Cleansing and Protecting Your Space with Crystals and Herbs

Is your space feeling a bit stagnant? Build ups of negative energy or spiritual presences can cause the vibes in a room or home to spiral downhill promoting energy depletion, low motivation, and brewing frustrations. If this sounds like you, it may be time for your space to get a quick pick-me-up.

Redecorating, adding plants, and circulating the air are usually what people turn to first when things feel stagnant at home (or office, car, school- anywhere you spend your time). But sometimes that’s just not enough. Regularly cleansing and protecting your space with Crystals and herbs is a power packed addition sure to encourage good vibes and renewed energy. 

What is Smudging?

Smudging is the ancient practice of burning dried herbs or Palo Santo sticks and allowing the smoke to cleanse the air. In addition to the ritualistic purpose of this, there is a scientific side as well. There have been several studies, but one study in particular ‘represents a comprehensive analysis and scientific validation of our ancient knowledge about the effect of ethnopharmacological aspects of natural products' smoke for therapy and health care on airborne bacterial composition’. The results showed that burning sage ‘caused over 94% reduction of bacterial counts by 60 min and the ability of the smoke to purify or disinfect the air and to make the environment cleaner was maintained up to 24h in the closed room’.

**Note: The term 'smudging' and any variations thereof are considered 'cultural appropriation' by some people. Instead of 'smudge', there are a variety of alternatives that are less likely to offend. The general idea is to refer to the specific herbs used as well as the desired outcome. Instead of 'smudging your space', for example, I recommend 'cleansing your space by burning sage or palo santo'. 

How to cleanse your space by burning herbs

To use these tools, simply light your dried herbs of choice (sage, palo Santo, etc), wait for a moment, then blow it out. Allow the smoke to waft through your space, guided by your hand or a feather. Practice fire safety by keeping these items away from flammable surfaces and never leaving them unattended. Using a bowl of sand, ceramic dish, or an abalone shell as resting places for your smudging tool is a common method of safety. Ensure that there is also plenty of ventilation (open a window or door). 

Choosing Crystals

There are a wide variety of Crystals and Stones that pair well with herbs for cleansing and protecting. My top favorites are:

• Amethyst- Clears negative energy and bad habits. Invites optimism and Spiritual awareness.
• Himalayan Pink Salt- Emits positive ions that attach to negative ions in the air (from tiny particles of dirt, dust, debris, etc), causing them to be weighted and fall to the floor. They can then vacuumed up. 
• Selenite- Promotes harmony and peaceful energy
• Citrine- Invites good fortune, luck, and abundance
• Clear Quartz- Encourages mental clarity and general healing
• Black Tourmaline/ Obsidian- Clears and blocks negative energy

Using Crystals

Place them in your space as manifestation tools/ reminders, decor, or as a Crystal grid- listen to your intuition and go with what feels right. Using them with herbs is the same. Program them to help with your cleansing ritual, protect your space, or motivate you to manifest your dream space.

Cleansing Tutorial:

Cleansing/protection Crystals you could choose might include Black Tourmaline, Apache Tear, Obsidian, or any other black stone as those tend to be great for absorbing negative energy and providing protection. Black Tourmaline is considered one of the most powerful stones for this purpose so I generally opt for it if it is available. You’ll want 4 Black Tourmaline for a large grid or two pairs of cleansing/protection stones (such as two Black Tourmaline and two Obsidian) for a small grid. Additionally, a larger stone (preferably a cluster/geode) is recommended to anchor the energies. Amethyst works great for an anchor as it is wonderful at clearing negative energy and promoting positive energy.  It is also recommended to include 4 Clear Quartz Crystals as they are natural amplifiers of energy and bringers of health and happiness.

Recap- Recommended Supplies:

• 4 Black Tourmaline OR 2 pairs of black stones (example: two Obsidian and two Black Tourmaline)
• 1 Anchor Crystal such as an Amethyst cluster/geode.
• Optional 4 Clear Quartz Crystals
• Dried sage bundle, herb bundle, incense, or Palo Santo
• Something to light your herbs with and somewhere fire proof to keep it while it burns such as an abalone shell or ash tray. Also, have a plan in mind for how you’ll extinguish the item when finished (a bowl of sand works well).

Ready? Let’s get started!

*Reminder: BREATHE. Breathing with controlled intention is important to keep you calm and focused.

• Begin by lighting and gently blowing out your dried herb bundle. Waft the smoke in each room (taking special care to ensure safety while using burning materials) and over any Crystals you wish to use in the ritual. Please exercise your good judgement while doing this and avoid things like hot boxing the entire room with smoke. Open a window or use minimal amounts of smoke for your ritual. Using more smoke isn’t necessarily better for your space and it’s certainly not so great for your lungs!
• Program your Crystals so they work well together toward a common goal. There are many ways of doing this but an uncomplicated way is to take a moment to sit with your stones and speak an affirmation such as ‘these Crystals will work together to clear and block negative energy from this space and only allow positive energy to flow here’.
• Next, place the anchor stone in the center of your grid space. Visualize it stabilizing the energies- attracting the positive and dispelling the negative.
• Place the surrounding stones in their proper locations (either the four corners of the room/house or surrounding the anchor stone). Visualize them forcing out the negative energy. Imagine it evaporating or disintegrating, melting away and out of your life. Now imagine the black stones are creating an energetic forcefield in your space, blocking negative energy or presences.
• If you are using clear quartz, place them alternating your black stones (ie black stone, clear quartz, black stone, clear quartz, etc) with the points facing AWAY from the center stone. This amplifies the cleansing energy and protection.
• If your grid is large enough, sit in the center and hold the anchor (otherwise just sitting near your grid is fine too). Take deep breathes and focus your energy. Visualize your grid dispelling the negative energy and inviting positive energy. Do not visualize it in the way that you merely WANT it to be but instead visualize it as something that IS. Using affirmations is a great idea here as well: ‘Negative energies are not welcome here. I only allow positive energy in my space.’

Once you feel that your grid is complete and active, you may choose to either leave it up or take it down. If you leave it up, be sure to cleanse the stones every so often. Use your herbs to cleanse your space at least monthly until you feel more in control and at peace with the energy.

Sometimes there will be energies that are more difficult and ‘refuse’ to vacate a space very easily. If you find that your space still feels negative after the grid, take some time to think about the different energies that come into your space. Is there a friend who comes over to vent frustrations frequently? Or maybe a partner with an anger issue? Whatever the case may be, you’ll want to cleanse the air after each time they visit. This can be exhausting but it’s worth it to not let the negative energy build up again to where it is suffocating you- this is your space and it should be respected by all those that enter.

If you have an abundance of negative energy that you feel needs reinforcements on top of the current grid, consider reenergizing your space by reorganizing, decluttering, mixing up the décor, or adding some energizing plants or crystals such as citrine, aventurine, orange calcite, and more.

Please note that if you feel that there is a significantly sinister force residing in your space that refuses to vacate, consider contacting a professional in that field who can better assist you.

Questions? Visit my beginner resource page here.