If you’ve been wanting to dabble more in astral projection, astral traveling, dreamwork, and the like, this article’s for you! Many spiritual practitioners utilize their astral travel and dreamwork sessions to gain deeper insights into who they are beyond the physical realm, understand what’s happening in their subconscious mind, and more.
Though some spiritual practitioners may effortlessly be able to astral project, lucid dream, or control various aspects of what they do while they’re sleeping, others may need a little more help to achieve similar results.
Thankfully, there are multiple herbs that can aid in these practices, but as with all things in the health, wellness, and medicinal space, we can’t stress enough the importance of thoroughly researching each herb and consulting with a licensed health professional to ensure that what you’re planning to consume is safe, doesn’t interact with any medications you’re on, or cause any complications relating to any medical conditions you may have.
While we fully support the natural life, we also are pro-safety and pro-research, and just because something grows from our beautiful Mother Earth doesn’t mean that it is safe for consumption (remember, there are many poisons, toxins, and mind-altering plants in the wild too!). For example, we LOVE mugwort and its many uses in a holistic, pagan, or witchy lifestyle but we can’t forget that it also is nature’s “Plan B” and is unsafe for women who are pregnant as it can cause a spontaneous abortion. So, RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH!
This potent plant is believed to enhance psychic abilities and facilitate lucid dreaming, making it a valuable ally for those seeking to explore the astral plane. When used as a tea, incense, or placed under a pillow, mugwort can induce vivid dreams and improve dream recall, allowing practitioners to gain deeper insights from their nocturnal journeys. Its protective properties also create a safe environment for these explorations, ensuring that the spiritual traveler remains grounded and shielded from negative energies.
Damiana is believed to stimulate the pineal gland, which plays a crucial role in regulating sleep and dreams. When used in teas, incense, or spellwork, damiana can help induce vivid dreams and facilitate deeper states of meditation, making it easier to achieve astral travel. Additionally, its calming effects aid in relaxation and mental clarity, creating an optimal environment for spiritual exploration and lucid dreaming. Incorporating damiana into your rituals can thus significantly enhance your ability to navigate the astral plane and gain insights from the dream world.
Valerian is known for its calming and sedative properties, valerian aids practitioners in achieving the deep relaxation necessary for successful astral travel. By quieting the mind and easing physical tension, it facilitates a smoother transition into altered states of consciousness. Additionally, valerian enhances dream recall and lucidity, making it an invaluable ally for those seeking to explore and manipulate their dreamscapes. Its grounding energy also provides a protective barrier, ensuring safe journeys through the astral plane.
The blue lotus flower, revered in ancient Egyptian culture, holds significant magickal benefits. Known for its psychoactive properties, the blue lotus induces a state of deep relaxation and heightened awareness, making it an ideal aid for entering altered states of consciousness. When used in rituals or consumed as a tea or tincture, it can enhance lucid dreaming, facilitate vivid visions, and support the journey into the astral plane. Its calming effects help practitioners maintain focus and clarity during these spiritual explorations, ultimately enriching their mystical experiences and deepening their connection to the subconscious mind.
Wild asparagus, often referred to as the “Flying Herb” in witchcraft practices, is renowned for its magickal benefits in enhancing astral projection and dream work. This amazing herb is believed to facilitate a deeper connection to the astral plane, making it easier for practitioners to embark on out-of-body experiences and explore other realms. Consuming wild asparagus or incorporating it into ritualistic practices can aid in achieving lucid dreams, providing clearer insights and more vivid dreamscapes. Its energy is said to align with the higher chakras, particularly the third eye and crown, thus promoting heightened intuition and spiritual awareness during dream states and astral journeys.
Looking for herbs for your next astral projection or dreamwork session? Explore the Herbs page in The Apothecary section of our website! Happy traveling!
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.
