4 ELEMENTAL cleansing & clearing techniques
Clients will often come to me feeling drained and exhausted. Many of them are coaches and facilitators and they are supporting their clients’ with heavy emotions and thoughts. Even the most skilled therapists will find themselves drained after some sessions or within certain environments. In these instances, I recommend energy clearing as a way to support, protect and nourish your body, space and nervous system.
Just as we clean and secure our home, its equally important that we develop ways to cleanse and clear our personal auric field each day. With commitment to some simple energetic cleansing practices we can greatly strengthen our own aura so we are less influenced and affected by the energy around us.
Working with the 4 elements listed below will assist you in building a daily ritual to cleanse & clear your energy:
water: The importance of purification
Water is central to the energy that powers all living things and is the river that flows through the body, carrying vital information and messages. Water carries the imprints of our biology and as such has a memory. Keeping the balance of water in our body is vital as it makes up 99% of the molecules within us.
We hear it so often that we tend to ignore the importance of it however its so essential that we drink pure, clean water and stay hydrated throughout the day. In the same way that drinking pure water supports the body’s healing functions, its also true that our etheric body benefits from cleansing with water.
Through regular ocean swims, Epsom salt baths, or using aura sprays, we can keep our energy flowing and assist purification. Try adding some drops of essential oils like spruce, tea tree or pine in a bottle with water to use as an instant cleansing spray.
Earth: The importance of grounding
In our modern world the effects of electromagnetic radiation, pollution, and nutritional & environmental toxins are creating havoc in our nervous systems and energy body. Not to mention the high levels of mental stress and fatigue that can keep us stuck in our heads. Without access to the natural world and its abundance of negative ions, clear air, and earth microbiome we can become very anxious and feel increasingly ungrounded. When we feel ungrounded we are more likely to find ourselves having interactions that grow a sense of fear and this energy can become a magnet for whatever negative mental or emotional debris is around us.
Through making a practice of getting out into nature and connecting to the earth (this includes skin to skin contact through walking barefoot, lying on the ground, or wading or swimming in water) we can immediately relieve stress and boost our energy.
When we come into contact with the earth we innately begin grounding ourselves as the body knows how to naturally dispel energy that does not belong to us. Grounding is so important to keeping us connected and sovereign in our own body.
Fire: The importance of transmutation
Using natural incense or a Smudging stick is a super charged way to move and transmute energy quickly and is often the go to cleanser for most energetically attuned people. There are a myriad of different plants, woods and resins that can be used and each have different qualities and traditions.
The most common smudging tools are Sage and Palo Santo which can be used around your energy field or to clear your personal space. Frankincense, Copal and Myrrh are wonderful used in burners, are super grounding & will immediately calm the mind and uplift the senses.
The simple act of lighting a candle with intention will support the transmutation of disturbances in the astral field. The element of fire also holds the qualities of death & rebirth and as such is potent for ritual, including opening and closing cycles.
Air: The importance of atmosphere
While breath-work, mantra and singing can be wonderful ways to work with the element of air, I personally have found in my work with clients that setting up the atmosphere of your personal space through visualization tools to be a transformative way to nurture and protect your energy. I like to work with sacred geometry, specifically platonic solids for their grounding properties and the below is a very simple practice to start using yourself.
Begin your visualization practice with a 3D cube, sphere or 6 pointed star (merkaba)
A cube offers protection and is a stabilizing and grounding form.
A circle/ sphere represents wholeness of body, mind, spirit.
A merkaba star merges the masculine and feminine polarities into oneness.
Steps to set up the atmosphere with visualization:
Close your eyes and begin to visualize one of the 3 platonic solids above. You will naturally lean into your own method of visualization through seeing, knowing, feeling or hearing the shape emerge. Notice the location in proximity to you, the colour, texture, & size.
Once you have a sense of the geometry, now begin to expand this 3D shape around your body. Feel the living, breathing, life force energy of the air element as you intend this holographic form around you.
Now feel into the perimeters of this shape, does it stay close around your body, or expand broader to encompass the room or the property.
Finally, feel your nervous system settle as you anchor your highest intentions to be present within the atmosphere you have so lovingly created. Repeat with another geometric shape until you feel fully grounded.
Establish a ritual & routine for energy cleansing
A beautiful way to combine these energy cleansing elements, is to create an alter that you tend to with love each day. The beauty of these practices and the power inherent in them will over time build a deeper connection with self, one that can discern more easily external influences. Perhaps you find a beautiful stone, shell or feather on your morning walk to place on your alter. Tend to this alter like you tend to your body, even just for 5 min each day, and you will be amazed at how your core energy field re-calibrates & strengthens.
Tips for turning energy cleansing into a ritual
Set up an altar
Tend to it the same time every day
Play your favourite song to anchor you
Use smudging tools that feel and smell good to you
Include a small bowl of water on your alter and refill it daily
Practice a short mediation or visualization (above)
Connect to your breath.
Move your body in the ways that feel good
Set an intention or journal.