Often, when moving to a new home, people have the following questions: “How to properly consecrate an apartment? Is it possible to do this yourself? How expensive is this service?”
You can find the answers to them in this article.
Why do believers consecrate their homes?
First we need to understand what sanctification means and what its role is in modern society.
Consecration is a special rite in Orthodox Christianity, which represents the cleansing of any place or object from the evil influence of the demonic world and the invocation of God's grace.
Since ancient times, patterns have been noticed between the morality of a people and their fate: people’s refusal of the Lord often led to inevitable and terrible consequences (famine, tornadoes, floods, droughts, etc.), therefore every believer is obliged to prove his belief that nothing happens without the will of God.
By consecrating an apartment, we have the opportunity to cleanse our home from the devil and his machinations, because in our time so many false ideas are introduced into our heads through television and radio. Thus, to the question “Do you need to consecrate your home?”, the correct and indisputable answer is “yes.”
How much does it cost to consecrate an apartment?
If you decide to invite a priest from the temple to consecrate your apartment or house, then you will most likely think about the cost of this issue. This topic is very sensitive.
The fact is that often a God-fearing church minister will be modest and will not ask for money for this procedure, because for him it is a joy to read a prayer and give advice.
But we should not forget that the church exists only through donations, and that is why the priest’s costs of consecration should at least be covered.
Rules for consecrating an apartment by an Orthodox priest
First you need to prepare your home for sacred rite: clean the apartment, put all things in their place, be sure to check if there are any pagan objects in the house (astrological calendars, figurines of other gods, etc.).
Note: It is advisable to have a table with a clean tablecloth: here the priest will put holy objects.
Before the ceremony begins, the clergyman puts up several paper Christian crosses throughout the house (above the front door and in all rooms).
After reading the first prayers and the ninetieth psalm, the priest blesses olive (sometimes sunflower) oil and sprinkles the entire house with holy water, after which he anoints paper crosses with oil. These crosses serve as guardians of peace and grace in the apartment; even during renovations, they should be saved and then put back on.
The ritual lasts about half an hour, and is performed once.
How and when can you consecrate an apartment yourself with holy water?
The apartment is not consecrated with one’s own hand, but on the feast of the Epiphany, Orthodox believers sprinkle their homes. Then even tap water will be suitable for this purpose.
Also, water is often left in churches for parishioners who were unable to attend services for some reason.
Is it possible to cleanse an apartment of negativity on your own?
In order for a Christian’s life to proceed in safety, prosperity, and to bear saving fruits, it must be pleasing to the will of God.
Orthodox Christians should under no circumstances fall into magic, as this is a grave sin.
First of all, you need to cleanse your life, your soul. How can this be done?
Come to church, prepare and go to confession, especially during the evening service, when the priests are in no hurry and can devote as much time as needed to communicating with parishioners. Next, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ at Sunday service.
Even in Rus', Christians cleansed their houses with incense and asked for God's blessing on their homes. Nowadays, you can also buy a censer with a handle and incense in a church shop.
You need to go around the whole house or apartment, create sign of the cross censer and recite psalms No. 90 and No. 100, as well as the prayers “Our Father”, “It is worthy to eat”, “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice”, “May God rise again”, “ Chosen Voivode Victorious."
You can also often sprinkle the place where you live with Holy water. At the same time, you need to say: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. By sprinkling this sacred water, let all the evil demonic action be put to flight.”
Every evening, reading prayer rule and the prayer “May God rise again,” cross all four corners of your room, and when going to bed, cross the bed.
Coming to the priest's house is a great holiday for many believers. Many are excitedly awaiting this event. After the consecration of the apartment, there is often a tea party and intimate spiritual conversations.
At such a meeting, you can ask the priest a lot, ask questions that concern you at the moment, consult and ask for blessings.
Instructions
To consecrate a candle, immerse it in a container with a saint for a few minutes. Instead of holy water, you can use pure mineral (without gas), spring or distilled water. Light the incense and let it burn for a while. Instead of incense, you can use a collection of cleansing herbs.
Remove the candle from the holy water and let it dry a little. Pass the candle through smoke from incense or cleansing herbs. You need to carry out the ceremony of consecrating a candle, an icon or a Crucifix. After you have completed the above procedures, read prayers over the candle to complete the ritual.
When consecrating a candle, the Lord’s Prayer must be read three times at the beginning. After reading the Our Father, everyone, holding a candle, say the following prayer: “To the creator and creator of the human race, the giver of spiritual grace, the giver of eternal salvation: Lord Himself, send Your Holy Spirit on this thing (we call the thing, for example: “these candles” "), as if armed with the power of heavenly intercession, for those who want to use it, help for bodily salvation and intercession, and help, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen."
Then say a special prayer to bless the water. It is given below:
“O great-famous God, create what is not! Come to your praying servants, Master: eat Your Holy Spirit and sanctify water this, and give her the grace of deliverance and the blessing of the Jordan: create with me a source of incorruptibility, a gift of sanctification, sin, ailments, demonic destruction, unapproachable to opposing forces, filled with angelic strength: for all who draw from it and receive from it have souls and bodies for healing harm, for the change of passions, for the remission of sins, for the driving away of all evil, for the sprinkling and consecration of houses and for all similar benefits. And if there is anything in the house, or in the place of those living faithfully, this water will sprinkle this water, so that all uncleanness will be washed away, and it will deliver from all harm; below there, let a destructive spirit settle down; below, let the harmful air flee; There is a hedgehog, either it envies the health of the living, or peace, by sprinkling this water, let it be reflected. May the most honorable and magnificent be blessed and glorified your name, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen."
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No matter how much you believe in the effect of holy water, you should not neglect modern medicine. Be sure to combine modern methods treatment with holy water. Thus, the effect will not take long to appear.
If you want to be healed with holy water, then it is better to take three sips of it every morning and evening on an empty stomach. Usually holy water needs to be combined with prosphora, but you can drink it after a special prayer, in which case the effect of holy water will be just as strong.
Situations often occur in our lives when we need to consecrate an apartment or house. Sometimes the negativity that accumulates indoors can negatively affect the health of the owners. The most the best option It will happen if this ritual is performed according to all the rules by a priest. However, it also happens that the priest is far away or there is no way to invite him.
In Orthodoxy, Christians call sanctification the rites by which the church introduces his temple and personal life into a person’s life. So that through all these rituals the blessing of God may descend on a person’s life.
The consecration of a home, car or something else is evidence of our trust in the Lord and our faith that what happens to us happens only with the permission of God and for good.
Do I need to consecrate my apartment (house)?
Main question: whether you want to consecrate the place where you live or not. This is decided by each person according to his own spiritual desire. A person himself chooses with whom to live - with God or with his enemy. If you want to consecrate your home, you must understand that sanctification will not save you from everyday and family problems.
- Sanctification is intended to set people in the right direction, so that the family lives according to Christian commandments. And if you decide to sanctify the place where you live, then this is your confirmation that you want to live according to the laws of God, in a Christian way. After all, a consecrated dwelling is considered almost like a temple. And the people who live in consecrated houses must adhere to God's laws and live spiritually. It is very important.
The rite of consecration also helps to get rid of negative energy in your home. This is especially true if you purchased another property and you do not know what kind of people lived there or what happened there. Were these people believers, did they sanctify their home, did they adhere to spiritual rules.
Rules and superstitions
To consecrate the home you need to call a priest. Always remember that the consecration of a home is a common prayer of the family and the priest that people will live holy in this home, adhere to Christian rituals: prayer, visiting church, etc.
You can consecrate your apartment at any time and on any day when it is convenient for you and the priest. There are different beliefs that you should not sanctify the place where you live during fasting. This is wrong. This ritual can be performed in any of the fasts, and in Lent Same.
It is also said that during " critical days“A woman cannot be present in the temple or perform any Christian ritual. This is also not true. During menstruation, a woman cannot do only two things: accept the anointing or receive the rite. All other rituals are permitted.
During the ceremony of consecration, all female residents of the house must cover their heads with a scarf according to the regulations Orthodox Church. Men, on the contrary, must be bareheaded.
Any apartment (house) is consecrated once in a lifetime. The only thing is that you can periodically clean your home with burning candles or sprinkling with holy water with prayers. Since in our lives there are still quarrels in the family, and some kind of excitement, worries, tears, stress, all this accumulates negative energy. And to avoid stagnation and a large accumulation of this energy, you can “clean” the house from time to time.
It is recommended to regularly maintain spiritual energetic purity in your home by sprinkling all its rooms with holy water in a cross pattern while saying the holy prayer. This is usually done by women. At the same time, it is necessary to open the doors and windows, so that as you sprinkle holy water on your home and read prayers at this time, all bad energy left your house.
What is needed to carry out the ceremony of consecrating your home?
It is important that your home is clean. And since after the consecration of the house a new stage of life begins, then this life must begin in purity, without old sins and dirt.
You must choose a place where you can place a small table, covered with either a clean, never used tablecloth or towel, or any piece of new cloth, on which the priest will lay out everything necessary for the ceremony. First, you need to purchase from the temple four stickers with the image of an Orthodox cross intended for consecration, and 4 small candles. You will also need holy water, if you don’t have it at home, you can also get it from the temple. You'll need a little more vegetable oil or oil from a lamp (holy oil), (preferably an icon of the Savior) and the Gospel.
First of all, you need to explain to all your relatives living in this house the essence of what will happen, put them in awe.
Father will invite you to pray with him. Pray and get baptized.
Rules for the ceremony of consecration
The ceremony of consecrating your home carried out by the priest in a special way church rank, which contains various prayers calling upon your home (apartment) and the people living in it the blessing of God.
The priest applies stickers with the image of an Orthodox cross on the walls above the entrance and in each of the rooms so that one cross is formed, which means covering and solid fencing, deliverance, preservation of the home by the power of the cross from all kinds of evil, misfortune, from all enemies, both visible and invisible .
After the priest exclaims “Blessed is our God...” and the initial prayers have been read, the reading of the ninetieth psalm begins. Then the troparion is read. Next, the priest says a prayer for the consecration of the oil; stickers with images of crosses on the walls will be anointed with this oil. Having blessed this oil, the priest will sprinkle the entire home, every room, absolutely every room with holy water. Subsequently, the priest anoints with oil on 4 sides the walls of the house (apartment), where the images of the cross were pasted. The anointing of these crosses is the most important part of the rite of consecration of the home. The crosses depicted on the walls correspond to the 4 cardinal directions, these orthodox crosses are the spiritual guardians of the apartment (house).
These crosses must be preserved even when when various renovations will be done in the apartment: changing wallpaper, painting walls, etc. These images with a cross will need to be carefully peeled off and, after the repair is completed, glued to the very place where the priest glued them. Next, the priest will sprinkle the people living in this house with holy water and give each of those present to kiss the pectoral cross. First the men kiss the cross, then the women. After reading the Gospel, the priest will burn incense throughout the house (but not always). Each one has not only pure symbolic meaning. Chining is a real cleansing action.
The rite of consecration of your house (apartment) is not repeated again. God has already blessed this house. If people want to receive the blessing of the home again, this will show your lack of faith, it is unworthy of God. The duration of the consecration ceremony lasts about 30 minutes.
It is advisable for all Orthodox Christians to consecrate the place where you live, even if not everyone who lives in your house believes in God. You can perform this ritual secretly so that non-believing relatives do not know.
What do you need to consecrate an apartment yourself?
There are times in life when it is impossible to invite a priest to perform a ceremony due to some unforeseen circumstances. Therefore the church can allow consecrate the home yourself. So how to consecrate an apartment yourself? First of all, you need to get a blessing from the priest in the church. As for the rite of consecration itself, it is proposed to do this on Sunday. Then we need to put in a little effort and knowledge to carry out this ritual ourselves. There are several ways to perform this ritual.
Method No. 1
Many people are always interested in the question of how you can still consecrate your apartment yourself with the help of church candles? This ritual is recommended to be performed on the nearest Thursday. Buy several candles from the church in advance: Three candles for and 2-3 candles for your home. When you light candles in front of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the church, you need to make the sign of the cross and read the prayer: “Nicholas the Wonderworker, bless me to cleanse the apartment and drive out demonic power from it. Let it be so. Amen".
And then, when you return home, you need to light 1 candle by heart, take it in your right hand and walk clockwise, starting from front door, in all corners of the rooms with prayer. Not forgetting to cross the corners and walls of the rooms.
- This ritual must be carried out within three times, on Thursdays, with a mandatory preliminary trip to church every Thursday in order to obtain the blessing of St. Nicholas to perform the ceremony yourself.
Method No. 2
There is also a ritual of consecrating a home with holy water, which we can do ourselves. This ritual should be performed on Sunday. To prepare for this ritual, on Saturday you need to put all the rooms of the house in order and stock up on holy water. On the day of consecration, pour holy water into any container that you like best, dip three fingers in holy water, folded as if you are going to make the sign of the cross on yourself. After this, begin to sprinkle your home with these folded fingers, each time dipping them in holy water.
- You need to start sprinkling the house from the red corner with icons (and even if you don’t have them), you should always move in the direction of the sun (i.e. clockwise), go through all the rooms in turn until you return to the starting point. During the entire sprinkling of the house, you must read prayers that you know by heart. The most important, of course, is “…”.
- All of these rituals, which you can do yourself, can be done as many times a year as you wish.
The consecration of a home is a special ritual with which you can change your life for the better and protect yourself from negativity. However, there are reasons why this should not be done.
We often hear that a house not consecrated by the priest is the dwelling of the devil, but is this true? After all, there are reasons why, due to circumstances, this ritual cannot be performed. Opinions on this matter are divided. However, all clergy are unanimous in the opinion that where there is no proper faith, neither consecration, nor icons, nor church candles. Therefore, before you consider consecrating your home, discuss your decision with your household and be sure to take into account their opinion on this matter.
7 reasons why you should not bless your home
The first reason is a dog in the house. Many priests consider the room in which a dog lives to be unclean and refuse to consecrate the house. This is due to the belief that a dog upsets the balance of energy and desecrates shrines and icons located in the house. Many believe that it is useless to consecrate such premises, because the dog will not go anywhere, and with its presence it nullifies all the efforts made.
The second reason is things with heavy energy. Any object carries information. It accumulates over the years and can be both positive and negative. But there are some things that cannot be thrown away - it could be some kind of memorable item that is dear to a person. It is unlikely that he will want to part with him, and most often he will simply give up on all persuasion. Sanctification is getting rid of negative information and, as it were, rewriting all energy. But if you have very old things, then it is almost impossible to delete information from them. That is why a house should not be consecrated as long as such things are in it.
The third reason is unbaptized household members. A house consecrated by a priest will not bring you closer to religion and will not give you any protection if you do not believe in what is happening. Moreover, if there is a person in the house who is not a supporter of Orthodoxy. In such cases, the consecration ritual should not be performed out of respect for Orthodox religion and its canons.
The fourth reason is the disagreement of one of the household members. The consecration of the premises is a purely voluntary thing and is carried out only with the voluntary consent of all residents of the house. If someone refuses such a ritual, citing various reasons, it is worth delaying consecration. After all, disbelief and rejection of this action will not bring either happiness or comfort to the rest of the family members.
Reason five - there is a dead person in the house. It is believed that the consecration ceremony cannot be performed if a person has died in the house and forty days have not passed since his death. The ritual should be performed only after the soul has gone to Heaven and there appears before the Supreme Court.
The sixth reason is the presence in the house of representatives of another religion or another cult. If in the house, in addition to Orthodox Christians, there live people who worship other Gods, then the ritual is definitely not worth carrying out. Conflict of religions can become a stumbling block and provoke discord in the family. Therefore, you should discuss in advance with your household the benefits of the consecration ceremony.
The seventh reason is people practicing magic. If there are those in your house who use non-Christian rituals, and also predict the future, tell fortunes on cards and try in every possible way to change their fate, then sanctification is unlikely to lead to happiness. All priests are against such activities due to the fact that only God wants to lead us to the dear life, and life is given in order to live it righteously, without using tricks and rituals.
Thus, before you take a responsible step and ask the Higher Powers to protect your home, it is worth considering many factors. Remember that this ritual is not obligatory and is of a purely individual nature. If you are ready for consecration, then discuss all the nuances with the priest so that later you will not have disagreements with him or with your family. We wish you happiness and prosperity, and do not forget to press the buttons and
30.03.2017 08:17
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Instructions
Then say a special prayer to bless the water. It is given below:
“O great-famous God, create what is not! Come to your praying servants, Master: eat Your Holy Spirit and sanctify water this, and give her the grace of deliverance and the blessing of the Jordan: create with me a source of incorruptibility, a gift of sanctification, sin, ailments, demonic destruction, unapproachable to opposing forces, filled with angelic strength: for all who draw from it and receive from it have souls and bodies for healing harm, for the change of passions, for the remission of sins, for the driving away of all evil, for the sprinkling and consecration of houses and for all similar benefits. And if there is anything in the house, or in the place of those living faithfully, this water will sprinkle this water, so that all uncleanness will be washed away, and it will deliver from all harm; below there, let a destructive spirit settle down; below, let the harmful air flee; There is a hedgehog, either it envies the health of the living, or peace, by sprinkling this water, let it be reflected. For let your most honorable and magnificent name, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, be blessed and glorified, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen."
Video on the topic
note
No matter how much you believe in the effect of holy water, you should not neglect modern medicine. Be sure to combine modern healing methods with holy water. Thus, the effect will not take long to appear.
Helpful advice
If you want to be healed with holy water, then it is better to take three sips of it every morning and evening on an empty stomach. Usually holy water needs to be combined with prosphora, but you can drink it after a special prayer, in which case the effect of holy water will be just as strong.
When you enter new house or to your old one home after renovations have been made there, you often notice that it is not equipped. Of course, the apartment may have all the signs of everyday comfort - electric lighting, heating, but there is a feeling that something is missing. But perhaps there is not enough spiritual warmth. Therefore your home needs sanctification.
Instructions
To consecrate an apartment, it is not enough to invite a priest into it. You should prepare home to this sacrament on your own. If there are icons in the house, place them in a particularly honorable place (“red corner”). The usual place for icons is at a window facing south, on the east side of the room.
Place the cross above the icons or in their top row. Do not place photographs of your loved ones next to the icons and do not decorate the icons with paper or electric garlands. It would be appropriate to place a clean white towel next to the icons.
Prepare the house for consecration in the manner described above, and then place the icon of the Savior or the Virgin Mary in the corner located opposite the door (red corner). Place a lamp under it. Pour blessed water into a new clean bowl, dip into it right hand and spray the corners of the house, going around them clockwise, starting from the red corner. During the consecration, say: “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, by sprinkling the holy water, let every evil demonic action be put to flight, amen.” After this, leave the lamp burning in the room until the evening.
Sources:
- How to consecrate your home
Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich during the Battle of the Neva dealt a crushing blow to the Swedish troops, and in Battle on the Ice defeated German knights. He refused the Pope's offer to convert to Catholicism. For faithful service to the Fatherland, Alexander Nevsky was canonized.
The people are weakened due to endless Tatar pogroms and it is difficult for them to live under oppression Mongol yoke, neighboring tribes (Swedes, Germans, Lithuanians) began to attack Russian regions not yet conquered by the Tatars. towards the enemies. Alexander could count on success only with a surprise attack. On the morning of July 15, 1240, the great Battle of the Neva began, in which Russian soldiers and Prince Alexander Nevsky won.
However, soon after returning from the campaign, the Novgorodians quarreled with the prince. Only new blows from the German crusaders, who destroyed villages 30 versts from the city, forced the Novgorod boyars to turn to him for help. In the winter of 1242, Alexander Nevsky, together with his brother Andrei, led the Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal regiments and took Pskov. And on April 5 of the same year, in the Battle of Chudskoye, the army of Alexander Nevsky defeated a detachment of German knights and stopped the advance of the crusaders to the east.
Orthodox faith allows you to sanctify everything that is necessary for a person’s life, including his home. Sanctification is church ceremony, after which the grace of God descends on a person, his home and his deeds.
According to the Christian faith, every person, every animal, every country, city, village or house has its own guardian angels. But they are not always able to cope with dark forces. And if a person can ask God for protection in prayer; temple parishioners pray for the welfare and protection of the state or village, then the dwelling must be sanctified in order to drive out the messengers of evil from it. During the rite of consecration, the clergyman offers prayers to God for the cleansing of the room, sprinkles it with holy water and fumigates it with incense.
IN modern world, where air is a sacred concept for Orthodox Christianity, is filled with radio and television waves that transmit mass, it is simply necessary to consecrate the home. This is exactly what true adherents of the faith believe. After the ceremony evil spirit it is difficult to resist God's grace and do your dark deeds. And those who do not believe in God noted that after the consecration of their apartment, life improved, adversity and failures receded, contact was established with disobedient and difficult children, and those suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction managed to overcome their craving for them.
How does the consecration of a home take place?
The rite of consecration of a house or apartment takes place according to the so-called special rite. The word “sanctification” itself in this case has a slightly different character, and in the prayers that are read during the ritual, the word “blessing” is more often used.During the beginning of the ceremony, the clergyman reads the so-called initial prayers. At this time, he recommends that home owners ask for God’s blessing for themselves, their loved ones and their home. Then the ninetieth psalm is read, which is considered the most powerful weapon against the devil and his minions.
Then comes the turn of reading the Troparion, illuminating the oil with which the symbol of the Christian faith, a cross, is applied to the walls. And only after this the apartment is sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense. All steps of the ritual are accompanied by the reading of prayers, in which the clergyman asks the Lord to send his protectors for the house, for everyone living in it and to protect them from any evil, to send his grace.
Blessing an apartment does not take much time - from 30 minutes to 1 hour. During the ceremony, it is desirable for everyone who lives in it to be present, but if someone close to you is not a fan of the faith and is categorically against the consecration of the apartment, you can perform it secretly.
Every Orthodox man wishes to have a consecrated shrine in his home - a holy icon. Icons that can be purchased in churches have already been consecrated. Some people want to purchase holy images not only in churches, but also in some stores. In such cases, if the icon was painted according to the Orthodox canon, the image must be consecrated.
Most often, icons are consecrated in churches. This can be done at any time when a priest is present in the House of God. Usually icons are consecrated after morning services. On holidays and Sundays - after the liturgy or fulfillment of requirements.
In order to consecrate an icon, you need to bring the holy image to the temple and ask the clergyman for consecration. You can also first contact the seller in the church shop, expressing a desire to consecrate the holy image.
Icons can also be consecrated before or after the evening service. Everything depends directly on the priest’s employment.
Some people may ask a priest to consecrate an icon while the clergyman is performing some kind of service at home. In this case, the holy image can be consecrated immediately before or after the service itself.