Honoring Passing Spaces, Saying Good-bye to a Home Options

[Barbara]

Saying good-bye to a home or space is an important part of moving forward. It gives us a sense of completion.


When we move from one residence to another, we often get so caught up in the forward thrust of where we are going that we forget to properly say good-bye to the home we are leaving behind. Yet saying good-bye is an important part of moving forward. It gives us a sense of completion so that we are able to fully inhabit our new space, having left nothing of ourselves behind in the old one. In this way, we honor the space that has held and nurtured us. At the same time, we cleanse it and empty it of our energy so that the new residents can make the space theirs.

Plan a walk through your home that begins and ends at the front door. Ideally, you will be alone or accompanied only by a person who shared the space with you. Prepare yourself mentally to be as present as you can during this process. As you enter the house, you might say, „I have come to thank you for being my home and to say good-bye.‰ You might touch the walls with your hands as you move through the house, or you might burn sage as an offering, as well as an energy cleanser. Spend some time in each room expressing your gratitude and gathering or releasing any lingering energy from the room. As you do this, you are freeing your home to embrace its new occupants. Remember to visit your outside spaces as well. Plants are especially sensitive to the energy around them and will appreciate your consideration.

As you make your way back to the front door, know that you have completed your final journey through your home and that you have honored and blessed it with this ritual of farewell. As you close and lock the door behind you, say one last good-bye. Now you can walk freely into your future and fully inhabit the new spaces that will keep you safe and warm.

[Amanda-Leigh]

I remember when we moved a few years ago from the house I grew up in. I was so upset!! And I walked through it and said goodbye a thousand times, but in my head it was always "my house" - it wasn't until I drove by a few months ago and saw all the changes the new owners made that I really said goodbye. And it was weird how much weight felt lifted from me - I didn't realize the stress of not having said goodbye (even though I had thought I did). Stress is a funny thing!

[Barbara]

When we left our house of 34 years, I knew I would never return because it hurt too much. I couldn't say good bye. How could I have known that the new owners would knock it down and rebuild. It will forever be in my mind as it was when we left. Maybe that's why I'm still having such a problem in moving forward.

[Jayna]

It's been ten years since I moved to this city, but I have continued to dream that I lived in my old house in my old town. No matter how long I was away, I would find myself in dreams going back to get the mail, spend a few nights, whatever. Last week I dreamed it was starting to crack along the roof joists and the main floor was starting to buckle into the basement. Now I wonder if I will ever dream about it again.

eta: and this was all AFTER I did a smudge through the whole house saying goodbye to it when I moved out. Not quite the complete break I was expecting, after that.

This post has been edited by Jayna: Feb 7 2010, 11:11 PM