A part of my heart is always in the desert, so I was happy to be there. The wild sage is one of my favorite parts. Sage has been used by Native Americans for hundreds if not thousands of years for it's spiritual purifying and cleansing properties. Medicinally, it is antibacterial and antiseptic, and has uses ranging from headaches to heartburn to depression to menopause.
I only discovered smudging last year, so I have only smudged spaces* a few times, but it is really a beautiful ritual. I love the idea of clearing out a space of the old "juju," to make way for the new. Whether it's purely symbolic, or all those medicinal properties are just the surface of more powerful spiritual cleansing powers, I have no idea. It doesn't really matter either way, really.
I've never made my own sage bundles before, but I collected some and am giving it a whirl. They're hanging to dry right now, so hopefully soon I'll be able to use them to clear out some of the stale winter energy hanging around.
Have you ever smudged a space before?
shanti >> sondra
*if you're not familiar with it, it's basically waving the smoke of the smoldering sage bundle into all the nooks and crannies of a space, while either thinking or saying aloud your intentions "I am cleansing this space of the old, to welcome the new," or something like that.
I have never done it, but I find it such an interesting concept. I think my house could use a smudging ceremony right about now. There's way too much negativity stemming from this little lady lately. I need to kick it anyway I can.
ReplyDeletei do this often! i smudge myself before i leave for work and if i've had a stressful day i smudge myself when i get home to get rid of the energy. if my husband is cranky i will smudge him too and it changes his mood very quickly. it really does get rid of stale energy in a space, works like magic!
ReplyDeleteOh, Sondra! You're so lucky. :D I wish I could go pick my own sage!!! Jen and I are planning on planting some and hopefully we'll have better luck this year. Smudging our room, and even myself, with sage is such a welcome and wonderful experience. :) I love the desert. It's been my home for almost six years now, however I feel like I should have lived here since my very first day. <3
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you found this out in the wild. Amazing and beautiful. I have actually smudged before, but this was back in the good ol days when I lived in a co-op and read tarot cards. I do actually think, even if it's for your own mental health, that clearing out a space of negative energy can't be a bad idea. :) Just the act itself is probably cleansing and brings a sense of new/fresh/starting over. I love it. Now all I need is a desert.
ReplyDeleteEastern Washington and Oregon are SO WEIRD. I remember driving through a straight up cowboy town with a rodeo in E Oregon, and the whole time I was thinking WHERE AM I??
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of smuding, sage or sans sage. Just the idea of starting anew and cleaning a space of negative thoughts or just memories from the past that bogs you down sounds nice.