What is smudging and how do I do it?
Smudging is one of the many rituals that has stood the test of time firmly and has found its way to the western societies to allow us to reconnect with our deep rooted ancestry. We use a variety of herbs, oils, flowers and wood in smudging for different effects, but at the root of each of these different methods the aim is to clear away what no longer serves us in the form of energy and bring in a fresher/cleaner energy and perspective.
So where does smudging come from?
It has been and is still currently used to this day in many different religions and practices. For example, religions such as the Roman Catholic Church use frankincense for purification but they saw the burning of sage as witchcraft, Buddhist temples use incense and native elders used herbs such as sage and sweetgrass to clear negative energy and restore harmony. Smudging is a ceremony that dates back to prehistoric times so it is AMAZING that today in 2023 people like you and me are carrying on the sacred tradition.
How to hold a cleansing ceremony/ritual?
First of all you need to chose which smudging herb/plant you resonate with. There are a wide variety of types (a few of which we stock on our website) so do some research and see what you feel you are pulled towards. The most common are white sage and Palo Santo.
If using sage, we recommend that rather than lighting the full stick, you pull of some of the dried herb and burn it in a bowl or shell to prevent the whole thing burning up.
- Pull yourself in to the present moment, while lighting a candle really try to focus your attention on what you are doing. Open a window/door so that the energy released can leave the room, but not available set your intention for the energy to go back to source.
- Take your smudge stick/bowl with herbs in and light from the candle or lighter.
- Once it is alight and thoroughly smoking blow out the fire and allow the heat to smoulder leaving you with the beautiful smoke to cleanse with.
- Take in a conscious breath and allow the scent to fill your nostrils and bring the grounding sense of calm over you.
- Starting from the head and working your way down allow the smoke to cleanse your aura and physical body front and back, if you have a feather to hand use this to fan the smoke around you to get a ‘cleaner’ cleanse. This also utilises the element of air which aids in the removal of stagnant energy.
- Recite an incantation if you wish, for example “with this sacred Palo Santo I remove any stagnant and negative energy that is not serving my highest good. I release any cords connected to me that are draining my energy and send them back to where they came. I bring in the highest vibrational frequency of light to surround me and cleanse my mind, body and aura.”
- Repeat as often as you feel is needed and if possible do this at the end of the day before bed.
When used daily, this tool can be extremely helpful in helping us stay in our hearts centre and not attach to the negative things in our lives.
Please share this with anyone who you feel would be open to this sacred cleansing ritual and help them reap the benefits!
Lots of love,
Kayley xox