How to Perform a Smudging Ritual

When speaking of a sage wand for smudging I don't mean cooking sage, but rather sage that has been cut from a sage brush plant (like you see here) and tied together with thread or string into a wand.

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Smudging is the act of wafting smoke over yourself and/or your possessions in order to purify them. The idea behind this is that people and things can collect energy that is not always good. When it is not good, it can affect us in ways that aren’t so positive, like weakening our immune system so that we get sick. Some things that can cause this to happen are arguments, coming into contact with someone who is angry with us, or jealous of us. Sometimes we even alter our own energy signature when we feel depressed or sad. Smudging is one way that we can help clear our energy signature or the more common word would be aura. When you do so, you will find that you feel better--and more positively. Most people who know about smudging associate it with a sage wand. While sage is the more powerful of the plants which can be used for this purpose, sweetgrass and cedar can be just as effective. Read on to learn more.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Sage, sweetgrass, or cedar
A ceramic bowl or abalone shell
A candle
A lighter or matches

Step1

Open a window or door close to where you will be performing your smudging ceremony. You want to give the smoke an avenue to escape outside. The idea behind this is that the smoke carries your thoughts and prayers to the divine--whatever your understanding of the divine is. It cannot do this if it does not have an avenue to the outdoors.

Step2

Light your candle.

Step3

Put the end of your sage wand, or braided sweetgrass or cedar leaf in the flame. Allow it to burn only for a few seconds before blowing it out. The smoke is what you are after--not a fire!

Step4

Hold the smoldering sage, sweetgrass or cedar in one hand and with the other hand wave the smoke over yourself.

Step5

If your sage, sweetgrass or cedar goes out completely and stops smoking before you have completed your ritual. Then, relight it and continue until you've waved the smoke over your whole body.

Step6

Once you are done, make certain that your sage, sweetgrass or cedar is completely out. Then, blow out your candle. This concludes your smudging ritual.

Tips & Warnings

Sage has a tendency to smolder a long time and it can still be lit even when you think it is not. It is always a good idea to hold your sage wand in front of a light source to see if there is a small amount of smoke coming from it. If so, grind the end that you originally lit into your ceramic bowl or abalone shell until you are certain it is out. Never leave sage alone if it is smoking even a little bit.
Sage in particular, although this can also be true of sweetgrass and cedar, can drop burning embers when you are smudging. It’s a good idea to hold your ceramic bowl or abalone shell beneath a smoldering item. Or you can just leave the smoldering item in your ceramic bowl or abalone shell and then just direct the smoke over you with your hands.
Abalone shells have holes in them, so if you are using one to hold your smudging tool, be sure to have a ceramic plate underneath so no burning embers can fall through the holes.
While you are smudging, add a prayer or two, or if you’re not religious think positive thoughts about yourself, or use affirmations.
If you purchase things second hand, smudging them is a good way to disperse any energy from the previous owners and make the item truly yours.
Those that use cedar, usually do so because they’ve picked it themselves or because they've picked some leaves up from the ground around a cedar tree. Be sure that you always give cedar leaves time to dry out thoroughly before burning them. They have a lot of oil in the leaves and they don’t burn well when freshly picked from a tree or even off the ground.
Smudging should never be a substitute for getting medical treatment. If you are severely depressed, anxious or sad or if you have some other health issue then you should get medical treatment. A smudging ritual is meant to supplement medical treatment, not replace it.
Smudging is very personal. While you may find it soothing and very helpful in making you feel positive and good, you should never smudge another individual without their permission. This is a violation of their right of choice. In Native American tradition as well as other traditions which use smudging, this is wrong and can actually affect you in a negative way if you do it.