Many people practice smudging today. You can find smudge sticks sold practically everywhere, and the practice seems to be growing in popularity.
As a shamanic practitioner, I often smudge myself and the space I’m working in before a ceremony. When teaching in person, I may smudge students in a shamanic cand the space. I might also use smudging to prepare a client before a healing session.
What is smudging?
Smudging is the practice of using sacred smoke, usually from an herb bundle of fragrant wood. This is done as a purification ritual, to commune with certain spirits, or for healing. The bundle used for smudging is often called a smudge stick.
The use of sacred smoke in this way is no different from incense burning in churches and temples. The idea is that the smoke of certain herbs can clear bad vibrations or spirits.
Some herbs used for smudging have antiseptic properties, so there may be health benefits not yet explored by modern medicine.
A NOTE ON SMUDGING AND CULTURAL APPROPRIATION
Some people will claim that smudging by non-Native American people is cultural appropriation. Many Native American tribes indeed practice it. However, the use of burning herbs or using smoke for spiritual purification is widespread globally.
From the sacred incense used by the ancient Egyptians to the burning of rosemary bundles - purification with smoke is done almost everywhere throughout time.
Cultural appropriation would be unethical to harvest white sage, replicating prayers, songs, or ceremonies you don’t have permission to use or affect the dress or style of a culture to which you are not connected.
Why smudge yourself and your home?
People primarily use smudging to clear away negative energy as a form of spiritual purification. Some believe that it can repel unwanted spirits. In my experience, some substances are better for that than others.
The smell of the burning herbs can also help to bring people into a calmer state of mind. The sense of smell is our most primal sense, and it connects to our emotions and memories readily. You would smudge yourself to help rid yourself of unwanted spiritual energy that we all tend to collect
You can smudge almost anything, but many people use smudging to create a peaceful, clear atmosphere. You can smudge in a home, office, car, etc. Use it to clear your home of negative “vibes” when there seems to be a lot of conflict or illness in the home or when things just start going wrong around the house.
What herbs are used for smudging?
People use many different herbs, woods, and resins for smudging, but a few are the most common.
SAGE
Sage is probably the most common herb used in a smudge stick. White sage, in particular, is used by many Native American tribes. Sage is known for its cleansing and purifying properties.
Burning sage has become popular, leading to unethical and unsustainable harvesting of the wild. Many traditional indigenous sage gathering locations have been over-harvested by people looking to sell sage or use it themselves.
Because of this, I will not buy white sage; I use other ingredients in a bundle. Another option, if you have the space, is to grow your sage.
ROSEMARY
Rosemary smudge sticks are my absolute favorite. I love the smell of rosemary, and the smoke is somewhat antiseptic. I also have Scottish heritage, and there is a Scottish folk practice called saining, which uses the smoke of rosemary bundles for purification.
PALO SANTO
Palo Santo is Spanish for “holy wood.” Palo Santo grows in Ecuador, Peru, and other South American countries. The wood, oil, and resin have been used medicinally for many centuries. People often use small sticks of Palo Santo as smudge bundles.
Where sage removes negative energy, palo santo adds positive energy.
Like white sage, there are ethical issues with using Palo Santo. Due to the increase in demand, people are now harvesting Palo Santo trees unsustainably. This overharvesting includes cutting down immature trees and trees seen as sacred by indigenous people.
For this reason, I have stopped purchasing Palo Santo.
CEDAR
there are many varieties of cedar trees growing throughout the world, and many cultures consider cedar sacred. Cedarwood is used for shingles because it doesn’t degrade, and people use it for clothing chests because it repels moths.
Cedarwood is used in several ways spiritually, but using cedar as a smudge bundle is very powerful. In my experience, cedar is much more effective at chasing away unwanted spirits than any other herb. It smells fantastic when added to sacred fires as well.
LAVENDER
You may burn Lavender bundles to purify a person or space; Lavender is used in many cultures to repel negativity. The scent of Lavender is very calming, and some people use lavender oil for stress reduction.
JUNIPER
People have burned juniper to purify temples and even chase away plagues (I can’t attest to its plague chasing ability). Juniper itself has medicinal qualities and is used as smudge smells lovely.
SWEETGRASS
Sweetgrass is another herb sacred to Native American tribes. Native people who use sweetgrass braid it into a kind of cord or short rope. When burned, it gives off a sweet and fragrant smell.
There is a lot of debate and zero agreement about whether using sweetgrass is considered a “closed practice” and this cultural appropriation. I don’t know how to address this other than to say it is a sacred practice. Some indigenous people don’t mind sharing practices, and others do.
So burning sweetgrass is a bit controversial.
MUGWORT
People burn mugwort all over the world for purifying and medicinal purposes. It is the herb used in moxibustion by acupuncturists. Magically, mugwort is used in blessings, often put in charm bags, and grown beside the home for protection.
I have a strong allergic reaction to mugwort smoke. There are a fair number of people who do. So exercise caution if you decide to try smudging with mugwort.
BAY LEAF
A widespread practice among folk magicians and rootworkers is to burn bundles of bay leaves with holy words. In one example I’ve seen, a root doctor wrote “father” on one leaf, “son” on another, and “holy ghost” on a third. He then kept lighting the bundle to make it smoke as he purified a space.
How to smudge yourself
Whether you are smudging yourself, a building, an outdoor space, or others, observe all proper precautions when working with burning material. Don’t burn yourself or your house. Be careful of smoke detectors - I did have the fire department show up once because if some smudging.
At a minimum, you need the smudge stick and a fire source. In some cultures, the burning herb bundle is held in an abalone shell, and the smoke is waved about with a feather. You can just wave a burning bundle around what you want to smudge, but you have to be careful of burning e, embers, and ash.
Begin by setting an intention. You may set an intention that you are cleansing yourself in order to help a healing process. You may hold the intention that you want to smoke away some stress. In shamanism, intention drives the bus.
You can also say a prayer before, during, and after smudging. If it’s culturally appropriate, you may sing as well.
Then you’ll light the bundle. Different material burns very differently, but you always want a burning ember. This usually means lighting the material until it’s on fire, letting it burn a few seconds, and then blow out the flame. You should see a burning ember and smoke. As the ember burns out, you may have to relight the bundle frequently.
Once the smudge stick starts smoking you then want to deliver the smoke around your body. You can pass the bundle around the body, wave the smoke at yourself with a feather. or use your hands to scoop smoke towards you.
It might be helpful to think about washing your aura with the smoke as you would wash your body with soap. Get the smoke all around you, top to bottom, left and right, and back to front.
When you are complete you can extinguish the bundle if it’s still burning. Usually, I will stub or grind mine out gently into the shell or other fireproof container. Again, use prrecaution with burning stuff.
How to smudge your home or office
The instructions for smudging your home, or other building aren’t much different than smudging yourself. The major differences are the intent, and the space you will have to cover.
When I bless a space, I will walk around it in a logical order, usually clockwise starting in the East if possible. There are ritualistic reasons I do it this way, but feel free to do it your own way.
Covering every nook and cranny of even a small house would take a long time. Think about how much cleansing the space needs. Is it necessary to pass smoke into every cupboard and drawer? Probably not. With a house you can quickly change the energetic atmosphere.
Other things to use your smudge stick for
Many people use smudge to clear the energy from crystals, like quartz. Doing this helps clear away energy from certain crystals, especially those that act as energy filters. Smudging crystals with palo santo is very popular.
Many will clear and sanctify ritual tools with smoke. Smudging candles, athames, and other tools used in ritual can be an important practice.
Lots of people smudge divination tools such as tarot cards and pendulums in between uses. This is important if other people handle your tools, like when cutting a tarot deck. Think of it as hitting the reset button.
Other methods of spiritually cleansing yourself and your home that don’t involve smoke.
I know several people who cannot breathe in smoke due to health conditions such as asthma. For them, spiritual cleansing is just as important, but they can’t use a smudge stick. Here are a few options that work just as well.
SELENITE CRYSTALS
Selenite is a crystal form of gypsum and is found, sometimes in massive formations. Selenite is a crystal that you never need to cleanse as it is a cleanser itself. You can place selenite on windowsills to purify the energy coming through them, and you can use selenite wands in banishing rituals.
Selenite will dissolve in water, so keep it dry.
To “smudge” with selenite, you take a selenite crystal - usually a wand - and pass it around several inches from the body. The selenite clears the aura and “tunes” it to a clear and coherent frequency.
SPIRIT WATER
There are many types of spirit water used by different cultures. Holy water is one example. Another in everyday use among many folk magic practitioners is Florida Water. They did not name Florida Water after the American state, but for the floral essences it contains.
There are many recipes for Florida Water online, and a few companies sell commercial versions as cologne. You can rub spirit water on your body, on objects you want to cleanse or add to liquids used for washing your home.
ESSENTIAL OILS
You can use essential oils in place of smudging with smoke. You must use caution with essential oils as many of them are not safe to apply to the skin. Please research and follow all warnings regarding any essential oils that might contact your skin.
Abramelin oil is not an essential oil but is olive oil infused with many holy herbs. It’s ancient as the bible contains a recipe for Abramelin oil. Ancient people used it for sanctification, purification, and healing. I would use caution as it does have cinnamon in high quantities, which may be an irritant.