A lot of pagan and witchcraft practices use incense for cleansing a space. It’s a great way for beginners to learn the concept and theory behind cleansing. The smoke provides visual cues and the scent acts as a quick way to manifest the energy you are trying to raise.
But, while smoke cleansing is a powerful tool, it isn’t the only one. There are times when burning incense or herb bundles isn’t appropriate. The smoke can possibly set off smoke detectors, or people can have scent sensitivities or respiratory issues. People might not want to draw attention to what they are doing.
An alternative to smoke cleansing is sound cleansing. Most witches are familiar with ringing bells, shaking rattles, or beating a drum to clear a space with sound. My favorite way, however, is to use music. I have a list of songs, most of them popular, that I keep on my phone to play when I need to cleanse a space. The advantage of this technique is that if you don’t want to publicize what you are doing, others will just see someone enjoying their favorite tune.
Sound cleansing works much the same way as smoke cleansing. As the music plays, you visualize the unwanted energies dissipating, leaving behind an empty space which you can then fill with your desired energies. This visualization can take the form of seeing the music as colors or notes. If you are someone who doesn’t visualize with images you can use the vibrations of the music bouncing off of walls and objects, or experience the cleansing solely through the sound of the music. Everyone is different and will have different perspectives about their magick.
Before you start sound cleansing take some time to choose two or three songs to use. you can have as many as you like, and some songs will be useful for different situations. Two or three however is a good start and you’ll find after a while that two or three will become your go to songs.
When choosing your songs, think about what ones make you feel good. What songs evoke positive emotions in you? which ones do you like? You can test a song out by playing it in an empty room. Make a note of the way the room feels before you play the song and then after. If the room feels lighter and emptier you have a good candidate. If not, try a different tune.
Nina Simone’s Feeling Good is the song I use most often. The rising tempo and the lyrics, along with Simone’s voice always put me in the mind of the sun burning away the gray clouds, which is exactly the feeling I want when I am cleansing a space.
Do you sound cleanse? What do you use to do so? What songs might you use for music cleansing? I’d love to read your replies.