Blessing Your Space // The Rice Experiment

Nowadays, our homes may feel like our entire existence. The virus has pushed us all into our own tiny corners of the world. Because we are now more than ever inhabiting our own spaces, it has become increasingly important that we feel comfortable and loved in them. So here are four ways to bless your space and make your home your safe haven:

1. Fill your space with things you love. If you haven’t heard of Marie Kondo, ‘the queen of decluttering’, she provides a simple method for getting rid of half the stuff you own: “keep only the things that spark joy”. This is a good rule of thumb when we’re thinking about which objects we want to see everyday. Look around your room. How does your room make you feel? Objects that light you up when you hold them are very powerful. Place these items in plain sight. Things that don’t spark joy but need to be kept can be stored out of sight in drawers or cupboards. And this doesn’t only apply visually – stimulate more of your senses for an immersive effect! Some things that I always include in my space include crystals, salt lamps, candles, incense, and healing frequencies.

2. Consider smudging. Originally of Native American tradition, smudging is the burning of herbs, such as sage or Palo Santo. It is used to energetically cleanse a physical space or object. You can smudge entire rooms or just certain areas that need a boost in high vibrations. Smudging can be used before meditation to deepen relaxation. Make sure to open a window so the negative energy can leave with the smoke. You can also use a mantra for an enhanced effect. My favorite is “May this space be filled with love.”

3. Actually blessing your space. A few months ago, I added a quirky activity to my morning routine. Each morning, I would go around my room and say to each object “I love you (object name). Thank you.” This may sound crazy but it has completely changed my space. And I even have an experiment to back it up! Over the last month, I performed the Rice Experiment. Essentially, I had three containers of cooked rice sitting in a room for 30 days. Each day, I would say to one container of rice, the Hate Rice, “I hate you!”, and to the Love Rice I would say “I love you!”. To the third container, the control rice, I would say nothing. Below are the results after 30 days.

I was blown away by these results. Even crazier, I could see differences between the rice about 10 days in! This goes to show how powerful our words and energy truly are. So saying “I love you” to every object in your room could literally transform your space into a high vibe sanctuary.

4. Keep it clean! Just as bathing, face masks, and manicures are forms of self-care and self-love, keeping your space tidy is a form of showing love, as well. The way we keep our space reflects the state of our mind – a cluttered room is more conducive to a cluttered mind. This also goes along with number one above; if we enjoy looking at our room, we'll enjoy being in it!