Cleansing and Purification

Elakala Falls. Forest Wanderer.

I think it's important to regularly cleanse and purify not only your sacred and mundane spaces, but your mind, body, and spirit as well.  Imbolc, which occurs on roughly the second of February marks the start of spring cleaning for me, and though I didn't write or perform an Imbolc ritual this year (which I totally meant to do) what follows is at least part of the purification process involved in my usual Imbolc rituals.

Cleansing and purification is important way to renew and rejuvenate.  By removing the negative energies that bog down your spirit, and cleaning your home of clutter and filth that exhaust your mind and body, you open yourself to the possibility of new beginnings and positive change.

Salt, Water, & Fire

These are the base of all of my cleansing and purification rituals/spells

Dead Sea Salt. Hassan Bushnaq.

Salt

Salt has been used for thousands of years by cultures all over the world for purification purposes.  According to folklore salt purifies and repels evil beings and negative energies, which makes it perfect for our purposes.  

Water

Water is the universal cleansing element.  It is what we use to wash ourselves, our homes, our world.  Water is connected to the moon and the divine feminine.

Fire

Fire is a purifying element.  Both destructive and creative, without which we could not be.  Our world would not be here, not as it is.  Fire is connected to the divine masculine and the sun.

Herbal Sea Salt Scrub for Self-Cleansing Ritual

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sea salt 
• 1/2 cup of jojoba oil 
• 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary 
• ~15 drops of rosemary essential oil 

Mix the salt and oil, stir well.  Add the rosemary, stir again.  Add the essential oil, stir again.  Put it in a wide mouth container for easy use.  Use.  

Fire from a brazier. Erin Silversmith.

[Notes: (1) The dried herbs and scent are totally optional.  (2) The coarseness of the salt will affect different people differently, so experiment.  I find that a coarse sea salt is great for my body, and the finer dead sea salt is wonderful on my face.  (3) Instead of jojoba oil you can you can use grapeseed, almond, coconut, or whatever type of oil you prefer.  (4) You can replace the rosemary and rosemary essential oil with any of the other cleansing herbs (i.e. lavender, sage, chamomile, hyssop, lemon balm, peppermint, etc) or you can remove it entirely!]

To use in a shower:

Light some candles to add the element of fire to the room while you bathe.  Burn incense if you wish.  PrepareWash yourself with soap and rinse off.  Turn off the water in the shower, if you use the scrub with the water running it'll rinse off before you're full scrubbed down.  Scrub you body head to toe with the salt scrub until you can no longer feel the salt.  Be gentle with yourself.  If you have a partner let them scrub your hard to reach places.  Turn the water back on and rinse off. 

To use in a bath:

Basically the same.  Only I'd drain the tub between washing and the scrub, and use a pitcher or hand shower to make sure I'm fully rinsed.

Visualization for the cleansing:

Focus on the warmth of the water, the coarseness of the scrub.  Picture all the negativity, all your troubles and worries being washed away, swept down the drain and out towards the sea.  See your mind, body, and spirit being purified.  Find that glow from within and strengthen it.  

To Purify a Space

Clean the room.  Pick up the clutter.  Dust, take down the drapes, beat the pillows, change the sheets or slipcovers, sweep or vacuum.  Move in a deosil or clockwise direction while cleaning, at least as much as possible.  When the room is clean in the more mundane sense, set small bowls of salt or salt water in the corners of the room.  Allow the bowls to stand for 24 hours before removing from the room and discarding the contents.  Additionally, you can mix water, salt, and cleansing herbs to asperge the room:  walk around deosil around the room and sprinkle the mixture while you walk.  You can also smudge the room with burning herbs or incense.  I usually use a mix of all three.

2015: Year Of The Sheep

The Year Of The Sheep begins February 18, 2015. After a fast paced, no holds barred, Year Of The Horse; the sheep brings a sense of calm and a more "Zen" pace to 2015. The horse was about DOING, while sheep is about CONTEMPLATING. This is a perfect year to start up that meditation practice you've been meaning to begin. 

Sheep are agile and expert mountain climbers. In 2015 we will have a sense of being grounded and sure footed in the direction we choose to go. Sheep literally cannot walk backward, and this is symbolic of the forward momentum we will continue to carry through into 2015 as we exit the Year Of The Horse. The difference in the momentum of the sheep is that it is slow and steady as opposed to fast and risky like the horse. 

Sheep correlates to the zodiac sign Cancer; the mother and nurturer. Family and close friends are important. Focusing on these relationships will be fruitful. 

A big theme we see for sheep is creativity! Dig deep and express your creative side. This is the year for art, imagination, dreaming, and cultivating beauty. 

Look forward to a calm and peaceful year full of creativity and beauty shared with family and friends. 

FOR THE ALTAR:

- A sheep figurine

- images that inspire creativity

- photos of family and friends or people you want to strengthen your relationship with

- rose quartz for love, peace and tranquility

NEW YEAR OFFERING:

Fill a bowl with the old, expired herbal teas in your cupboard. Stir the teas to blend them together. Take the bowl to a place where you can give them back to the earth; a secluded area of your yard, a river or even a compost pile. Hold the bowl between your hands and say:

"Out with the old, In with the new.

Mother Earth, these herbs I offer you.

The Horse brought us lessons and blessings,

laughter and pain.

Let the Sheep bring us peace, love, 

and nothing but gain. 

So be it."

Sprinkle the herbs on the Earth as an offering.