What is Banishing?

Banishing means to make something go away, to put it in the past, and remove it from the present and likely future.  It is a loss that is welcome or needed.  Most changes, especially deliberate changes, involve some kind of loss or banishment.  This can be big things and it can be little things.

You are technically banishing when you dust your home, because you are making the dust go away.  New dust will settle as time goes by, but the old dust is gone.  That is a little banishment.  Banishing an abuser, especially one that is stalking or fixated, is a big banishment that takes a lot more work, but when done effectively can help prevent a resurgence of that problem in your life.

Banishing can be applied to energetic spaces, objects, people, situations, spirits, behaviors, shadow work, etc.  If something can change, and no longer exist in your life, then it can be banished.

How to Banish

Banishing can be accomplished in an infinite number of ways..  Every tradition, and every skilled witch, has at least a few dozen different ways of banishing.  Exactly how you structure your banishing will depend upon the specific situation and your particular path and practice.  The same holds true if you are incorporating banishing aspects into a larger spell.  Look for inspiration in what others have done, but follow your heart and intuition, and adapt spells to suit you and your specific circumstance.

Common methods of working banishing spells tend to include smoke cleansing/smudging, salt, chants, prayers, sigils or wards, stones or crystals, bells, jar spells, bathing, hand motions, cooking, cleaning, gardening, burning paper, candles, direct energy manipulation, meditation or trance, poppets, visualization, calling upon ‘helpers’, etc.

Bear in mind that the permanence or efficacy of banishings is partially dependent on what you are banishing.  Some banishings will be permanent and irreversible.  Some banishings will aid mundane efforts at removing difficult things that are a struggle to get rid of.  Some banishings will need to be refreshed and recharged regularly in order to continue warding off ongoing things.  Some banishings will help to reduce the frequency or intensity of occurrences, especially if it is something that is pervasive and unavoidable (like household pests or online trolls).  Some banishings are simply not going to work, because what you want is not possible (banishing can remove toxic people from your life, but cannot make it like it never happened – you still have to do the work to process the trauma).

The only thing that is common to all successful banishings is clear intent.  Be certain about what you are banishing, and be clear about your reasons for doing so.

After a women’s retreat I did in the Winter of 2022/23, in Phoenix, AZ…I was taught a banishing that I now do on a daily basis. It’s a generic banishing that removes everything that is not walking in ‘sacred law’ or not ‘dancing in the light’, from my space. 

It’s a great way to start the day!