Sigil and Ritual
Blessing a home begins with gratitude. Gratitude for what we have. A roof. Some walls. A bed. Whatever food is in the kitchen.
When we send gratitude out into our home, the space itself responds, relaxes, opens.
We’ll return to that gratitude again and again.
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Next comes cleansing. Clean the cat box. Sweep the floors. Clean what you have the energy to clean. You don’t need to go overboard with this. Adapt it to your own conditions. If you struggle to clean, pick one small thing that feels doable.
Also, cleansing can be done in any order. Some people like to do the physical cleansing part before the energetic cleansing part. Feeling stuck? Try reversing the two.
If you did some physical house cleaning first, clean yourself next. Wash your face and hands or take a shower. Imagine stuck energy running down the drain.
Next, imagine your energy fields around you. It’s okay to pretend if you need to. I like to imagine the larger energy field as an egg or sphere around my body.
Breathe into your belly. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Breathe into your belly again. Finding center.
Imagine anything you are carrying around that is not yours. Inhale deeply. As you exhale, imagine pushing those things that aren’t yours out of your energy fields. Do this three times. Then, on a fourth breath, imagine your exhaled breath tracing the edges of your energy field with your breath, forming a boundary.
Now you are ready for the energetic cleansing, or banishing, of your space.
For this, you can use bells, incense, scented water in a spritzer, clapping, dancing, or salt water.
Open the windows if you can.
Move around your space counter clockwise if you can.* In old European folklore, sunwise was considered lucky and prosperous, so we tend to want to release things anti-sunwise/anti-clockwise and call things in sunwise/clockwise.
If you are unable to do that, station yourself as close to the center of the space as possible, and either turn counterclockwise, or imagine turning.
Clapping, or wafting the incense, or spraying the water… circumambulate counterclockwise, imagining any stuck or disturbing energies leaving the space. If you like, you may say:
“I cleanse this space of the things that impede harmony and joy.”
Or make up words that feel right for you.
Once you have done this cleansing, it is time for the next part of the home blessing.
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What feels like a blessing to you? Is it art? Singing? Listening to music? Lighting candles? Plants? Glass sun catchers?
You can use these as touchstones and anchors to your blessing magic.
As we moved counterclockwise for the banishing and cleansing, here we will move clockwise or sunwise.
First, draw or print out my house blessing sigil, or make one of your own (My sigil shows a home circulating the energy of blessing in and out).
Next, holding a candle, or a ritual knife if you use one, circumambulate (or turn from the center of the space), imagining drawing a line of shimmering light around the inside of your home. Draw that from north, to east, to south, to west, and back to north then draw the candle or blade upward, imagining the line of light moving upward, then back down and around to beneath you, then back up to north again. Inhale. The next time you exhale, imagine the lines diffusing around you, forming a sphere of harmony, joy, and protection.
Now, say out loud whatever you want the space to hold: rest, happiness, love, study, creativity… whatever it is, imagine it flowing into the space around you. Then hover your candle or blade above the drawing, and imagine focusing those words into the house blessing sigil.
When the work feels complete, set the candle or blade on top of the sigil.
Offer thanks to your tools. Offer gratitude to your home.
Now, on one more breath, imagine the sphere around you expanding, until it pushes out just past your walls. If you have an outdoor space, you can push the sphere to the outer edges there.
Finally, place one hand on your heart, the other around your navel. Inhale. Exhale. Give thanks again.
Extinguish any candles.
Place the house blessing sigil wherever it feels right. If you like, you can frame the paper, or carve it into wood, or inscribe it onto metal… Let it be a reminder to you that you deserve a safe and loving home.
To share the blessing, over the next month, offer food to animals, plants, or friends. Feed the sphere with breath, music, or laughter.
If you have any surplus, gift it to someone who doesn’t have a safe place to sleep at night. Drop off food to a neighborhood pantry or give money or supplies to someone on the street.
Blessings shared are blessings increased.
*People who live south of the equator, move in the anti-sunwise/sunwise directions according to how it works for you!
This essay was made possible by the steady generosity of my Patreon supporters. I thank each of you from the bottom of my black heart!
Want to study Sigil Magic with me? I have an online class coming up in May: Sigil Magic for Creative Success