Advice for a friend

[mermdotcom]

A friend and coworker of mine recently came to me and another coworker and asked us for advice.  She said that since she moved into her current house several years ago, things haven't been "right".  A lot of bad luck has come her way, the worst of which being her husband's health.  He had a heart attack a year ago (he was only 49 at the time!) and has been recently told that he needs a pacemaker.  She was trying to explain how she felt about the house - she's from Pakistan and her English is limited on some subjects - but I think what she was getting at is that she feels negative energy coming from the house.  On top of that, it's been getting stronger rather than dissipating.

Apparently, she had the house blessed by the leader of her mosque when she first moved in, so she came to me and my other coworker to get a Pagan and Catholic point of view on it.  I told her I'd never done a cleansing on a home before, but I'd ask some more knowledgable Pagans/Witches.

So here I am!  What can I do to help her?

[Rowan CedarWolf]

I personally would smudge the house outside as well as inside with white sage, I would cirlce the outside of the houe with sea salt and burn a black candle in each room to absorb and consume any negative energy. Other than that it is basically instictive at least for me what ever feels right I would do. I know it isn't much help but I try to listen to my gut it usually leads to the right thing.

[Fillionous]

I have a house clensing and protection ritual I use. Its full form is below, but I use a reduced version each year as a 'spring clean'... prehaps an adaptation of this will help your friend and her home.

I try and pick a day with bright sunshine and a breeze, usually in early spring. I start off by opening all the windows, doors and curtains that I can and let the wind blow through the house. (First circit of the house) I then go round each room with a broom and ritually clean all the dross, bad energy and so on out of the house. Encoraging the wind to assist in the cleansing too. This can also be combined with a really serious physical clean (This is the second circit of the house) Finnally I go round asking light and blessings to fill each room... taylored to each room... so for a bedroom I might ask that it provides a safe and peaceful place to sleep, for a kitchen that the cupboards are always well stocked and the food produced there is nourishing etc. If I feel the need for extra protection I might draw protection symbols over any entrance (windows, doors, chimneys, vents etc.) or use smudgeing or salt. I might also call on any significant Gods to assist in protecting and blessing the home (This is the third circit of the house) I include 'rooms' such as garages, gardens and drive ways, even attic (if I can get into it) on the circits of the house so that the whole plot is cleaned, refreshed and blessed.
I have not written any specific words for any stage of this ritual... I just let it flow and say what feels right... letting my will and heart go into it.

Be bright, be bold
Fillionous

[Anonymous]

My house cleansing is similar to Fillionous's.  

After a really good spring clean, I open all the windows and doors to allow energy into the house. Then I cleanse each room with Water, Air, Earth and Fire elements, projecting positive, peace full energy into each room.   A pentagram above the front door also works well, but obviously a symbol from her own religion would be better suited.  

My mother swears by Feng Shui.    A good reference book on this subject would help her. She can then move her furniture around and add windchimes and plants to help the energy flow. She'll have to work out her husbands auspicious number and place its relevance to his personal health sector, then place fresh or silk flowers or a plant in this area with a crystal. But a book will help her to work this out.  (De-cluttering the home, especially under the bed will ensure a relaxing atmosphere and a good nights sleep.)

Hope this helps.      Best wishes.

[Lark]

Since you are working on a house that belongs to a non-Pagan I think that melding the two systems would be a good idea.

I always start any house cleansing rituals with a good mundane cleaning of the house.  On the day before the ritual is to be done, have your friend thoroughly clean her home top to bottom and get rid of any clutter that would block energy flows.

Smudging will help.  Sage works fine (smells like marijuana though so warn your friend about that in case the neighbors get nosey).  Other things that work well include cedar, frankincense, bay, and sandalwood.  

I like to start in the center of the house and work widdershins room to room smudging in every room..including closets.  

Once I have finished the banishing, I then reestablish protections by going deosil room to room and drawing protection symbols over all the ways into the house.  This includes windows, doors, telephone jacks, modem outlets, drains, etc.  I would normally use a pentacle, but in this case ask your friend whether there is a symbol from Islam or a short protection verse from the Koran to use instead. I suggest this because it's important that the symbols speak to your friend's psyche and that is more apt to happen if they are of her faith.

One other important thing that often gets left out.  Once you clean the house it's important that you don't track more "dirt" into it.  That means that you don't want to bring any negativity back into it once it is cleansed.  I make a point when I have had a bad day, or when I am just feeling that tickles of negativity, to stop before I get home and drain that negativity into something else and walk away from it. (In my case, I usually pick up a pebble, drive the negativity into it, toss it over my shoulder and walk away from it.)  That way you're not tracking psychic sludge into your nice clean home.

-Lark-

[NachtSorcier]

I agree that melding the two traditions would help.  In any case, here is what I do.

I start by cleaning the house physically (dusting, vaccuming, straightening up, etc.).  Then I smudge the house throughly, going widdershins around the house, chanting the Witches Rune (in her case, a Koran verse would probably be better).  Then I repeat that with a banishing incense.  All the while I have a protection incense burning in the center of the living room (where we spend most of our time).  Then I go around the house deosil sprinkling a powder of protective herbs mixed with salt.  I stand in the center of the house and build a cone of protective power and send it all around the house, visualizing it as a ball of spiked energy that pushes out negative energy and prevents any more from coming in.  As a last step, I take a dish of blessed, sea salted water and draw an equal-armed cross on every window to lock out negative energy and ask the Archangels of each quarter to guard my home; perhaps in your friends case, she can ask Mohammed or some other Muslim prophet or saint to guard her home.  

I found this verse; perhaps it will help:

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

[113:1] "Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak.
[113:2] "From the evils of His creations.
[113:3] "From the evils of darkness as it falls.
[113:4] "From the evils of the troublemakers.
[113:5] "From the evils of the envious when they envy."

Good luck to her.

[Fillionous]

Just a note... just because she is from Pakistan, does not necesserily mean she is Muslim... That area of the world also has high Hindu and Sihk populations as well as Jains and Christians... so if you do do any kind of blending of faiths make sure you are picking the right one... other wise you might be calling on the wrong Gods, or using inapropriate texts etc.

Be bright, be bold
Fillionous

[NachtSorcier]

Just a note... just because she is from Pakistan, does not necesserily mean she is Muslim... That area of the world also has high Hindu and Sihk populations as well as Jains and Christians... so if you do do any kind of blending of faiths make sure you are picking the right one... other wise you might be calling on the wrong Gods, or using inapropriate texts etc.

Be bright, be bold
Fillionous

I figured that her friend was Muslim because she said that the leader of her mosque blessed the house.  I may be wrong, but isn't a mosque a Muslim house of worship?  If I was wrong, I apologize.

[mermdotcom]

Just a note... just because she is from Pakistan, does not necesserily mean she is Muslim... That area of the world also has high Hindu and Sihk populations as well as Jains and Christians... so if you do do any kind of blending of faiths make sure you are picking the right one... other wise you might be calling on the wrong Gods, or using inapropriate texts etc.

Actually she is Muslim... I could have sworn I put that in the original post, but upon reviewing said post, it appears I was wrong!  But very good point!  Thanks, Fillionous!

Basically, I think I'm just going to print out all of these suggestions and take them to her, see what she's most comfortable with.  Any other suggestions are welcome!  I won't see her till Tuesday when I go back to work

[Zenon]

Since you are working on a house that belongs to a non-Pagan I think that melding the two systems would be a good idea.

Totally. you should work with symbology that is meaningful to him.

[Gryphon]

If your coworker is open to it, looking into Fung Sei would also be helpful.

[mermdotcom]

If your coworker is open to it, looking into Fung Sei would also be helpful.

She's actually the most open person I work with!  She has the same view as I have on spirituality:  There are many paths to the Divine.  We just choose the one that speaks to us.  No one is "wrong" or "right", we just walk different paths.

I had lunch with her yesterday, and gave her a brief rundown of what you guys had suggested.  I told her that I'd email her all the suggestions and she could choose what ritual (or aspects of rituals) she was most comfortable with and we could tailor something to her and her home.  I think her daughter is going to help, too, which will be nice.  She's a lot like her mom, very sweet and open-minded.

Maybe doing a little Fung Shui will solidify the cleansing and keep the positve energy flowing.

[Anonymous]

I borrowed some Feng Shui books from my Mum this weekend. Had to wait till she'd got home from her holiday so thats why its taken a while.   Here's a few tips for your friend.

Attach a wind chime in a room with low ceilings or exposed beams.

Try and have furniture with rounded edges or soften the edges of pillars and recesses with potted plants.  You can also put potted plants in empty corners.

Do not have a mirror reflecting her or her family whilst they are asleep.

So down the energy flow in long straight hall ways with low ceiling lamps and rugs on the floor.

The bathroom is a 'water' room, so add 'wood' or 'Earth' features in here such as plants and stones.  Red towels or ornaments will bring in the 'fire' element.

The kitchen is a 'fire' room so add the 'water' element with some blue objects - such as a vase or ornament.

It depends on the direction the other rooms face as to what they are, but generally follow your instincts.

Crystals hanging in windows and placed around the bed will improve the energy flow and around the computer and electrical equipment will stem the negative ions from the cables and wires.

Keep the sinks /wash basins clean. Keep the seat and lid of the WC down.

Clear out clutter ..... allow the energy to flow around the rooms.

Anything shinny, made of metal, glazed ceramic are yang energy and conduct energy quickley, anything made of stone and wicker such as baskets are yin and slow energy down. Try to have a balance of both.

Place two statues outside the front door to guard it. Lion statues are a good choice. But NOT inside the door.

Make sure everyone in the house can see the sky out of their windows.

Thats really most of the basics, I can't tell you much else because you need to work out each occupants best direction and number.

Hope this helps a little.

Best wishes

[mermdotcom]

Wow!  That's a lot of info!  Luckily, she's getting ready to buy new living room and dining room furniture, so it will give her an excuse to rearrange everything, anyway!  Besides which, maybe she can take some info about the elements and feng shui when she's buying the new furniture.  Thanks, Kate!

[Zenon]

is it a very dark house?  for example, are windows/doors/curtains seldom open?

an option is to let as much light in as possible.  aside from salt and incense, this is very good too.

music (sound) also serves to shake up any vibes present.  try lighting up the place, and play pleasant music at an acceptable volume.