For centuries and worldwide, people have held ceremonies to ask the Divine to bring happiness, abundance and protection to their homes. House blessing is a protective, preventative rite used to promote peace, harmony, good luck and well-being for inhabitants.

These ceremonies also prevent general misfortune, hardship, destruction from the elements, illness, as well as visitations from harmful spirits that might be inauspicious or polluting to persons, objects, events or relationships.

When we buy a house or a piece of land, we may feel great satisfaction that we now own property. We pay our money, sign the deeds and mark our boundaries. There are, however, a great many beings already living on that land who didn’t participate in the real estate transaction. These include both nonphysical beings and substantial beings such as insects, birds and animals that dwell in the trees or burrow in the ground. They also “own” the land, and they struggle to preserve their own space and maintain their boundaries. Yet we come into their worlds and recklessly dig up their homes, cut down the trees that hold their nests, uproot the plants on which they feed and destroy their eggs and young.

During my apprenticeship in Mayan medicine in Chiapas, I was inspired to see how the Maya relate their homes to the earth. The natural world is regarded as a sacred place, bursting with life and full of spirits and elemental beings. Before a house is built, a ceremony is conducted to ask permission from the Earth Lord, and offerings are made to befriend the many beings already inhabiting the space. If we befriend these beings and the spirits in the area, they’re much more likely to support us—and we them.

The Maya don’t consider themselves to be “owners” of their homes or of the land, but instead are visitors, simply passing through, borrowing space and time from the Earth Lord, living under his rules and blessing. Failing to acknowledge this is seen as a recipe for disaster. If the elemental spirits residing in our house aren’t looked after and respected, they might well turn against us by inflicting diseases, creating obstacles and draining our life-force.

Let’s take a look at the energetic structure of your home. First of all, there is a magnetic energy field that springs from earth beneath us. Every geographic location has its own distinctive magnetic quality and attributes. In San Miguel, for instance, this is heavily influenced by the quartz beds and volcanic spring waters flowing underground. The earth has a magnetic “charge” or dimension that gives rise not only to the properties and fertility of the soil, but also to a specific ‘“feeling” or characteristic nature of the land. You can intuit this by walking about and sensing how you resonate with a certain place—how it makes you feel inside.

Also, there is the history of the land itself. What events took place on the spot where your home now stands? Were there any major conflicts, wars or other events that occurred there? Was blood spilt? Does your house stand on what was once an ancient burial ground, ceremonial site or Chichimeca center? Were religious practices conducted or human sacrifices made in your back garden? All these energetic traces contribute to the resonance of the ground on which your house is built. This energy is changeable, and its dimensions and characteristics may be changed from negative to positive through ritual purification practices.

Then there are elemental or environmental factors, such as the fertility of the soil, purity of the water and freshness of the air. Take a look around you. Is there enough space around your house for the earth to breathe? Are there any wireless transmission towers, electrical substations or factories in the vicinity? If so, they will disturb the flow of energy in your home.

How did your acquisition of the home or land come about? How do you relate to the earth? What was your intention in building your house? 

All of these factors play an important role in defining your home’s “vibration.” The layout of your home, or to use a common term, the feng shui—its alignment with the four cardinal directions and how you try to blend it into the natural surroundings—is also significant. And finally, when you moved in, there were already visible and nonvisible beings there. Sustain a mutually respectful relationship with them, just as you do with your neighbors.

If you move into a house that was occupied in the past, you have the previous occupants’ karmic traces to consider. These are residual energies left behind by the former occupants that impregnate the walls, floors and spaces of the house—the more people that were there, the denser the energy. 

So with each new family or set of occupants that live there, another layer is added. Sometimes when we walk into a house, we can feel sadness or loneliness, joy or peace—it all depends on the history and emotional state of previous occupants.

The energy in our home is like a barometer that reflects who you are and your state of mind. A tiny movement can set the whole dynamic out of balance. Negativity, anger or violence disturb the spirits, upset the Earth Lord and disrupt the nature of the house—or of the whole neighborhood.

In the tradition of the Mayans of highland Chiapas, sometimes people are believed to fall ill due to bad energy in their homes or ruptures in the relationships with the house and the Earth. Although they may respond to treatment outside the home, mysteriously, every time they return, they fall ill again. The cause of the problem is understood to arise from something malign within the house—not in the body. Generally, the family’s shaman or curandero is summoned and is asked to perform a house blessing.

First, the shaman analyzes the energy in the house and diagnoses the problem. Most problems have developed over the entire course of the house’s occupancy. Some causes are supernatural: the spirit of deceased persons or animals might reside there, disturbing the spirit of the house. The house might have been cursed by a brujo or objects might have been buried with evil intent, creating negative energy fields—in which case the house may feel “cold” even on a warm day. In extreme cases, the house may even be deemed “possessed”—taken over by angry spirits or hungry ghosts, trapped on this plane of existance by negative actions, causing trouble wherever they go.

Whatever the situation, the curandero is responsible for making peace with all of the various beings in the house, starting with the Earth Lord working up. Traditionally, Mayan houses are built with earthen floors, so a hole is dug in the floor’s center to open up communication with the Earth Lord.

An altar is built on the floor, usually where the negativity is most concentrated, behind a protective row of pine branches, and all manner of offerings—such as candles, corn, copal, flowers, food and drink—are laid out in an attempt to appease any injured parties. The idea is that if hungry ghosts are well fed and watered, they won’t disturb the occupants, and will move on. Copal and herbs are smudged, and blessed water is sprinkled around the house to soak up any residual negative energy and to reinstate a positive dimension. Finally, the family might be required to prepare a special meal to celebrate the blessing of the house—which, after all, is a very auspicious and happy occasion.

Whatever our cultural tradition—whatever our belief system—it’s important to honor the space we inhabit and connect with it as best we can. Establishing a sacred connection with the Earth and Nature benefits and enriches our lives and the lives of those around us. If we strive to be at peace with our homes, with our families and with guardian spirits, our homes will be happy and pervaded with love. If we show gratitude to the Earth for giving us a space in which to live and learn—and let go of trying to create boundaries and protect our territories—then perhaps the Earth will open to us, share its secrets and show us a way to transcend the discontent of our time.