Reading Cleansing Rituals

When working with wairua / spirit, it is always important to protect and cleanse yourself before and after your readings. You will learn about different ways on how to cleanse and protect your area in both Maori and common ways.

Maori culture have their own universal way of protection when working with wairua. We use Karakia (Maori Affirmation/incantation) as a common form of protection. When using these karakia, we call upon our atua Maori (Deity) and tupuna (ancestors) to come and protect us. This is a common form of protection done through any sort of spiritual practice. The karakia can be done through waerea (protective incantation), karanga (female call to summon ancestors for protection) to name a couple. 

When working with spirit and spiritual tools such as Tarot, Charms, Ruins, Oracles....etc a common practice used for protection is indeed a prayer to summon the angels, spirit guides and protective team to surround the reader and querant with a wall of protection (White Light). There are also spiritual tools that help enhance the protection layer such as Palo Santos (Holy Wood) which is often used to cleanse energy. White Sage can also be used to protect the spiritual space by burning the dry leaves. This particular ritual should be used only if the surrounding energy is strong and intense (most times the reader will read the energy before the reading which will indicate what tool to use). Essence sticks and cones can also be used as a source of protection. Each essence sticks are infused with certain flowers or plants that are specifically for spiritual practices. 

It is vital that you know, our physical world, our natural world holds many different kinds of natural resources that have been utilized as spiritual tools for many generations. We are all familiar with crystals - minerals that hold healing properties. Crystals have been utilized and possessed for many centuries and continue to be used. Crystals such as Amethyst, Selenite, Tourmaline and Obsidian are the most common crystals used for protection during spiritual practices. Preparation as simple as placing them next to you on your altar or spiritual space is okay to do. Each reader is different. Much like Maori Matakite (Spiritual person) Pounamu (Greenstone) is our crystal of protection which we use in similar ways.

This is how I prepare myself before a Tarot Reading:

Every reader is different and will only practice their ritual the way they are guided to do so.

• When a reading is requested, the first thing I do is meditate. The reason for my meditation is to clear away the clutter of my own personal life from my mind in preparation for the reading. During my meditation, I ask my protective team (Spirit Guides, Whanau, Angels) to surround me with White Light and Unconditional Love. I also ask them to send me true and necessary guidance that the querant needs to know during the reading. This happens before I meet with the querant.
• On the requested day and hour of reading I set up my spiritual space. In my spiritual space you will see tarot decks that I am drawn to (wairua will guide me to that specific deck). I will pick and chose to either use incense or backflow cone incense. The divine will guide me toward the necessary crystals I may need to protect and use in my space.
• I often use Palo santos before using the cards to cleanse my space and Tarot cards of unwanted, stagnant energy from previous readings. I burn the Palo Santos with intention to cleanse and protect me during reading. 
• In the presence of my client receiving the reading, I will perform an incantation to summon both our protective team and guides to work together. The incantation may be in english or te reo. I will only ask wairua to come through if they have a message and if their intention is only of unconditional love.
• I will then pick up the tarot deck and shuffle them (another form of cleansing the deck) summoning our spirit guides to send through the messages and guidance necessary and with love. 

 This is how I cleanse my space after a Tarot Reading:

•  When ending a reading, its important to me to recite a karakia or prayer to remove the surrounding energy of the reading;
• Palo Santo is perfect to use once the reading ends. If the energy from the reading is intense, a white sage is best to use for cleansing the decks and the spiritual space.
• After using the palo santos or white sage, I always shuffle my decks to cleanse the energy just that bit more.     

 If I could find time after a reading, I find that cleansing my energy down by bodies of water (river, ocean) is a liberating feeling and calms my energetic field. This is a common ritual many readers practice because of the benefits water can give to ones self. 

How do you cleanse your energy? You don't have to be a reader to cleanse your energy. Every now and then, you can find that you may need to rejuvenate and that is highly encouraged.