Banishing is the deliberate act of removing specific unwanted energy, attachments, influences, or spiritual presences from a space or person. It creates separation, reclaims attention and power, and protects a target by actively telling the unwanted influence it is not welcome. Banishing is an intentional, often forceful, clearing action.
What Is Banishing Magic?
Banishing is a foundational technique used to remove negative, intrusive or foreign influences from a person, place or object. It ranges from small daily acts, such as brushing out a lingering mood, to formal ritual work intended to clear persistent presences. The core idea is separation. Banishing creates distance between the practitioner and an unwanted influence, returning boundaries and reclaiming fragmented attention or energy.
Practitioner conventions often treat banishing as a way to raise internal energy until that energy pushes foreign or unwanted forces out. This can be done quietly, with breath and visualisation, or publicly, with loud sound, fire or dramatic gesture. Many systems use banishing as a preparatory step before other magical work, because an active removal is seen as more effective than gentle tidying when something specific is present.
Banishing is not a cure all. It is a technique with limits. It can change the way a space or person feels, and it can reduce influence, but it should not be relied on instead of legal, medical or psychological action where that is needed.
Cleansing vs. Banishing: What Is the Difference?
Cleansing and banishing are related but different. Cleansing is generally gentle and restorative. Its aim is to clear general stagnation, refresh a space, and restore natural balance. Typical cleansing methods include smoke, water, salt, smudging herbs, or brief prayers and affirmations. Cleansing is useful for maintenance and minor clearing.
Banishing is targeted and forceful. It aims to remove a particular disruptive influence, entity, attachment or pattern. Techniques can be more confrontational and may involve explicit commands, symbolic gestures, directed visualisations and focused energy, rather than passive clearing. Because of that, many practitioners follow a sequence: banish first to remove the specific disturbance, cleanse afterwards to restore freshness, and then seal or ward to prevent return.
That sequence is conventional rather than mandatory. A clear intention about what is being addressed helps determine which approach is appropriate. Vague or unfocused work tends to produce weak results, whether cleansing or banishing.
When to Banish (and When Not To)
Banishing is appropriate when a specific disruptive presence, pattern or influence is identified. Examples include recurrent feelings that feel external, persistent nightmares linked to an external source, a visible change in a place after a visit or entry of a suspicious object, or an ongoing pattern that refuses normal psychological or practical remedies. Banishing is also useful as a preparatory measure before serious ritual work, where a clear space is required.
Banishing is not appropriate as a substitute for mundane action. It does not replace medical diagnosis and treatment, legal intervention, financial or practical problem solving, or mental health therapy. Using banishing to avoid dealing with issues that require paperwork, a lawyer, a doctor or a therapist is spiritual bypassing. That tendency to bypass can delay necessary action and worsen a situation.
Banishing specific people raises ethical questions. Some practitioners view directed work that seeks to remove or force someone out as manipulative, because it interferes with another person’s free will. Consider alternatives such as setting clear boundaries, using practical protections, or seeking legal or social remedies before attempting any work aimed at another person.
Also watch for the anxiety loop. Performing frequent, unfocused banishings can produce hypervigilance, where a person constantly hunts for minor incursions and never allows normal fluctuations in feeling. This can create the opposite of the intended effect, producing tension that draws attention to perceived threats. When banishing becomes automatic, pause and re-evaluate the goal and the evidence that a specific influence is present.
The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram
The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, often abbreviated LBRP, was devised by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the late 19th century. It is not an ancient universal practice, but it has become a foundational ritual in many strands of modern occultism. The LBRP is structured into three main parts, each with clear purpose and form.
The first part is the Qabalistic Cross. This is a short sequence of gestures, names and visualisations intended to centre the practitioner and align them with a framework of divine centres. It functions as a focused grounding and alignment technique, setting an internal context for the rest of the ritual.
The second part is the Formulation of the Pentagrams. Using symbolic pentagrams at the four cardinal directions, the practitioner visualises and traces energetic boundaries. These pentagrams operate as concentrated images that define a perimeter and remove lower or chaotic influences from a sacred working area.
The third part is the Evocation of the Archangels. This portion places protective figures at the four quarters, reinforcing the boundaries created by the pentagrams and providing a symbolic presence of order and authority. The combined sequence is ceremonial, precise and repeatable, which is why many practitioners value it for establishing a clear field for other work.
There is debate about what the LBRP actually does. Some view it primarily as an internal purification method that helps the practitioner clear subconscious residue and focus intention. Others report that it functions externally to shift the atmosphere in a space. Both readings are defensible. It is important to state this frankly, because expectations shape outcomes. The LBRP reproduces symbolic action and focused attention, and those factors, rather than any single mechanical cause, produce the observed effects.
Practical Banishing Techniques
Practical banishing methods fall into internal and external categories. Which method to use depends on the nature of the disturbance, available time and safety considerations.
- Internal methods: breathwork and visualisation. Breath techniques change internal state quickly. One common approach is alternating visual breathing, sometimes called black and white breathing. Inhale visualising a white light entering and filling the body, hold briefly, then exhale visualising a dark or black smoke leaving, carrying the unwanted influence away. The practice uses the physiology of breath to circulate focus and symbolically push foreign elements out. Breath work is safe when paced reasonably, but do not hyperventilate. If lightheadedness occurs, stop and breathe normally. Breathwork complements other steps, it does not replace professional medical or psychological treatment.
- External sound and vibration. Loud sound, bells, singing bowls or vocal toning use vibration to break up stagnant atmospheres. Sound scatters attention and can change the felt quality of a room, supporting the idea that unwanted energetic patterns can be disturbed and dispersed. A short clear sound followed by silence often helps settle the space and provide a marker point that the banishing is complete.
- Gesture and symbolic action. Tracing symbols in the air, laying down salt lines or sweeping with a broom are physical actions that combine movement, intention and sensory input. These actions create a narrative the mind follows, which can strengthen the practitioner’s command over the situation. Symbolic gestures work because they align will, body and sight into a coherent directive.
- Physical cleansing. Smoke cleansing with incense or herbs, salt water washes, and carefully managed candle work are common. Fire and smoke symbolise transformation and removal, water symbolises flow and dissolving, and salt is used for absorption and boundary. Burning herbs or candles requires proper fire safety precautions, adequate ventilation and attentive handling. Never leave flames unattended. Use trays and fireproof containers, and keep water or a fire extinguisher nearby if needed.
- Threshold magic. Doors, windows and mirrors often hold or reflect energies. Practise clearing doorways by smudging thresholds, sprinkling salt lines, anointing frames with water or oil, or using short banishing gestures at each entry point. These actions are practical because they address the most likely avenues of re-entry.
- Words, commands and sigils. Spoken phrases, chants and sigils focus intention and provide a clear instruction to the perceived influence. Simple direct commands that name the unwanted element and order it to leave are standard. When using spoken commands, speak clearly and with conviction. The psychological effect is important, because the practitioner’s own resoluteness supports other measures.
Practitioners who need to develop sustained presence and charge for banishing will find it useful to review methods for building attention over time, including simple daily energy practices and focused breathing. For instructions on cultivating that capacity, see how to build energy and intention over time.
Banishing Negative Energy: Common Problems
Banishing work often fails or produces disappointing results for predictable reasons. Being clear about these problems improves skill and reduces wasted effort.
- Vague intention. Without a clear target the work lacks direction. Saying "clear the room" is less effective than naming a feeling, a sensation or a sign that indicates the presence. Define what leaves, and what staying would look or feel like.
- The vacuum effect. Removing an unwanted presence creates an empty space. If that vacuum is not filled with clear intention, protection or a desired condition, something else often moves in to occupy it. After banishing, seal the result with a short warding, fresh water or a stated positive intention to anchor the new state.
- Poor grounding. Starting a banishing without grounding can make the practitioner feel scattered or drained. Grounding methods include steady breathing, feeling the feet on the floor, eating something solid afterwards, or visualising roots into the earth. Ground both before and after the ritual to avoid lingering agitation.
- The last stand phenomenon. Many disturbances resist at the end, producing a surge of noise or emotion as they attempt to remain. Expect this. Maintain composure, hold the intent firmly and follow through with a concise closing action, such as a final sound, a salt line, or speaking a closing statement that marks the end of the work.
- Overuse and hypervigilance. Constantly repeating banishing rituals for minor concerns creates anxiety and may strengthen the sense of threat rather than reduce it. Use regular maintenance cleanses for ordinary fluctuation, reserve full banishing for persistent or severe issues, and keep a log so patterns become clear rather than emotional.
- Ethical and effectiveness limits. Attempting to banish another person, to force an outcome or to avoid legal and medical action raises ethical and practical problems. Where outcomes involve health, safety or law, prioritise appropriate professional measures first. If the work addresses interpersonal conflict, pair any ritual with boundary setting and communication.
It helps to periodically check protection systems to ensure they still meet current needs. For guidance on that process, see review your protection magic.
Where to start
For a practical beginning, choose a simple, safe technique and a single clear intention. Try a five minute breath and visualisation exercise. Sit comfortably, breathe slowly in for four counts, visualise a bright white in breath, breathe out for six counts visualising dark smoke carrying away the unwanted element. Repeat for five cycles, then seal with a final slow breath and a short grounding action such as touching a table or stepping outside. Record what changed, and repeat no more than once a day while observing whether the issue responds. If problems include health, safety or legal elements, prioritise professional help.
Banishing is a useful and effective set of practices when applied with clear intention, ethical care and practical caution. It works best when combined with grounding, follow up protection and ordinary life measures. State limits frankly, avoid bypassing necessary action, and treat banishing as one tool among many for maintaining safety and clarity.
If you want to go further with this, my class Why Your Spells Don’t Stick covers why your spells are not getting the results you want. I walk you through it step by step so you can apply it to your own practice rather than just read about it.