Spring Cleaning – Gini Judd

Spring cleaning is a long tradition throughout the world.  Back when people didn’t have things like central heating and vacuum cleaners, a long winter’s accumulation of dust and soot had to await the warmth of spring to allow for the doors and windows to be thrown open, the rugs and blankets to be carried out and beaten clean, and fresh air and sunshine to assist in the sweeping out and wiping down of floors and furniture.
Nowadays, our daily cleaning tends to continue through the winter months and there isn’t quite as much of a seasonal need for the assistance of warm weather to get dust and grime out of our houses, but a long winter of being closed up can leave the energy in our homes tangled and a bit grimy.  Spring cleaning can freshen up the spirit of your home, as well and just plain cleaning up.
First, take a look around your home.  Are there piles of clutter that should be dealt with?  Clutter is an energy sink and will tangle up the energy in your house and prevent it from flowing well.  There is a difference between a place being cozy with things you love and clutter.  Clutter is that pile of junk mail you need to toss out, old bills that need to be shredded or filed, books that belong on a shelf instead of scattered in a corner, jackets and sweaters hung over chairs, etc.  It’s the stuff that needs a home but has instead come to rest where it was dropped.  It might feel overwhelming, but put on some music and attack it one pile at a time.  As you successfully work your way through those piles, you will actually *feel* your energy level rise.  
Once you get through the clutter, throw open the doors and windows.  Vacuum, mop and dust, and then use a floor wash to clean and freshen your space.  A floor wash is made by boiling herbs and essential oils in a couple quarts of water, then straining out the herbs and adding the concentrate to a bucket of water. Place a portion of that into a spray bottle for surfaces.  The herbs and oils you use depend on your needs. Suggestions include mint, lavender, basil, rue, rosemary and heather.  Mop the floor lightly with the floor wash, and use the spray bottle to clean the surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom, and a very light spray on other surfaces.  Do this with concentration and intention to clean both the physical dust and any negative energies from your home.
Next, turn to the sacred spaces in your house.  Take everything off your altar, physically clean the surfaces and your tools – dust accumulates, so take the time to get rid of the physical grime.  After this, cleanse your tools.  You can do this is a number of ways.  One is to make a salt water bath using a small amount of sea salt in clean water.  Tools that can be dipped in the salt solution can be dipped; tools that cannot can either be wiped down with the solution or lightly sprinkled with it.  When you have finished, pour the salt water down the drain, envisioning all the negative and tangled energy draining away.  After you clean your tools, reset your altar, taking a moment to charge with energy each article you place on your altar.
Finally, complete the cleaning of energy in your house.  With all your windows and doors open, sweep each room with your besom – you do not have to touch the ground during this sweeping, because you are sweeping negative and tangled energy from the house.  Sweep from the private rooms into the hallway, then sweep the public spaces, ending the sweeping by sweeping all that energy out the door.  Make another salt water solution and bless every doorway and window with the intention that only good energy will enter your home. This will make your house an inviting haven for yourself and your family and friends.

Tags: Pagan cleaning, Spring Cleaning, thoughts