Spiritual Hygiene for the Haunted Home
Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Sterling Moon, author of the new Talking to Spirits.
I am a firm believer that a haunted home isn’t necessarily a bad home. While I have lived in places with downright scary paranormal activity, I have also lived in homes with friendly household spirits. My favorite has spirits that help to find lost objects and nudge me to go to bed, a reminder I frequently need, by making noises if I stay up too late or fall asleep in the living room. While it is wise to always exercise caution when engaging with spiritual beings, haunted homes can be happy places. In my experience, a key component to maintaining a peaceful environment is maintaining the home’s spiritual hygiene.
What is spiritual hygiene?
We all feel better when our homes are clean and tidy. Spiritual hygiene adds the extra component of energetic cleansing. It can transform the mundane actions of cleaning our home into a satisfying spiritual practice. When you live in a home with paranormal activity, regular physical and energetic cleansing can help to keep things calm. While the following suggestions work well for many, please use your best judgment and proceed with care, particularly if you live in a space with severe activity where people are getting hurt, are under significant mental duress, or where there is regular damage occurring in the home.
That disclaimer aside, here are a few of my favorite ways to maintain the spiritual hygiene of a haunted home.
Open Your Windows
When you want something to leave, whether it is old stagnant energy, unhelpful spirits, or annoying living people, they need an exit. When you spiritually clean, it is important to open the windows so that unwanted energy has somewhere to go.
Sweeping
Get yourself a new broom or thoroughly wash the bristles of your existing broom, letting them dry completely before proceeding. If you live in a space with hard floors, sweep the space from top to bottom, if you are in a multi-level home, and back to front. Ideally, sweep straight out the front door. As you sweep, focus on moving unwanted and stagnant energy towards the door. If you can’t sweep straight out the door, focus on pushing it into the dustpan and into the trash, which must be taken out as soon as you’re done sweeping.
If you have carpet, you can get a broom that is solely for energetic sweeping. It will never touch the floor as you sweep the air near the surface. You can also use this same principle with a vacuum. Funky energy is sucked up into the canister and dumped in the trash. Once again, take the trash out of your home as quickly as you can.
Floorwash
Creating magical potions for washing floors and commonly used surfaces is my absolute favorite way to spiritually cleanse a home. With some research and herbal know-how, you can customize them to whatever you are experiencing in your space. If you are working with herbs, ask them for their assistance and listen to whether they will work with you. If working with dried herbs, gently breathe on them to wake them up. Make a tea with the herbs and add it by the cup, or whatever amount feels right, to a bucket of mop water. Change the water frequently, either dumping it outside your home or flushing it down the toilet.
Some of my favorite ingredients for calming haunted homes are:
- Juniper: Thought to cleanse the bridge between the physical and astral realms
- Lemon: Cuts through unpleasantness and brightens up the energy
- Laundry bluing: Also called blue anil, bluing squares, or blue balls. Removes negativity from a home, ushers in good luck, and drives away spirits with a negative influence
- Florida Water: A versatile blend that purifies, blesses, and protects
Once your home is clean, end by filling up your space with sweetness and positivity. This is a frequently missed step after cleansing. If you don’t fill the space back up with something desirable, it is an empty vessel that anything can end up in. Close your windows to keep in the good stuff as you burn incense, play music that makes you happy, or ring a bell.
I hope you—and your spiritual residents—enjoy your freshly cleansed home!
Our thanks to Sterling for her guest post! For more from Sterling Moon, read her article “3 Ways Talking to Spirits Can Improve Your Life.”
Great article! Especially during these times when anything can be a conduit for negativity. Perhaps Sterling Moon may want to consider a book that expands on this article. Home and personal cleansings and protection are usually the topic of conversation for many in my spiritual community. A book covering these two topics would be fantastic! Thank you! Blessed Be!
great article! Does the book the author have “Talking to Spirits” have this information or more about how to cleanse a home?
I am surprised that sage smudging was not on the list, but that’s alright, it is one way I make my apartment feel and smell really good! It is especially challenging to keep a clean and healthy space when you live next to “dirty” neighbors, in a poorly kept building to boot, and who just don’t care. I used to get angry and frustrated, but now I do what I can in my own little area…and yes, I did sense recently, that when I smudge, particular neighbors seem to become more irritable and bothered, not that I take pleasure in this, but in hopes that they may “clean up” too.