Cleansing is a very important part of witchcraft, and can be linked together with banishing. To try describe it the best way, it can be a magickal wash to what you are cleansing.
Cleansing can also be called purification.
When to cleanse;
Objects that you just have bought or taken into your home. Specially objects others have held, since the object can hold their energies some time after.
It can be a good idea to cleanse a room after something negative have happened, like a fight. The negative energies from the fight can be laying in the room for a long time.
You can also clean yourself as often as you feel the need to.
Some herbs, stones and plants have cleansing properties, that can help us cleanse. Here are some examples;
Herbs: pine, lavender, dragon's blood, sandalwood, frankincense, juniper and sage*
Other: moon water, rain water, salt
This is not a complete list, but a guide and help to a good starter.
There is quite alot of different way to cleanse. Some methods are more popular than others, but with the right intentions, they will all work just as good.
Here is some of the cleansing methods and a little about them:
Incense: Burn incense of cleansing herbs and plants. Take what you want to cleanse and hold it in the incense smoke. You can cleanse yourself or your room as well. Then you will want to take the incense smoke around your room or yourself, letting the smoke go around the room and cleanse the room and yourself.
Cleansing spray: Make a spray to cleanse. With this spray, make sure what you cleanse dont get damaged by the water. To charge the spray, let it sit in sun light, or simply just shake the bottle. There are also alot more you can do.
Sunlight: Let the item sit under sunlight as close to 24 hours as you can do. The power of the sum will go into the item. You can place a mirror under the item to increase the efficiency of the purification.
NOTE: if you wish to do this with crystals, be aware some crystals get damaged/or loose color under sunlight
Burial: Bury the item in salt, sand or soil. The choice of salt is yours, but each salt have their own properties. Wrap the object in cloth, if you like.
NOTE: metal objects can corrode, and some crystals can get damaged from salt.
Oil: You can make a cleansing oil of cleansing herbs and plants in oil. Oils have different properties as well and i recommend to research them.
Sound: Any sound can cleanse with the right intent. Some use bells, sing, clap their hands, or even scream.
Personally, i think sound cleanse is an awesome option after a fight or a breakdown in your room/house. Let the sound of a bell or music lift up and away the heavy silence.
Simmerpot: Boil moon/rain/tap water with cleansing herbs and let the damp and smell cleanse your room/house.
The elements: You can call in the elements in a circle, and ask them to cleanse. Dont forget to always be respectful to the elements and thank them for their help begore you release them. You can also leave some offerings as an extra thank you.
Bath ritual: Prepare a bath ritual with cleansing salts, herbs, crystals and oils. You can have the crystals around the bathtub if they are not watersafe, you can also have some candles to set the mood a little extra, together with some snacks and a drink. (Food and drinks have properties too)
The list is not yet complete. Its recommended to read about more different cleansing methods, or maybe ask a more educated witch for their opinions. Remember to not push them to tell, as you are asking about their personal experience.r
*Sage: There are around 800 types of sage, but White Sage is a closed practice, so do some research about that one. Instead, use any other kind of sage.
