Smudging. What is it?

You may have heard of people smudging their homes or themselves and wonder… what?! The short answer is that smudging is the act of burning sage (or other alternatives*) and wafting the smoke throughout the home or around the body to energetically cleanse and purify the area.

Smudging is a common Indigenous practice often used during ceremony for spiritual purification. Today, many use it for clearing negative energy or “bad vibes” from their living space. The idea is that the smoke from the sage attaches itself to the negative energy and transmutes it. Personally, I like to smudge my entire condo at least four times a year during the solstices and equinoxes to clear out the old energy and make room for the new. If I’m feeling more emotional (read: irritable, moody, angry, sad, unmotivated, etc.), I’ll try to do it with the monthly full moon.

WebMD interviewed me to better understand why people are smudging and what it does. Please read the WebMD article for more good tidbits.

Smudging is easy and it doesn’t take a long time. It’s a wonderful thing to add to your routine if you want a more peaceful home or deepen your meditation and/or spiritual practice.

Here’s what you need: a dried bundle of sage, a lighter or match, a fire-safe bowl to catch the ash

HOW TO SMUDGE YOUR HOME:

• For air circulation, it’s good to have a fan going or windows open so smoke can escape
• Set an intention, prayer, mantra, or affirmation (ex: I intend to clear this space of energy that is not serving me)
• Light one end of your smudge bundle
• Let it burn for a few seconds until it smokes, then blow out the flame
• Start at the front of your home and waft the sage (like a wand) around windows, doors, crevices, etc. while stating your intention
• Be sure to cover any high traffic areas in your home *remember you’re not fumigating your home here :)*
• Catch any ash from the sage in your bowl, you can re-light if necessary
• Continue from room to room clockwise until you get to the back of your home
• When done, gently press the sage into a fire-safe bowl to extinguish
• Voila! You just cleansed your home!

HOW TO SMUDGE YOURSELF:

• Set an intention, prayer, mantra, or affirmation (ex: Bless this body for it’s highest good)
• Light one end of your smudge bundle
• Let it burn for a few seconds until it smokes, then blow out the flame
• Begin to waft the sage in one direction (start either at your head or feet) while stating your intention
• Make sure to cover all sides of your body (I like making circles)
• When done, gently press the sage into a fire-safe bowl to extinguish
• Voila! You just purified your body!

Other times it’s good to sage are after an argument, before moving into a new space, or when bringing in a new piece of furniture. Or just follow your intuition. 🙂

I am aware that some people do not like smoke, have respiratory challenges, or in some spaces smoke isn’t allowed indoors. I have an option for you too! I created a SMUDGE spray that does the same thing. I use this a lot in my office as I want to be courteous to my neighbors. My spray is a combination of essential oils of sage, palo santo, frankincense, black spruce, and ylang ylang and it smells FANTASTIC. You can find it in my shop HERE.

HAPPY SMUDGING!!!

* Other alternatives instead of sage are: palo santo, cedarwood, copal, frankincense, cedargrass