What is Smoke Cleansing?
The burning of herbs for emotional, psychic, and spiritual purgation is a common practice among native and indigenous people, and many religious, healing, and spiritual groups is known as smoke cleansing. It is typically known as smudging, an ancient traditional cleansing ritual practiced by indigenous people worldwide.
Can I do it if I’m non-native?
The answer is yes and no. The modern discourse on smoke cleansing has two opposing opinions.
1. Smudging with white sage is a closed practice for non-native people.
2. Everyone is free to use the resources given to us on earth by a higher power.
(Both of these opinions are right!)
While most agree that we should have equal access to resources, there is a line between appreciation and appropriation. People LOVE when their culture is appreciated, but when that oversteps into someone else’s sacred family traditions and beliefs via offensive misinformation and unethical production, this appreciation quickly becomes Cultural Appropriation.
The first step to appreciation is to understand the history of the people whose magic this originates from. Did you know that in the United States, it was ILLEGAL for indigenous people to perform their own practices (smudging) until 1978 with the passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act?
In North American indigenous cultures, smudging ceremonies are traditionally performed with White Sage, Cedar, Sweet Grass, and Tobacco.
However, White Sage, due to pop culture, has grown exponentially in popularity. It is, unfortunately, going through an overconsumption crisis by the west. Illegal harvesting and large-scale stealing of crops are causing growers to quit harvesting as this sacred plant is becoming endangered.
Here are some alternatives to white sage:
Blue and Grey Sage, Cedar, Pine, Rosemary, Lavender, Rose, Sweet Grass, Mugwort, and Copalsage. (Rose and Lavender burning smells SO good!
How does it work?
In essence, the smoke attaches itself to damaging energy. As the smoke clears, it takes the negative energy with it, discharging it into a different space where it is transformed into positive energy.
In many traditions, smoke cleansing requires a four directions ceremony or prayer, which sends certain sorts of smoke or prayers into the four directions.
Different groups have various prayers that program the smoke to perform a particular action, like cleansing or aiding in divination.
Generally, smoke cleansing is used in daily life for practical intents: to restore physical, mental, and emotional balance; to screen against damaging energies; to clean yourself, your magical tools, and your space; and to mend your sacred space.
You may burn these common herbs separately or in combination with one another. Pine and blue sage are two great combinations that cover all four magical components of air, fire, water, and earth. This compound is appropriate for universal use, cleansing, ceremony, and ritual.
Common Herbs Used in Smoke Cleansing.
Blue / Grey Sage
Cedar / Pine
Lavender
Sweet Grass
Mugwort
Copal
What To Smoke Cleanse.
Yourself
Crystals
Personal Objects
Home / Office / Healing Space
When To Smoke Cleanse Yourself.
When your spirits are low
After being around somebody who’s sick or blue
During meditation
If in prayer
If your intuition calls you to
How to Smoke Cleanse.
Smoke Cleansing yourself on a day-to-day basis may help keep yourself balanced and preserve a peaceful state of being.
Do not use butane lighters right on the herb; instead, light a stick or a candle, hold the herb into the flame till there’s a lot of smoke, and the herb is ablaze.
Utilizing a feather or your hand, softly fan the smoke onto your body, beginning at the top of the body and moving downwards. Get the back of your body as best you can. Once you are done, breathe in a little of the smoke (just a bit!) to purify your insides. Do not do this if you have sensitivities or health concerns related to smoke.
If you’re utilizing a pot or fire bowl and loose herbs, light the herbs till it’s smoking well. Then, place the fire bowl on the ground and stand over it with your legs spread out and feet on either side.
Waver back and forth in the smoke till you’ve been thoroughly cleansed. Apparel is optional for this approach, and smoke cleansing in the nude is advocated for a more thorough purifying.
Again, inhale a bit of the smoke to purify your insides when you are done. Individuals frequently feel more relaxed, lighter, and brighter following a cleansing.
If you’re going to utilize the smoke during meditation, utilize a charcoal burner or fire bowl, light the herbs, and savor the scent and smoke as you meditate. Meditating with these herbs frequently produces a more profound and longer-lasting state of relaxation and reflection.
Love, Light and Empathy,
Your Spiritual Planet Family
