Wicca Journal: Cleansing and Protection

C. Cleansing and Protection

Smudge Sticks
The Smudge stick is a powerful and very important tool for cleansing pretty mush everything...there are many different kinds of smudge sticks...White sage, Cedar, Lavender, Sweet Grass and many other kinds of resins and Herbs but these are the common ones...you can buy them or make them...HERE is how to make your own.

White Sage: Meditation, cleansing, divination and purification.
Cedar: Expelling negative energy and raising good influences and attracts positive energy
Lavender: Curing insomnia, relieve you from weariness and headaches, relaxes the mind, refurbishes balance, calms the atmosphere, attracts loving energy.
Sweet Grass: Cleansing, invoking the positive spirits, used in peace and healing ceremonies

Crystal Cleansing
Before using Crystals you should always cleanse them remember crystals and gemstones are alive and intelligent they need to re-energize and re-center themselves they need love and care....after absorbing all the negative vibes around and working hard for us they need to go to the spa once in a while.

Home Cleansing

There are many different ways to do this but here is how I do it...
1. have my smudge stick, feathers(you can use your hand) and abalone shell (or fireproof bowl)
2. have my salt in a pouch that I can attach to myself (I wish I had 3 or 4 Hands..lol)
3. have some protection oil (Olive oil, Clove EO, Cinnamon EO, Peppermint EO)
4. open some windows

I start at my entry door with my stick lite up going clockwise I smudge my entire house room by room (Always clockwise) until I have gone around every room, closet, armoire, nooks, and crannies...while chanting I make sure to get into the corners very well of every room and especially the four main corners of my house...in every corners and stairways I add salt (and spaces that feel heavy)...Once I'm completely done in a room and feel that it's cleansed I make a line of salt at the door(while going around the room you can add salt to the windows too), close the door and make a symbol with my protection oil so any negative vibe or unwanted souls stay out...Once I'm back at my entry door I open it tell the negative vibes to get out immediately if there is any left they will get out....visualize all the dark energies going out...close the door and make the symbol on the final door with the oil.
BTW this is a deep cleansing...you don't always need to do it this intensively....If you have a ghost like I did...this is how I got rid of it....my house felt so weightless afterward, I was really pleased.

I also added Protection pouches in the 4 corners of my house after...just to make sure...and for the long-run
Protection Pouches contains Spices and stones (Pepper, Salt, Dill, Basil, Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Clove, Selenite, Black Tourmaline and Turquoise)...this is the whole package of PROTECTION....if you do make some protection pouches don't forget to cleanse them once in a while.

Body and Mind Cleansing

1.One of the best way to cleanse the body is to take a nice hot bath. Fill your tub with water, honey, oils and bath salt. Add flowers, herbs. Immerse yourself. Let water cleanse, purify your body and soul...When you are done..unplug the tub and imagine all your worries, stress and negative thoughts go down the drain (stay in there until all the water is gone) You can also do this in the sea and river water and let it all go with each wave that brushes your body and returns to the deep water (thank the element of water when you're done).

2.For the quicker version...you can wash your hands and face,(even better with rainwater) add some oils to your body (peppermint, juniper, cedar, rosemary, lemon, Hyssop, pine Essential oils are all good cleanser oils mixed with olive oil)...stand outside and let the wind carry all your worry and stress away (thank the elements of water and air when you are done).

3.You can also cleanse yourself with smudging....smudging your body helps to detach yourself from things you're trying to let go of...start at the top and going clockwise do your arms, back, belly, butt, legs, and feet...and go back up all the way to the top (always clockwise).

4.If you don't have time to take a bath or if there is no water around, you can still cleanse your mind and body with visualization or meditation....Visualize every breath you inhale is a white vapor, and every time you exhale a black smoke is released along with all the negativity in your mind...you do this until you feel light and relaxed then all the darkness is out and you only breathe the white vapor in and out.

5.You can do some Earthing too...by walking bare-feet outside (the farther from the city the better) you can absorb the flowing energy of the earth....this is a good way to recharge and ground yourself (thank the element of the earth when you're done).

6. to stay cleanse as long as possible try carrying a Fluorite stone...Fluorite absorbs and neutralizes the negative energies within your body. It is one of the most powerful gemstones for overall energy cleansing and rejuvenation of the aura.

7.

8.Moonlight (full moon if possible) and Sunlight are great cleansers...by meditating in their presences...and letting them take away all negativity and stress...you will feel very energized, weightless and relaxed (thank them when you're done).

9. Singing Bowls are great chakras clearing tools...some stores sells singing bowls one for each chakra...but this can be expensive...each chakra resonate better to different notes (they say)...personally I think your mind is the power tool...the bowl is only the helper...for me one singing bowl that has a note that I like, that sounds good to my ears is going to be the right one for me and all my chakras (some people sing the different notes with their mouths)...starting at the base(root chakra) you make the bowl sing and hold it ...at each point of your chakras, you visualize your chakras opening like flowers and flooding the room with a bright light (each chakra has a different colored light)...once you've opened all of them let them be fully awake, balanced and cleansed you need to close them...you don't want negative energies to get into your chakras...starting at the top close them one by one...visualize your flowers of light closing (they no longer flood the room with light but they are still glowing from inside). HERE is more on Chakras.

Furniture Cleansing (and second-hand items)

When you buy second-hand furniture(specially Antiques) you should always smudge them before bringing them into your home...Furniture, like everything else, accumulate energies even more than other stuff since people touch them regularly....since we don't usually know who made them and who used them....the wood need to be cleansed and re-energized.

DON'T FORGET YOUR MAGIC TOOLS (before and after uses)

All magic tool, dream-catchers, runes, tarot decks need regular cleansing (especially if you do readings for others)...There are a number of ways to cleanse tools...Set them on a bed of rock salt for three days (don’t use this method for metal or wood objects)....Leave them overnight in the light of a full moon....Bury them in the earth for three days....Wash them with pure spring water to which a pinch of sea salt has been added (don’t use this technique for metal or wood objects)....Pass them through candle fire (fireproof objects only)...or simply smudge them.

Protection
after all the cleansing you need to be protected here is another protection pouch

How about a Witches bottle...now as disgusting as this may sound, this is a really old protection charm it was used in the late 1500's and were made in clay pots...there is a more modern version of this that don't use urine or blood...but this sounds like powerful stuff..I would only use this if I felt like my life was in danger...but if someone feels like they need allot of protection this is one way to go.

for the modern version HERE it is....or this one

***REMEMBER*** you can always make one the way you want it...if it feels right...there is no wrong way....here is a list of some basic protection Herbs...don't forget the SALT and the SAGE (don't ask me why they are not in the list below)

All you need to do is fill a bottle with Protective Herbs while chanting (the chant that you like) you can add sharp things to it....close it and seal it...you may want to anoint the bottle with protective oils too.

Chant examples:
Element of salt that cleanses and protects,
I add this garlic that protects against negativity,
I add the herb of Bay that protects and brings good fortune,
I add this basil to keep evil away,
I add this sage to drive away negative spirits that would do
I add this pepper to protect this home,
Add the nails or broken glass and say:
Sharp things that prick and cut, protect this home from nasty stuff. You can gently shake the jar to mix the contents and say. Like a hornet’s nest shaken thus, protect this home so you must. So mote it be!

Or a Witch ball...it's the same as the bottle or the pouch but only with herbs and dried flowers or feathers...and instead of burying it you can hang it in a window or anywhere in your house....you can make one with any clear Christmas(Yule) ornament...these would make nice gifts...