or her home. If it’s warm and artsy, the character will be fun and open-minded; if it’s dark and in disarray, the character might be experiencing grief or depression. We’re able to make these assumptions because the same is true in real life. Our external environments always reflect our internal environments and vice versa. When we get in tune with our homes, we are able to utilize their full potential to heal, bless, and fine-tune every aspect of our lives.

3. I don’t practice spells. What knowledge can I gain from Magical Housekeeping?

Plenty! The first chapter is a very comprehensive and motivational guide to clearing clutter, which is always rule number one when it comes to interacting holistically with our homes. You’ll also learn how to blend vibrational healing remedies such as flower and gem essences, aromatherapeutic oils, plants, and other ingredients into your cleaning supplies in order to call in desirable conditions such as abundance and romance. Other topics include clearing stagnant energy and raising the energetic vibration of your home, positioning and decorating your home in a nourishing and empowering way, working with crystals, creating altars, becoming aware of the metaphysical properties of the plants in your house and garden, and LOTS more.

4. You are an intuitive counselor. How exactly would you describe your line of work?

The intuitive counselor part sprang naturally out of my work as a feng shui consultant. As I worked with my clients in their homes, consulting with them about how to position and decorate in order to create the conditions they desired, little by little I began to realize that I was picking up on subtle energetic patterns at work in their lives. Now, I incorporate both intuitive counseling and feng shui into my home consultations and also sometimes do intuitive counseling sessions as a separate thing outside of the home. Feng shui almost always comes into play anyway, though, as I see the home as a natural expression and extension of one’s person and one’s life. I also teach classes and workshops on how to relate to the home in a holistic and nourishing way.

5. How did your work as an intuitive counselor inspire Magical Housekeeping?

I realized that there were a lot of fun and effective techniques for creating sacred space and interacting with the home in a magical way that I couldn’t possibly communicate to someone in a session, or even a series of sessions or a workshop. And I really wanted to share it!

6. What are some quick tips you can provide to make our homes more magical?

These are my big three:

• Clear your clutter! Always rule number one. Words cannot express how magical life becomes when everything in your home is something you love and/or value.
• Make your front door sparkle. The front door is the place where blessings and abundance enter our homes and lives from the outside world. So to lift the vibrations near the entrance, you might (for example) give it a fresh paint job, get a doormat that you adore, shine the knocker, and/or hang wind chimes nearby…and perhaps empower them with the Wind Chime Blessing ritual in Magical Housekeeping.
• Simplify the bedroom and make it a haven of romance and relaxation. Romance and relaxation are two keys to a happy, healthy, and magical life, and a prerequisite for both is…ambiance! So, once you release the extra doo-dads (e.g. work stuff, collectibles, or exercise equipment), create the space for rest and intimacy by adding things like warm and/or earthy colors, sensual textures, candles, and soothing lighting.