Smudging 101

Smudging is a common spiritual practice for many religions around the world. Smudging is a simple act of prayer, blessing, and healing in which a bundle of herbs, resins, or incenses are used to consecrate a space and those within it as being energetically cleansed and spiritually charged. Herbs such as white sage, sweetgrass, cedar, tobacco, and mugwort are some of the more common herbs used to purify and bless a space.

Herbs are chosen for specific reasons or for personal preferences. I prefer mugwort, lavender, and sweetgrass because I do a lot of readings and other like activities for my shop and need the psychic kick. The sweetgrass takes the bite out of the mugwort, sweetens the energy in the home, and lavender relaxes and soothes the nerves on busy days. My circle uses a mixture of Stargate smudge...rosemary, white sage, wild mountain sage, rosemary, and sweetgrass.. for blessings, healing, and rejuvenation between circles. The most common smudge is white sage.

When you begin to work with smudges, you will likely begin with white sage either loose or in bundles. Choose sage that has a fresh scent and is dried but still pliable. Mountain sage is a bit thinner in leaf and branch and has a softer scent. In addition to mixing other herbs with white sage or mountain sage, flowers may also be mixed with it to soften the scent. Flowers that work well with sage include orange blossom, rose, apple blossom, azalea, lavender, heather, and rosemary flowers.

Traditional smudges are crafted in two ways. They are either loose and burned in a shell, brass container, or bowl or they are bound together in stick form and used with a shell or a bowl. Whether you choose a beautiful abalone shell, a clay bowl, or brass smudge pot, they should all be safe to use with burning herbs. Traditionally a fan is used to move the smoke from the herbs around the room. Some use a special fan crafted with beautiful feathers, leather, beads, and shells or a single feather dressed with beads, or plain. Other types of fans are crafted with braided grasses, strips of palms, or simply the hand of the one performing the smudging.

Two of the most common questions I receive are how do I know when I need to smudge and how do I smudge my home? When the energy in your home begins to feel heavy and it begins to affect you, it is time to smudge. A general guideline would include the following:

If you have recently moved into a new space.
If you have recently acquired a room mate or extended guests.
If you have a new pet.
If you have recently renovated your home or office.
If you have recently been through a life changing event such as divorce, marriage, adoption, birth, death, career change, or illness.
If you are retiring, switching from out of home work to home based work, or have recently become unemployed.
Energy shifts through personal or Earth based shifting.
If you have an illness in the home that is not respiratory based.
If you have chosen a new or different path.
If you have spiritual activity in the home or heightened psychic awareness.
If your home feels “heavy” or you have trouble focusing.
If you have a high stress job or have a high stress commute.

Traditionally women performed the smudging ceremony in both Celtic and Native American cultures. The only exception was when a woman is on her moon time. This is not a punishment, rather it is the train of thought that a woman is already undergoing a purification so the smudge is best used for those who are not. In some Celtic traditions women on their moon time are considered to be at the peak of their power. Other exceptions include women who are pregnant or who are ill with respiratory ailments.

Before smudging any space, including yourself, place all of your smudging items in your sacred space or in the center of your circle. Taking a white candle, say a prayer or blessing over the candle and light it. Pass each item through the smoke of the candle blessing each one. Your smudge and all of your tools are not ready to use.

To smudge the body, begin at the crown chakra and move around the body being careful not to singe the hair or clothing. All chakra points should be smudged including the 0 chakra found between the arches of the feet. You may also begin with the soles of the feet and move upward around the body beginning on the right side and moving around. Either way is correct.

When smudging a space, light your candle with intention and focus. When all items have been passed through the candle smoke and properly charged, light the end of the smudge stick or loose smudge. Beginning from the front door and moving clockwise around your home carry the smudge of your choice into each room. Beginning with a clockwise direction in each room, fan the smoke into every corner, crevice, under furniture, in closets, everywhere negative energy could hide. As you leave the room, open the window and smudge the inside of the window as well. Leave the window open and close the door on the way out. Continue in every room and closet of the home in this way until you once again reach the front door. Be sure to also smudge the entry way, front porch, garage, or patio. If you spend a lot of time in your car, smudge it as well.

When you are done, extinguish your smudge in a bit of sand and either bury it if there is nothing left, or carefully pack it away once it has cooled and no longer smoldering for your next smudging session. You should smudge whenever you feel the energy in your home shift. If it becomes heavy it is time to smudge. It should be done at least once a month to clear out any negative energy we bring into the home with us and especially after any type of illness.

Smudging is a wonderful and simple way to turn ordinary events such as Spring cleaning or welcoming a new month into a sacred event to be cherished.