Cleansing

Space Clearing

As I was looking through a 2009 Witches' Spell-A-Day Almanac, I happened to notice I had marked a procedure for clearing crystals and I thought it might be a good idea to mention that in my Facebook group. As I was booting up the computer, which we all know takes forever, I realized that space clearing is one of the most overlooked aspects for spell work.

You wouldn't write a letter on paper you had previously written a letter on and yet, too often we forget to clear the previous spell before beginning a new one or just plain cleaning up the energies after doing a spell. Without severing the energies by clearing the area, you never let go of the spell to completely finish working. This is not a great idea.

So, the first step is to clear the area you have used. Candle wax, incense ashes and other remains should be buried or thrown into running water. The best disposal is to have an actual well made that will nullify and drain the energies into earth for your “spell garbage”.

Then, magickal objects should be wiped or submerged in salt water. The best water is always ocean water but you can mix some up using sea salt and filtered water. Tap water tends to have too many chemicals in it for magickal clearing. After that, they should be rinsed in clear water if the salt is going to injure them. Metal and salt do not play well together. They should then be gently dried with a white towel, preferably cotton. Then they should be smudged with a clearing herb like sage, pine, juniper or basal. If they are not going back on your altar immediately, they should be wrapped in the appropriate cloth and stored. Even the altar itself should be wiped down and cleaned. Altar clothes should be washed if possible. This is why if you have that fancy altar cloth you love, it should not be the one you use for actual spell work. For one thing, some wax dyes do not come out when washed. I ruined a gorgeously embroidered altar cloth with a red candle.

Crystals are a little different and requite more clearing than regular objects. The crystal actually tunes itself to the spell you are doing and remains tuned until you neutralize it. This involves a good salt water bath for several hours, rinse and dry. Then the crystal needs to sit outside or on your windowsill for a full lunar cycle to break the false alignment you created and put it back to its natural state for the next spell. You can leave them under water for the full 28 days if you change the water regularly. If you have pets, they will be attracted to that water over all other water so you might want to put a glass lid on the container.

Mirrors must be thoroughly washed in salt water (personally I use a middle step of vinegar water) and plain water and then wrapped quickly.

Remember, the quality of the water is very important. So, don't hesitate to get distilled water if you can.

You also might want to consider that if any of your ritual objects contain a crystal, you are going to have clear the crystal in them. Remember that when choosing objects to work with and base part of your choice on how hard they will be to cleanse.

Before you even set up your altar, the area needs to be cleansed where you are putting it. So, spritz or wipe it down with salt water, smudge it and get the dust out. You will find your work is much more successful if you obey the simple rules of cleansing before and after. Respect your space and your sacred objects and they will become more powerful with each use.