The Importance of Spiritual and Magical Hygiene in Practice

To start, what exactly do I mean by spiritual and magical hygiene?

Most people typically have heard of it by the term “purification”, and the term miasma has been used to describe ritual or religious impurity or pollution, especially within Hellenism (Greek polytheistic religion). Different religions have different concepts of ritual purity, what violates that, and how to cleanse from such things. A fantastic book on the subject as far as ancient Greece is concerned is Miasma: Purification and Pollution in Ancient Greek Religion. by Robert Parker

When I talk of purification in terms of magical and spiritual hygiene however, the concept of miasma is not the only thing I am thinking of when it comes to self-purification. Excesses or imbalances of energy, letting certain types of energy stick around after workings or being around certain people, beings, or events, or anything which disrupts your natural flow. It can even cause the sorts of issues I discussed when people are wondering whether or not they are under psychic attack.

There are many different methods and ways of purifying and maintaining your energetic hygiene. Some are specific to particular religion(s) or esoteric traditions while some are good for everyone on the hole.

Here are a few examples:

• The LBRP, or Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Believe it or not, this is a fantastic ritual to use for balancing and cleansing your personal sphere. As much as I feel that it is over misused, abused, and overused by many, this ritual can help do the trick when needed for this sort of work. It’s why I feel that it is so beneficial during the outer order of the Golden Dawn in the elemental grades. You are continually under potential energetic imbalance as you focus on one magical element at a time over the rest.
• Washing of the hands before prayer. This is a custom in religions such as Judaism and Hellenism. In Greek religion, you do not make offerings or pray with unwashed hands.
• Keeping your environment reasonably tidy and clean. Spring cleaning for your altars should maybe happen more than once a year. 🙂
• Ritual baths and bathing
• Burning sage and other forms of incense to cleanse the working area and/or self
• Sprinkling water which has been blessed or consecrated over a working area and/or self
• Doing regular connecting, grounding, and centering energetic exercises and meditations

Disruptions to your energetic hygiene can short circuit your magical rituals, disrupt your sleep, make you “stuck” energetically, and can affect your mental and emotional states over time. It can also attract unwanted influences and forces to you. Regular energetic and ritual cleansing practices can help prevent obstacles and issues in your personal practice, particularly if you do a lot of either intense spirit work or energetic work often.