The Aura Cleanse Spread

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Do you ever have those days where you wake up and everything is off? You know what I’m talking about…THAT kind of day, when you feel drained, cranky, forgetful, and extremely sensitive. You check: you got a good night’s sleep, you’re exercising, hormones aren’t the culprit, and you ate well last night.

What gives?

Our interactions with others can have a huge impact on how we feel.

Daily, we are bombarded by information from the news, Internet, and social media. We get advice from well-intentioned co-workers, friends, and family members. There are the folks who aren’t so well-intentioned, you know the ones I am talking about; those that you try to avoid bumping into in the checkout. Later, you’re cooking dinner and remember that you have to make a meal for your son’s entire hockey team tomorrow. And our own voices join the general din, often going unnoticed and not extending the same love and light towards ourselves that we make a practice of sharing with others.

The daily grind can cause us to operate the way a computer does when it has too many windows open at the same time, too many programs operating at once, or the memory is just running out of space.

Eventually something is going to give.

But, what if it doesn’t have to? 

Enter aura cleansing! 

Many intuitive healers conduct aura cleanses. An aura cleanse can help improve energy, promote a feeling of peace, help individuals get grounded into their bodies and reconnect with their own emotions (and disconnect from the energy of other people or situations). After aura cleansing, many clients report better sleep, increased contentment, feeling ready to go, all while experiencing an overall increase in general well-being! 

However, not everyone is ready for an Aura Cleansing Session. Or perhaps you regularly work with a healer, but you’d like to do a little energetic maintenance on your own. With a deck of cards and your intuition, you can get acquainted with your aura and its needs. Acting on this information can be THE energetic tune-up that your system craves, which can leave you feeling remarkably lighter, especially if you identify as an empath or highly sensitive person!

What is the aura?

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An aura is the energetic field that surrounds every living thing. The human aura is comprised of seven central layers, and each layer is linked to the seven main chakras in our bodies. The layers of your auric field reflect aspects of yourself, your inner world, and how you are making your way through life. This data informs us about our physical bodies and any conditions we may be experiencing, whether we’re grounded into ourselves, or flying high in the ethers, our mental health and any ups and downs we’re encountering, as well as unprocessed wounds. The aura can reflect how open we are spiritually, if we’re overthinkers, healers, or deep feelers, it can reveal energies we’re carrying with us that may not serve us, and this is just the tip of the iceberg! Like your chakra system, your aura is a living library containing multitudes of rich information about you.

Some individuals are able to see auric layers with the naked eye with ease. Others meditate to receive information about the aura through a variety of intuitive senses (clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, etc.) In fact, when we get close to someone and pick up their vibe, we are actually receiving information about them via our intuitive senses from their auric field!

So how can you use Tarot or Oracle cards to get information about your aura? All you need is a favorite deck, and your intuition! I also recommend journaling as you work through this spread, so you can reflect on any patterns you discover during this work. Feel free to use the spread to gain some insight into your auric field, and amend as you’d like. The rest of this post details each focusing question and card pull, but you can skip right to the bottom of the article if you want the Cliff Notes version!

The Spread

Questions 1 & 2: What does my aura look like? What does it feel like?

These first two questions are wonderful ways to gain sensory information about your aura. I recommend focusing on one question at a time, and taking your time to meditate with the card. See what jumps out to you. The more you practice, the stronger your intuitive hits will be. Over time, you may come to recognize patterns in the way your aura behaves through sensory data. You may see colors, textures, holes, shapes, and other patterns. Perhaps you see your aura moving, dancing, twisting, or stretching itself. 

You can also lean into what your aura feels like-is it heavy or dense? Porous or loose? Crowded and tight? Rigid or brittle? Is it flexible? Warm or cold? This information may help you understand what your aura typically looks or feels like when it is cleaned and healthy. 

Conversely, you may begin to notice typical patterns of dysfunction due to habits, behaviors, and environmental impact. For example, when I don’t get enough sleep, my aura looks foggy and feels more open or porous. So I know I need to get the proper amount of sleep to ensure my aura stays more clear and tight. 
If you are someone who is a super sensor and you love this kind of data, you might draw additional cards for what your aura sounds like, smells like, or tastes like! (this is a great exercise if you are trying to develop your intuitive senses) You can get very creative with this!

Question 3: What’s with me that isn’t mine?

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This is where we start to address what we’ve been carrying around in our auric field that doesn’t originate from us. Think of when you offer to help someone move, you get sweaty, dirty, and tired from lugging huge boxes around from one place to the next. And you’re moving things that do not belong to you. In energetic terms, this is like you’re helping someone move, but you NEVER lighten the load. You are always lifting boxes, carrying boxes while straining under their weight, and instead of putting them down, you pick up more!

The energetic load I am referring to are blocks and cords, earthbound entities, general energetic sludge, and astral debris. These kinds of things can come from many different sources. (If you want to get technical, keep reading for categorical information. You may want to jot down a few notes in your journal. If you just want to trust your gut while doing your reading, skip to the end of this section.)

All the fixings

Energetic blocks often come from ourselves and deal with limiting beliefs, or can be the result of negative or traumatic experiences. They can serve as a defense mechanism to protect ourselves from re-experiencing negative events.

Energetic Cords are the strong ties we form to individuals we are close to in life. The negative cords we form from intense experiences or toxic or challenging relationships are like a divided highway for negative emotions. We unconsciously send negative emotions to others, and we also receive their unconscious (or conscious!) negative feelings. These types of cords can have a profound impact on the health of our aura, and drain our energy over time.

Finally, earthbound entities are what they sound like. It is possible to pick up a hitchhiking buddy that you can’t see. Earthbound entities are deceased individuals who have not crossed over. If you’re someone with a powerful aura, a bright light, or you are a medium and don’t know it, you may have had your fair share of earthbound buddies hanging out within your auric field. 

Blocks, earthbounds, and negative cords can be removed. Although, they may require a bit more work than astral debris. I recommend working with a cord cutting practitioner or an experienced energy healer to assist with some of the heavier connections you may find in your auric field. That being said, DO NOT get bamboozled by someone telling you that there is a curse on you, or that you have a ghost stalking you that only they can remove IF you pay them an exorbitant amount of money. These are scammers. Don’t walk away from these people, RUN!

Astral Debris
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That brings us to astral debris. My cord cutting mentor, Anna Sayce, explains astral debris beautifully (If you’re interested in energy work, you should check out her site!) She categorizes astral debris into the following categories: Unwanted Influencing Energy, Psychic Ties, Emotional Residues, and Negative Thought Forms. As you read through these sections, see if any of them hold particular resonance for you at this time. If you are feeling a pull toward a particular category, it is likely you are carrying this type of astral debris within your aura.

>Unwanted Influencing Energy
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Unwanted influencing energy (UIE) is exactly what it sounds like. This kind of energy emanates from those who have an agenda for you and for how you live your life. It is typically expressed by individuals who are domineering, controlling, intimidating, bullying, or coercive. I want to note that not everyone will be susceptible to UIE. People who aren’t bothered by what others think or do, or aren’t worried about garnering approval from others are less likely to carry this kind of astral debris in their auric field. Those who are sensitive, and concerned about others and what they think will be more susceptible to UIE influence. Also, individuals who grew up around controlling and dominating individuals, and those who keep the company of these types of difficult individuals in their current reality are more likely to experience UIE load. 

Don’t think it’s just the folks we’ve come into direct contact with who can influence UIE auric load; any organization with a strong agenda (think politics, media, religion, culture, and commercial groups) can be strong projectors of UIE. In order for unwanted influencing energy to have an impact on you, you need to be susceptible to it in order to unconsciously accept it into your field. 

>Psychic Ties
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Psychic ties are like mini-cords, cobweb-like energetic structures that connect us to others, even people we may not know personally! These threads connect us to any person we interact with, in person, at a distance, or those we read about or follow in politics, movies, music, sports, etc.  Think about a famous hero of yours, can you picture them in your mind? So can millions of other people! Well-known individuals are more likely to carry psychic ties from their many followers, even if they’ve never met in-person

These threads or ties carry with them a minor psychic load. The charge these ties carry hook into you at the subconscious level. However, the more sensitive you are, the more likely you are to feel these connections. Sensitives or empaths may even experience a minor telepathic link, in which they may accept and receive emotional experiences that do not belong to them. 

As I was going through my intuitive awakening, I would frequently receive downloads of emotional experiences that did not belong to me. It could be very confusing. Once I learned good energetic hygiene, these experiences diminished significantly. I still receive energetic or emotional transmissions, if an acquaintance or friend is strongly emotional (good or bad!), or distressed in some way, but now I am able to ascertain the difference between what is mine and what is someone else’s energy, and I know what to do to clear it for myself.

>Emotional Residues
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Emotional residues are similar to psychic ties, but without the direct thread or hook that binds us to others. These are the leftover feelings or emotional sludge we experience that stems from others’ experiences. This could include the feelings of our loved ones, friends and acquaintances, or people we don’t know but have learned about online. The news is filled with stories of injustices from around the globe, and it is very easy for sensitive individuals to pick up on all the feelings associated with these abuses. They may even pick up the energy from both sides of a situation, which can be very conflicting and confusing. The more open you are, the more you carry with you. 

Keep in mind, emotional residues can also be positive! You might feel the joy your co-worker experienced at becoming a father for the first time, or a sense of pride at a stranger’s big accomplishment. And like most types of astral debris, the more clairsentient or tuned into your emotions you are, the more of an impact emotional residues will have on you.

>Negative Thought Forms
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Finally, negative thought forms (NTF) are the energetic charge created by repeated negative thoughts or words. If we think something negative about ourselves one time, it will often dissipate. But a second time, a third time, and many times beyond that? You’ve created space for NTF in your aura. Unfortunately, we don’t just do this to ourselves. We also do it to one another. If someone really has a problem with you, and you are a bit bothered by it, or can sense their hostility, you are open to receiving NTF from them.

NTF can come from thought, or from repeated encounters. For example, how many times have you heard phrases such as these: “you’re too sensitive”, or “too weak,” or “too much.” Many sensitives can attest to hearing these phrases regularly. Over time, these thoughts become an ingrained part of your experience, so you unconsciously make room for them in your auric field. It’s almost as though you are offering an engraved invitation and holding space for these negative thoughts to move into your auric field! Like all other astral debris, you can clear NTF.


If you don’t want to get technical, you might simply focus on what this “sludge” is that is with you. Ask: where is it from? As you draw a card, you may see a person you had an interaction with earlier in the week. Perhaps a scenario runs through your mind that you are anxious about. Or, you may become connected with an ongoing feeling or belief you’ve held for some time. If your aura feels particularly heavy, pull a few cards here until you’re sure you’ve identified what’s going on.

Question 4: What is the best approach for clearing these blocks?

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The answers you receive here may be different for everyone. And the way you choose to address this may be contingent upon your situation each time you clear. Additionally, if you drew multiple cards for the last position (#3), you may want to draw one card per energetic situation. Alternatively, you may find that one specific method cuts all the crud out for you.

While you meditate on your answers, you may find the best approach is prayer, or developing your own ritual. Or working with your guides or angels.  It may involve shadow work, movement, addressing health concerns, etc. Perhaps you may hear that you’ll want to work with an experienced energy healer. No one way will be right for every single person. Listen to your gut as you pull cards here. You may come up with your own ritual over time that involves a few of the aspects listed above! The rituals we create tend to be the things that have the most power for us.

Question 5: Outcome

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The outcome of the spread predicts the best possible response to your clearing. Look for little details on the card you pull. These details may indicate sensory changes, an overall vibration, how you’ll look in the future, how you’ll feel, etc.  Simply taking time to marinate in this energy may begin to create a cleansing shift for you!

Question 6: How can I increase the strength of my aura?

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This final question will provide insight into auric health maintenance. Think of it like taking vitamins and eating healthfully to ward off future illness and disease. You may get advice on how to raise your vibration, or receive guidance on developing a special prayer. Perhaps you hear information on avoiding certain people or situations. If you are called to pull multiple cards for this position, go for it! Trust your gut with whatever you receive!

The spread is below, amend it as you see fit! We’d love to hear about your own experiences as you use this intuitive tool. Are there regular practices you engage in to keep your aura clear? Enjoy!

Aura Cleansing Spread

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