How to prepare your home for the darker months like a witch
The veil is getting thinner, and I don’t know about you, but I have been feeling it. So in this blog post, I’m sharing some of my most favorite ways to prepare my home for the darker months like a witch with you. :)
My favorite practices for the darker months, are a blend of old folklore and my personal practice. And a lot of the things that I do is set-and-forget magick, because I’m a busy like a bee witch, and I want to do magick that is dear to me but also practical. So I may place an herb bundle next to my entrance and it stays there until I can feel that it is time to change it later on. What I’m doing may sound simple, but we have to remember that in the past our ancestors did not have all these stores and options from all over the world. They used what was available to them!
Cleansing Magick
The first thing to do to prepare for the darker months like a witch is to do some cleansing magick. Clean your home, declutter what’s no longer needed and wipe away any dust or spider webs that are keeping stagnant energy in your home. I made an extensive video about cleansing magick that you can watch here (click).
Cleansing Magick is essential for me and takes up a big part of my preparations for the darker months ahead, so it really is the fundament for everything else I do! I also do regular cleansing with incense or cleansing sprays.
House Magick
The second thing you can do, is to do some house magick and strengthen the relationship with your house spirit.
House magick deals with the concept that your home is enspirited, and if you build a trustful relationship with the house spirit that inhabits your home - and treat it with respect, it can support you in return. If you have your house spirit on your side, you will probably receive a lot of impulses if something feels off in your home, and you will probably feel more magickal and nourished and grounded in general. I myself have felt a big difference in my living situation after starting to work with the house spirit.
So if you have not already, introduce yourself to the spirit of your home! Leave it a little gift and thank because it provides you with shelter. You can also create a little corner in your home that is dedicated to your house spirit
Magickal Workings inspired by Folklore & Traditions
There are many simple ways and places to weave magick into your home: your doors, your windows, your garden, your patio, or the kitchen. And many of these practices appear again and again in folklore. So I personally love incorporating them, because I know that they have been trusted and refined by people for decades and even hundreds of years.
Where I live there are some interesting traditions. For example the custom of giving bread and salt as a housewarming gift, as this is supposed to ensure prosperity and protection from evil. Herbal bouquets were and still are done in Germany, and they were collected over the year so there would be enough in the home apothecary for winter, and some were also thrown into the fire to provide protection. Blessings or spells could have been incorporated into the doorframe to protect the house from evil influences and you can still see these writings on many buildings here.
You may have other traditions in your area, so make sure you do your own research about your local folklore and see what you may want to integrate into your practice!
Place a Broom next to your entrance door upside down.
Probably one of the most well-known traditions for protecting a home is keeping a witch’s broom placed upside down near the entrance door. And I love how this practice has been embraced by many modern witches who are bringing the folklore back to life!
A broom is not only a tool for sweeping away unwanted energies - upside down next to your door it can also serve as a form of protection, and help to deter unwelcome visitors or encourage them to leave quickly. :)
But of course, you can use your witch’s broom to ritually sweep out all the unwanted and stuck energies from your home. I do this by sweeping every room counter clockwise to banish and then sweeping it out to the back door.
Paint Sigils above your door and in your home.
Throughout history, various apotropaic symbols - also known as witch marks - were carved or painted near home entrances to guard against evil spirits and misfortune. The word in its Greek origin means “to ward off” or “to turn away.” Common symbols included crisscrossing lines, the hexafoil, or the pentagram. These hidden markings were believed to create a magical barrier that would shield the home and its inhabitants from malevolent forces.
And so what I started doing recently is painting sigils, symbols and runes above my doors and windows and in rooms where needed. I saw people painting them on the wall before putting the tapestry on top, which is definitely something that I would do in a permanent home.
Hang a horseshoe above your entrance door.
Another measure for warding off unwanted energy and spirits that appears in many folklores is the use of iron in the home. Hanging a horseshoe, that are traditionally made of iron, above the door is an old superstition believed to bring good luck and keep evil spirits away. Some people hang it in a U-shape so that the good luck does not spill out, but some also hang it upside down. I do think it is important, however, to check in with the spirits of your home and land, as it is said that many spirits who might benefit your home do not welcome the presence of iron.
Use salt for protection.
Salt is another ingredient that has been used again and again in fairytales, stories and traditions and it is often considered one of the most powerful tools for repelling negativity.
Many witches, myself included, sprinkle salt into the corners of their homes for protection and to cleanse the space, because it is said to absorb unwanted energies. Sprinkling salt at your doorway or windowsill is also believed to help keep unwanted energy away. And when saltwater is placed in a bowl, it is said that if the salt begins to “wander” up the sides of the bowl, it is absorbing negative energies from this particular space.
Eggshells to absorb unwanted energy.
Eggshells are another little everyday bit of my magick. I wash and dry the shells and keep them in small bowls around the house. They’re said to absorb unwanted energies like salt, and when I feel they’ve done their job, I simply toss them out in the trash. I love how protection magick so often comes from simple things we already have in our kitchens!
Hang witchbells on your doors.
It is believed that the sound of bells drives away unpleasant beings or spirits and that they carry perfect harmony and clarity. I also once read that fairies are said to love bells, and I love it because it adds another layer of magick to the witch bells.
They are a constant in my own practice throughout the whole year really, and I always keep witch’s bells on my doors. For me, the sound of witch’s bells is also a gentle reminder to return to the present moment and it reminds me to be grounded in my body. As a witch, being focused and intentional is essential and before entering into the busy world, I take a deep breath when hearing the sound and ground myself.
Use Mirror Magick to reflect unwanted energy.
Mirrors are powerful magickal wards and so, Mirror magick is something that I have been trying out more recently. I annoint a small mirror first with essential oils, like rosemary, mugwort, lavender, anise, or pine and you can also draw sigils, symbols for protection or runes on the back of the mirror to enhance the magick even more.
And I then hang the mirror - facing outward - outside of my entrance door. You could even write: “return to the sender” on the back of the mirror, now that I think about it, that would be really straight forward :D You can also place these magickal mirrors by your windows because they are said to reflect harmful intentions or unwanted energies right back to where they came from.
Have some Pinecones in your home.
One of my most beloved natural tool to work with is pine cones. They symbolize strength, fertility, your third eye, and (you guessed it) protection. Whenever I go for walks in nature in autumn or winter, I collect a bunch of them and then keep them in bowls around the house, sometimes I make wreaths for the door or garlands for the windows. They are really versatile and I love to craft natural decoration that is even magickal and doesn’t cost anything. I also put them on my wheel of the year tree that is in my living room for some extra enchanted forest magick. :)
Keep ivy in your home.
Another thing I do as a modern witch to prepare for the darker months of the year, is putting ivy literally everywhere in my home. Ivy is probably one of the plants most closely associated with witches and in Germany, you can still see old houses completely covered in ivy, because it was believed that by covering your home in ivy, it would be protected.
I simply love the aesthetic of that magickal green blanket that is covering the walls. Of course, you don’t need to let ivy take over your whole house - unless you want to ;) - but I do keep cuttings in vases on my altar and around my home. I love the way it brings that protective energy indoors! Ivy is also said to improve air quality in your rooms by filtering pollutants from the air and it is said to reduce mold spores. By adding the little vases I also add the element of water to the room, which I personally love.
Place Herb bundles & Wreaths near your entrance door and in your home.
And then there are my beloved herb bundles. Lately, I’ve been especially drawn to hawthorn. It is said to be highly protective and can help with a good night’s sleep. One of my favorite ways to keep my home protected is by hanging a bundle of hawthorn over the door. It’s such a simple act and said to help keep unwanted energies out. I also keep a bundle above my bed and in my last video we crafted a protective pentagram with hawthorn for above my seasonal altar - so all of these are beautiful ways to bring some protection into your home.
But you could also hang an herb bundle or wreath made from ivy, evergreen or other herbs that you associate with protection on your door or in your home. I personally really love seasonal wreaths because they are easy to make and so so pretty.
Light candles with intention.
And last but most certainly not least: Candle Magick! As a witch I naturally love to use candles in my practice. I love dressing candles with oils and herbs and carving sigils, symbols or words into them. When it comes to colors for protection, I always go with a black candle, because black is the color associated with absorbing and consuming unwanted and negative energy as well as banishing and breaking a hex for example (I always think about a black whole that absorbs everything). A black candle ritual is also really beautiful for breaking bad vibes or doing some clearing after a conflict.
So in this season, I run through a lot of black candles, as I light each and every single one with the intention to banish unwanted energies.
You can watch the full video here:
What are your favorite ways to prepare for the darker months of the year?
Have a wonderful magickal day,
Bebea