Photo: varuna & IgorZh / Shutterstock
Water, salt, and prayers are all you need.
By Megan Hatch — Last updated on Aug 19, 2022
If you've ever been to a Catholic Church, you may have seen little reservoirs of water by each door opening.
People put a finger into the water and then dab their forehead, making the sign of a cross before entering the church for mass. This is known as holy water.
What is holy water?
Holy water is most common among Lutherans, Roman, and Orthodox Catholics. Blessed and made by the priest, holy water provides a form of cleansing and protection.
Water represents a natural symbol of purification. The holy water that is blessed is used by religious people to cleanse and remove negative energy, either ritual or moral.
Holy water has to be blessed by a member of the clergy, like a priest, and is then used for baptisms, or to bless a person, home, or an article like a talisman.
You can use holy water to cleanse your home of negative energy, sprinkling it at the main entrances to your home, and around all your doors, windows, or any place you’ve been experiencing negative energy.
How is holy water made?
Because holy water is a cleansing method, there are a series of steps the priest or a religious practitioner follow in order to make it useable.
In Roman Catholicism, there are seven different types of holy water, and each one contains a different source added to it, including consecrated salt, oil, wine, and even ashes.
The most popular type of holy water is made with salt, which is added during a rite of blessing by a cleric. However, you can make your own holy water at home.
But to get truly “holy” water, you should have it blessed by an ordained member of the clergy.
Here's how to make your own holy water in 5 steps.
1. Gather your ingredients.
Making holy water only requires a few ingredients: water (from natural resources, like a lake or river), pure salt, and a bowl. Each ingredient is symbolic of something.
The water must be from a natural source because water is a creation of God. However, it is okay to use water from the tap. Be sure to boil your water thoroughly for 1-3 minutes to make sure it is filtered and clean.
As for the salt, the kind you use must be free from other ingredients. Salt is used in the process because it consumes positive energy and allows the water to be blessed.
2. Consecrate the salt.
After you've gathered your ingredients, take your pure salt (like Kosher salt or natural rock salt), and consecrate it by repeating the rite from the "Roman Ritual":
"Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
O salt, creature of God, I exorcise you by the living God, by the true God, by the holy God, by the God who ordered you to be poured into the water by Eliseo the Prophet so that its life-giving powers might be restored.
I exorcise you so that you may become a means of salvation for believers, that you may bring health of soul and body to all who make use of you, arid that you may put to flight and drive away from the places where you are sprinkled every apparition, villainy, and turn of devilish deceit, and every unclean spirit, adjured by Him who will come to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire. Amen."
3. Exorcise the water.
Before combining your salt and water, you will need to perform an exorcism over the water to purify it. This is done by repeating another rite from the "Roman Ritual":
"O water, creature of God, I exorcise thee in the name of God the Father Almighty, and in the name of Jesus Christ His Son, our Lord, and in the power of the Holy Ghost.
I exorcise thee so that thou mayest put to flight all the power of the enemy, and be able to root out and supplant that enemy with his apostate angels, through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will come to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire. Amen."
4. Pour the salt into the water in the shape of a cross.
After the salt has been consecrated and the water exorcised, grab a handful of salt. Then, slowly release it from your hand while making the sign of the cross.
Repeat another rite, saying, "May a mixture of salt and water now be made, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
5. Bless the water.
Once you've combined the salt and water, say the blessing from the "Novus Ordo Book of Blessings" while making a cross over the water:
"Blessed are you, Lord, Almighty God, who deigned us to bless in Christ, the living water of our salvation, and to reform us interiorly, grant that we who are fortified by the sprinkling or use of this water, the youth of the spirit being renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit, may walk always in the newness of life."
More for You:
Megan Hatch is a former contributor to YourTango who has had bylines on Medium, Buzzfeed, MSN Canada, Patch, Voice of America, Canyon News, and others. Follow her on Instagram and on Twitter for more.