Hello sweet souls! I hope the cosmos have treated you well this week – if that was not the case here are a few things to make you feel more comfortable.

Spring cleaning for your body and mind

3 ways to cleanse this week

1) Eat Green. Skip the bagel in the morning (or 3 bagels if you are me) and opt for breakfast with something green included. I am not the healthiest eater by any means, but adding leafy vegetables to your meals or eating them as snacks instead of processed foods and carbs truly does do wonders for your energy. If you want to make a life change, try going ten days with no processed foods – it is said that after ten days the body will be well adjusted to the diet and crave fresh, raw foods instead of processed foods. A less extreme option would be to consciously eat cleaner and greener than you already do, whatever that means for you. Experiment with new fresh foods and recipes and cleanse your body starting on the inside.

2) Get outside. I don not even have to explain this one. Breathe the fresh air, stretch your limbs out of hibernation mode and go for a walk.

3) Meditate. It doesn’t have to be cross-legged/incense/ “om” meditation: it can be shower meditation, 5 minutes before bed meditation or whatever else helps you achieve a meditative state. Meditating with intention is also helpful for cleansing the mind and body of negative energy – once you have got meditating down, try setting an intention before hand. Setting an intention is like preparing soil before planting flowers–it isn’t 100% necessary but it will positively effect the way your flowers grow.

Herbalism

Revisiting the cleansing powers of sage

To keep with the theme of spring cleaning I want to reintroduce the most notorious cleansing herb, sage. Sage has been used for centuries to cleanse spaces of negative energies and cleanse souls of harmful stresses and energies that have build up inside them. Here you will learn how to make a mini sage sachet to burn when you feel you or a space may need cleansing (you can also give them away to friends experiencing trials in life.)

What you need

A small square of cotton, or any natural fiber cloth (four inches by four inches)

5 inch piece of string (I use hemp cord)

1 tablespoon dried sage (you can buy this ground or by the leaf at most grocery stores)

A match or lighter

A ceramic bowl or a peaceful sidewalk/driveway

How to make

lay cloth square flat on a

table and place the tablespoon of dried sage into the middle of the cloth.

Keeping the sage close to the middle, pull all four corners upwards and together to form a small pouch.

Tie the string around the pouch so that it stays shut.

What to do

Hold the sachet in your hands and imagine that you are putting all negative energy and stress into the sachet, allowing the cloth and sage to soak it all up.

Place the sachet in a fire safe bowl (ceramic works best) or on a sidewalk or driveway and light it with a match or lighter. Make sure that the entire sachet has been lit.

I like to dance or sing in the smoke and allow the cleansing scent of sage to invigorate me—but you can do whatever you want as long as you are conscious of the burning object in front of you.

Stay in the presence of the sachet until it is completely burned down to ash.

Give yourself a hug, and thank yourself for taking the time to do this.

Request for feedback – Friends! I would love to hear your feedback on the Ethereal Corner. What is most useful or interesting for you? What could this column do without? I want to be a resource to you and care about your thoughts on my content. Email me with questions, comments or concerns at gfavazza01@hamline.edu