7 Empowering Ways To Banish Bad Vibes & Toxic Energies For Good!

PinWe are moving through some significantly transformational times.

Collective Re-birth

As a collective, we’re being asked to push forward, to greet new ways of living, working, relating, and healing, and adjust to new paradigms of consciousness at speeds faster than at any other time in our human, recorded history.

It’s hard.

It’s relentless.

But we’re capable, and it’s what we came here to do!

If you want to grow, you must leave behind what came before.

If you want to change, you must shed your old skin.

It’s good to remember that you’re not alone as you go through these dynamic and life-altering times. Everybody around you (to a larger or lesser degree depending upon how consciously they are embracing the cosmic cycles) is also in flux. BUT, as their shadows are rising to be witnessed and examined, their old ways and spent energies are also releasing into the collective field.

All of this shedding and releasing means it’s vital to keep clearing out the energy around you, to keep on cleansing and smudging and creating smooth passage for the darker weight of spirit to be released. Otherwise, these heavy and negative energies will stick around, linger in our lives and quickly re-attach to you, or to me. One of the very best tools to prevent this from happening, is Smudging.

How To Use The Ancient Art Of Smudging As A Spiritual Cleansing Tool

Smudging is an ancient practice of burning specific herbs, incense or resin to cleanse and bless a space. It’s often used to prepare a space for a specific purpose, like ceremony, but is ideal to keep everyday spaces energetically pure too, especially at dark seasonal times like this. It’s such a simple, beautiful and effective practice that there’s really no excuse not make it a frequent ritual in your daily life. But simple doesn’t mean without care or attention, and there are a couple of key elements to this ancient shamanic art that are often forgotten.

To make sure you’re not leaving out the essentials, read on for our step by step guide on how to smudge effectively.

What you need:

Smudge or incense. (We recommend Palo Santo, white sage, cedar, sweet grass and frankincense, depending on your specific intention) This represents the element of Earth
A candle and something to light it with. This represents the element of fire.
A heatproof dish or preferably an abalone shell. This represents the element of water.
A feather. This represents the element of air.

What to do:

Clear your physical space! Sweep and tidy up. Clear away piles of things. straighten cushions and throws. Doing the physical clearing first will catalyze the energetic clearing you’re about to do.
Open a window. This is sometimes omitted but is vital to allow the ‘negative’ energy somewhere to go.
Light your candle.
Set an intention into the smudge. Offer thanks to the sacred plants you will be burning and using. Ask the greater plant spirits offer their gifts and work to clear away any negative energies that are lingering. Invite any beneficent spirits or energies in to take their place. Hold this intention in your heart, pick up the smudge and literally blow your intention into it. Your breath is a vital link between this physical world and the energetic world of spirit, and it’s how your intention crosses over.
Light the smudge using the candle. When you have a strong flame, blow it out, creating the smoke.
Waft the smoke around your space using the feather. Face and clear each of the four directions, one at a time, honoring each one in turn: East, South, West and North. Move the smoke around the whole of the space, make sure it enters corners, under surfaces like tables and chairs and through all shadowy areas.
Give thanks.

Put the smudge out safely, or place in the abalone shell to dissipate (keeping a watchful eye) and enjoy your newly cleared and blessed space!

Remember: Smudging is a sacred ritual, so before you begin, ask permission of the space and of any other people taking part, and always follow your intuition – these guidelines are a jumping-off point for you to find your own personal path. So enjoy exploring it!