In today’s urban world’s turbulent complexity, the thought of sweeping away bad energy from ourselves and our environments seems very promising; Cue in the practice of burning sage, also known as smudging, to cleanse your space.
Smudging can purify you and your spaces of harmful and stagnant energy like a refreshing shower. Energy is everywhere; in our bodies and even our homes. This energy will not always be as pleasant as we want and, and over time it can amass and remain stagnant, which can result in lower emotions, a sense of being pinned, and even create problems with the people around you.
Burning smudge sticks is perfect for cleansing the atmosphere to an energetic degree, but it also has many other practical applications. It emits ions that defend against dust and pollution. Studies have also shown that it can clear 94% of microorganisms (for up to 24hrs).
What do I need for smudging?
People traditionally use an abalone shell to carry the sage and use a feather to fan and disperse the fumes throughout the room until the sage stops to burn. Since you’re just starting, you can get a sage starter kit online or in your nearest metaphysical store. If you’re sensitive to smoke or because of building restrictions, there are many mist-smudging options in the market too.
These are the most important things you need before getting started:
- Sage
- Vessel
- Match or lighter
- Fanning tool
How Do I Sage My Space to Get Rid Of Negative Energy?
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Collect the materials and have an exit strategy
Make sure that you already have the equipment listed above ready and that you have opened a window or a door before lighting up. The negativity and smoke need to go out.
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Set your clear intentions and recite a mantra
Intentions are essential to smudging principles, so pause for a moment before lighting the sage to evaluate what precisely it is that you intend to cleanse or release from your environment. After this, choose a mantra or prayer that embodies this desire to repeat while you fan the smoke. A good mantra can be, “I command any negative energy and non-benevolent forces of nature inside this space to leave and go to the light. This is not your home. I command you to leave and go to the light.”
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Light it up
After that, keep the sage at a 45-degree angle, light it with your candle or match, and let it burn for about 20 seconds. Then softly fan out the blaze so that you can see the flaming embers on one end. The smoke should billow up by then.
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Stroll around your room
Calmly walk all over your space and encourage the smoke to waft around. Direct the smoke and the disruptive energy to the exits so that they can flee. Pay particular attention to corners, mirrors, and openings such as doorways and stairwells.
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Be safe here!
Always be there! If you are seeing tiny embers dropping on the earth, quickly stomp them out. Don’t let the burning sage linger unattended for some reason. Also, be careful not to breathe in too much of the smoke.
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Extinguish the sage
When you’re about to extinguish a stick of sage smudge, push the smoking tip tightly into your fire-resistant vessel, gravel, or sand until the smoke no longer grows.
Pro tip: Never get it wet! Using water to extinguish hot embers will destroy the stick’s end and make it more challenging to burn next time. When you’re done, you should keep it in the vessel until you need it again.
In many cultures, the ritual of burning sage is holy and merits our respect. The ancient practice of burning dried sage for purification is ingrained in the Native American culture. Shamans burnt the sage over the flames to cleanse people of malice and to encourage healing, knowledge, and prosperity. It’s something that we can all do with purpose and profound respect to all those who did it before us. Enjoy!