on energetic hygiene: an introduction
This post was originally shared to Patreon on July 13, 2022.
Recently, my client sessions have featured a very strong and very notable uptick in questions connected to what I call energetic hygiene. When looking at the surrounding circumstances, this makes a lot of sense — we’re nearly two and a half years into a global pandemic, the climate crisis is reaching a fever pitch, and noxious forms of violence are creating a persistent thrum of unsafety. Old and new grief, insufficiently-mourned ghosts, untended nervous systems, and distracted despair mix with a collective energetic soup rendered bitter by rage, loneliness, uncertainty, confusion, and fear.
All humans are some level of psychically sensitive, whether or not “being psychic” is part of someone’s self-concept. All humans emit into the collective energetic context, too, whether or not that emission happens with any level of intention or awareness. It’s a little like breathing, in that all of us who breathe intake oxygen and release carbon dioxide; all of us exist within a collective energetic context, taking in what’s there while contributing to what’s there.
I’ve included discussions on energetic hygiene within client conversations, where appropriate, for many years, and back in 2017, I even co-created a zine on the topic with my soul-sibling Rosé Hernandez. Energetic hygiene is always some level of relevant, but whenever there’s a stark uptick in conversations that center it, I take note — to me, it’s an indicator that there’s a more general need to attend to this topic.
This post is the first in what has become a series aimed at creating a resource I can direct my clients towards, while also making my thoughts on this topic more generally accessible. Please do note that what’s reflected here is rooted in my own study & practice, directly & indirectly influenced by very many people over very many years, and nothing here is attempting to claim capital-T Truth. Experiment and discern for yourself what is most supportive for you, and leave the rest!
what is energetic hygiene?
Energetic hygiene is just like normal hygiene, but instead of attending to our physical bodies, the “grooming” is for the health of our “energy bodies.” This can include the literal electrical grid that is our nervous system, as well as what many people call our “auras,” the energetic field that suffuses and surrounds us, and can be understood to be the range of the electromagnetic field emitted by our physical hearts. Energetic hygiene can also be applied to the spaces where we live, work, and move; just as we sweep and mop to remove physical dirt from our homes, energetic hygiene practices ensure proper management of energetic detritus while encouraging overall energetic cleanliness.
My approach to energetic hygiene gives it three main pillars: grounding, cleansing, & protecting. More on that later.
why is energetic hygiene important?
Just as physical hygiene keeps our bodies and homes clean, and therefore helps to prevent issues rooted in lack of hygiene, energetic hygiene helps prevent dis-ease within our energetic systems. For those of us who are more energetically sensitive (innately or due to intentional or unintentional training), lack of energetic hygiene can be a bit like being an energetic lint roller, picking up what others have shed until we’re overburdened. Even for those who don’t perceive themselves to be energetically sensitive, others’ energetic emissions can be quite influential. Nearly everyone has the experience of being in a neutral or even great mood, but having that mood be taken into anger or sadness after interacting with someone in the midst of their own emotional tornado.
Now, to be clear, it is perfectly human and perfectly natural to be affected by the people around us! Humans are inordinately social creatures, and our nervous systems evolved specifically to navigate being in multiple kinds of relationships with multiple other humans. Energetic hygiene practices aren’t meant to cut us off from connecting with others; in fact, they actually enhance our capacity to be in relationship! When our energetic systems are healthy & nourished, we’re better equipped to show up with kindness, care, honesty, & compassion for those around us.
Additionally, when we attend well to our own energetic hygiene, we’re less likely to unthinkingly, inconsiderately, and non-consensually dump our own shit onto others, or enact forms of projection that ultimately harm our relationships rather than help them.
And, just as physical hygiene helps our physical immune systems by reducing the frequency of issues to be addressed and minimizing overall immune stress, energetic hygiene assists our “energetic immune system.” When our immune systems are well-nourished, well-rested, and well-tended, they’re much more capable of launching an effective immune response whenever needed.
Bringing that into the present moment: uncertainty about the future is extraordinarily high right now. Multiple areas of life are affected by systemic issues and systemic violences that feel insurmountable on an individual level. Urgency, fear, disorientation, and overwhelm are all very common emotional states these days, and whether or not you’re feeling any or all of those personally, they’re permeating the collective energetic context I mentioned above. Energetic hygiene practices can be enormously helpful in not drowning right now, and not drowning is a pretty important pre-requisite in not only individual survival, but individual capacity to participate in collective care and collective action.
when should i do energetic hygiene practices?
The short answer? Regularly, depending on your circumstances.
The longer answer?
Just as ideally you brush your teeth a few times a day, there are some simple practices that can be done a few times a day. Just as you might not deep clean your entire house every day, but a few times a year, there are some energetic hygiene practices that don’t need to be done super frequently. And just as there are circumstances that might call for special treatment — like bathing in tomato soup after getting sprayed by a skunk — there are some energetic hygiene practices that make the most sense in response to unusual events.
If you’re just starting out with intentional energetic hygiene, I would suggest simply adding on the simplest versions of grounding, cleansing, & protecting to your already-present daily grooming routines, whether that’s hand washing, teeth-brushing, showering, etc. A simple, basic, effective energetic hygiene protocol can take just five minutes, and will, in the long run, be far more supportive of your energetic system than an elaborate weeklong process you only do every five years. There is a suggested simple protocol at the end of this post.
More specifically, I personally find it very beneficial to do daily energetic hygiene at the end of the day before bed. This helps to “slough off” the day and re-set my system in a way that also supports clear, restful sleep, and good sleep is important for every facet of our health, physical and otherwise.
You might also want to engage with a more substantial energetic hygiene practice
after an emotionally-challenging day
after spending too much time doom-scrolling
after disturbing dreams
after hard conversations
if your day includes being around lots of other people
when you’re feeling more irritable or disgruntled than usual
etc.
From an astrological perspective, I’ve observed in my client practice that some people are particularly supported by more intentional & regular energetic hygiene. Folks with Moon-Neptune aspects, Neptune in the first house or in aspect to the ruler of the Ascendant, and people with particularly prominent Moons all fall into this category.
how to do energetic hygiene
The three pillars of energetic hygiene as I practice and teach it are GROUNDING, CLEANSING, and PROTECTING. Below I include definitions of these pillars, as well as simple, accessible examples. For all three of these, there are more complex, comprehensive approaches well-worth learning about and experimenting with — the below are starting places, and very very far from the end-all be-all.
GROUNDING is twofold: it connects you to the present moment and present location, and it allows for any excess energy in your system to safely siphon back into the Earth. Centering practices are part of grounding, and can be more immediately accessible during moments of agitation.
Simple grounding practices include:
earthing (putting your bare feet on unpaved ground) and genuinely connecting with Earth
rooting visualizations/meditations and imaginatively “plugging in” to the Earth
more or less comprehensive embodiment practices
becoming aware of your hands and/or feet
observing your surroundings using your five senses (what do you see/hear/feel/taste/smell?)
bodyscan meditation
breath awareness practices
spending time in “natural” spaces, that is, outdoor areas not currently developed by humans
CLEANSING is exactly what it sounds like: “washing” your energetic field in a way aimed at removing any dust, detritus, and general stuff that isn’t beneficial for you to be carrying and is impeding clarity within your system.
Simple cleansing practices include:
showering and dedicating a few minutes asking the water to remove energetic detritus as well as physical grime
smoke bathing, ideally with a burnable that you have a personal relationship with
Many people will use the term “smudging” as a catchall for all forms of smoke bathing. Smudging is a specific cleansing ritual within the cultural practices of a handful of North American Indigenous nations, using culturally-specific plants. It’s important to remember that not all smoke bathing in smudging, and smudging isn’t the only approach to smoke bathing!
I personally burn rosemary as my main smoke-bath plant.
washing your hands with a mixture of soap and sea salt, envisioning the salt “drawing out” any unhelpful-for-you energies you’ve accumulated
spritzing yourself and your space with saltwater spray
PROTECTING helps preserve the positive consequences of grounding & cleansing, while also reducing the effort required to re-ground and re-cleanse. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Simple protection practices include:
avoiding circumstances that are particularly hard on your energetic field
creating a strong visualization of a protective shield around you when entering into circumstances where you want protection
carrying a small vial of salt in your pocket to “absorb” things for you (you’ll want to discard this away from your house if possible!)
wearing something you’ve explicitly assigned the task of being a form of armor, such as a piece of clothing, jewelry, perfume, etc.
A SUPER SIMPLE ROUTINE
Inspired by Josephine McCarthy, this is a very simple energetic hygiene routine that includes all three pillars and that can be done once or twice a day. I like to suggest something along these lines to my clients who are just starting out with energetic hygiene practices. Try it for a week, and then stop doing it to more clearly observe any differences.
You will need:
Soap (I like to use Dr Bronners liquid soap in citrus for this)
Salt (ideally a more “natural” salt like sea salt, but standard table salt works too)
A sink
A towel
Hand cream, lotion, or salve (whatever you have around will work great)
5 uninterrupted minutes
The process, step by step:
Go to your sink with your gathered materials.
Take a few moments to center yourself by taking a few deep breaths and/or by slowly, gently noticing the colors, sounds, smells, and textures currently surrounding you.
Turn on the tap and get your hands a bit wet while asking the water to assist you with your energetic hygiene.
Get your hands soapy, asking the soap to assist you with your energetic hygiene.
Pour a small amount of salt into your palm, asking the salt to assist you with your energetic hygiene.
Gently scrub your hands with the soap and water, thoroughly getting all of the skin and under your nails.
If you’d like to, you can recite a psalm, prayer, the Orphic Hymn to Asclepius, or any other string of words that resonates with you and your aim of improved energetic hygiene.
As you scrub, imagine the soap clearing away grime and the salt absorbing excess energy & detritus from your entire system, from your feet to the crown of your head, all being absorbed into the salt on your hands.
Rinse your hands thoroughly, thanking the water, salt, and soap for their assistance. Imagine all the detritus of the day going down the drain, neutralized energy returning to the wider system to be repurposed.
Dry your hands.
Put a little bit of your cream/lotion/salve into the palm of your hand and take a moment to “feel” it as a protective substance. Massage it into your hands and wrists, visualizing its moisturizing qualities as also forming a strong, flexible energetic shield on your skin. This shield is a barrier that helps you to avoid picking up or absorbing energy that isn’t helpful for you to carry, while still letting you have a tactile relationship with the world. This shield extends from your hands around your entire person.
Take a moment to feel how you feel, and then move on with your day.
If possible, avoid touching electronics — especially your phone & computer! — for at least 10 minutes after completing the above.
You can complexify the above practice by doing a more dedicated grounding meditation to begin, using consecrated salts and/or creams/salves, salt scrubbing your entire body (including your scalp!), incorporating smoke cleansing, visualizing or literally putting on protective items at the end, coordinating your practice with the lunar cycle or other astrological considerations, etc. However, doing the thing is the thing that matters. If too much complexity will stop you from doing the thing, make it simple enough that you will actually do it.
Paying attention to how you feel as you increase tending to your energetic hygiene is very important. Over time, you’ll hone a better sense for what affects your energetic system, for good or for ill, as well as an increased appreciation for the positive consequences of hygiene practices.
Remember, as mentioned earlier, while energetic hygiene is personally beneficial, its importance extends into our contributions to our local and global communities. Good energetic hygiene allows us to be more resourced, which allows us to show up a bit better in those places, spaces, & relations where we want or need to show up. Good energetic hygiene also allows us to more intentionally & sustainably contribute constructive, helpful energy into the shared energetic fields of our families, friendships, local communities, internet communities, and beyond.
This series has continued over on Patreon.
A SMALL AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL READING
By Rust of Nail & Prick of Thorn, Althaea Sebastiani, if home warding sounds interesting to you.
Spiritual Cleansing, Draja Mikharic, if you want the classic text on cleansing
Sphere + Sundry’s Guide to Ritual Bathing, if you want a substantial and highly effective bathing approach
S+S’s recent Instagram posts on Deneb Algedi keyed to the Full Moon in Aquarius conjoined this protective fixed star
If you found this post useful and you’d like to contribute to my work, I invite you to join me on Patreon and/or send along a tip!