Showing posts with label smudging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smudging. Show all posts

Sunday, 26 July 2015

Removing Negative Energies From Yourself

My Own Image Located on My Instagram Account

Merry Meet to all my followers...

I wrote a short meme this morning on the subject of cleansing and decided that maybe a full article on this important subject would be a good idea. As I said in my little meme for Instagram, removing negative energy from yourself is just as important as cleansing your tools and your home and sacred space. When you don't you can become clogged. You can feel dirty without it being physical dirt. It's more emotional and spiritual. When you do spellwork, any form  of divination, medium, or healing, this negative energy can carry into your work and may have some adverse effects. So regular cleansing before hand is a must. Equally, after performing any of these tasks, especially if it is for someone else, you should cleanse yourself as you don't want to be carrying this negative energy around with you.

Think of it this way. If you were gardening, decorating etc and you became dirty, you wouldn't finish your task and not bath afterwards? Of course not. Or you would be dirtying everything you came into contact with. Well it's the same with energies. You could be passing these energies onto others either through physical touch or through your work for others. 
Image Source

There are a number of ways to cleanse yourself. The most basic of these, and this can be done whilst cleansing your tools before and after your work, is smudging. The most common is a sage stick. But you can also use lavender, rosemary or sweetgrass. You simply light the stick and allow the smoke to pass over yourself. You may also choose to say some form of prayer or chant as you do so. this helps to focus your mind as you cleans your body.

Here is a nice example for a smudging prayer that I found.

Into this smoke, I release 
all energies that do not serve me, 
all negativity that surrounds me, 
and all fears that limit me. 
So it is.



Another way to remove negative energies is through bathing. This could either be a bath or shower. In a shower it is a little more difficult, but not impossible. 

For the shower simply take a thin cotton bag and place in it some seas salt, fresh sage leaves, rosemary (lightly bruise leaves to release oils) and or some lavender flowers. tie the bag to the shower head so it allows the water to pour over the bag and over yourself. 

Image Source
For the bath you could do it two ways. Either a similar was as the shower, only you tie it to the hot water tap. Or you could put the bag directly into your bath. Though it is fine to put the salt directly into your water, I wouldn't suggest doing so with the plant matter and or  as this would clog up your drains. You may also wish to use oils.

I would also suggest lighting some candles and maybe burn some incense or an oil burner if you choose to have a bath as this add to the cleansing process.

and like with the self smudging you could use a chant. If you used the above chant, simply change the word 'smoke' for water, salt and herbs (you could name the herb if using only one).

I do hope you find this of some help. Don't forget you can google to find other ideas on the internet and maybe come up with some of your own cleansing chants and prayers or combinations of cleansing herbs and oils.

Blessings to you all

~ Pagan Hare 

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

New Moon Ritual


The New Moon is literally the Moon starting her 29 day cycle again. Starting a new and so we celebrate this with the start of new beginnings. New projects, renewing commitments and healing. It is a time when we put the old behind us and look forward to the new. Old habits and worries. If there is something you have problems trying to put behind you, this is the ideal time to do it.

Now I haven't written a ritual as I really haven't had the time. But there is one at the end of the article. my part in this article is more about preparation. So lets start with the most important part of any ritual.

Intention


Firstly you must decide what your intentions are for this ritual. Why you wish to perform this. As I have said, this is the time for new beginnings and renewing commitments to old resolutions. Or you may wish to perform some healing work. Though you can do more than one thing. Just be sure of what you wish to do.

Preparation

Decide where you want to do your ritual. Outside is always nice, but also not always possible. So choose a room in your home where you have space to perform your ritual and where you will not be disturbed. Make sure those in your home are aware you need some quiet time and switch off mobiles/cell phones, computers, tablets and take the house phone off it’s hook.

Once you have decided where you want to perform your ritual. Make sure it’s clean and tidy
both physically and spiritually. Don’t just put things away and vacuum, but smudge the room too, sage or lavender are perfect for this.  Lavender and lemon balm are also associated with the New Moon. Open windows to allow fresh air to circulate.

Don’t forget to prepare yourself also. A nice cleansing and ritual bath. A shower really doesn’t have the same effect. Have some candles and lavender bath salts. When you soak imagine the Lavender salts drawing all the negativity from your body. Step out of the bath and then pull the plug and watch all that negativity drain away with the water.

Grounding and meditation are also important. Meditating on your intentions and grounding your mind, body and soul are as important as preparing your room.


Here’s a good article on the subject: Grounding and Centering

Your Altar and This You May Need


As this is a Moon ritual I would suggest either white or silver for the colour choices. It’s nice to combine both of this as it adds more interest to your altar. How you decorate your altar is of course up to you. Below are some suggestions. This form of decorating your altar can be used for any Moon ritual.


  • So a silver or white altar cloth. Or possibly a white altar cloth with silver thread running through it.
  • A feather to represent air, again this could be a white feather
  • A white or silver candle that represents both the moon and fire
  • A silver or clear glass bowl of Salt to represent Earth. Or you can use a stone or a some soil.
  • A silver or clear glass bowl or goblet of water. If you can use spring water for this do. But don’t worry if that’s not possible.
  • You may also wish to have white flowers with silver sprayed twigs
  • Silver moon shaped sequins liberally scattered around
  • A silver pentacle (if you don’t have a large one, you could use a pendent) can also be used to represent Earth just as a wand can be used for air or fire
  • If you are going to burn paper, a cauldron is suggested. I would say that your cauldron needs to be at least 11cm in diameter. Anything smaller and it’s not safe enough to burn things in. Make sure you place it somewhere safe and don’t burn too much. Keep it small and keep it safe.

The Ritual


It is always nice to try and write your own, but that’s not always possible. The internet is 
filled to the brim of the cauldron with various rituals. So take a look around. Find one you 
like and then make it your own. Change the words for instance. Try to use it as a guideline 
rather than actually using the ritual. Remember the more personal it is, the better it will work for you. I have added a ritual at the end of this article.

Here’s a little check list I found, and it’s rather nice, of things for your new Moon Ritual

  • Prepare the space by lighting one white candle and burning a stick of sage.
  • Write on a small index cards intentions for the next 28 days.
  • String intentions up via string.
  • Begin meditating on intentions
  • Imagine letting go of things that no longer serve you
  • Visualize a new life. Create a vision board with images that reflect this new life.
  • Say prayer of thanks and gratitude
  • Blow out candle
I know I am bound to have forgotten some things in my article. So here are some useful and interesting links. Do read, as you will learn more that way.






Now as I have had a very busy week with my Birthday and family visits, I am resorting to my suggestion. So the following ritual is one I have found and liked.

This ritual is a rather simple one, but also really nice. I have provided a link below to the actual page, so if Carole mentions other pages to visit, just follow the link I've provided and go from there.

And don’t forget, rituals don’t have to be over complicated. If anything, the simpler the better is often the best mantra. As they say KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid

Beannachd

Pagan Hare

New Moon Ritual For Manifesting:

by CAROLE FOGARTY

“We can change our lives. We can do, have, and be exactly what we wish”  Tony Robbins

Any new moon is the perfect time to release your monthly wishes out into the universe. Astrologically it carries a strong energy for giving birth to new ideas, habits or projects.

To give my wishes the special attention they deserve, I send them on their merry way with a simple, yet meaningful ritual.  Rituals needn't be complicated, time consuming or confusing.  In fact mine are around 3 – 5 minutes.

Firstly, I become still and arrive fully into the moment.  I want my whole body, mind and breath to participate.  Secondly, I connect with the four elements of nature, after all they nourish us all on a daily basis and we certainly couldn't survive without them.   Then, and only then, do I feel connected and prepared to release my wishes out into the big wide world.

Acknowledge the start of your ritual:

Light a candle to signify the start of the ritual – giving thanks and gratitude. You can even open with a little blessing or prayer if that feels right for you.

Arrive fully at the ritual:

Give 100% of your whole self when releasing your wishes by arriving fully into the moment.  Involve your mind fully,  breath fully, body fully and your soul fully.

Feel and become aware of  your body (feet, toes, fingers, legs, arms etc), shake and move your body if you need too.

Feel and become aware of your breath, follow it as it moves through your body.  It is your breath and words that will give energy to your wishes.

Feel and become aware of your thoughts – do not follow your thoughts just notice them and your mind will soon arrive without getting distracted.

Feel and sense the energy of your heart, the core of your being, the essence of who you are.

Now, pay closer attention to the environment around you. Tap into your senses.  What can you see, smell, taste, touch or hear?

If you need help arriving, then you might like to read my article called the 3 arrivals.  A simple Buddhist practice that encourages you to arrive fully into the here and now.

Connect with the elements of nature:

To connect with the essence of the universe you need to acknowledge the four main elements of nature.  Fire – water – earth – water.  You can do this by feeling, sensing or having a physical representation for each of the elements.

Earth: go barefoot and feel the earth beneath your feet.  If you can’t go outside you may prefer to wear or hold a crystal, be close to a plant or vase of flowers. Breathe the earths energy up through your feet.  Feel the connection.

Fire: the burning candle signifies fire – feel or sense the cleansing properties of the fire, and the energy it is fueling your wishes with.

Air: light a piece of dried white sage or sage smudge stick (as shown in the picture on the right). The smoke represents air. Let the smoke fill the air around you.

Water: have a bowl of water with a small handful of rock salt. This connects you to the ocean and all water on this planet. Add essences, flowers , crystals or infuse your water with sunshine – if this feels right for you.

Write and cleanse your wishes:

Write your wishes down on a piece of paper and then cleanse away unseen obstacles and energy blocks with the smoke from your sage smudge stick (Shown in the photo above).  Continue cleansing until you feel a lighter energy around your written wishes.

I have used dried white sage (either loose or as a smudge stick) for over 20 years and strongly believe in its cleansing and purification properties.  Burning sage is almost a daily occurrence in my home.  If you can find organic, then all the better.

Release your wishes:


The first part of releasing your wishes is writing them down.  The second part is saying them out aloud as if you are speaking in person to the universe.  Feel or sense the words of your wishes in your breath, in your exhale as they leave your body. Release them with love and grace.

Close ritual:

Finish your new moon wish ritual by blowing out your candle and giving thanks and gratitude. Close your eyes and spend a few special moments in silence – feeling whatever you need to feel.  I usually get a feeling of my wishes flying out into all corners of the world.

You may  keep your written wishes under your pillow, next to your favourite crystal,  on your bedside table, in your wish bowl, on your altar or bury them in the ground for the next
month.  You may even prefer to keep a visual image or picture that represents your monthly wish.  Alternately read your monthly wish/wishes just before you go to bed. Do whatever feels right for you. Trust and be guided your intuition.

In case you are wondering what my monthly wish is – it’s to complete my first e-book “Unwind” and become an author. Wish me luck.  May all our wishes come true, easily and effortlessly.

Original Source For Ritual:


http://thehealthylivinglounge.com/2010/04/18/new-moon-wish-ritual-for-manifesting/