A guide to cleansing your home of uninvited spirits and energies
You’re fast asleep in your bed, dreaming peacefully, relaxing at last after a long day at work. Suddenly, you feel something tug on your blanket. You lift your head, bleary eyes looking down only to find nothing there. Laying your head back down, you try to go back to sleep, deciding you must have imagined the sensation. But then, you feel it again. This time more forcefully. When you look back at the foot of the bed, you see a tall, dark shadow looking down on you. You turn to your bedside table, the light from your lamp filling the room. The shadow is gone. For now. But over the next few nights, it comes back. Again and again. Sometimes it does nothing, but every so often, it will interact with you. Moving objects… Touching you… Maybe you can’t see it, but you can feel it.
Ghost stories are all fun and games until you find yourself living in one. It can be an exhausting experience. You feel vulnerable, afraid, stressed out. Your home no longer feels like a place of comfort, and it almost seems like you’re living from one paranormal event to the next.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You can take control of your space again. Though I have done more than a few house cleansing rituals for people, I firmly believe that it is far more effective if the home owner or person being afflicted by the negative energies is the one who is in control of it. There are many people who will tell you that you absolutely need the help of a professional, and in some cases (which I will touch on in a moment), it is wise to bring in the help of somebody with experience. But for the most part, you can and should do the cleansing for yourself. So, where should you start?
- Tell it to leave!
- Simple and yet effective, I have found that more often than not, this is all you need to do if you have a spectral guest in your home. In a lot of cases, energies and spirits are simply passing through. For whatever reason, they may feel drawn to the space or to a person residing in the home, but if you make it clear that they are not welcome, most of the time, they will move on. Bear in mind, this should not be spoken as a suggestion. You do not ask it to leave. You make it clear, in no uncertain terms, that it must leave. If you’re like my sister, she likes to be very blunt in her message and says little more than “go away.” I tend to be a bit more verbose and will say something to the effect of: “You are not welcome here. We cannot help you. You need to leave.”
- Once you tell it to leave, you need to ignore it. I know it seems disrespectful to treat a spirit like a child, but acknowledging it gives it power and a reason to stay. Do not converse with the spirit, either. Once you’ve told it to leave, there’s no reason to have a conversation or negotiation with it. If you’re done, you need to show that you are done.
- Do not offer to help the spirit. I see it all the time on ghost hunting shows. They ask all sorts of questions, offering to aid the spirit, but rarely does this happen. Most of the time, the investigators leave, shrugging their shoulders or shaking their heads. Rarely, such as in shows like Dead Files does somebody offer help and follow through. Unless you intend on actually helping the spirit, do not even hint at it. Doing so definitely gives them a reason to stay, and failing to help after saying you would probably won’t sit well with them.
- Sage, Incense, or Holy Water
- When asking it to leave doesn’t work, you may have to resort to a more traditional cleansing. A lot of spiritualists will tell you to sage your home. Now, there’s some controversy surrounding the use of sage, but most agree that if you grow it yourself or you get it from somewhere that’s ethically sourced, it’s fine. You can also make your own herb bundles, but white sage is considered in many cultures to be the ultimate in cleansing. In a pinch, I have used incense and it has worked. I prefer sandalwood for this purpose, and as it is commonly used, you should have no trouble finding it. Holy Water can be just as effective (my mother has never done a cleansing without it), but also note that I use it as a sort of place holder here. Any item or talisman you believe holds sacred properties can work just as well.
- When you sage, smoke, or cleanse your home, make sure you leave a window or door open. This isn’t only because sage has a strong, pungent scent (seriously, it’ll punch you in the face if you’re not used to it), but you need to give the spirits somewhere to go. If possible, I like to start at the front door and then work around anticlockwise through every room. The reason I do this is because, in general, this is the direction you go when you want to banish something. You want to make sure you get every room, closet, corner. Remember, this spirit has already ignored your demand to leave; it doesn’t want to. It’ll be looking for a place to wait out the cleansing, so you need to be thorough.
- As you move from room to room, repeat your demand that it needs to leave. When I was a child, my mother would say, “In the name of God and his son, you must leave and never return.” For me, I go through every room, repeat a mantra such as, “To all unwelcome spirits, you must obey: Leave this place, you cannot stay. Negative forces, I banish thee, forevermore. So mote it be.” Whatever you say, make sure you are firm and confident. If you’re unsure or nervous, the spirit or energy will not listen to you. If you believe in a specific god or goddess, call upon them to be present or help you during the cleansing.
- Once you’ve cleansed every room and worked back toward the open door or window, close it. The energy in the room should feel very different. If you’ve used white sage, it’s possible that it’ll feel empty or stale. That’s because sage doesn’t just remove negative energy. It cleanses all energy. It is important that the energy that you bring in afterward is positive.
- Symbols or Sigils of Protection
- After you have finished your cleansing, it’s important to make sure that whatever spirits or energies you banished aren’t able to just waltz back in. There are many ways to do this, but in general, if you have a banishing oil, holy water, or ash from the incense or sage, you can use it to draw symbols or sigils over doorways. This can be a sign of the cross or other religious symbol you feel connected to. I’ve used the thorn rune in some instances though I do prefer to create my own sigil for each unique situation. There are many that can be found online, but the more personal it is for you, the more effective it will be.
- Salting or Eggshells
- Salt is extremely useful in terms of banishing and is used in a variety of spells for it’s magical properties. When cleansing your home, to add an extra measure of protection, sprinkle salt along the doorways and windows. You can surround your house with it, but the problem with salt is, it’s not great for your lawn or garden so much. That’s why there’s a growing number of people who would recommend you use crushed eggshells instead, and it works just as well as salt. You could also use oils or holy water for this as well.
In some instances, though rare, the above methods may not work. You may be dealing with powerful energies/spirits or possibly even demonic entities. It is in these cases that you will want to seek professionals to help you. If you’re a member of a church, coven, or religious group, go to priest, pastor, or most senior person for assistance. Sadly, it is the case in some churches that they are reluctant to recognize the presence of spirits or demons in your home, and the process will be slow. However, if you ask for a blessing, they will usually agree to it.
I would caution you when looking for help. There are a lot of scammers who claim to be able to get rid of evil energies or spirits, and will charge you a lot of money to do it. Sometimes, they may be a complete fraud and pretend to go through the motions. Then there are those who can cleanse your house but may not do so completely, telling you that if the trouble continues, they will come back (though you’ll have to pay them again). In my opinion, most genuine spiritualists who are capable and willing to cleanse homes for people will either do so for free or for donations. I have personally never accepted money to perform a house cleansing. That’s not to say that all people who charge are scammers. We all have to pay bills and put food on the table, and those who do have a fee generally have made it a full-time job and are very good at what they do. In essence, they are worth the money. However, be mindful and cautious when looking for somebody to help.
In general, it is a good idea to cleanse your home even if you aren’t being visited by unwanted guests. If you are, do not lose hope. Understand that you are more powerful than you might be feeling, and you absolutely have the power to take control of your house and your life back.
If you have any other methods or suggestions for ways you cleanse your home or have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or message me.
HeCrafte 