Blessing

In my early years as a witch and a pagan nearly all my magical and religious practices involved both singleness and banishing. These two practice came to define my rituals and my practice. Over the last three years there have been many things that have changed in my practice and my emphasis on these two practices has diminished. That doesn’t mean I don’t engage in blessing and banishing but its not my focus.

For me a blessing is a gift from the gods. When I bless some one or something (and that includes places and rituals tools) I imbue that item with sacred power and sacred energy. It has become a holy object and is to be used in such a manner. I feel that blessings from gods are things that only the gods can give. There is also a down side to blessings.

What may be a blessing for me could be a curse for some one else. Blessings and curses to me are interchangeable. If some one was to bless me under a deity I have no connection with or have no desire to have a relationship with I would not consider the blessing a good thing. In some ways I would consider it a curse as it was an unwanted magical act. This is why I don’t say “Blessed be” to any one, as I don’t know if they would accept or want a blessing from my gods.

I may bless my own home and my family, but I have their approval to have these blessings placed upon them. I would bless some one if they asked me to bless them, but only if they understood where the blessing was coming from. I bless space every time I perform a ritual, but that is for purification and consecration of the sacred ground for rituals.

Banishing

This is another practice I do on a regular basis. For me a banishing ritual is a way of cleansing out that which is no longer needed so that the new may come and flourish. I also see it as a way of removing energy from a space or an area. This is something I do when the energy is working against positive desires and manifestations.

There are many rituals that have been written for banishing practices. I like to use the LBRP for my banishing rituals. I typically do these rituals when my mental health is going down hill as they help me focus and banish thoughts from my mind. Banishing rituals form the basis of my circle casting practices as well.

I don’t think banishing rituals are the only way to deal with negative influences in ones life. I think that they are a tool. However it is not something I would rely on for mental health. It’s just a tool I have found that works well with other treatments.