In a lot of my posts, I say to cleanse your body and your space. What does that mean? Why and how do you do it? Hopefully I can answer those questions and clear up some misconceptions about cleansing in magical practices.
Cleansing is a process via which the charged energy, spellwork and/or spirits on or in something is removed. Banishment is a subset of these practices (or at least I consider it to be) that forcibly drive out spirits or negative influence attached to something or someone. Cleansing, in one form or another, is a part of basically every magical practice and culture.
Cleansing does not equal removal of negative energy. Itâs cleaning out what thereâs, positive or negative, to make something neutral again.
Cleansing is also not the same as physically cleaning a room, but it is an tool for improving the energy. Iâd recommend cleaning a room (pick up things, sweep, clear off surfaces) at least mildly before performing a cleansing on it.
The same reason you should clean anything! For daily living, it can make you feel better and more at peace. For any work with spirits or energy (including spellwork) itâs important to not mix in energy remnants, like if you cooked with unwashed pans or on a dirty countertop. And, if you got something on you that could make you ill, you need to cleanse it off!
Cleansing yourself, as in your body, before spellwork is also important to get spirits and deities to listen to you and do what you say. Especially powerful spirits. (many practices phrase this in terms of purity, but I find it helpful to also think of it like asking someone for help when you havenât showered or brushed your teeth recently)
As with cleaning anything, there are multiple degrees of intensity of cleansing. Here, Iâm using âlight cleansingâ to mean performing something short and not requiring much preparation, while a âheavy cleansingâ may take an hour or more, be done over several days, required specialized ingredients, etc.
When to do a light cleansing:
When you first buy a tool for magic or divination
Before and after spellwork (especially your tools**)
Before meditation or energywork
During a negative or unlucky day (but watch for signs of this negativity being a curse)
After being somewhere with a negative spiritual presence
After being around disease and decay
After being in a crowded area/on public transport*
After sex or masturbation*
After working with or being around the dead*
* In some cultures these acts are considered unclean but they donât necessarily expose you to negative energy. It comes down to the beliefs of your culture and those of the spirits/deities you work with.
** Unless these tools are meant to collect energy! For example, you might have one jar that you always and only use for favor spells for yourself.
When to do a heavy cleansing:
Before performing an elaborate ritual or spell
After performing unprotected spellwork
When you and/or the people, plants, and animals around you are frequently falling ill or experiencing other unwellness (this is a clear sign of a curse or negative spirit attached to you)
During certain times of year and/or along with certain cultural ceremonies
Some Methods of Cleansing
This is not an exhaustive list! These are just some cross-cultural cleansing methods Iâve seen. Furthermore, all methods below can include (and are augmented by!) a chant, prayer, or some other form of words that correspond to the cleansing.
Put it in salt, put salt over it, throw salt around, etc. and leave it for a bit. Anime fans and Graeco-Egyptian sorcerers alike can tell you salt is cleansing. However, be mindful of not throwing a lot of salt around outside, where it can harm the environment, and ensure that whatever youâre putting in salt will not be damaged by the salt.
Of course, a natural way to cleanse something is washing it! This includes bathing to cleanse your body. Typically, the water is augmented with salt, herbs, or a prayer during washing so that it washes away spiritual dirt instead of physical dirt. Personally, I use salt water to wash just about everything. Again make sure the object/surface will not be damaged by water or whatever youâre adding to it. If you are bathing, ensure that nothing you add to the tub is unsafe for the skin or will cause an allergic reaction. Also would recommend avoiding salt baths if you have open wounds.
If youâre washing your magical tools that got stuff on them like ash, wax, etc. Iâd recommend first doing a cleansing wash to get off the energy, then washing with soap and water to get off the substance.Â
Flinging or Spraying Salt Water
Basically the above but for clearing the air. Again, some people use herbed water or magically-charged water instead of salt water.
Iâve seen some hate in the traditional magic community for spray bottle cleansing, but, as someone who usually cleanses a space by dipping my hand in salt water and then shaking it around, I see no reason why pouring it into a spray bottle will make it less effective.
Lighting some incense or herbs and cleansing with the smoke is a good way to cleanse rooms, objects, and people. However, whatever youâre using must burn clean. You should not be getting a black, ashy residue on what youâre cleansing. If you are trying to drive away negative things, Iâd recommend using a foul-smelling, instead of sweet-smelling, incense. The negative scent, while not pleasant, drives things away instead of attracting them.Â
Safety-wise, remember fire safety and ensure that everything youâre burning is safe to inhale.
Using Ringing or Chiming Instruments
A bell is the easiest instrument to find for this. To clear a space, loudly make the ringing or chiming noise, usually while walking around it. Some people perform the ringing an auspicious number of times.
Drawing the Energy or Spirit Into Another Object
In banishments, this usually includes subsequent destruction of the object, like burning or smashing the object. If you plan to use this for a banishment, find a specific, reliable practice to perform. If youâre doing this for something more minor, like getting rid of your negative emotions, then itâs less risky to do something you make up on the spot.
This can also be performed without destruction of an object via channeling it into an energy sink. Iâve found that entirely black stones like black onyx make good energy sinks. However, remember that energy sinks arenât literally black holes for energy and can get âfullâ. You will need to cleanse/ground the object occasionally, especially if you are trying to draw a lot of charge into it.
Some prayers or spells are specifically used for cleansing, either by design or by cultural tradition. Of course, please be respectful of which culture a practice comes from and do not appropriate other cultures.
Sunlight, moonlight, and sun/moon water isnât ânaturallyâ cleansing. I see so many things telling people to cleanse (usually) crystals with one of these. If you are using the light of the sun or moon in cleansing, you are asking spirits of the celestial body to drive out the energy. This goes for charging too! It may be functionally the same to assume that moonlight has inherent magical properties but there are risks with trying to get a spirit to do something for you without payment.
Cleansing is not smudging. Youâve probably seen posts about this before, but if you havenât, hereâs one.
Channeling positive energy into an object isnât cleansing it. As stated in the first section, cleansing is about the removal of energy and âresettingâ things. Unlike acids and bases in chemistry, things canât be neutralized by adding more of the opposite. You can make a room with negative energy feel better by adding positive energy, but this isnât the same as cleaning it out.
Cleansing a space, driving out a spirit, etc. cannot be done with just visualization. You can regulate your own energy with visualization and send out positive energy into the space around you but, again, this isnât cleansing.
You donât need to cleanse your tarot deck often. Tarot decks are kind of like cast iron skillets: they pick up âseasoningâ from use. However, this is usually a good thing! By getting more energy into a deck, itâll give richer readings. Itâs often necessary to spend a bit of time âbreaking inâ a deck through use. If youâre having trouble getting helpful answers from your deck, first try to center yourself, step away from your cards for a bit, and then come back to them when your energy is more stable. If that doesnât work, then try cleansing the deck.
Do. Not. Cleanse. Or. Unenchant. With. Your. Mouth. Iâve seen more than one post saying to kiss objects to unenchant them. If you do that, you might also try licking your shoes clean sometime⊠Swallowing spirits during banishment isnât entirely unheard of, but this is followed by some means of spitting them out or âdisgestingâ them so they become neutralized. It should only be done by a trained person.
