How to Clear, Ground & Shield Your Energy
BACK STORY
I've always been drawn to ghost stories and haunted buildings. They scare me but part of me feels responsible for helping send negative entities to the light. It might sound strange... but if you've been around these parts for a while, you know I don't think there is anything strange about it (believe it or not, there are professional 'ghost activists').
Earlier this week I stopped by a building with a rich history of ghost activity to talk to people in my (social work) field. I had been in the building in the spring and immediately picked up on a fearful/sad energy and would go home after being there with an awful headache. So this time I went prepared; I brought crystals and asked to be protected before entering the building. After getting home I was unbelievably exhausted and slept for almost 14 hours. When I woke up I felt depressed; feeling unmotivated to do anything but feel bad for myself. I couldn't even get myself motivated enough to work on my blog - and I love working on my blog! It felt as if I had sandbags in my limbs - a feeling I haven't felt in a long, long time.
I went through my mental health checklist and did the things I normally do when I feel off:
x. drank a big glass of water
x. had a breakfast with lots of protein (+ B12 supplement)
x. sent a text to a friend to socialize
x. sat down and wrote
But nothing seemed to help. It wasn't until a few days later that I thought, maybe the crystals and asking to be protected weren't enough and maybe I attracted something negative while in the haunted building. So I burnt some palo santo, saged myself and asked to be cleared of anything that wasn't mine. I envisioned a protector energy clearing the energetic chords I had accumulated during the past few days and envisioned dark stagnant energy being released and sent to the light. Then I asked Archangel Raphael (a healing energy) to fill all the spaces the chords were with green healing light. Once cleared I grounded myself by envisioning a bright white light coming from the sky/ceiling and entering through the top of my head, going through my body, out the soles of my feet, down through the floor boards, foundation and soil and into the centre of the earth where I envisioned myself tying the light around a big rock.
After my clearing and grounding ceremony I felt as if a giant weight had been lifted. My sight was brighter, my heart and limbs were lighter and I felt inspired to go for a walk and get back into my normal routine.
Why we need to clear, ground (and shield!) for mental health:
A lot of people will read this and think it was placebo, and if that works, great.
For those of us who are sensitive we know there is much more to it. While it's not (yet) acknowledged by our medical model, our world is an energetic one and we are all capable of attracting negative energies to us... entities that zap our energy and make us feel down. We can also attract negative energy from the people and world around us without realizing it. It's how us empaths pick up on the thoughts, feelings and moods of other people. We take on the energy behind them.
Energy is not something we often talk about and it's not something many of us see - so it can be easy to forget to include it in our mental health toolkit - even when we know managing our energy can be one of the most effective mental health practices! You don't have to walk into a haunted building to attract negative energy... it's all around us. You also don't need to believe in Angels to clear and ground. The power of the practice is in intention so don't let a fear/disbelief in Angels keep you from the practice. You can envision scissors clearing the negative chords, or something funnier like Pacman. It doesn't matter what you use, it only matters that you are intentional about the process.
A few other ways to quickly clear and ground:
Having a grounding and clearing ceremony is not always possible, so here are a few ways I ground and clear on the go. Try them out if you find yourself feeling heavy and overwhelmed. It could change your entire experience.
Clear:
Say mentally or verbally "I am cleared of any energy that is not mine"
While in the shower or a rain storm envision any negative energy being washed off you and out through the ground/drain
Take a deep breath and imagine a cloud of dark energy being released on the exhale
Deeply hug a pet or take a few mindful breaths of fresh air (both are high frequency and crowd out negativity)
Ground:
Hold a crystal or a piece of nature like a seashell (I like red jasper for grounding)
Put a heavy rice bag on your shoulders
Listen to drums/beats/something with a strong bass
Wrap yourself in a blanket or blanket scarf
Identify three red things in your immediate surroundings (red is the colour of the root chakra; the chakra that connects us here on earth)
Use a grounding essential oil blend
A note on protection:
Something others in the sensitive community like to do after clearing and grounding is protect themselves with an imaginary bubble (usually pink or white) with the intention of only allowing positive energy to enter through the bubble when they are out and about. I've done this in the past but find it keeps me too much in my own world and makes me unapproachable to those around me. I'm working at being more open and my job involves me needing to be present so I have decided to stop this practice for the time being... but if you find you are taking on too much of your external surroundings, adding in a protection bubble after clearing and grounding is an effective way to stay energetically protected.
Okay! That's enough for now.
Even if you're skeptical I encourage you to give grounding + clearing + protecting a try. It really could change your life. And remember, energy does not require a belief in spirituality/religion. Energy and energy management is simply about conscious intention - so fill the practice with your own beliefs and make it your own!
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