Cleansing
Cleansing is the act of removing something unwanted from a person, place, or thing. While most people think of cleansing as removing dirt and debris, in witchcraft cleansing refers to the removal of unwanted energies, or spiritual debris if you will, that could interfere with the energy of your spell. Energy is constantly being transferred throughout a system, meaning that when you walk into a room that space now contains some of your energy. When you leave that room, the energy will linger behind, often settling in a place of least resistance. But it’s not just you that has imparted energy on the space; the space has also left some energy with you. Have you ever walked into a room that was completely chaotic? Loud noises, cluttered, disorganized, and otherwise complete chaos. When you left that space, how did you feel? How long did the feeling last? You probably felt frazzles, frustrated, easily distracted, and maybe even anxious for several minutes to several hours later. Energy transfers easily and can impact our lives in great ways. The same is true of the people, place, and objects involved in your spellwork. They all carry their own energies, some of which were imparted on them by other things, and these energies will in turn be added to your spell should you not remove them. The last thing you want to do is add chaotic energy to a job or love spell. This is why cleansing is so important.
Before engaging in spellwork it is important to remove the unwanted energies from yourself and anyone else involved in the spell, the space, and the objects you are using. This can be done using a variety of methods including smoke, water, sound, breath, and salt cleansing. Most witches go with smoke cleansing because it’s quick and easy and can be used to cleanse everything. Simply waft the smoke over your body and around the room, and pass any magical objects through the smoke to cleanse them as well. If you decide to use water, I suggest showering or bathing to cleanse yourself and using salted water to sprinkle around the room and on the objects you are using. For sound, I recommend using a bell or even clapping, but any musical instrument or singing will suffice. Ring the bell or clap all around your body, space, and objects to remove the unwanted energies. Breath, which is my favorite method for cleansing objects, requires you to blow the unwanted energy away. This is difficult to do on yourself and in a large space, so I don’t suggest using breath to cleanse these. However, it’s perfect for objects and can be used to not only cleanse the objects but also charge them as well, a process I will discuss later in this article.
Whichever method you choose, be sure to keep your intention firmly in your mind, that you are removing all unwanted energies. You may even wish to state this out loud as you cleanse. Does every single item need to be cleansed? No. Use your intuition to guide you. As a general rule, I don’t cleanse living material or material that belonged to a living thing unless something feels off. These items contain spirits that are important to aiding in spellwork and should not be removed.
Charging
When you cleanse an object, you often remove all of the energies present, even the good ones. This is why I don’t cleanse plant material and other living or previous living things. I want their energy to remain intact. However, the removed energies can and should be replaced with new energies that align with your intent. This is called charging, programming, enchanting, or empowering. During this process, the object’s removed energy is replaced with the energy of your intention and ‘charged’ with a specific purpose. However, plant material and other living or previously living things can also be charged. An object does not have to be cleansed in order for this process to work.
There are several ways to charge an object including sunlight, moonlight, crystals, warming, breath, or visualization. Apart from using my breath my other favorite method of charging involves holding the object in both hands until it’s warm while thinking or saying my intent. I find both methods work incredibly well. However, other methods are just as effective. Other times I may use sunlight or moonlight to charge an object, especially crystals, with the energies of these celestial bodies. Keep in mind that direct sunlight is damaging and should be used sparingly. Crystals tend to retain their unique energies, even after cleansing, and thus can be used to charge other objects, even other crystals. This is usually why people suggest storing crystals separately from each other. Simply touch the object to the crystal for a length of time. If you are charging water, use only water-safe crystals or place the crystal in a container near the water.
Raising Energy
Once you, your workspace, and tools are cleansed and charged, it’s time to start raising energy for the spell. Many witches incorporate this step directly into the spell itself, slowly building up energy as they work until it’s finally released. However, you may find that you prefer to go into the spell with the energy already raised. I often raise energy beforehand, unless performing an elaborate ritual, because it helps me get into a magical mindset, shifting away from the mundane to focus on my intention.
Raising energy is the act of pulling energy from outside yourself to you to fuel your spell. Ultimately this acts as the power source for the spell, sending it on its way to manifest. Failure to raise enough energy is one of the leading causes of spell failure and can leave you feeling fatigued, moody, and extremely hungry because all the energy used came directly from you. This act is often done inside of a magical circle, if you cast them, to contain the energy, while other witches prefer to use their bodies as the container. I am one such witch.
Energy can be raised in a variety of ways and the method you use depends on what you feel comfortable with as well as the intention of the spell. For example, I tend to chant when casting spells for money and work while I may sing or play music when casting spells to banish depression and anxiety. So how can you raise energy?
The first way I mentioned is through chanting. Aum, pronounced ohm’ is the most commonly used chant, but others can include words or phrases of your own design. Often chanting is accompanied by breathwork, which, combined not only raise energy but also results in a shift in consciousness. Other methods include drumming, rattling, or clapping. Start out slowly, playing faster and faster as the energy builds. You may notice your body also moves with the music and you may be slightly out of breath when done. You can also listen to music, especially upbeat, fast tempo music to raise energy. I find this is best accompanied with dancing, especially erratic, free form dancing. For some spells, intercourse or masturbation may be the best way to raise energy. This is especially true for love spells. Ultimately, the goal is to feel revved up, so how ever you reach that state is entirely up to you.
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Once these steps are complete, you are ready to begin casting your spell. Direct the energy you have raised into the spell’s intention, finishing the spell by releasing the energy into the universe. I find that I do this intuitively and you will likely find yourself doing the same. However, if you are struggling, try using a wand, athame, or another magical tool to help guide the energy out of you. In the next post, I’ll cover what to do post spell work to help you come back down and accurately track your spells. Until then, I encourage you to practice cleansing, charging, and raising energy without necessarily casting a spell. Try a variety of methods over the next couple of weeks and keep detailed notes on which methods resonate or work best for you. When practicing energy raising, release that energy back into the Earth. If you decide to hold on to it for a long period of time, you'll notice you are spacy, hyper, jittery, forgetful, moody, and easily distracted.
Interest in the rest of the series?
Spellcrafting Series
Looking for more information about writing your own spells? Check out my posts on the topic:
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