#cleansing magic

[harvestmoss]

Beginner Witch Tips

Where does one even start? Well, there's hundreds of lovely people both on Tumblr and other blog spaces, as well as wonderful beginner books and online resources out there that love to help. This is just one of many other witches takes on what a beginner witch may want to start researching and do, and some extra bits.

Before Magic:

What is magic to you? - You can't start performing magic until you learn how magic functions in your eyes. How do you make sure a spell will work? What is energy in magic? It may be a lot to ask, but it's something to keep in mind as you research other topics that might help uncover this question more, or vice versa, it can help you understand other topics.

Meditation is not *just* sitting and doing nothing - In my path I beat myself up so hard for not being able to sit down with my legs crossed and hands on my knees, sitting perfectly still, and just empty my thoughts for 10 boring long minutes. Meditation is a practice that involves focusing the mind to achieve a state of calm and clarity. Which means that if you can make your mind more clear and calm by sewing, listening to music, doing exercise, chant, etc. Learn what sort of meditation works best for you. I meditate outside by looking down at the ground to find amulets, or swimming, and inside it's when I draw or focus on a task.

Correspondence list - Find out what correspondences (example) basil has, but also, why does it have that? And maybe, it doesn't have those correspondences to you at all! This counts for colours, crystals and other things too.

Closed practices - It's good to know which sorts of practices are closed, semi closed, and open. As well as what practices Wicca preach and so on, it's a way to recognize what perspective your sources are writing from.

Pregnant or medicated people, please be careful - This may seem strange, but before just casting a spell or using herbs, please be mindful of what it contains as some herbs can have negative effects on pregnant people or your medication you're taking. This counts for poisonous herbs as well, know what to avoid or be careful with.

Do your own research - I can spew a lot of things to you, but I can only do it from my perspective. Learn from more than just one place. From both in real life and online.

Time For Magic

Cleansing magic - Figure out how to cleanse a space for magic use, you don't want energies mixing in with your spells. As an example, I can't cook in a kitchen that's filled with dishes and dirty counters. The same goes for spells, I can't perform spells until energies are clear and gone.

Protection magic - Every witch says this. But yes. Protection magic is useful even if you have no enemies. Once you have gotten rid of unwanted energies, it's time to make sure they won't come back in and make sure to up keep your protection regularly.

Warding and banishing magic - Listen, you can clean as much as you want, but you simply won't get rid of mold unless you use bleach. You simply can't get rid of annoying spirits unless you have a good banishing and warding spells you can rely on. Especially if you plan on summoning spirits whenever it's the elements or some high level demon later down your path. You must have a banishing spell in case things go wrong.

Charging and binding magic - Your magic will prove more powerful if you learn how to charge your energy and tools and also binding them to certain powerful uses. You may find a stick and use it as a wand, but it'll be more powerful if you spend the time to charge it, learn about it, and only use it for specific rituals.

Bonus Tips:

Stop researching about different types of witches - Maybe this is a hot take or not. Besides knowing what a pagan and wiccan is and closed practices, there's no need to write about what a sea witch, a hearth witch, a death witch, a divination witch, etc is! When I first started out, I got so stressed out because once I got done writing and research about 10 different witches, another 400 would show up, I gave up about it and used my focus and energy on other more crucial things than "a sea witch is someone who works with the ocean and..." *snores* we know, it's in the name. Besides, you shouldn't focus on labels so early on in your practice.

Amulets are not just shiny jewellery - Movies love to predict amulets and talismans as these hereditary important gemstone necklaces. But honestly, you can make an amulet out of anything. Snail houses, rocks, seashells, bags of herbs, nails, sea glass, horseshoe, or actually your every day jewellery like your wedding ring, earrings, and favourite bracelet.

Self-care witchcraft is not that fantastic - Maybe it's just me but the last thing I wanna do in a "self-care" ritual is clean up all the herb baths and find herbs and grind my own tea. True self-care witchcraft is taking care of your doctors appointment and enchanting them with luck and good news. Or Finally getting around to cleaning the oven (the hearth) so that your home is healthy once again.

Use things you have in your area - Learn what's around you in your city, not just stores but what can you get from parks, lakes, forests, and beaches near you? When do the herbs in your area bloom? When can you harvest acorns? Can you get flowers from the park or do you have to source them somewhere else in your area? Are you able to grow your own stuff in on your balcony or kitchen? And also, be mindful, always leave some left so it can come back next year.

[tenofmuses]

Sometimes the “cleansing” you require isn’t what we typically view as magic, and can be quite mundane:

Open your windows to air out your room/house if the energy or air inside is feeling stagnant.

Wash your surfaces with thieves vinegar or your favourite cleaner. Get rid of that dust.

Clean up clutter and mess. Put away that laundry you did last week. Tidy your altar and clean your magical items. Change your sheets. Have a bath.

To some, this may not seem like cleansing magic, but to me it very much is. The relief I feel when I clean my room as my depression starts to lift, for example, is palpable. Cleansing your home and yourself, keeping your space tidy, etc., it all helps! And like all things, you can imbue many of these tasks with magic, if you would like, though it isn’t necessary. Do what feels right for you.

[breelandwalker]

Hi Bree! Do you know any quick banishing I could do together with a smoke cleansing ?

I was planning on putting some wards in the house at the weekend and thought it could be a good idea to do some banishing after cleansing today. Because what if there is something here and I dont know!

Sure thing! The best quick-and-dirty banishing you can do is claiming your space while you're walking around your home with whatever cleansing or protective implement you plan to use. A simple recitation or held thought of, "This is my space and it is safe and calm and free from trouble / disruption / misfortunate / sickness / etc." will do the trick.

Banishing and cleansing are closely related when it comes to living spaces, so chances are good that you've already cleared out anything unwanted or disruptive with your cleansing efforts. Refreshing your wards and household protections will solidify this and help keep anything that's been cast out from drifting back in.

(Plus, you'd be amazed what a difference a little tidying and airing-out will do after a long period of stagnant dry winter air!)

[raining-tulips]

magic checklist for tomorrow:

✦ cleanse new apartment ✦ cleanse myself (smoke, then bath) ✦ protect, protect, protect ✦money / luck spell

✦ and if i'm feeling up for it, journaling mid-year reflections

[annoyingnightlightbug]

Have you cleansed your home yet? Have you cleansed yourself (I desperately need to do an egg cleansed and just haven't had the energy)?

There's a lot happening in the world. Don't forget to scrub and shake and smoke that negative sludge clinging to you off (literal and metaphorical).

Also, don't forget to fight for the people of Palestine. It is our duty. In whatever way we are able. 🍉🇵🇸✨️

I do not post here often. At all. And this isn't entirely on theme. But there's the door 🚪 if you don't like it. Don't let it hit you on the way out (it is hexed).

Light a candle for the lost children. Light the darkness till they get home (their respective gods arms) if you're able. I've dedicated every last piece of advantage chocolate to them. Because it's what I have. And otherwise I likely wouldn't have eaten it.

So, at least once a day. Stop. Think of them. If you cannot do anything else. Just don't forget them.

[the-lunar-vixen]

Totally agree! I always think of cleaning as part of my witchcraft! I often sage my apartment afterward too ❤️

one of the best minimalistic witchy things you can do is clean your house.

seriously. light a candle and go to town. in the process of cleaning, you’re also metaphysically cleansing your space which opens doors to renew wards and put up additional barriers if necessary.

you’ll feel much better afterwards, and remember to take breaks if you need to.

[amethyst-pendulum]

[vigilskeep]

the mortalitasi may be the funniest mages in thedas because as far as i can tell their entire strategy is just to do blood magic with so much confidence nobody questions it

[felixlunallena]

[lunar-witchin]

crystal magic basics 💎

a quick guide for using and caring for your crystal

— cleanse l it's important to cleanse your crystal of negative energies before and after you carry it for an extended period of time or use it in your practice.

methods of crystal cleansing

— water cleansing | mix sea salt and clear water from a natural source — such as rain or a stream. submerge your crystals and let them sit overnight. (don't use this method with crystals that are water soluble)

— smoke cleansing I pass your crystal through incense or herb smoke of your choice

— fire cleansing | quickly pass your crystal through the flame of a lit candle or match (safely and carefully! not all crystals are safe to pass through fire, so please do your research)

— salt cleansing | cover your crystals completely in sea salt and allow them to sit overnight before uncovering them

— earth cleansing | like salt cleansing, bury your crystals in dirt or soil and allow them to sit overnight before uncovering them

— program I after cleansing, you can program your crystal with your desired intention so long as it aligns with the properties of the crystal itself

methods of crystal programming

— visualize | hold your crystal in the hand that feels most comfortable, and imagine a soft light filling your crystal while you focus on your intention. rest when you feel you've activated the crystal

— communicate | while holding your crystal, have a conversation with it. this can be out loud or in your head. be sure to make your intentions clear and show gratitude when you feel your crystal has been activated

— familiarize | carry your crystal with you for a few days or weeks while you focus on your intent. eventually the crystal will activate by picking up your intentions

— charge | lastly, after you've programmed your intent into the crystal, choose a suitable method of charging it with energy

methods of crystal charging

— sunlight | put your crystals outside or on your windowsill in sunlight for the day. (this may cause color fading in certain crystals)

— moonlight | put your crystals outside or on your windowsill overnight in moonlight (pretty much exactly like sunlight but without the possibility of crystal color fading)

— your energy I hold your crystal in your hand and focus your energy into it, allowing it to charge

when you’re finished using your crystals, be sure to store them in a cleansed, sacred, and safe space.

and that’s it! you now have access to magic rocks. enjoy!

[astra-ravana]

During A Lunar Eclipse

The total lunar eclipse on the night of March 13-14, 2025, will be visible across the Midwest. During totality (1:26 AM - 2:31 AM), the Moon will take on a reddish hue due to Earth's atmosphere filtering sunlight.

Lunar eclipses are powerful celestial events that carry deep spiritual and magickal significance. They represent a time of transformation, endings, revelations, and deep shadow work. This guide explores the mystical potential of lunar eclipse magick, including its meanings, best practices, spells, and rituals.

Understanding the Magick of a Lunar Eclipse

Astrological and Energetic Influence

• A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow over the Moon. This symbolizes the veiling of emotions (the Moon) by external forces (the Earth) and the light of consciousness (the Sun).

• Eclipses are seen as moments of fate, bringing hidden truths to the surface.

• They mark a time of release, transformation, and karmic cycles closing.

• The astrological sign in which the eclipse occurs influences the type of energy being released.

Why is Lunar Eclipse Magick Different?

• Unlike regular full moons, lunar eclipses are highly unstable energetically, making them unsuitable for typical full moon rituals (such as manifestation and charging tools).

• Instead, they are ideal for banishing, shadow work, endings, spiritual transformation, and ancestral work.

• Eclipses accelerate spiritual evolution, so spells and intentions cast during this time may have rapid and intense results.

Preparing for Lunar Eclipse Magick

Set Your Intentions Wisely

Since the energies of a lunar eclipse can be unpredictable, take time to reflect on what you truly need to release or transform. Ask yourself:

• What patterns or emotional wounds am I ready to face?

• What cycles in my life are ending?

• What do I need to purge to make space for new growth?

Create a Sacred Space

• Cleanse your space with smoke (sage, palo santo, mugwort) or sound (bells, singing bowls).

• Dim the lights or use candles to reflect the shadowy energy of the eclipse.

• Set up an altar with items related to the Moon (silver objects, lunar crystals like moonstone and selenite, bowls of water).

• If working with deities, ancestors, or spirits, invite them with offerings (wine, honey, incense, or symbolic items).

Ground and Protect Yourself

• Meditate for a few minutes to center yourself.

• Visualize a protective shield of light surrounding you.

• Carry or place grounding crystals like black tourmaline, obsidian, or hematite nearby.

Lunar Eclipse Rituals and Spells

Shadow Work Ritual (Best for Inner Healing & Self-Discovery)

Needed:

• A journal or piece of paper

• A black candle

• A mirror

Instructions:

Light the black candle and sit in front of the mirror. Gaze into your own eyes, asking: What truths do I need to face? What parts of myself have I been avoiding? Write down the thoughts and emotions that arise. After journaling, say,

"Under the shadowed Moon, I embrace my hidden self. May I heal, grow, and transform."

Blow out the candle, thanking the eclipse energy for its lessons.

Banishing and Cord-Cutting Spell (Best for Letting Go & Breaking Attachments)

Needed:

• A piece of paper

• A black string or cord

• A candle (black or white)

• A bowl of saltwater

Instructions:

Write down what you want to release (a habit, fear, toxic relationship). Tie the black string around the paper, symbolizing your attachment. Light the candle and say,

"By the power of this eclipse, I release what no longer serves me. The past is gone, the future is mine."

Cut the string with scissors or burn the paper, then drop it into the bowl of saltwater. Dispose of the remnants outside to finalize the release.

Ancestral Connection & Divination (Best for Seeking Guidance & Wisdom)

Needed:

• A photo or object of an ancestor/spirit guide

• A candle (blue or white)

• Tarot or oracle cards

• Mugwort or rosemary incense

Instructions:

Light the candle and incense, inviting your ancestors to join. Meditate, focusing on their presence, and ask for guidance. Shuffle and draw tarot/oracle cards with the question: 'What message do my ancestors have for me?' Record any insights, dreams, or emotions that come through. Thank your ancestors, leaving an offering if desired.

Moon Water for Releasing (Best for Cleansing & Emotional Healing)

Unlike regular full moon water, eclipse-charged water is best used for cleansing rather than charging magical tools.

Instructions:

Place a bowl or jar of water outside during the lunar eclipse. Whisper into the water,

"Absorb the power of transformation, cleanse all that is old."

Use this water later for ritual baths, washing hands after shadow work, or sprinkling around your space for energetic cleansing.

What NOT to Do During a Lunar Eclipse

• Avoid manifestation or charging crystals. The chaotic energy can create unintended effects.

• Do not perform love spells or attraction rituals. Eclipse energy is about endings, not beginnings.

• Refrain from making drastic life decisions. Emotions run high, and things might appear differently after the eclipse.

• Don’t ignore your emotions. If deep feelings arise, acknowledge and process them rather than suppressing them.

Post-Eclipse Integration & Grounding

After the eclipse, you may feel drained or overwhelmed. Here’s how to rebalance:

• Take a Ritual Bath: Use Epsom salts, lavender, or rosemary to cleanse residual energies.

• Journal Your Experience: Write down any emotions, visions, or messages you received.

• Eat Grounding Foods: Root vegetables, herbal teas, and nuts help stabilize your energy.

• Spend Time in Nature: Walking barefoot on grass or meditating outside aids in grounding.

• Rest and Reflect: Eclipse energy lingers for a few days, so give yourself time to process.

Lunar eclipses are portals of deep transformation, offering opportunities for profound inner work. By approaching them with respect, intention, and awareness, you can harness their power for spiritual evolution, healing, and release.

[apiswitchcraft]

protecting your space

hi all! i just moved and was cleansing my new home; prepping it to be lived in and all that. i got to thinking about what other people do for themselves and, well, that's where this came from! the order of step one and two is unimportant, plus keep in mind that everyone does things differently. every culture has their own idea about how to cleanse a space/person, and none of them are wrong.

STEP ONE: CLEANSING

Immediate Disclaimer: Anyone/anyplace that uses the term "smudging" (using it out of it's cultural context) is a source you should be wary of. Smudging is a set of very specific rituals that were created and are used by indigenous americans. The use of sage, palo santo, sweet grass, hawk feathers, evil eyes/hamsa are all practices specific to certain cultures. If you're just someone not of those cultures trying to cleanse your space, I recommend the following techniques.

-Burning lavender, rosemary, or cedar bundles

-Burning incense

-Burning frankincense/myrrh

-Putting salt at the boundaries of your home, inside or out

-Putting ground eggshells at the boundaries of your home, probably best to do this outside for the smell

-Actually cleaning your home

-Sprinkle essential oils on the corners of a room or in doorways

-Selenite is also a great cleansing stone, although I usually use it for individual items instead of a whole space

-Moon water can also be a good replacement for essential oils

-Ring sacred (to you) or enchanted bells throughout the home

STEP TWO: WARDING

This is a step that varies a lot more from person to person. There are certainly plenty of spells out there available to you, but some people have created their own spells, others will use certain iconography, herbs, etc. Either way, know that it is not necessary for you to do every one of these things--I honestly doubt a space will get any more or less safe depending on how many of these you do. Also, for your own safety, make sure you're doing the appropriate non-witchy things to keep yourself safe. Just because you have a nice sigil above your unlocked door doesn't mean that someone will be automatically unable to rob you. Anways, here are just some of my ideas.

-Put a bundle of rosemary above a doorway

-Create a spell jar/bag with any of these materials or these, I also recommend including some of yourself in a jar like this

-Sprinkle black salt around entryways

-Use a spell like this or this

-Draw a rune (i use algiz) on entryways (i use essential oils and blood for this, but to each their own)

-Draw a sigil like this or these on entryways

-Pray to a certain deity for protection, or put their iconography up (for example, an ansuz rune for odin)

-Burning incense and using essential oils will ward away negativity, but they don't last for long periods of time in my experience

-Make use of a crystal grid to manifest your intentions

-Salt and eggshells also help to ward off negativity entering your space!

STEP THREE: UPKEEP

Now, how do we keep the wards and cleansing sustained? Well, there are a variety of methods. A lot of these can be done as your intuition tells you they need to be renewed, or done at a regular interval that works for you. Still, upkeep is important!

-Redo the spell you did every full moon or at another important time for you

-Refresh herbs and salt/eggshells when they get old or fall apart

-Break open your spell jar/sachet and recleanse the ingredients or just add new ones

-Clean up any salt/black salt/eggshells and put down new lines

-Add more essential oil/moon water to the locations you put them in before

-Redraw sigils/runes when they fade or get scratched off

-Pray to the deity who is looking out for you often/do devotional activities

-Burn more incense, herbs, or frankincense/myrrh, or cleanse with bells again

-Clean your room/house/depression hovel

[tenofmuses]

One of my favourite parts of delving into folk magic in my practice has been the various realizations of things my family does that seemed mundane but are, in fact, quite magical.

The best example of this that I can think of is the simmer pot. Aka: when you have a bunch of citrus scraps to use up, so you put them in a pot with water and herbs and simmer them on low heat and it makes your house smell fucking delicious.

Growing up, simmer pots were something my mum just kind of did, and so she taught me how to do them too. She learned it from her mum, who probably learned it from hers, and so on. And with each subsequent generation in my family, there seems to have been a dilution of the magical meaning behind the action. To my Grammie, simmer pots are a way to cleanse the air in your home, to “freshen things up”; to my mum, they’re a way to use up scraps and make your house smell nice.

It’s interesting to me that what is clearly a cleansing spell would never be labeled as such by my family. Even if it serves the exact same purpose as one. It’s just something you do.

And that’s one of the most interesting parts of folk magic, to me. People who aren’t practitioners rarely view what they’re doing as folk magic, because it’s just something they’ve always done. That makes these practices all the more rich, since they’re usually so embedded in people’s lives, and have important cosmological reasons for existing, even when they seem mundane. But at the same time, this makes folk magic really hard to research, because most of the time people don’t even consider these sorts of things as magical.

[breelandwalker]

Hey Bree! Quick question for you: in one of your podcast episodes, you mention a little cleaning rhyme that starts with “out, out dirt and dust” and my garbage adhd brain can neither remember the rest nor which episode it’s from. Help?

Never fear! My penchant for archiving will help!

The cleaning rhyme is from Hex Positive, Ep. 037 - Cleaning, Cleansing, and Magical Germophobia (August 2023). It's a little something I occasionally mutter while using general household cleaning as a vehicle for cleansing magic, and it runs thus:

Out out, dirt and dust Out out, mold and must Gone you be at count of three And take my ills away with thee

Have fun!

[sha-brytols]

the reason why i'm so endlessly obsessed with the dynamic between the magi warden and jowan is because of how. insane the PRIVILEGE you get from irving is. like they're both around the same-ish age (with jowan likely being just a couple years older), they both came to the circle at similar ages (jowan being there longest), they're both arguably very similar in their skill level (the part where the warden and jowan both have to open the door through magic i think can be used as proof of this!) and more than that, they're both so inseparable as a pair that jowan says he sees them as a younger sibling.

but even despite this jowan was literally constantly thrown under the bus by irving literally every chance he got. we know jowan's blood magic was almost definitely a symptom of irving enticing young apprentices towards the forbidden arts in order to weed out the "weak" willed mages, but the thing is, we also know that the only reason jowan turned to blood magic at all was because he was being denied his harrowing, and at a certain age if you haven't had your harrowing then you're essentially guaranteed to be made tranquil. so the insane dogging on jowan from irving was done even *before* he was put on irving's radar for practicing blood magic.

meanwhile the magi warden is irving's favorite student. his pride and joy. he constantly sticks his neck out for them (literally having to be told off by greagoir for essentially cheating during the warden's harrowing by telling them exactly what they will have to face in order to succeed), practically showers them in praise when introducing them to duncan, defends them after helping jowan escape EVEN IF if they were doing it directly under his nose, and all but verbally thanks duncan for rescuing them from the circle. it's very clear that irving sees the warden as almost his own child. but its also like. why did he choose them as an apprentice? you can play the warden as belligerently hostile towards the circle as possible and he still adores you.

meanwhile jowan was doing everything in his power to be as compliant as he could even despite his obvious resentment towards the system, but he was always just so replaceable. the kid literally never stood a chance and i'm almost certain at least part of it is because irving already chose his model student to groom and mentor into his successor, and it happened to be the magi warden.

the fact that one of the two magi wardens is a human noble from the free marches as well also adds a delicious layer to me too because then its like. now the problem seems way more systemic. your star pupil just Happens to be a young mage from a prestigious human family. and then its like. fuck why was amell even In kinloch hold to begin with? why werent they sent to the gallows? they're canonically the eldest of their siblings, so it couldnt have been to avoid having two relatives in the same circle at once. you know what i think though. i think they were only sent there because their family was influential enough to avoid having them locked away in what is essentially the most notoriously evil circle in all of thedas.

just very delicious to me how depending on your origin theres almost very clearly a class element at play. jowan was just a random village kid compared to amell. insane.

[rainbluealoekitten]

this is definitely not a witchcraft blog but regardless i do participate occasionally with online witchy theatrics and i have an opinion i'd like to share.

there's too much pressure on learning the basics and not enough resources that teach damage-control.

this is in relation to fear-mongering discourse, bc almost every witchy "content creator" (hate that term) and almost every witchy book, podcast, whatever, seems to put a focus on protecting yourself, putting up wards, easy peasy baby beginner witchcraft. which! yes, that is important, but it also means that it perpetuates the idea (and often full out says) that you should never do blood magic. you should never talk to these entities. you should never make bargains, you should never do divination without cleansing, you should never curse, bla bla bla don't go outside at night!! it's spooky!!!

great, now we've got a bunch of witches who are scared shitless and won't actually do anything beyond blow cinnamon through their front door.

there are a lot of people who claim to be teachers, but a good teacher is someone who pushes you. not someone who limits you.

some witches love to tell you to fuck around and find out, but again, only provide resources on warding. we've got witches who ward so much that they can't even get friendly spirits to talk to them. banishment is seen as a basic skill, but if everyone is too scared to practice their craft, they're not going to even end up with an entity to banish!

i'm starting to ramble, but my point is that i want to see more content, more books, more generalised resources that teach you how to unfuck a situation. not prevent it, unfuck it.

you did blood magic? great, it's not always going to work out, here's how to unbind yourself from this entity, now you know to do this slightly differently. you've done a curse and it's backfired? don't panic, these are some ideas on how you can undo your spell, and next time you might want to choose your words/ingredients more carefully. you wandered into the wrong part of the woods and upset some ancient spirits? it's more common than you think! luckily, there are plenty of ways to go about this situation.

etc etc. people do dumb shit. that is part of life. just like with sex ed, teens aren't going to abstinate, they're going to be too scared to go to an adult when they get an sti.

yes, some practitioners will basically stop practicing out of fear of doing things wrong, and many others will do things wrong and end up entirely alone, scared, and with no resource that can guide them out of it, all because you should have known better, you should have warded, you should have stuck your head in a fucking hole.

anyways. this is the end of my rant but i hope it also comes off as encouragement to anyone who is in some way sharing their practice and sharing resources, especially the much wiser witches who have fucked around, please share what you've learnt. <— i'm asking this in a very sincere, very hopeful way, i really wish it was normalised to share spells and prayers and basic actions to help witches through really tough times.