One effective means of cleansing yourself, or another, of negative energy is with an egg cleansing. Known as “Limpia” in Spanish, the act of using an egg of draw out adverse energy and its related ailments has been adopted by magical practitioners from a variety of traditions throughout North America.
I know practitioners who are very specific about what type of egg they use in their work, insisting it be fertile, or that it comes from a certain breed of chicken such as a frizzled black hen. Sometimes it is adherence to tradition that dictates how a magical ingredient such as an egg is chosen. Other times it is the rarity or specialty of an item that enhances its perceived magic power. While the challenge of acquiring a hard to find item can add to your magical intention, there is something to be said for the minimal approach of using what is most readily at your disposal, that which is more commonly associated with the daily life you wish your magic to influence. For that reason I use an egg from the same carton from which I procure my breakfast. The nuances of the egg matter less to me than my concern for the quality of life of the hen who laid it, which is why I purchase those that are free range.
When available, a fertile egg, especially one that has aged a bit, can be more showy when it is broken, revealing blood and dark bits, and one can easily associate such ick with whatever sick energy was transferred from patient to egg, thus the visual reassures the psyche of success. Of course, unscrupulous charlatans use this to their advantage, proposing it as proof that the cleansing worked. To avoid this, many spiritual workers insist that the client bring an egg from home to ensure that it has not been tampered with (although there is ample opportunity to switch eggs while the client is laying on a table with eyes closed). Ultimately the appearance of the egg following a cleansing means nothing. A more effective means of gleaning details of the cleansing will be discussed later on.
It seems however that even infertile eggs aspire to be filled with energy, if not innate reproductive energy, then whatever energy you set it to the task of filling it with. This may have something to do with the geometry of the egg itself, for egg shaped crystals are used similarly among New Age practitioners to help “correct energy imbalances” and “repair blockages.” Often, after doing their job, they are themselves cleansed in salt water, and are used repeatedly until they “take a hit for you” and break. I may at some point attempt to do a cleansing with an egg shaped ball of clay as I suspect its quality of absorbing and containing energy may be similar to that of the more traditionally used egg… but for now I will focus on the work that I am familiar with.
When doing an egg cleansing my goal is to remove energies that are negative in nature and do not belong to me, to suck out whatever venom I may have been bit with. I draw a distinction between that type of energy and energy that is part of me, such as negativity that is self generated. The reason for this comes from my training in the FeriTradition, in which much consideration is given to how we use our personal life-force. Aspects of our self that we may think of a being negative, such as hatred or fear, are nevertheless a part of us. To deal with those demons we must acknowledge them, learn from them, and ultimately transform them into something productive, integrating them into our whole being. If I am plagued with the sickness of my own jealousy, it would not be appropriate to rid myself of it through an egg cleansing, for that would involve removing a part of me, absorbing it into the egg, and then ridding myself of it. I would instead do what is called a Kala rite, whereby I would breathe my feelings of jealousy into a cup of water, align my three souls (another Feri concept, found also in Huna and elsewhere) and then breathe into the water, feeling and envisioning it being purified from a tar like muck of negativity into brilliant divine energy that then is returned to me as I drink the water. So for me an egg cleansing comes into play only when the negative energy I am suffering from is parasitic; such as when another person has directed their negativity at me, be it unwittingly or by an actual curse (I have, unfortunately, been the target of both).
Let’s get started… First of all I like for my egg to be clean and prefer to wash it with my Hex Breaker Water, or lacking that, salt water will do.
After that I anoint it with oil, most often using my own blend of Special Oil Number 20.
Before beginning the work I deepen my connection to the Divine. My personal process for doing this is beyond the scope of this article. Once I am fully connected I sense those spirit guides and deities who frequently aid me in my work, and I proceed.
My office at The Mystic Dream has a massage table on which a client will lay face up for this process. I instruct them to relax, to be present in the moment, and to continue to breathe slow and deep throughout the process if that is possible.
When doing an egg cleansing for clients I hold the egg about a foot above the body. This is the same technique I use in my Reiki practice. A good reason for this is due to laws in my home state of California, where to move one’s hands across another’s body requires a massage license. Placing one’s hands on a part of a person’s body with their permission is not criminal, so long as it does not move. You can touch every inch of a person’s leg, so long as you lift your hands off of them and then place then back down again. The same goes for the egg. Rolling it over a person’s body, which is a popular style of working an egg cleansing, can be construed as massage and the egg as a massage tool. Stupid, yes; however it is best to know the law and to make adjustments in your practice when possible. When there is a particular area that needs attentions, such as ones heart or stomach, I make certain to hold the egg there. Other times I may touch it to just the soles of the feet and the top of the head. It all depends. For me, holding it in the auric field and moving it in small, slow, clockwise turns works best for absorbing negative energy, even better for me than were I to roll it across the body (Reiki is much the same, as I feel more of a connection to the person working in their energy body than I do with my hands grounded on their physical body).
When I first came to study magic I was told that your dominant hand was used for projecting energy, whereas the hand you used the least was for drawing energy in. In my practice I have since concluded that matters little, and if I am holding anything I usually do so with my right hand being that I am right handed. Energy flows in or out of me according to how I will it to move, so either of my hands will do. Your practice of course may vary.
I begin at the very top of their head, touching the egg there. I then move downward until I reach their heart, moving then down their left arm and touching the egg to their palm, then doing the same on the right side. Returning to the heart I then move downward, down the left leg where I touch the egg to their foot, then I follow the same route down their right leg. At this point I take a moment to feel the energy. The egg should feel warm and heavy. I set it aside.
I then work with my guides to fill the client with positive energy. Depending on their situation I may use Reiki, or prayer, or send them home with instructions to light a candle or use a certain spiritual bath such as Road Opener.
As for the egg, I break it into a glass of water. I then use my athame, my ritual knife, to pierce the yoke. In doing so, I am utilizing the power of my athame as a tool to purify the egg, thus transforming it from something tainted into something pure, which I then can use for the purpose of divination. This permits me to scry into the remains, much as one would by looking up at clouds and perceiving auspicious shapes. I may see the shapes of birds that to me indicate escape from the negativity that has been removed, or I may see a skull that might warn me of negativity that is yet to come.
When all is done, I dispose of the egg in one of two ways. While there are plenty of crossroads near my office I generally prefer not to leave egg ruins on the asphalt. My more useful option is to toss the water and egg against the base of a tree, of which there are many in the park across the street.
Now, the process of doing an egg cleansing is quite different if I am doing it on myself. When that is the case I utilize the egg as part of a spiritual bath. Often the begins by using some style of cleansing bath crystals, my favorite being my own blend of Uncrossing Blessed Bath Salts. I fill a pitcher with hot water, throw in the bath crystals, and wait a bit for it to cool down. When it is ready I bring it and the egg with me into the shower. First, I hold the egg above my head and connect to Divinity. Once I feel that my awareness is plugged into the Source, I focus on the egg and move it in small circles above the crown of my head. Slowly I move downward across my body. I am fully aware of all that has been plaguing me, bringing to my mind and feeling fully the emotions of my negative situation, and feeling those thoughts and emotions move into the egg. Eventually I reach my feet, at which point I set the egg between them. I then empty the contents of the pitcher, the Uncrossing brew, over my head, feeling it wash away negative energy that has been left behind.
Although I have been known to throw the egg against the drain, an action that is good for working out any remaining aggression, I’m certain that this is bad for my pipes and therefore do not recommend it. You can throw it into the toilet, which allows for a similar effect as well as ease of clean up. Of course you also have the options of taking it to the crossroads or throwing it against a tree. Whichever you prefer.
There you have it… tradition, innovation, along with my own personal nuances makes for an effective egg cleansing. Please leave comments if you have tricks of your own that you would like to share.
