You can clean out your closet, your cupboards, and rearrange your furniture, but sometimes you need a deeper clean to shift the vibe in your place. When you end a relationship, get a new job, or even transition seasons, energy cleansing can give you that blank slate feeling you need to start fresh.
Here are 6 ways you can cleanse your space.
Palo Santo
This is sacred wood that comes from the Palo Santo tree, native to South America. The name means ˜holy wood.’ It’s spiritual significance goes back to the days of the Incas, when it was used in ceremonies to clear a person’s energy field and cure illnesses. Unlike sage, which clears out all energy, good and bad, Palo Santo is said to only clear out the bad. Use it like you use sage – light a stick until it smokes and walk around your place, wafting the smoke in the corners and walkways. You can get a stick in a metaphysical store or health food store for about .50 each.
Sage
Burning dried white sage is an Indigenous practice that dates back some 2,000 years. Shamans used this dried herb on their fires to connect with higher realms and dissolve conflict, illness or evil. Choose this energy clearing ritual when you need some major clearing – like when you move into a new place. Light the end of a smudge stick, blow out the flame and walk through the smoke to smudge yourself, first. Then wave the smoke around the room – over surfaces, in the corners, around the doorways to clear the energy. If you want, say an incantation (like, only good will enter here). Let the smoke burn out and set the smudge stick in a fire-proof bowl or shell, or if you want, bury the ashes outside.
Himalayan salt
Himalayan salt is a powerhouse air purifier that can be found in many different forms – lamps, candle holders, stones, or slabs or rocks. It’s said to give off negative ions, which constantly fight off indoor air pollution and also work to increase the flow of oxygen to the brain, stimulating mental activity and focus. Use one of these tools on an ongoing basis to keep the air quality in your space healthy and clear.
Beeswax candles
If you’re a candle-lover, switching to pure beeswax from paraffin can make a noticeable difference in the air quality in your space. Paraffin or even soy candles can give off petroleum fumes and fake fragrances, making your air feel heavy. Pure beeswax, like Himalayan salt, is said to give off negative ions, so it cleans the air by removing dust, smoke, and odours. They’re great for people with allergies.
Crystal grid
(This is def the most woo-woo of all the energy cleansing techniques in this roundup, for fair warning.)
A crystal grid is basically a bunch of crystals of your choice set out in an intentional placement or pattern, used to directing your energy toward a certain goal. To make one, find a space in your home where you can set down a bunch of crystals and have them stay undisturbed, like a desk surface or section of floor in a bedroom. Decide on your intention (start fresh, keep negativity away, etc.) and write it down or say it aloud. Place your crystals in a pattern, like a spiral, or a solid circle or square, or whatever vibes with you. ‘Charge’ the master crystal, the biggest one, in the middle, with your intention, and get on with your manifesting. Check out this more comprehensive guide to crystal grids if you’re into this.
Music
This is the easiest and most ‘muggle’ form of energy cleansing there is. Sound energy therapy (AKA vibrational therapy) usually involves using tuning forks / certain healing sound frequencies that resonate with the body to promote healing, BUT, straight-up listening to music has been shown to lower blood pressure and to reduce anxiety. So, in terms of taking your own energy cleansing into your own hands, when you clean your apartment this weekend, blast some of your happiest, most free-ing music, and the ambience in your place and your mood will improve.
