What Is Sage Smudge
Sage is an aromatic herb of the mint family , long been used for both medical and culinary purposes.
Dried sage, especially white sage, has been used by Native Americans for a whole host of benefits, Sage smudging is traditionally used to purify spaces, mind, body and spirit before praying.
A recent study showed, burning medicinal herbs cleared airborne bacterial populations by 94%, and the space was still found to be disinfected a day later. What’s more, a month after smudging, much of the pathogens originally found were still undetectable.
Sage is also used in herbal medicine internally as a powerful antiseptic and anti-inflammatory.
Sage Smudge Uses and Benefits
1. Sage your space
Smudging is one of the ways to energetically cleanse a space to invite positive energy. When smudging a space, you burn plant material. The smoke fills and purifies the environment.
You can smudging when you:
- First move into a new space (New home, office, hotel rooms ~ etc.)
- When moving out of a space
- Before and after meditation, healing and yoga session
- When need relaxing, release stress
- Before go to bed
Smudging is one of the ways to energetically cleanse a space to invite positive energy. When smudging a space, you burn plant material. The smoke fills and purifies the environment.
You can smudging when you:
- First move into a new space (New home, office, hotel rooms ~ etc.)
- When moving out of a space
- Before and after meditation, healing and yoga session
- When need relaxing, release stress
- Before go to bed
2. Sage yourself
One of the best ways to clear your energy field is by sage cleansing yourself, or smudging yourself. It’s incredibly simple to do and can be done anytime you want.
Just like you take a shower to clean off dirt and grime, sage cleansing yourself clears away negativity and dirty energy.
You can smudging when you:
- When you’ve had a bad day, feeling overwhelmed,feel sad, scattered
- When you energetically feel off, particularly after coming in contact with someone who may have toxic energy
- When you feel darkness sitting in your heart
- When you feel like your energy field has accumulated too much energetic black muck, and you just want an energetic shower
3.Sage object
Sage smudging is also wonderful for clearing crystals, jewelry, books, tools you use in your healing practices, objects used by someone who was recently sick, as well as any object you simply wish to clear.
White sage is a powerful tool to use to regularly cleanse crystals that you use for healing and protection, Oracle cards, and really any objects that make take on energy from others, or you feel have some dense or stagnant energy attached to them.
Things to prepare before Sage Smudge
- Sage smudge stick
- Seashell or fireproof bowl of ceramic, clay, or glass to hold burning sage or capture ash
- Matches or lighter
- Optional: feather or fan for fanning smoke
- Leave a window open before, during, and after smudging. This allows smoke to escape.
How to Use Sage Smudge
- Begin with a prayer and set your intention.
- Light the end of a sage bundle with a match. Blow out quickly if it catches on fire.
- The tips of the leaves should smolder slowly, releasing thick smoke.
- Direct this smoke around the object, your body or space with one hand while holding the bundle in the other.
- Allow the incense to linger on the areas of the object, your body or surroundings you’d like to focus on.
- Using a fan or feather can also help direct the smoke, though this is optional.
- Swirl the smoke around the object/your body several times; continue until your intuition tells you to stop or until the sage stops smoking (which is usually a great indication you're finished).
- Allow the ash to collect in a ceramic bowl or shell.
What to do after a smudge
Make sure your smudge stick is completely extinguished. You can do this by dabbing the lit end into a small bowl of ash or sand.
Check the end closely to make sure there are no more embers burning. Once it’s completely put out, store it in a safe, dry place out of the sun.
