Recently, I was asked to put together a series of resources on spirit communication, specifically with ancestors or deceased loved ones, so this article is the beginning of many resources to come.
What exactly is the veil? The veil refers to the liminal space or "in-between" energetic barrier that separates the physical world from other spiritual realms, such as the realm of the ancestors, the realm of the gods and goddesses, the realm of the fae, and so on.
During certain times of the year (and even certain times of day, such as dawn or dusk), the veil is often described as being "thinner" than other times of year, resulting in heightened energetic happenings as spirits come and go more freely than at other points during the year. While this may not impact practitioners who are more accustomed to interacting with spirit realms, for those who are less in tune with other realms or newer to interacting with energy, it can be incredibly intense to experience.
Life is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, meaning that spirit never dies, just as physics teaches us that energy is never destroyed only transformed. The family unit is composed of both the living and the departed, the essence of the departed is ever-present and as such can be activated anytime. Whilst the ancestors are no longer present in the physical they still can communicate and act as spiritual guardians to their descendants by offering support and guidance along their life to help overcome challenges and tap into one’s potential.
While countless ancestors have come before us and are a part of our heritage and family lineage, that does not mean that they are all inherently good people, have our best interests in mind, or are energy that we want to carry forward with us. Ancestors who perpetuated patterns of abuse, trauma, and harm, not only do we want to be intentional to avoid carrying the negative aspects forward with us, but we also want to ultimately unwind and break the generational cycles that have been created. That doesn’t mean that those who were not good people should be discarded, as they are still a part of us. But instead, we can send them love, cleansing, and healing energies while maintaining boundaries to protect ourselves and future generations.
This is why, as practitioners, we are intentional about calling forward our protective ancestors or protective loved ones in our workings, communications, and rituals. This communication can take place in various ways including through meditations, dreams, visions, synchronicities, nature, signs, sounds, and so on. The most important thing to understand about connecting to and communicating with your ancestors is the power of your intention. Once you make the decision to connect with your protective ancestors or loved ones, you will find that the pathway of communication opened.
Below I have put together a simple ritual for connecting with your protective ancestors or loved ones. As with most rituals I perform, I start with protective and grounding exercises and then carry out the ritual using a form of representation of the spirit(s) being connected with, a beacon or fuel source to guide and honor the spirit(s), and the magickal power of my intentions to carry out the actual working.
What you'll need:
While there are many methods for carrying out the below ritual, I am only going to highlight how I perform this ritual myself. You are welcome to replicate it in its entirety or modify it using your own preferred methods of protection, representation for your ancestors and loved ones, preferred candle method, and so on.
Protection
Start with sitting on the ground. If you have a designated altar space for the deceased and/or your ancestors, sit in front of that setup with your representative item, candle, and offering. Close your eyes and envision a bright light surrounding you completely. Let this light permeate every inch of you until you feel warm, safe, and grounded.
Welcoming
Facing East, speak: "Thank you to the East and the element of Air for protecting and allowing me to be present in this window of liminal space. As I access the ancestral realm, I welcome my protective ancestors (or loved ones), and I thank you for helping guide them to me. Hail and welcome!"
Turning right and facing South, speak: "Thank you to the South and the element of Fire for protecting and allowing me to be present in this window of liminal space. As I access the ancestral realm, I welcome my protective ancestors (or loved ones), and I thank you for helping guide them to me. Hail and welcome!"
Turning right and facing West, speak: "Thank you to the West and the element of Water for protecting and allowing me to be present in this window of liminal space. As I access the ancestral realm, I welcome my protective ancestors (or loved ones), and I thank you for helping guide them to me. Hail and welcome!"
Turning right and facing North, speak: "Thank you to the North and the element of Earth for protecting and allowing me to be present in this window of liminal space. As I access the ancestral realm, I welcome my protective ancestors (or loved ones), and I thank you for helping guide them to me. Hail and welcome!"
Representation
Place the item (I'll be using my grandmother's class ring that is engraved with her initials) that represents your ancestor(s) or loved one(s) beside the black candle and offering.
Beacon
Light the black candle intended to guide your ancestors to you and place the cup or bowl of water beside this beacon.
Offering
Place out the offering (I'll be using red wine and pie since that was my grandmother's favorite thing to make) for your ancestor(s) or loved one(s) around/beside the black candle to feed them and honor them.
Connecting
Sitting and closing your eyes, envision a doorway opening and your protective ancestor(s) or loved one(s) coming through the gate toward you. Ask that any messages they may have for you be clearly received and state any other intentions you may have, such as honoring them, getting to know them better, etc.
Once you feel that they are with you, allow any messages they have to flow toward you. If you are not yet skilled at receiving messages through clairaudience, claircognizance, or the like, focus on how the present energy feels. Sit quietly with these feelings, allowing your body to take it all in and then gently release it. If you feel drawn to use a form of divination to communicate with your ancestor(s) or loved one(s), you may do that as well.
Closing
When you are ready to end the ritual and communication with your ancestor(s) or loved one(s) for now, thank those who came forward and allowed you to connect with them, and then visualize them all leaving through the same gate they came through. Once gone, envision the doorway closing and fading away.
Stand up and facing North, speak: "Thank you to the North and the element of Earth for protecting and allowing me to be present in this window of liminal space. I say goodbye to my protective ancestors (or loved ones), and I thank you for helping guide them back to the ancestral realm."
Turning left and facing West, speak: "Thank you to the West and the element of Water for protecting and allowing me to be present in this window of liminal space. I say goodbye to my protective ancestors (or loved ones), and I thank you for helping guide them back to the ancestral realm."
Turning left and facing South, speak: "Thank you to the South and the element of Fire for protecting and allowing me to be present in this window of liminal space. I say goodbye to my protective ancestors (or loved ones), and I thank you for helping guide them back to the ancestral realm."
Turning left and facing East, speak: "Thank you to the East and the element of Air for protecting and allowing me to be present in this window of liminal space. I say goodbye to my protective ancestors (or loved ones), and I thank you for helping guide them back to the ancestral realm."
For a more in-depth resource for accessing ancestral realms and clearing patterns of abuse from your lineage, check out the Accessing Ancestral Realms foundational course. May you walk your path with wisdom and prudence. Blessed be on your journey of spiritual growth and healing.
Creating a sacred space is an essential part of many pagan, spiritual, and religious practices. An altar serves as a focal point for connecting with the divine, performing rituals, and honoring your spiritual path. Whether you are new to this part of your path or not, this guide is intended to help walk you through the fundamentals of building an altar.
For me personally, my altar spaces are treated with the same respect and reverence as an inner room of an ancient temple might have. If you have a particular spiritual path you follow, you may opt to look into the ancient temple traditions of your belief system.
Altars can be indoors or outdoors—choosing between the two is completely up to you. The main thing that’s important is that the location you select feels right to you and won’t be disturbed by others. Ideally, it should be a space where you feel comfortable and can focus on your spiritual practice without interruptions.
You can have a stationary altar that you set up on a shelf or counter space, or you can create a travel altar that is smaller in size and contained in a designated box that’s easily transportable (super helpful for people who often stay in hotels or other people’s homes), or you can create a permanent or temporary altar outdoors, such as in your garden, courtyard, patio, etc.
For me, I have altar spaces that are in my room, bathroom, and living areas that align energetically with those areas of my home and the elements of spirit that I want to connect with. For example, the altar(s) that I have for the water entities that I work with are around the bathtub (near water). Whereas the divine beings that I do astral work with, I keep in my bedroom (near where I sleep). For you, if you’re working with household spirits, you may choose your hearth for your altar, or if you’re an herbalist, you might opt for a kitchen altar.
Before setting up your altar, you’ll want to cleanse the space of any negative or stagnant energy that’s lingering. You can use your preferred method, such as smoke cleansing, sound cleansing, spraying Florida water or cleansing spray, or whatever your go-to cleansing method is. Oftentimes, this also aligns with elements of your craft that you’re already drawn to. For example, if you’re someone who typically utilizes herbs in your practice, you might be more likely to opt for burning incense or yerba santa or something similar to cleanse with the smoke.
Next, you’ll want to designate what the altar is going to be for and select items that align with the energy of the space you’re consecrating. Your altar can be a general working one that is flexible to your needs (a very common option for eclectic practitioners), it can be designated for a specific deity or divine being you’ve chosen to work with and honor, it can be dedicated to yourself, such as your higher self, inner child, or inner teen, or whatever your intentions are spiritually.
While there is no “wrong” or “right” way to set up your altar (and no two altars are alike, nor should they be), here are some things you might consider to help give you some ideas and point you in the right direction.
When it comes to creating your altar, it is important to remember that this space is sacred and should be treated as such. It is your designated area where you can connect with your spirituality or practice your rituals. Remember that there are no strict rules when it comes to designing an altar—it is a reflection of who you are and what holds significance in your spiritual journey. So let your creativity flow and trust your intuition when arranging each element on your sacred space. Ultimately, this process should bring a sense of joy, comfort, and connection whenever you engage with it.
Recently, I was asked to put together a series of resources on rituals, including cord cuttings and this article is the beginning of many resources to come.
Cord cuttings, often referred to as a "Cutting the Cord" ritual, are intended to sever the energetic cord between you and another person. People who are inexperienced with energy work may opt to have a more experienced practitioner perform the work for them, but many people choose to perform this ritual on their own as the steps you walk through can be very therapeutic and releasing feelings. This is especially true if the person you are cutting off was someone who brought a lot of trauma, harm, abuse, or toxicity to your life.
Keep in mind that when you are performing any type of ritual or spellwork, your intentions are the most important thing, so take time to meditate on and determine what your goal for the working is. It might be to move on from an ex, heal from a toxic friendship, or move past the abuse of a family member. At the end of the day, what your end goal is has to be clearly defined by you.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that cord cuttings are intended to be permanent, so if the person you are "cutting the cord" from is someone you think you might return to being in a relationship with later on in life, this may not be the ideal ritual for that situation.
Additionally, I like to always encourage people to practice safely when dabbling in energy work because our intentions hold a great deal of power, and sometimes things we set in motion through our will can have consequences that are outside the scope of what we thought might occur or happen as a result of our working. This makes it especially important to focus our intentions on separating the other person's energy from ourselves, and not doing things on other people's behalf without their explicit permission.
If there are multiple people that you desire to cut the cord from, I've found it most effective to perform the ritual for each individual scenario, rather than lumping them all together into one singular working.
The most powerful tool at your disposal is always your mind and your intentions. To physically perform the ritual with tangible ingredients, which can help you stay focused and aligned with the outcome of the ritual, here are some useful tools:
Grounding before rituals is important as it ensures that you are connected to your body, the material realm, and very much present for the working. You can ground your energy in several ways including, spending time in nature, walking barefoot on the grass or soil to feel the connection to the earth, sitting crisscross on the ground to connect your root energy source to the earth, imagining roots growing from your feet into the earth anchoring you firmly, practicing intentional breathing exercises, and more. Remember that grounding is a personal practice, so feel free to explore different techniques and find what works best for you.
To cleanse the energy of your space before a ritual, you can smoke cleanse with sacred dried herbs, sound cleanse with bells or singing bowls, or utilize energy-clearing sprays like Florida water or other cleansing blends. Each method has its unique way of clearing energy and creating a positive environment for your divination session, so use whatever method is easily doable and works best for you. Remember to be intentional through the process, so if you are going to cleanse with burning dried herbs, for example, do not simply wave the burning herbs and smoke around, but set your intentions and focus on cleansing the space you’ll be working in of any negative or stagnant energy so that you have a neutral starting point.
After cleansing the space to bring it to a neutral state energetically speaking, you’ll then want to protect yourself and the space from any additional unwanted energies from entering during the ritual. This is a critical step as it helps minimize the risk of any disturbances. Protection can be implemented by setting an energetic boundary, such as casting a circle, if this aligns with your spiritual path and beliefs, wearing protective crystals, such as black obsidian, black tourmaline, or hematite, or casting a protection spell.
You can protect your space and create a protective circle with the support of the elements using the steps below.
Facing East, speak: "Thank you to the East and the element of Air for protecting and assisting me with this cord cutting. Hail and welcome!"
Turning right and facing South, speak: "Thank you to the South and the element of Fire for protecting and assisting me with this cord cutting. Hail and welcome!"
Turning right and facing West, speak: "Thank you to the West and the element of Water for protecting and assisting me with this cord cutting. Hail and welcome!"
Turning right and facing North, speak: "Thank you to the North and the element of Earth for protecting and assisting me with this cord cutting. Hail and welcome!"
Recently, I was asked to put together a series of resources on creating wards, so this article is the beginning of many resources to come.
After effectively grounding yourself and cleansing and protecting the space you’ll be working in, here is a step-by-step method for performing a simple cord cutting. Remember, after the cord cutting is created, you will want to close out the ritual in reverse order by re-protecting yourself and your space, re-cleansing yourself and your space from any lingering negative or stagnant energy, and re-grounding yourself to diffuse built-up energy from the working itself. AND THEN taking plenty of time to rest and recharge your energy.
Take the candle that is going to represent you and gently carve your name into the side of it infusing your intentions that this is connected to your energy. Take the candle that is going to represent the person you are cutting the cord from and gently carve their name into the side of it infusing your intentions that it is connected to the energy you want severed from yourself.
Stand your candles on the fireproof tray a couple of inches apart. I find it helpful to slightly heat up the bottoms of the candle so the wax starts to slightly melt so that they'll adhere to the dish without following over. Tie them together with the string (see photo example.)
Surround the entire set up of the working and/or the individual candles themselves with salt to symbolize the grounded intentions of this working and that you intend to protect yourself and the other person from harm, but while still severing the energetic cord that links the two of you.
Light both of the candles and state the following:
“As the cord is cut and the candles burned, I cut all ties with that for which I yearned.
I release what no longer serves me. As I will it, so mote it be”
Sit and meditate as the candles burn and the cord is cut, and visualize your energetic attachment to the person being severed. Feel yourself becoming detached, empowered, and able to move on without them in your life. Pay close attention to the moment when the cord catches fire and dissolves between the two candles. Allow the candles to burn all the way down or until you feel drawn to snuff the candles out, but make sure this is after the cord is burned through.
Safely dispose of all of the ritual components.
After the cord cutting is performed, take a moment to close out the protective circle that was created with the support of the elements. These steps will be done in reverse order from how they were first performed.
Stand up and facing North, speak: "Thank you to the North and the element of Earth for protecting and assisting me with this cord cutting and allowing my energy to return to me cleansed and recharged. Thank you and farewell."
Turning left and facing West, speak: "Thank you to the West and the element of Water for protecting and assisting me with this cord cutting and allowing my energy to return to me cleansed and recharged. Thank you and farewell."
Turning left and facing South, speak: "Thank you to the South and the element of Fire for protecting and assisting me with this cord cutting and allowing my energy to return to me cleansed and recharged. Thank you and farewell."
Turning left and facing East, speak: "Thank you to the East and the element of Air for protecting and assisting me with this cord cutting and allowing my energy to return to me cleansed and recharged. Thank you and farewell."
To cleanse your energy (and space if you feel it’s necessary) after the cord cutting, you can utilize the same method you did at the beginning of the ritual, such as smoke cleansing with sacred dried herbs, using sound cleansing with bells or singing bowls, or utilizing energy clearing sprays like Florida water or other cleansing blends.
Alternatively, you also might opt for something that’s more personal to cleanse yourself, such as a ritual cleansing shower or bath. Remember to be intentional through the process, so if you are going to cleanse with burning dried herbs again, for example, do not simply wave the burning herbs and smoke around yourself or your space, but set your intentions and focus on cleansing your energy so that you feel clean, refreshed, and energized.
Grounding after cord cutting is incredibly important as it ensures that any excess energy is redirected back to the ground/earth. You can ground your energy utilizing the same method you did at the beginning of the ritual, such as spending time in nature, walking barefoot on the grass or soil to feel the connection to the earth, sitting crisscross on the ground to connect your root energy source to the earth, imagine roots growing from your feet into the earth anchoring you firmly, practicing intentional breathing exercises, etc.
May you walk your path with wisdom and prudence. Blessed be on your journey of spiritual growth and healing.
One of the fundamentals of paganism and esoteric wisdom is banishing. Here is a brief overview of what this means within esotericism and how you can practice banishing.
Banishing removes energies that are not welcome in your space from staying there. Banishing is a broad term that can have many different purposes and be carried out via a plethora of methods.
If at any point during your routine, you encounter unwelcome energies or spirits in your space that aren’t aligned with your intentions or highest good, banishing is necessary. These may be energies or spirits that are draining your energy, have mischievous or malicious intentions, or are around for nefarious reasons, and as a result interfere with your own health, healing, and well-being.
You may already be practicing banishing or cleansing when you feel the need to sweep after someone leaves your home, open the windows when you enter a room that feels stuffy, or take a few moments by yourself to regroup after being in a large crowd.
When our energy is interfered with in any way, it can inhibit our creativity, inspiration, and ability to think clearly, bring down our mood, and cause feelings of fatigue, sickness, and exhaustion. Banishing these unwanted energies allows us to keep everything in order and balance within ourselves and our space so that we are able to continue thriving physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
The methods for banishing are as vast as every other topic in esotericism. Common methods of banishing are:
The key with each of these methods is the individual’s intentions and mindset. Even mundane activities, such as sweeping or dusting, can be methods of banishing. For example, sweeping or dusting may be done with the intention of banishing dirt, dust, or debris from your home. Your intentions could also be banishing stagnant energy that is no longer serving you and your household.
Bear in mind that the permanence or efficacy of banishings is partially dependent on what you are banishing. Some banishings will be permanent and irreversible. Some banishings will aid mundane efforts at removing difficult things that are a struggle to get rid of. Some banishings will need to be refreshed and recharged regularly in order to continue warding off ongoing things. Some banishings will help to reduce the frequency or intensity of occurrences, especially if it is something that is pervasive and unavoidable. Some banishings are simply not going to work, because what you want is not possible. For example, banishing can remove toxic people from your life, but cannot make it like it never happened – you still have to do the work to process the trauma and heal.
One of the fundamentals of paganism and esoteric wisdom is cleansing. Here is a brief overview of what this means within esotericism and how you can practice cleansing.
Cleansing neutralizes the energy of a person, object, or place. It can be thought of similarly to the idea of purification where any energies associated with or linked to a person, object, or place are brought to a balanced middle ground of sorts. The goal of cleansing is to mitigate the influence or attachment of any positively or negatively charged energy on its subject, wherever this be a person, an object, or a particular area.
You may already be practicing cleansing if you've ever been around a person who felt like they were draining you and you had to take a shower/bath after being with them or when the Spring season rolls around and you feel motivated to deep-clean the whole house.
All day, every day energy is in motion and comes into contact with people, objects, and space. In relation to ourselves, cleansing allows us to bring our energy back to a neutral state after we’ve been exposed to other people’s energy. For example, cleansing after a long day at work or being around lots of people can help eliminate any lingering energy of others from yourself.
In relation to objects, cleansing things that have been given to you, that you’re bringing into your home, or that you’re using in your daily routine can help eliminate any energy still connected to the item from its previous owner, the creation process, etc. For example, if you’ve purchased jewelry, home decor, clothing, and the like, these objects may still hold the energy of the person who created it, previously owned it, or came into contact with it before you bought it. Cleansing these items can help bring them back to neutral before you incorporate them into your dwelling.
When it comes to space that needs to be cleansed, this is related to lingering stagnant energy that could potentially influence the place as a whole. People may want to cleanse a space before they sleep there, such as a hotel room, or a house before they move into it and call it home. Others may cleanse a specific circle of space before meditating or performing a ritual so the outcome isn’t influenced by anything other than their own energy, and so on.
On a fundamental level, you can think of cleansing in five basic categories that align with the elements. This is an easy way to remember methods of cleansing and can be expounded upon vastly within each general category. Remember, no matter which element or method you’re using, your intentions and mindset are everything. Set your intentions on cleansing and with a mindset of gratitude to the element(s) you’re using for cleansing.
Earth cleansing
When working with the earth element for cleansing, some common methods include clear quartz, selenite, and salt. Selenite is a particularly simple and easily accessible method for neutralizing energy. Pieces of selenite can be stored with other objects, placed over doorways or in the corners of a room or house, or worn as jewelry on your person.
Water cleansing
When working with the water element for cleansing, some common methods include showers, baths, rinsing, or soaking depending on what’s being cleansed. A shower or bath can cleanse you of any lingering energetic influences, objects (if water safe) can be rinsed or soaked in water to cleanse them, and water charged with your intentions (such as moon water, sun water, crystal water, Florida water, etc.) can be sprayed in an area to cleanse it.
Air cleansing
When working with the air element for cleansing, some common methods include incense, smoke cleansing, and sound. Yourself, objects, or any open space can be cleansed by utilizing the smoke from incense or herbal bundles or playing the sound of cleansing frequencies (such as crystal singing bowls, music, etc.)
Fire cleansing
When working with the fire element for cleansing, some common methods overlap with air cleansing due to the nature of burning resin, incense, or herbs to cleanse yourself, an object, or a place. You can also fire cleanse using candles charged with your intentions, writing down the energy you want to release and burning it, and so on.
Spirit cleansing
When working with the spirit element for cleansing, some common methods include visualization and meditation. The easiest way to go about this is by closing your eyes and visualizing the energy you want to release and then envisioning a bright light purifying the energy of yourself, a particular object, or a specific place.
Different methods will prove to work better in various situations based on the energy being cleansed, your connection with the given method and element, and your intentions. If a particular method doesn’t feel aligned with your intentions, don’t hesitate to try something different. Your intuition is one of your greatest resources when it comes to your healing and growth journey.
