Energetic cleansing and personal protection

There are many ways we can protect ourselves as witches. Raising personal power and using it to protect ourselves and our environment are important skills to learn. Knowing how to recognize and disperse, negative or psychic attacks or how to  return the energy to the sender, or deflect it away are all ways we can make sure we feel safe within our selves and our environment. 

Knowing that what we put out come back to us, means we need to protect ourselves in such a way that we are not throwing around energy with ill intent. 

The easiest way to protect yourself is by visualizing a cloak of light, colour, or even powerful energy around your self. Imagine yourself putting on a psychic armor, like a beetle, that surrounds your aura and shields your space from outside attacks. 

You can add to this daily practice by purposely deflecting, or returning to sender any attacks sent your way. 

There are some really common herbs and spices that are really powerful herbs when used with the intent of protection and shielding oneself.

The first one that comes to mind is cloves. Cloves have a very strong protective energy; they can also be used for banishing and for releasing certain energies from your life. 

Ginger root is another one that is great for building your own psychic powers as well as being great for deflecting or returning to sender, negative energies/ attacks sent your way 

Salt is great for sprinkling around doorways and windowsills with the intent of sealing your personal space and protecting it from attacks and negativity. 

Peppercorns are also a protective spice. They works by deflecting negative power back where it came from. It is also good for helping raise your own power.

Black tourmaline crystals and smoky Quartz are both great at absorbing negativity and physic attacks as is jet and onyx. Any black crystals are great for absorbing and deflecting. 

You may read books where witches traditionally wore rings of amber or jet or both on their power fingers? This is because jet is a great for deflection, binding and protection and by simply raising your hand with intent; you are deflecting any negative attacks and sending the negativity back where it came from. Amber is used to break spells, absorb negative energies and keep you safe. 

(I wear both of these stones as rings for this purpose)

Ways you can use the herbs for protection include

• Sprinkling them on windowsills and around doorframes,

• Making up little spell bags and hanging them throughout your house or even wearing one or carrying it in your pocket. 

• If your having issues at night while sleeping, I would suggest making a psychic protection dream pillow/ amulet using the herbs listed and any other you may intuitively feel drawn too, just use a small bag of pouch and add the above herbs and place it under your pillow to protect you while your sleeping.

AS well as protecting and shielding ourselves there are many different ways to clear a space. It may be our home, a specific room or a workspace, or perhaps someone has been in your home and left behind a funky energy? 

I will share a collection of ways below and hopefully you will find a method that feels comfortable for you. 

Broom or Besom- A very simple and effect way of cleansing a space is with a broom. Sweeping away the negative energy and the physical dust and debris is a symbolic as well as a physical act of clearing a room, anarea, bench, workspace or table. I like to make a point of picking up the pile of dust and blowing it into the wind outside with the intent of scattering it to the wind and helping it move away from me and my space.

Movement and Noise - Moving your body by dancing, stamping your feet, banging pots, pans, drumming, chanting, banging sticks and vocalisation all help create energetic movement which helps disperse negative energy away from an area. If you are someone who loves music, singing, drumming, dancing or movement you may like to include these in your personal cleansing ritual. 

Smudging and Smoking - Smudging and smoking both use the smoke from sacred herbs and resins to purify the air, an area or people. Smoking usually refers to the use of green leaves (most commonly gum leaves) being set on fire and the smoke created used for cleansing, clearing and purifying. Aboriginal Australians use this method a lot in their rituals. Smudging on the other hand uses dried leaves and herbs and usually requires a "smudge stick". A bunch of herbs, often white sage, but can also include rosemary, lemon myrtle or any other cleansing or purification herbs you wish to add. To can make your own by finding the fresh herbs, tying them in bundles using cotton and then hanging them in a sunny dry place for about 10 to 14 days. 

Incense/ Herbs and Resins - Like Smudging, incense uses ground herbs and resins to cleanse and clear an area. The great think about incense though is there is so many varieties and variations you can work with. There is incense available as sticks, cones, loose incense which is burnt on a charcoal block or sprinkled into a candle flame. I use a lot of herbs in my magical spaces as there are herbs for awakening our psychic powers and intuition as well as herbs to clear and create sacred space.

My personal clearing and cleansing method involves rain water and a small gum branch with the leaves still attached. ( you often find these under gum trees after a big wind or a storm) simply leave a container outside when it rains, then dip your gum leaves in the water and sprinkle around rooms and doorways while saying what ever protective blessing you prefer. I usually do this after a big physical clean up. It really does help make the house feel clearer and protected.

Sources and suggested reading-

Green witchcraft II Balancing light & Shadow by Ann Moura (Aoumiel)