Energy Hygiene (part III)
Hello to my return journeyers. A warm welcome to my semi-constant journeyers. And, a very special welcome to my new journeyers.
I am so glad you’re here.
In part II of this Energy Hygiene series, I dove deeper into energy intrusions.
Now, in part III, the third and final part, I want to share some practical ways you can engage in energy hygiene.
I am a proponent of understanding Self and Soul work through the Wheel of the Year – although not completely comparable – this is similar to the Medicine Wheel teachings in some Indigenous groups or the Five Element Wheel understood in Chinese cosmology. I have arranged the practical tools and practices for energy hygiene according to the Four Elements, Four Directions and Four Aspects of Self.
Practices of the Earth / North / Spirit
Anchor Spot
I have shared a guided meditation to help you develop an Anchor Spot. Your Anchor Spot is a place in Nature that you can call forth with all of your senses. This place acts as a portal or liminal space between this mundane reality and the Spirit World. This is a place where you can shift from your current reality and into connection with Spirit.
Your Anchor Spot is a place where you begin connecting with what is greater than you, of which you are a part. This practice of connecting is in and of itself a practice of energy hygiene. It’s here that we can be awake and attuned and begin to slough off those energies that we have picked up in our day-to-day reality.
Container / Containment
The practice of Container was shared with me during my time on my therapist’s couch. This practice is useful when the stuff of everyday mundane life feels overwhelming. This practice allows you to put the grocery list, the fight you had with your partner, and work stress into the container before you begin your practice of connecting to your Self, Soul, and Spirit.
Start by finding a comfortable place to rest. Attune to your breath. Invite relaxation. Close your eyes. Visualize a container. This can be any container. Notice the colour of your container. The shape. Your container can become larger or smaller. Now, visualize anything that may be unresolvable in the moment. This may be emotions, thoughts, or events. Place those things in your container in whatever shape or form they take. Remember, your container can become larger if needed. Those items can become smaller if needed. Visualize anything that may be taking up mental real estate and preventing you from being present in this moment. Place those things in your container. When you are finished. Seal your container. Place your container in a safe spot. You will be able to return to your container and the items in it when you are ready.
Crystals / Stones
I have cycled in and out of using crystals and stones in my practice. Initially, crystals taught me a lot about sensing what I couldn’t necessarily see and trusting in what I was feeling. Crystals are powerful, each with their own innate energetic properties that can be enhanced with intention-setting. As with any sacred object, crystals require proper care and energy hygiene practices to be useful to you. A good resource for learning how to use crystals and care for them is The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall.
Take a trip to a local crystal shop and spend time just being in the shop. Try to use all of your senses. If you are called to pick up a crystal, try to use all of your senses to notice how it feels in your hand. I prefer to learn about the energy of a particular crystal by sense before reading about it in a book or other resource. Often, what the crystal felt like is echoed in the resource material.
Salt
A long time ago, although it could have been just yesterday, Kriket shared with me the practice of salting. She travelled to our clinic one afternoon and cleansed our space. At the end, she left us with a small jar of salt and told us to leave it in the corner of the building in a place where it would not be disturbed. She said that after 3 days, it was best to return that salt back to Earth so that any energy collected in the salt could be reabsorbed by the spirits of the Earth and transformed for the next growth cycle. I have cherished this practice and hope that if it speaks to your soul, you will cherish it as well.
Sometime later, Kriket shared another practice involving salt. This time, she shared how she would take a pinch of salt and sprinkle it across a doorway/threshold to the space and say, “Only love me enter, only love me pass,” and repeat it three times.
Practices of Air / East / Mental
Whistling
At the beginning of most journeying sessions, I love to whistle to call forward helping or healing spirits. Sometimes, I find myself whistling through the day as one would whistle to call their beloved dog. But, as Nixon has been in the Spirit World for a few years, I whistle to call my power animal closer to me when I feel I may need protection, support, or help. Whistling is a practice that belongs to the East because whistling is breath and sound that lifts into the Upper World.
Prayer
Prayer has become a practice that I cherish. Although it felt foreign at first, over time, I developed my own prayers for different circumstances or situations. When I open sacred space, I begin by asking for the Spirits of the Four Directions to join me. If this calls to you, try it on for size.
Practices of Fire / South / Physical
Smudging / saining
Smudging, or saining, is an important aspect of my own energy hygiene practices. I smudge for many reasons and often combine smudging with prayer. When smudging, intention is essential.
There are many different herbs that are appropriate to use when smudging. Each herb has an essence/soul, and so I have found it is important to get to know that herb and how it likes to be used. This is where you can explore and create your own combinations or blends that suit your needs.
Often, I am asked where I source my smudge from. I have included a list at the end of this blog of some places local to where I live. I have also been gifted smudge and sweetgrass from individuals Indigenous to this land and have accepted it as a gift from Creator through their loving hands. It’s important to explore what smell works for you. Journey to the essence of an herb or journey to ask for guidance on what herb to burn. Remember, not all herbs are safe to burn. I have turned towards the use of Juniper in my own practice for its relationship to my own lineage and its spiritual properties.
If you are smudging with a fan, once or twice a year, put your fan in a plastic bag and place it flat in the freezer for 24 hours to freeze out any “unwanted guests.” This practice was taught to me by Shamans in Denmark, where I sourced some of my spiritual tools, such as my drum, feather fan, and smudge. Let the fan come to room temperature and then place it back in the freezer for an additional 24 hours in case any eggs hatched during the warmup period. This is energy hygiene as it relates to your power/spiritual objects.
Fire Ceremonies / Rituals such as Samhain
The Celts love their fire ceremonies. This is a practice of release and transformation. Write letters and burn them. Burn items that hold energy or entanglement to persons, places, or things. These ceremonies leave us with ashes that we can then release back to Earth and ask her to bring up the gift of new life. Don’t forget, when asking for help from Earth or Spirits, it is best practice to leave an offering. This is the essence of reciprocity.
Practices of Water / West / Emotional
Moon Water
Source two mason jars and fill with water (you can get particular about the water that you choose or not). Label one jar as Full Moon and one jar as New Moon. Google the date and time of the next full and new moon. On the evening of the moon, place the jar outside (unless it is below freezing) and “charge” the water with the energies of the moon. This water can be used in the future for cleansing your crystals, stones, jewelry, or other power objects. The water can be used to tune or moisten your drum. The water can also be offered in ceremony or included on your altar as part of sacred space. You can choose to drink this water to harmonize your energies.
Cleansing with Water
A very accessible energy hygiene practice that uses water is washing your hands with intention. As you wash your hands say a prayer for what you need, “Healing water release any energy that does not serve me or belong to me.”
For those who tend to take on the energy of others and feel it in their body as pain or discomfort, you can try applying the following prayer adapted from Sandra Ingerman, when you are showing or soaking in a bath: “Healing water take my pain, take my pain, take my pain, take my pain down below, down below, down below.”
I personally love to cleanse in large natural bodies of water such as lakes or streams. There is something magical and sacred about plunging into this type of water.
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Please know, my dear journeyer, that what I shared here simply scratches the surface of energy hygiene practices. I encourage you to seek what works for you. Start by paying attention to what practices you may already use.
Here are some other options for energy hygiene practices:
Practices for Attunement
Body movement practices (Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong)
Glowing Ball of Light
Grounding Cords/Roots
Opening/Closing Spirit Gates
Practices for Clearing
Changing attire/clothing (e.g. when coming home from work)
Handwashing/Showering with intention
Brushing off, shaking off, dancing
Smudging/Saining
Salt
Rattling
Practices for Protection
Prayer for protection (already mentioned above)
Dismissing energy
“Thank you for the information/input. Please Return to Sender.”
“Thank you. That’s enough information for now.”
“I welcome those energies that are here for my highest and greatest good. Those energies that are not here for my highest and greatest good or for that of the Earth, I ask you to step back.” Repeat three times.
Whistling (e.g., calling in protective Spirits, Guides, Ancestors, etc.)
Power Animal
“I call my power animal [name] to me. Lend me your protection and strength.”
Chakra Guardians
Journey to each of the seven main chakras and ask for a chakra guardian to present itself. You may need to complete this journey several times to meet them all.
For some groups, the use of spells falls into protection or warding practices. If this speaks to you, I encourage you to dive into your own research.
Journeying
Just recently, I had a conversation with a Shamanic healing client seeking clarity and guidance about energy hygiene practices that would work best for them. While the internet has an incredible number of resources, as do books, remember that entering an altered state of consciousness to seek information from your personal unconscious or the collective unconscious (also known as Spirit Worlds) is invaluable.
I have found the practices to be the most potent if gifted to you while journeying or practicing other spiritual practices.
Drumming
Now, not all of you will come to share a relationship with a drum. Some of you will. For me, the drum has brought me on the deepest of journeys to understand how to maintain my own energy. My first drum taught me discipline. Discipline is something exceptionally valuable for energy hygiene and spiritual practices. Old Man drum brought me to different places in the Spirit World when I was ready and taught me how to make my practice accessible and achievable. For you, these practices might become more frequent, or they may be used on an as-needed basis. It’s up to you. The drum brought me into connection with my power animal, who taught me and continues to remind me about the importance of not giving away my power to others. Learning to harness your own power and maintain its integrity is invaluable and essential with respect to avoiding energy intrusions.
You may invite the drum into your ears with my drumming track to journey for cleansing, clearing or harmonizing your energy.
Supplies
When I began, I had very few power objects. The right objects for your practice will find you in due time. If you are looking for spiritual tools or guidance, these are trusted places:
The Blu Poppy, Fort Saskatchewan
Ascendant Books, Edmonton, AB
Where Faeries Live, Edmonton, AB
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So, what now? Get practicing!
I hope that you have found my mental meanderings on the topic of energy hygiene to be helpful.
If you missed the energy hygiene workshop in January, you can add yourself to my email list to be notified of future offerings or visit my website to view upcoming workshops and events.
As always, thank you for your kind attention.
Until we meet again in this time, this place, this space, happy journeying.
-Heather
