Spiritual Cleansing: A Handbook of Psychic Protection by Draja Mickharic outlines a simple method for cleansing and stabilizing your mind.
Cover your hair and scalp in coconut milk or cream and let it dry. Rinse it out, preferably in a spiritual bath by scrubbing your hair and scalp with (consecrated) salt.
This method seems useful for closing a ritual, especially anything baneful or cord-cutting. The kind of work that might be done tonight, on a dark moon that falls on a Saturday.
When I finish, I force myself to laugh at myself. The laughter becomes sincere with practice. Then I bitch slap my face. I get rid of the perspiration and remember to bitch slap myself every time my mind goes back to my working. Doesn’t take long to stay away from those thoughts. Grab book, have a quick pipe smoke, maybe a drink, then (if I can) I prepare food, as I find that helps.
I try to use cheap, nasty, effective stuff most of the time - because I’m lazy and find shortcuts just so appealing! Nonetheless, there have been times when I had to take a shower because of dripping perspiration overload and I used those showers as mind-games to ‘wash away’ the ritual from my conscious thoughts; plus especially in the early days, more self-inflicted, red-face, bitch slaps.
But don’t mind me. I’m just an old fashioned, left-hand path bastard heavily influenced by Chaos Magic(k), working on the fly!
In general, I eat starchy and grounding food (bread, sugar, heavier things) after ritual and scream loudly anytime my thoughts wander to it to shut out the thoughts. Sometimes, when those options are unavailable, I shower, eat something less grounding, go outside, read things I’m into, watch tv, do (home)work things, etc.
After baneful, I try to always shower. And then either sleep or completely walk away from the rite. Those are not ones I dwell on like I do others.
Seriously, loved your post. Thinking about it I remember doing stuff like that when I needed a shower after a working, but wet my hair, applied coconut and/or other hair creams, had a smoke, then had a shower. Don’t remember the stuff getting completely dry though. Years ago.
We should both author a grimoire: The Streetwise Grimoire – where Uncle Al provides no lubricant, no-holes-barred advice, and you attempt to limit the damage from a more cultured Magickal perspective. Same topics, different perspectives.
You can feign mock disgust by starting your chapters with, ‘It’s an often gut-wrenching pity that Uncle Al’s dirty handkerchief, street vomit view of life permeates his Magick; forever taking the most obscene, low-dive approach when there are better ways…’
Topics could include How to Get Your Ex Back; Banishing; Evoking; How to Achieve Divinity in the Bathroom; The Magickal Drugs of Addiction: Nicotine and Caffeine! How to Become Addicted to Nicotine and Caffeine; the Black & White Mirror exercise; Magickal Weapons: Construction & Uses; incense – there’s heaps of stuff.
Let me know.
We could form an empire - like Jim & Tammy or jimmy Jones did.
“And each small, personalised vial contains a drop of Uncle Al’s essence. Get one or more for yourself and others as gifts. As a necklace, lapel pin or small devotional piece, every vial - a drop of Al’s fresh essence. Just think about it. Yours forever! But wait, there’s more…while stocks last…this won’t be repeated…have your card numbers ready…this once in a lifetime offer can be yours now for $100.00US per month, every month, compound interest until you die…”