Bless a House

You have finally moved into your new house. It is perfect in every single way, and you want it to stay that way. If you are a religious or spiritual person, you might find that blessing your home brings you great peace of mind and serenity. No matter what your religious or spiritual beliefs, start with Step 1 below to find out how to perform a house blessing that appeals to you.

Steps

Religious Blessing

1. Perform a Christian blessing. The blessing of a Christian household is an ancient tradition which can be found in the Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches, amongst others. The blessing may be performed by an ordained priest or pastor, or by the owner of the house themselves.
   • If you would prefer to have your house blessed by an ordained priest, invite him to your house to perform the blessing, and he will be happy to oblige.
   • Normally, the priest will walk from room to room, sprinkling each with holy water. As he walks, he may recite one or more passages from the holy gospel.
   • If you prefer to bless the house yourself, use anointing oil (which can simply be cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil, blessed by a minister) to mark a cross on each of the windows and doors inside the house.
   • As you mark the sign of the cross, utter a simple prayer asking God to bless the room. For example "In the name of Jesus Christ I ask for Your peace and joy to inhabit this room," or "May Your Holy Spirit flow through and fill this home up with Your Spirit."
2. Perform a Jewish blessing. There are an abundance of Jewish traditions associated with moving into a new house, or simply blessing an old one.
   • When moving into a new home, Jewish families are required to affix a mezuzah (parchment inscribed with Hebrew phrases from the Torah) to each of the doorways in the house.
   • As the mezuzah is installed, the following prayer is recited "Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to affix a mezuzah".
   • It is also believed that Tuesday is the best day for moving into a new home, that bread and salt should be the first items to enter the house, and that shortly after moving in a Chanukat Habayit or housewarming party should be held, where friends and family gather and words of the Torah are spoken.
   • During the housewarming party, it's tradition to eat the first fruit of the new season while reciting the shehecheyanu blessing, as follows: "Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion."
3. Perform a Hindu blessing. Hindu house blessings vary greatly according to different regions. In some places the housewarming ceremony is second in importance only to a couple's wedding day.
   • However, across all regions the house blessing must be performed on the morning the homeowners move into their new home. An auspicious move-in date must be chosen by the local Hindu priest, who must also perform the ceremony.
   • On the day, it is traditional (in some regions) for the homeowners to supply a gift tray or dakshina for the priest's use throughout the ceremony. This gift tray usually contains items such as raw, washed rice, mango leaves, ghee, coins, herbs, spices, fruit and flowers, among others.
   • During the ceremony, the homeowners will often sit in front of the fireplace, wearing their best clothes and repeating mantras. The priest will usually recite a prosperity prayer to the Hindu gods, asking for prosperity, purity and serenity to be bestowed upon the people of the house.
   • Contact a priest at your local Hindu temple for information on how the housewarming ceremony is performed in your region.
4. Perform an Islamic blessing. Muslim people bless their house mainly by reciting prayers - usually there is no official ceremony that needs to be performed. However, certain prayers and traditions are recommended:
   • Upon moving into a new house, it is a good idea to perform a two cycle prayer, asking Allah to bestow baraka (blessing), rahma, (mercy) and dhikr (remembrance) upon the home.
   • You can also recite a prayer to protect your home from the evil eye and the envy of others using the following Prophetic Supplication: "I seek refuge for you in the perfect words of Allaah from every devil, harmful thing, and accusing eye."
   • It is also recommended that you invite your friends and family over for dinner, as feeding others is viewed as a charitable act, and a way of showing gratitude to Allah. At this dinner, you and your guests may recite passages from the Qur’an together.
   • Aside from blessing your house when you first move in, you can also bless your house every time you step through the door using the following prayer: "I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allaah from the evil of that which He has created". Repeating this prayer three times will ensure no harm comes to you while you are in the house.
5. Perform a Buddhist blessing. In Buddhism, a ceremony known as Khuan Ban Mai is performed (in certain regions) when a new house is built to protect the house and its inhabitants. The ceremony is performed by a group of nine monks, who must be invited to the house early on the morning of the ceremony.
   • The monks then perform a ritual involving sacred lustral water and wax candles. As the wax melts and drops into the water, it is believed to wash away evil and sorrow.
   • The monks also chant prayers in the Pali language, while passing a white string through each of their hands. The vibrations from the chanted prayers are believed to pass through the string, protecting the houses and its inhabitants.
   • After the ceremony, the monks sit down to a meal prepared by the host family and their friends and neighbors.They must finished their meal before noon. Then one monk sprinkles holy water in each of the rooms of the house, before they all leave.
   • Once the monks leave, the rest of the guests sit down to eat the remaining food. In the afternoon, they perform the thread ceremony, where the guests wrap a white thread around the homeowners and offer them their blessing.

Spiritual Blessing

1. Clean and de-clutter your home. It is important to clean and de-clutter your home before you perform a house blessing. This will put you in a more positive frame of mind and invite fresh energy into the home.
2. Invite friends and family. It's a nice idea to invite friends and family to share in the house blessing ritual with you. Ask them to stand in a circle and join hands.
3. Light a pink candle. Pink symbolizes love and kindness, and will invite these energies into your home.
4. Share blessings. Pass the pink candle to each person in the circle. Whoever is holding the candle should share their blessings for the home and homeowners. Example blessings include "may this home be a sacred dwelling for you and your family" or "may those who enter this home feel peace and love".
5. Walk to each room of the house and state your intention for it. After the blessing, you may want to carry the pink candle into each room of the house and state your intention for it, whether it's the bedroom, the baby's room or the kitchen.
6. Allow the pink candle to burn for an hour. When the ceremony is complete, place the pink candle in a central location in the house and allow it to burn for at least an hour.
7. Open all East-facing doors and windows. This allows the life-giving energy of the sun to stream into your home, bringing energy, life and light.

Tips

• You might like to put in some holy pictures into your house.
• It would also be very fitting to have a little party afterwards to celebrate the blessing.
• Smudging is also a great way to increase positive energy in your home. You need a sage smudge stick (or other variation of a smudge stick but sage is most common) and to burn and wave the smoke throughout the entire home.
• The Spanish have an old custom of hanging crosses above bedroom doors, to scare away evil spirits and protect the people in the house. If you are Christian, this is a good idea, if you live in a house with a painful past.

Things You'll Need

• Holy water (optional)
• Scripture (optional)
• A rosary chaplet or any other kind of prayer beads (optional)

Sources and Citations

See also

• Pray Effectively (Christianity)
• Talk to God
• Pray
• Appreciate Speaking in Tongues
• Pray to Jesus
• Say a Buddhist Prayer
• Pray the Lutheran Rosary
• Say a Well Rounded Prayer to God
• Pray to Invoke the Holy Spirit
• Repent

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