Bless Your Home

Bring Peace and Happiness into Your Home with a Simple, Heartfelt Ritual Whether it's a brand new house or a place you've lived in for decades, a home blessing can help bring good, positive energy into your life. Your house blessing ritual doesn't have to be complicated or take much time. All you need is an intention and a symbol to remind you of that intention.

So what is an intention? An intention is bigger than a wish and more intense than a goal. An intention is a spiritual force that sweeps outward from you and brings your message to life. First, you need to identify your desire. In the case of a home blessing, you want to encourage love and other positive emotions to fill your home. Second, you need to feel your desire in your soul. Your intention has to be something you really desire. Finally, you send your intention out into the universe. Visualize your desire as a meteor, streaking out into space and bringing back your desire.

Your home blessing is a way of spiritually taking ownership or authority of your residence. Think of it this way: someone handed you a key. You decide who else gets a key. You have the power to welcome positive energy in.

How you actually bless your home can vary from one person to another and from one faith to another. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Annoint your doors and windows with oil or holy water. At each door or window, pray or speak words welcoming good into your home.
• Perform a symbolic cleansing. Use a cleansing instrument like a broom or a rag and "sweep" it through each room to wash away old or stagnant energy. You can pray or speak words as you sweep, shooing out any lingering energy from the past.
• You can invite a religious or spiritual leader to help you bless your home, however powerful blessings come from the head of the household.
• Hang wind chimes in doorways or outside your front and back door if you'd like. Traditionally, the sound of bells was believed to chase away those with bad intentions.
• If you have a personal saint or spiritual figure, you can bless your home in their name. Take a piece of chalk and mark your saint's initials on each doorway that leads in or out of your house.
• A House Blessing Intention Candle (or a New Home Candle) from www.intentioncandles.com is a great idea too. These hand poured aromatherapy candles are made with cleansing scents that clear away old energy and invite in a new, positive energy. Each candle comes with an instructional booklet to help you in setting an intention for your home. They are beautifully packaged and make great gifts.

Once you set your blessing intention, be sure to bring in more loving energy. Put on your favorite music and dance or sing, tell your family how much you love them, or bake your favorite dessert. Blessing your home doesn't have to be a one-time thing. You may choose to bless your home each season, at the holidays, or on the anniversary of your move-in. The most important thing is to do what feels right to you!