How do you prepare your home for the New Year? I wanted to share with readers how you can make your New Year bright with a simple do-it-yourself home ritual. Simply follow the 10 easy steps below and you'll have the advantage of all the best the Universe may offer in 2004.
You may also repeat this ritual anytime you wish to make a new beginning for yourself: at the end of a relationship; at the beginning of a new job; after really negative people have left your house; or the morning of your birthday. This is a harmless way to create the best energy possible where you live.
Purchase some dried sage and cedar (with mini-charcoal burning disks) or a cedar burning stick and a container of sea salt. I've seen them at Wild Oats and Whole Foods or any metaphysical bookstore. Or if that's too much trouble, whip out that old sandalwood incense that you used to cover up that time you "didn't inhale" and plan to use salt that's already in your cupboard.
When you awaken on New Year's Day, take a salt bath—one cup of salt to a tub of water. Yes, you can have your double latte whilst soaking. After five minutes of soaking, lather up as usual, finish your normal grooming routine, dry off with a freshly laundered towel, and get dressed in freshly laundered clothing.
Wrap a small plate with foil and place the charcoal disk in the center of the plate. Light the charcoal disk and wait for about 30 seconds until the entire disk is smoldering. Sprinkle some sage and cedar on the disk until it begins to smoke. Keep some extra sage and cedar in a small bowl to keep the smoke going until the ritual is completed. If you're using a smudge stick, follow the instructions on the stick until it begins to smoke.
(If you think the burning smoke might trip a smoke detector, it's OK to open a few windows as you go around the house. You don't need a lot of smoke to accomplish this cleansing task. Mystic Mona is not responsible for any especially loud smoke detector noises or handsome firemen visiting your humble abode. Smoking is only allowed by those who are 18 or older.)
Beginning at your front door, make a counterclockwise circle around the perimeter of the door with your smoking sage and cedar. Then going to your left (again counterclockwise), walk the entire inside perimeter of your house. (If your house is two stories or more, begin at the floor your front door is located and then go up and circle each next floor counterclockwise. If there is a floor above and below the level of your front door, do the main level first, then the next level up and then the level below the main entrance.)
This counterclockwise circle releases any negative energy in the home.
Once you are back at the front door, still keeping the sage and cedar smoking, make a clockwise circle of the perimeter of your front door. Then turning to your right (clockwise), walk the entire inside of your home again. When you're back at the front door, do one more clockwise circle of the front door. The clockwise circle seals in positive energy.
Then go to the kitchen and pour water on the burning charcoal disk, smudge stick or incense to make sure it's no longer a fire hazard before you throw it away. Open every window in your home and turn on the fans for about five minutes. That will clear out the smoke and bring all fresh air into your house. (It also gets rid of that "sort of smells like marijuana" scent for which sage and cedar get a bad rap.)
While the house is airing out, go to your freezer and dump out all the ice into your sink. We'll even begin the New Year with new ice!
Close all your windows and turn off the fans. Your house is now ready for a new beginning. Have the following four items at the same meal before midnight (most of the buffets in town will have these items):
• Black-eyed peas: This is for luck in the New Year.
• Some sort of leafy vegetable: spinach, collards or even lettuce—this is for money in the New Year.
• Meat from an animal that doesn't scratch backward (chicken and turkeys scratch backward): Pork is a good choice—this is so you don't go hungry in the New Year.
• Something sweet: cookies, candy, cake, or ice cream—so you can count on sweet surprises in the New Year.
Lastly, be with someone you love (or really like) on New Year's Day. Who you are with on the first day of the year sets the tone for what you'll tolerate or celebrate for the entire year.
Happy New Year!
Mystic Mona is a licensed professional in the Psychic Arts through the City of Las Vegas. Her live and local radio show, "Psychic View," can be heard at 10 a.m. Saturdays on Hottalk 1140 AM. You may e-mail your questions for consideration to [email protected] or visit her website at www.mysticmona.com.