Hello, Creative and Sensitive Souls!
Times are hard for empathic, sensitive people right now. Creative folks like us seem prone to soaking up the negative energy and often can’t seem to shake it. Letting that energy flow out through our work sometimes is possible, but it can get hung up in our heads and hearts, especially when it is so continuing and pervasive in the world around us. We need protection. We need to set safe boundaries for ourselves.
So what can we do when we’re in the middle of trying times, and we have that energy stuck inside? I’m going to share some of my steps to clear my head, heart, and home from the negativity and sorrow that can be difficult to escape when times are tough.
Smudging and Cleansing
First, I work to clear myself. I firmly believe in the power of a good smudging or cleansing of one’s home, studio, car… anywhere that you spend a lot of time. I’ve even smudged the garden and patio when I’ve been doing a lot of work out there, and I think the plants really appreciated it!Smudging is a simple process – if you’re not familiar, you take a heat-safe container and some smudging herbs like white sage, palo santo, sweetgrass, or a combo… and smolder the herbs in the dish, pulling the smoke over yourself and then directing it around the area you’d like to cleanse. I most often see abalone shell or a ceramic dish with sand or salt used as a smudging dish, though I often use my small cast iron cauldron. You can also use a resin like frankincense, benzoin, or copal, but you’ll need an incense charcoal to release the smoke from those sorts of incense/smudge ingredients.
Some folks use a feather or paper fan to move the smoke around or to direct the smoke to cleanse a specific item or area.
Can’t burn things? That’s okay!
You can work with scents or salt in water or alcohol instead. In a pinch, I put some salt in some water and sprinkle instead of smudge. If I’m feeling fancy or I want to really up the ante, I will add some rosemary, sage, basil – herb or oil – or a small quartz crystal, or all of the above. This really is what I’d call kitchen witchery, in that you’re using what you have on hand to get results. I love that! If you prefer something fancier and delicious smelling, try this Moon Energy Spray from Fruits To The Roots – it is WONDERFUL. [https://www.fruitstotheroots.com/collections/energy-mists/products/purity_moon_energy_mist]
Maybe this sounds “woo” to you – and yeah, it is and I don’t mind that at all – but it’s actually got scientific basis! [https://www.elephantjournal.com/2016/11/scientific-facts-that-make-me-want-to-start-smudging-right-now/]
Also, smudging touches on one of the basic principles I’ll be coming back to time and again: small, meditative rituals help us with our mindset and soothe us. We can often better control our emotions, thoughts, and reactions when we take the time out to perform one of these rituals. We teach ourselves to give ourselves time to reset, invest in ourselves and our environment, and reconnect with the moment.
Future Protection and Setting Your Boundaries
So you’ve cleansed yourself and the space around you. Now is when I would take the steps to protect myself and my space from further negative energy.
I like using things like runes or talismans to reinforce the energy. Again, even if you don’t want to buy into the “woo” aspect of this, that’s okay! Just the act of taking action and creating your mindset of being protected is what’s important here. You don’t have to “believe” in anything – your subconscious/inner child or artist/higher self will catch on to what you’re up to and pay attention!
Use your art.
Make a piece of art to hang in your space that includes a protective rune. I like this one, in the photo to the right. Paint it into something, even a rock for some cute garden art. Embroider or cross stitch it into a wall hanging, or on a pillow or sachet to leave on a table. Weave it into a small tapestry. Knit into a scarf as a motif. Make a mosaic! You are only limited by your imagination.
Make an herbal sachet – sew, knit, crochet, weave a small bag, and fill with any or all of these herbs: rosemary, anise seeds, sage, bay leaves, basil, lavender, cedar, red clover, juniper berries. Hang it up somewhere in the space, or hide under some furniture. I have also taken herb mixes like this and put some on my welcome mats and on door and window sills for protection against negative energies.
Make a simple circular weaving to hang in your space, that you create with intention to catch negative energy. Make sure to wash it regularly! Symbolism matters!
Salt, salt, salt.
Get a pink salt lamp or candle holder – they cleanse the air and the salt keeps negativity at bay! Put out a dish of salt for the easy version of this – you can also sit tealight candles in a dish of salt for the same effect, multiplied. Put salt across the threshold. Salt is a great and simple negativity repeller that everyone has at home!
If you use essential oils, you can also put protective oils in a diffuser. Many of the herbs I’ve named are great in a diffuser and have great effects on you, too. Frankincense is a favorite and helps with anxiety, too!
In conclusion…
Protect your space, my friends. I promise that it will make a difference for you in everyday life and may reduce some stress and anxiety! Use these tips anywhere that you feel the pressure of negativity and you’d like a clear head and calm heart. Let me know how you incorporate them into your life!
– Christiane
