The use of smoke to clear energy and create a sacred place for ritual and protection is rooted deeply in many traditions worldwide. There are many different substances that can be used in the act of smudging and the only limitations on what can be used are the ones that you set for yourself. (In some cases your choice of herbs may be limited by the time of year and/or your accessibility to the herbs in question. Smudging can be used to clear negative energy, to help you connect with Spirit, to give thanks, to bring peace. Follow your intuition and use it as it serves you best.
In order to smudge you will need:
1. Dry herbs, resin, incense or wood to burn
2. A fireproof container
3. Matches (a lighter can work in a pinch)
4. Something to extinguish the smudge
5. An open heart and willing spirit.
I was taught to smudge using sage, in a fireproof bowl or an abalone shell. Light the sage and allow it to smoke. Waft the smoke gently towards yourself in the following manner:
1. Cup the smoke with both of your hands and waft it over the top of your head.
2. Waft it over your face
3. Waft it over your throat
4. Waft it over your heart space
5. Finally stoop down and waft it from the earth and your feet, bringing it up over your head as you stand.
In the act of smudging, if your intent is to clear energy and negativity from yourself or your surroundings, it is vital that you set the intent to fill the space you are creating, with positivity, however that manifests in your world. I pray while I am smudging, and delight in the response of Spirit. For those of you whom have attended ceremonies I have performed you will know that my prayer changes depending on my/our intention. The most recent ceremony was performed to remind us to be grateful, and so our ceremony held the intention that, as we smudged ourselves, we paid attention to the significance of the areas we smudged; that we would be grateful in our thoughts, in our perceptions, with our words and be filled with gratitude within our heart spaces. Finally, that we honoured the Great Spirit and Mother Earth. Whatever your prayer is, let it be filled with positive intent and love, for as we do to ourselves, we do to others and as we do to others, we do to ourselves. Such is the balance of connection.
As previously mentioned, there are many herbs one can use while smudging. Some of the most common herbs and their general uses are:
1. Sage: for cleansing and purification
2. Cedar: to clear spirits and negative entities
3. Sweetgrass: for invocation
4. Lavender: to help with spiritual connection and clearing
5. Palo Santo: spiritual cleansing
Many of these herbs overlap and can be used interchangeably, although there are certain situations in which one herb or another may be the best fit for your intention.
Smudging may not only be done for personal cleansing, but for cleansing a space such as a room, office or entire building. It can be used to clean gemstones, tarot/divination cards, or anything else that appears to be holding or collecting energy. The process is the same, but instead of wafting the smoke over only yourself, walk with the smudge to the four corners of the room/building in a clockwise direction. If you're cleansing objects, pass them into the smoke in order to clear them, all the while holding your positive intentions.
Through ritual we are reminded of our connection with each other and the great I Am. The act of smudging helps us to tap into the purity of this connection and strengthens our awareness of it. May you find peace and remembrance in the smudge. May the Creator bless you on your journey.
All my relations,
Mandy
