Quick Guide
Asking Archangel Michael to “clear your energy” is a guided visualisation with a prayer at each end: you sit quietly, picture a golden light moving through your body, ask for help letting go of what weighs on you, and give thanks. For people whose tradition includes angels, it can be a comforting ten minutes, and the calm it produces is real. It comes from the sitting, the slow breathing and the imagery, not from a change to any energy field, because no such field has been found. This guide gives the practice cleanly, explains what a guided visualisation actually does, and is clear about the one thing the old version got wrong: when “negative energy overtaking your life” is low mood that needs more than a visualisation.
The earlier article promised that this practice would “increase your auric field”, “call forth blessings” and let you “speak the divine truth”, and framed persistent heaviness as energy picked up from other people, with empaths especially at risk. Those claims do not hold up and the last one can keep someone from getting help. The practice underneath is a perfectly good one when it is described honestly, and many people, religious and not, find a golden-light visualisation a pleasant way to settle.
What a guided visualisation does
Guided imagery is a recognised relaxation technique: you sit or lie still, breathe slowly, and hold a calming image in mind while a script directs your attention through the body. The NCCIH’s guidance on relaxation techniques lists guided imagery alongside breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation as generally safe practices that can reduce stress for some people. The mechanism is not mysterious. Slow breathing lowers heart rate; a fixed image gives a restless mind something to hold; moving attention from head to feet is a body scan; and the frame of being helped by a kind presence is comforting in the same way that a prayer or a reassuring voice is. Warmth and tingling, which the old article attributed to the light, are what the body produces when it is still and attended to.
The practice, ten minutes
- Sit somewhere you will not be disturbed. A chair with your feet on the floor is better than lying down for this one; it keeps you awake. Hands in your lap.
- Three slow breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth, letting the shoulders drop on each out-breath.
- Ask. In your own words or the traditional ones: “Archangel Michael, and any who watch over me, please help me let go of what I am carrying and be at peace.” If angels are not part of your belief, address the request to whatever you do trust, or simply to yourself.
- Picture a warm golden light above your head. Let it settle onto the crown, then slowly down through the face, the throat, the chest, the belly, the hips, the legs and the feet, taking a breath or two at each place. Do not rush; the slowness is the practice.
- At the chest, pause. Notice whatever is there, a worry, a memory, a tightness, without arguing with it. Let the light rest on it for a few breaths. You are not forcing anything out; you are letting it be seen.
- Let the light fill the whole body and hold that picture for a minute or two, breathing slowly. If the mind wanders, bring it back to the warmth.
- Let the light go. Picture it lifting away, taking with it whatever you are ready to set down today. Some things will stay; that is fine.
- Give thanks and close. “Thank you for your help. Please keep guiding me.” Open your eyes, and sit for a moment before standing.
Ten minutes is enough. Daily or weekly both work. If you prefer a hands-on version, self-Reiki practice moves attention through the same sequence with the hands resting on each place, and the two can be combined.
What the practice can and cannot do
| What it can do | What was claimed, and is not so |
|---|---|
| Settle you for ten minutes through breath, stillness and imagery | Clear negative energy from your aura or field; no field has been detected |
| Give a religious person a form of prayer that includes the body | Increase your auric field or call forth blessings |
| Let you notice what you are carrying without being overwhelmed by it | Remove bad memories or fear; they are set down for a while, not taken away |
| Become a regular anchor in a difficult stretch | Fix a heaviness that has lasted weeks; that needs a doctor or therapist |
| Be done by anyone, religious or not, with the wording adjusted | Work only for empaths, or be needed by them more than by others |
When it is not energy. The old article opened with “times when your negative energy might overtake your life”. If heaviness, low mood, dread or exhaustion have lasted more than a couple of weeks, are affecting sleep, appetite or work, or come with thoughts of not wanting to be here, that is not energy from other people and a visualisation is not the answer. It is the ordinary territory of a doctor or therapist, and going to one is the strong, sensible move. Keep the practice if it comforts you; do not let it stand in for the appointment. The Reiki safety guide sets out the same boundary for every practice on this site.
On empaths and “picking up” energy
Some people are more sensitive to the moods of others; that is a real trait, and it makes crowded rooms and difficult conversations more tiring for them. What they are picking up is expression, tone and their own empathy, not an energy that attaches to them. The practical remedies are the same as for anyone who is drained by people: time alone afterwards, sleep, boundaries on how much difficult listening you do in a day, and a practice like this one to mark the end of the day. How to protect your aura takes the same approach to “protection”: useful habits, honestly described.
Adapting the wording
- Christian readers may prefer to address the prayer to God, or to keep Michael, who has a long place in Christian tradition as a protector.
- Readers of other faiths can address it within their own tradition; the visualisation does not depend on who is asked.
- Non-religious readers can drop the address entirely and simply picture the light and set down what they are carrying. The practice works the same, which is itself a clue to where its benefit comes from.
Key Takeaways
- Asking Archangel Michael to clear energy is a guided visualisation with a prayer at each end, and guided imagery is a recognised relaxation technique.
- Its calm comes from breath, stillness and imagery; no energy field is changed, because none has been found.
- Ten minutes in a chair, light moving from crown to feet, a pause at the chest, let it go, give thanks.
- Heaviness that has lasted weeks is a matter for a doctor or therapist, not for a visualisation.
- Empaths are drained by people, not by energy; rest and boundaries are the remedy.
Related reading
- Self-Reiki practice: a comfortable routine and clear limits
- Reiki vs faith healing
- How to protect your aura: useful habits, honestly described
- Clearing negative energy from a room: what really works
- The five Reiki precepts as a daily practice
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does asking Archangel Michael to clear energy involve?
A ten-minute guided visualisation: sitting quietly, asking for help, picturing a golden light moving from crown to feet, letting it go, and giving thanks.
2. Does it actually clear negative energy?
No energy field has been detected, so nothing is cleared. The calm comes from breath, stillness and imagery, which is a recognised relaxation technique.
3. Is guided visualisation a real technique?
Yes. Guided imagery is listed by the NCCIH among relaxation practices that are generally safe and may reduce stress for some people.
4. Why do I feel warm or tingly during it?
Because you are sitting still, breathing slowly and attending to the body. Those sensations appear in any body scan and do not indicate light or energy.
5. Do I have to believe in angels?
No. Address the request to God, to your own tradition, or to no one. The visualisation works the same, which shows where the benefit comes from.
6. Who is Archangel Michael?
An archangel in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition, often regarded as a protector. Addressing a calming practice to him is a form of prayer within those traditions.
7. How long should the practice take?
About ten minutes. Sitting in a chair is better than lying down, because it keeps you awake for the whole sequence.
8. Can it remove bad memories or fear?
It can help you set them down for a while and notice them without being overwhelmed. It does not take them away, and persistent fear or intrusive memories are for a therapist.
9. What if heaviness has lasted for weeks?
Then it is not energy and a visualisation is not the answer. Low mood, dread or exhaustion lasting more than a couple of weeks is a matter for a doctor or therapist.
10. Are empaths more affected by negative energy?
Some people are more sensitive to others’ moods and find people more tiring. They are picking up expression and tone, not energy. Rest, sleep and boundaries are the remedy.
11. Can I combine it with Reiki?
Yes. Self-Reiki moves the hands through the same sequence; you can rest the hands at each place as the light moves.
12. Does the light spinning counterclockwise matter?
No. Picture the light however is easiest to hold. Direction and speed are decoration.
13. How often should I do it?
Daily or weekly both work. It is most useful as a regular anchor, for example at the end of a working day.
14. Can it increase my auric field or bring blessings?
No. Those claims have no basis. It can give you ten calm minutes and a form of prayer that includes the body.
15. What is the honest benefit?
A settled ten minutes, a chance to notice what you are carrying, and, for a religious person, a prayer practice with the body in it. That needs no claim about energy.
Final thoughts
A golden light moving slowly from the crown to the feet, with a request for help at the start and thanks at the end, is a kind and steadying way to spend ten minutes, whoever you address it to. Keep it for what it is: a way of settling, and of noticing what you are carrying so that you can set some of it down. What it cannot do is clear an energy nobody has found, or stand in for a doctor when the heaviness has lasted too long. Held that way, it is a practice you can return to for years.
Evidence statements checked against the NCCIH relaxation-techniques guidance on 26 September 2026.
The concept of energy clearing is intriguing. It makes sense that we could be influenced by negative energies around us, especially for those with heightened sensitivity.
This article provides a detailed process for energy clearing. It might serve as a useful guide for people who believe in and practice these kinds of spiritual exercises.
Visualizing golden light and invoking Archangel Michael could be a soothing practice for those seeking mental clarity and peace. The described method sounds like it could have calming effects.
Empaths do seem to absorb a lot from their surroundings. Having a technique to clear out negative energy is probably very beneficial for them.
While the article presents an interesting approach to dealing with negative energy, it would be beneficial to see some scientific backing or studies related to the effectiveness of such practices.
The idea of using energy work to improve one’s life aligns with many ancient philosophical and spiritual traditions. It’s a fascinating blend of modern and traditional beliefs.