Our homes are more than just physical dwellings; they are spiritual havens that significantly influence our well-being. It’s important to maintain pure, cleansed energy in your space. That which we cannot see still affects us - including the air we breathe. Just like physical cleansing, spiritual cleansing involves clearing out old, stale, stagnant energy, as well as negative energy, to make way for new, fresh energy to flow.
Energy Cleansing Rituals go beyond seeking to maintain a balanced home; they are necessary to keep our vital energy in balance as well as our mental and emotional state. The activities we do every day alter the order of our home and our body, the same happens when we have guests or when we bring foreign objects into our space. Energy cleaning at home is also a necessity when our environment feels too charged, when there are too many discussions or when we are in a streak with too many problems. It is then that we must perform them in depth, however, the most recommended is to do them every month.
In Japan, purification rituals - or harae - are customary. Before entering a Shinto shrine, visitors must cleanse themselves with water at the temple door - a ritual that inspired Marie’s practice of greeting a space.
Here are several methods and tools for cleansing your home and creating a positive, harmonious environment.
Signs Your Home Needs Energy Cleansing
There are some very clear indicators of the presence of stagnant energy or bad energy in your home. If any of this is true, it could be a sign at your home needs energy cleansing:
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- You don't feel like coming home.
- You do not feel completely rested.
- You start to have many arguments at home.
- Things tend to break or malfunction often.
- You are having important situations such as job interviews, relationships etc that don't seem to lead anywhere.
- You are feeling uncomfortable.
You can tell whether the energy in your home is good or bad - or neutral - based on the way you feel inside while you’re inside it. On the other end of the spectrum, a home drowning in bad energy will make you feel like you’re being stifled, smothered, or even crushed. You can feel the tension in the air, and there are a thousand places you’d rather be.
If you’re not sure whether your home has bad energy of its own, check out these red flags:
- Excessive complaining: If you or your family members catch yourselves complaining, even when things are okay (or worse, when they’re actually pretty good), you may have negative energy in your home. The same is true if you’re struggling to find positivity in life.
- Negative relationships: When the people around you - spouses, children, family, and friends - are negative, it’s worth taking a look at the kind of energy you’re putting out there. Negative energy attracts more negative energy, and it becomes a vicious cycle.
- The blame game: Household members always pointing the finger? Negative energy in the home could be preventing them (and you) from looking inward to place responsibility where it really belongs.
- Criticism: If there’s a lot of criticizing going along with all the blame, your home could be swamped with bad energy. When you or others in your house send out negative vibrations, you’re increasing the bad energy in your home.
- Clutter: One of the biggest signs of negative energy in a home is clutter. Clutter blocks the way energy flows through a home, so it could be keeping bad energy in and making things worse.
Purification Tools and Practices
1. Palo Santo
The “wood of the saints,” otherwise known as palo santo, has been used in spiritual practices and healing ceremonies as far back as the Inca empire. Its metaphysical properties are numerous, but its primary role is cleansing. Light a stick of palo santo and let the flame burn for up to one minute. Blow it out and walk through the rooms you wish to cleanse, allowing the smoke to waft through the space. Open closets and kitchen cupboards to cleanse every corner.
2. Salt
In the Shinto tradition, salt is a symbol of purity. Marie uses it to say goodbye with gratitude to sentimental objects or mementos - and as a mood lifter in her bathing ritual. Pour a small pile of salt into a bowl. Sprinkle a pinch of salt into each corner of the room you wish to purify. Keep the area around the salt clean and clear of other objects (dust the corners if necessary!).
Many believe that salt is an excellent neutraliser of bad energies, bad spells and a purifier of the environment and space. When you are going to use it, prepare many bowls, one for each of the rooms in your house, each bowl must be clean and without cracks. Once they are very dry, place a handful of salt in each bowl and distribute them throughout your home at night and remove them three days later. Dispose of the salt by dissolving it in water and use that water to do your normal household cleaning. Salt purification is one of the most effective energy cleansing rituals.
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The doors and windows are where outside energy enters your home. Keep them purified by mixing a bucket of water with the juice from five lemons, one cup of sea salt, and ¼ cup of ammonia or white vinegar.
After you’ve smudged each room, you can now cleanse your house with salt. Pour salt into each corner and let it sit for 48 hours (the salt can absorb negative energy). Ring a bell three times in each corner to break up any stagnant energy, which the salt can then absorb. In two days, vacuum the salt away. Many people choose to use salt lamps to continue clearing bad energy, as well.
3. Incense
In Japan, the tradition of incense dates back to the sixth century - when it emerged in purification rituals for the emperor and his court; before then, the Egyptians used incense in their healing rituals and the Babylonians relied on it when praying to divine oracles. While most commonly burned for its scent, incense can also have strong antibacterial qualities. Light the end of an incense stick and let the flame burn for ten seconds. Blow out the flame - make sure the end is still lit - and place the stick in an incense holder.
4. Music and Sound
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Certain sounds can help break up bad energy in your home, including singing bowls, OMs, and clapping. Do an at-home sound ritual to give your home a new lease on life.
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5. Essential Oils
Essential oils are a key part of Marie’s nightly routine - she uses them to unwind and reflect on her day (she especially likes lavender as a sleep aid). Fill the water reservoir of your diffuser up to the fill line and tap drops of oil into your diffuser, remembering that a little goes a long way.
6. Fresh Air
Letting fresh air inside is the simplest way to purify a space. Marie opens her windows and doors every morning to circulate air throughout her home.
For an added cleanse, take your rugs, towels, pillows and blankets outside and shake them as well.
Every month you should ventilate your home completely, all windows and doors should be opened for at least three hours; you should also draw the curtains so that the energy has free passage to leave. It sounds simple and it really is, but sometimes we forget it; however, it is advisable to ventilate the house every morning.
7. Crystals
Place crystals outside your home - Strategically putting the right crystals around your house can help create positive and cleanse negative energy. Black Tourmaline at your front door can help protect your threshold from bad energy coming through. Pyrite and carnelian at the front door can help invite positivity and abundance.
Crystals can also be used as more of a long-term, proactive cleansing practice rather than a specific ritual that you perform. Placing crystals around your home can be beautiful, decorative, and also functional in this way! Clear quartz, selenite, and black tourmaline are some of the most cleansing crystals. Selenite is perhaps the best option because it actually absorbs and dissipates negativity, so it doesn’t need to be cleansed itself.
8. Herbal Energy Cleansing
Herbs are directly connected to the Earth and nature; they have all its powers and properties, which is why many herbs are used in all kinds of energy cleaning rituals. When you want to perform an energetic cleansing at home with herbs, you can make a mixture and infuse them or simply make a bundle and place some bouquets in your rooms to purify the energy.
The best herbs to purify are rue, aloe, sage, mint, lavender, rosemary, laurel, basil, palo santo, thyme, eucalyptus, elderberry or chamomile. The most powerful to cleanse energies and protect your home are laurel, rue, chamomile and rosemary. You can form several bouquets with these herbs and place them in your vases, your coffee tables, your bathroom and include some in your flower pots. These bouquets are to be made once a month and left there for three days to collect all the bad vibes and leave their protection all over your house.
The ancient Native American technique of smudging can help remove bad energy in your home. The Native Americans used it for millennia because they knew it worked - and fortunately, the same materials they used are readily available in health food stores and online.
Burning sage - particularly white sage - is a simple and fast way to clear out bad spirits and negative energy. Add frankincense (which you can use alone, too, if you don’t like sage) and copal incense to chase out all the negative vibes so there’s plenty of room for good ones. You can also use patchouli, palo santo, or other herbs recommended by healers for house cleansing.
Follow this step-by-step guide to smudge your home with sage (or other herbs):
- Stand in the center or at the front door of the room you want to cleanse. Most people begin in the kitchen, as it’s the heart of the home.
- Light the sage bundle like you’d light incense, and let the flames die out (they will, very quickly).
- Fan the sage carefully to encourage a steady stream of smoke.
- Envision the smoke absorbing bad energy and carrying it away.
- Cleanse yourself first by lightly fanning the smoke around your body, beginning at your feet and working up toward your head.
- Walk clockwise around the room, swirling the sage bundle in circular motions. Pay special attention to the walls, corners and floor, and don’t forget the ceiling.
This process will help manifest positive energy in your home. Some people choose to recite incantations or make positive affirmations as they’re smudging. If you’re comfortable, saying a prayer or appealing to a higher power for positive energy can help with house cleansing.
9. Candle Cleansing
Candle or fire cleansing is one of the most powerful energy cleansing rituals as it involves one of the most potent elements. Fire is one of the most respected in the spiritual and energetic world due to its enormous capacity to purify and protect. Fire has the power to neutralise energies, break any bad vibrations and destroy all kinds of energetic stagnations in your home.
The easiest way to do this cleansing with fire is with candles. Now, the type of candles or candlesticks you use during your ritual is very important: it counts from the material of the candle, if it is handmade, the colour, the aroma and the size. Ideally, the ones you decide to use should be handmade and with natural ingredients. When you do your cleaning, take advantage of the darkness of the night so that the fire stands out. Light three candles in your main room on a plate, preferably white. When it comes to energetic cleansing, the best scent is cinnamon, vanilla or sandalwood. Set intentions when lighting your candles: this means that you take a few minutes after lighting them to tell the fire what you want from it. Leave them burning for a couple of hours with your house at half light. Before extinguishing them, take them to all your rooms for the fire to purify the spaces.
10. Remove Clutter
For me, a cluttered home leads to a cluttered mind. Having things out that don’t bring joy, or even worse cause anger or frustration, can keep me from feeling at ease in my home. Clutter can create blocks in our energy and focus that can make us tired, stressed and unhappy.
Accumulation of things that no longer serve us is one of the main reasons that bad energies stay in your house. To make room for new opportunities or new experiences, rid your life and home of the objects, clothes, furniture or anything broken that you simply do not use anymore.
Each month you should make an inspection of everything that is in your home. Then follow Marie Kondo's famous method to keep, repair or donate items.
Additional Ways to Cleanse Spiritually
- Meditation and Breathwork: Simple practices such as meditation and mindful breathing create stillness and clarity. By focusing on your breath, you release scattered thoughts and welcome peace. Even a few minutes daily may help you feel centered and spiritually refreshed.
- Journaling for Release: Writing is a powerful way to clear inner clutter. Consider journaling about what you want to release and what intentions you want to welcome into your life. This process can help bring hidden emotions to light and open space for new perspectives. You might also write affirmations that affirm your sense of inner peace and purpose.
- Nature: Walking in the forest, sitting beside a stream, or simply observing the mountain landscape may bring a sense of calm and release. When paired with mindful practices, time in nature can amplify the effects of spiritual cleansing.
- Abhyanga (Self-Oil Massage): In Ayurveda, abhyanga is the practice of massaging warm herbal oil into the body. Traditionally, it is used to support circulation, calm the nervous system, and bring balance to the doshas. Seen through a spiritual lens, this ritual can also serve as a spiritual detox, offering nourishment for both body and mind.
House Cleansing Checklist
Unless you’re living in the former house of an accused witch in Salem, MA, removing negative energies from your home is fairly easy. All you need to do is follow this straightforward checklist for an all-over house cleansing.
- Clean and declutter your house: Get rid of all the clutter by putting things away or disposing of them, and make sure you clean every corner. Open all the blinds, and, weather-permitting, open your windows. Let in as much light and fresh air as you can while cleaning. Don’t forget to dust, vacuum, and check for cobwebs - you don’t want the negative energy to have any reason to stick around. As you clean your home, know that keeping broken items in your house is bad feng shui - and items that don’t bring you joy can only drag you down. If you have an item that’s irreparably broken, it’s time to get rid of it and move on.
- Begin house cleansing with doors and windows: The doors and windows are where outside energy enters your home. Keep them purified by mixing a bucket of water with the juice from five lemons, one cup of sea salt, and ¼ cup of ammonia or white vinegar.
- Continue removing negative energies throughout your home: The ancient Native American technique of smudging can help remove bad energy in your home. The Native Americans used it for millennia because they knew it worked - and fortunately, the same materials they used are readily available in health food stores and online.
Supplies Recommended for a House Cleansing and Protection Ritual
Here's a list of supplies that are recommended for a house cleansing and protection ritual:
- 5 lemons
- ½ c. ammonia or white vinegar
- Sage, frankincense, or copal (or all three)
- A fireproof dish for catching embers and ash
- Sea salt
- A bell
- Selenite
Consider enhancing your ritual with these protective elements for a more potent effect:
- Smudging stick or loose smudging herbs such as Sage, Rosemary, or Evergreen needles for purifying the space.
- A Protection Blend, which could include a mix of Cinnamon, Clove, Dragon's Blood, and Garlic to fortify the barriers against negative energies.
- Bells of any kind to clear the air through sound vibrations.
Lastly, if some items are not readily available, remember that simple sea salt is a powerful element for protection and can be used effectively on its own.
After Cleansing
Now that you’ve cleared the bad energy from your home, you can focus on attracting positive energy to your space. Having salt lamps in various rooms is a great place to start. Revamping your interior design to make you happier at home and creating good feng shui throughout can also help bring in those positive vibes.
It’s important to be aware of the energy your home continues to bring you - good or bad. If you notice a shift in the energy as time goes on, consider clearing bad energy from your house again. After all, your home should bring you joy and be a source of positivity.