Psychic Hygiene

Psychic Hygiene

  There are some important practices that one must know and understand when working with magickal, spiritual and psychic energy in order to have a grounded and healthy experience. These practices are known as Psychic Hygiene. Just like you would clean your room once it gets cluttered or messy, you should make it a regular practice to “clean” your aura and personal energy before and after ritual and magickal workings. In fact it’s best to use good psychic hygiene before any spiritual and psychic activity like meditation or divination and especially before and after casting a spell.

  Grounding: Cleansing and releasing unwanted or excess energy. There are many different ways to ground yourself before or after a magickal working. The easiest way to ground is by taking a touch of sea salt and putting it on your tongue. Salt is a natural grounding agent and can cleanse oneself of any excess energy that you are having trouble shaking off. There are other ways of grounding utilizing our visualization, the one that I use most often I call, the Waterfall of Light. It is a technique I based off the Correllian Grounding in Lesson 1 of the Witch School First Degree (http://www.witchschool.com):

·         Find yourself a comfortable place to sit down, cross legged on the ground or sitting straight up in a chair. Clear your mind and quiet your thoughts. Visualize a white light shining from above your crown.

·         The light slowly washes over you, filling you with warm, white light. See this light taking all tension and negativity away from you, the light travels out your hands and down out of your feet. See the tension leave you like a black ink being washed from within you and out your hands and feet, into the Earth.

·         I like to state an affirmation while visualizing the negative energy being released from me and into the Earth, “I release all tension and negativity out from me and back to Mother Earth to be used elsewhere for a higher purpose.” Once I feel that all the tension and negativity has left my body I visualize the Waterfall of Light turning off and all the white light starts to drain out of me through the hands and feet.

 image taken from Lesson 1, First degree at www.witchschool.com

This last technique I highly recommend because not only does it help by cleansing/releasing unwanted energy, but it also exercises our visualization and energy abilities.

  There are some other techniques I use especially when I’m out doors and have access to the natural energy of the Earth. This next technique is perfect for meditations outside in the park, or backyard. It utilizes the Root Chakra which is an energy center of the body originating from the lower pelvic region and tip of the spine. This energy center is seen as a red swirling ball of energy, one of its abilities is connecting us with the powers of the Earth:

·         Sit comfortable, cross legged, and back straight. Clear your mind, quiet your thoughts. Now visualize your lower spine with a glowing ball of clear red light. If the light is muddied or dull in anyway, take a moment to visualize it turning bright and clear.

·         You have now opened and cleared your Root Chakra. Next visualize a red cord being released from your Root Chakra and descending deep into the Earth. If you’re having trouble with this visualization you can make an affirmation to solidify the image like, “I now release my Root Cord, and I ask to connect with the heart of the Earth, avoiding all impurities.” See this cord in your mind’s eye as connecting to the core (heart) of the Earth.

·         Breathe deeply. Each breath you take, visualize the red energy of the Earth’s heart rising up your Root Chakra and then slowly up your entire body.

·         Now drain this energy, slowly back down your Root Chakra taking with it all your tension, worries, stress and negative energy. Once all the energy has been pushed down your cord into the Earth, thank Mother Earth and call up your Root Cord.

·         Now visualize your Root Chakra shrinking until it completely disappears and imagine a door closing where the chakra once was. You have now closed your Root Chakra and cleared away all your negative energy and tension.

   Still there are more ways to grounding, as many as there are those practicing them. One can even use crystals and stones, incense and herbs, there are countless ways, but you should pick one that is best for you. Some people simply see themselves being filled with white light that burns away all the negative energy. It can be as simple as that. But it must be done, you must never allow the energy you build up in a working just sit within you, this can lead to a mess of health problems, physically, mentally and psychically. Not grounding energy before a ritual can make it hard to focus and concentrate during the ritual itself. Not grounding after a ritual can lead to anxiety, built up energy, disorientation, trouble sleeping and nervousness. It’s best to practice good psychic hygiene and ground before and after ALL magickal and ritual workings.

The Aura:

The Aura is the bio-electrical energy that our bodies naturally generate and is all around the body. Our auras need to be clear and strengthened and we do this by Shielding. Shielding is the psychic enforcement of the aura; this is done by visualization and energy building. The shielding I do is one taught to the First Degree of the Correllian tradition:

·         Clear/ release. Visualize a ball of brilliant white light descending from above and hovering right over your crown. Know that this light is a piece of the Goddess, feel the powers of love, strength and joy emanating from this ball of light.

·         Next see the ball of light shining down onto you and filling you with warm protective white light. Allow this light to fill you head to toe.

·         Once you are filled with this protective light, push it outwards until it is in a complete sphere all around you. Focus on this image, feel this image, know that this light is protecting you from all harm on every level.

·         I then say the Correllian Shielding Affirmation: “Behold! There is one power in the universe and I am a perfect manifestation of that power. As such, I do will that the boundaries of my aura shall be strong and healthy, repelling all unwanted energy yet remaining open to positive healing energy. Safe within the boundaries of my aura, none can harm me, for I am filled with the strength of the Goddess and the God. As I do will, so mote it be, and it is so!”

·         I then meditate on the shield surrounding me, giving it energy. Once my concentration begins to wane, or I feel that my aura is strong enough I calm my body/mind and allow the visualization to dissipate. Clear/release as usual.

image taken from Lesson 1, First degree at www.witchschool.com

  It’s good to practice the shielding at least once a week, it should take 5 minutes at the most but does wonders in terms of keeping unwanted energy away from you and attracting positive energy to you.