How Spirituality & Feng Shui Helped Sell My Home

For sale signs swing on the lawns of many homes in my suburban neighborhood. And many have been swinging a long, long time. My home sold two weeks after I listed it online. The sign never stood a chance. The only neighborly thing to do now is share the secrets of how ancient wisdom meets modern day ailments.

Back in the early 90’s, I bought my one and only home on a quiet dead end block in bucolic Sea Cliff, a quaint, historic village on the North Shore of Long Island. Seasons came and went as my two young daughters built snowmen, caught fireflies and played hide and seek until the streetlights came on. Illusions shattered. I became a single mom. My home offered a stable sanctuary in the midst of chaos.

After years of carrying my home on my own, I decided to downsize when my girls went to college. With the earliest departure date two years away, I listed my home online giving myself plenty of time in a slow real estate market. In two short weeks I negotiated a deal, no broker involved, for the price I wanted. An opportunity came quicker than I ever imagined so with a huge leap of faith I courageously moved forward. Many have marveled at this miracle and wondered how did it happen so easily? As effortless as the sale of my home came to be, it did not happen without some behind the scenes effort. Here are some secrets that worked for me if anyone you know needs a miracle too.

1. Clean! Before I listed my home online I spent two months cleaning, from top to bottom, the many nooks and niches that had not seen a dust mop in years. I went behind radiators, in corners and crannies, both above and below. I dug into recesses of cabinets and closets, replaced shelf liners, washed windows, inside and out. As I went through this process I did so with the intention of preparing the space for a new family to move in. I wanted my home clean and clear for the family I envisioned living there. I even imagined how happy a family with young children would be here. And who do you think showed up? Cleaning the space energetically prepared the space for a fresh start and new beginnings.

2. Clear!  The wonderful thing about moving is that it creates an opportunity to clear out your clutter. Stuff accumulates in the basement, garage, closet and attic spaces. Each week I had things to give away, throw away or pass on to others. Selling a home requires a lot of movement, literally and energetically. Moving your stuff helps you start the movement of energy that is essential if you want to sell your home. You are physically and energetically preparing yourself to get moving! Clearing and cleaning creates a sense of space that invites prospective buyers in. And they may be just the right ones to fill it!

3. Ceremony! Here’s the big secret…ceremony! Ceremony creates an opportunity to honor your home, and all it has provided for you, and release it with love. Right before my home went up for sale I invited my family over to create a despacho, a ceremonial prayer bundle. For thousands of years, shamans of the Andes have worked with Spirit through this ceremony. A despacho is a gift of your prayers that enters the infinite matrix of mystical consciousness and sets your intentions in motion. 

Prayers are offered with a qintu; traditionally three cocoa leaves, into which your prayers are blown in with your breath. Bay leaves, which are about the same size as a cocoa leaf, a small native leaf, or flower petals can also be used to make a qintu.

One by one we shared our stories, celebrations and memories, opening our hearts to the love for my home. Each offering was blown into a qintu of three bay leaves and carefully placed in wrapping paper. Qintu prayers were also offered to clear a path for a new family to make a home here.

Once all prayers were offered through our qintus, we added sweets, flowers, grains, chocolate, sparkles, sage and tobacco. These offerings intentionally fed and nourished our prayers. The despacho was then folded into a square, tied up like a gift and burned in a fire. The next day I listed my home online and soon after received a call from a man who would ultimately be the buyer. A deal was negotiated two weeks after ceremony.