Ritual for Recognizing the Sanctity of the Hearth

Ritual for Recognizing the Sanctity of the Hearth

“There is no need to consecrate the hearth because it is innately sacred. However, many people like to perform some kind of ritual formally recognizing an existing sanctity, and so this ritual has been included. It can be used on a regular basis as you wish or performed when you feel your focal hearth area has become cluttered with other energies that may not be negative but may occlude your personal connection to the hearth. As the hearth is your source of power and energy, keeping the connection to it clear also means that the energy flowing from it moves more freely.”


Materials:

• Small bowl of salt
• Small bowl of water
• Small bowl of mixed herbs and spices from your kitchen
• Matches
• Candle in candleholder (color of your choice)
• Heatproof dish
• Small bowl of olive or vegetable oil


  1. Stand before your hearth. Close your eyes and take three deep, cleansing breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly, with the intent of calming your body and mind. Be in the moment.

  1. Open your eyes and hold your hands out to the hearth. Say:

Heart of my home,
I recognize you.
My spirit feels your warmth.
My soul feels your wisdom.
Sacred hearth, I recognize you.


  1. Bow to the hearth.

  1. Press your fingers into the bowl of salt, then say,

Sacred hearth, the earth of my home recognizes your sanctity.

Flick your fingers so that the grains of salt clinging to them scatter toward and over the hearth area.


  1. Dip your fingers into the water, then say,

Sacred hearth, the water of my home recognizes your sanctity.

Flick your fingers so that the droplets of water on them scatter over the hearth area.


  1. Dip your fingers into the bowl of spices and stir them so that the scent is released, then say,

Sacred hearth, the air of my home recognizes your sanctity.

Waft your hand over the bowl, moving the scented air toward the hearth.


  1. Strike a match and light the candle. Extinguish the match, laying it in a heatproof dish. Pick up the candle and hold it toward the hearth, saying,

Sacred hearth, the fire of my home recognizes your sanctity.


  1. Place the candle on the hearth itself, saying,

Sacred hearth, I honor the sacred fire that burns within you. I thank you for the wisdom, knowledge, and power that you bring to this home. May your sacred flame burn forever, and may my home be ever blessed by it.


  1. Dip a finger into the oil, saying,

Sacred hearth, with this oil I mark you as a symbol of our recognition of your sanctity and our gratitude for your many gifts and blessings.

Touch your oil-damp fingertip to the hearth. As your hearth may indeed be a symbolic space, make sure to not smear too much oil; a light touch will suffice.


  1. Bow to the hearth one last time. Leave the candle burning if you will be working in the room; otherwise, snuff it out. The candle could be used immediately after in a home blessing ritual.

“The fire—fireplace, stove, oven—the house center, domestic altar, and symbol of the ignis communio (communal fire), is the primary residence of the house spirit, and we are certainly dealing with the vestiges of fire and even ancestor worship, as it was the case among many different peoples that the dead, and especially children (Russia, Tyrol), were buried beneath the hearth. In Brittany a cat would be walled up alive in this spot when the house was built, and we know that the spirit often assumes feline form. Among the ancient Kamtchadal (Itelmen) people, the spirit stays behind the hearth.”


Refs:

  • The House Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
  • The Tradition of Household Spirits: Ancestral Lore and Practices by Claude Lecouteux