No matter where you are in the world, by now you’ve heard about the close US presidential election. I try to keep politics off the website and social media accounts, for the most part. I didn’t even post a ubiquitous “I voted” sticker. However you feel about the election now, you can’t ignore the fact that many people are very scared and angry right now. My political beliefs are always the same: I just want everyone to be safe, respected, and treated equally. I want people to live their lives happily, without fear of violence or poverty. But the United States is very divided right now and that’s scary.

Waiting for the election poll results was incredibly stressful and a roller coaster of emotion. The day after I felt all the anxious energy in my home and the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness lingering. Some of you are probably feeling that too. I thought I’d put together a little guide on what you can do right now to help remove those feelings from your home and give yourself from peace and hope.

Cleanse and clean your bedding.

One of the first things I did was strip my bed and washed everything. The sheets and any pillows I used the day before were a major priority but everything, even the pillows themselves, were washed. Then I put the newly cleaned bedding back on the bed rather than go for a spare set. I did this as a sign of courage and strength – though  wounded, you can gather up yourself and keep going. You may not feel that’s wholly necessary – maybe just changing the sheets is enough but for me I needed the full wash.

I enchanted the laundry detergent with a bit of extra oomph to shift things. There will be a post on how to cleanse bedding soon but for now, simply enchanting the laundry detergent or wash water is enough.

Room air and fabric fresheners

I don’t use store-bought air or fabric fresheners all that much. I  I’m talking about a bottle of Febreeze or room sprays, for example. Clearing the air is pretty important when you’re trying to lift moods and cleanse a space.

I made up my own fabric freshener with a spray bottle, water, and a few drops of fragrance. I specifically chose lemon, lavender, apple, and rose for this bottle. Lavender is a calming agent for me and apples are comforting. Lemons, as a citrus, are great energy boosters and roses remind me of beauty, freshness, and spring. Renewal. I put a drop or two of each in the spray bottle with water, shook vigorously and sprayed chairs, curtains, and my bare mattress. Let anything you spray air-dry. I use these sorts of bottles daily on my bedding but the rest of my apartment needed it too.

Then I lit a floral candle – again, lifting the mood – and some incense to give the apartment a lingering scent.

Cleansing

I use smoke cleansing consistently, usually through incense. So I walked around with some incense to cleanse my home. That might not work for you so pick your favorite go-to cleansing method and use that first.

Then I stood in the center of my apartment, the heart of it, and took a moment to think of what I wanted my apartment to feel like. I thought of good, happy moments I wanted to fill the space with instead. It’s not unlike Harry Potter thinking of happy memories to summon a Patronus.

When I was ready I pushed out my energy in a giant pulse throughout the space, flooding it with energy and light. That’s energy cleansing. I also used a similar technique to cleanse and purge my home’s barriers.

I also washed my counters with enchanted water to cleanse them as well.

Can’t do any of that? Open a window! It breaks up the atmosphere inside your space and allows the outside world in. That might not be what you want to do right now (let the outside world in) but fresh air is a great mood booster. I also find the bustle of my neighborhood to break me out of my isolated shell more often than not.

Self-care

The day after election day was Wednesday so it was my “day off”. (I don’t actually have a day off but it’s the day I don’t plan on doing work stuff). In between loads of laundry I wore my most comfortable clothing, baked brownies, read books,  and played video games. That’s it. That’s all I did. That’s part of my self-care routine so I dove into it.

Your self-care routine may be different. Maybe you hit the gym or spend time with friends. That’s OK. Just do whatever you can to give yourself time. Everyone needs to relax at some point. Even if you only have a few minutes, take some time for self-care. Treat yourself kindly.

Cartomancy Reading

I used a Tower spread to make myself feel better too. A Tower spread is a tarot card spread based around the Tower card. Pull it and place it at the bottom of your reading space. Then shuffle the cards and draw to answer your questions and concerns. The Tower has already occurred so what happens after is what you’re reading.

I created the spread above for you all to use. The questions you ask are probably going to be personal in nature so feel free to venture off what I’ve laid out.

You don’t have to use a tarot deck for this reading. Pick any deck that has a card that works similarly as the Tower or represents the Tower.

Card readings aren’t guarantees for the future. Ask questions that give you things to do. Asking what’s going to happen isn’t as helpful as asking what you can do. Beat back hopelessness by focusing on what you can control, personally.

Avoid the toxic and stay safe

We all know people that have wildly different beliefs than you. Maybe they’re really smug right now or maybe they’ve threatened violence on you. You’re probably realizing that your neighbors, co-workers, family, and maybe even some friends aren’t the people you thought they were. And that’s disheartening and even frightening.

Above all, stay safe. Keep yourself safe in the coming days. Protect yourself and your loved ones. Remember what you’ve learned and remember that you are worth protecting and being loved.

 

I hope these tips help you all out a little bit. Stay safe!