How to clear energy is a question I get asked A LOT! More “muggles” (people who have not practiced metaphysical activities) are understanding how the energy around them, affects them. Understanding that though we may not be able to see the energy around us, we are able to feel it and sometimes, it doesn’t feel so good.
A very common way to clear the energy in an area, around an item or around a person, it to use a technique called “Smudging”. This is a practice of burning a herbal material to purify and cleanse. The use of a Smudge smoke has been a practice since ancient times. The history of the word “Smudge” dates back as far as 1599 as being documented as a word in the English language. However, Smudging is a traditional method of cleansing for thousands of years. It has a deep history in many cultures all over the world and very prevalent in many cultures today. From Indigenous people of Canada to New Zeeland, Africa, Egypt & Asia and all over Europe.
To burn plants, herbs & leaves has been a sacred form of clearing energy. The practice of collecting, curing, lighting, and inhaling the smoke from smudging practices is seen as spiritual, medicinal and an everyday practice. Using certain herbs like Salvia Apiana, White Sage, Bee Sage or Sacred Sage, to light, smudge & smoke in an area has many health benefits as well as being antibacterial and anti-fungal. White Sage is an evergreen perennial that is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, found mainly in the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California and Baja California, on the western edges of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.
Some other medicinal & sacred natural materials used for clearing & purifying are Palo Santo , which is a type of ancient tree and Sweetgrass which is an aromatic herb native to northern Eurasia and North America. Both of the above mentioned with White Sage are currently heading in the direction of being added to the extinction listing/endangered species. It is very important that we cultivate these herbs and trees in a sustainable way. Doing our part as consumers to purchase from a VERY reputable growers is very important. Some other herbs to use instead of White Sage or Palo Santo are:
- Mugwort
- European Sage
- Rosemary
- Pine
- Lavender
- Juniper
- Vervain
- Cedar
In my personal practice, I grow my own Purple Sage which has beautiful leaves for rolling and the burn is pretty good & cedar from my own trees. I am lucky to live in Central Canada where wild “Sagebrush”, “Prairie Sage” & “Artemisia Ludovici Ana” are abundant and the look, feel and burn are very similar to Sacred Sage. Growing, loving, collecting, drying and burning your own grown herbs add that much more to the ceremonial experience and to the clearing & purifying intentions. I source & purchase new twine every year & make a day out of rolling my own Smudge sticks to be used and given as gifts.
Clearing & purifying a space, item or person can be a very beautiful experience. I have performed “Smudges” in homes and on farm land to bless new dwellings and soil for the new growing season. I have also had the honor or Smudging spaces and homes once people have passed on to help the journey for both the ones that remain and the ones that have crossed the veil. I also Smudge our home usually every few weeks to clear the energies and the allergies. My Fella & Kids have grown use to the smell and sometimes ask if I can do their rooms if they are having struggles sleeping or feeling that the energy is heavy in their areas.
When I Smudge, I select my herb stick, grab my Abalone Shell & Smudge Fan & say a few words of gratitude to the herbs being burnt before I light. I always keep a window open and you want the stuck, negative energies to flow out and not remain trapped inside. I find that using a Butane Torch is best as it ignites the herbs quickly. When I am burning herbs for ceremony, I will use “old school” wood matches. Once the herbs are lit, the smoke will come. Myth says that if the herbs don’t stay lit, there is no need to Smudge and I have found this to be true on some occasions. Once the herbs are lit and the smoke is rising, I use my hand-made-by-me Smudge Fan to waft the smoke into as many areas as I can. I usually move throughout a dwelling clockwise if possible for no reason other than it feels natural to me. I have come up with my own “Smudging Prayer” that I chant while I move around the area, person or item.
This is my prayer…“Feel this Smudge and breathe it deep. Only light, love & positive energy this soul, house, land, item, shall keep” It is so very rewarding to take the time to write some words that have meaning to you about what you are doing. For some reason, I like things to rhyme so that’s how I choose to come up with my prayers, chants and incantations. I try to keep it simple so that I have no troubles remembering and once memorized I find that I put more meaning and emphasis into it if I have that natural flow, seems to come from the heart and no longer the head.
Moments after performing a Smudge, you can feel the lighter energy immediately and it feels like the sun is breaking thru the clouds. In ceremony, I Smudge before and after as I feel that the initial smoke with purify the ceremony and the final smoke will seal my intentions and close the ceremony. When I haven’t Smudged for a bit and re-light my stick or herbs, especially sage, the smoke feels like a gently embrace and the smoke helps me realize that I am in the right place at the right time, for my highest good. xo
