Time for Spring Cleaning and Cleansing
The Spring Equinox has just passed for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere.
The power of the light is rising, while the dark and all that is of the dark recedes. The bees are humming, the butterflies emerging and birds are preparing their nests. Now is the perfect time for a spring clean and cleanse!
Spring cleaning is such a common concept that it has become a cliche- and yet there is power and benefit in following this seasonal practise for the health and happiness of your household.
Herbs are wonderful for cleansing and blessing your home in spring
As a hedgewitch, for me winter is the time for spirit work and working explicitly with the dead. As the Dark recedes, it is time to step back from those practises and instead step into the light. Come spring, a house should be for the living, and not for the dead. Even without being involved in working with spirits and the dead, winter has an impact on a home. The darker months are often times of seasonal sickness and lingering illness. Many people find their mood is affected, experiencing what is now called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Winter can bring lingering shadows and gloom. Now is the time to clear all of this away, as well as welcome the power and light of the sun into your home.
The very first step of a spring clean and cleanse is a thorough cleaning of the house. It is time to clear the dust and mop the floors! Find any odd piles of things that can accumulate in corners when you aren’t looking and tidy them up. It is time to pull back all the curtains and blinds, open windows and let the spring breeze fill the house.
After the physical clean, it is time to cleanse. I like to smoke cleanse with herbal incense. Look to the plants that are alligned with this time of year and with the light. As much as I love my blackthorn, now is not the time for her spiky presence! Instead, think more of rosemary, calendula, eucalyptus, lemon and birch, as some quick examples. You can also prepare a magical sun oil infused with the appropriate botanicals. Using this oil, trace and invoke the rune Sowilo, the rune of the sun, on windowsills and doorframes. Afterwards, I would lay down a blessing powder for frith and harmony within the household.
This is a wonderful time to change your altar for the season. My household altar is changed regularly, depending on the season and also any specific spellwork or crafting that is being undertaken. This is also the time to check any household charms. A charm may be at the end of its lifetime and need to be replaced with a new one. A spirit trap may need to be taken down and disposed of, and replaced with a new one. It is also a brilliant time to hang garden charms, to promote growth, renewal and health for everyone and everything living in the garden.
This kind of clean, cleanse and blessing will ensure your home is in good spiritual order. It is the time to sweep away cobwebs, both physically and spiritually, that have accumulated over the dark months of winter, while welcoming in the blessings and the beauty of spring.