An excerpt from Cottage Witchery by Ellen Dugan

If you want to start turning your place into a magickal sanctuary, you can begin by cleaning house. Think of this as cleaning not only on the physical level but also on the astral plane. The astral level is where magick lives. The astral can't always be seen but it can, with practice, be sensed. So we should not overlook this important aspect while we prepare to clean house. If you approach this task with magickal intention, then it becomes an act of magick. Let's send those dust bunnies and old negativity on their way! Haul out the vacuum and the broom, and get out the dust rag. Visualize that you are capturing old hurt feelings and unpleasant emotions while you sweep. As you dust and polish, imagine that you are wiping away grime and bad luck. Here's a cottage witchery tip: If you use a lemon-scented furniture polish, the scent of lemons will help dispel bad vibes and negativity. How about those curtains-when was the last time they were washed? What about the shades or blinds, could they stand to be wiped down? Add a drop or two of lavender oil to your cleaning water and cleanse those blinds or shades while you freshen things up.

Clean your house from top to bottom, get rid of the clutter, and then take out the garbage. Take a hard look at what's lying around and see what you can dispose of. Toss out old magazines, recycle the old newspapers and aluminum cans, donate old clothes or kid's outgrown ones to a shelter, and clear all of that extra junk out of your home. Try burning a little incense while you clean. Sandalwood's a good choice-typically this scent is used to promote spirituality and to remove negativity. Or-weather permitting-open the windows and let the fresh air in.

Finally, go take a look at your magickal bookshelf or cabinet. Could it stand to be reorganized and straightened out as well? Yup, I thought so. Mine always manages to become untidy too. I don't know how it happens, but I always seem to be straightening it back up. How it manages to get so messy in the first place is a constant mystery to me.

Once you've gotten the clutter and the mess under control, we can begin to work our cottage witchery. By taking control of your surroundings you can begin to trigger the natural magick of your hearth and home. Those elemental energies are all around you anyway, why not direct them toward creating harmony in your life? Now that your place is clean and sparkling on both the physical and astral planes, we are ready to begin. Where do we start, you may wonder? We start by blessing the heart of your home.

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