Or alternatively, The (Very) Venus in Virgo Protocol for the Establishment of Energetic Sovereignty…

In times of hardship and strife, energetic cleansing and ritual bathing is more than a source of self-care and stress relief. Done well, often enough, and thoroughly with the right tools and ingredients, it extends into the deeper realm of spiritual hygiene which helps free us from the energetic detritus that pollutes dreamtime and generates anxious and negative states in waking, reducing our vulnerability to outside influences.

They can also serve to uncross, unbind, and lightly hex break, cease the impacts of Malochia, Open the Way, and generally detach from that and those who drain our vital energies, wanting things for or from us which we do not choose. They are profound sources of psychic, emotional, and magical liberation, and have an important place as a routine aspect of any spiritual practice.

It is best to follow this procedure more or less to the letter the first few times you do it (before making alterations), to feel and see its effectiveness for yourself. What follows is an energetic cleansing + scraping, cord cutting, ritual bath, and anointing/ blessing in the form of one continuous process, providing thorough and effective restoration of one’s energetic Sovereignty — vital for better living through These Times.

Please read this article top to bottom to get an understanding of the tools required and the process, so you have a smoother, more rewarding ritual experience. It may seem complicated and overlong, but I trust you’ll find it’s easy to actually perform once you get the hang of it. This process can be completed in as little as 20+ minutes, depending on how long one wishes to remain in the bath.

There is a streamlined ritual outline (without the explanations + detailed rationale in this longer, online version) that can be downloaded/ printed or saved to a device at the bottom of the article, including a checklist of all the items you’ll need to have on hand, to make it easier to fully perform the procedure when the time comes. It is a Word document which can be edited, should you wish to modify the prayers.

It is not at all a requirement to have any Sphere + Sundry offerings to do this ritual. If you do not have any or all of the items suggested, sub as you see fit and do your best! Magic is, among other things, the art of making do with what one has, in order to gain (or detach!) as one desires….

Tools + Ingredients

One of the Shop Hiatus activities I’ve been working on was preparing 30 Ritual Bathing + Energetic Cleansing Kits to accompany this article. Each contains most of the tools necessary to enact the following procedure, denoted in bold if they are included. The Bath Salts + Oils are *not part of the bundles, because many S+ clients already possess what they need in that regard. They can, however, be picked up standalone in accord with one’s objectives now that the shop is open

Required —

• Incense Burner for smoke bathing (preferably with a handle)
• Incense of your choice (Asclepius or Son of Apollo is my go-to for this, but frankincense or energy clearing herbs are also good. If you do not have a burner, sub with a stick or bundle)
• Energetic Scrapey Tool (a ritual knife will do, iron or steel is best)
• Bath Salts (Asclepius, Deneb Algedi, Luminous Crown, Sea Salt, Himalayan, &c. — not only epsom, see Salt comments below)
• Ritual Anointing Oil (Asclepius, Son of Apollo, or Deneb Algedi for tools early on; followed by any you wish for the post-bath anointing/ blessing)
• Large Plastic Pitcher
• Clean towel + clothing to change into following
• Bathtub
• Lighter
• Soap

Optional —

• Beer, 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, or Bluing
• Herbs or other ingredients of your choice, per your objectives
• Ash (as a bed for the incense) + charcoal (if needed to light it)
• Exfoliating Glove or other exfoliant
• Pumice stone
• Nail clippers
• Scissors
• Razor
• Bell
• Candle(s)

Indications + Timing

Ultimately, whenever you feel it would be beneficial!

From a MUNDANE perspective, it could be used to address — the annus horribilis that is 2020; lethargy and chronic stress; troubled sleep; bad luck; navigating or recovering from a difficult experience; if you are under any form of attack; restoring some semblance of sanity and personal balance; staving off/ recovering from illness; loss of someone dear to you; working through trauma and triggers; heightened anxiety or negative states; emotional, mental, or spiritual desperation; before travel; heaviness and stagnancy; in the midst of big life changes; feeling stuck, confused, or out of sorts; the list goes on…

From a MAGICAL perspective — making virtually all of the other magic you do easier and more effective; enhancing meditation practices; before an initiation or significant ritual event; prior to journeying or the imbibing of intoxicants; following a bad dream, ill-omen, or bad reading; if you suspect someone is “working” you/ has bound you/ wishes you ill; if you feel on the receiving end of the Evil Eye; following any curse or difficult work you may have done, including disposal of a freezer spell; before, following, or in support of Ancestral healing rites; and more…

From an ASTROLOGICAL perspective — every New Moon as part of routine energetic hygiene; each South Node Eclipse; on the days and hours of the Powers you wish to baptize yourself with (for instance, to clear away things impeding your love life, Friday in the day and hour of Venus using Venus materia in the second half of the ritual); remediation of transits; supporting the productive evolution of natal configurations; and so on…

Enter the Astrology

If you would like to use an astrologically supportive time for your ritual bath + cleansing based on specific objectives and ingredients, allow the following to be a quick guide. Note that there is really no need to whip up a full electional chart for this kind of thing, the day and hours suffice wonderfully, or use the Moon conjunct a specific fixed star (for Asclepius, 22° Sagittarius).

**This is included for the sake of our more advanced and astro-magically adventurous clientele, but electing a specific time is not at all a requirement. If any of this is over your head, ignore it and move forward at any necessary or convenient time! To calculate planetary hours, click here or use an app.**

SOL (☉)
Timing: Sunday or Wednesday after sunset, hour of the Sun
Stars + Series: Exalted Sol, Luminous Crown, Regulus, any Asclepius, Son of Apollo
Objectives: Sovereignty; selfhood; self-esteem; healing paternal lineages; uplifting the spirit; therapeutic support; wholeness; vitality; promotion; fame; leadership; Solar remediation.

LUNA (☽)
Timing: Monday or Thursday after sunset, hour of the Moon
Do note: Lunar phases and transiting conditions may color results.
Stars + Series: Immortal Heart, Luminous Crown, the Ancestral Series, Hermanubis, Pisces Moon-Neptune
Objectives: Receptivity; improving psychic ability; deeper, less troubled sleep; emotional wellbeing; healing maternal lineages; family of origin exploration; promoting embodiment; therapeutic support re: eating habits + emotional security; Lunar remediation.

MARS (♂️)
Timing: Tuesday or Friday after sunset, hour of the Red Planet
Stars + Series: Luminous Crown, Mars in Scorpio, Aldebaran, Mars’ Degree of Exaltation
Objectives: Drive; reinforcement of will; clearing or addressing conflict; clarifying battle strategies; restoring libido/ overcoming impotence; anger management; bluing bath to ease transits, release anger, and quell excess yang; Martial remediation.

MERCURY (☿)
Timing: Wednesday or Saturday after sunset, hour of the Messenger
Stars + Series: Exalted Mercury Cazimi, Hermanubis, St. Expedite
Objectives: Road Opening, improved communication; Mercury RX; finding one’s voice; unbinding one’s tongue; easing travel; improving focus; Mercurial remediation.

JUPITER (♃)
Timing: Thursday or Sunday after sunset, hour of the Greater Benefic
Stars + Series: Jupiter’s Empyreal Vantage, Jupiter in Sagittarius, Aldebaran, Jupiter’s Bounty; Asclepius II or any, St. Expedite
Objectives: Road Opening, uncrossing; general improvement of circumstances; wealth building; expansion of worldview and religious practices; gratitude and generosity; growth and expansion; Jupiter remediation.

VENUS (♀️)
Timing: Friday or Monday after sunset, hour of the Fairer Benefic
Stars + Series: Empress, Luminous Crown, Aldebaran, Venus in Taurus, Exalted Venus, Venus in Libra
Objectives: Self-love; promoting glamour + good looks; increasing photogenic potential; opening the way for relationships + sexual encounters; drawing emotional support; easing the heart; receiving pleasure, gifts, and compliments; improving relationship dynamics; restoring the libido + desire to connect/ receive; feeling beautiful; bodily acceptance; promoting joy; diplomacy; Venus remediation.

SATURN (♄)
Timing: Saturday or Tuesday after sunset, hour of the Curmudgeon
Stars + Series: Saturn in Capricorn, Luminous Crown, Deneb Algedi
Objectives: Boundary reinforcement; Evil Eye aversion; protection; releasing childishness, immaturity, and aversion to responsibility; in preparation of Necromantic rites; Saturn remediation.

Frequency

This can be performed as needed, based on one’s personal circumstances and objectives. I do not recommend doing it more than once a week unless someone is under severe and ongoing attack. As a general recommendation (following the Moon’s excellent example!), this would be a productive monthly or quarterly practice, especially for the magically operant.

A Note on Deities, Spirits + Religious Context

Asclepius is a great fit for this and I work with him often, so many references are made to him throughout this piece in terms of both materia and prayer.

Let it be understood, however, that many other figures could be successfully entreated based on whether or not someone has a pre-existing relationship or personal affinity for them.

Jesus, Archangel Michael, or the Virgin Mary would all work well, and there are no doubt others. Rituals tend to be most effective when performed within the context of one’s own religious beliefs and practice, so substitute as you see fit.

Foreplay

The process of physical cleaning acts as a primer for more subtle, energetic cleansing.

The zeroth step (aside from ensuring you have the items you’ll need for the ritual) is to clean your bathroom and bathtub, to prime it as a theater for ritual operation. The cherry on top is being able to retire to freshly laundered bedding following the procedure that evening, so for extra credit, this advice extends to the bed chamber.

The most important preparatory step is, however, to thoroughly cleanse your own body, and physically remove that which no longer serves.

One major hurdle in people’s treatment of ritual bathing and energetic cleansing is not coming in clean from a vessel perspective, or trying to combine the two procedures into one.

Once you schedule this process, take a run of the mill shower/ bath earlier in the day, so your body doesn’t bring physical oogy-boogies that distract from the ritual process. Use soap on all the areas that typically collect scent. This allows the focus to be on the subtle energetic body, transcendent of mundane grime.

I also recommend trimming and scraping under the nails and performing a rigorous whole-body exfoliation. If you feel freshest and at your best clean shaven, then do that as part of your mundane fore-cleansing, as energies tend to cling to hair. If that’s not your thing, don’t worry about it!

Consider taking a pumice stone to the feet and sloughing off any callouses, which are representations of past experiences and the armoring we’ve necessarily amassed along our way. The goal is to feel Unburdened, Light, and New following this whole procedure, and these little extra steps help to achieve that.

If this is for treatment of a dire situation, also consider getting a haircut in preparation, or taking the dead ends off yourself, because again, hair serves as a representation + repository of past experiences (part of why many initiations begin by shaving the head).

All of the pieces from the body’s preparation (nails, dead skin, and hair) can be kept as ingredients to upcycle into a witch bottle (article forthcoming) for extra protection, and the benefit of using pre-ritual Personal Concerns is that all the old shit weighing you down has already magnetized to it, so it will act as a better ongoing “catch” for what people or the world is already in process of throwing your way, helping prolong the benefits of your energetic cleanse.

Preparation of the Tools + Bath Itself

If this is something you’re wanting to do often enough, it can be really convenient to clear out one drawer of the bathroom to keep your items within, akin to a dedicated ritual bathing + energetic cleansing altar (or stash everything inside the pitcher). Regardless, collect what you’ll need and have it ready.

Nothing worse than having to leave in the middle of a Rite because you forgot something!

If you’re going to bathe by candlelight, light the candle(s) before beginning, but depending on how much light they throw, it can be easier to wait to turn off the lights until you’re about to actually enter the bath.

The Energetic Scrapey Tool

If you are using a forged iron implement (such as the ones that come in the Energetic Cleansing Kits, or a Rod of Asclepius — which can also be used for this process), it is vital not to get them wet. If they do get water on them by accident, ensure they are completely dry before being put away or else they will rust.

[Shoutout to Aidan Wachter for touting the benefits of Energetic Scraping in Six Ways, and previously showcasing Energy Scrapeys from Borealis Ironworks, who provided them for the first round of our Kits (pictured throughout the article). The second round was recently released, featuring the wonderful work of Ceremonia… who could blame a lass for getting around with so many esoteric blacksmiths ]

I rub Asclepius Oil on my Scrapey to further empower it right after suffumigating at the beginning of of ritual, but this is optional. Same goes for any ritual knife you may be using.

Asclepius, the name meaning “to cut”, is good for removing sources of negativity from the body (energetic/ psychic surgery), cleanliness, improved health, integration, and transmutation.

Deneb Algedi Oil would also be okay (perhaps even preferable if the cleansing is for Evil Eye aversion), but I wouldn’t personally recommend many other existing S+ powers for this purpose this early in the process, where our focus is on breaking energetic connections.

If you desire to use them, I recommend reserving your other more fun anointing oils (Luminous Crown, Regulus, Venus, Jupiter, &c.) for the ritual’s finale, once all the gunk has been sloughed away.

The Smoke Bath

Fill your incense burner with ash, if you are using it, and create a small pool in the center to be filled with incense or the charcoal. This helps keep the incense from moving around too much and going out, since you’re going to be moving it up, down, and across your body. It also ensures that powdered incenses burn 100% instead of leaving unburned residue at the base, making a little go a longer way. The same ash can be used over and over again.

If you need a coal, make sure it is all the way lit before putting resin or incense on it.

If you are using an incense stick or bundle, move on to the next step.

Note that one can smoke bathe without removing their clothes in general, but since this process already involves naked-ness and we’re aiming for the most thorough cleanse possible, it is best to strip before performing the rest of the ritual. Ideally put the old clothing in a basket or the washer directly so you do not have to touch it afterward.

Baptism by Fire

Adorn simply thy Birthday Suit and light the incense. Begin drawing the bath by turning the water on and closing the drain.

As if there are other ways of drawing a bath, Kaitlin!

For the most thorough clearing, saying the prayers potentiates the process and adds a theatrical flare many mages enjoy, but they are not strictly necessary. You can also use your own words to a similar effect, verbally or mentally.

Address the Spirit of Fire + any particular Power your Incense belongs to (God/ Spirit/ Planet/ Star). As you say “cleanse these implements”, run your ritual tools through the smoke: the Scrapey, the pitcher, and the bell if you are using one. If you are entreating someone other than Asclepius, shift the language to suit. The following is but an example —

O, Spirit of Fire, who burns Away that which does not serve, priming for Renewal and New Life! Asclepius, Divine Physician! I baptize these tools in your Holy Smoke. I pray you empower them to sever any energetic connections between Myself and Others that do not contribute to my Good Health, Wellbeing, and Sovereignty. Cleanse these implements of any and all negative energies with this Blessed Fumigation. Cleanse my vessel and auric body of any and all energies and attachments I am better Liberated from. Transmute and burn away all which is not mine, ensuring absolute Restoration of Selfhood. For this, I am Grateful!

Anoint the Scrapey/ blade (and bell, if using) with Oil if you wish, ideally under the auspices of the same Power you just entreated (Asclepius Incense + Oil, or Deneb Algedi Incense + Oil, &c.)

Take the incense and begin running the smoke over the body, beginning above the head over the crown. Bring it down in front of your face and then around the back of the head, before moving down, thoroughly smoking and optionally lingering over chakras or any areas where you feel energies sticking. Make sure to smoke the ears, scalp, and hair to the best of your ability (without burning it!).

You may also intentionally breathe a small amount of the smoke in through the mouth, effectively cleansing your tongue and upper lungs. People are often invested in what we do or do not say, and the tongue is a frequent target in works of maleficia and binding. 

Move the smoke back and forth, making sure to fumigate the throat, heart, and under the arms.

Work your way down the body, smoking between the legs, undercarriage, and backside. A lot of complicated/ vampiric/ negative energies, including people’s psychic and mental ties or magical targets, constellate around the genitalia and other erotic zones.

Once you work your way down the legs, ensure you get the tops and bottoms of the feet, lifting them up one at a time (without falling over!) to smoke below them.

Set the incense burner down on the counter or beside the bath (in a place it won’t tip over!).

Shattering + Scraping

Bells are used to shatter and dispel energies in my Classical Feng Shui practice. This is more necessary for space clearing (article forthcoming) since we’re dealing with larger areas that are difficult to scrape, but if you choose to use a bell in this Ritual, now is the time.

Start by ringing it over the crown of the head and work your way down in the same way as the smoke, following all the same recommendations re: areas to include: the mouth, tongue, throat, ears, erotic zones, tops and bottoms of the hands and feet. This step can also be skipped, moving straight to the Scraping.

Take your Scrapey or ritual knife and follow the same procedure as the smoke and bell. The tool should float 1-3″ above the body, not necessarily touching it. Begin above the head and move down in smooth, long, intentional strokes. If you have a blade edge, it should be pointing downward and outward at all times, as if the energies are being shaved off of the body.

If you have long hair (and not too sharp a blade!), you can drape it over the Scrapey and move the tool outward, cutting energies tied to the hair. Get front and back, scraping the tongue (it helps to stick it out) and throat, ears, under the arms, tops and bottoms of the hands, around the erotic zones, down the butt, and between the legs, ending with the feet, tops and bottoms. Set the tool aside somewhere it will stay dry, for it has served its purpose.

Hallowing the Water

Hopefully your water has been running and you now have a partially filled tub to begin consecrating and salting. Have your Bath Salts, your opened beer (if using), your pitcher, and any other additions you’ll be making to the bath itself within arms reach.

What follows is a list of suggested ingredients for different purposes and the reason for their recommendation. I encourage you to read them at least once, so you are empowered to choose the best ingredients for your objectives.

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Ritual…

Pray to the spirit of Water, the Spirit of Salt, and any other Power involved (God/ Spirit/ Planet/ Star). The bath is likely not full yet. Continue running the water until the level is what you desire. It doesn’t matter when it gets turned off, magically speaking.

Put your hand(s) over the Water, as if blessing it, as you sincerely request —

O, Spirit of Water, who makes Clean and Washes Away! Awaken and Empower this Bath to Cleanse the entirety of my Being — my Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit. Make me Newly Born, wholly Refreshed, and Pure, for I am most Thankful, and turn to you in sincere need of Purification.

Pick up the Salts or lay your hand above them as you sincerely request —

O, Spirit of Salt, you who Purifies and Preserves! Who Absorbs all negativity and Protects! I pray you Empower this Bath to remove from the entirety of my Being — my Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit, that which does not serve. I ask that you strip anything and everything impeding my Healthy and Sovereign Existence. Praise be.

If you are using a Talismanic Bath Salt or other ensorcelled item for specific purpose, acknowledge the Power and make requests in alignment with your objectives (as always, you are invited to use your own words) —

Great Asclepius (Aldebaran, Venus, etc.), you who X! I pray you Empower this Bath to X. All Thanks and Praise!

Pour the Salts into your bath and begin stirring in circles using your hand until they are fully dissolved, during which time you may continue praying or setting intentions for what the bath shall do.

Some people suggest going in one direction or the other based on if you are drawing something to you or trying to release something, but I haven’t found it matters much with this process and tend to swish counter clockwise because I find it most comfortable. Going in the same direction and using circles seems to help “build” a coherent energy and meld the ingredients energetically.

If you are using Sphere + Sundry Bath Salts, adding 4-8 oz seems to work well for such a significant bathing ritual, depending on the severity of the situation and size of your tub. You may also use less and add additional non-enchanted salt.

Add the beer OR bluing OR hydrogen peroxide OR whatever else, one at a time, following short prayer acknowledgments + specific requests that they do their duty.

Stir after every ingredient in the same direction, and remember to KISS. A bath with 10 standalone ingredients is not necessarily better or more effective than a well chosen, symbiotic 2-3. Most of my baths are simply beer OR bluing with a talismanic bath salt and they work like gangbusters.

As a final step, you may also trace one or more sigils or symbols (a heart or star, for instance) into the bath water.

Enter the Bath + Using the Pitcher

Step inside the bath and assume your repose. The water can remain running until it’s full enough.

Soak for a minute or two before putting your head under water, wetting the scalp and face. Continue soaking for as long as you wish, at least 10-15 minutes, dunking every now and again.

When you feel you are getting toward the end (still laying on your back), fill the pitcher with bath water and tilt your head backward, pouring it gently over the hairline, as if baptizing yourself or rinsing a child’s hair. Be sure the water runs down the scalp and where the skull meets the neck in addition to the length of hair itself.

Sit up and continue pouring the water from the top down the back of the head, refilling the pitcher and pouring numerous times over the same area before moving on. Lightly trickle water down the forehead, front of the face, and over the ears.

Pour the water down your chin so it flows over the neck, front and sides. Then move to the chest and shoulders, using numerous refilled pitchers of water.

Do one arm at a time, extending it forward and pouring from the shoulder down toward the grabbers. Run the water down the tops and bottoms of your hands, including between the fingers. Raise the arm and pour down the armpit, and then move on to the other.

Stand up and continue working your way section by section, letting the water flow down the whole body, but continuing to focus on one area at a time.

Pour over your stomach and also down your shoulder blades so the water flows down the back.

Pour over the buttocks and also the genitals, making sure water flows between the legs and over the, uh… fundament.

Move downward and cleanse one leg at a time, beginning with the thighs and working your way to the stompers, just as with the arms. If you can  (safely and without falling over!), lift one foot out of the bath at a time and be sure to wash the ankles, top, and also bottoms. Cleanse the other leg and foot.

Start back up at the top of the head and shoulders, pouring water so that it flows down your entire body in large gushes, front and back numerous times.

When you are finished, lay back down and take a few minutes to integrate. You may feel slightly light headed.

If you feel there are areas in need of further rinsing, you can go back to pouring over them until they feel right.

When you are done, begin draining the tub, and take even just a moment of prayer to thank the elements and powers involved for their assistance and blessings.

Depending on salt content and ingredients of the bath, rinsing is optional. I typically do rinse my skin but often leave the hair to dry with the bath mix in it. Beer (and also vinegar) are beneficial for hair anyway.

Towel or air dry. It is best to actually dress in a fresh room, so change scene. For most people the next phase will happen in the bedroom, but it can also be done in one’s dedicated altar/ spirit/ working room.

After-Care + Final Anointing

Put on a fresh pair of clothing. Extra credit for pairing the color or type of clothing with your objective (for instance: white for Asclepius, light blue for Evil Eye aversion, yellow for Jupiter, green or lingerie for Venus, etc. — do not wear Red, however, if your goal was to tone down Mars. Blue, White, or Green are better).

Now is a good time to anoint yourself with the Oil that best fits your objectives moving forward before saying a concluding prayer as a final blessing. Apply the Oil to your third eye, where your skull meets the spine, palms of the hands, bottoms of the feet, heart center, lower back, or wherever you feel called.

A popular prayer to say at this stage of a protective cleansing is Psalm 23, if you so desire —

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

You can also say the Orphic Hymn to whatever Spirit or God you were working with, the Planet you are attempting to remediate, Star or the Power best suited to achieve your objectives. Feel free, as always, to craft your own.

And that’s it… you’re now squeaky clean on just about every level humanly possible.

People are typically tired immediately following this procedure, but the more medium and long term impacts are dependent on the nature of your bath and final anointing. Drink plenty of water, eat healthily, and please take good care.

Also note that your newfound energetic Sovereignty may be slightly off-putting to the people around you, as the difference is quite palpable, even by muggles. The clarity and lightness of your field may also have an ambient effect on the people in your environment, and the environment itself.

Now would be an appropriate time to adorn any cleansed protective amulets or talismans if you have them, and to ensure your home and bedroom are properly warded moving forward (if not already). But more on that in future pieces…

Streamlined Step by Step Procedure

1. Clean the theater of Ritual Operation (bathroom, bath tub, bed linens, towel)
2. Cleanse the Physical Vessel (before, but same day): wash, trim and clean under the nails, use a pumice stone on the feet, perform a full-body exfoliation, shave and cut hair if desired.
3. Gather all ritual ingredients and tools, readying them for the procedure (on counter: Incense/ Burner, lighter, Scrapey, Bell and Asclepius or Deneb Algedi Oil if using | beside bathtub: Salts, opened Beer/ Hydrogen Peroxide/ Bluing/ &c., Pitcher)
4. Initiate the Ritual by removing clothing
5. Begin running the bath water
6. Light the Incense, pray, fumigate and optionally anoint Scraping and Shattering tools
7. Smoke Bathe the body entire, including tongue, throat, ears, and hair (be extra thorough around the erotic zones and areas of perceived stuck energy)
8. Shatter energies with the bell (top to bottom, front and back, under the feet)
9. Cut cords with the Scrapey or Ritual Knife (long, deliberate strokes, whole body — front and back, around the ears, tongue, and throat, under the arms, between legs, under feet, &c.)
10. Pray over the Water
11. Pray over the Salts and add them to the bath
12. Use your hand to stir the water in the same circular direction until the Salts have fully dissolved, continuing to pray, even mentally, for your intended purpose
13. Add any other ingredients by praying and stirring, one at a time
14. If desired, trace sigils or symbols into the bath water
15. Get inside the bath, even if it is not already completely full. The water can be turned off at any time.
16. Soak for a minute or two before dunking your whole head under the water, wetting the hair and face
17. Continue soaking for at least 5-10 minutes or longer
18. Fill the pitcher with bath water as you sit or lean back, and begin at the top of the head, pouring it back from the hairline, as if you were baptizing yourself or rinsing a child’s hair. Be sure the water runs down the scalp and where the neck and skull meet in addition to the hair itself.
19. Refill the pitcher and pour over each area 3+ times before moving on to the next, however much feels right.
20. Trickle water gently over the front of the face, over the lips, and over the ears.
21. Pour water down the front and back of the chest
22. Run water down the arms and under the arms, starting at the shoulders and working down to the hands
23. Pour water over the front and back of the hands and between the fingers
24. Stand up and continue pouring water down the rest of the body, being sure it runs over the genitals and rear
25. Pour down the legs and (without falling over, only if you can safely achieve this!) the ankles, tops, and bottoms of the feet
26. Go back to the top of the head and begin pouring water so that it runs down the whole of the body instead of smaller isolated sections, and work your way down again.
27. You may wish to continue soaking and repeat the pitcher process as you are called, or this can be the end of the bath
28. Begin draining the tub, saying even a short prayer of gratitude for the Powers, elements, and tools who aided and blessed you
29. Rinse if you wish (depending on how much salt you used, it may be itchy not to)
30. Air or towel dry
31. Move to the bed chamber or altar/ working/ spirit room for the final blessing
32. Adorn fresh clothes, color coded to your objectives
33. Perform a final anointing with the Oil of your choice and a concluding prayer (Psalm 23, Orphic Hymns, or whatever suits)

Working on the Sick, Disabled, Non-Magically Operant, or Children

This procedure (or something like it) may be performed on behalf of others, such as the non-magically operant, children, or the convalescing — though it is always best to get their consent.

If someone is disabled, they can use the distance method on their own behalf to whatever degree that is possible, or request someone else do it for them.

It will work best if any 3rd party sincerely prays from their end to be healed and released from all that no longer serves and connects to the process in real time, even if they cannot physically perform the actions.

If it can be arranged for them to be physically clean and wear white (or another color compatible with the objectives), the energies will be more effectively translated and received. Ideally they would also be sleeping, meditating, visualizing themselves being cleansed or immersed in colored light, or at least alone in the real time ritual window.

A recent/ current image of the person (preferably laminated to protect against the water — include a cutting of their hair or Personal Concern in the lamination, if you can get it) can be substituted for their physical vessel, or a wax dolly (also preferably filled with Personal Concerns) named for them.

Go through all the same motions — they’ll just be much faster since we’re dealing with less mass, and obviously we won’t need as much of the salt, bluing, beer, &c.

An altar can be erected for this (Asclepius altars are well suited!) — just sub a bathtub for a large bowl of water. Soak the image or icon for at least 20 minutes, just as you would the body, but do not leave them in the “bath” for longer than would be typical of the normal process. The point is not to energetically drown them

The image or icon should be dried and can remain on the altar with candles burning for their protection and good health as long as one wishes. This could transition beautifully into a multi day candle service, or something similar.

For children, be sure not to over scrape or go too hard on the process. Their energies are not as entrenched and over-stripping may make them vulnerable, especially if the final blessing is not sufficient.

I absolutely recommend adding beer to help insulate their aura (children and young women are especially susceptible to Evil Eye), and giving them a protective amulet to wear (or at least sleep with) following the service. The bath itself need not be as long, and all of the steps can be moved through more quickly to suit their age and attention span.

Not Having a Bathtub

The same process can be accomplished (without the whole body soaking) by having a large basin in a shower, in lieu of a bathtub.

Fill it + Hallow warm water with your salt, sundry additions, and prayers as described. Depending on how large your basin is, use a full or smaller pitcher (such as a measuring cup or large mug) for the pouring phase to approximate the process as faithfully as you are able.

A big plastic storage container could serve as a basin large enough to actually stand inside, allowing for increased recycling of the poured water and a more thorough cleansing. Portable plastic bathtubs also apparently exist.

A bowl of water could also be prepared and used to wash the hands, feet, and aura following a process similar to the Energy Clearing Protocol described on the Son of Apollo Kolonía offering page.

Contamination via Coupling

For couples or co-sleepers, it can be best for all parties to perform these clearings around the same time so their energies do not contaminate one another’s fields in sleep, extending the benefits for all involved. People who are all similarly cleansed and empowered tend to get along better anyway Side effects include less fighting, potentially increased libido, and less tension within the household.

Use of the Same Tools

It is not a requirement that one’s tools be reserved for only themselves, though admittedly, some people do feel most comfortable when that is the case, magically speaking.

If the tools are generally well cared for, consecrated by Fire and Anointing Oil in the beginning of each operation (as is the procedure), they should be essentially free of energetic contaminants.

This can be thought of in terms of any other non-expiring surgical tool — doctors don’t throw out scalpels between patients. They’re just cleansed and sanitized.

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A Personal Aside

There are many ways to skin a cat, or perform an energetic cleansing, ritual bath, and blessing.

What has been presented here is the protocol I have arrived at following years of experimentation with various elements of the process — alongside the good “tech” contributions I am aware of from others credited throughout. It is wonderfully effective in my experience, but is by no means the only way to do it. It is simply the Sphere + Sundry procedure of personal energetic cleansing, as it currently stands.

My calling and focus is on the empowerment of the individual, and supporting others in the establishment of their own Sovereignty. We are living through times of perpetual assault and chronic stress, and the more people we have walking around this planet cleansed and well equipped to handle what living on the Cusp of volatile Ages demands of us, the better.

I pray this procedure serves you + your loved ones well

Clarity, thanks, and appreciation,

Kaitlin

Have you performed this ritual process?

Please share your experiences, observations, and words of encouragement in the comments!

It’s hard to convince people that a 33-step ritual procedure is worth the effort,
but the results can be nothing short of life-changing ✨

Your words of encouragement can help others take
the literal and metaphorical plunge…

May we all — Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul — be Cleansed and Protected by the Spirits
of Fire, Water, and Salt, alongside the Powers we turn toward in Reverence and Need.