In Spiritual Clearing and Blessing – Part 2, I will describe the parts of a House or Office Blessing. And I’ll offer suggestions of where you could contribute in a meaningful way, should you choose to take part in the Ceremony. I’ll also explain what my part as the priest and officiant involves.

It completes Spiritual Clearing and Blessing – Part 1, where you learned what a Clearing and Blessing Ceremony is like, what the ritual involves, and  when and why you might want or need one.

 

Clearing and Blessing Ceremony – from Beginning to End

Part 2 of the Spiritual Clearing and Blessing blog continues from the point where the Walk-Through has already been completed (see SPIRITUAL CLEARING and BLESSING – Part 1). It is now somewhere between a week and a month since the Walk-Through. You have made many, or all, of the changes that were suggested at that time.

Now, it is the day of the Clearing and Blessing. The Ceremony takes place on premises. Your main responsibility is to have thoroughly cleaned the house, office or building before the Ceremony.

 

 

Setting Up The Altar

As the officiating priest, I arrive at the appointed time and ceremonially set up my altar in an appropriate place in your home or office. Setting up the altar is its own ritual that entails several components:

• • • • Lighting a candle and incense or smudge
      • Laying out all the significant regalia, materials and tools I use to prepare myself, as well as you and any guests you may have invited (family, friends, co-workers, etc.)
      • Creating a conducive atmosphere for transforming the space
      • Saying prayers
      • Chanting (if moved by Spirit to do so)

 

Smudging

Next, I will smudge you, and anyone else who will be participating in the Blessing. Smudging is a ritual cleansing and purification. It is done with a fan made from feathers, which directs the smoke from the burning sap or herb (e.g. sage, cedar, frankincense, etc.) onto the person or object to be purified.

People love being smudged because it brings such calm and peace to the heart and soul. It really puts you in a meditative state. This ritual purification is done at the periphery of the ritual space just before the ceremony begins. After it is completed, you and any invited guests take your place around the altar and I close the Circle (see The Invocation below).

If you want to hear more about smudging, you can read my earlier blog, All About Smudge.

 

Invocation and Closing the Circle

Once you and your guests have been smudged and taken a place in the Circle, I will call in the Directions. I will ask for their blessings on the Ceremony and on you and your invited family and/or co-workers and guests.

With all the energies now assembled (people included ?), the Circle is “closed.” No one else may enter.

Now you, as the petitioner of the Ceremony, may choose to make a formal or informal welcome to your guests. If you prefer, you may ask me to perform that function.

 

 Declaration of Intent

It is appropriate at this point that I describe the Ritual/Ceremony to everyone present. I’ll explain the intention of the Ceremony, what we are going to do, and the order we’ll do it in.

Then, you and your guests will speak from the heart all the hopes, wishes and prayers for the infusion of positive energy into your space. The more specific the prayers are for exactly what you want and need, the better. There is no limit on good wishes. They should be abundant!

After everyone has spoken, if we decide to chant as we walk through the space, I’ll teach the chants and we’ll practice them a bit so everyone feels comfortable before we  proceed.

 

Processions

The time has come to proceed through each room of the home or office to clear and bless it. The first procession is the Clearing. We walk through each room and banish any negative energy found there. The banishing is done by me, with the moral support of you and any family or friends you have invited (see options below). I may use smudge, fans, rattles, my voice, or any combination of those to remove negative energy.

Negativity may show up as: stagnant energy; spirits who don’t want to leave, or who got stuck and can’t figure out how to get free; traumatic events involving past or present residents; illness or death; existing bad feelings among people who share the space; etc.

There are options for fulfilling this phase:

1. 1. 1. 1. I can go through each room alone, while you and any invited guests stay in another room meditating and/or chanting in a prayerful state of mind
         2. You can accompany me as I remove any persistent negativity, while any invited guests meditate and/or chant in a prayerful state of mind
         3. We can all proceed through the rooms together as I banish negative energy and send it back to its source
         4. In some instances, you may be unable to be on site at the time of the Clearing. In that case, you would sit in meditation from your location.

No one way is better than any other. It is simply a matter of choice. And the choice is yours.

 

After the Clearing comes the second procession, the Blessing. We walk through the room(s) again, repeating the wishes expressed by guests earlier in the Circle. If I receive messages from Spirit, I will add them to the blessings as I call in positive energies and forces to infuse the space.

 

Closing Remarks and Opening the Circle

After the processions of Clearing and Blessing, all of us who have participated return to the altar room to share. We stay mindful that we are still in the sacred space of Ceremony. So, our words honor our experiences, the energies that supported the Ritual, the host (if we are a guest), and each other.

Finally, I will send each of the Directions home with prayers of gratitude for their gifts and blessings to us during this time we have spent together. Saying good-bye to them signals the Opening of the Circle. Everyone returns from “ceremonial  time” to “normal time” and is now free to go about their routine.

As the petitioner, you will incur some expenses. If you have invited guests, you would typically give them a gift of thanks as they leave. In most traditions, you have prepared food and drink to share, and everyone else has brought some, too, for a potluck. In this case, the food may be your parting gift, but usually you will also have an additional token for each guest. It can be small, like a few sticks of incense or some special tea bags or candies.

However, if it is just you and your family, or co-workers who share the space with you, these extra gifts may be omitted. If you have opted not to invite any supporters to your Ceremony, the only expense will be the officiant’s fee.

Although it is the convention to invite the officiating priest to the potluck, you would not be expected to invite the officiant to eat with you if there are no guests. But if you do, you shouldn’t be offended if they decline. Such a Ceremony could give a priest the need for some quiet prayer and alone time to rest. On the other hand, some priests are revived by spending some social time after the Ceremony. There are no hard and fast rules here.

 

My Role As The Priest/Officiant

Guiding a Clearing and Blessing Ceremony – i.e. a House Blessing or Office Blessing – is a big undertaking. It demands an immense amount of meditation, time and dedication. And it requires a lot of spiritual fitness.

Although the Ceremony itself may take only an hour or two, many more hours may be spent interviewing the petitioner to understand the underlying reasons for the request, along with any accompanying blocks or resistance.

 Plus, the Walk-Through will have taken time and may have been demanding. (see Part 1). Depending on the energies discovered in that process, it can be physically, emotionally and/or spiritually draining. Not always . . . but I have to be prepared for it; I have to reinforce my spiritual protection. Hence, the need for “spiritual fitness.”

Once all of that is completed, it’s time to write the Ceremony. I make sure it has all the components necessary to honor the Old Ways, and include personalizations that honor you and your intentions.

It is my responsibility to ensure the Ceremony is done in a good way. This includes setting up a strong field of powerfully positive energy and maintaining it. It’s my job to direct good energy in and drive bad energy out to create a safe space before Closing the Circle.

 

Ways You May Choose To Be Involved In The  Ceremony

The Clearing and Blessing Ceremony is, of course, the responsibility of the priest/officiant. But there are places in the Ceremony that are opportune for you, as the petitioner, to offer your personal input. There is measurable benefit to you in doing so. For one thing, fully investing yourself strengthens your soul. Also, adding your personal touch to the Ceremony makes its effectiveness more powerful.

I have already mentioned above some opportunities in the Ceremony for your input. But there are others. Remember, this is your Ceremony. It should reflect your unique desires for your space and support the needs of the phase of life you are entering into. Here are some functions for you to consider:

• • • • Write down the qualities and blessings you want this Ceremony to usher in, and bring the paper to the Ceremony
      • Ask your family, friends and guests, if you plan to include them, to do the same
      • Create a delightful and welcoming invitation to email or snail mail to people whom you feel would wholeheartedly support your intention – people who hold the best wishes for your abundance and happiness
      • Prepare welcoming remarks of gratitude for your guests to deliver at the appropriate place in the Ceremony (see Invocation and Closing the Circle above)
      • Thoroughly clean the house, office or building from top to bottom the day before or day of the Ceremony (a must)
      • Take part in the Processions
      • Be generous with food and gifts
      • Be kind to all versions of yourself that you are leaving in the past
        

 

Having your space cleared and blessed makes an immeasurable difference. Everything is fresh. You feel invigorated. Happier. Clearer. More relaxed. You are amazingly at home in your space!