Life
3 Cleansing Rituals For Banishing Bad Energy This Halloween
As though every day leading up to Halloween is enriched with otherworldliness, come October, we're all inclined to lean into our spiritual side a bit more than usual. But while we might find ourselves feeling more curious about the line between life and death ahead of the night that spirits and demons are said to walk the earth, the most effective way to partake in Halloween spirituality is not necessarily intuitive. You might have guessed that Halloween is the perfect time for a detoxification, but you're also probably wondering the best way to conduct a cleansing ritual for Halloween, because that's not the kind of thing you want to mess up. Soul and space cleansing should be done with as much care, intention and accuracy as possible!
To ensure that you have a variety of fool-proof options, Bustle spoke to part-time witch, part-time yogi, and healer, Eva Giorgi of Eva Twine apothecary. Giorgi has an impressive arsenal of techniques under her hat that are not only easy to follow, but easy to adopt on a regular basis. While it's important to protect yourself spiritually and mentally during the Halloween season, there's no reason why you can't practice safe spells year-round. Here are some of Giorgi's favorite cleansing methods:
Alchemical Steam Ritual
According to Giorgi, "Autumn is the season of alchemy, the intersection of reflection and revelation." Alchemy, as it pertains to us in terms of a ritual is the ability to make a transformation through a conscious process. Giorgi says that the best kinds of alchemy rituals are made homeopathically. Aka, the more natural, the better. To make an autumnal steam for protection and health on Halloween, Giorgi suggests using dry plant matter and essential oils to open sinuses and refresh skin and protect the soul. Any aromatic herbs and spices you have on hand works for this. The key is to find a scent combination that you enjoy and that feels potent to you. Some of Giorgi's favorites for this time of year include: thyme, cinnamon stick, star anise, rosemary rosemary, lavender, winter green, and tangerine. To make the steam, just put your herbs and oils of choice into a heat safe bowl and pour boiling water over them. Then, place your face at a safe distance over the water and breathe in the steam. To intensify this experience, you can place a towel over your head, which will trap the steam. Repeat this ritual as often as you desire.
Find Your Roots Ritual
"Just like leaves descend off the trees, the life force of many plants descend into their roots' system," Giorgi explains. "Using roots in your diet, touching them as you chop or prepare tisanes (herbal tea blends), grounds the senses and anchors the mind," she continues. Basically, this is the best time of the year to incorporate roots into your diet, as they are most enriched and you have the highest chance of absorbing the nutrients. According to Giorgi, being thoughtful about what kinds of foods you prepare for yourself is a great way of incorporating ritual into your every meal. Get creative with beets, ginger, lotus root, ashwagandha, and burdock root, some of Giorgi's Halloween favorites. On Halloween, prepare a roots feast for yourself.
Breathe
"Our breath is the key that unlocks our ability to alchemize anything. In Chinese medicine, Autumn is the season of the lung, represented, by the metal element. The breath is our moment to moment alchemical competency. To inhale is personal. It is to imbue yourself with everything that ever was and everything that ever will be. Your exhale, is letting it go." Giorgi believes that the most powerful ritual is also the one we have the most access to: the breath. Every morning before starting the day, before even looking at our phones, Giorgi suggests that we take three deep breaths with a strong focus on the exhale. She suggests making an "ssss" sound — like a snake to — push every single bit of air out of the lungs. That will make room for gratitude before greeting the day, it will also get rid of negativity and darkness that the Halloween spirit might threaten us with.
