7 Spiritual Home Essentials

This past spring, I moved into a new apartment at a time when I wanted to truly listen to my needs and desires. I was starting fresh after a breakup and moving out of my longtime ex’s apartment. It was the perfect time to create a space for myself that not only felt like home but also felt sacred and pure every time I walked in. As so much in life has changed over the past year, I found it continuously important to cultivate a home life that felt spiritual and protected with clean energy.

It is such a blessing that every time I come into my apartment after a long day, I put my things down and feel utterly at peace. I’d like to believe that’s in part to due to the energy I’ve worked to create in my apartment with the help of 7 spiritual home essentials that I always like to keep on hand. So how can you create a beautiful, high vibrational environment for yourself in your home, too? Well, I’ve put together some of my favorite essentials that help me in creating a peaceful living space that this tried and tested New Yorker has always been searching for.

1. Incense Sticks, Cones and RopeI’ve never been one for incense. I’ve found some of the scents can be quite strong and musky but I was just getting a whiff of the wrong ones. So, just out of a desire to try something new, I found rose scented incense cones that I am in love with. I’m really into this new Lotus scented incense sticks I found recently at a organic food market. At a Tibetan spiritual shop, I found these great sandalwood incense ropes from Nepal. When I want to drop into a deep meditative mind space, I light some of these babies and they always do the trick.

2. Palo SantoThis sacred wood also known as “Holy Wood” is grown in South America and is one of my favorite things to burn. Palo Santo comes in it’s natural wood form, incense and incense cones. There is something so healing about burning palo santo, I find myself burning the sticks when I’ve had a hard day same way I would with sage. The scent is fresh and is great before meditation, excellent for clearing a foggy mind and lightly cleanses any heavy energy. The cones are my favorite but are pricey and burn super fast. The incense sticks are perfect but a good box of 12 can cost you about $12 – so I just burn the incense sticks when I feel I need it most. Be aware that when burning the palo santo wood sticks, it is not a continuous burn and is better for smudging. Palo santo is just mother nature’s cure for creating a feel good energy around yourself and your home.

3. CrystalsThere’s so much to say about crystals – which like essential oils, deserves its own blog post but for the sake of keeping them in my home, I first love decorating with them. I rearrange my crystals around my apartment about once a week. I buy each one with the intention of using them for their healing properties. Like for instance, I love holding my blue kyanite which properties include increasing self-expression and psychic abilities – I mean who wouldn’t want to absorb that type of luscious energy? To clear and charge your crystals, leave them on a window sill that gets great sunlight. Crystals love the sun.

4. Sage/Smudge SticksIf you aren’t smudging yourself or your home, get your cute little ass to the nearest Whole Foods or metaphysical shop – where Sage is stocked high to the heavens. A smudge stick is dried sage that is bundled together and tied with rope. It’s infamously known to clear energy and negative. I sage literally everything. If I’ve just bought something second-hand like a vintage dress or an antique tea set, I’ll smudge the dress or tea cups – (meaning I’ll light the smudge stick and allow the smoke to lightly engulf the area). Real estate agents are known to use sage to cleanse away old energy from the previous owners to invite new buyers. The smell is strong and sometimes overwhelming, so sometimes I’ll open a window after I’ve smudged myself or my home.

 

5. Himalayan Salt LampI love Himalayan salt lamps so much I just bought myself a second one for my living room just this weekend. A Himalayan salt lamp is simply a huge block of himalayan salt with a small light bulb inside – nothing more, nothing less. But the benefits of this glowing light source amazes me. The lamp doubles as holistic air purifier and emits negative ions which creates positive vibrations (see Web MD: here.) I sleep with it on at night and every night I feel enveloped by a gentle, pure vibe that helps me sleep like a little baby.

6. Essential Oil DiffuserMy family introduced me to the holistic healing world of essential oils a few years ago. It’s amazing what essential oils have done for me. When I have a headache, I now reach for an peppermint oil before reaching for the Tylenol. When my immune system feels run down, I seek out an essential oil for healing – Juvaflex is my favorite for an immunity boost. It has become second nature, to even sleep with essential oils diffusing in the air. A simple lavender oil can make me knock out quickly and feel so well rested when I awake in the morning. I use the Young Living Home Diffuser and couldn’t be more pleased with the gentle mist of water and the essential oil that emanates in the air – it creates such a great atmosphere. I’ve been really into diffusing lemongrass oil lately, which scent makes me feel like I walked into the spa at the Four Seasons.

 

7. CandlesThere’s no rhyme or reason to why I use candles – they just feel right to me. One thing that I can say is when I’m feeling emotionally overwhelmed – I place candles in every room and it makes me very, very calm. Lately, I’ve been really into lighting candles in ceremony of a new or full moon. I like to keep Catholic prayer candles around, because they remind me so much of my grandmother.

 

What are your spiritual home essentials? I’d love to hear what you’re using lately that helps you achieve some calm at home.