Tag: Smudge stick

Earth Herbs

Earth Herbs

 

 

Alfalfa: Alfalfa is kept in the home to protect against hunger and poverty. It is frequently burned and the ashes scattered around the home for the same reasons. It works well in money spells as well.

Barley: Barley is a healing herb and is known specifically to relieve toothaches. It is absorbent and will remove negative influences. Barley also can be scattered for protection.

Beet: Beet juice is sometimes used as magickal ink and as a substitute for blood in magickal use. It is known to attract love.

Buckwheat: Buckwheat is most often used in spells concerning money and/or protection. IT can be scattered, carried or burned.

Corn: Corn works well in matters involving fertility, luck and protection. It is frequently used in Sabbat rituals and as an offering.

Cotton: Cotton is known for it qualities of luck, healing and protection but has other specific uses as well. Burning cotton is thought to cause rain, while scattering cotton seeds assures a productive catch when fishing and repels ghosts. Cotton cloth is excellent for magickal use, as it is completely natural.

Cypress: Cypress is both a death herb and an immortality herb. It is a symbol of the crossover between the planes of life. It is a healing herb and is thought to increase one’s life span.

Fern: The fern improves health and increases luck and prosperity. It is an herb of exorcism and can banish any negative influences. It is said that burning the fern’s seeds will cause rain to fall, whereas carrying them will rend one invisible

Honesty: Also known as the silver dollar plant, honesty is used in prosperity spells and rituals.

Horehound: Horehound is protective and healing and is used in exorcism rituals. Drinking it is said to improve one’s mental powers.

Horsetail: Horsetail is used in fertility rituals and spells.

Knotweed: Knotweed is used in bindings and health spells. It is absorbent and therefore protective.

Loosestrife: Loosestrife holds within it the attributes of peace and protection. Simply scatter it around. It can also be given to someone to cease an argument.

Mugwort: Mugwort aids in astral projection, increases strength and psychic powers, and is protective. It is very useful in any type of intuitive work. (Note: Contact with mugwort may cause dermatitis. Also do not ingest.)

Oats: Oats are used primarily in money and prosperity spells.

Patchouli: Patchouli is useful in spells involving fertility or money. It is good substitute for graveyard dust.

Potato: The potato is often used as a poppet for image magick. It is also protective when carried.

Primrose: The primrose is carried to attract love. When growing in the garden, it attracts fairies. It also is said to protect against madness.

Quince: Eating quinces is said to promote love. If eaten while pregnant, it is thought to increase the intelligence of the child. The quince can be carried for protection.

Rye: Rye bread served to a loved one will ensure that your love is returned.

Sagebrush: Sagebrush, also known as white sage, is a cleansing herb. It has long been used by Native Americans in smudging ceremonies to drive away any negative influences.

Tulip: The tulip serves in matters of love, prosperity and protection. It may be carried or placed on the altar.

Turnip: Turnips is the home protect against every type of negativity. They are also used as poppets in image magick.

Vervain: The magickal use of vervain has been well documented throughout the ages. It was considered the most prized of the herbs among ancient Druids. It contains the magickal qualities of love, protection, purification, peace, youth, chastity, money, healing and sleep.

Vetivert: Vetivert is most useful as a curse-breaking herb. It also attracts money and luck

Wheat: Wheat attracts money and fertility.

Wood sorrel: Wood sorrel is a healing herb when placed in a sick-room or carried.

An Opening Ritual

An Opening Ritual

As we stand in our circle, let the arms of the Goddess enfold us. Feel her warm
loving touch. In her touch we feel all that is … around us. We can feel the
oneness of all things. We call her to enfold us … to encircle us. In her arms
we fear nothing, for everything is part of us.

We call upon the elements of Air. Spirits of the East. Let our thoughts be as
Air — clear and crisp. Swirling free, with no bounds. Whispering through the
lonely canyons. Rising up to meet the sun.

We call upon the elements of Fire. Spirits of the South. Let our will rise
within us like lava, radiating with energy and power, flowing down to meet the
sea.

We call upon the elements of Water. Spirits of the West. Let our emotions be
fluid as the tide, changing shape and form with its surroundings. Reflective
as deep blue pools … passionate as the crashing waves upon the rocks.

We call upon the elements of Earth. Spirits of the North. Feeling it beneath
our feet, we draw strength. We send our roots down into her soil. Growing solid
and firm. Partaking of her warmth and security.

Thus we are in her embrace, wherein we are not separate beings … but one …
in total trust and total love.

Attuning to Power Objects

Attuning to Power Objects

 
 
Attuning to an object creates a resonance between the two of you. In a way, it sets up short cuts or a speed-dial relationship between you, allowing you to use this power more quickly and easily while increasing the ease with which your spirit allies can communicate with you. Before doing the actual attunement, it is a good idea to release any unwanted energies from the object. A crystal may be a true gift from the gods, but it is unlikely that you want or need residual energies from previous owners or other people that may have handled it. So purify this object by smudging with sacred herbs, holding it under running water while visualizing unwanted energies breaking up and being washed away, burying it in soil for seven day, or leaving it our under the Sun
and Moon for a full day and night.
 
To begin the attunement ritual, create sacred space in your usual manner. Smudge the area, cast a circle, light your candles, or chant your power song. Invite in your spirit guides and guardians and ask for their blessings.
 
Take some time to center your energy. Breathe deeply into your muscles–particularly into any areas of tension–and feel them relax. Count yourself down from ten to one, consciously relaxing more with each descending number. Relax the focus of your eyes and become aware of your connection to all things. Now call upon your spirit allies or patron deities, whether you know them or not. Let them know that you are here to open yourself to them and that you seek communion with them.
 
Pick up your power object and hold it in both hands. Visualize pure white energy filling this object, breaking up and releasing any remaining unwanted energies. Then sit with it for a moment and allow your energies to begin to mesh. Feel how this object feels. Feel how it makes you feel.
 
Now imagine that this object before you is as big as a house. Walk around and take a good look at it from all sides. What do you notice?
 
Visualize a door on one side. Place an offering at the door and introduce yourself. State your reason for coming and ask permission to enter. If you feel that permission is not given, try again later or ask if you need to do something else before entering.
 
When permission is granted, enter through the doorway. Take note of the colors, light temperature and anything that you see inside the object. If someone meets you at any point, greet that being with respect and be open to any messages he, she, or it might have for you. Express your reasons for exploring this object and ask for guidance into a deeper attunement with the power this object holds for you. Then wander through the object, going where you feel led and stopping at any place you find attracive in some way.
 
When you feel you have gained all that you can in this meditation, or when you feel it is time to leave, return to the doorway. Give thanks to the object your spirit allies, and any beings you encountered here. If you wish, ask for continued guidance in how best to work with this object.
 
Count yourself back up from one to ten into ordinary consciousness. If specific guidance was given or requests were made for housing or use of this object, be sure to follow through on those in a respectful manner.
 
Keep in mind that this meditation can do more than simply attune you to this object. Repeated use of the meditation can introduce you to previously unknown spirit allies that may be associated with this object. It can also allow you access to your own lost powers and provide a forum for you to regain some of it. Although quite simple, this little attunement exercise can be surprisingly powerful.
 
Kristen Madden
Llewellyn’s 2007 Magical Almanac

How To Dispose of Ritual Tools

How To Dispose of Ritual Tools

By Patti Wigington

Sometimes, for whatever reason, you may decide that you have a ritual tool you no longer need. Perhaps you’ve got three athame too many, or someone has gifted you with a new chalice and you’re tired of the old one, or maybe something just doesn’t speak to you the way it used to. Whatever the reason, it can sometimes be a bit of a dilemma as to how to dispose of your ritual tools.

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Varied

Here’s How:

  1. Pass It On

    If you’ve got a particular tool that still has a good feeling to it, or that has some sort of sentimental value, and you’ve decided it’s time to get rid of it, why not pass it along to a friend? You’ll be happy to know your item has gone to a good home, and your friend will be happy to receive a new magical tool. Before you pass it along, you may want to hold a short parting ritual to separate yourself from the object. Once your friend has the item in her possession, she can re-consecrate the tool to make it her own.

  2. Into the Wild

    Some items seem to like being released into the wild, like animals. If you have a magical tool that came from nature — a wand made from a branch, a special stone, a bottle of sea water — then put it back into nature. While you may not be able to return it to the place you originally found it, you can always find a quiet place in the woods to leave it. Another option might be to toss it into a creek or river, as long as it is indeed a natural object.

  3. Release by Fire

    Sometimes, you might have an item you don’t want any more, and you don’t want to give it to anyone else. You might not want to leave it out in the wild where someone can dig it up, either. In this case, the best thing to do is use fire to get rid of it. Burning a magical item doesn’t have to be complicated – build a fire and place the item in it. If you wish, say a few words to separate yourself magically from the object, and then allow it to burn.

  4. Burial

    Another good method of getting rid of old ritual tools is burial. Typically, you’ll want to select a place that isn’t going to be disturbed later on — if you have property of your own, you can bury the item in your yard. If you don’t have your own land, or you’re going to be moving soon, you may want to find a remote spot somewhere that you can bury the object. Use good judgment before digging on any public property.

Methods of Cleansing

As with any method of cleansing, intention is the key–before you begin, you need to be focused on the process of cleansing. So as you cleanse your crystal, think about what you are doing and how this action is releasing unwanted energies.

BRUSHING:  A soft brush such as a makeup brush or a paint brush is good for removing dust that can build up on surface and delicate crevices of the stone.

PHYSICAL CLEANSING:  A little mild detergent mixed with water in a bowl, followed by a thorough rinse in clear water, will make crystals sparkle. (Don’t use water if they are water-soluble crystals!)

RUNNING WATER:  Hold your crystal under running water for a few minutes. It may need longer if it’s been working hard or hasn’t been cleansed for a long time. If you feel that it needs a lot of time, place the crystal in a bowl of water in your sink and let the water run into the bowl for as long as necessary.

MOONLIGHT:  Leave the crystal in moonlight, especially in a full moon, or leave it out during a new moon.

BURNING INCENSE OR SMUDGE STICK:  The smoke from frankincense, sandalwood, and sage is cleansing. You can burn either incense or a smudge stick (A small bunch of dried herbs burned during Native American cleansing rituals.

EARTH:  Bury the crystal in the earth–when you unearth it a week or more later, it will be born anew. Different traditions round the world apply this technique in varying ways. One method is to bury it during a Full Moon and unearth it on a New Moon.

CRYSTALLINE ENERGIES:  Place the crystal on an amethyst bed, on a quartz cluster, or inside a geode and allow the crystalline energies to cleanse and clear it. A large amethyst bed can be like a vacation for your crystals.

The question of how long you should leave them is a little open-ended. Crystals are like people–how long do you usually need to refresh and revitalize yourself? To know when a crystal is ready to work again, use your intuition–also, look for brightness and color returning to the crystal, which should no longer feel “clammy.” Once you are used to working with crystals, you will find it easy to know when they are ready to go back to work.

SOUNDS:  Chanting, drumming, or playing Tibetan bells or cymbals can clear unhelpful vibrations.

SUNLIGHT:  You can cleanse your crystal by leaving it in sunlight and also dry your crystals in the sun after washing them (Caution: Quartz crystals, especially crystal balls, will focus the sun’s rays and so can be a fire risk take appropriate precautions.)

BREATH, LIGHT OR REIKI:  Breathing over your crystal helps to cleanse it –focus your mind, heart, and being through your breath, connecting your inner being to the outside. Reiki an also be practiced on crystals, and a meditation technique involving a visualization of light can be used, too. Still your mind and picture a bright light flowing from your brow chakra to the crystal in your hand, washing over it then filling the crystal. When it completely glows with light, slowly bring your focus away from the crystal and back to our surroundings.

Affirmation of the Day for October 14th

I am this organism, this life. I am the trees, the flowers, the water and the creatures that need it. I am the air we breathe, the food we eat, the love we make, the moon that sings to us, the sun that warms us. I am all of these, and they are me. I am life, I am Earth, for She is me, and I am beautiful.
~ from MaryDawnChild

Making the Tree a Place of Power

Outdoors, your tree will be naturally cleansed and empowered by the weather and if some of the items get battered, don’t worry, However, you may wish initially to cleanse and empower the tree and any artifacts on it at the first full moon after it has been created. You can do this by smudging round the tree with a smudge stick made of a bundle of tied and dried herb sticks. The following is the basic technique for doing this:

  • Light one end of the smudge stick and let the flames die down, then gently blow on the end until it glows red and you have a stream of smoke. You can use your other hand to fan the smoke.  Smudge sticks are generally held in your power hand.
  • If indoors, be careful about sparks and ventilate the room. Also try to stand where you can see the moon or at least the sky through the window. Indoors, you can substitute a sage or pine incense stick if you wish.
  • To cleanse and empower the tree, stand facing the tree at about five paces distance. Raise your smudge stick upwards to the sky and downwards to the earth.
  • Walk nine times clockwise round the tree, making alternative clockwise and anticlockwise spirals of smoke, high and low, stamping your feet as you move and chant.
  • Relax and enjoy the experience. Let your feet carry you, often in a spontaneous spiralling step movement, as you connect with earth energies and your hand weaves smoke patterns. Work barefoot if possible as you have sensitive energy centers or chakras in the soles of your feet.
  • Say continuously until you have made nine circuits:

Empowering tree, be for me, strength and healing. Keep away harm, guard what is dear, and keep love near.

  • You can repeat this ritual whenever you add something new to the tree or before using it as the focus for a personal spell or chant. Re-empower every third full moon.

Charging a Smudge Stick or Herbs

Whether you make your own smudge stick, use a prepared one or are planning to burn herbs in a bowl, you can endow them with power.

If you are using a smudge stick, hold it between your hands. If you are using a bowl, place your herbs in the bowl and hold this during the ritual.

In this ritual, we will use the six directions recognized by the Native North Americans:  the four main compass points, then downwards and finally upwards. Begin in the East, important to Native North Americans as the direction of dawn. Indeed a number of western practitioners start traditional magickal rituals by facing the East and opening the watchtowers here. Start with the North for security. If indoors, ventilate the room well.

  • Stand so that there is space round you.
  • Light a circle of red or natural beeswax candles in deep holders, one at each main direction and one in the center to ignite the smudge. If this is part of a ritual outdoors, you can visualize a ring of fire and omit the candles except for the one used to light the smudge. If you do light directional candles, light the central candle and then the candle of the East, South and so on. During the ritual you can move and stand by each, facing outwards in the appropriate direction of you wish.
  • Light the smudge from the central candle. Standing in the center of your fire wheel, face first the East, the direction of Dawn and Spring. Raise your stick or bowl and say:

“I greet the freshness of Dawn and brightness of the new morning. Fill, I ask, tee my sacred herbs with new life and swiftness of purpose.”

  • Turn next to the South, direction of Moon and Summer. Lite your smudge stick or bowl upwards and say:

“I greet the brilliance of noon and its radiant fire. Fill, I ask, these my sacred herbs with inspiration, integrity and courage.”

  • Face the West, direction of Dusk and Autumn and once more raise your smudge tools, saying:

“I greet the deepening skies and the first star of evening. Fill, I ask, thee my sacred herbs with love and healing.”

  • Face the North, direction of Midnight and Winter. Life your stick or bowl, saying:

“I welcome the darkness and the time of quiet repose.. Fill these sacred herbs with acceptance of what cannot be changed and with the wisdom of the ancestors.”

  • Standing still in the center of your actual or visualized fire circle, next to the central candle, lower the smudge towards the Earth and say:

“Kind Mother Earth, bless your own sacred herbs and absorb all that is not worthy of beauty in this wand of herbs and in my intentions.”

  • Finally, lift your stick or bowl high in the air, saying:

“Father Sky, bless these sacred herbs that my wishes and prayers may rise and be transformed into whatever is right and of worth.”

  • Some practitioners end with Mother Earth, or you can vary it according to the nature of the ritual.
  • As well as charging your herbs with power, you can create a complete ritual by facing and invoking the six directions with your smudge and then smudging yourself as a means of empowerment or protection. Alternatively, you can empower a symbol by carrying it to each of the four directions in turn and smudging it while declaring the purpose of the ritual.
  • You can end by lowering it to the Earth and smudging it there, and finally raising it upwards and releasing the energies in the smudge skywards.

 

Lighting Smudge

  • Use long matches or a candle but do not get wax on the smudge.
  • Light the tip of the smudge.
  • Let the flame die down and then blow the stick until the end glows red and smoke begins to curl upwards. Take time to get it really smoking well, especially outdoors on damp days.
  • If you are using candles at the quarters of a circle in ritual, you can briefly hold the smudge into each flame in turn as you address the quarters.
  • Keep a fire source like a candle in a safe holder near where you are smudging. If the stick goes out, you can relight it any time during the ritual, adding a blessing at the same time.

Equipment You Will Need for Smudging

A Smudging Fan

The purpose of a fan is to spread and direct the smoke from a smudge stick or bowl of herbs around the person, object or place to be cleansed. If you prefer, you can use your hand or a leaf brush made, for example, of pine needles. Use your hand only if you are writing in smoke with your stick.

Feathers and wing fans are traditional and are believed to assist in cleansing the human aura or psychic energy field as well as adding the qualities of the particular bird to the magick.

You can buy feather fans or use a single large feather you have bought or found.

Bowls

For burning pre-dried herbs without charcoal you need a heatproof dish as the heat is very fierce. It should be flat enough to allow the air to circulate. You can put a layer of sand or dry soil in the bottom as insulation. In the Native North American Indian tradition as abalone shell is used. This has natural perforations to let out the heat and ensure that the air is distributed evenly all around to give a regular streams of smoke. Shells are symbolic of the Mother Goddess.

A popular smudging bowl to use is ceramic, broad and flat with a shallow rim and wide lip that remains cool even when herbs are heated and broad feet so that it can be placed on a table or on the floor without the risk of scorching. You could make your own bowl, thus endowing it with your personal energies.

You also need a deep bowl for sand or earth in which you can extinguish smudge sticks when you want to end a ritual and they have not gone out naturally. You can also catch the ash or any sparks from your smudge stick in the bowl. Some people extinguish a smudge stick by tapping it on the edge of the bowl. Water is not used, except in an emergency.

Drying The Smudge Sticks

  • Hang your smudge bundles upside down using a knot in the twine so that the air can circulate. Ensure the are you keep them is warm and not damp, and not exposed to direct sunlight.
  • Leave the smudge sticks to dry for about two weeks. They are ready when they are dry but not completely moisture free. Watch out for mold.

Making A Smudge Stick – An Alternative Method

  • For this you will need much taller herbs, about three times the length of the finished smudge stick you want to make. You will also need fewer herbs since you are folding them over to three times the original thickness. You will need very pliant herbs that will not snap. Aim for a 6 – 7 inch finished smudge stick.
  • Again work on a flat surface. You will need a large piece of newspaper, fabric or soft leather for this method. Hold the herbs tightly together and turn the top third of the herbs over the middle third, so the herbs are now double over the top part of the stick. Do this carefully so they don’t break. Secure with twine and a firm knot.
  • Now bend the bottom third up so the stick is three times its original thickness, and tie again with a knot to include all three levels. The stick should now be a third of the original height, but very chubby like a cigar.
  • With slightly smaller herbs you can bend the herbs just once.
  • Before binding the stick, roll the newspaper, fabric or soft leather around it at an angle as tightly as possible. Tie the paper very securely and leave for about 8 hours, with the top and bottom of the newspaper just open to let in air.
  • Now unbind the newspaper and tie the compressed herbs tightly with twine. Starting from the stem end, bind them in a criss-cross pattern as before, tying them again very tightly about every 1/2 inch along. Leave the herbs to dry for two or three weeks.

Making A Smudge Stick

With a little practice, making a smudge stick is remarkably easy, though you may prefer to buy them ready-made. The secret is to pack and entwine your herbs really tightly so that they will not fall apart when you light them. There are many different methods and the following is just a series of the most useful:

  • You can use sprigs of fresh herbs from your garden or garden center for taller smudge sticks or use packs from a supermarket (either ready cut or still growing in a pot) for smaller smudge sticks.
  • Before making your bundle of herbs, test the twine you intend to use by burning a little in your flat dish. Does it flare up or smell foul? Try cotton without any synthetic additions, as synthetic fibers will break. Experiment with undyed natural twines or those where vegetable coloring has been used, you will find one that works well for you. Horsetail is the best, but is not easy to obtain.
  • Use thick sprigs (about seven or eight in total) of the fresh herbs with plenty of greenery no more than 12 inches long. The ideal length for your finished smudge stick is 7 – 9 inches so use the longer herbs in order that you can trim the bottoms and tops off to give a smooth finish.
  • Use a very sturdy herb to act as anchor at the center of the smudge stick. Some people use a dry stick as a base around which to twine the stems to give the bundle substance. Taper the stick at one end so that the woody part you hold is slightly narrower. Broader smudge sticks tend to work better than narrow ones.
  • Lay the herbs flat on a surface on smooth fabric, leather or newspaper. First wrap the thread around the bottom of the herb wand four or five times.
  • Then, with the separate ends either side of the herbs, begin to criss-cross from the bottom at about 1 inch intervals. Leave the top third to a quarter unbound. You can if you wish knot every other cross. Tie very tightly, pressing and weaving the herbs together as you work.
  • Turn the stick over and from the top, repeat crossing or knotting again at about 1/2 inch intervals so the whole stick is now tied at 1/2 inch intervals
  • When you get back to the bottom, make two or three wraps, tie the ends together and cut off the excess.
  • Trim the bottom of the bunch below the tie.
  • You may also trim any straggly herbs and trim the top.
  • Trim the bottom or top off after binding.

 

Have A Very Happy & Blessed Sunday, dear friends!

Days of the Week Comments

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble!  I’m the one in the middle cookin’ up brunch for my lady friends, lol! Actually, I have been toiling but it hasn’t been over a hot cauldron. I have finally linked the Goddess of the Month and the Herb of the Month. So if you have tried to click on them and nothing happened. Try it again. The reason I am running so late, dummy me didn’t bother to check which one I had already done. So guess what? I typed up another description of Onyx. I ought to know me by now and always double-check myself, lol!

 

 Well, my friends, I am going to run and get the dailys done. Then after that I am going to finish the topic of smudging. I had someone request information on smudging, so I was happy to supply it for them. If any of you have any topic you would like to know more about, please let me know. I actually enjoy doing things like this because I know someone is interested and trying to learn. So please don’t be bashful! Got to run for now!

 

 Blessings to you and yours,

Lady A 

Graphic from
~Magickal Graphics~

Herbs for Smudging

You can make a smudge stick by combining any tall, firm, full-leafed herbs. Some burn better than others. The following list of herbs are traditionally made into Native North American smudge sticks and others used for both commercial and personally prepared smudge sticks. Smudge sticks are made with fresh herbs and the whole bundle is dried together after formation.

Smudge herbs do tend to be single or dual herbs rather than a mix as in incense and are, on the whole, characterized less by sweetness than earthiness.

If you need to use charcoal, drop just one or two drops of lavender or rose essential oil onto the hot charcoal to add fragrance before you begin to burn the herbs. This is effective, especially if you are smudging indoors.

For homemade smudge, try to choose herbs that grow in your region. Look on the internet for dried varieties to burn in a bowl or ready-prepared less common smudge sticks. Also try to choose organically produced herbs.

  • Bay/Laurel
  • Bergamot
  • Cedar
  • Copal
  • Fennel
  • Juniper
  • Lavender
  • Mugwort
  • Orris root
  • Pine, Fir and Spruce
  • Rosemary
  • Sagebrush/Sage
  • Sweetgrass
  • Wormwort (Tansy)
  • Thyme
  • Yarrow
  • Yerba Santa

Using Smudge

  • Personal spiritual cleansing and empowerment are often art of a smudging ritual. Anticlockwise spirals up and down the body with the smoking smudge stick are used to remove negativity, followed by clockwise smoke spirals to restore energy and bring power. Two people can do this, each with their own smudge stick, by standing and facing each other and moving in rhythm as though dancing. The crown is sealed with a clockwise circle and the feet likewise, followed by a final clockwise crown circle.
  • Mark boundaries around your home against bad neighbors or potential intruders by creating a psychic defense wall with alternate anticlockwise and clockwise spirals of smoke. Chant as you smudge:

May goodness and those with good intent enter her and only peace remain.

  • Purify a home or individual rooms of negativity, whether from a hostile visitor, quarrels or an unfriendly ghost, by using anticlockwise spirals.
  • Purify and empower artifacts, such as items you have bought, been given or inherited, especially jewellery, to make it your own. Pass objects or crystals through the smoke nine times anticlockwise to purify them; followed by nine circle clockwise. The words you speak and the fragrance you use will direct the purpose and attract the appropriate energies.
  • Cleanse and empower magickal tools and your indoor and outdoor altar.
  • Open the four main directions in a ritual. With practice you can make an invoking earth pentagram with the smoke from a small smudge stick.
  • Unite the six directions: East, North, South and West (the order o honoring the universe in smudge rituals), then Earth (downwards) and Sky (upwards).
  • Use for planetary healing or peace rituals.
  • Heal people, animals and places where there has been a human or naturally created disaster. Direct the smoke towards an absent person or animal, or a place or swirl it in huge spirals in all the directions. Chant the purpose continuously until you reach a powerful speed and intensity of words and movement with the smoke. then lower your voice and smudge more slowly until you end with a gentle final thrust and a whispered:

May ___________ be healed.

  • Smudge round the outline of a drawn plan of your workplace, anticlockwise and then clockwise, to bring positivity to the office. (Smudging the office itself might set off smoke alarms.)
  • In wish magick, use  chant to call what it is you desire while writing the wish in the air with a smudge stick. End with three deliberate spirals of smoke directed directly upwards (with hand or fan).
  • Induce a state of meditation or, before divination, use  fragrances like juniper, mugwort, pine, sage, yarrow or sweetgrass to amplify psychic powers.
  • Cleanse and heal the human aura, the rainbow-colored energy field that extends an outstretched arm span all round us in an ellipse. Move anticlockwise to remove impurities and clear blockages in the energy flow and clockwise to fill the aura with light and energy.
  • Create a sacred circle or strengthen one already made with salt and water and/or a candle flame. Casting a smoke circle around you gives protection during magickal work or divination and concentrates power.
  • Use smudge in personal dedication ceremonies when you declare intentions and transform the energies around you to galvanize the transformation.
  • Connect with benign guardian spirits, wise ancestors and angels.
  • Smudge can act as the East/Air element instead of incense in outdoor rituals and on your outdoor altar.

A General Calling In of Good Spirits

After cleansing the energy in your home, it’s always nice to invite sweet and helpful spirits into your space. This is a ritual that will help you do just that. Because it has to do with inviting spirits from the other side (spirit guides, helpful deceased loved one, etc.,), this ritual is best done at night.  To begin, obtain a sweetgrass braid (a form of smudge stick or dried herb bundle, burned like ince) or a stick of sweetgrass or copal incense. Light a white or off-white candle, and bring your hands together near your heart in prayer pose. Close yoou eyes and take some deep breaths while consciously relaxing and tuning in to the subtle energetic realm and what is known as the otherworld. When you feel ready, light the braid or incense and say:

“Sweet spirits of the other, I call you.
Divine beings of light, I invite you. You are
welcome here. Reside, abide, dwell, and bless us
(me) with your presence in our (my) home.”
 
Carry the smoking wand from room to room, being very aware of fire safety while continuing to summon sweet spirits, either mentally or aloud. when you’re finished, give thanks to the beings you’ve summoned for answering your call, and extinguish the bundle or incense and candle. You’ll find that after you do this, your home is filled with remarkable feelings of sweetness, light, comfort and joy.

Smudging: How to do it — how not to do it

Smudging: How to do it — how not to do it

Michelle Chihacou White Puma Klein-Hass

I came across a very interesting article from “Shaman’s Drum” which was reprinted for Vision Quest Bookstore. I will attempt to convey the gist of it, along with my views, as a student of the Ways of the Teneh, about it. Smudging is a way of using the smoke from burning herbs as a way to cleanse the body, an object, or a given area of negative influences. I myself use smudging to “cleanse” crystals before using them in jewelry projects I may do, and for protecting my home from some recent “bad vibe”-producing events. (landlord troubles!) I imagine that the skillful use of the proper herbs could help in warding and banishing ceremonies as well, if used properly and with reverence. The three most used plant material for smudging are sage of all types, cedar and sweetgrass.

Sage
There are two major genii and several varieties of each genus of Sage that are used for smudging. Salvia, or the herb sage used for cooking, comes in two major varieties: S. officinalis, commonly known as Garden Sage, and S. apiana, commonly known as White Sage. Salvia varieties have long been acknowledged as healing herbs, reflected in the fact that its genus name comes from the Latin root word salvare, which is the verb “to heal” or “to save.” Artemisia is the genus commonly considered “Sagebrush”, and is more common in the wilds out here in California. There are two major varieties to the Artemisia genus: A. californica or Common Sagebrush, and A. vulgaris or Mugwort. There are many other varieties of both Salvia and Artemisia, and all are effective in smudging. Sage is burned in smudging ceremonies to drive out evil spirits, negative thoughts and feelings, and to keep Gan’n (negative entities) away from areas where ceremonials take place. In the Plains Sweatlodge, the floor of the structure is strewn with sage leaves for the participants to rub on their bodies during the sweat. Sage is also used in keeping sacred objects like pipes or Peyote wands safe from negative influence. In the Sioux nation, the Sacred Pipe is kept in a bundle with sage boughs. I would think special crystals could be so protected this way as well.

Cedar
True cedar is of the Thuja and Libocedrus genii. Some Junipers (Juniperus genus) are also called “cedar”, thus complicating things some. Some Juniper varieties are cleansing herbs, especially J. monosperma, or Desert White Cedar. But for smudging, the best is Western Red Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) and California Incense Cedar (Libocedrus descurrens). Cedar is burnt while praying to the Great Spirit (Usen’, the Source — also known to Plains nations as Wakan Tanka) in meditation, and also to bless a house before moving in as is the tradition in the Northwest and Western Canada. It works both as a purifier and as a way to attract good energy in your direction. It is usually available in herb stores in chipped form, which must be sprinkled over a charcoal in a brazier. I like a piece of charcoaled mesquite for this purpose, rather than the commercial charcoal cake.

Sweetgrass
Very important to the Sioux and Cherokee nations, its botanical name is Hierochloë odorata. In these tribes, the sweetgrass is braided like hair braids. It could be burnt by lighting the end of it, or (more economically) by shaving little bits of it onto charcoal in a brazier. Again, use charcoaled Mesquite (I believe it comes packaged for barbecue use under the brand name “Red Arrow”) to burn it, not pressed charcoal tablets. Sweetgrass is burnt after smudging with sage, to welcome in good influences after the bad had been driven out. Sweetgrass is very rare today, and traditional Plains people have been attempting to protect the last of it. Myself, I believe that Cedar, which is not endangered, can safely be used this way. Also Piñon pine needles (used more frequently by the Southwest Teneh, like the Navajo and Apache as well as the Pueblo people and the Zuni) and Copal (used by the Yaqui and in ancient times by the Azteca and the Maya) have similar effect. The three mentioned here are readily available either through gathering yourself or, in the case of copal resin, from any good herb shop.

Using Smudging
Burn clippings of the herb in a brazier… not a shell as some “new age” shamanic circles do… it is an insult to White Painted Woman (The Goddess) to do this, especially with the abalone shell which is especially sacred to Her. If the herb is bundled in a “wand”, you can also light the end of the wand that isn’t woody and use that. I like the latter way. Direct the smoke with your hands or with a Peyote (feather) wand over the person or thing you wish to smudge. If you can see auras, look for discolored places in the aura and direct the healing smoke towards those places on the patient’s body. For cleansing a house, first offer cedar smoke to the four directions outside the house. Then, take a sage bough and go throughout the inside of the house, making sure the smoke penetrates every nook and cranny of the house. It might help also, if you have a power animal, to visualize your animal doing these things, to also dance your animal, and if you have a power song, to sing that too. Then finally, run through the house with a white candle that is well protected, to “light up” the house. Careful not to burn it down when you do it!!!

Final Thoughts
Smudging should be done with care, with reverence, and in an attitude of LOVE. Show your respect and honor to the plants that Usen’ has given us for our healing, and they will return the favor by keeping us well and free from disease and negative energy. Aloe Vera plants, though not to be burnt, are good for the cleansing angle as well. Keep one or more potted Aloe Veras in the house (modern varieties are too tender to plant in anything but full shade outside) in organic (wood or ceramic, never plastic or metal) pots. To honor the plant when you transplant it, sprinkle the roots with corn meal and smudge it with cedar once it is transplanted. The spirit of Aloe Vera is a good protective spirit, and if you burn yourself, can also be used to heal your skin. Be sure to ask the plant’s permission before cutting part of the leaf off for the healing juice. If you don’t, the protective power of the plant will cease, and you will be left with but an inert houseplant… and perhaps some bad karma to boot.

Hi-dicho, it is finished…. ENJU!

Censing and Smudging

Censing and Smudging

 
When a circle is cast, it is generally cast then purified and then filled. The process of filling the circle is called Censing or Smudging. This is also the time to invite the Ancestors to come to the circle to be with us. Before the circle is cast, light a small brick of charcoal and place it into a censer or insulated bowl to let it get hot.
 
After the circle is purified, place a small amount of incense onto the charcoal and bless it saying “Blessed be, Child of Fire and Air, that you may make this space sacred.” Carry the censer around the circle slowly, letting the smoke drift around the edges. As you walk, invite the Ancestors to be present in the circle. After people have been brought into the circle, cense each of them as well.
 
Smudging is the same process but uses a bundle of herbs that are burnt slowly rather than loose herbs.

Sacred Clothing

Sacred Clothing

 
Many practitioners will not enter or use their sacred space unless they are cloaked in a special garment created by their own hands and consecrated for spiritual use. This robe is unique and special to each person who desires to honor their beliefs in this fashion. A cloak can be consecrated for specific purposes. So you can have more than one cloak, depending on what type of ritual you will be conducting in your sacred space.
Self clothing isn’t the only garments you want to consider for your space. An altar cloth is also called for. You can use more than one cloth in varying colors and patterns, depending on the work at hand. But consider the use of the cloth before you cover the altar. If you are going to be mixing herbs, or creating spiritual objects such as handmade candles, smudge sticks or spiritual tools, then you want the cloth to be inexpensive and practical. If however, you are conducting a ritual to celebrate a holiday, then you might use a more formal cloth, anything from crushed velvet to black satin.
The cloth should reflect your personality, your beliefs and one that you feel comfortable with using. A male Witch for instance, may not use Victorian lace when casting spells for compassion, healing or love. Rather he might use something that strikes an essence of romance in his heart such as red silk. Whatever you chose to use, the cloth should be large enough to cover the entire altar and fit the work at hand.