Time to smudge!

Smudging. Saging. Spiritual cleansing. Take your pick. Call it whatever you like. I prefer smudging for some reason.  Smudging is an ancient American Indian ritual used to cleanse or bless a home.  Energy has a way of building up in our homes just like dust and it can get really thick and stagnant over time.

I make smudging an annual ritual at the beginning of the year (at least before mid January) and then quarterly thereafter. That is the bare minimum that I smudge. If I feel stressed or a thick, tense heaviness, I'll smudge. If there's been a series of arguments, sickness or a death in the home, I'll smudge. If I feel spirits around that are not welcome, I'll smudge. If I just need to clear the air and jumpstart the energy in my house, I'll smudge. Or as Hubs likes to say, if I want to make the house smell like I have been smoking weed, then I'll smudge.

When  Jason and I moved into our OBX house in 2016, one of the first things I did was smudge it. Who knows what negative energy was in this house prior to us moving in? Best to just give it a good spiritual cleanse just to make sure and start off on the right foot. It surely wouldn't do any harm. I have enough spirits around me - I don't need to encourage ones that may not be pleasant. I also would smudge whenever I rented a vacation home for the summer. Talk about ton of energy - from all those renters week after week? Phew. (I have a story to share about an oceanfront rental I stayed in one October in the OBX that had a beautiful spirit that Prowler and I connected with but I'll save that for a different post.)

Ok, so how exactly do you smudge? It's pretty simple and you can find all you need pretty easily. Whole Foods, Wegmans, Mom's Organic Market. Even Amazon. There are varying things you can
use and you can search online yourself if you'd like but I prefer to use sage, nag champa and a simple white candle.

The most important thing to remember is not to worry about how you look when performing this ritual or worry if you are doing it "right". The key is your intent. Your intentions are to rid your home of negative, stagnant, harmful energy and to invite loving, positive, protective energies in to your home.

Ok, ya ready? Here we go - step by step.

1. I tend to smudge in the early morning, just as the sun is coming up or definitely while it is daylight. But, again, it's personal preference. Smudging is a great way to start off a day for me. Or, as I did today, a great way to end the day as the sun is going down.
2. Turn soothing or meditative music on. I like to have the "Soundscapes" Music Choice channel on the tv piping through the house - it's pretty easy. Or be in silence. You want to be able to focus on the task at hand and not be interrupted. 
3. Take the dried bundle of sage and light the tip with a match or lighter. Now you don't want it flaming so that your smoke detector gets set off (but be prepared because mine did once), but get it going pretty well and then gently blow it out letting it smoke through the air. 
4. Make sure you have a safe plate/bowl/cup to catch the ashes in and walk around your entire home allowing the smoke to circulate and cleanse the space.
5. Take your time because you want the smoke to cleanse each nook of each room. Open closet doors, don't forget bathrooms, crack the attic or cellar as well. Cleanse the stairwells, foyers and hallways.
6. While walking, be firm, direct, unemotional and speak out loud.  Here's something that I started with but tend to tweak it each time I smudge depending on how I feel and my specific intention. "May this sacred sage blend into every corner of this room and cleanse all negative and stagnant energies.  All negative and stagnant energies MUST leave NOW and NOT return." Do this until you FEEL the energy is clear in the room. Once you feel that is accomplished, then say, "In the name of God (or whomever you believe in) this room is now cleansed." Then move to the next room and do the same. Remember you are not running a race. Go at your own pace and feel the energy. Depending on the size of your home, set aside 30-60 minutes for this entire ritual.
7. I also like to spend extra time around entry ways from the outside in to my home and crack those as well. When friends, family, coworkers, handymen, anyone really, comes into your home, they bring their energy with them. My home is my sacred space so I need to make sure it's surrounded by the right energy.
8. After you have cleansed each room/area, blow out the sage and safely place it somewhere. By the way, if it stops burning/smoking while you're walking around, light it back up again. Don't get discouraged, it happens.
9. Light the Nag Champa incense stick and walk around every area of your home again inviting positive energies into your home. Again, this is all about intent.  Say something such as, "I now invite all positive, healing and protective energies into this room. This includes all sprit guides, spirit people and celestial beings. All positive, protective and healing energies are welcome."  Make sure that you have a receptacle to catch the incense ashes as well because if they hit your skin they do tend to sting - don't ask me how I know. 
10. Then "set" the ritual by lighting a white candle and KNOWING the home is now clear. I use this time as a time of meditating, praying and speaking out loud what I am thankful for. I use this as "me and God" time and end it with saying the Lord's Prayer and often even singing a song of praise or hope. This is truly all depending on what I feel and what may move me. at the time.  When you are done, blow the candle out and never leave it unattended. Also, don't forget to shut and lock all of your windows and doors.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to set the intention and feel the negative energy leave. Know that the room is clear and then joyfully invite the positive in! Hopefully, this helps ya'll with understanding how to smudge. If you have questions, comment below or send me a message. I'll be happy to help! Smudging is something I truly enjoy doing and the way I feel afterwards brings such relief and contentment to myself and our home.