Saging the White House

Everybody has an opinion about spiritual cleansing

Adrienne Gibbs
ZORA

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Photo: René DeAnda/Unsplash

I was joking when I posted the question. Here’s what I said:

“Ministers: how much holy oil does it take to clean out and keep clear a White House? Asking for a friend. I guess a dab’ll do? A spray bottle for the perimeter? Buckets?”

The answers rolled in all weekend. But here’s the backstory. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden moved into the White House over the last two days. I’m happy for them. According to news reports, White House staff are also happy to have “life” and “energy” again in the big house and on the estate. But when I hear people say things like “energy” I can’t help but wonder how the spiritual among us (or them) actually — for real — prepped that house for new owners and especially for new grandchildren.

These are things I think about often. Energy. I come from a family of ministers and deacons and deaconesses. My grandfather’s name adorns the cornerstone of my family church in Chicago. My mother- and-father-in-love are elders in their church and many of my aunts and uncles either run churches or founded them. Other family members are more spiritual or work with religions older than traditional Christianity. All that to say, I’m not quite a PK, but I’m like a PK cousin. Spiritualist adjacent.

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