Spirit Stewardship

It is a frosty and beautiful morning on the mountain.  I sit, sipping coffee in the kitchen, and listen to the workmen hanging the new ceiling restoring my view of the lake.  You may wonder what this has to do with magic, but it really has been quite a lot of work balancing and maintaining the positive energy in the house with all the construction.  As I mentioned in my previous post, the spirits of the house seem out of sorts with all of the changes and commotion.  I have worked hard ever since moving in to nurture and make them comfortable with our presence, to draw in the magical energies and create a wonderful and welcoming magical space dedicated to the Craft. 

The house and land have a strong spiritual presence, which was evident from the moment I stepped onto the property.  And, while the strength of the presence stands alone, it is my duty to nurture and care for it as the new steward.  When you move into a new place and are setting up sacred space, it is important not to just barge in and take over, forcing your energy onto the place.  While that may work to some degree in amplifying the energies, there are more positive and nurturing methods.  I prefer to develop a relationship with the space, gently introducing myself and my energy, while respecting the strength that already resides here.

Like I mentioned previously, this house has been here for 200 years and has sat vacant for a couple of years before we moved in.  While the previous owners certainly loved the place, no one was here to bring loving spirit into the house on a regular basis.  It sat cold and lonely for a very long time.  This means it needs a nurturing spirit to come in and bring it back to life, making it a home again.  I have worked to nurture the space with cleansing rituals, energy drawing rituals, and long talks with the spirits, in an effort to develop that relationship.

Adding in the renovations required to make the house comfortable and stable before winter falls brings quite a bit of work to the relationship-building process.  Spaces are being invaded by strangers putting in insulation and windows, repairing ceilings and rebuilding the greenhouse.  While all of these things ensure the life of the house, it can be very disturbing for the spirits who dwell within the house and on the property.  In my previous post I discussed a ritual for cleansing the space and balancing the energies, which worked very well, returning a harmonious feeling to the house.  It, however, has not been an isolated requirement.  The continuing work is requiring daily protection and balancing rituals, or should I say the cleansing of "workmen energy" and restoring and amplifying of magical energy.  I have been rewarded for this work by new and more direct contact from the spirits that reside here.

When I first visited the house and "knew" that this was where I wanted to spend the rest of my days, I found a stone in the forest on the property.  This stone was a beautiful pink color, shaped sort of like a pyramid, and was unlike any of the other stones (of which there are many) on the property.  I still have yet to find another like it.  The stone called out to me and I picked it up and carried it with me until we moved into the house.  I vowed to spirits of the house and the land, that if we were lucky enough to get the place, I would dedicate myself to the stewardship of magic here and that all spirits and ways of the Witch would be welcome and nurtured.  That stone holds a place of honor on my alter in my Craft room, where every day I am reminded of my promise and of my joyous duty as the Witch-in-residence.  It is a lot of work, but it is a true labor of love, and I think the spirits and I are going to be just fine.