NOTE: The information provided is based on my years of experience shared on both the Amino platform and the Bitchy Witchys YouTube channel. You can visit my profile for more information.

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Many witches engage in some form of cleansing, purification and consecration on themselves, on items, or even in spaces. When cleansing, purifying or consecrating, try to keep these things in mind when choosing which method you want to use:

:star2: It won’t harm the object

:star2: It resonates with you

:star2: You believe it to be a potent method

:star2: It's one you feel is needed or especially appropriate to the circumstances

Why are these things important to consider? Well first there's practical things to consider. You want to be careful your method is not going to cause any physical damage. But also, as with just about everything we do as witches, we want to be respectful of the natural items we’re using and respectful of the earth. Lastly, our belief and confidence in the process has to innately be there.

In the beginning, new witches get cleansing, purifying and consecrating confused with each other. So, let’s take a closer look at what these are, what their purposes are and some methods you can do to perform these actions.

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Cleansing

Cleansing an item for magick removes any unwanted energies that item may have absorbed from things like previous magickal workings, from with a previous owner or even from the environment. The goal here is basically to refresh or re-balance the energies. Cleansing may also be performed for a space or a particular area. Often an item is cleansed first before consecrating that item.

Some of the basic reasons for cleansing are:

:star2: To removes any unwanted energy residue that has attached itself to the item or place.

:star2: To removes conflicting energies that are not conducive to the working you're about to perform.

:star2: To clear stagnant energy in an object or space.

:star2: To assist in strengthening and calming your mental attitude, so you can focus your energy more easily.

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Purification

Purification refers to the removal of impurities or unwanted energies, that may be resonating in the object or in yourself that are specifically not wanted for a particular ritual you're wanting to perform. Purification is less personal and has more to do with ritual purity. It can involve physically cleaning the object first, if you feel that's needed, followed by cleansing of the energies.

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Consecration

To consecrate something is to make it holy. This may be done to an area as in creating sacred space for ceremonial or ritual use, it could be to a ceremonial tool, to an offering or even to a person. Some practitioners prefer to consecrate a magical tool before it's actually used.

Bear in mind, many traditions and practitioners don’t consider the consecration of a tool before its use as necessary. In other words, if a witch feels consecrating his/her tools or ritual objects is necessary, then it is. Some witches may choose to consecrate certain items for certain rituals. As with so many other areas of the craft, it’s really up to you.

Basic Consecration Ritual for Magical Tools

This ritual is a simple one that can be used to consecrate any magical tool, clothing, jewelry, or even an altar. By offering the tool to the powers of the four elements, it’s consecrated and blessed from all directions.

As with most things in our practice, there’s really no right or wrong way to do this. This is simply a sample of what you can do. Feel free to tweak it as you feel is necessary.

For this ritual, you'll need a white candle, a cup of water (fresh spring water or distilled water is preferred), a small bowl of salt, and incense. Each corresponds to one of the for elements. Use the cardinal direction that's associated with that element, depending on your tradition. If you don't follow a specific tradition, a generic cardinal direction and element association is below:

North/Earth: salt

East/Air: incense

South/Fire: candle

West/Water: water

If your tradition or personal practice involves casting circle, then you'd want to do that now. Light the candle and the incense. Take the tool or item you wish to consecrate in your hands and face in the direction of the element earth. With the bowl of salt to can the item over it, you can sprinkle the salt on it or, if the bowl is large enough, you can submerge it in the salt. You can choose to speak such as ask the element of earth to consecrate the item or to perhaps thank the element. Do what feels right. You may not feel like saying anything at all.

Next, face the direction of fire and the tool over the flame of the candle, but be careful if it's a flammable material. Again, feel free to speak out loud as you see fit.

Continue this process completing all four directions.

Once completed, you've not only consecrated the tool, but you've also claimed ownership. In some traditions it's considered a good idea to put the item to use immediately to bind the consecration and strengthen the energy of the tool.

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Different Methods for Cleansing, Purifying and Consecrating

Anointing with Oil

This is a good method, not just for objects, but for people and spaces as well. This is more of a purificatory act as it wipes the slate clean and then holds that state of purity. For people, you can apply the oil to wrists, temples, neck, Third Eye, or wherever you feel is best. Sometimes people do so with a symbol or sigil. For spaces, you can dab some oil on the doors, walls, fences, rocks, etc., again using symbols or sigils if you choose.

”Asperging” or Running Water

”Asperging” is the act of sprinkling consecrated water onto a person, around a space or on an item and is often used in conjunction with censing. You can also place an object or person under running water. The water should be natural water such as rainwater, water running in a stream or you could pour moon water or holy water over the person or object.

Sound

Different sounds generate vibrations that can be used to cleanse. Drums are a method some choose to use for cleansing spaces in particular. Other types of sound could be finger cymbals or even bells.

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The sound of a bell causes energy to scatter. Because of this, it’s seen as a cleansing action and can also be used for clearing out spirits. A small handbell is ideal. ring it around the person, item, and/or around the room or space.

Besom

A besom basically looks like a common broom, but it's not used for any physical cleaning. A traditional besom is made with an ash handle, and the broom part can be from leaves or branches of a plant and then bound to the handle with willow. Many witches use wood and plants that are more readily accessible to their local area. Moving the besom in a sweeping motion as if you're sweeping but not letting it physically touch the floor, breaks up pockets of stagnant or trapped energy and helps to scatter and relocate it. It’s a cleansing tool used predominantly for physical spaces, although some witches like to have mini besoms and use them to cleanse altar spaces.

Censing

This is a simple yet effective method that can be used for people, objects and spaces. It involves the smoke of lit incense (best with herbs that have cleansing and purifying properties).

The act of censing objects is known as “suffumigation”. Suffumigation involves placing an object over the smoke. When cleansing objects with smoke, you'll want the smoke to touch the object, if possible.

Fumigation, another form of censing, involves filling an area with smoke, or wafting smoke around an area for purification. The two are sometimes used interchangeably or the phrase "smoke cleansing" may be used as a general term to describe the process.

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Chanting

This is where a short phrase is repeated over and over. Chanting itself raises energy. That energy can then be directed to cleanse a space, a home or other area.

Cleaning

Many practices believe one of the most effective ways to spiritually cleanse a room or building is to physically clean it first. As with any deep cleaning job, start at the top and work your way down. The cleaner a house or room is, the more difficult it is for any unwanted energy to stick within the home.

Floor Washes

Along with physical cleaning, witches will also use spiritual washes such as floor washes. You'll see these types of washes in various folk magick practices such as Hoodoo. Traditionally, they’re made with a combination of herbs, spiritual colognes such as Florida Water, and other ingredients, but many simply make a strong infusion of their chosen herbs. The resulting liquid is then used to scrub the floors, doors, door frame, and window frames.

Movement

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Although often used to raise energy, dancing can be used, in general, to manipulate the energies in a space. Rhythmic movements that involve sweeping arm movements, stomping, and clapping work well. They often create sound as well adding to the generation of vibrations that work well for cleansing. These various movements can scatter the energies. Rhythmic stomping can be done to raise energy, then do accented stomps to send the energy out of the inside of a room or building.

Fire and Light

Fire and light can be used for purificatory purposes. With a person you can shine light so that it touches every inch of that person, moving slowly across the body. Indoors, you can take a candle around a person or space to literally banish the darkness from every corner, and metaphysically driving out impurities and unwanted to energies.

Baths

You can draw a bath and add specific herbs and salt to the water as the tub fills or you can place those herbs in a thin-clothed bag and place it in the tub. In the shower, you can hang the cloth bag around the shower head, use a salt scrub or pour an infusion over you in the shower.

Making a strong infusion of the appropriate herbs beforehand can actually be a more practical method for either a bath or shower. As mentioned, you could pour the brew over you in a shower, or you can pour the brew into the tub, which is actually much less messy.

Sigils and Symbols

As mentioned earlier, sigils and symbols can be applied to walls, ceilings, or floors for purificatory purposes. They can be applied by anointing oils, eggshell powder, consecrated water or whatever purificatory potion you choose. You also have the option of using nothing at all but your finger. These symbols and sigils can be traced onto the walls or simply traced into the air, sending energy alone, which is still quite effective.

Sprinkling Salt

A simple yet effective method of cleansing a space is to scatter salt across the floor, thereby scattering unwanted energies and preventing them from returning until the salt has been cleaned up. In this way, salt is also useful to ward your home, as you can lay a thin line of salt inside window frames, above door frames, along the bottom frame of mirrors, etc.

Covering an item with salt is another way to cleanse an item of residual energy. Salt is said to absorb any magickal energy it comes in with and then it can simply be discarded. If choosing to use saltwater to submerge an item in, make sure it’s not an item that can be damaged. For example, some crystals can actually dissolve in water.

Witch’s Whisk

A Witch’s Whisk is known by most to be of Faery Magick and is made from blackberry twigs. While also a potent tool for cursing and throwing back curses, the Witch’s Whisk is useful for cutting through tight, clinging energy that impedes freedom and clear thinking. In this way, it’s used as a tool for cleansing a room or building of unwanted energy. Traditionally, only 13 branches are used, but some witches add in other herbs.

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Burying

Burying an item in soil and digging it up again after a certain amount of time is another method that is sometimes used to cleanse an item. The earth has natural positive and nurturing energies and can absorb negative energies, convert them back into useful energy that can be re-dispersed through the earth.

For more information, check out the following video: