Because our emotions are shifting by the minute—and we’re just FEELING more in this collective slowing down—a limpia to cleanse your spirit can do wonders to help you feel more rooted.
In Spanish, limpia means to clean, but in Curanderismo a limpia is an energetic cleansing to removes negative emotions and stuck or “blocked” energy so we can rebalance and reharmonize. There are many types of cleansing and tools, but I am going to offer you some of my favorite practices.
When I need energy: I brush myself with fresh rosemary stalks. I find the smell invigorating and it has cleansing and protective properties. People place rosemary plants by their front door to cleanse the energy of people coming into their homes.
When I’m feeling sad, I give myself a rose “limpia.” Roses help heal heartaches of any kind, and the way I learned to do this was to hold the fresh roses in my right hand—place them in front of my heart—and then move them to my left shoulder and down my left arm in a sweeping motion. The idea to pull the sadness out, and there is something very soothing about this. I use white or light-colored roses.
For general grounding and rooting, I burn dried sage or a Palo Santo stick. There is worry that these are becoming over-forested, so I have just started playing with mugwort and cedar. Mugwort is thought to protect against negative energies.
When I want to call in the ancestors, I use copal, which is my used in Curanderismo practice. Copal is from tree resin that is burnt on charcoal in a ceramic burner and this is very ceremonial, but I also like to use copal incense which is easier to light and less smoky. It is purifying and has qualities of abundance and clearing.
And when shit hits the fan, I bring out the egg. Cleansing yourself with a raw egg is something that has been handed down from generations to generations. The space between the yolk and shell that acts as wind power to pull out unwanted energy. It is very powerful, and I use it when I’m sick or very troubled.
How to Give Yourself a Limpia (cleansing)
Curanderas consider themselves vessels, or caijtas, “little boxes” that divine spirit comes through to heal, so start by calling in spirit to help you. Next, state your intention. What are you trying to heal? Say it aloud, “Please take this sadness, anxiety, anger…”
Then, working with your tool of choice, place the instrument on the top of your head, grounding yourself, then begin sweeping from the crown of your head and working down to your feet, brush or pass your cleansing tool along your body to sweeping away your unwanted energy. Bury your cleansing tool in the earth so the energy can be released and transmuted.
I created a guided limpia meditation you can use to feel more rooted, you can find it here.
Take care of yourselves, my friends!
Ometeotl!
xo Robyn
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