C is for Cleansing and Consecrating

C is for Cleansing and Consecrating - Pagan Blog Project - Week 5

When I speak of cleansing and consecrating, I’m referring to ritualistic purification and the charging or blessing of an item. The process is used to remove discordant energies by raising vibration and then to imbue the item with your own intention and energy. If you've researched the topic, you know that there are several ways this can be done.

I know some of you may cringe at the old proverb about “cleanliness being next to godliness”, but it’s very appealing for an anal retentive, somewhat perfectionistic, obsessive compulsive. More often than not, my entire house must be in order before I even begin to think about doing any kind of magickal working, whether it is a simple meditation, a devotion, or full blown spell work. Cleaning the cobwebs from my home is like cleaning them from my mind. For me, getting hardcore with the broom and dustpan can be just as rewarding of an experience as journey work. I realize that not everyone holds the same values as I do when it comes to physically cleaning your space, but it is a good idea to keep that pile of mail off your altar and take a feather duster to your divine statuary once in a while. I don’t think Hecate or Brigid would be terribly pleased to find their likenesses buried under a pile of dust.

That being said, we can move on to the “fun” stuff. While lengthy, this is not a comprehensive list. Do what works best for you and remember that it is important to concentrate on your intent when using any of these methods. Call your Gods and Guides to aid you, and meditate on the cleansing process as well as the consecration.

Incense and smudging are probably the most commonly used techniques when it comes to ritualistic cleansing. The item is simply passed through the smoke. You can probably find a premade blend of incense for this intent on just about any store website that caters to witches, or you can try your hand at making your own blend. I personally like to make my herbal incense because I can imbue it with my intent as I make it. For me, the process has the added benefit of being incredibly soothing. White sage bundles seem to be the most popular smudging tool and are easy to find, though I personally enjoy the scent of sweetgrass more. Always be careful when working with anything you are lighting on fire. Smudge bundles tend to break apart easily, trailing little fire pixies onto your altar or carpet. When working with smudges it’s best to have a fireproof container handy. An abalone shell or cauldron work perfectly in my opinion. Charcoal hookah tablets are excellent for burning your homemade incense blends, but again, please make sure you nestle them into a fire proof container before lighting up.

Sage Goddess offers a lovely video tutorial on cleansing. Scott Cunningham’s The Complete Book of Incense, Oils, and Brews is a great resource that I use often. Unless otherwise stated, the various blends listed were taken from the book.

Altar Incense	Consecration Incense
3 parts Frankincense	2 parts Wood Aloe
2 parts Myrrh	1 part Mace
1 part Cinnamon	1 part Storax (or Gum Arabic)
	1 part Benzoin
Crystal Purification Incense
2 parts Frankincense
2 parts Copal
1 part Sandalwood
1 part Rosemary
1 pinch finely powdered Salt

The Altar incense is used for general purification. I use this one often because it works, the ingredients are easy to get, and I enjoy the scent. The Consecration and Crystal Purification blends are self-explanatory.

Another commonly used technique is to cleanse with “holy water” or an oil blend. Both of these items can be purchased from just about any witchy shop, but again, I’d rather make my own. If you are working with oils, simply anoint the object. If you choose to cleanse with holy water you may submerge the item if permissible. If the item is made of metal or is water soluble, simply aspurge (sprinkle) with a few drops while holding the intent in your mind.

Purification Blend	Christopher Penczak’s Magickal Wash
½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar	1 tablespoon Vervain
1 handful fresh Eucalyptus leaves	1 tablespoon Rose Petals
1 handful fresh Rue leaves	1 Tablespoon Yarrow
3 pinches Salt	1 Tablespoon Mugwort
1 quart Water

For the Purification blend, the herbs are to be added to the vinegar and left to sit overnight. Strain through a cheesecloth and add the water and salt. It can be used to purify objects, or you may add ½ cup to your bath water. For Christopher’s wash, he asks that you place the herbs into two cups of boiling water, along with a stone from your sacred place. Allow to sit for twelve hours in a sealed glass jar, then strain. Add one to two tablespoons of high-quality alcohol or preserve, then bottle. I tend to make my holy or blessed water by simply adding sea or kosher salt to a decanter of water and leaving it out overnight during a full moon.

I’m currently taking classes in the Temple Tradition. In Christopher Penczak’s book The Outer Temple of Witchcraft, he outlines a way in which to cleanse your tools via fire. The process calls for you to first cleanse and consecrate a candle. The item to be cleansed is to be held above the flame while you imagine the heat and light surrounding the object and burning away the unwanted energies. I personally feel that this is too much work. Why go through the trouble of c&cing the candle just so you can do the entire process again with another item? However, I realize it has its purposes. I might try this the next time I am cleansing a tool connected with the fire element.

There are several simpler and more natural ways to cleanse your tools. They can be left in sunlight, moonlight, hung out on a windy day, or even bathed in a running stream or the ocean. Some people cleanse their tools by setting them in a bowl of salt, others bury them. I’m not terribly fond of the burying thing. I’m far too lazy to dig a hole, and then there is that whole process of digging it up again.

One of my favorite techniques, which I tend to combine with the trusty ole incense/smudge technique, is to imbue the item with a white, cleansing light.

I use a combination of incense or smudge (air and fire) along with aspurging (water and earth) to ritually cleanse my home. I've even used music on some occasions. Sound is a cheap, easy, and less smelly way to raise the vibrations in your home. I tend to pop a Native American drumming cd in when I’m doing my housework. I’m rhythmically challenged, but for those of you who are not, you can use drums, rattles, bells or singing bowls for the same purpose. Even if you aren't a fan of regular housework, it’s a good idea to periodically remove any nasty energy that may have built up. No matter how well rounded your family is, chances are someone will bring something discordant into the home. From disagreements to full blown arguments, these things produce nasty vibrations that hang around and pile up in the corners.

House Purification Incense	Clearing Incense
3 parts Frankincense	3 parts Frankincense
2 parts Dragon’s Blood	3 parts Copal
1 part Myrrh	2 parts Myrrh
1 part Sandalwood	1 part Sandalwood
1 part Wood Betony
½ part Dill seed
A few drops of Rose Geranium Oil
Citrus Purification Oil
3 drops Orange
2 drops Lemongrass
2 drops Lemon
1 drop Lime

Cunningham suggests that the House Purification blend be used for house cleansing once a month, perhaps on the Full Moon, and before moving into a new home. The Clearing Incense is to be used after an argument or when the house’s energy feels heavy. Windows should be opened when burning this blend. The Citrus Purification oil is to be anointed on white candles which are burned to purify the home.

Our beloved Mr. Cunningham suggests that the essential oils be mixed with a base oil. He asks that you add 1/8 of a cup of one of the following to a sterilized glass jar (the jojoba being the being the best as it is not truly an oil but a liquid form of wax which never becomes rancid):

Safflower	Jojoba
Sunflower	Almond
Coconut	Hazelnut
Apricot Kernel	Grapeseed

• ·         Use an eye dropper to add your essential oils in the proportions recommended
• ·         Swirl the essential oils into the base oil, don’t stir.
• ·         Store away from heat, light, and moisture, in an airtight, opaque or dark-colored glass bottle.

And lastly, we come to cleansing ourselves. Sometimes I take a nice long shower before doing my magickal workings. While the sweat and dirt of the day circles the drain, I release the things that do not serve, washing them away with the rest. Ritualistic baths have the same effect, washing away our anger and anxiety along with the work funk. We can anoint ourselves with purifying oils (please test the blend before rubbing it all over your skin), smudge our bodies, or release tension by grounding into the earth. One of my favorite methods to spiritually cleansing myself is to hold a pumice stone. Sounds kind of weird, I know, but the pumice stone is amazing. I originally bought it with the intent of using it on my hearth altar to help grab the nasties out of the air. I decided to do a meditation with it one night, and wow, was I blown away. The stone acts as a vacuum, literally sucking discordance from the body. I sit with it for a few moments after a particularly challenging day at work or in those moments when I've been pushed to near homicide.

"Let Dreams Come" by EmiliaPaw5 of deviantart. I am using this without permission  and hope I don't get burned. ;p

Purification Oil	Purification Oil # 2
4 drops Frankincense	4 drops Eucalyptus
3 drops Myrrh	2 drops Camphor
1 drop Sandalwood	1 drop Lemon
Ritual Purification Bath
4 parts Lavender	2 parts Hyssop
4 parts Rosemary	1 part Mint
3 parts Thyme	1 part Vervain
3 parts Basil	1 pinch Valerian root
2 parts Fennel

The two oil blends can be added to your bath water or worn. Please remember to follow the directions listed above when making oil blends. For the Purification bath, add the herbs to a sachet and then toss into your bathwater. It was adapted from The Key of Solomon, and Mr. Cunningham cautions against using more than a pinch of Valerian root. It smells like dirty feet!

What are you favorite c&c methods?