Burning Sage also known as smudging is an ancient spiritual ritual.
Smudging has been well established as a traditional Native American practice which many healers use to offer blessings and purify people, places and objects. Although cedar, lavender and sweet grass are often used during smudging ceremonies for their ability to uplift, purify, and bring positivity into a space, the most common herb used is sage.
Smudging has long been used to connect to the spiritual realm or enchanted intuition.
Regardless of where you are on the spiritual path, if you’re in contact with any part of our materialistic world, you are bound to attract or experience negativity in some form, After all, opposites attract, like the moths to a flame.
For healers and laypeople in traditional cultures, burning sage is used to achieve a healing state or to solve or reflect upon spiritual dilemmas.
When you want to clear out the energy of a particular room, burning a sage smudging stick is an easy and effective way to do it. You can say an affirmation while rotating the sage stick to encourage peace, love, and happiness to fill the space.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be a shaman to use sage. We use it regularly as an essential spiritual tool to compliment our meditation practice and protect our energy fields.
If you’re interested in cleansing your body, mind, aura or just your physical space, try these tips for honoring the sacred tradition of smudging.
• Procure a Smudge Bowl
• Be Intentional
• Open your windows
• Light your sage
• Smudge Spaces/Objects
Light one end of the wand. Carefully allow the flame to go out so that the tips of the dried leaves are smoldering slowly, and let the smoke billow up. You can blow on the end to release more smoke and fan the smolder, (with a feather) but keep your face far away (at least two feet), because it’s typical for little sparks of ash to break off, and you don’t want them flying in your face.
Once you’ve finished smudging, extinguish your sage by rubbing it in dirt or sand, on concrete, or stamping it out in a ceramic bowl. (Whatever you do, just don’t put sticks out in water—you won’t be able to use them again.)