The Energy Clearing Mistake Everyone Makes (That’s Easily Fixed)

First and foremost, certain energy-clearing practices like burning white sage can quickly go from appreciative to appropriative of Native American culture and tradition. Sage has also been overharvested in recent years, making it a potentially unsustainable energy-clearing tool. If you’re going to use this herb, research its history and buy it from an Indigenous supplier who is sourcing it sustainably. And remember that there are plenty of other tools that can help you move energy—including dried herbs, sounds, and even your breath.

When clearing energy using any modality, Kilkenny notes that far too many people aren’t actually backing it with a personal intention: “If you’re going to use the same energy to clear that you use in the rest of your type-A life, you’re still increasing that energy,” she explains.

Rather than focusing on and calling in what you do want, it’s easy to think too much about what you’re trying to get rid of. But as the law of attraction makes plain, like attracts like, and the best way to bring positive energy in is of course to embody it yourself.