Energetic Home Cleaning

Cleaning and organizing our things and spaces is taking the world by storm. Between the Hygge / Lagom movement and Marie Kondo’s Magic of Tidying Up, the spring cleaning fever has hit early.

Hygge is a Swedish concept of a cozy home. One that is centered around conversation, crafting, and simple living. Lagom is another Swedish concept of “just enough”. I find both methods to be more peaceful than minimalism.

Witches and KonMari

As a witch, the Konmari method of tidying up should resonate really well with us. After all, animism is a core belief of most pagans and witches. Animism is the belief that all things, living and not, have an energy or spirit to them.

When Marie asks you to thank any items for their help or service, she is not being silly or odd. She is expressing very clearly that we should give thanks to the energy of the item we’ve had in our space for so long.

If I’m being honest, sometimes my home feels sad, not because its super cluttered, but because I have not given thanks to the items that bring or “spark joy”.

Spring cleaning is an important cycle to recognize in our practice. Without it, our fields would not be cleared enough for planting. The dust and dirt on our rugs would not be beaten out. Old mindsets would take up precious mental space and hold us back from reaching our full soul’s potential.

So How Do We Begin?

First, recognize that this may be a 1 day project or a 2 weekend project for you depending on the last time you cleared things out. Give yourself patienceand remember that it does not matter how long it takes. Just set some tasks and get to it!

To start, I recommend a good mundane cleaning and clearing. Dive into a declutter method that works for you and truly clear out the items that you don’t use or don’t bring happiness. Dispose, donate, and repurpose everything.

Once those are properly donated or disposed of, give the whole home a top to bottom cleaning. Get a cleaner that smells and feels fantastic to you. I LOVE the way my Pine Sol and Thieves Cleaner smell and between those two and some bleach, I feel like there’s not much more I need in the way of cleaners.

Dust everything from the ceiling, shelves, furniture all the way down. Scrub stains, clean areas that aren’t part of a weekly routine, and get everything looking fresh and new.

What I Do to Energetically Clear the Home:

Since I am very much an elemental kind of witch, I like to clear the energy of my home by using one object per element.

Items that I use:

Air: Smudge or incense
Fire: small tealight or votive candle
Water: chalice of water
Earth: bowl of salt

Once you’ve gathered your items you’d like to use, find the center of your home and set these items somewhere safe like on a small table. (I seriously have a fold-up tv tray for this purpose.)

Bringing yourself into a meditative state, and begin by expanding your awareness of the boundaries of your home. You’ve recently gone through everything. Every room, every item. Hold those places in mind’s eye. As you breathe deeper into your serene state, start to feel within your heart how you want your home to feel. Happy, warm. Fresh, clean. Filled with potential and light.

When you are ready, take one object at a time around your home in a clockwise fashion. Keep at the forefront of your thoughts how you want your home to feel. You can recite a blessing as you go into each room.