Cleansing Ritual

SUPPLY LIST:
Cleansing Herbs - ie: chamomile, peppermint, calendula, lavender, and red clover
7 pieces of colored fabric (no white) long & thin enough to tie around post or branches of tree
2 larger pieces of white cloth (cotton or linen - some natural fabric)
Drums or other musical instruments for each participant
Dagger, or knife - do NOT use your ritual athame as this will be used to cut flesh - athames (traditionally) should never touch blood
Lighter / lighter fluid
Shovel or spade

Step 1: Make a brew of fresh water and cleansing herbs. Concentrate on the cleansing energies of the herbs during preparation. Start with cleansing the place of residence, starting from the inside - you need to proceed in a widdershins manner (COUNTER-clockwise) and sprinkle some in the corners and on each windowsill of every room, including closets. After the inside of the home is sufficiently cleansed, head outside and sprinkle the outside of the residence. Start and end with whatever entrance you will exit and re-enter, and again proceed in widdershins fashion. After sprinkling outside, return inside and sprinkle the cleansee. Get as much of the brew on the Cleansee as possible - take care in deciding your herbs that none will irritate the skin - the ones listed above are all actually pretty good for your skin and shouldn't create any problems.

Step 2: 7 Colored Cloths - after sprinkling the cleansee with the brew, the cleansee should be dried off with the 7 differently colored cloths drying the whole body with each cloth separately - colors don't matter here as long as they're different - but no white!! White will come later - Bag up the cloths and set aside - disposal of these comes after the completion of the ritual.

Step 3: Travel to the water NOTE: if you're not near any water, or if the waterways in your area are too public for you to feel comfortable, improvise - try a swimming or wading pool, even a bathtub in a pinch.

Step 4: Drum, chant, sing, etc. at the water's edge to generate energy - during the generation time, the Cleansee should begin allowing all negativity come to light and allow everything that's "bothering" them to crash through their mind, get angry, get upset, generate everything they want to get rid of - all resentments, all sorrow, all pain, etc.

Step 5: Enter the water, skyclad, or as close to it as possible, (crowd dependant) As earlier stated, you might want to have a close friend "stand guard" to prevent interruptions and distractions.

Step 6: Ritual performer opens dialogue about feelings of resentment, perhaps about negative situations they've gone through before and dealt with. Performer speaks openly with Cleansee about whatever the "problem(s)" is/are. Anything disclosed during this period is SACRED. The Cleansee must be entirely confident and completely trust the performer or THIS WILL NOT WORK! The Cleansee must be completely honest with the performer about whatever the problem is so it can be sufficiently banished.

Step 7: Ritual performer slowly walks widdershins around the cleansee, softly chanting, singing or humming while Cleansee begins and continues until Cleansee is finished with Step 8

Step 8: Cleansee communicates audibly with himself stating how much he resents whatever problems, actions, energies, everything in question - assert his want to rid himself of these problems, etc.

Step 9: Performer and Cleansee shall join hands & place in the water of the river and concentrate on allowing the energies to be released - visualize the energies being diluted and washed away by the water. After appropriate time for release, release hands and hug or "salute" (kiss) each other. It's also appropriate to present the Cleansee with a small token or gift at this time, a necklace or pendant of a stone of protective energies, etc.

Step 10: Exit the river and Ritual performer dries the Cleansee off with one of the white cloths, and then the performer dries self off with the other.

Step 11: Burn the white cloths and bury the ashes right there on the riverbank, thus containing any last traces of negativity. If you're having to improvise, bury the white cloth ashes at the base of the tree or gatepost on which the last cloth is tied as instructed in Step 13.

Step 12: Dress and leave, never looking back

Step 13: Sometime later THAT SAME DAY, preferably in solitude, the Cleansee should set out with the 7 differently colored cloths from Step 2 and proceed to go to a place off the beaten path - somewhere that you most likely will never go to again, or at least somewhere off your normal everyday route. Tie each cloth on a separate tree, or on separate gateposts - the next cloth just a way down from the one prior, etc. Again, after tying the last cloth or burying the ashes after tying the cloth as stated in Step 11, leave and never looking back.