A Quick Article on Cleansing You and Your Area

Hey Occulties,

Many of you have written in asking Miss Cat if I could help you with cleansing yourself after you’ve done harmful or dark spellwork. 😉 Well, certainly!

First of all, you should smoke your spell area regularly to remove unwanted energies, and perhaps your whole home with a “smudge stick” or bundle of white sage. Sometimes these are coupled with other elements. I can’t think of the brand, but my favorite smudge stick is a combination of white sage and copal resin. When I smudge, I first wave the smoke all over my body using my right hand, and holding the stick in my left. Then I switch hands, carrying the stick in my right hand, and I walk through every room in my home, making the sign of the cross wth the stick over and over, saying, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I purify this house of dark and harmful energies, I purify this place of all energy that would cause harm to those residing here, I purify this home of all beings or energies that would be here undesired by myself.” I repeat this, walking through each room and saying this. If you do not feel comfortable calling on the powers of the Christian Trinity, you might say, “In the name of the Lord and Lady,” (for Wiccans,) or “With the power of the Great Spirit,” or whatever you feel is appropriate for your religious beliefs or lack thereof. 😉

I am also a big believer in cleansing and wiping down altars, candle sticks, – even those cake tins I always tell you to use. 😉 Try to wipe down everything. To cleanse all of your ritual items and altar, you can use Florida Water in a spray bottle. I’m not sure if this comes in a spray bottle (really,) but I use a spray bottle I bought at the local hardware store (this is often located in the plants section.) 🙂 The spray bottle is great, and can be used in a fashion where the florida water can evaporate on its own, or can be rubbed in using a paper towel.

If you are feeling super “grungy” you can also use a blend of equal parts hyssop, eucalyptus, and rue brewed into a strong tea, and added to a large bucket for a ritual bath. To do this take about 1/4 to 1/2 cup each of the herbal ingredients (you can stuff them into an old pantyhose stocking or even staple a large coffee filter together to contain them,) and steep in about 3-4 cups boiling water for about 10 minutes. Add the water along with some regular water to a large bucket or washing basin (you should be able to stand in this,) and place both of your hands over the water in the bucket, and bless the water. I will give a lay-blessing here to suit most religious (or lack thereof) beliefs, but if you prefer a religious prayer, you might use a blessing psalm or any prayer given to purify/bless within your religious practices. Say, “I ask the Universe to bless this bath water that it may purify my energy, and wash it clean. I bless this water to rinse from me any energies that are harmful or dark which may have attatched to me. As is my will, so be it!” Now, step into the bucket, and wash yourself down, from crown to feet. When you are finished, throw the bathwater to the west, OFF of your property.

Hope this helps everyone get some of the negative energies off of their tools, altars, and themselves. 🙂

~Cat