One of the first things many magic users will do is to create wards to prevent negative entities or energies from entering their home. After all, you want your home to be safe, psychically speaking. So it is a good idea to understand how to build effective wards and some of the various methods of achieving effective wards.
In my personal practice I begin the process by first cleansing my entire house. I start by doing a mundane cleaning and vacuuming. Then, working widdershins (counterclockwise) I go into every room and closet in my home and smudge it with an incense I make of sage, cedar, and sweetgrass. As I smudge the rooms I command any negativity to leave and not return.
Once the house is cleansed I then go through the house deosil (clockwise), again entering every room and closet, and I sprinkle them with water and salt and smudge with a protection incense such as sandalwood. I chant something along the lines of "Let no negativity enter here". Push this protection energy all the way to the bounds of your property.
I also anchor the wards at the corners of the property by burying a large iron nail with the tip pointing outwards at the property corners.
There are any number of ways for warding one's home, so here are some books on the topic of wards and shields that I recommend:
" Psychic Self-Defense " by Dion Fortune
" Magickal Self Defense: A Quantum Approach to Warding " by Kerr Cuhulain
" The Witch's Shield: Protection Magick and Psychic Self-Defense " by Christopher Penczak
Here are some sites with good information on this important topic:
Fine and solid information, Lark! And thanks for updating the links. The knowledge to Cleanse and Ward should be one of those things resting in every witches' toolbox early on. Especially before they start experimenting (*cough*dabbling*cough*) with things like calling spirits, Ouija (or other mediumship), and the like.
In general, even if not concerned with such things the practice itself just plain improves the energy of the home. If done and maintained, it can turn your entire living space into a sacred one. Having a space that is clean both physically and spiritually creates a zone friendly to personal growth and development of proper authority. It also makes your home welcoming/attractive to positive, healing, and helpful entities who may wish to teach or guide you in new things.
I consider it yet another example of 'like attracts like. Working to create a space of light and growth attracts entities who will want to help you get there.
