Purification refers to the removal of impurities or unwanted influences, toxins, filth, negative energies, etc. in order to leave a pure or at least less polluted product.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Purification is a fundamental practice in witchcraft, aimed at cleansing energies and spaces to enhance magical workings.
Many witches use purification rituals before spellcasting, divination, or entering sacred spaces to ensure purity of intent and focus.
Purification by smoke, commonly achieved through burning herbs like sage, frankincense, or palo santo, is a popular method to clear negative energy from objects and environments.
Salt and water are also potent tools for purification, with salt absorbing negativity and water washing away impurities, often combined in ritual baths or as consecrated solutions.
How and When it’s Used?
Many magical practitioners engage in purification ceremonies before performing magical work.
They may purify themselves, their tools and/or their ritual space in order to begin their magical work with a clean slate.
As water may be purified by boiling to destroy bacteria, filtering to remove sediment or heavy metals or distilled to remove virtually everything but the water, magical practitioners use a variety of means to purify their space, themselves and their tools and other materials.
Some methods include asperging, smudging or fumigation, the use of salt, and ritual baths.
Purification by Smoke
Smoke cleansing or purification by smoke involves using smoke, usually from burning aromatic herbs or incense, to purify the body or space, usually to drive off unwanted energies and entities.