The ritual of smudging to clear out old energy and cleanse and purify your space is one that has been used by indigenous peoples for millennia.
Practice of sage burning also carries medicinal benefits. The ancients knew! Research shows that burning sage kills 94% of airborne bacteria in an hour of burning. The disinfection was maintained up to 24h in the closed room.
The herbs used to make smudge sticks are usually white sage, sweetgrass, or cedar, although any dried herb is fine, even lavender. White sage, or sage, are the most common. Choose an herb that doesn’t have a woody stem, or if there is such a stem, make the bundle of leaves that you pull off.
White Sage and Sweetgrass
A reason to choose white sage is because the leaf clusters are very long, and the leaves will smolder for quite a long time. Sweetgrass has a lovely, light sweet odor, but it burns very quickly. Many spiritual healers believe that sweet grass brings a high level of spirituality and burns away negativity. Cedar is very strong, and is considered powerful for removing negativity, but you need to remove the woody stems as much as possible.
Honor the tradition of honoring the plants with appreciation for using their leaves if you make your own smudge sticks. Smudge “sticks” are available in New Age stores and some health food stores; look for sticks that indicate that the herbs have been gathered with principle.
Many people burn smudge in a big shell, using it as an ashtray. An ashtray will also work. So that you don’t start a fire you’ll want to burn the smudge in a container that contains the flames. I open the smudge bundle and pull out leaves and light them, as opposed to lighting the whole smudge stick on fire.
Light the dried leaves, and once there is a good flame, blow it out so that the leaves smoke. The burning leaves will smolder, and the smoke will waft into the home. Walk around with the ashtray (smoking herbs included.) Make sure the smoke reaches into all the areas of a room you want.
When to smudge, and why?
Smudging is great to use to clear out unwanted energy no matter what that energy is. I think that this is because the sage permeates the air, shifting and changing it. Smudge after a fight, when you’ve cleaned out a closet, after working all day, or if someone has been sick. Or smudge after any other thing that you sense has been stressful in some way and you would benefit if it were removed.
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