Magical Housekeeping: Simple Charms and Practical Tips for Creating a Harmonious Home

by Tess Whitehurst

Let your home nourish your soul and uplift your spirits. Swirl magical botanicals into your cleaning supplies, call fairies into your garden, ask a spider for advice. Clear clutter for clarity, perform the oatmeal cookie ritual for abundance, or make a sweet dreams charm for a good night's sleep. In this delightful book, intuitive counselor Tess Whitehurst reveals how your home can be a powerful catalyst for personal transformation and manifestation. She offers a variety of simple, whimsical ways to create a harmonious home while enhancing your own happiness, intuition, and magical power. Praise: "Filled with valuable information and ancient wisdom to activate sparkling energy and create true sacred space in your home. I recommend it!"―Denise Linn, author of Sacred Space

Genres: Nonfiction, Witchcraft, Paganism, Spirituality, Wicca, Magic, Reference

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 8, 2010

About the author

Tess Whitehurst (Boulder, Colorado) is an intuitive counselor, energy worker, feng shui consultant, and speaker. She has appeared on the Bravo TV show Flipping Out and her writing has been featured such places as Writer's Digest, Llewellyn's annuals, and the Whole Life Times blog. She is also the founder and facilitator of The Good Vibe Tribe, an online magical community and learning hub. To learn about her workshops, writings, and appearances, and to sign up for her free monthly newsletter, visit her online at www.tesswhitehurst.com.

Reviews

[Robert Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not very magical or very spiritual. Honestly, I felt really weird about even buying this book, but for some reason it called to me. I really felt like I needed to read it for some reason, as I kept finding it in my path. Unfortunately, my long term relationship had hit a sour note right about the same time that I had found "Magical Housekeeping". I opened the book and read it from cover to digital to cover with an open mind. As I began to employ the techniques within the pages to "fix" what was left of my home, I felt empowered and strong. I lit candles encircled in sea salt, clapped loudly in the corners of rooms, and traced their perimeters with the smoke of burning incense. I looked outside of myself and the situation I was in to find help...

And the help came. I may still be slightly skeptical but I know for certain that Tess Whitehurst's book helped me not only fix up my home, but also my relationship.

Thanks!

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know how once upon a time it was sufficient to wash your hands with soap and water? Do that, and you could trust that your immune system would fend off everything except the worst germs. Now if your immune system was impaired in some way, you needed to take extra care, but for the most part a basic cleaning routine was all that was needed. But as we've grown more afraid of contagion (H1N1, anyone?), we've begun adding antibacterial agents to hand soap, dish detergent, and other products, all in the hope of staying healthy. We're scared that mere soap can't protect us sufficiently.

Magical Housekeeping strikes me as the psychic version of this trend. You don't just refresh the energies in your home with this book; you purge, purify, and detoxify them. As I read along, I started wondering if all this was really necessary, or whether it was the New Age equivalent of antibacterial hand soap. Is it even possible to purify your home of all negativity? Because Whitehurst never defines what negativity is, I began wondering if it includes things like creative tension and passion (stuff that can be uncomfortable to live with, but is it truly negative?). If there's such a thing as an impaired psychic immune system, then this level of sterilization might be necessary, but I'm hoping most of us don't need to put this much energy into sanitizing the atmosphere.

Overall, this is a book of white light, crystal essences, and angels. The darkest it ever gets is when Whitehurst discusses calling upon Kali. There's also a consumerist theme woven into this book. These "simple charms & practical tips" are going to involve a lot of shopping for roses, essential oils, crystals, and the occasional mattress/box spring combo.

Yes, there were aspects of the book I liked. Whitehurst has a very readable, conversational writing style and the book moves along quickly. She covers many aspects of magical housekeeping, although you may need to research some topics yourself for more depth. Her definition of altar is wonderfully succinct: I'm going to have to remember it for future reference. But overall, much of the material has been covered by other works on feng shui and Paganism and this won't really fill any gaps.

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book caught my eye in the latest Llewellyn catalog. So far it's only reiterated things I already learned in similar books such as "Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui" and Scott Cunningham's books but the author has an easy to read style and her methods are much more accessible than some of the other magical books out there. For newbies looking to make their home a happier place this is a good starting point and I really enjoyed the fact that she included a recipe from one of my favorite vegan authors. Whitehurst seems to steer clear of words such as "pagan" and is going more for a feng shui vibe mishmashed with several other traditions but the space clearing and empowerment stuff is similar to things you'll read in many a Llewellyn pagan 101 themed book. So if you're familiar with decluttering methods (love it, need it, or lose it), space clearing, very basic feng shui, visualization, etc. you probably won't learn anything new in at least the first third of this book. Still it seems a good jumping off point changing old habits and creating new, healthier ones.

I'm finding myself inspired to do some of these things. I've been very much a slacker, especially when it comes to performing a space clearing and am going to pick up some sage, dust (ugh!) and cleanse my crystals and see if I can change the stale energy in my home. I haven't been sleeping well and can't seem to shut off the worry button even when I know it serves no purpose so I'm thinking this book came to my attention as a wake the hell up call.

I'm going to keep this book for a bit and try out some of the enchantments as they aren't so complicated that I'll never get around to performing them. My only complaint with the book was the brevity in which she discusses some of her topics. I felt, especially, that the animal, herb and incense section got the short end of the stick. There are plenty of other books that go into enormous detail about such things and I'd recommend Scott Cunningham's books over this one. But this is a nice overall grouping of magical workings to get you started (or going again) and it doesn't adhere to one particular belief system for those eclectic minded.

[Nicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ohhhhh dear. Well, I picked this book up from the library, while looking for other Witchy books and decided to give it a try. I skimmed this entire book in one evening because it was not helpful or useful enough to give it more time and energy.

I truly don't think there is anything new or groundbreaking in this book. It jumped all over the place in terms of traditions and pantheons. (from Greek to Hindu to Celtic to faeries to saints to angels?!) I think it's messy. The rituals called for some expensive and obscure items. Lots of emphasis on gestures, rather than intent.

If you want to learn more about working with energies in your home, clearing them, bringing them in... I guess you might give this book a try. There is more emphasis on feng shui than a pagan practice or magical living in the home.

I'd tell people to skip it though, truthfully. Wouldn't even recommend it to beginners.

It only gets 1 star because I liked one or two mist recipes to clear energy.

[Steve Cran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your outer world is a direct reflection of your inner world. As within so without. So it makes sense that if your house is a mess then so is the rest of your life. If your house is in order ....... Well you know.

Tess Whitehurst who is a practicing magical worker and feng shui specialist tells you how to get your house in order so you can get the rest of your life back in order.

Every thing in here is really simple to perform . No fact wands, athames or any else of that nature . What Tess represents is very Visualization based.

First you need to clean all the clutter out of your house. That means anything g you know longer use or love needs to go. The cleaning is accompanied by rituals. Later on she I trucks the reader how to magically clean their inside house .

The book includes rituals for every purpose. Perhaps you need to bring in money or clear out some negative vibes. There are also rituals and visualization involving angels, and different deities z there are also correspondences for herbs, colors and essential
Oil .

Book is great for the beginner because it gives you the basics and then puts it all together for you . I am a sucker for simplicity. She also gives over some Feng Shui basics.

[Shawnae · Rating 1 out of 5]

No disclaimers or warnings

The book started off solid at first. After the first chapter, it trailed off into a disorganized ramble.

I thought this book would be more on how to "cleanse" your home while cleaning it. But it quickly went away from that to start listing off fairies, gods, and familiars you should have.

A couple of issues.
1. Don't mess with gods and call for their help unless you are experienced and know what you are doing.
Tess did not include any sort of disclaimer on this.

2. She has an entire section on essential oils, diffusing them, and other ways to use them. But at no point did she warn her readers that some essential oils can be deadly to cats and dogs and kill them and to use essential oils with caution if you have pets.

3. Same issue with her aromatherapy spray section. There are no warnings about the essential oils possibly killing or harming your pets so be careful. In addition to this, she suggests using water infused with crystals for these spray recipes. That would be fine if it weren't for the fact that she suggested crystals such as ledpolite-infused water.

Any stone ending with ITE should not be in water. Water can destroy your stone. It can even cause some to rust. Also, some stones become toxic to humans when placed in water and she had no disclaimers or warnings about any of this.

Because of this, I would not recommend her book.

Keep your pets safe! Do research on essential oils before using them. Don't just rely on google. Speak with your trusted veterinarian.

[Madge · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book...oh jeez. I don't even know where to begin. I'll come back, maybe, and actually do a more proper review once I've collected myself and I'm capable of speaking in a more eloquent manner. For now, let me just say that if you're considering buying this book, you probably shouldn't. There are better books out there.

What I remember from this book:
Expensive spell ingredients that are not always easily attainable.
Feng shui.
Feng shui.
Your power is being taken away by things that upset you, therefore you aren't much of a Witch.
Bob Dylan.
Exclusion of male readers/practitioners.
Feng shui.
A bit of cultural appropriation.
Buy more expensive things.
Feng shui.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not really sure why I read this book. I was in the library looking for something else entirely, and saw this on the shelf. It reminded me of another kooky housekeeping book that I picked up years ago when looking for something else. And when I saw this book, I thought to myself, "Another wackadoo housekeeping book!? I should read all of them. How many could there be?" So, I ended up getting this book not because I thought I would agree with what was in it, but because I saw myself as adding to a collection of curiosities.

There are some ways in which I am sympathetic to the author's objectives with this book. I do think that one of the problematic aspects of our culture is the separation of the sacred from everyday life. We have compartmentalized divinity and morality such that they are only experienced in special locations on particular days, which leaves the vast majority of our experiences without a reverent quality, completed in an unthinking way. Whitehurst's book invites readers to bring that reverent attitude and sacred awareness to the most mundane of tasks: housekeeping. And for that reason, I feel at least somewhat sympathetic to the book.

However, I just cannot suspend my skepticism enough to agree with what's going on in this book. I just cannot believe in supernatural beings of any kind: gods, goddesses, fairies, dragons. So, while I can get down with some of the simpler "spells" in this book (like focusing your intentions before beginning cleaning), I cannot imagine what it would be like to "invite fairies" to my house with some magical, herbal concoction.

What's kind of interesting to me is that I know this about myself, and yet I continue to read books that postulate the existence of supernatural beings that I see no evidence of existing. I love magical realism in fiction. Maybe I'm just looking for that in my "nonfiction," too.

[Paige · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't get past a lot in this book. I tried to read the whole thing but several things make me uncomfortable. The biggest thing being that she clearly appropriates things from other cultures. She encourages smudging (it should be smoke cleansing. Smudging is an indigenous practice that is taught within those groups and is sacred to them) WITH white sage, which is endangered and also sacred to indigenous groups. There are SO many other herbs that one can smoke cleanse with.
Not only those things, but she recommends very expensive items to cleanse with when there are many cheap alternatives. She also doesn't give any disclaimers on certain oils and cleaners she recommends that are definitely toxic to pets.
I will likely be giving this book to a donation place, or putting it in my recycling. Do better.

[Jilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book practically glows with the positivity and enthusiasm of the author! Excellent, practical tips on polishing the aura and energy of any dwelling place.

[Beebee Pomegranate]

This was an incredibly stupid book, and the person who recommended it to me (I read it to have something to talk about) is apparently even dumber.

[Saara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't find anything much that was new, in terms of info.

[Cary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, easy to read, and straight forward. Great for a quick refresh especially when you want to focus more on your home's wellbeing.

[Coda Calypso · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! It like ALL books like this, are meant to be guidelines. Some of the things may not be meant for you so take what feels right to you. It has great references (symbolism of plants and animals, basic protection for your home {great for people not really sure where to start clearing their space}) that can be used over and over. It is full of things to help keep the energy around you clean. You wash clothes to keep them clean, shouldn't you keep the energy around you clean too? What beautiful things could reach you if you weren't surrounded by negativity (the things that bring you down, make it hard to get through each day, block the happiness from your life.)?

[Diana Alksne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was completely shocked when I read this book. Are there really that many gullible idiots in the world that want to sanctify a vacuum cleaner before cleaning? And constant recommendations of Bach flower remedies, when it has been completely proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that there is NO real effect other than placebo.
I was asked to translate this book and I could only turn it down explaining that my people would be soooooo much better off without ever seeing this absolute nonsense. Honestly, I've seen and translated garbage in my life, but this one is the worst hands down.

[Alexandra Chauran · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book came across as very preachy and condescending. She sells Rescue Remedy, obscure essential oils and veganism. "I don't even have to tell you to spay and neuter your pets" she chides. Hey, I'm on board with the lifestyle, but even I felt talked down to. A lot of the suggestions were impractical. That said, this book was a good broad overview of ideas. Some things that you wouldn't think about in connection with the household. I found that very useful.

[katherine ✡︎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hodge-podge of various traditions and ideas. This is your average "New Age" eclectic book, combining lots of different religions, cultures, and practices... a bit willy-nilly.

There are some nice recipes for floor washes and such in here, but overall I would recommend readers "Spiritual Housecleaning" instead of this book.

[Deanna Lack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first few chapters of this book. after that it was a lot of lists of deities, animals, crystals, etc. that, while it was perhaps some useful info, it was much too brief on each subject for there to be much meat to it. A decent little book, and the clutter clearing chapters were very motivating.

[Persephone Jaeckel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. It has very practical and down-to-earth tips for anyone who is seeking to create a more comforting and harmonious atmosphere in their home.

[Becca Akins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basic stuff

[Erica Detlefs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I wanted to go in giving this book a good review, since again, there is nothing wrong with the content or the writing. I just think if I were to recommend a new comer a beginner book, it would not be this one, and there is little specific content about home and hearth witches for me to recommend it for that reason.
The most interesting part I found was the section on feng shui, and the mattress-cleansing ritual, as that isn’t generally covered in many magic focused books.

---

If this is the first book you pick up on witchcraft, I think you’d enjoy it. But as many of us say in the spiritual community, once you’ve read one 101 beginner book, you’ve pretty much read them all. Absolutely nothing in this book is not googleable or covered in a more general book already on your shelf. But, the most interesting part I found was the section on feng shui, and the mattress-cleansing ritual, as that isn’t generally covered in many magic focused books.

I was really hoping this would cover more home-based practices, like cooking and cleaning. But the author is very anti-everyday cleaners, very environmentally conscious, and anti-television. All things I at heart can agree with, but find not accessible to many beginners who find themselves in their parents homes, in college, or with roommates.

I honestly skipped about 70% of this book because it was all things I’d heard before, and I’m not usually one to replicate or adapt a spell/ritual unless it’s something I have literally never heard of before (mattress cleansing. never heard of it.). But again, I’ve been practicing for about seven years now.

This book also does use the phrase “smudging,” but as this was published in 2010 before any large debates and awareness around cultural appropriation, I can automatically switch the word to “cleansing” in my brain.

I guess I wanted to go in giving this book a good review, since again, there is nothing wrong with the content or the writing. I just think if I were to recommend a new comer a beginner book, it would not be this one, and there is little specific content about home and hearth witches for me to recommend it for that reason.

[Katarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I'm really not into cleaning or decluttering at all but making it into something more spiritual absolutely works for me. Now if you like to follow strictly a specific path with your craft and you don't like to bring influence from any other culture and hate all new age white light-talk and you absolutely loathe feng shui for some reason, then this probably isn't your book. But for an open minded eclectic witch or just someone spiritual who is open for options it works just great and can really lift your mood and make your home a wonderful nest of magic and good energies. Tess writes in a really heartwarming way and the book is easy to read. There is lots of recipes or suggestions for things to buy, but you can absolutely do everything without or by using something that can substitute the ingredients when you fo a little research on your own. Absolutely loved it. I look at cleaning in a very different way now. This book combines new age belies, witchcraft and feng shui in a wonderful way. I recommend for all those with an open mind and desire to lighten up your life starting from your home.

[Quetzalzotz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book ages ago when I first wanted to make my bedroom at home magical, and then again as I've moved.

It's really not the greatest.

Its typical for early 2010s: minimilaism, manifesting, nothing too too religious lest we scare off the WASP demographic.

I came looking for how to incorporate magic into my every day life. Spells to help me be motivated to clean, or to keep my space cleaner longer. Rituals to bust the stagnation out. But I don't feel like I got that.

I was someone who struggled with hoarding disorder, and adhd to boot. Minimalist manifesting isn't me. While I have gotten treatment and help for hoarding and pleased to say I don't have those tenancies, my space doesn't feel like mine without my cross stitch in arms reach on the couch, or my laptop being on my tv tray.

The majority of this book was essentially "girl clean your house" and then some minor "witchy" stuff thrown in.

[Indigo Crow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much of the information in this book is very useful. It's easy to follow and basically anybody can do it, whether you live in a big house or a small apartment. The rituals are simple and to-the-point. The herbally infused and "green" cleaning supplies are relatively simple to create.

I did have some issues with the attitude the author had in some places. She speaks of throwing things away or giving them away to get new things as if EVERYONE can do that so easily. From my perspective, she comes off as very privileged and that money isn't all that much of an oject to her, so getting rid of something so you can replace it with something shiny and new on what's essentially a whim left a bad impression on me.

Otherwise, it's a good book for anybody more "magically" minded who wants to bring some extra positive energy into their home.

[Celea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skip it.

Ms. Whitehurst's competence peeks out a few times in this book, but unfortunately this work is light on substance and even lighter on anything meaningful that hasn't been said somewhere else. There is one single meaningful tidbit in here (the concept of the 3 secrets) but other than that, this entire book is held together by glitter and good vibes. It's curious why this book was written at all when the author herself implies a few times that she has understanding of much more profound and deeper concepts. Why she didn't write a book with more to it, I'll never know.

All in all, this is a typical new age book for the 2010s. Wiccan ethics. The Secret inspired. heavy on the environmental concerns of the time, and very little consideration to the cultural or religious context of the spirits referenced within. Lol @Tess writing like faeries aren't dangerous.

[T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been looking forward to this one since it was referenced in The Good Energy Book by the same author. Unfortunately, if you've read Karen Kingston, Whitehurst uses Kingston's strategies to clear the energy of your home. It's the same things I've read in other books: declutter, clean, and harmony will find you. Not much new is covered in this book. I was hoping for less rituals and more how to live a magical home life instead (a little more like The Good Energy Book, which if you read, you can likely skip this one). Lastly, a lot of the charms aren't so simple and some are very wasteful. Some readers may find something new, but it will depend on your previous readings in decluttering and Feng Shui. This is a book to start with.

[Juli Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've had this on my to-read list for a long time and finally ordered a copy via ILL. I sure am glad I did that rather than buying a copy! Even though this originally came out in 2010, the sort of LA-woo, New-Age tone of this book and the rampant cultural appropriation here made it feel much older than that. Reading this made me realize how much less prescriptive witchcraft books have gotten over the last decades. The rituals in this book were much less open-ended than I'm used to seeing and much more, "do a coplicated specific hand gesture while calling a random bodhisattva out of context." Not for me!

[Jennifer Zamboni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book over all. It was well written but I’m glad I purchased a used copy, and not just because of the wonderful smell. I wouldn’t recommend this book to complete beginners of the craft unless you you can afford the high cost of these spells.

I wish the publishers would rewrite the back version blurb to more accurately portray the contents. (Feng Shui!!!)

I’m looking forward to experimenting more with what I learned from Magical Housekeeping!

[Amanda Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I wasn't sure I'd get much out of this book, as I'm already familiar with various methods of magical Housekeeping. I learned some really exciting new things. I was inspired & started using various approaches right away. I don't know why it never occurred to me to declutter in a magical way, but man decluttering (using her Kickstart ritual), felt so magically different! Highly recommend. I already recommended this book twice & will probably gift it as well. 😊💫🪄

[Destarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book, especially the first half. It was informative without going very deep in depth, & had more recipes for rituals & other stuff than I thought it would. I reminded me a LOT of Magical Household by Scott Cunningham & David Harrington, just not as...'craftsy'?? It has many mini post-its saving particular pages for future reference!