Space Cleansing Methods: Pros and Cons of Each Technique
As the year draws to a close, everyone gets busy sprucing up their homes for the new year. It's not just about cleaning up after a year of busy schedules; it's a deeper cleanse, a purification of the living space to welcome fresh beginnings. So, what exactly is cleansing, why do we do it, and what methods can we use? Let's explore this with ATZ Organic.
What is Cleansing?
Cleansing practices have existed for millennia, spanning diverse cultures and eras. While the term might evoke images of complex spiritual rituals for some, cleansing is often integrated into our daily lives, especially during significant occasions. Take, for example, the Vietnamese tradition of bathing with "mui gia" (a type of fragrant leaf) on New Year's Eve, or using aromatic herbs like ginger, perilla, and eucalyptus for steam inhalation when battling a cold. Other common practices include coin rubbing (cao gio) with a silver spoon, or the more recent trend of burning sage, candles, or using diffusers with essential oils. At their core, these are all cleansing rituals. The fundamental principle of cleansing involves using "pure elements" to eliminate impurities and toxins, including physical pollutants like odors, bacteria, and viruses, as well as low-frequency energies that can stagnate the mind, body, and spirit.
Why Cleanse Your Space?
Imagine life as a river. If it accumulates too much mud, algae, and debris, the flow becomes obstructed, the water turns murky, and eventually, foul. Our energetic frequency operates similarly. Carrying too much low-vibrational baggage – be it negative thoughts, stress, anxieties, or surrounding ourselves with low-frequency objects and information – can impede our energy flow, leading to stagnation and negatively impacting our mind, body, and spirit. This also attracts negative energies and unfortunate circumstances.
Think of a dirty glass. To fill it with clean water, you must first empty it and wash it thoroughly. Similarly, if your home is filled with stagnant energy, you must cleanse it to make way for fresh, vibrant frequencies. The energy of the new year is particularly potent and invigorating. Therefore, end-of-year cleansing is essential to invite and receive this positive energy, attracting good fortune, luck, and prosperity.
Natural Aroma Cleansing Methods – Pros and Cons
Throughout history, both Eastern and Western cultures have developed cleansing methods utilizing the natural aromas of specific plants based on their geographical locations. Let's explore some of the most prominent and popular examples with ATZ Organic:
Palo Santo Wood
Palo Santo, known as "holy wood," has been burned for centuries as a natural remedy. Its aroma is sweet, woody, and subtly fragrant. The medicinal, slightly pungent scent released when burning palo santo comes from the wood's essential oils, rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals known as terpenes. Traditionally in many Western cultures, a stick of palo santo is used as an offering to the spirit, particularly within sacred spaces. It's believed that by enjoying the sweet fragrance of this natural wood, positive energies are attracted through scent and vibrational waves.
Pros: Easy to use. Cons: Like sage, palo santo requires burning, necessitating proper storage to prevent moisture and adequate ventilation during use to avoid smoke inhalation.
Eastern Cleansing Methods - Agarwood Incense
Burning agarwood incense is a traditional cleansing method in Eastern cultures. Agarwood is a precious resin found in old-growth forests. To protect itself from pests and diseases, the Aquilaria tree produces a fragrant resin. Over time, this resin hardens within the heartwood, forming the highly prized agarwood. Agarwood is used to create various products, including incense, with numerous purported benefits.
People often burn agarwood incense to create a warm, peaceful atmosphere. It's believed to purify the space of negative energies and impurities, cleanse the air, and foster a sense of harmony and warmth, while attracting positive energy, luck, peace, and prosperity.
Pros: Fragrant, precious, easy to use. Cons: Requires burning, which produces smoke that can be inconvenient, especially in apartments. Difficult to store, prone to mold. Expensive due to its rarity, and often adulterated.
Herbal Mixtures
Burning herbal mixtures is a traditional Vietnamese practice for eliminating unpleasant odors. Beyond freshening the living space, it's also believed to dispel negative energies. In many regions, people burn herbs on the last day of the year to banish bad luck and welcome good fortune.
The process is simple: boil water with herbs like star anise, cinnamon bark and leaves, cloves, lemongrass, lemon, and pomelo leaves. Once boiling, remove the lid to allow the fragrant steam to fill the room. The cooled water can then be used to clean surfaces for added freshness.
Dried herbal mixtures are used similarly, offering a convenient alternative when fresh herbs are unavailable. They are dried and stored for later use.
Pros: Easy to prepare; simply boil the herbs and allow the steam to permeate the room. Cons: Safety concerns; boiling water poses a risk, especially for households with elderly individuals or children. Boiling herbs doesn't fully extract their beneficial properties. Sourcing/growing fresh herbs can be challenging, particularly for those living in urban apartments.
Essential Oils
Using essential oils offers a more convenient, safe, and effective alternative to traditional herbal steaming. Essential oils are extracted from the same herbs used in steaming, but in a more potent form, capturing the plants' most valuable essences.
The aroma of essential oils helps to deodorize, eliminate bacteria and fungi, and purify the air. Importantly, each essential oil possesses a unique energetic frequency, measured in megahertz (MHz), which can elevate the energy of your space and your own energetic field. Using essential oils for cleansing helps dispel low-frequency negative energies and stagnant "qi" accumulated within the space and objects, purifying the home and attracting good fortune, prosperity, and abundance. Furthermore, the aromas can uplift spirits, promote relaxation, reduce stress and anxiety, enhance focus, and boost positive energy.
To cleanse with essential oils, use a diffuser to disperse the aroma throughout your space or use a spray bottle to apply the oils directly to objects and areas.
Space Clearing with Essential Oil Diffusion
Recommended essential oils for space clearing:
Coriander ( Coriandrum sativum)
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus spp.)
Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus)
Lemon (Citrus limon)
Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) - Note: this is listed twice, potentially a redundancy in the original text.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum or C. zeylanicum)
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Clove (Syzygium aromaticum)
Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens or P. x roseum) - While Pelargonium Tombolens is sometimes used, it's not a standard scientific name.
Pros: Essential oils are easy to use and store. Diffusing or spraying essential oils doesn't produce smoke, creating a clean atmosphere. This method is convenient and safe, especially for busy individuals, pregnant women, and households with young children.
Cons: The market is saturated with adulterated essential oils containing synthetic fragrances that can be harmful. To maximize the effectiveness and safety of essential oils for cleansing, purchase from reputable sources and ideally test the product beforehand.
