Smudging is neither magic nor voodoo. It is spiritual and cleansing your home, office, or personal space can improve your daily life, mood, and performance.
Smudging has been around for thousands of years! I am not a ritual expert, but I have done extensive research on smudging and the results I got were extremely positive! Smudging proves to be very effective. Although your neighbors might look at you like you are a little wacko. Smudging your home will have a direct effect on your overall mood and you will experience a dramatic reduction in stress. Although you may assume it is difficult, it really isn’t! Smudging is very simple and anyone could do it.
Essentially, smudging is the burning of a sacred spice or incense. It is almost like an energetic shower for your home. It is mostly been performed by ancient Greece and Asia. Burning dried white sage dates all the way back to 2,000 years ago! Shamans often use this to force negative entities such as conflict, anger, illness, or evil to flee. The effects you receive by smudging depends on the type of herb you burn. For example, Sage is commonly used to rid people of illness and promote healthier living. Cedar can be utilized to cleanse a home of previous spirits and entities before moving in.
Here Are the Most Commonly Used Herbs for Smudging
- Sweetgrass – Love blessing
- Lavender – Safeguard against evil
- Copal – A gift to please the gods.
- Frankincense – Cleanse and protect the soul
- Myrrh – Enlightenment
How To Smudge
- Open a window or door, and place herbs in a shell, clay bowl, and light them with a wooden match. Then blow the flame out to smolder.
- “Take that smoke and metaphorically wash your hands in the smoke, take some over your eyes, your ears, your heart, and your brain,” Criger says. “Breathe a little bit in, and waft a little bit over your body.”
- When you finish leave the bowl in a safe place and let it burn, filling the room with fragrant smoke. Treat any leftover ashes with intention. A proper way to dispose of them is to take them outdoors and leave them on the earth, says Criger.
“We are not supposed to carry or keep those ashes,” he says. “It’s what’s left over from that ceremony of cleansing yourself. Some of our spiritual beliefs are that what you clean off goes somewhere and it’s contained in those ashes and it should be put out.”