It’s that time of year for me - and probably for a few others - when the thoughts turn to having a bit of a spring clean. Signs of spring are here - snowdrops and daffodils are starting or have started to flower. Buds are appearing on shrubs and trees and I have seen some Camelia's in flower.
Earlier in the week I had a sort out of some old paperwork, tidied and sorted one wardrobe and then decided to have a look through my witchy supplies. Everything was in a large storage cube seat in various boxes or bags etc but it was piled up a bit and I couldn’t really see what I had without pulling half of it out every time I needed something. So a bit of a juggle around and tidy up was called for - candles in a separate box, herbs and incense in pots and labelled with what it is and its properties, altar items and miscellaneous in another box etc. I utilised a small chest of drawers which is much better for being able to find what I need and put it all away... I then went to my main altar as I felt that too needed a bit of a tidy and a change around with the shift in the energies that was going on. I took everything off of it, put some things away, emptied, refilled and charged my small witches bottle that I keep on my altar and changed the cloth for a light green one. I don’t buy fancy altar cloths - obviously if you prefer to do so, please do - I use pretty offcuts of fabric or squares of coloured felt. I have even been known to use a pretty scarf!
The one that was on my altar had accumulated a bit of dust - along with some bits of herbs and candle wax, so I decided to give it a wash. As I did so, the thought came to me that like everything else, my altar cloth picks up and holds on to energies - after all, a lot of work happens on my main altar - spells are cast, items from rituals are placed on there, different offerings are placed and later removed, various crystals and their energies are in contact with the cloth, so I’m pretty sure that my altar cloth too would benefit from a good cleanse. I did wash it as it is a washable fabric but you may have a cloth that is delicate or that can’t be washed. How would you go about cleansing that?
You could brush it gently with a soft brush to remove dust, give it a shake outside is another idea, visualising the stale energies dispersing with the dust. Pass it through incense smoke if it is not dusty. Wrap the cloth around some clear quartz - this will absorb, restore and regulate the energies.
Once cleansed I then store it with my other cloths in a fabric bag. It is after all an integral part of my main altar and deserves to be looked after just like the items on it! :-)
