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Spring has sprung in the northern hemisphere, but whatever season it is right now while you’re reading this it is always a good time to learn how to clean with intention. Cleaning is more than an act of picking things up and putting them in other places. It is a tool for better mental and physical health. Beyond the scientific reasons for cleaning, it’s important to spiritually cleanse your space often if you’re doing any kind of magickal work, because when the energy is glonky the spells go wonky!
Witches, no matter the lineage or denomination, follow the phases of the Earth and seasons as part of their rituals and practices. Because of this, the Sun has long since been a god and a guide to the people of Earth.
Just imagine a world hundreds of years ago, before the Enlightenment and scientific discovery. The Sun and the Moon still shone the same as they do now, but the people of Earth were far more beholden to their ebbs and flows without the comforts of modernity like indoor heating and air conditioning.
To follow the Sun is to remember that we are a part of nature, not a thing that exists beside it. Springtime is the rebirth of the Sun after a Winter of retreat. With more sunlight imbuing our days and warmth ushering us out of hibernation and into socialization, cleaning is in due order!
Having a cluttered and dirty home directly affects not only our mood, but also our self image. We often see our home as an extension of ourselves. So, when our space is cluttered and dirty our minds will follow suit.
The three most cluttered places in most every home is the bedroom closet, the desk drawer and the one junk drawer in your kitchen (yes, that one). Start by going through those places and noticing how many of each thing you have. Do you need 21 black pens or can you donate those? How about the 11 pairs of jeans?
This serves two purposes. Firstly, you are clearing out your space (and your mind!) but you also have the opportunity to share resources. In this time of scarcity it’s not surprising that so many of us hold onto as much as we can, but the more we can give to mutual aid groups, free fridges and pantries, the less we’ll feel the need to hoard resources because everyone will have what they need to survive and possibly thrive.
Want to donate but not sure where you can spread the wealth?
Keep on reading about Spring Clean steps…
Once you’ve lightened your load a bit, it’s time to clean your space. Cleaning and cleansing rituals are an integral part of witchcraft because it’s a lot harder to perform magick when the energy is crowded and stale than when it is free and open.
Ever wonder why witches and broomsticks are a thing? Well, they are a great tool for cleaning a space! Grab your broom, dust bin and mop and get ready to dive into intentional cleaning.
Intentional cleaning?
Yes! This is cleaning with an intention in mind. You can choose an affirmation such as, “my house is clean, my energy is clean” or an incantation (this usually means it’s a rhyming couplet) such as, “I sweep sweep the floor/and my energy is restored.” The intention is what is most important. So, whatever helps you visualize the old, stale energy of Winter dissipating is perfect. Remember to be creative because creativity is intuition in action!
Once the space is finally clean you can then begin to cleanse.
What is the difference between cleaning and cleansing? Not much, but in this context cleansing is less physical and much more energetic. While we do want to imbue energetic cleansing into our cleaning (we’re witches, how could we not?!) cleansing is focused magickal work. The most commonly used tool for cleansing is smoke–even Catholics use it!
Sage skyrocketed to fame a few years ago as a tool for smoke cleansing. However, certain types of sages, and the use of the term “smudging,” belongs to indigenous groups. So, if you aren’t native to the Americas it’s best to use one of the many other tools out there for smoke cleansing. Incense are cheap, accessible and very effective, but other dried herbs can do the trick as well.
One of the most common protection rituals is the use of salt. Salt has purifying properties, so placing a line of salt at each door and window is a quick, cheap and effective form of protection against negative energies and entities.
Using this model of protecting the doors and windows of your house you can also use a stone such as smoky quartz in the same way. First cleanse your stone of choice–darker stones are best for protection–by running it under some cold water. Quartz stones are safe in water but not all crystals are. So, be sure to do your research about the solubility of your stone before you give it a bath.
If it’s not water soluble then you can use smoke to cleanse it. You can also place it on a cleansing stone like selenite. Afterwards, put the stone in your hand and set the intention of protection. Next, place each stone on a door frame or window sill. Be sure to clean and recharge the crystals every Spring, or when your intuition says it’s time!
One of my favorite ways to keep my house safe and clean all year long is to place a small mirror on or beside my front door. Mirrors are powerful tools, if you know how to use them! Before hanging up your protection mirrors, chant the incantation, “Bounce back the energy that’s bad for me, only those kind of heart may enter willingly.” You can also inscribe the incantation on the back of the mirror to further enhance the magick.
In a similar vein, you can create magickal talismans for protection and hang them all over your house. The most common protective talisman is the evil eye. Known by other names in various cultures but seen throughout the world, the evil eye is thought to protect us from harmful energies. Hanging these up in your house can be an easy and effective tool for protection, just be sure to throw it out if it breaks mysteriously!
