How to Perform a Housewarming Ritual
A housewarming ritual is one of the most fun and satisfying rituals you'll ever perform. You don't even have to be pagan to enjoy one. You can go extra-formal and cast a circle, call on a patron god or goddess, and call in the directions. Or you can secularize the ceremony and call it a "house blessing" instead. It can include only you and your roommates, or you can invite friends and family over and follow up the ritual with a traditional housewarming party, complete with lunch or dinner.
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Things You'll Need
- Broom
- A household object for each room
- Food
- Incense, sage or salt water
- Drum (optional)
- Candles (optional)
Instructions
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1
A housewarming ritual works best if you have physically cleaned the space first, especially if you have guests coming. It doesn't have to be immaculate, but the area should be reasonably clean and uncluttered so you can move around and enjoy your new space.
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2
Assemble a collection of objects, one representing each room in your house. For instance, a potholder might represent the kitchen, a bar of soap could signify the bathroom, a throw rug can stand for the living room, and so on. The objects should be relatively lightweight and easy to carry.
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3
If you plan to perform a formal housewarming ritual, cast a circle. This can be done in the interior of an apartment by drawing a circle in the air, clockwise, with a wand or ceremonial blade. Or you can cast a circle around the outside of the house by walking clockwise around the perimeter of the property and visualizing a circle being drawn by your footsteps.
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4
If your housewarming ritual is a formal one, the next step is to face each direction in turn (north, east, south and west) and call the for the help of each direction and the element it represents (earth for the north, air for the east, fire for the south and water for the west). Finally, invoke any gods or goddesses you feel are appropriate by inviting them to bless your ceremony. Lighting a candle for each of the four directions is a nice touch, too.
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Figure out a path from room to room that takes you roughly clockwise through the house, then determine a counter-clockwise path. It doesn't have to be perfect--the layout of the apartment or house may not permit it--but the movement should always remain in the correct general direction.
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6
Cleanse the space. Walk clockwise around the interior of the house or apartment with incense or a sage smudge stick. If you don't have those supplies or don't want to burn incense or sage for fire-safety reasons, you can bring a bowl of saltwater with you and sprinkle it as you move from room to room.
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Next, walk counter-clockwise through each room, using the broom to symbolically whisk away whatever you do not want in each space. You can also beat a drum to scare away the things you want to banish. These elements can range from the abstract, like disharmony or laziness, to the more concrete, such as bad lighting or musty smells.
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Next, set the broom down and walk clockwise through each room in the house. As you do so, place the objects you assembled in Step 2 in each room. Also, in each room, invoke what you want for that space. For instance, you might ask for sound sleep and good dreams in the bedroom, nutritious and healthy food in the kitchen, and laughter and friends in your living room.
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If you've cast a circle and called the directions, you can thank the elements from each of the four directions, and thank the gods or goddesses for blessing your ceremony. It's also time to close the circle. You can do this by drawing it or walking it counterclockwise, or by simply announcing, "The circle is open." Put out any candles you may have lit.
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Finally, it's a nice step to close the ritual by eating something celebratory--like cake, or even a full meal--in your new space. From here, you can transition into a casual housewarming party, if you like.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Sarah Rigg
