THE big CLEANSE

WE’VE PURGED OUR KITCHEN CABINETS OF SUGAR AND CULLED THE CLOTHES THAT DON’T SPARK JOY, BUT WE MAY HAVE ARRIVED AT THE MOST BENEFICIAL (AND EASIEST) CLEANSE OF ALL

- BROOKE LE POER TRENCH

the whole crystals, energy-clearing, aura thing snuck up on me. It started fairly innocently when my aunt gave me a pink quartz crystal in a teeny drawstring linen bag. “It really helps with stress and draws good energy towards you,” she said. Did she mean to glance towards the living room strewn with toddler toys and the kitchen table piled high with work? In the past, I might have rolled my eyes. This time, a thought occurred to me: could I afford to turn away good vibes? By chucking this in a drawer, am I telling the universe I want bad ones? And so I did what investment bankers with helipads do all the time: I hedged my bets. I zipped the crystal safely into my handbag (where you can still find it) and got on with my life.

Fast forward two years, and as I type this I am (non-ironically) swigging water from a glass bottle with energising stones locked in the bottom and a motto that reads “Drink a little magic”. Full disclosure: I am supposed to cleanse it in the moonlight, but am yet to go full-tilt woo-woo, so for now it goes in the dishwasher. I also close my eyes and imagine my head is exploding with golden light when I get a headache (if it doesn’t work I take Panadol, obvs). Honestly, there’s so much angst in the world that I’ve grown fond of affirmations and small self-care efforts that are steeped in energy-healing – and it seems I’m not alone.