"Whether given as a gift to people moving into a new home or used to bring additional security and stability to one's home during or after times of trouble, HOUSE BLESSING is always a welcome addition to your prayers for family happiness and contentment.."
Lucky Mojo Curio Co. catalogue
House Blessing (also known as House Dressing) is an old hoodoo formula for oil, incense, sachet powders, and washing products used in magic spells that are believed to put an end to strife in the home and settle conditions so that every family member is contented and co-operative. Some say this formula works because it contains Basil, allegedly the most important "happy home" herb. Others claim that it is the Rosemary in this formula that does the work, because Rosemary is reputed to be an herb that "gives women dominance" and, they claim, a home ruled by a kindly woman is always a peaceful home!
The item shown here is a Lucky Mojo brand House Blessing vigil candle. The same herbs and fragrances used to dress this candle for customers and clients are the basis of Lucky Mojo House Blessing dressing oil . used for anointing oneself, fixing the home, preparing blue offertory candles or feeding a mojo bag. These herbs and scents also can be found in House Blessing incense powder, sachet powder, and bath crystals.
Like the rest of the Lucky Mojo line, these products contain genuine reputed love-enhancing and home-improving herbs and herbal essential oils, not synthetic fragrances. The ingredients in House Blessing include Basil, Sandalwood, and other herbs and essences. Lucky Mojo labels are adapted from vintage packaging and in many cases the images are as traditional as the ingredients themselves.
There are many lovely ways to perform a house blessing, either for a new home, or to settle conditions in a home that has seen strife or that is under threat of forced sale or bank foreclosure. Burning incense and performing a cleaning ritual are probably the oldest and most traditional of these customs.
When blessing a new home, it is common practice to buy a new broom and use it to sweep out every room in the home before bringing any furniture inside. Some incense and a small candle may then be lit in each room, or one larger candle, such as this vigil light, may be set to burn in the living room and the house is thoroughly smudged.
The following ritual of is house blessing is adapted from an old Peaceful Home spell for promoting peace in the home. It utilizes a blue candle -- either a 4 " or 6" blue offertory candle or a glass encased vigil candle like the one shown here. Fix the light with House Blessing dressing oil and set it on a paper on which has been written the name of everyone in the household, crossed by the entire text of the 23rd Psalm of the Bible. If there is danger around the home -- such as a bad neighborhood -- the 91st Psalm is also read.
Four coins -- usually four nickels or four dimes -- are placed around the candle in the form of an equal-armed cross, oriented North, South, East, and West. (This shape -- four outer corners and a central point -- is called a "five-spot" in hoodoo. Some folklorists call is a "quincunx.")
The coins that surround the dressed candle should all be of the same denomination. Back in the days when women often did not have jobs outside the home and the husband brought home all the pay, it was said that the four coins should be ones that were freely given by the husband to his wife. Nowadays, when most women have their own jobs, that is probably not so important, but the idea of the four coins remains.
After the coins are put into place, the candle is lit and the 23rd Psalm is recited aloud. When the candle has finished burning, the coins are buried at the four corners of the house to let the work continue. The candle wax is buried under the house, thus again forming a five-spot pattern. If the house is built in such a way that you cannot get under it, the wax may be buried at the front door instead.
Old spells like this can be adapted for use by people who live in apartments, but how they do so is going to be unique to their own situation. In any case, it is important to properly dispose of the ritual remains of the spell by laying them in the corners.
Another common way to employ House Blessing spiritual supplies is to throw a small amount of the mineral bath crystals in the laundry rinse water when washing the family's clothes, towels, curtains, and bedding, thus dressing the items so that they will affect those who use or wear them, and bring them joy and pleasure in the home. The same can be done with the floor wash or household scrub water.
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