Tending Your House Spirits
Have you ever gotten that itch to get up and clean, or to tidy up that pile of blankets thatâs been crumpled for 3 days? How about to finally hang up that piece of art, or fix that squeaky hinge? What if that very inkling to do the thing was your home asking you to tend it? This is definitely one of those things that I hadnât thought of before, at least not like this.
When I woke up this morning, my partner was getting ready for work, and I heard him get out a pair of socks from a recently opened package, versus straight from the drawer. My first thought was âI should do laundry today while heâs at work?â, and then my next thought was âooh, I could do housework today!â And yes, I was fairly excited about it. My son has been asking for a week or so for us to do Spring Cleaning, and I kept telling him âIn a little bitâ - and ultimately got sucked into doing other things and ran out of time in the day to get done what needed doing. It was so clear to me today, though, that my home was asking me to tend to it. To liberate it of all of the stagnant energy thatâs been collecting in the corners, and encroaching on the rest of the living space.
In the past four weeks, many of our lives have changed drastically. I lost my job, school was put on extended spring break, offices started asking employees to quarantine, business started closing their doors, started letting go their employees, many governments started Stay At Home orders, and so on. Right now, the only thing that makes sense is that nothing makes sense. As such, our routines are shot, our mental health is more shaky than it already had been, and itâs everything we can do just to get up in the morning.
I have dealt with Major Depressive Disorder for longer than I can remember, so I know exactly how hard it can be to even approach the hurdle that needs jumping. However, tending to the things around your home is something you CAN control. It is one thing that only you has a say-so in. What better time to take control of what you can, than when the rest of the world is in utter chaos. With commutes largely changed, some of that time youâre getting back in your day could be spent doing one thing on your to-do list. If youâre working from home, youâve got a 50/50 chance at having a dedicated work space - not everyone has the space, and not many were even allowed to work from home prior to recent events. How does your workspace look and feel right now? What is one thing you can do to make it feel better? Tending any one small thing has the ability to make everything feel better, so why wouldnât we do it more?
The homes that we dwell in, in most cases, have been on this Earth for at least as long as we have, and in some cases infinitely longer. There are buildings still present (if not functional) from over 5,000 years ago, the oldest of which was built in c.3600 BCE, and barring any extreme circumstances, a well maintained home will last for generations. The space that I am occupying has seen many families before mine, and I am certain it will see many families after. I also share many walls with neighbors, and have seen several new tenants in my short amount of time here. Sitting here in this moment, my building feels⊠tired. Would it be so hard to believe that these spaces carry with them the spirits from the materials they were built with? Or some other energetic formation the comes to life with long standing care a la Velveteen Rabbit?
I turned on Mystic Medusaâs House Witchery today while I was tidying up, the first time since I got it a few years ago Iâve realized, and it hit the nail so perfectly on the head. Just shifting things a little bit can have a profound effect. In her talk, Mystic talks about thanking your house for the shelter it provides, and it really made me thinkâŠwe are the temporary life form in this equation. It makes sense to me that there would be an essence that wants to live harmoniously with us, and just maybe by us tending to our things - we are showing our gratitude.
With everything being all topsy turvy, never really knowing what day is which (itâs all an illusion anyways), only that the sun comes up and later goes down again, itâs easy to let things slide and build up. When was the last time you checked the mail? Or sorted through that stack of papers you keep pushing aside? I found a few of those stacks myself and it was mostly coupons that are now expired. Okay, so your papers are in order, and bills are paid or scheduled - when was the last time you swept or vacuumed? Foot traffic is at an all time low, but we still shed skin cells and hair every day.
If for any reason youâve found yourself primarily at home of late, where are you spending most of that time? Has it been the same spot on the couch all day every day? Maybe itâs time to fluff the pillows or fold the blankets. Here in the PNW, itâs been chilly at night and in the mornings - so Iâve still got my feet tucked into a fuzzy blanket. Where do you eat your meals? If itâs not at the table, what can be done to make the space? If it is, when was the last time it was wiped down? When was the last time you changed the towels - both in the kitchen and in the bathroom? Do you make your bed after you get up? Have you been keeping up on that practice? Speaking of your bed, when was the last time you changed the sheets?
There are so many small things around the house that can be done, and there are quite a few that really donât require a ton of effort. Chores still require spoons/spell slots, but what would happen if we thought of chores more as offerings for our house spirits?
