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.
What is 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.
Why do I need to cleanse?
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.
How can I cleanse?
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.