This article originally appeared in MindBodyGreen.com

When you move into a home or apartment (as so many of us have done since the start of COVID-19), cleansing your new space can help you let go of the old and welcome the fresh start.

This is not a new concept: You'll find countless examples of cleansing and blessing rituals and traditions in cultures around the world. Ringing a bell or playing music is one way to purify a space and move into an atmosphere of the sacred, and some Chinese traditions have long used gongs, bells, and chants to do so. Other cultures use blessed water, candles, salt, flowers, and prayers. In the Middle East, resins such as frankincense, myrrh, and benzoin are popular for home clearings. In the Jewish religion, salt is sprinkled around the house and swept out to sweep out the bad energy. And the incense used in the Catholic Church today (copal) has been used by the Mayans for centuries in their purification ceremonies.

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