Cleansing a New Home

For the past couple of weeks I have been so busy moving into my new apartment. I am very happy to finally be settled somewhere new and beautiful. Along the way I have discovered some tips to help me make this home a sacred, peaceful place. When moving into a new home, it is very important to make sure you are filling the home with positive energy that will last. Moving is a big transition, so tension and stress can be high. These are the kinds of energies you want away from your new space. Below are some steps that are very important to take in creating your new sacred, loving environment. 

1. Detach 

One of the most important steps to moving is letting go of the things you no longer need. This step was so hard for me, but I had excellent help. A lot of things hold memories, but no purpose. Sometimes it is best to let those memories go. This allows you to detach, de-clutter, and move on. There's no better way to start fresh in a new place. Detachment is good for the soul because it reminds us that what we think we need is really all just an illusion. Leaving material items behind also helps ego get left behind. Certain attached, addicted, or dependent parts of us will be thrown away, too. 

2. Smudging

Cedar

Smudging is an ancient Shamanic and Native tradition used to attract or repel the good or bad. You can find smudge sticks at metaphysical shops, farmers markets, natural food stores, etc. Sage is usually what is recommended because it repels any negative energy, including spirits or thoughts. When moving into a new place, you may or may not know what energies are tied into the house already. Moving can also be very stressful so negativity may be absorbed upon your arrival. To perform a smudging ritual, light the end of the smudge stick and hold over an abalone dish (if you don't have one, a regular bowl will work fine.) Make sure there are windows open. Start at the beginning of the house and work your way around. Each room you should be affirming peace, protection, positivity, and whatever else you would like to attract in your new home. When finished, end where you started and put out the smudge stick. If the light goes out on its own, you will need to cleanse that room for a longer period of time. There are many other smudges you can use instead of or in addition to sage. For example, I used a Cedar Smudge the day after the sage. Cedar is used traditionally when moving into a new house because it attracts good energy for new beginnings. You can also use lavendar, sweetgrass, rosemary, etc for relaxation, hope, or whatever you are trying to manifest. 

Sage 

3. Grids

I know I've previously written about gridding a house with Selenite. This is such an important step to protecting a home. Selenite cleanses an area, just as sage does. The idea of the grid is to place Selenite in the four main corners of your home. This will ward off negative energy and keep the home at peace. Selenite calls upon the angels to protect the home. Black Tourmaline is another crystal that can be used in a grid. It works as a shield of any harm or negative energy. Whatever it is you are trying to manifest, you can use the corresponding crystal to grid your home with. If you are trying to bring love into the home, place Rose Quartz in the four main corners. If you are trying to manifest happiness and abundance, Citrine is best to use. By adding a crystal to each corner of the home, you are creating a force field of energy that will help attract the energy you desire. 

4. Life 

Last but not least, adding a bit of life to a home is a great way to create a positive environment. Bringing the earth inside of your home will help promote grounding and peace. Not only are plants beneficial to the spirit, but they can help freshen the air, make it easier to breathe, reduce stress, and induce motivation. Fill your empty spaces up with plants and you will see the affects of bringing life inside. 

Crystals Every Home Needs

I love dreaming about my future! One of the things I think about all the time is what my future home is going to look like. I see myself with this gorgeous and colorful, yet ambient and feng shui cozy home. This might sound a little crazy, but I have everything planned out down to what crystals I'm going to use around my house. These crystals are ones that I think are the "basics" that every good home should have. 

For Tidiness, Amazonite

Amazonite is by far one of my favorite crystals. One of the things I love about it is its ability to encourage tidiness! Wow, wouldn't that be nice around the house. You could secretly encourage everyone in your house to keep clean - small children, roommates, your significant other, etc. In my future home I would have a dish full of amazonite in each room. The teal color of Amazonite would be enough to brighten any room as well.

Visit GypsyGemsHawaii on etsy! 

For Bringing the Family Together, Unakite

We all know how important a strong family bond is. Part of nourishing a family bond is the unification, or coming together, of all roles. The pink in Unakite heals emotional wounds and the green is Epidote, which stems from the Greek word "epidosis" meaning "growing together." This stone encourages harmonious and strong relationships. This is key in a household. This stone also manifests unification on a physical plane - think: family dinners, game nights, everyone getting along and spending quality time together. 

Visit PriyaInspirations on Etsy!

Financial Stability, Citrine

Citrine is the stone of prosperity, wealth, abundance, fortune, and business. Basically - if it involves your wallet or bank account, Citrine can help. It is important to keep a steady income flowing into a home in order to maintain a good household. Having citrine in a home will ward off any financial issues and bring in abundance and prosperity.

Will these be powerful enough? 

For Protection, Selenite

Selenite is probably every expert's recommendation for what crystal to put in a home. They say if you place Selenite in the main corners of your home, you will attract love, positive energy, and protection. This is called "gridding a house". When gridding a house, it is important to bless each crystal with your intention. Selenite wards off any negative energy, so say something like, "This home is abundant with love and light. This home and the ones who live here are safe and protected." 

The shape of the Selenite is not important! But these gorgeous Selenite Towers from ShopMysticWillows on etsy would look so beautiful.

Peace & Balance, Tourmaline 

Whether you live with a mix of adults and children, males and females, pessimists and optimists, it is important to find the yin/yang balance. Tourmaline is a great crystal to have in the home for dispelling negative energy that is already inside. Pink Tourmaline is a good crystal for maintaining peace, especially emotionally and between masculine/feminine energies. Green Tourmaline brings compassion and harmony. Black Tourmaline is another highly protective stone (that can also be used with Selenite for gridding the home!) 

By the Bedside, Howlite 

Last but not least, I would put a cloudy white Howlite right by the bed to prevent insomnia. Howlite is calming to an overactive mind. This allows one to drift to sleep peacefully. It will also reduce any form of tension in the house or in the mind.... A crystal of complete relaxation. 

MoonriseCrystal on Etsy has such gorgeous pieces of Howlite!

Crystals for Coping With Death

1. Rose Quartz

The main feeling associated with the death of a loved one is grief. Everybody grieves at their own rate and in their own way. Rose Quartz is a great crystal for relieving the feelings of grief, guilt, and trauma. The great thing about this crystal is it works so gently and is so supportive. A customer of mine once wore a Rose Quartz pendant during her own grieving process and texted me to say, "I think the Rose Quartz is really working!" When you receive the uplifting energy of Rose Quartz, it is not something you feel, but something you recognize. You don't feel happier, you don't feel calmer, but you notice something is missing - sadness, loneliness, and blame. Rose Quartz helps us shed and release all the negative emotions we may be facing, and restore our heart with feelings of joy and hope. To use this crystal, I would make sure it is with you through your entire grieving process. Investing in a necklace, ring, or pocket stone would be the best choice. Outbursts of emotions can hit at anytime during the grieving process. Rose Quartz is there to support the heart when it is in need and also fights against these "bursts". 

Rose Quartz can especially be supportive if the loss was for a mother, grandmother, or significant female role (or nurturing role) in your life. It is also known as "the mothering crystal" because of it's nurturing properties. This crystal can ease your pain, restore your happiness, and help you care for yourself just as a mother would. 

2. Lepidolite

Death can be one of the hardest transitions in our life that we face. Suddenly someone that was once a part of your life is no longer there. It may make some feel empty, some feel depressed, and some might also hold on to the idea that the person is still there. These are all common coping responses; however, the most important thing to do in the situation is let go. Lepidolite is perhaps one of the best crystals for easing transitions. We don't often think of the death of a loved one as a transition, but it surely is. This crystal will help one go through the transition of grief and also in the bigger scheme of things, it will help one understand the transition of the physical plane to the spiritual plane. It carries strong lithium levels for balance, so the feelings of anger, sadness, or anxiety will not surface as strongly. It also helps one accept tough situations as they come. If you think Lepidolite will help you, I recommend holding the crystal anytime you feel upset. Keep it in your pocket, wear it, or carry it in your purse. Spend as much time with this crystal as you can. Lepidolite can also be great if you or someone you know is facing the dying process. It may change the way you open up to and accept the idea that death is just another term for moving on to the next plane. 

3. Apache Tears

Native legend tells a haunting story of the Apache Tear (below). Reading the legend may help you understand the Apache Tear and its properties. This specific stone has been used all throughout history for the grieving process. It helps prevent further drain and damage from the aura. Whenever you are feeling heavy feelings of grief, hold an Apache Tear into the light and be reminded of the story below. 

“ The haunting legend about the Apache Tear is about the Pinal Apaches, who had made several raids on a settlement in Arizona. The military and some volunteers trailed the tracks of the stolen cattle and waited for dawn to attack the Apaches. The Apaches, confident in the safety of their location, were completely surprised and out-numbered in the attack. Nearly 50 of the band of 75 Apaches were killed in the first volley of shots. The rest of the tribe retreated to the cliff’s edge and chose death by leaping over the edge rather than die at the hands of the white men. For years afterward those who ventured up the treacherous face of Big Pacacho in Arizona found skeletons, or could see the bleached bones wedged in the crevices of the side of the cliff.

The Apache Women and the lovers of those who had died gathered a short distance from the base of the cliff where the sands were white, and for a moon they wept for their dead. They mourned greatly, for they realized that not only had their 75 brave Apache warriors died, but with them had died the great fighting spirit of the Pinal Apaches. Their sadness was so great, and their burden of sorrow so sincere that the Great Father imbedded into black stones the tears of the Apache Women who mourned their dead. These black obsidian stones, when held to the light, reveal the translucent tear of the Apache.”

— http://www.crystalsrocksandgems.com/Healing_Crystals/ApacheTears.html

4. Selenite 

Some people are calmer during the grieving process and don't need help easing their emotions. For empaths, those who are more sensitive, and those who don't have a lot of experience with death, it may be harder to understand what is going on. The crystal I recommend for EVERYONE after someone has passed is a Selenite. This crystal is not for the emotional aspects of coping, but rather builds a connection spiritually that will remain. Selenite protects against negative energies and cleanses an area. After someone passes, this is very important to use because you are now thought of in a different plane. Selenite is also important to use after death because it connects us to the angelic realm - this includes angelic communication, guidance, etc. This crystal may help you connect to the one you lost in a bright and beautiful way. Sleep with this crystal or meditate with it if you would like to connect with the one you lost.