every step in your ritual must be associated with tranquility.
So the place, the time, and your state of mind at the time of the ritual are critical. But first, the amulets themselves. They are usually already imbued with intentions, not necessarily your own and not necessarily positive. Cleansing is meant to make them intention-neutral. I have a particular cleansing ritual that works for me. First, I use garden soil from a natural source (park, forest, flower patch, etc) I especially favor (not a bag of garden soil from Home Depot) to rub an amulet with, and I follow this with washing the amulet with running water afterwards, again, from the source I especially favor. It works well on metals especially. The circle helps isolate your body and focus your mind, but please don't allow your mind to wonder or focus on your anxieties once you step into the circle. The full moon may be a problem. It stimulates all impulses, both positive and negative, and, depending on how strong your self-control is, may bring about unintended consequences. Try new moon if you want to focus on tranquility, or half moon if you want to focus on balance.
= new reply since forum marked as read