Linnéa Bach Gärde’s Spiritual POV: Cleansing Craze

My instinct tells me I can´t go wrong with Gucci. Holding the luxury brand’s Esotericum box in my hand, packed with fuchsia-colored incense sticks, drowned in notes of Seville oranges, jasmine, leather, and salt, I surrender. Over again, I find myself in an instant mood for a cleansing ritual. It’s obviously not the first time I’m falling into this state of mind. The last time it happened was as close as this morning and the occasion before that was….. hmm, last night when I went for a double deep cleansing; succeeding in a 15 min face-washing routine with an energy-cleansing ritual. Without trying too hard, I count it as performing at least two, preferably three cleansing rituals every day in an unbalanced mixture of compulsion and free will.

The number of different facial cleansers that fills my bathroom cabinet – balm, bar, clay, cold cream, foam, gel, and scrub cleansers  – is obvious proof of failure to choose the right type of facial cleanser for your skin, according to the dermatologist. But what if it’s also an expression of an obsession? I ask myself this at the same time as I google ”cleanser for dry skin” with my right hand and casually rearrange my collection of smudge kits, crystals, and incense sticks and cones with my left hand. Just as if I’m trying to convince myself that I couldn’t care less. Am I embarrassed by this mania of cleansing products, whether they are facials, sacred home fragrances, or crystals? Not really. Rather, I feel the same way as I do for my KonMari organized wardrobe; fulfilled, mindful, and forward-looking.

What could the answer be to this devotion (call it passion or hang-up) of mine? One thing could be the fact that I have always been very into things, being either completely on or off and never in between. The other thing might be that I’ve always been drawn to duality; Where functionality and spirituality are closely connected. Where the doing awakes the being. I guess in my mind I’ve been thinking and feeling that if I do something with enough intention and intensity the benefits of that act will not only be physical but also mental and even spiritual.

“So, just like you shower your body and cleanse your face, you can think of spiritual cleansing as a kind of quick shower for your aura.”

According to the encyclopedia, cleansing a person or a place means getting rid of dirt and impurities. Those who, like me, prefer collecting information from more holistic sources know cleansing is thought to also have the power to remove evil, guilt, and negative energies. As you might all have experienced, negativity is something that has the ability to stick to you and your spaces. So, just like you shower your body and cleanse your face, you can think of spiritual cleansing as a kind of quick shower for your aura. Something you can practice once a day … or multiple times per day if you happen to have a cleansing craze. Are you with me? Does it spark joy?