Spirit Cleansing

Last week I posted some great Organic Cleaning recipes, and had an amazing response of comments and e-mails with lots more to add to my collection.

This week I'd like to post another kind of cleanse, a Spirit Cleanse. I do a great deal of work in the Niagara Region of Ontario Canada with Ghosts and Spirits, doing home cleanings for friends, people who seek me, and of course myself. If any of you have had this particular type of 'guest' in your home you know their presence can be anything from peaceful and relaxed, to disturbing and down right chaotic. When someone contacts me, they often start by saying the animals in the house have been acting weird, chasing things or growling at things that are not visible, or they've heard footsteps at night, or scratching from inside walls. Some report that they've been hearing voices, or have saw objects move, or caught someone walk across the room from the corner of their eye. On rare occasions I receive calls of desperation, from people who are being tormented by these spirits. If you are nodding your head now, you may want to read on.

First I'm asked why some ghosts, or spirits are kind, and don't cause much trouble, while some are destructive and are seeking to disturb the peace. My response is always the same; just as we have people in this present life who range from kind to cruel, so does the after life. Their second question is always "how the hell do we get rid of them"?

Continue reading and I will show you some time tested and fool proof methods to cleanse your home and rid any negative entity or energy that may be lingering. These methods are also excellent if you are moving into a new home and want to clear out the old tenants energy, or are just looking to do a little spiritual spring cleaning.

You live in your home, so you'll already know what may be lurking in the shadows, or the type of energy you're feeling that is causing worry. The first thing I do after walking through the front door is find a quiet place, central to the home and sit and open my senses. I sit quietly and open myself to any spirits, energy or vibes to get a good idea of what I am dealing with. I've always then said a prayer, to protect myself, the people in the house, and to send healing light to anyone who may need it. You don't have to be religious, or involve God in your prayer, your 'intent', and the energy you raise while you connect is most powerful.

Once I'm properly centered and grounded I prepare my cleansing supplies, usually consisting of the following:

Clearing Incense
Sweet Grass
a Sage Bundle
and, several White Candles

Once you are ready, you can begin. Light a white candle in every room. White is the color of clarity and peace. Light your incense and place it central to the house, usually in the living/family room. Next, and this is important, you want to open every window and door possible in the house, you want the flow of energy to be strong. You can pick any room to start in, usually I start at the front door with burning sage bundle in hand, my body surrounded in white light I bless the door, and say an incantation, or prayer that only good, love and joy can enter this home. That all negativity shall be refused entrance and be cast out of this place. While visualizing the smoke from the sage bundle and sweet grass creeping into every corner in the area, I bless the door (by laying on of hands) and ask for the universe/God/white light to protect this home from any being or person that may bring ill or negative energy. Leave the door open, and don't close it until last.

Working around the house in a circular pattern, in each and every room, and closet I bless each room, asking that all negative energy and spirits be released from this place and not allowed to return. That each room is filled with love, and peace, and happy energy. I extend the bright white energy that is radiating from my being to envelop the room. I bless each and every window that it will only bring through light, laughter and love and then close the window, signifying the closed doorway or path to any being that would want to bring negativity into this home.

Once I have finished each room, including all bathrooms, closets, nooks and crannies, I return to the front door, standing outside I bless the entire home, letting the white light that surrounds me to again envelop the house and property around it. Once I am done, I again bless the door to only allow entrance to good beings, love, light, and joy and close the door.

You will feel a sense that the air in the home is lighter, that feelings of negativity are gone, and the home has returned to a state of peacefulness.

Have any questions, need some advice? Just leave a comment, or e-mail me and I'll be sure to respond! Often I use Sea Salts, and Holy Water, even Vinegar for spirit cleanings and if you do as well I'd love to hear how!

Embrace your Journey,
AND the things that go bump in the night!
Bret =)

Organic Cleaning

I woke up this morning, to the smell of freshly baked bread - thanks to the timer on my bread machine. I opened all the windows to let in the fresh breeze and prepared a toasted slice complete with my sisters and my homemade strawberry jam.

I am working this year at living more organically, with less refined foods, whole foods, and only locally grown produce (this is a hard one). I've done a great deal of canning myself, including jams, pickles, apples, pears, peaches, beets, and frozen a bunch of broccoli, cabbage, peppers, and beans. It's been difficult, as I am sure any of you out there agree, its hard to live without all the quick modern days convinces of fast foods, ready to eat meals, preservative filled breads, meat laced with growth hormones, and toxic house hold cleaners. I decided today was a great day for spring cleaning, and I know its something that all of us have either just finished, or are gearing up too do. I had to replenish my supply of homemade organic cleaning products today, and figured now would be an excellent time to share with all of you some of my recipes!

First, lets assemble a list of ingredients, most I'm sure you already have in your house:

White Vinegar
Baking Soda
Salt
Lemons
Tea Tree Oil
Dish Soap (or Pure Castile Soap)
Reusable Rags
Spray Bottles and Glass Jars.

Seems like some pretty basic and simple ingredients right? Any combination of the above cleaners will work just as well, actually most of the time better than any toxic, store bought product you can purchase! Let's get cleaning!

Organic Window Cleaner:
1/2 cup White Vinegar
3 cups Water
1-2 Squirts of Dish Soap (organic)

I've found this is very effective, the few squirts of dish soap makes sure that all greasy finger prints and dirt is washed away. Try using this with a reusable microfiber cloth, or a hand full of newspapers. Bottle and mark clearly in a clear plastic bottle and store for next time.


Oven Cleaner: (or any grimy surface - works well on a bath tub too)
1 Lemon, cut in half
1 Bowl of Baking Soda
1 cup of pure Vinegar with a few squirts of dish soap.

With a reusable rag, wet the surface with the vinegar and soap solution, you can also bottle and spray the area. Take your 1/2 lemon in one hand, dip the cut end in your bowl of baking soda, and use the lemon as a scrub pad on your grimy surface.

If you'd like to use a scouring sponge for the above combine 1 cup baking soda, with enough dish soap to form a paste, add a little lemon juice and spoon on a scrubbing pad. If you'd like to bottle and keep this recipe, just add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist.

Toilet Cleaner:
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Vinegar
5-7 drops of Tea Tree oil

This is a very effective cleaner. Feel free to let this sit in the toilet bowl for a while. If you've got a big job to do, turn off the water supply valve, flush the toilet, scoop as much water out of the bowl as you can, and use this mixture on an empty bowl with a scrub pad. For extra strength, add 1/4 cup of salt, just be careful as salt may scratch your surface, but does work very well on a porcelain toilet.

Floors (including Hardwood):
1/2 cup White Vinegar
1 Gallon Hot Water

This is very effective on any washable floor surface. I use this all the time on my hardwood floors, sometimes in the kitchen I do add a squirt of dish liquid, as the floors tend to be a bit greasy from cooking. You can also sub the dish liquid for 1 cup of lemon juice. Lemon juice will also cut through the grease, and leave a beautiful shine to the wood floors.

General Multipurpose Cleaner (great for all kitchen and bathroom surfaces)
3 cups water
1/2 cup Vinegar
2 squeezes of Dish Soap
3-5 drops of Tea Tree Oil

Combine, bottle and use on any washable surface! For grimy kitchen messes, add a few table spoons of lemon juice to cut through any grease!

Laundry Detergent:

For White Clothes

1/4 cup washing soda (sodium carbonate) in place of bleach. (Bleach is one of the most toxic substances for the environment. Washing soda costs only a few pennies per wash load, and it is far less expensive than bleach.) Along with the washing soda, add 1/4 cup of white vinegar.

For Dark Clothes

1/4 cup of white vinegar and 1/4 cup of salt. (Salt helps restore faded colors, and to remove dirt and grime.)

Polishing Wood Furniture:

Straight citrus oil (can be purchased everwhere) on a lint free rag. Citrus oil is very inexpensive!

Here is a great tip (especally if you have kids): for crayon marks, spilled candle wax, and residue left from tape and other adhesive, dab with mineral oil and wipe gently with a rag. Mineral oil is the main ingredient of many commercial products that advertise the removal of greasy wax stains and marks.

So that's it, that is whats under my kitchen sink right now. Nothing toxic, nothing that will harm our environment, nothing expensive, nothing I wouldn't have in the house anyways! Does anyone have and recipes or advice they would like to share? I would be honored to post and organic cleaning recipes and tips here, just e-mail me and let me know!

Cleaning organically and proud of it? Feel free to post the picture below, and add the following link to these recipes for all your blogging friends to see. All you need to do, is save this picture to your desktop, then when your customizing your blog side gadgets, add a picture, browse for it on your desktop, and add the "link" below! Easy Peazy! Share these wonderful recipes with your friends!

Here is the handy dandy link:

http://endeavorsandsuch.blogspot.com/2009/05/organic-cleaning.html

Happy cleaning everyone!

Embrace your grimy journey ;)

... Missing Her

Today is my second Mothers day without my mom, it's been almost 2 years since she passed last August. I decided to work today, trying to keep by hands busy and my mind silent. I spent Saturday with my sister Leslie, we dug up some of my mom's perennial flowers and transplanted them into her own garden, I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend the day. Hands full of mud, and shoes full of muck. When we were finished we opened a bottle of wine and had a glass, then a bottle, then another. I'm lucky to have an amazing sister, she is my best friend.

I truly miss her, there isn't an hour that goes by that I don't think of her, wishing that I had her guidance, and support. I find myself talking to her alot still, still asking questions, listening very quietly to hear her small still voice, sometimes I think I hear her answers. The clothes she left still hang in her closet, her bedroom untouched, just as she had left it. I still sit in the bottom of her closet smelling her sweaters, they smell like a mom, I'm not sure how else to describe the smell. I find solace and peace in that closet. We still aren't ready to pack away her things, I don't think we will until my dad decides to sell the house if he does.

Selfishly I feel pretty "jipped" that I lost my mom so early, I was 25, I know there are alot of people who lost their mom's a great deal earlier than I did, so I feel blessed for the time that we did have together. A few Christmas' ago, when we came to terms with the fact that we were going to lose her, after the doctors had exhausted all surgical efforts to keep her here with us we decided to bring her home, and care for her there. I feel blessed that we were given that extra time with her, after all, we could have lost her 6 year ago when she first discovered she had cancer. In bringing her home, we again were blessed with another 8 months.

Time is cruel, it truly only ever goes forward, never letting us revisit the past. Although I don't live with any regrets, there are many things I would do differently.

Again I sit here with a glass of wine, in celebration of my mom, and yours. Always remember that you don't have to wait until Mothers Day to tell your mom how much you love her.

Struggling with the Journey,
Miss you mom. xoxo
Bret