Cleansing Your Stones and Why it's Important

A lot of the time us Pagan, Witchy, etc. mineral lovers will get a stone and forget to do one crucial thing... cleanse the stone. We are just so excited that we want to automatically start working with it, creating crystal grids, creating things with it, etc. The thing is, we need to take to take the time to stop and cleanse. You honestly don't know who has held the stone before you, what day they may have been having, the energy the could have accidentally poured in the stone- good or bad. Heck, even if you think that no one has touched the stone before you, someone actually had. The person who mined it, the person who is selling it, etc. It goes through many hands before your own. (Unless you mined it yourself!)

Which brings us back to the importance of cleansing the stone of any previous unwanted energy. If you want your energy workings to go the way you want them to, the stones should start off with a fresh energy palette. So there are several simple ways you can cleanse your stones:

1. Smoke Cleansing- by far the most popular, and often used with White Sage. Just do your best to make sure the Sage is responsibly harvested. However, you can always burn Frankincense and Myrrh resin (and other herbs/resins) to help purify your stones. Simply run your stone through the smoke stating your positive intentions.
2. **Sea Salt Cleanse- Salt is at the core of purification, healing and blessings. It is one of the few substances that can enhance, transform, and neutralize substances. So there are 2 ways you can go about using it:

A. Sea Salt by itself- bury the stone point down into the salt (in a glass dish), allow any negative energy to flow out into the salt, which neutralizes it. (Let it sit for as long as you feel necessary.)

B. Sea Salt with Water- Mix about a tablespoon of salt into a small glass dish of water. Let the stone soak in the water for 24 hours. Rinse off and dry with a soft towel.

**Keep in mind not all stones react well to salt or water. Research your stone before you do so.

3. Moonlit Cleanse/ Charge- moonlight helps cleanse a stone, so, simply let your stones sit in a windowsill or outside to soak it all up! Don't let them sit out past noon to limit sun exposure (and possible damage.)
4. Earth Cleanse- like the Salt, the earth helps bring the stone back to it's original natural state. So place fresh dirt into a glass container and set your stone in the center (or you can bury it outside.) Let it sit for as long as necessary. Just make sure your dirt doesn't have many extra stones or water that could scratch or damage your stone.
5. Running Water Cleanse- place the stone under running water (in a sink or a stream) and visualize all the negative energy going down the drain.

So those are just a few quick cleansing methods! All of these can be adapted for even stronger cleanses just by adding herbs into the procedure. Not to mention it always make you feel good too because half the time when you cleanse your items you end up purifying yourself!

I hope this helps some of you!! Bright Blessings!

~Brittany 

Creating an Altar

Altars are as unique as a person is. They reflect our spirituality, personality and mental state. It can become our sacred space where we leave the mundane behind to create something magical. But it also is an important place of worship for our Gods as well as our Ancestors.

So how to create one? Like I stated before, altars are very individual but here are several common features of modern Pagan ones:

- Figurines or Art- representations your patron deities, ancestors, etc.
- Spell Book or Spiritual Journal- other names depending on your path are: Book of Shadows, Grimoires, etc.
-  Elemental Representations: like Candles (for fire), Feathers (for air), Shells (for water), Soil (for earth).
- Wand- this can be made of anything, mine for instance is made of a long white antler tip with a quartz on the end. The point is that the wand is used to focus and channel your energy.
-Crystals- these are used in spell work by enhancing it; giving your energy a boost or grounding yourself.
-Divination tools-  such as: Tarot cards, scrying bowls, crystal ball, scrying mirror, ogham staves, runes, rods,  pendulums, etc.
-A Small Cauldron- great for spell work of all types where you need to burn things. Also it can be used as a scrying bowl.
-Chalice or Drinking Horn-  used symbolically or ritualistically, used to toast to the Gods etc.
-Incense or smudge stick- Used to cleanse/ purify your sacred space. Incense can also be used as a divination tool or aid.
-Offerings-  this can include anything you deem to be fit to give your deities. I happen to use different herbs as my offerings, but you can use food products, handmade gifts etc.
-Altar Cloth- a great item to liven up your altar, which also can have practical uses.

Now where in the world are you going to find this stuff- especially when your'e on a budget? A lot of the items on your altar you'll find are handmade by yourself- like your spell books/ journals, wands, offerings, and some divination tools. But what about Cauldrons? Chalices? Altar Cloths, etc? Well, a lot of the things I mentioned can be found out Garage sales. I have found sooo much stuff while out and about that work as great ritual items! Also check thrift stores and consignment shops,  a local shop of mine that sells mostly consignment clothing has some home items and I found a great mortar and pestle there! Check GoodWill as well,  I have found dozens upon dozens of cauldrons there. The one I currently use is actually from there! As for an altar cloth, you can use scarves or tapestries!
Next, CHECK YOUR PARENTS KITCHEN. You would not believe the stuff that you'll find there, like old glass goblets that can be used as a ritual item. Also you can find great small offering plates! All of which were tucked away in the back of a cabinet. Just don't forget to ask if you can have them!

But, hey, what if your thinking: "I want an altar, but I'm still in the broom closet!!! What should I do????GAHHH!"
Well here is what you can do, as much as it is a hassle to do, you can get a large old wooden travel trunk to hold all your altar supplies. Then, when you need to do a ritual or just meditate you can set it all up on the top of the trunk like a table. When you are finished, just place the items back inside and slide the trunk under your bed. Another option is that you can set up a small altar in the corner of your closet. This way it is out of sight, but you can still have it permanently set up.

So I hoped I helped some, and if there is something that I missed that you would like me to address, leave me a comment below!

Bright Blessings,
~Brittany

P.S. The picture above is a photo of  my own Altar! :D