Cleansing
In most orders, when an initiate first enters the magickal environment, the art of cleansing and consecration is taught as the beginning step in the unification of body, mind, and spirit. We learn to cleanse our environment and ourselves before moving on to the more interesting aspects of training. Because it sounds boring and tedious and less-than-important (“I wanna be powerful, get healed, and become great, wonderful, spiritual, and all that good stuff, so let’s skip this and get to the secret stuff”), this fundamental building block of all magickal practice, except in the most serious of groups, normally gets a slight nod, a quick flick of the broom, a slash of the smoking sage wand, and on to the “more important stuff” we go.
In most training environments, teaching the cleansing process is normally done in stages (we gather an awful lot of crud as we go along in life), incorporating a wide variety of techniques, each designed to lighten our psychological burdens and dust-bust our energy field (sometimes called the auric body) so that we can emotionally, mentally, and physically welcome the unlimited potential available to us. This potential has always been there and can be accessed by anyone—we just get bogged down, sometimes, and don’t see it. Cleansing techniques allow us to rise above old, negative patterns and prepare ourselves to welcome new techniques with a compendium of shining choices to make. Too, going through the cleansing process prepares us to join the group mind (whatever that group may be). By doing proper cleansing exercises, the student’s insertion into the group mind is not as disruptive—as opposed to an individual who wants to bring their baggage with them and dump it on everyone else. Anyone who has worked closely with magickal groups can tell you that a student who does not practice cleansing and consecrating techniques on a regular basis is akin to running a lawnmower with a never-ending supply of gas through your favorite flower bed.
That’s fine and dandy for the new student—but what about us old-timers? Well, I hate to say it, but many of us tend to forget about the importance of these very simple techniques. We gotta pay bills, teach students, listen to drama, get the kid to soccer practice, (listen to drama), take the car in for repairs, (listen to drama), go to work and deal with Attila the Hun (deal with the drama), play crash cart at the grocery store on Friday night, and on and on. It is too easy, quite frankly, to forget about something as overtly simple and as necessary as cleansing. Yet the very first thing you should do when you step into any mental mud puddle is cleanse. Why? I thought you’d never ask!
The chakras, from top to bottom: crown, brow/third eye, throat,
heart, solar plexus, sacral, and base.
The Aura
The standard definition of the aura goes like this: Scientists agree that every person, place, or animal has a rainbow-like energy field, called an aura, that pulses around the corporal body. In people, the aura is a measurable electromagnetic field close to your skin that can, depending upon your emotions and the state of your health, reach as far from the body as thirty feet. Between the top of your head and the base of your spine there is an electrical potential of around 400 volts, which is part of the body’s electromagnetic field. The layers of your aura send messages to your brain all the time. Your aura is linked to the physical body by the seven energy vortexes of the body, called chakras (Sanskrit for “wheel of light”). Together with the life force known as chi (cosmic energy), the aura and the chakras work to maintain your overall balance and good health.
Okay, so you’ve read all this before (possibly). Now, let’s bring quantum physics into the picture, which states that everything is made of nothing, yet morphs into something. The new theory of the atom is that particles of matter are actually chunks of energy whose pattern is formed by their sluggish state; should they be moving faster, the matter would not be there or would be something altogether different (your table would be a table one minute and a plant the next). This slow-motion behavior is akin to a “frozen” state, and the frozen state of each chunk is equated to a process. Life is filled with moving from one process to another. Matter (like the table), says this new science, is the gross representation of light patterns—which means that anything that is corporal is last on the manifestation list, the product of a very slowly moving pattern that gives us a dimensional result in this plane. If that is the case, then our “real” body is not the bones and flesh one; it is simply a pattern projection of the light body (not the other way around). If this is true, then your light body is your primary energy pattern, not the secondary resultant one. This means that the “real” healing or change of anything on earth (people, animals, plants, bugs, smelly bog creatures) must manifest first in the auric body, which will then realign the physical body—create, destroy, or repair—once the change has been put into action. Such changes are created by thought (light).
Just as the physical body is a magnet for all sorts of interesting beasties throughout the day, so, too, does your auric body collect undesirable energy patterns—the physical body, remember, is a replication of the auric one. As above, so below; just as we have gross tools to cleanse the physical body, so, too, do we have energy tools to cleanse the auric body: thought, light, and sound. These tools are interchangeable and can affect both the auric and the physical bodies.
If we shift our primary concentration from the physical body to the auric one, what will happen? If you spent the next week concentrating on auric fields rather than corporal objects, what do you think would occur? That is your first contemplation exercise for this lesson. If you are experienced at working magick, try performing various aspects of your working keeping this idea in mind.
Once you have spent time seeing the auric field as primary, then switch to perceiving the physical body and the auric body as a balanced whole. How does that change your perception? Could it be that the chakra vortexes (seven major ones and twenty-one minor ones) are the lenses through which the corporal body is actually projected?
Auric Visualization Techniques
I have three simple visualization techniques in my notebooks that have been useful to me over the years, especially in the realm of personal healing and attaining balance. Easy to perform on a daily basis, they require only one week to set the patterns firmly in your mind—from there you can practice them every day for at least thirty days (which is suggested) or use them in a way that fits your lifestyle. The more you practice, the more benefit you will receive from them. They deal, in essence, with light. Those who have used this technique have stated that it is like floating in a pool of light. One student commented, “It was like when I was a little kid learning to float on my back. I found the sensation comfortable and extremely relaxing.”
Liquid Light
Sit in a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for at least five minutes. Take three deep breaths and exhale slowly. Close your eyes. Envision white light encompassing your auric body. Imagine that the light coalesces into a glittering, sacred liquid of spiritual, mental, and physical transformation. Allow this liquid light to pour into your auric field from all edges of the auric body. The path of the light slowly flows into your heart chakra from all directions until you are totally filled with pure white light energy. Continue until no speck of darkness remains and you feel your inner self vibrating with pure potential and power. Take three deep breaths and open your eyes. The exercise is completed. If you like, begin and end the session with the soft sound of a bell or chimes.
spiritual use: This visualization assists in cleansing the auric body and opening blocked areas for the acceptance of positive spiritual change.
practical use: Rather than running for over-the-counter drugs when illness is lurking, if I can catch that moment when I know I’m “getting it,” I will repeat this visualization right before bed until I fall asleep. In most cases I awaken without the symptoms of the previous night. However, it took me several years to listen to my body and learn that it sends subtle signals when illness is about to strike. This means that the auric field is already under attack and the physical malady is yet to follow. I’m sure you’ve all had that feeling where you have acknowledged your body’s signal by saying “I bet I’m gonna get sick!” yet felt helpless to do anything about it. Maybe you experience a tingling sensation, light-headedness, etc., a full twenty-four hours before you actually feel any overt physical symptoms, which may be dull warnings in themselves—burning in the sinuses, a mild headache, and so on. This visualization works best the moment you realize that illness is sniffing at your auric field!
Higher Mind Attunement
Begin with the liquid light technique. Sit in a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for at least five minutes. Take three deep breaths and exhale slowly. Close your eyes. Envision white light encompassing your auric body. Imagine that the light coalesces into a glittering, sacred liquid of spiritual, mental, and physical transformation. Allow this liquid light to pour into your auric field from all edges of the auric body. The path of the light slowly flows into your heart chakra from all directions until you are totally filled with pure white light energy. Continue until no speck of darkness remains and you feel your inner self vibrating with pure potential and power. Take a deep breath and relax.
Now envision your heart chakra glowing white (there are no colors in this visualization). Next, think of your throat chakra glowing with bright, intense light, just as you did with the heart chakra. Move up to the third eye chakra, and finally to the crown chakra, lighting them up like a pinball machine. This part is easy. The next takes a little effort!
You are going to connect these chakras in a continuous spinning loop of energy. Begin with the heart chakra and visualize the energy spinning not from side to side but from top to bottom and back up again within the chakra. Once you have this mental spinning motion going, part of the energy whips up to the throat chakra, spins top to bottom and back to top several times, then moves up to the third eye chakra, repeats, and then spins up to the crown, spins, then shoots down and back to the heart. This is a visualization of loops within loops and is easy for some, difficult for others—just don’t give up. Of the three techniques this may take longer to master, but it is well worth the effort.
Begin with attempting to create the loops within loops five times. Each day add a loop (if you are brave, add in a sequence of five). If you lose the visualization, gently draw your mind back to the technique at hand. When you feel completely calm and have lost the visualization yet again or have completed the desired number of repetitions, take three deep breaths and open your eyes.
spiritual use: If the student is preparing for a coronation, initiation, a martial art, or a new form of enlightenment pattern through self-study, this exercise clears out negative blocks and strengthens the connection to the higher self. I was required to do this visualization every day for nine months before my spiritualist coronation. It was well worth the effort.
practical use: This is an excellent technique to use prior to the employment of any divination tool, a study session, or in a test-taking environment. Add spearmint fragrance, tea, or essential oil to any spellworking where you wish to use this particular technique for clarity of mind.
“No Mind”
This technique brings us right back into the realm of quantum physics and places us smack in the headlights of Zen Buddhism (a popular avenue for enlightenment that has coined the phraseology,1 yet the premise of “no mind” is at the heart of just about any serious esoteric study). If you have always wondered what they’re playing with at the higher levels of magick, this is it. Socialization and pageantry are not at the root of alchemical studies; however, the group mind does have a massive influence in the success or failure of joined workings, as many of us have noted over the years.
The place of “no mind” is where all manifestation begins. It is the void, yet—it is not. It is blank, but it is full—definitely a state that must be meditated upon for total understanding within the self. “No mind” is the process of finding perfection within the moment, and in that perfection, stillness; and in that stillness, enlightenment; and in that enlightenment, peace. It is from the place of “no mind” that perfection in what we do can be attained to the best of our capabilities.
The practice of understanding “no mind” requires that we once again change our perception of the world and our place in it. I say “once again” because any study toward personal spirituality truly is a succession of perception adjustments made by the self. If you have been a student of the occult for many years, you may be nodding your head and at the same time marveling at the sheer number of adjustments you have made since you began your journey of enlightenment. If you are new to esoteric studies, then the excitement that perceptual changes can actually make you happier and the world a better place is an exhilarating experience. You can make a difference, because magick is as real as the mind—a blatant fact that everyone but the true occultist is afraid to say due to that little yet powerful beastie, the ego.
“No mind,” they say, does not come from practice; it simply wakes one day from one dreamtime to another, filling us with an amazing sense of wonder that we are all one—that the tapestry of this plane and everything in it is connected one to the other. This awakening sometimes occurs in direct response to initiatory practices and other times as a result of our personal studies, choices, relationships, etc. The paths are many; the realization is one.
Yet we are human after all, and that realization does not always stay with us as we battle with the school system, deal with a techno-sweatshop job, find ourselves enmeshed in an enabling situation, rub sore feet because our employer demanded we work a double shift, are thrown back into a repetitive psychodrama that has haunted us since childhood, or discover that our grandmother is dying or that our significant other has been spending all those late nights in the arms of another. Our emotions, coupled with our ego, override our moment of grace and we again find ourselves deep in the trenches, living to fight another day in stress, hardship, worry, and sometimes despair. Too often we act out of ego (our own or the pressures of others) rather than learning the art of patience, which is just as difficult as endeavoring to study a new field of science—from scratch. It is far more difficult to teach an eager student patience than it is to take them through an entire year of classical astrology complete with William Lily’s three-inch master volume of horary data! Therefore, holding on to “no mind” and continuing to live and breathe in our daily lives is far more difficult than attaining it in the first place, which is what this third exercise is all about: learning how to hold on to “no mind” long enough to raise our higher spiritual vibrations and make strides forward, rather than falling back into comfortable, familiar, negative patterns. It is from “no mind” that magick is born, and anyone can do it—if you hold the key.
The first part of this exercise can be done anywhere, at any time, and is excellent if you are under any type of stress. The theme is Perfection of the Moment. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. No matter what you are doing, stop. Just “be.” Observe without thought. This is extremely easy to do with things that are beautiful or artistically rendered, yet it might take a few tries if your teenaged son is screaming in your face or that control-freak supervisor of yours is marching the aisles and telling you “Please put both feet on the floor” and “No, you are not allowed to have pictures of your family members in your cubicle.” When we focus on anything in the moment, all emotion ceases—there is no pain of the past nor fear of the future, because the focus is “now.” It is from this type of moment, honored ladies and gentlemen otherwise known as Witches, that magick is born.
So! I challenge you to practice this moment of perfection for at least a week—a month is even better. If you stick with it, I assure you that you will have amazing personal journal entries, because once you begin this exercise (and keep it up), totally mouth-dropping things can occur.
After you have practiced “perfection of the moment” for at least a week, add it to the auric exercise sequence. Begin with the liquid light technique. Sit in a quiet place where you will be undisturbed for at least five minutes. Take three deep breaths and exhale slowly. Close your eyes. Envision white light encompassing your auric body. Imagine that the light coalesces into a glittering, sacred liquid of spiritual, mental, and physical transformation. Allow this liquid light to pour into your auric field from all edges of the auric body. The path of the light slowly flows into your heart chakra from all directions until you are totally filled with pure white light energy. Continue this visualization until all areas of the field are pulsing with the white light. Now, simply experience the perfection of the moment. When you are finished, breathe deeply three times, exhaling slowly, and open your eyes.
spiritual use: The benefits of “no mind” are enormous. Through learning and practicing this technique on a daily basis, even small things become golden and the spirit begins to shed years of uncomfortable, negative baggage. In enlightenment there is cleansing.
practical use: The “perfection of the moment” is the point when all empowerment of any item, place, person, or animal is accomplished. After practicing this sequence, students may find ritual, spellcasting, and meditation far easier to accomplish. Life trials (you know, the ones your students keep trying to drag into circle?) may at least diminish or, at best, become balanced—and, as a result, resolved with less than normal effort as the anticipated emotional agonizing over an issue is completely dissolved in the practice of “no mind.”
Interestingly enough, there are side effects to this third technique. They may include:
• Psychic flashes during “no mind” meditations—see it, let it go.
• Moments of absolute clarity in waking life. Celebrate it.
• Increased production and creativity in daily activities. Acknowledge it.
• Difficulty sleeping. You need to detoxify, which may include cutting back or dispensing with the junk food, alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine-related products. Adding a simple exercise program is a fine suggestion. If you feel moved in that direction, you might want to try yoga, tai chi, or a more physical martial arts program, landscape your garden or spruce up the basement, join the gym or find a drumming class near you. Physical activity allows the mind, body, and spirit to work in balance, which is why many esoteric orders require you to put in so many hours of muscle-crunching physical labor. There is a purpose, after all. You cannot die and take your toys with you, but you can bring beauty to your temporary playground.
Student Comments on the First Three Exercises
During the process of putting together the first three exercises, several Black Forest members and friends were kind enough to give me their comments. One woman who has battled several medical issues due to a horrendous car accident had this to say about the exercises, and I believe her words will be incredibly helpful to you.
I did practice these first two sections at various times of the day, various conditions—rested, tired, in pain, “medicated,” etc. Although after I had arrived at the ability to become “liquid” (a new sort of instant alpha in the liquid form for me), the effect became predictable. Relaxed, focused, more awake, more attuned, and even refreshed. Interesting.
But then there was the section on the “no mind” and the perfection of the moment. I had arrived. Okay, this one returns us to where we know we need to be. Almost as if all those memories we had forgotten were resurfaced.
When I was a child, I was sure I could see and taste the air. Of course, I was told that was impossible and forgot how to do so. I knew the patterns of the wind, I heard the grass speak. (I know, I should have been locked up at an early age, right?) Anyway, I had forgotten all those things until this exercise.
The first time I tried the third exercise, I was still aware of all the noises in the neighborhood, and the cats cleaning their paws on my bed, and the sound of the traffic down the street.
The second time I went through all the sections getting here, and it was as if I became one with “The Force.” Even in the dark, I was able to see the particles in the air, and taste them . . . I was even sure I could identify the memory of those tastes from my childhood . . . I could tell which way the air in the room was moving. The sound of the quiet had its own “instruments” playing; I could feel the difference of cool and warm areas all over my body. I could smell the earth that existed in the textiles in my room. I remember being aware that my heart had sped up, as did my breathing, but it was as if they were just more sounds that made up the moment than something I “needed.” I was without need.
I was just being in the moment, witnessing things I knew but had forgotten. Like breathing out takes about twice as long as breathing in . . . how amazing is that! Or that it seemed like I could have counted the threads in the cotton sheet I was laying on, but never felt before—as if it mattered how many threads existed, and all of a sudden I could smell the sheep it was derived from . . .
I had to keep bringing myself back to “the moment,” since the instant you start discovering things (even in a miniscule segment of time), you start to “think” and lose it again. I recall coming back to the moment several times after becoming amazed at where it led me, then . . . I fell asleep. Obviously, the next time would have to be in the upright position and in daylight.
Although it is now the thing I do on the way to bed, it is better than anything one could take for sleep . . . because it reminds you on the way to resting your mind and body that only the body actually rests, the mind and spirit just go someplace else while they wait for the physical to catch back up . . .
During one of my day exercises, I realized a couple of things, the least of which is that when you need to decide what is really important, go back to what you knew first. What you sense and therefore know because it was retrieved by the purest routes in which you collect data: your senses. They have not been polluted by someone else’s knowledge. And they can be retrained to return to their optimum functioning. Bringing yourself into the “here and now” gives you a whole new outlook on any moment or space of time, which really is a bigger picture in itself.
Most importantly, this exercise reminds us that all that data and energy we collect in a day, an hour, or a lifetime, although important, detaches us from a really big reality. We are all connected to everything that exists around us, even if we have become unaware of its existence. Bonding with that basic energy when we attain just existing in a perfect moment reminds even those of us who may occasionally wonder why we are walking around on this Earth/what we are here for . . . that we are here because our very existence is connected to everything else . . . and that is enough. It is bigger than anything we can accomplish in the physical form.
I had the experience of feeling like I had shrunk into “nothingness” while attempting to get there. But when I arrived, I was bigger than this package that houses my mind and spirit in this life.
Thanks for this one. It is my routine now. Even if I forget to brush my teeth, I manage for a bit each day to leave my body and the world that doesn’t matter as much as the one that really exists; long enough to remind myself of what does matter.
The Good, the Bad, and the Truly Ugly
Over the years I’ve gotten into the practice of thinking “cleansing” first, no matter what the circumstances—whether the focus is on creating a successful career, weaving family happiness, or dealing with the compendium of life’s big and little issues. From the cleansing activities performed by any student, the gifts of balance and peace of mind are integrated into daily life. Unfortunately, many of us don’t take the time to enact cleansing procedures when things are perking along nicely (other than perhaps a wave of the sage), and we totally let go of the thought when the walls of our mind are covered with emotional goop because of a recent negative event. No matter what head-rip the student may bring to my attention, my first two questions have always been “Have you done any type of cleansing?” and “Have you done any magickal applications to improve your circumstances?” In many cases, even though the student may be well experienced in the art and science of magick or magico-religious practices, because they are emotionally distraught over any given problem, the answer to both questions is often first silence, and then “no.” In an equal number of responses, the answer to the first has been “yes,” but “no” to the second question. Only on occasion do I receive an affirmative answer to both questions. Why is this?
Emotions are wily creatures. They pull us up, they smash us down, and we may have an entire soap opera in our heads even before the situation hits the pavement outside of ourselves. Emotions are often debilitating in stressful situations—they drag us through mental mud, wring us out, and stomp on us. Add a chronic medical condition (which is sometimes the case) and you are certainly dealing with a full plate. Regardless, it is difficult, even for the most practiced of students (at times), to find the energy to deal magickally with a problem because we are so exhausted from the trauma of the emotionally charged experience. Whether it is your girlfriend leaving you, the bank bouncing twenty of your checks because of their own error and now acting likes asses when you need them to fix the problem, losing your job, dealing with the terminal illness of a family member, or finding yourself lost in a quagmire of red tape on a legal issue, remembering to cleanse and then choosing the right magick is often lost in the emotional maelstrom. Even though we may move quickly through the cleansing part, choosing what would be right in the order of magick can sometimes be as difficult as the problem itself. If this occurs, it is usually because the student did not spend enough time on their cleansing procedures to gain the emotional distance they need to tackle the problem with a clear head. In this case, the answer is to go back to cleansing if a choice seems too complicated. Indeed, from a scientific view, cleansing the aura transmutes the negative semi-frozen pattern (frozen because it has several observers), changes the pattern through the light process or by pulling the pattern into the void (your choice of visualization), and re-freezes the new pattern. Okay—take a moment and think about it. If this is so—that by using our thoughts directed in a peaceful, nonviolent, “no mind” way, we can literally change anything we wish, and that we simply have to acknowledge this fact to make it so—then there is nothing we cannot accomplish. I believe there were a few historical sages preaching this very same thing—stand up and be counted!
Smaller issues can be equally frustrating and just as mind- numbing, depending on all those other things going on in your life at the same time. Taking that necessary step of cleansing—every day, if necessary, until the issue ceases to be your main focus—is truly one of the best favors you can do for yourself. You don’t have to make it a huge orchestrated process—there are many techniques; but do make the attempt. One small step leads to another, drawing you closer to emotional stability because you are doing something about how you feel, even if it is only lighting a candle, taking a spiritual bath, or spending a few minutes concentrating on filling yourself with white light. The more you do to help yourself, the easier it is to deal with the trauma and the closer you are to completing a full cleansing ritual, followed at some point by a chosen magickal application (or whatever your goal is). Yes, it is a wonderful thing to vent to a friend, but they cannot do the work for you—that is your responsibility. If you think it is their job to help you, then you are deceiving yourself by your own impatience and lack of self-confidence. Change and the tools you need to handle this problem always begin within yourself, not outside of yourself. Once you acknowledge that you are capable of handling the issue at hand, then the real work can begin. This is an extraordinarily hard lesson for all of us to learn.
Keeping this in mind, you may wish to try any or all of the remaining exercises in this chapter.
Empowering a “No Mind” Auric Cleansing Candle
For this exercise you need only a white candle and about ten uninterrupted minutes. Soft music that fills you with a sense of peace and balance can be added for psychological effect. The size of the candle depends upon your analysis of the situation at hand. If things are going well and there are no real difficulties to speak of, a votive will do. If you are dealing with one of those little bumps in life, choose a candle that burns for at least 48 to 72 hours. If you have a massive problem, start with a nice, big, fat pillar candle.
This exercise is best done on your feet where you have room to move, however it can be adjusted (as you see fit) for those who do not have freedom of movement. Above all else, take your time with the exercise and attempt to make your movements as gentle and free-flowing as possible. If you feel a little tense before you begin, try a few neck and shoulder rolls, envisioning the stress leaving your body, followed by several deep, relaxing breaths. Depending upon your previous training and the circumstances at hand, it is at this point that you may choose to activate a circle casting.
Stand comfortably straight with your feet about twelve to fifteen inches apart. With your eyes closed, envision your auric body surrounded by white light. When this visualization is stable, open your eyes. With both hands, hold the unlit candle a little out in front of you between the heart chakra and the solar plexus. The most important factor is to keep your mind empty. Remember what “no mind” feels like (from the earlier exercises you were given) and simply enjoy the sensation of the exercise. Slowly raise the candle until it is even with the crown chakra; your head will be bent back slightly. As your eyes are on the raised candle, you will be looking heavenward. Now lower the candle in a straight line down past the third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, down past the root chakra, and down to a bit above the ground. Slowly raise the candle back up to a point perpendicular to the heart chakra. With this bodily movement you have done two things: joined the energies of heaven and earth and made the magickal statement “as above, so below.” You have also just performed a pre-alignment of the meridians of your body. In doing this, every time you work through a sequence to empower any object, you will also be benefiting in a healthy way regardless of whom the object is for. While holding the object and applying this process, you may feel your hands begin to tingle (or be hot or warm), which is a sign of energy being transferred into the object. You may also feel that life’s cares are slipping away. This is very good!
The next step is to gather the energies from the four elements of this planet: air, fire, water, and earth. There has always been a debate in the magickal community on whether to move clockwise or counterclockwise during various applications of enchantment. I believe this debate has arisen partly due to our physical location—whether you are above or below the equator, and from which direction the air current normally flows where you live. In this exercise, because I live above the equator, we will “tighten” the energies to the candle in a clockwise direction, beginning with the “lightest” element, air, and finishing with the “heaviest” element, earth. Should you be into experimentation, practice both clockwise and counterclockwise movements (on different candles) to find which energy movement is most comfortable for you. Which one leaves you feeling good and empowered, and which one leaves you feeling dull?
Face the east with your feet slightly apart. With the candle positioned a bit out in front of you between the heart and solar plexus, move the candle in a clockwise circle, as if you are stirring a very large cauldron. Your movements can be small or exaggerated and free-flowing; however, they shouldn’t be like a whirring blender. Nice. Slow. Easy. The purpose is to gather the energies of the quarter—in this case, air. Once you touch on what air is to you (the way it feels) and have set forth in your mind that you are “tightening” the energies of air around the candle, then try your best to reach “no mind.” It may take several repetitions until you feel totally relaxed and “full.” That’s okay. If you are having difficulty reaching “no mind,” then intone the sound “Aum,” which is said to be the vibration of universal perfection and the touchstone of God/dess. After you have practiced this exercise several times you may wish to choose a finite number of “stirrings.” The number of times you stir the candle depends on yourself and your desire. A good starting point is five times for change, seven times for movement, nine times for mastery, and twenty-one times for complete fulfillment. What works best for you is what you should eventually choose, however. You may have no desire to limit the times you tighten the energy around the candle—indeed, you may just want to go with the flow, and that’s okay too. The only way you will know what is right for you is (of course) practice.
Once you have gathered the energy you feel you need, raise the candle slowly to the crown chakra (look upward) and bring it back down to the solar plexus (look forward). As you raise your arms you will be breathing in, and as you lower your arms you will be exhaling onto the candle. This movement has two functions: it instills your holy breath into the candle and, by movement, seals the air energies into the vehicle (in this case, the candle). Air represents prayers to heaven and in this small exercise you have requested that the smoke of the candle (its breath) becomes the breath of Spirit.
It is now time to move to the south, the next heaviest element. Rather than bip around the circle like the light-footed creature you are, try this instead. Step back onto the ball of your right foot and pivot a quarter turn. This will bring you immediately to face the south, with your feet the appropriate inches apart for balance. In this direction, we will be gathering the fire energies. Think about the creative essence of the element. Acknowledge that you wish to put that energy into the candle. Take your mind to “no mind” and complete the prescribed number of clockwise stirring movements with the candle. Again, take a deep breath as you raise the candle to the crown chakra, and exhale as you move the candle down the meridian of the body to seal the fire energy into the candle. In this movement you have asked that the flame of the candle become the creative, powerful flame of Spirit. Done properly, you will begin to feel a very centered connection to Spirit and “no mind” may be easier to obtain as you proceed through the remaining steps of this exercise.
Stepping back with the right foot again and pivoting has us facing the west quarter, the element of water. When a candle burns it produces liquid; this is the flow of divine, spiritual energy surging forth to finalize your request. As with the east and south quarters, we are going to set in our minds that we are gathering the energies of the west quarter, water; and, as before, as we begin to stir those energies around the candle and tighten those vibrations to the barrel, we are going to move our thought process to “no mind.” Once the stirring is complete, we again breathe in deeply, raise the candle, look heavenward, and then breathe out as we slowly lower the candle to fix the water energy. In moving from quarter to quarter and remembering to seal what we have just done, we continue to keep the body meridians balanced even though we have worked with different elements, one at a time.
Step back with the right foot, pivot to the right, and you are now facing the north quarter, the most stable and considered the heaviest of the four elements. It is from the north that you will fix the final earth element into this candle. It is on the earth plane that the candle will be used by yourself or given to a special friend for use. Having begun in the east with air, the lightest element (considered closest to heaven) and working down to the earth element (what is closest to us), we have gradually pulled the elemental energies to the earth plane, where your desire will manifest into corporal reality. Thus, although north is the most important element when it comes to manifestation work (“everything comes from the north”), it is the last element to be invoked because it is the last gateway from whence the manifestation must pass through. And, to take this further, to manifest on the earth plane, we must have worked through the gates of each element, one building upon the other—which means that all elements are equally important, although not readily seen.
Again, without hurry, set in your mind what this candle is for, what the element of earth represents in terms of energy, and then, as you stir the candle, let yourself move into “no mind.” As before, to complete the empowerment, raise the candle to the crown chakra and look heavenward; as you breathe out, lower the candle to the position directly in front of the heart chakra.
Step back with your right foot, pivot to the right, and, as you do so, consider yourself entering the divine essence of the primordial universe—into the arms of God/dess. You will once again be facing east. Rather than stirring the candle from side to side, this time you will close your eyes and make three clockwise circles in the air with the candle beginning at twelve o’clock and ending at twelve o’clock, starting from the crown chakra, moving down to the solar plexus and then back up to the crown chakra. As you make each circle, pull the circles in closer to the heart chakra. Although your hands (holding the candle) will stop making the circles, your mind (you may find) will not! Allow your mind to continue to spiral into the candle until it reaches “no mind.” Hold this as long as natural. Take a deep breath. Breathe out slowly onto the candle. Your very next thought must be a visualization or statement of what this candle is all about. In this exercise, we have intended this candle to be for auric cleansing. If you are new to the Craft or unsure of your abilities, look straight at the candle and say firmly, “Auric cleansing.” They are the only words you will have uttered (other than if you were practicing the “Aum”) in this entire exercise. As in the beginning of this exercise, raise the candle to the crown chakra, bring it straight down to the earth, and then bring it up again to the solar plexus. You have sealed the entire exercise.
Put the candle down. Your empowering work with the object is now completed. Slowly raise your hands and cup them together over your third eye, then bring your cupped hands (still together) straight down over the meridian of your body. In one fluid motion, open your hands and allow them to fall gently to their respective sides, palms down. This closes the meridian and brings stabilization.
spiritual use: Learning to breathe and move slowly and gracefully in tandem with your own spiritual body can literally change your destiny in a positive way, regardless of whether you are doing the magick for yourself or for a friend.
practical use: Working with the elements in this way brings greater focus into all areas of your magickal work. Although we used this technique for an aura-cleansing candle, we easily could have been empowering a conjuring bag (a bag filled with herbals, magickal trinkets, etc.) for a sick friend. The truly inventive aspect of this exercise is that no matter what you are doing it for, you are gathering and harmonizing the energies around you and aligning your own energy with the fresh, cleansing aspects of the breath of heaven and earth. Finally, if you do this exercise without the candle and place a mental energy ball between your hands instead, you have a unique way of calling the quarters for any spiritual ceremony. Think about it.
Enhancments to the Candle Empowerment
You can add any of the following enhancements to your magickal candles:
• Dress the candle with a magickal oil of your choice.
• Carve magickal symbols into the candle with a stylus.
• Paste a picture on the outside of a candle’s glass container.
• Load a candle with herbs by carving a small hole in the bottom of the candle and filling it with herbs. Carefully seal shut with lighter flame. For safety reasons, remember to burn this candle in a pot.
• Add a pin halfway down, inserted into the candle. When the flame reaches the pin, the major force of the gathered energies is released. This technique is used for specific empowerments that are based on a particular timing factor.
Preparing an Auric Cleansing Water
Many cleansing techniques incorporate tools in which researched historical magickal associations (otherwise known as correspondences) are used to enhance the experience and boost the ultimate outcome of the working. Such tools may include herbs, liquids, gems, candles, etc. This recipe for auric cleansing water is to be used immediately upon blending, as the formula has no preservative feature, so it is not recommended for bottling. Use dried herbs (no older than a year, as it is thought herbs lose their magickal properties after a year’s time). You can also use fresh herbs right from your garden or local greenhouse, if you so desire. These herbs were chosen specifically for their cleansing properties. If you were going to do a spell or working for money, then choose herbs whose correspondences relate to money, action, success, and abundance. Rather than a crystal, if prosperity was your focus, you might choose a lodestone or perhaps three tonka beans.
As with the candle empowerment exercise, it is up to you to choose whether you wish to cast the circle, create sacred space, or simply envision yourself surrounded by white light. There is much to be said about working within the magickal circle, and I do encourage it. For the auric cleansing water, you will need the following ingredients: White or clear glass (not plastic) bowl, 1⁄2 gallon spring water, 1⁄4 ounce chamomile, 1⁄4 ounce lemon verbena, 1⁄4 ounce lavender, 1⁄4 ounce lemongrass, one quartz crystal, one empowered white candle (as shown in the previous exercise), one sliced lemon, one rattle, one white altar cloth, and one bell.
Note: For this exercise, a white taper candle works best and should be empowered in the way set forth in the auric cleansing candle empowerment instructions.
To begin, place all your supplies on the white altar cloth. Pour the half gallon of water into the bowl. Be sure that the bowl is large enough that the water will not slosh over the sides, and that it is not too heavy, when filled, as to be cumbersome. Pick up the bowl and take one step backward from the altar surface. Hold the bowl just a little below the heart chakra and slightly out from your body. Slowly move the bowl from right (east) to left (west), then from up (north) and down (south) and back to center. Facing the east, slowly push the bowl out and away from yourself, envisioning that you are handing the bowl across an invisible curtain of energy. On the other side of the curtain is perfect love and perfect peace, the primordial energies of the universe. You are instilling this water with that energy. Pull the bowl back to yourself and as you are doing so, say, “Blessings of Spirit be upon you.”
Step back with the right foot and pivot slowly (so you don’t splash any water). You are now facing the south. Move the bowl across the invisible barrier into the primordial essence and back to yourself, speaking the words of blessing. Imagine that you have captured the pure energy of the unmanifest in the molecules of the water. Step back with the right foot again, pivot, and do the same at the west; then, finally, follow the same procedure facing the north. This beginning sequence is an excellent training vehicle to teach students to “slow down” when employing magickal practices. Quick movements move the mind out of the alpha state, throwing one back into beta. Although this isn’t a horrible thing (we operate normally in beta), you will reach better magickal results if your brain waves remain in alpha. Alpha is also very natural to the human condition. Your mind is in alpha when you watch television, drive, daydream, or are completely bored.
Move the bowl once again from the right to the left, and then from the crown to the solar plexus, returning to the center of your body. Place the water on the altar. Hold your hands over the herbs and the crystal (you can do this separately or together). Envision your hands filling with white light. Mentally transfer this light to the objects underneath and say, “May you be cleansed and consecrated in the name of the divine presence. Blessings upon you.” (You can also use words that focus on the deity of your choice, or simply say “in the name of the Lord and Lady.”)
Place all the herbs and the crystal into the bowl of water. Pause. Take three deep breaths and relax. Ring the bell three times. This helps to clear the air and lets all who are present know that the next stage of empowerment is about to begin. Hold the auric candle empowered in the previous exercise in your hands, close your eyes, and go to “no mind.” Once you have reached this point, open your eyes and light the candle.
Pass the candle flame over the bowl from east to west (right to left), then from top (north) to bottom (south), and return to the center. Use the bottom of the candle to stir the water in a clockwise direction. The number of times you stir the water directly relates to the number of revolutions it takes for you to go to “no mind.” You can intone the “Aum” sound to help you get there. Some practitioners prefer a favorite magickal chant, which works just fine.
When you have finished stirring the water, raise the candle to the heavens with both hands. Look up and to the left as you say, “From the heavens . . . ,” then lower the candle straight down to the floor as you say, “to the earth,” then move it back up to hover over the water. It is natural, at this point, for your hands to feel very hot and your inner body to be filled with a great sense of power. Let it happen. You won’t explode. With one quick motion (fast is okay here), flip the candle and plunge the flame into the water, saying, “As above, so below. This water is empowered!”—or say nothing at all if the words do not come easily; just remember to keep the intent. As you plunge the candle into the water, you should feel the spiritual fire within yourself exploding into the water. Take a deep breath and step back. As with the previous candle exercise, put the candle down. As you next inhale, cup your hands over your third eye. As you exhale, bring your hands down slowly over the meridian of your body to the solar plexus, allowing your hands to separate and swing out to your sides, palms now facing the floor. Take another deep breath, exhaling slowly. This exercise is concluded.
spiritual use: Once again, the slow movements, the focus on the directions, and the practice of combining energies harmonizes and brings balance to the self and helps to create an inner alchemy of dynamic, positive change. Making this particular water is a sacred journey into the realm of the primordial ebb and flow of the universe in an effort to obtain not only balance, but cleansing as well.
practical use: Once the water is made, its only limit is your imagination (although you cannot drink it). Use it in house blessings, spellwork, and ceremonies and rituals of all kinds. Fill small cotton bags with additional raw empowered herbs and dip in the water to sprinkle over the body for a complete cleansing.
How to Make White Blitz
On occasion you may run up against something that you consider fairly evil and insidious. You might be dealing with a stalker, a series of nightmares, or a run of bad luck. Granted, practical applications, such as notifying the appropriate authorities, delving frankly into your own psyche, or being smart and distancing yourself from negative people (a no-brainer that we often overlook), would be the first and foremost moves in a variety of situations; however, once again, we cannot ignore the value of the cleansing process. White blitz is a ground powder that can be linked to charms, talismans, words on paper, and even photographs. The powder can be used in a spellworking or a complete ritual environment. Its main purpose is to banish negative energy, which is why I have included the formula in this chapter; however, it does rely on magickal timing. If you are unfamiliar with this topic, which includes the phases of the moon, magickal days, and/or planetary hours, you may wish to look up the information in my book Solitary Witch or a book of your choice that covers related data (for moon phases and planetary hours information, see this book’s Appendices).
The formula is made in two stages. You will not need the white cornmeal for the first stage. As it is believed that spirits cannot tolerate salt, this powder can also be used for your ghostbusting endeavors, should you have the need to exorcise that sort of thing! And, in true folk magick form, should you feel the need to tromp around a graveyard, carrying this mixture in your pocket in a white conjuring bag sprayed with lilac water (lilac is a ghostbuster scent) is thought to keep errant and bored spirits from following you home.
For this formula, you will need thirteen eggs, a white disposable towel, a bowl, sea salt, three small mirrors the size of your thumb, an auric cleansing taper candle, auric cleansing water, three cowry shells, and a cup of white cornmeal.
Wash the eggs, the mirrors, and the cowry shells with the auric cleansing water made in the last exercise. Break the eggs into a bowl. Keep the shells out and lay them on a white, disposable towel. Throw away the egg yolks and whites (or use them in a cake or make egg sandwiches later, as you will not have done any magick with the mixture or fouled the eggs in any way).
Wash the eggshells carefully in clear running water. Set in the sun to dry. When the eggshells are devoid of moisture, crush them with a mortar and pestle in a counterclockwise movement (sometimes called widdershins in the Craft community) until you create a very fine powder. This, I warn you, will take some time. Rather than allowing your mind to drift over a compendium of thoughts while you grind the shells into powder, breathe deeply and evenly, centering your thoughts first on white light, and then “no mind.” Some practitioners intone their favorite empowerment chant or simply make the “Aum” sound to help them stay centered and calm. You will only know what works best for you by experimentation. Above all, try to stay away from screaming babies, whining dogs, and pestering household members. Although many methods of magick can be done quite well amid the chaos of everyday living once you become accustomed to how things should “feel” to you, items to be used for cleansing purposes should be created in as peaceful an environment as you can manufacture. Honest. Once the eggshells are ground, set all supplies aside until:
• You can devote approximately fifteen minutes of your time to the empowerment process, and
• You can take advantage of a waning moon (for banishing energies), or
• You can take advantage of a Saturn planetary hour (for banishing energies), or
• You can empower the mixture on a Saturday (banishing day).
In physics, to create something we need nothing. Literally. No mind. (Some occultists like to say “empty mind,” but I can’t relate to the phenomena that way—it sounds like a derisive comment.)
In the white blitz recipe, the “nothing” becomes perfection, and within perfection, negativity cannot exist. White blitz, then, is a banishing tool, a protective tool, a vehicle of transformation, and a tool of ultimate balance. To take this further, thinking of that liquid light exercise you did, let’s look at a quote from K. C. Cole, from The Hole in the Universe:
Say the universe is made of vibrating strings; if you take away all the energy, the strings don’t vibrate, but you still have strings. Or, let’s say “nothing” is the watery universe of a fish. If all the energy is taken out, the water freezes. Instead of an amorphous fluid, you now have the crystal structure left behind when all the energy is removed. But it is still water. This structured kind of nothing corresponds to the vacuum in which we (and everything in the universe) ultimately reside.2
In the auric candle exercise we were visiting the world of nothing, grouping together a pattern of positive energy and directing that flow into the candle. Here, we want to take something that exists in one form, freeze it, and transform it. Now, the negative pattern is already “frozen” by the observer (you and probably anyone you’ve blabbed to, including those that you haven’t blabbed to but don’t like you anyway so they help to keep this pattern frozen; however, you are the captain of your own ship and if you don’t like the pattern you have every right to do something about it—whew!). So! Our basic mission, should we choose to accept it, is to unfreeze the negative pattern and refreeze it into something that is more acceptable to us.
Because we are not the main character in the Matrix movies, we often use physical vehicles to assist the mind in getting to the “launch” position where we can affect the change we desire. Such tools include candles (which have been scientifically proven to affect the aura, by the way), plants, symbols, spoken words, etc. The vehicle we are using here, the white blitz, is designed to assist us in orchestrating a new pattern to affect and replace the old one. We want to destabilize the negativity so that we can rearrange the negative pattern into something more acceptable. Given that the strings of the negative event are still there (which is why we are making the white blitz), what we want to do with the white blitz is freeze those strings of negativity and make them react in a different way, which will create a whole new pattern. To accomplish this feat, we have to enter the realm of “no mind.” Remember, in quantum physics, when a pattern is observed it freezes and changes character in direct relation to the thoughts of the observer (supposedly), which is why your teacher stresses and stresses and stresses the need for secrecy in your work of enchantment. The more you blab, the more chance of delaying your original work and, worse, of allowing it to be blown to bits by the thoughts of someone else. Likewise, you can feed those negative strings with worry, fear, and denial, which will make them vibrate stronger against you. There’s much to be said about self-actualization and cleansing procedures. Hmm . . . contemplate that one for a while!
Now that we know what we’re doing (sort of, because no one has yet come up with the complete answer and is talking), let’s go on to finishing the white blitz recipe. Gather all your supplies and wrap them in a white cloth, including a cup of white cornmeal. Go outside to a place where you will not be disturbed. With the white cornmeal, trace a foot-wide circle on your back porch, in smooth dirt, or on your patio. Then, with the cornmeal, draw a line from right (east) to left (west) through the center and a line from the top of the circle (north) to the bottom (south) of the circle. (Refer to the Spirit Circle illustration on page 34.)
A Spirit Circle made of cornmeal creates a circle
and a vortex (the equal-armed cross).
We are using the cornmeal for two reasons: its correspondence to North American history and goddess references as a symbol of plenty and its association to the manifestation of a three-dimensional item on the earth plane: corn. Therefore, we are using this natural item to create a circle and a vortex (the equal-armed cross) as well as to make references to the “as above, so below” magico-religious theory wherein the items on which you will be working are encased in an observable area (the circle); you are the only observer. At this stage you do not realize the true power you possess because it is here that you are the only observer. As long as you focus on the intent and touch with “no mind” what you wish to create, manifestation—unless it is truly against the will/perfection of the universe—will occur. It is from this point on, however, after the ceremony, that your working could jump the rails either because you have spoken of it to someone else or because your work is somehow seen in the interim and filled with negativity. For example, let’s say you made this white blitz recipe for a friend who is having difficulties. If the friend is a magickal one and believes what you tell them and uses it privately, then the white blitz will most likely work. This faith, knowledge, or affirmation of knowing will strengthen the formula. If, however, your friend only half believes, tells someone else about the product who makes fun of it, or it is seen by an extremely negative member of the household and is mishandled in any way, the original strength of the recipe is reduced and perhaps destroyed. You see, ego has no place in magick. When you enter “no mind,” there is no ego and therefore no blocks to the working. Once ego enters the picture as an observer, all can be lost. Yet there is that little Rule of Three thingy . . . all workings eventually propagate balance, and sometimes balance can be a dreadful thing. Think about it. Given this explanation, then, it would be unutterably stupid for anyone to work negative magick. There is no power in evil; there is only the self-gratification of ego. This is not the avenue of spirituality or perfection. We often become angry because we feel helpless in a given situation. Anger leads to ego-oriented action, which can be our undoing. So, if I told you that everything you want to do will work as long as you do your best to follow the rules of science, anger is no longer necessary because you are no longer helpless, which means the ego is no longer a factor. It is through repeated practice of meditation and magico-religious techniques that confidence is gained. This confidence leads to faith, which eliminates the ego. Do you understand?
Yet we are trying to get this formula done, aren’t we! Okay. Place all items within the Spirit Circle with one addition: a clear glass of water that has been offered to each of the directions, beginning with the east and finishing with the north. You can do that right now and then place the glass in the circle with the rest of the items. If you like, offer the auric cleansing candle to the four directions as well. Light the auric cleansing candle (made like the one in the previous exercise—again, a taper is best for this particular working). Put the candle in the circle to the left (near the west). Hold your hands over the herbs (which represent the earth), the cowry shells (which stand for male/female and balance, as well as the sea), and the mirrors (which are associated with reflective capabilities and “as above, so below”). You can, if you like, add a crystal to the mix. We now have the earth element represented by the herbs, the water by the glass of water, the fire through the vehicle of the candle, and the air through your holy breath, which we will get to in a moment.
Mix the salt, eggshell powder, mirrors, and cowry shells in a clear glass or white bowl, situating the bowl in the direct center of the circle. Sit comfortably either cross-legged or kneeling, which-ever is best for you. Take three deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. Inhale, raising your arms slowly up over your head and cupping your hands as if you are holding a beach ball. As you exhale, bring the ball down past the third eye, past the throat chakra, and down to the heart chakra. Slowly rotate your hands so that your right hand is on top (holding the mythical ball) and your left hand is on the bottom. Reverse hand positions slowly, as if you are turning the ball in your hands. Keep rotating the ball until your fingers tingle and your palms grow warm.
Slowly move the ball of energy over the top of the Spirit Circle. Close your eyes and go to “no mind.” Hold this as long as possible, then simply drop the ball by placing your palms flat toward the circle. Open your eyes. Envision everything in the Spirit Circle glowing with pure white light. In this formula, the white blitz is “fed” the pure water from the glass—just a few drops are sprinkled to the right, then the left, above, and below. Sprinkle only a tiny bit in the center—a flick of a drop is all that is necessary. Some practitioners also feed rum to the white blitz formula for a faster-acting vehicle. That is your choice. The formula is sealed by licking the thumb of the right hand, then moving the thumb from the left to the right (west to east) and then from top to bottom (north to south) over the Spirit Circle. When the candle has burned completely, the rite is completed. As salt collects moisture, package the formula as quickly as possible.
White blitz is a folk magick application. It is not considered to be in the realms of high magick, but falls within the auspices of shamanistic energies. Regardless, its root is quantum physics and the process of making the formula can be an amazing teaching vehicle in itself.
Complete Aura Cleansing Ceremony
The complete working requires the following supplies: ceremonial white sage, coarse sea salt, a magickal oil designed for good fortune and invoking positive energies, a new white cord that is five feet long, two white illuminator candles (which can stand for the God and Goddess—matter and antimatter, sun and moon, particular saints, Spirit, etc.), frankincense resin (which can be burned, simmered, given as an offering to deity—your choice, so you will need the appropriate vehicle; in this application it is soaked in a bowl of spring water with a crystal), aura cleansing water (as shown in a previous exercise), and an aura cleansing taper candle (as explained earlier in the text) for each individual who will be present. Therefore, your ceremony requires two rites (to empower the candles and make the aura cleansing water) previous to its application. You will also need an appropriate clear or white bowl for burning the sage, 1⁄2 cup rosemary, 1⁄2 cup hyssop, 1⁄2 cup lavender, and small white cotton bags for each person. Absolutely necessary for this ritual are a dozen carnations (if you are working solitary) or at least six carnations for each participant in the ritual. Flowers for each individual present adds a nice addition to the ritual and ensures that negativity is not passed from one person to the other.
Place all supplies on your altar (or flat nonflammable surface). If you choose to use an altar cloth, it should be white. Place one illuminator candle on each side of the bowl of auric cleansing water. Close your eyes and breathe deeply at least three times, more if you are stressed or feel too many things are weighing on your mind. It is here that you ask your ancestors and deity for assistance in this working.
Continue by taking three deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly, and sounding the word “Aum” deeply and slowly. This vibration helps to cleanse the body and calls the perfection of the universe through cosmic waves. When you feel you are ready, hold your hands over the white rope and say, “Energy and pattern of the earth, I cleanse, bless, and consecrate thee in the name of Spirit.” Dip the rope in the water. Use the rope to sprinkle the water at the quarters. To manage this feat, you may wish to either (a) transfer some of the water from the central bowl to a smaller bowl, or (b) if you are doing this ceremony with another person, have them carry the bowl and you sprinkle the water. Moving in a clockwise direction and beginning with the east, sprinkle a little water and a little salt on the ground around the area you will be working (or on your altar if you do not plan to move). Move to the south, the west, the north, and finish again in the east, then sprinkle a bit of salt and water at the center of where you will be working.
Next, hold your hands over the ceremonial sage and say, “Creature of the earth, I cleanse, bless, and consecrate thee in the name of Spirit.” Light the sage (be sure to have a fire-safe bowl in which to carry it). Blow softly on the sage three times, saying, “Energy and pattern of sacred smoke, cleanse and consecrate this sacred space and spiral my prayers to the center of manifestation!” Carry the sage around the room to cleanse the area in a clockwise direction. Pass the smoke over yourself and anyone present. Pass the smoke over the altar and the illuminator candles. Dot the illuminator candles with a bit of your favorite magickal oil. Hold your hands over the candles and say, “Pattern of wax and wick, I cleanse and consecrate thee in the name of Spirit! May your blessed light bring joy and power to this working.” Light each candle, saying, “Wax and wick, flame and smoke, powers of peace I now invoke!” (You can also say the name(s) of deity, saints, angels, powers, etc.)
Pour the bottled spring water in the bowl. Place the bowl on the center of your altar. Hold your hands over the frankincense and crystal and say, “Creatures of earth, I cleanse and consecrate thee in the name of the divine presence. Bring higher vibrations to this working!” Place the frankincense and the crystal in the bowl of water. Point to the bowl and say loudly, “I charge thee to attend this working and magnify the power of this ritual!”
Put three drops of your favorite magickal oil in the herbal mix that consists of the hyssop, rosemary, and lavender. Crush the mix with your hands, saying, “Creatures of earth, I cleanse, bless, and consecrate thee in the name of Spirit! May all you touch turn to peace and joy . . . become . . . be one!” Breathe deeply and close your eyes as you repeat “become . . . be one” several times. Imagine you are at the center of the universe and filled with light. Then say, “Perfect love and perfect trust; Spirit [or you can say a deity name] enter now with us.” If there are several present, then all should repeat the words several times until harmony is felt in the room. Circle members can sing or drum during the following steps.
Position the rope in a circle, end to end, making the circle shape with the rope. Sprinkle the center of that circle with auric cleansing water and the dried herbs in the bowl. Have the first person step into the inner circle. (You will remain outside this inner circle, as will everyone else—only one person in the inner circle at a time.) Choose six carnations and dip the heads in the auric cleansing water. Shake lightly, then sprinkle the person in the inner circle with the flowers, then brush the flowers from the top of their head down to their toes on the front and back of their body (something much like it is often done in spiritualist ceremonies). This action of brushing the flowers over the body is to remove all negativity. If static electricity is present on any one person, then this person is doubly blessed by the gods during the procedure. Break the flowers and throw them on the floor outside of the inner circle. Have the person jump out of the circle onto the broken flowers to break any last negative connections and dispel the negative energy. As they straighten their shoulders and step off the crushed flowers, hand them an auric cleansing candle with the instruction that it is to be burned as soon as they return home. If you are practicing this ceremony alone, light your auric cleansing candle now and, as you inhale, hold the lit candle aloft; as you lower the candle to your solar plexus, exhale slowly (don’t blow out the flame), visualizing all negativity leaving your body. Allow the candle to burn completely on the altar.
Put broken flowers in a discard bag or bowl. If you are cleansing several people, this ceremony is best done outside. The person who picks up the flowers to dispose of them must wash their hands with clear spring water after they pick up each batch of flowers.
Choose three more flowers and move to the next person. When everyone has been cleansed, take the last of the flowers and sprinkle the altar. If you are alone, cleanse yourself and then sprinkle the altar with new flowers. Remember, do not ever dip the flowers back in the bowl once they have touched someone. When everyone has been cleansed you have the choice of closing the ceremony or moving on to an additional rite, such as giving offerings to deity or raising energy for a specific working. The stage has now been set for any type of ritual, from a handfasting or wiccaning to general healing, a high holy day, esbat, or other magickal endeavor. If you choose a simple spell, cleanse, consecrate, and bless a candle in a particular color, place it on the altar in an appropriate candleholder, and continue your working. When you are finished, remember to thank the gods and the ancestors and thoroughly clean the area. Leftover herbs can be placed in the cotton gris-gris bags and given to participants to take with them.
This particular ceremony is extremely useful and can be massaged in a way that fits your beliefs and your taste in ritual. It is an excellent addition to your collection of healing arts and techniques because, frankly, you can never do enough cleansing!
Summary
In this section we discussed the importance of cleansing, meditation, auric programming, and learning to actively incorporate various techniques to open yourself to a more spiritual lifestyle. Designed to take you from moon to moon, these exercises have been an incredible help to me as well as many of my students in dealing with life’s daily challenges. May they be of assistance to you as well.
1. “Zen,” Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Zen is the peculiarly Chinese way of accomplishing the Buddhist goal of seeing the world just as it is, that is, with a mind that has no grasping thoughts or feelings (Sanskrit trishna). This attitude is called “no mind” (Chinese wu-hsin), a state of consciousness wherein thoughts move without leaving any trace. Unlike other forms of Buddhism, Zen holds that such freedom of mind cannot be attained by gradual practice but must come through direct and immediate insight (Chinese tun-wu; Japanese satori).
2. Cole, K. C. The Hole in the Universe: How Scientists Peered Over the Edge of Emptiness and Found Everything. New York: Harvest, 2001, page 16.