Bad Experience With Smudging

Different people may tell you differnt things. Holy water, prayer, even a specific prayer, smudging with sage, ets. I believe that the specific method is not important except to the individual doing it. It is the belief and your will that makes it work. For a catholic, holy water and crucifix are very very powerful. For another religion, their symbols are equally powerful, for them. I don't believe it is necessary to go outside barefoot to ground oneself, if you think about it, your shoes are touching the floor of the house, the house is touching the ground, right. Imagine you have roots going right through the floor, right to the earth. If that doesn't work fo you, then do go outside. Its all personal, what works for you may not work for another. Try a little exercise: You have a little ball of white light in your heart. It is love, god, it is healing pure energy. When you think about it, it will begin to grow. Bigger and bigger. You can feel it spread accross your chest. Keep spreading it until it covers your body and extends around you. You can make it as big as you want. It is a circle of protection and it is a psychic shield. Try this exercise a few times over the next few days. Tell me how it works and how it made you feel. If you are worried about blocking wanted visitors, don't worry. When you cleanse and protect your home, you are in control. Don't see it as a wall that stops all, envision as more of a filter, bad out, good is welcome, if you wish. Smudging with sage banishes bad energy. You can also smudge with sweetgrass to welcome good energy. You can combine different things, if you want, if it feels right to you. Its not really a 'circle' of protection, it is surrounding yourself with power symbols and or protective rituals that make you feel safe and protectied. If you imagine or envision it so strongly that you can feel it all around you, it is real. Heres my way of cleansing my house: Use holy water accross every door and window. Or use salt (I use salt, kosher or sea salt, its more pure than table salt) and draw a power symbol with your finger, imagine you can see the lines you drew, like they are made of electricity, white or blue, you can draw a cross over them, or any symbol that feels good to you, I use a pentagram because I was a witch for 25 years, although I no longer practice, the pentagram is stil my power symbol. After you do it at each window and door, say 'this window/door is sealed. Only good energy may pass.' You can seal the interior doors, too, after you do the exterier door and windows walk out of the room, seal the interior door, say this room is sealed, only good evergy is welcome. You can combine this with smudging, smudge room, while thinking/ saying, only good energy may enter only love or whatever sounds right for you. Then seal the windows. There is a lot of good resources online these days. As far as books go, look into books published by llewellen, there are good guides to help you get started. Good luck

Thank you so much for your reply. I knew I had done something wrong but didn't know what. Now my biggest obstacle is my fear. In a way, I am happy to know that what I experienced wasn't too bad. I just don't want to feel like that again. Can I use Holy Water to protect myself or salt water? Do I make the circle around me and/or recite any prayers I am comfortable with? Also how do I keep it from coming into my home? Is it best to ground myself before? I have heard that you can go outside bare foot and vision roots growing into the ground from your feet. One of the main things I want to do is protect my home from unwanted spirit. My Father and Sister and Niece come regularly but I don't want them to be locked out. How do I do that? My Father has been in every family Christmas photo since he passed away. They are a comforting presence but I have "drop in's" from time to time and I would like to keep them out. Do you know any good books that would help me with these issues? Thank you again so much for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

You felt drained and sick after the smudging partly because it worked, the cleansing of the house, after work like that you have spent a lot of energy, physically, mentally, and psychically. After you cast or cleanse, whatever, and you feel that way, you need to ground yourself. You can touch the ground or the floor and imagine you are tapping into the earth and get a renewal of energy that way. It also helps to eat something just then too. You do need to protect yourself before you do things like that. Make a circle of protection around yourself, you can use power objects, things that make you feel safe, they can be any religious symbol or talisman. Imagine a ball of pure, healing energy, like a white light around you. Your mind is very powerful, when you picture it so strongly that you can feel the energy around you, you will be protected. I had a similar experience recently when I smudged and cleansed my daughters new house, because of the problems she was having there. On my way home from that I felt like somebody was with me, but didn't follow me into my home, probably because it is well guarded. Good luck and always protect yourself before doing any cleansing, energy work, or casting etc.