A whiff of burning sage, the steady pulse of a drum, a feather wafting smoke just so—shamans have been clearing out spiritual cobwebs for millennia, weaving rituals that feel as natural as the seasons turning. Here’s how the magic usually unfolds:

1. Smudging with Sacred Herbs
   White sage, cedar, sweetgrass or palo santo get the spotlight. As smoke curls upward, it’s believed to hitch a ride on negative vibes and carry them off into the sky. Think of it as opening all the windows after a rainstorm, letting fresh air sweep through.

2. Drumming and Rattling
   The heartbeat rhythm of a drum or the jingle of a rattle shifts the energy field. That repetitive, trance-like beat can crack open stuck emotions, letting stagnant pockets loosen. Modern sound-healing workshops borrow the same principle—vibrations that realign mind, body and spirit.

3. Water and Salt Baths
   A shamanic bath often features sea salt, sage infusions or rose petals. Bathing becomes more than hygiene; it transforms into a ritual of washing off energetic debris. It’s like hitting “refresh” on a browser that’s been running too many tabs.

4. Spirit-Animal Allies and Visualization
   Guided into a drum-driven journey, the client meets power animals or ancestral guides. Envisioning a white light or pure waterfall pouring down can feel surprisingly vivid—enough to chase away dark clouds hanging overhead.

5. Fire Ceremonies
   Writing worries on paper and tossing them into flames symbolizes surrender. Watching the smoke rise anchors the intention: “These burdens are leaving.” Festivals in Bolivia and Peru still light communal fires for this exact purpose.

6. Earth-Connecting Rituals
   Burying symbolic tokens in the soil or standing barefoot on the earth taps into grounding energy. A recent uptick in “forest medicine” retreats in Scandinavia shows how nature’s stillness can mirror the shamanic clearing process.

Between Netflix’s latest shamanic documentaries and Silicon Valley execs booking ayahuasca ceremonies, these age-old methods keep popping up in unexpected corners. It goes to show: no matter how high-tech life gets, there’s always room to sweep out the spiritual attic—and let fresh energy move in.