The principles of physical consent and touch consent are just starting to get the attention they deserve as we become more aware and cognizant of our interpersonal actions on a societal level and individually. We’re also learning that consent applies to so much more than our physical bodies and this includes our energy.
What is Consent?
At its core, consent is persimmon, an agreement to do something or to have something happen. Consent can be given, revoked, and denied at any time for any reason.
What is energetic consent?
Energetic consent is permission given or denied to another individual to interact with you on an energetic level. This is any method of practice where another person accesses, reads or interprets your energy.
For example, each time you have a tarot reading, the person doing the reading taps into your energy and interprets the cards drawn in conjunction with your overall energetics. This is not an issue if you have asked for the reading and both you and the reader agree to the terms of this interaction. This is wrong if you as the receiver/querent have not asked for or are not okay with this tarot reading.
What’s the Problem?
Just like our physical bodies, our energy is personal, divine, and sacred. It belongs to only us. We have the right to control who, how, and when our energy is accessed. No one for any reason has the right to access our energy without our consent.
Why is this an Issue?
It is unethical, invasive, and wrong to access another persons energy without their consent. If you have ever had anyone say, ‘hey, I did a spell for you‘, or anything similar, then you know how violating it feels.
Any time someone accesses your energy without your consent, you have no idea what their purpose was, what they did, or if it was in alignment with your principles and values. Anything they may have set into motion or stopped was not done in your best interest or for your highest possible good, it was done for their benefit on your behalf. This is unacceptable.
If this has ever happened to you, take time, and utilizing your method of choice, cut all energetic ties with the offender. Release them from your energetic field and patch up any holes or cracks that may be present. Reinforce your energetic boundaries and know you have control over what happens to your energy.
Best Practices
While many of us may ask or be asked to connect with the energy of another person, anytime we are the ones accessing the energy of another person there is only one rule:
You must ask for their consent BEFORE you do anything and you must honor the response given.
What to Avoid
Avoid any actions, practices, or rituals unsolicited or unknown to the other person involving their energy, aura, or spiritual being AND/OR anything where consent has been denied or revoked.
This includes:
- Tarot, rune, oracle, or other divination readings
- Spell or intention work
- Generating or drawing sigils
- Meditation to connect with someone
- Energy work on a situation you are not involved in
- Prayer or rituals directed at another person
- Reading or interpreting a birth chart
- Accessing Akashic Records
- Any other practice or method involving others
If you want to do any of these things for someone you know, that’s great, just ask them first! No one wants to hear ‘hey, I did this reading for you, is that okay?‘. No, it’s not okay! Your intention or purpose for what you did is irrelevant; you did it without consent.
What To Do
Ask! It’s that simple.
- If they say yes, great.
- Proceed with only what you proposed to them and what they gave consent on.
- If they say no, stop.
- That’s the end of this transaction, full stop.
- If they say maybe or do not give a clear yes, hit pause.
- Maybe they need to think about your offer and that is okay. Give them a bit of time and ask again if that is appropriate. Anything other than a clear ‘yes’ means under no circumstance should you move forward with what you proposed or any other act involving that person’s energy.
IMPORTANT ➨ If you do not feel comfortable enough to ask someone if what you want to do is okay, you should not being doing it at all anyway.
Going Forward
If you found yourself having an ‘oh, shit‘ moment while you read this and realized you have violated someones energetic consent, you need to acknowledge the violation, cut energetic ties to that person, tell them what has happened, apologize, and never do it again.
If you found yourself having an ‘oh, shit‘ moment while you read this and realized someone has violated your energetic consent, tell them. What they did is not okay and it cannot happen again. Their ignorance to consent is not an excuse and you and your energy deserve respect.
If you found yourself having an ‘oh, shit‘ moment while you read this and realized this is new information to you, that’s okay, you’re learning. The important thing now is to take this information and make choices and take actions that are based on consent.
