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.
What is 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.
Why do I need to banish?
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.
How can I banish?
The methods for banishing are as vast as every other topic in esotericism. Common methods of banishing are:
- Smoke cleansing
- Sweeping or dusting
- Chants or prayers
- Burning paper with things you want to banish written on it
- Burning candles with things you want to banish carved into the side
- Meditation
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.