The Intuitive Garden

Smudging and Blessing Information

What is it and How do you do it?

A blessing or smudging is when an individual uses smoke from burning sage or other herbs,  casting the sacred smoke about the room or body to clear it of negative energy.  I like to use the term "wash" the smoke around your body or home because the term reflects the same principle as washing the dirt off of your body as in a shower or bath. 

Smudging has been used by our ancestors, burning sage and other herbs has historically been used in many ancient rituals and spiritual ceremonies, particularly those of the Native Indians. Including but not limited to dispersing negative spirits, healing the sick or wounded, protection for families and hunters, keeping their souls and bodies free from "evil", to help in seasons when harvesting, hunting and providing food for one's family. 

Most individuals, including myself, will  say a prayer or blessing while burning the sage or herb. Asking for blessings and healing from our Creator, Father God and Mother God,  asking for assistance in the removal of negative energies or spirits from bodies, home, or other buildings.  I also do smudgin when I need a little extra protection from negativity or a situation I know I may need a little extra help from my guides or angels.   

Typically, when doing a smuding or blessing, I wash the smoke throughout the room, paying particularly close attention to the corners of the room and under tables, shelfs and cuboards and around windows.  Negative energies tend to "hide" in corners when a smudging or blessing is being performed.

When smudging around one's body, be sure to wave the sage stick around the crown area of your head, circling around the body and ending with the feet.  Imagine it as if you were surrounding the shape of an egg around one's body.   It is helpful to direct the smoke in areas around the body including directions located to the North, East, South and West, Toward the clouds and sky and towards the earth, creating a bubble like area of protection around the body.

After a smudging or blessing there is generally a feeling of the negative energy lifting from the person or place, a feeling that is almost palpable, and a strong feeling of positivity that follows.  You may want to leave protection sage (dried sage) in areas of particular rooms that the negativity energy may have felt heavy.  This can be in corners of the room, near doorways and windows and in bowls left in the center of a room.  You can also place under beds or sofas.

If you have washed/cleansed an area, home or body when smudging or blessing and you feel that you haven't completely cleared the area of "heaviness", continue smudging the area until you can intuitively feel that the negativity or specific energy has gone and has been replaced with a sense of positive chi or energy.

I like to follow a smudging with sage with protection crystals, leaving crystals of obsidian and amethyst in those areas that you may want greater protection such as the entrance to your home or near an alter or room that you use for meditation or prayer.

Smudging or blessings should be done on a regular basis, monthly or weekly depending upon the area. If you have an area that is frequented by many persons trafficking a particular space, you may need to smudge more often.

Always remember to use an (I use) abalone shell or a bowl or cup that is flame resistant to collect ashes or to lay down the burning smudge stick if necessary.  I use sand in my abalone shell for dowsing out embers or the sage stick when I am finished with it.  This also allows me to store it and use it again for future smudging.  You can find colored sand at most pet stores in the aquarium sections, I like to use colored sand if I'm keeping sage sticks in a room, so it can be functional and decorative!

Please contact me for more information on smudging or blessing of your home if needed.

Note:  Be sure you have a strong sense of what you are doing and have a strong decisive energy when ridding your home or others of negative energies, if not done properly, or if you are not confident in the ritual/ceremony you are performing you may actually encourage those energies to become more active or attach to another person, place or thing.  NOT A GOOD THING! 

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