Two days a year, the Spring Equinox and the Autumn Equinox, mark times when the Earth experiences a period of equal light and dark, a day and night of equal duration.
Tuesday September 23rd is the Autumn Equinox. On this day, we will experience a balance of light and dark. Up until now, the hours of daylight have been greater than the hours between dusk and dawn. Now we enter a period when the hours of darkness are greater.
It’s a time of balance, a time to reap what we have sown, a time to prepare for the long dark days ahead. The warmth of summer is behind us, cold lies ahead. The fields are empty.
Just as gardeners and farmers will evaluate the harvest to determine what changes should be made to next years crop…..it’s a good time for us to evaluate what has brought bountiful harvests to our lives and what has not. It’s a time to release negative energies and clear away any lingering negativity to prepare to enter the darker nights of winter.
Autumn Equinox is a time when nearly every old time conjure worker that I have ever known performs a full house cleansing. Modern and “internet” workers will tell you that this should be done on New Year’s, but I have always seen it done during the Spring and Autumn Equinox. (This is where the popular idea of “spring cleaning” comes from, except in conjure there is also a fall cleaning.)
Try it yourself this year and I guarantee you will look forward to doing it every year! The holiday season is stressful enough, don’t head into it with lingering negative energy in your home and don’t allow other peoples stress and anxiety to make itself a permanent resident in your home.
You can use any combination of herbs that have cleansing and protecting qualities. You can follow a recipe (many are readily available) from a conjure worker, or you can buy a pre-made home cleansing wash (from a professional reputable worker, not a gimmick company that mass produces “junk” spiritual supplies).
Some simple and effective ingredients for a house cleansing include:
- Pine-sol (use the name brand original formula with pine oil) - clears away mental negativity from old arguments AND attracts money into your home
- basil - protect from evil AND bring happiness into your home
- Rosemary - spiritual protection AND brings peace into your home
- Bay Leaves - ward off evil
- Rose Petals - encourage love and romance
- Ammonia - removes crossed conditions, jinxes, curses (only use a VERY small amount in an entire bucket of wash water - a splash or teaspoon is fine.)
- salt - keeps evil out and blesses home (you can bless your salt by praying a specific prayer over it!)
- Cardamon - Use to attract new love
- Cinnamon - attracts money
Use ingredients that fit your personal situation. I always use an odd number of ingredients, generally 3 or 5 (7 if I’m feeling particularly ambitious!)
Wash every floor, windowsill, mantle, and surface. In carpeted rooms, you can sprinkle your mix lightly with your fingers or put in a spray bottle and spray throughout room. You can also crush the herbs and sprinkle them on carpet and vacuum up. Makes the room smell incredible!
Purposefully anoint every single door and window (any place that negativity can come in). I like to anoint by marking with a cross and I say the 23rd Psalm in every room as I anoint.
I end my day of spiritual house cleansing and blessing with a personal cleansing and blessing bath. I put herbs in a handkerchief, tie it up, and toss into bathwater and relax!
On the evening of the Autumn Equinox, the entire family participates in smudging the house with cedar and sage. It’s a beautiful family tradition and gets everyone in the mood for the fall season. More on smudging later.
These are just a few ideas to get your mind, spirit, and home ready for winter.
source~folkwitch
