We are all a creation of matter and energy - according to physics – and whilst we aren’t always aware consciously of how we are being impacted by the rest of the universe, we are vibrational beings who are made up of energy.  Science can explain some of this, yet some elements of it are still deemed as ‘magic’ that can’t yet be fully understood, but if you’ve ever had reiki or another holistic therapy, you’ll likely have felt some sort of sense of energy work and how we are all interconnected.  Aromatherapy is often quite intuitive, for example, and this sensitivity and deep listening to what is needed is a great example of how we read our energy.

Of course, in recent times, there has been a lot of global negativity – just switch on the news and you’ll be flooded with COVID, or some other sadness.  If you look in the direction of darkness, you’ll find it more simply than before, and so it’s really easy to dive into a rabbit hole and begin to feel the heavy energy.  Knowing what we know about us being energetic beings, it’s easier to understand how this may begin to impact us – and so, there’s a call for deep spiritual cleansing and protection.  It’s collective.  But, if you’re a caring professional – whether medical or holistic - you’ll have been dealing with more difficult situations than usual - facing a lot of fear, grief and loss - and you may be feeling a bit depleted – or generally be feeling vulnerable to negative energies.  

It’s been fairly easy for many of us to switch off the news and keep ourselves protected in our homes, but as we slowly emerge from our year-long chrysalis, there is a lot of fear arising; just as the butterfly leaves its mushy pupa, we are beginning to spread our wings again and we’re feeling a bit delicate about it.  The good news is, though, regardless of all of this, we can actually harness our own power – our own inner witch – to consciously cleanse and protect our energies from anything negative. I talk a lot about the ‘inner witch’ in my work, because I see that we are all powerful creators with a magic within us, and we often forget it - but what this actually means is that we have the capacity to harness the energetic magic of ritual and the power of nature’s essential oils to transform any negativity so that we can create a life that feels wonderful.  It’s all about our focus.  

There are ways to protect our energies from negativity, so as we venture back out into the world we thought we’d share some tips on how we can harness the beautiful energetic cleansing and protection of essential oils to dispel negative energies and keep ourselves safe from taking on all the burdens, worries and darkness and becoming depleted. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so they say – so make sure you look after yourself – mind, body and spirit!  

How to harness the power of ritual 

I share some powerful practices and essential oil blends below, but before we begin, the most important thing to address is how ritual works – otherwise, it can seem like we are just ‘doing’ for the sake of it - but that’s not how we want to use ritual.  We don’t just burn incense for the sake of it; it needs to be purposeful and conscious.  Therefore, the most powerful ritual involves a sequence of activities performed in a prescribed, regular ceremony sequence and the reason for this is to create a way of bringing regular attention to an intention.  Why is that important?  Well, to create change and transformation (i.e. to cleanse and protect our energy in this instance).  In magical witchcraft, we aim to move, change, create and influence things by harnessing our focus through the use of spells.  The more we focus on an intention, the more we can transform.  So, magic is always, firstly, intentional, and, secondly, ritualistic.

Our intention as we begin our ritual work, therefore, is really important.  Everything we do to perform our ritual must feel like it is consciously embodying our intention – in this case, to cleanse and protect our energy.  We choose into our own ritual by feeling what is aligned for us, so although I have some suggestions here, my question for you is this: what brings you most into alignment with feeling as if your energy is cleansed and protected?  This is unique for all of us, so feel into it – you’ll know by how the ritual feels in your body.  It might be that you have to play with the different options until you find out.

5 rituals for cleansing our energy of negativity

Here are some suggestions for rituals that can cleanse your energy (these rituals can be tailored to you, so make them your own):

1. Herbal Smudge – burning herbs – often Sage - is a well-known way to cleanse, known as smudging.  You could create your own smudge sticks as a ritual in its own right, collecting sprigs of herbs to bunch together with the intention of cleansing your energy.  Find 15 sprigs of dried herbs – sage, rosemary, thyme, or your choice - bale them together with some twine, and you’re ready to light them!  You could also pop some loose herbs on an incense disc and shake a few drops of Lemongrass essential oil over them to create a puff of smoke to really power up your ritual!
2. Candle Meditation - burn incense and sit to meditate, staring at a lit candle placed at eye level, whilst focusing on the intention of cleansing your energy of negativity.  Pop one drop of Peppermint essential oil into the melted wax (while the flame is out).
3. Singing – using your voice is quite therapeutic and cleansing – gently sing the sound “Aah”, whilst placing your hand on your heart, and focusing on your intention of cleansing negative energy (diffuse your oils as you sing).
4. Full Moon Journaling – write out your intention to let go of whatever negativity you feel, journaling it into a letter, and then burn it under the light of the moon - You can also see our previous article on Moon Rituals (spritz yourself with essential oils as you do this).
5. Nature Cleanse – being held by nature is one of the most powerful ways I know to dispel negative energy – you’re literally being recharged with nature’s energy!  Sit out for an hour on the grass, taking your essential oils with you and you’ll feel so cleansed.

Of course, you’ll definitely want to infuse and super-charge these rituals with essential oils because oils, for me, are really a key ingredient in the practice of transformation.  Essential oils create physical, mental, emotional and spiritual change because they are powerful and natural chemicals.  They have individual therapeutic properties, and so if you select the right ones, they offer a powerful alchemy. The following essential oils have the best properties to support your ‘cleansing’ intention.

Essential oils for cleansing negative energy

Cleansing oils include Lemongrass, Cypress, Frankincense, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Lemon Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Peppermint, Sweet Orange 

Cleansing Ritual Blends

Ideally, for a ‘cleansing’ ritual, you’d use these cleansing oils in a spritz to spray all over your body and around your aura (the space around your body) – or you could pop them in a diffuser:

Cleansing Spritz: blend 15 drops Lemongrass, 10 drops Cypress and 5 drops Rosemary essential oil into 100ml Witch Hazel Hydrolat – spritz over yourself during your ritual with the intention to cleanse any negative energies.

Cleansing Diffusion: Diffuse 3 drops Frankincense, 3 drops Lemon and 1 drop Lemon Eucalyptus in water in a candle burner or electrical diffuser for 30 minutes whilst performing your ritual and focusing on your intention for cleansing.

5 rituals to protect our energy from negativity

Of course, as well as cleansing, you’ll also want to have a ritual to protect your energy ongoing, so here are some suggestions for that, too!  These are quite grounding rituals and oils as protection of our energy is very base chakra.  Here are some ideas:

1. Salt Baths – of course, an essential oil and Epsom Salt bath is a super way to protect your energy – add 2 cups of Epsom salts to a bowl, mix 3 drops Cedarwood, 3 drops Patchouli and 2 drops Ylang Ylang with 15ml Bath Oil and combine with the salts. Add to the warm water of your bath and as you sit in there, breathe the therapeutic scent in and focus on the protection of your energy.
2. Drumming – using a native drum (or whatever you can find!) is a really powerful and grounding way of protecting your energy.  Create some space for yourself to intuitively beat a drum as you move around a room, dancing to the rhythm, with the intention of protection. 
3. Visualisation – visualisation is a powerful method of the creation of protection.  Sit and diffuse your oils as you visualise yourself surrounded by white, protective light, which reaches from you to the ground and out to the universe.
4. Grounding Movement – any movement practice can be used to harness protection – this might be yoga, dance or walking.   Before you begin, set the intention for protection from negativity as you use the massage blend below to bring conscious awareness of your desire for protection into every cell of your body.
5. Crystals – you can charge your crystals under the Full Moon with the intention of using them for protection.  Black tourmaline is a wonderful protection stone, and clear quartz will empower any intention, so these ones are good to use – and once you’ve charged them, carry them with you for the month to remind you of your focus.

Essential oils to protect against negative energy

Grounding and protecting oils include Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang, Black Spruce, Myrrh, Rose 

Protecting Ritual Blends

A more grounding blend will supercharge your protection rituals, here are two I’ve created for you:

Protection Massage – mix 3 drops Cedarwood, 2 drops Patchouli and 1 drop Ylang Ylang in 15ml Sweet Almond or Grapeseed oil and massage into the body in a direction towards the heart, with the intention of protection of your energy.

Protection Diffusion – Diffuse 3 drops Sandalwood, 3 drops Rose and 1 drop Myrrh in a candle burner or electrical diffuser for 30 minutes whilst performing your ritual and focusing on your intention for protection.

These rituals are all ideas to get you started along the journey of focusing in the direction of cleansing and protection, but I’d recommend you begin to create your own by infusing your own magic into them and getting creative with your blends.  The more intuitive you can be, the more your energy will feel rejuvenated.  Happy blending!