Smudging & Saging Guide
I recently, smudged my sister’s new room when I came to help her move. She obviously felt the need to Instagram it and explain to her roommates the smell, so I thought I might explain the simple act of smudging.
Smudging is the practice of ridding your environment or particular possessions of negative energy. It’s most commonly done by using a smudge stick, made up of sage leaves bundled with twine. Though you can use a variety of herbs or wooden sticks to smudge, sage is so popular that people also refer to smudging as “saging”. This symbolic ceremony is common to Feng shui practice as well as native American traditions and alternative healing practices. The ceremony involves burning the end of the smudge stick and filling the room or area with the fragrance the smoke to clear the negative energy. It’s common to smudge a couple times a year but some even do it weekly or even daily around their work areas.
Now before you get all closed minded, there is medical research that supports the increase in air quality it provides. “Scientists have observed that sage can clear up to 94 percent of airborne bacteria in a space and disinfect the air. When sage is burned, it releases negative ions, which is linked to putting people into a positive mood.” Negative ions help neutralize positive ions known as free radicals before they can cause harm.
I smudge my house and crystals weekly and my desk space almost daily. I find that right before I sit down to begin my work for the day that smudging my work space is a great refresh button and helps clear my mind of the rest of the world. Smudging to me is a placebo effect of reminding myself to be positive and be present. When you’re smudging your house, you are doing it in a quiet manner while you envision ridding the space of negative to make room for positive. The best and most useful time to smudge is when you move into a new place and in someway it's the first thing you do to make the place yours. Smudging gives me a better sense of belonging to the space.
Smudging might seem a tad bit intimidating but it’s really easy. I promise you will not burn the house down. I remember my first time I did it, I had to google it. Now a days, I use either sage bundle or palo santo sticks. Most the time I use both. First, the sage for riding the negative energy and then palo santo for it's uplifting and positive effects. Palo santo sticks smell like pine mixed with citrus and a favorite for our household. But feel free to also use cedar wood, lavender, etc. for various needs. If you really want to be unique, you can even make your own stick with various bundled herbs.
HOW TO SMUDGE:
To smudge, you hold the stick on one end while lighting the other end on fire. Let burn for a couple seconds before extinguishing the flame and letting the smoke billow from the stick’s end. Crack the windows and doors before smudging so the negative energy can exit. You walk around your room slowly (ideally in one direction) letting the smoke flow to every corner and nook. When you’re done, snuff it our in a fireproof container. I use a little clay bowl to put the sticks in after I use them. That’s it! See links below for all the goods.
To cleanse your crystals through smudging, lay them out on a counter and circle the smoke around them while mentally asking the crystals to release their negative energy and old programming. This something you should do routinely especially for crystals that absorb negative energy like black tourmaline, obsidian, and selenite. Would you want to know more about crystals and/or ridding your environment of free radicals?
XO Amy Lee
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