The Witch Chamber and Ritual Purification

So the other day my uncle and I cleaned out the basement to make it into a chamber for our workings. It looks absolutely amazing. We have a little cabinet that all of our magical supplies go into as well as various herbs and powders and such things that I make within circles. It will be absolutely perfect for the winter.

But I would like to talk about ritual purification whilst in a temple or chamber. For my personal practice I have always cleansed myself before a working. I have read that servants of Odin would wash their face and the back of the neck with cold water. Books on ceremonial magic have practitioners take a ritual bath before doing a ritual. In many traditions there is some sort of ritual cleansing and in my practice it is no different.

For me cleansing the body is a physical action that cleanses me of the mundane. It prepares me meeting the spirits and for the art of magic. I have two cleansings that I do. To begin I bless a bowl of water and wash my hands and face with the intention of clean. I will then take a candle and breath in the heat of the serpent and cleanse my spirit and mind. It is then that I am ready for any working at hand.

Chaos magicians, especially in the IOT tradition, begin most workings with a banishing ritual. I also have a banishing ritual, but it is not something that I use in daily practice. A banishing ritual is used to cleanse the mind and the area for the workings about to be performed and can replace cleansing by water. Some witches I know have special herbs that they mix into the water such as lavender and rosemary with possibly a pinch of salt. I do not find this necessary and ordinary, albeit cold, river water works perfectly for me.

I find it important to cleanse oneself before a working, especially if one is meeting with spirits, as it is respectful to the powers that one is channeling. The body should be clean of any outside influence so that the powers have ease of travel whilst they are moving through the practitioner. The area of the working should also be kept clean. Because my uncle and I share the working chamber we have agreed to cleanse the area before and after each working. In my normal compass rite this is already done by way of the creation of the River of Souls and the Purification with Fire. Afterwards a simple banishing ritual to remove my influences so that my uncle can make his rituals more in line with his ways is quite respectful to him and if you share ritual space with someone I should say that it is quite necessary.

But what about when one is outside? The Land is already sacred, but influences can surround a sacred spot even still. I still purify myself and purify the area of which I am working even when I am outside. This is respectful to the powers of the specific area and it also aligns one to the working area. The powers become aware of one's presence through this ritual cleansing. It is not completely necessary, of course. I have gone out onto the Land with staff in hand and have done just a simple mind wipe before speaking to the spirits there and opening my self up to the Land.

If one has a specific spot that one has purified permanently, such as a shrine, then a purification of the area for each working is not necessary. But if one has a shrine to a specific power then a ritual cleansing as one enters the area is quite necessary in my personal opinion. Again this is very respectful to the specific power and respectful to yourself and prepares you for the working at hand.

Wassail and Frith,
Angus.