Recently, I was asked to put together a series of resources on protecting against and removing parasitic entities.
When individuals are dealing with a parasitic entity leeching off their energy, they may experience various symptoms and sensations that can be unsettling or draining. Some people refer to this as “demonic activity” but this word has a lot of mixed meanings depending on someone’s spiritual or cultural background, and so we have opted not to use this phrase so as not to confuse anyone who may use this word in a particular way. Some common signs of a parasitic entity may include:
Physical Symptoms — People may report feeling fatigued, drained of energy, or experiencing unexplained aches and pains. Some individuals may also notice sudden changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, or digestive issues.
Emotional Disturbances — Those with etheric attachments may experience sudden mood swings, anxiety, depression, or irrational fears. They may also feel a sense of heaviness or oppression that is difficult to shake off.
Behavioral Changes — People might exhibit changes in their behavior such as sudden anger outbursts, irrational actions, or feeling compelled to engage in addictive behaviors.
Psychic Sensations — Individuals may report sensing a presence around them, hearing voices, or experiencing unexplained visions. Some may also feel like they are being watched or followed by unseen forces.
Energetic Disruptions — People with etheric attachments may feel a disturbance in their energy field, such as sudden cold spots, tingling sensations, or feeling like they are being touched by something invisible. It’s important to note that these experiences can also be attributed to medical conditions or psychological factors, so it’s crucial to seek professional help for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Once mundane explanations have been ruled out, and the likelihood of a parasitic entity is highlighted as being the cause of the symptoms and experiences, it is important to remove/banish the parasitic entity and restore balance to your well-being.
Parasitic entities are often attracted to individuals who are vulnerable, spiritually active, empathic, or frequently exposed to heightened amounts of energy.
Vulnerable Individuals — Vulnerabilities can come in many forms, such as when we experience emotional turbulence, unresolved trauma, self-worth or self-esteem issues, mental health issues, or heavy substance use. All of these things can create vulnerabilities in our energy field that can make it easier for parasitic entities to prey on us. While we all go through seasons where we are struggling, vulnerable, and facing hardships physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, it’s important to work through these things to the best of our ability, and seek additional help and support when needed, to move through this and back to a place of balance and stability energetically speaking.
Spiritually Active Individuals — People who are naturally spiritually active, such as healers, energy workers, shamans, witches, magicians, mediums, psychics, spiritual practitioners, oracles, priests or priestesses, and so on, have a vibrant light within them that acts as a beacon of sorts attracting parasitic entities like a moth to a flame. I repeat this phrase often because it’s the easiest way to visualize the magnetism of these entities to an energy source that would be highly sustaining for them if they can manage to latch onto the individual. This does not mean the spiritually active person is doing anything wrong but is an indication that they need to be intentional with cleansing and protecting regularly. Spiritually active individuals could also include people who astral project or travel (even accidentally), dream frequently or have vivid visions, work with spiritual tools to connect with the spirit realm, and so on.
Empathic Individuals — An empathic individual is someone who can understand and share the feelings of others. They are highly attuned to the emotions of those around them and can offer support and comfort in times of need. Empathic individuals are often compassionate, and sensitive, and have a strong sense of empathy towards others. Those who are naturally very sensitive to other energies around them in this way can absorb a lot of the energies that they may encounter throughout the day whether they’re consciously aware of it or not. This makes it especially important for them to get into a routine of cleansing and protecting themselves to mitigate parasitic entities or negative energy from attaching itself to them.
Individuals Around Heightened Energy — Those who are around heightened energy may be those who are spiritual practitioners themselves, such as healers, energy workers, shamans, witches, magicians, mediums, psychics, oracles, priests or priestesses, and so on—but it can also be people who are not directly working with the spiritual realm overtly but rather work in places where many types of people and energies frequently come and go, such as hospitals or medical facilities, schools, large events or functions, funeral homes or cemeteries, places of healing or worship, historical sites or sacred sites, and so on. Again, none of these things are indications a person is doing anything wrong but should encourage them to cleanse and protect themselves regularly to prevent having to deal with parasitic entities.
After having a parasitic entity removed, a person may experience a sense of spiritual relief, lightness, and increased clarity. They may feel a release of negative emotions or physical symptoms that were previously weighing them down or causing distress. This removal process can create a significant energy shift, allowing for a renewed sense of well-being and balance. It is common for individuals to almost immediately feel more grounded, centered, and at peace. It is important to remember though, that removing/banishing a parasitic entity isn’t a one-time thing but requires continuing self-care practices and maintaining healthy and balanced energy to prevent attachments in the future, as a person can be susceptible to parasitic entities at any stage of their life. This is why I repeat the importance of grounding, cleansing, and protecting regularly, and when necessary, banishing anything that has somehow slipped through the cracks.
They are beings that roam the unseen dimensions around us and are like spiritual leeches, feeding off the energy and life force of humans. Just as physical parasites attach themselves to a host to survive, these beings latch onto individuals to drain their vitality.
Imagine these entities as spiritual insects of sorts. They are found in astral realms and places with heightened levels of energetic activity. They are lurkers and wait for moments of weakness or vulnerability to attach themselves, which is usually the result of not grounding, cleansing, protecting, or banishing in the spiritual sense regularly. People who are naturally empathic or who work in places with heightened spiritual activity or dabble in magickal arts are more susceptible to encountering these types of entities. This is because their energy, light, or magick act as a beacon of sorts, attracting parasitic entities like a moth to a flame.
An energy vampire is a person who siphons energy from another person to sustain their practice and life. These individuals, whether consciously or not, latch onto the energy of other people and redirect their energy toward themselves. Though similar in feeling, parasitic entities are not human beings behaving as energy vampires but are beings that preside in non-material realms that latch onto humans.
Ghosts, apparitions, or deceased people (which are all nearly synonymous terms), are those who once presided in the material realm but have passed on (died) but their spirit lingers here still. Though many people associate all spiritual or paranormal happenings with “hauntings” or ghostly activity, very rarely are the spirits of deceased people actively causing any type of disturbance or harm to anyone in the material realm. Alternatively, parasitic entities are spiritual beings (who are not humans and never were) that can create significant disturbances in the material realm if they latch onto a person, place, object, etc. as their only purpose is to drain the energy from whatever they’re connected to to survive.
Though things in the spiritual realm should rarely be looked at as “good” or “bad” since things are significantly more complex than that, I would put it in terms of thinking about a physical parasite once again. In its own right, the parasite may not be actively causing harm to anything, but it becomes quite problematic very quickly when it latches onto a host. For example, a tapeworm attaches itself to the intestinal wall of a person and absorbs nutrients directly from the host’s digestive system. By absorbing nutrients from the host’s food, tapeworms can grow and reproduce, often causing symptoms such as weight loss, abdominal pain, and nutritional deficiencies in the infected person. In the same way, etheric or spiritual parasites feed off the host which creates unexplained fatigue, persistent negative thoughts or emotions, and constantly feeling like your energy is drained and unable to be recharged or replenished—which is not good.
While it can sound scary to have to deal with a parasitic entity, we do not need to fear them but rather educate ourselves on what they are and how to preventatively protect against them or remove them if one has already latched onto us.
Removing a parasitic entity requires a deep understanding of energy work and how the spiritual and astral realms operate. There are some things that inexperienced practitioners may try on their own, but if there is push-back or resistance due to the parasitic entity refusing to be removed, it would be wise to connect with an experienced spiritual practitioner, such as an astral witch (because they are well-versed in astral realms), death witch (because they are well-versed in working with liminal space and the beings that preside there), a shaman (because they are experienced in spiritual healing and energy work), a healer (because they are experienced in healing various types of energy blockages), or another similar type of practitioner.
The process typically begins with the spiritual practitioner connecting with the affected individual energetically to assess the nature of the entity and its impact. This does not have to be done in person if the spiritual practitioner is fluidly able to tap into people’s energy from a distance. This energetic connection is crucial for understanding how the entity is affecting the person’s energy and overall well-being. Some parasitic entities may be very simple and easy to remove if the hold on the person is fairly minor or if it is a weaker type of parasite, and others may be more heavily embedded into the person and have a stronger hold on their energy if it’s been attached and feeding off them for quite some time.
During the process, the spiritual practitioner will work to weaken the hold of the parasitic entity on the individual’s energy, remove it entirely and banish it from the individual, and then create a protective barrier around them to prevent reattachment. For those who are already well-versed in the spiritual realm and understand the fundamentals of grounding, cleansing, protecting, and banishing, here are some key things my deities and spirit guides have shared with me in regard to navigating the removal of parasitic entities.
Grounding before a spiritual working is incredibly important as it ensures that you are connected to your body, the material realm, and very much present for everything that is to follow. 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 performing any type of spiritual working, you can try smoke cleansing with sacred dried herbs, using sound cleansing with bells or singing bowls, or utilizing energy-clearing sprays like Florida water. Each method has its own unique way of clearing negative energy and creating a positive environment for your spiritual practice, 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. This can be done 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, or utilizing a protective ward.
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 through this removal and banishment of any parasitic entities or negative energy that isn’t aligned with my highest good. Hail and welcome!”
Turning right and facing South, speak: “Thank you to the South and the element of Fire for protecting and assisting me through this removal and banishment of any parasitic entities or negative energy that isn’t aligned with my highest good. Hail and welcome!”
Turning right and facing West, speak: “Thank you to the West and the element of Water for protecting and assisting me through this removal and banishment of any parasitic entities or negative energy that isn’t aligned with my highest good. Hail and welcome!”
Turning right and facing North, speak: “Thank you to the North and the element of Earth for protecting and assisting me through this removal and banishment of any parasitic entities or negative energy that isn’t aligned with my highest good. Hail and welcome!”
After effectively grounding yourself and cleansing and protecting the space you’ll be working in, here are a few different methods that I have personally used to remove parasitic entities as taught to me by my deities and spirit guides. Remember, after the removal/banishing ritual is performed, 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.
After the removal/banishment, you’ll want to re-protect your energetic field to repair any places where vulnerabilities were previously present to prevent any parasitic entities from having access to you again. Take a moment to visualize your energy being slowly mended and strengthened before closing 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 in the removal and banishment of any parasitic entities or negative energy isn’t aligned with my highest good. 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 in the removal and banishment of any parasitic entities or negative energy isn’t aligned with my highest good. 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 in the removal and banishment of any parasitic entities or negative energy isn’t aligned with my highest good. 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 in the removal and banishment of any parasitic entities or negative energy isn’t aligned with my highest good. Thank you and farewell.” Be intentional going forward to protect your energy. Find what works best for you, whether it be veiling (wearing a head covering), wearing protective crystals, wearing a protective talisman or amulet, shielding through glamour magick, or whatever your preferred method is.
To cleanse your energy (and space if you feel it’s necessary) after performing this removal/banishment working, 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.
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 a spiritual working 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.
Remember, just as we tend to our physical bodies with care and attention, so too must we nurture our spiritual well-being. By cultivating a practice of grounding, cleansing, and protecting ourselves we can fortify our energetic boundaries and safeguard our essence from anything who seeks to drain it.
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 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.