Traditionally, in our culture, when we move into a new home or apartment, the first thing that must be done before anything else is that the eldest female of the household must be the first human being to step inside the house or new place. The eldest female household member stands at the entrance of the door, and makes three steps in place (steps three times, but does not move) at the door. Then she is the one who will ask the spirit of the house and property permission for her and her household to live peacefully in the house. She states that in exchange for the spirit of the house and property to let us live in the house in peace that offerings will be made for the spirit. You would ask the spirit to bless your family or household with peace and prosperity and no injurious accidents or sickness and distress.
We usually buy a roast chicken and some fruit as offerings. These offerings are the first things placed inside the house or new place before you move in your stuff. Usually we place the offerings in the kitchen, on the ground if there are no counters. With the offerings 3 incense sticks are burned. After the incense sticks are done burning, we take the offerings and place them outside in the yard somewhere. After that, the spirit of the house and property will bless your family and house and keep you under its protection. Which means that there will be peace in the house, no family fights, no divorces, no major sickness or illness, no house fires, no home theft, no floods, and so on. After offerings have been made, you can then begin moving your stuff into the house. We just did this, since we moved to a new house. This is the Asian way. Then, on the property somewhere a little spirit house is made. The spirit house looks like a little birdhouse made of wood. This house is for the spirit of the property. At the spirit house, you would regularly, like once a week, make small offerings of water and liquor in a shot glass, place a fruit or two, candy, and so on.
There are Latin American ways to do this, which, amazingly is similar. Animism is animism, regardless of race and culture. The Latin American way is you would take copal incense (used by the ancient Mayans) or Palo Santo (a wood of that name), burn the copal incense or palo, and walk around the house and "smudge" each room. As you do this, you would speak to the spirit of the place and ask the spirit for permission to live in the house and ask for its blessings. After the "smudging" you would make an offering for the spirit. The offering would include water and liquor.
In Taoism, you would actually do the same things, but you would use your moon blocks to communicate with the spirit of the house and property to see what kind of offerings it desires and on what day of the week the offerings should be made, and if the offerings should be made during the day or night, and so on. Sandalwood incense is used, as with the first Asian tradition.
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