Ellie Prince
A new year has begun and that means 365 days of possibilities. Clear the air with sage burning and invite positive energy into your life. Keeping an open mind is essential for welcoming opportunity when it arrives. The wonderful fragrance of this medicinal herb will help you feel positive and energized.
Sage Burning Techniques
Ready to start clearing the air? The art of sage burning is called “smudging” and there are a couple of ways to do it. During warmer days, when you can keep the windows open, prop up the smudge stick in a ceramic bowl filled with sand. Light the bundle with a match and then blow it out. It should lightly smoke like incense. Burn as long as you like or put it under a tiny bit of cold water to save some for later. A quick method is to burn the stick and carry it from room to room, holding the bowl under the stick to catch any ashes. You can burn sage anytime you need focus or are seeking a fresh start.
Natural Repellant
If you’re having a bonfire at your next backyard party, consider adding a healthy dose of sage. Sage burning has also been known to keep mosquitos and other insects away. Add other herbs like lavender and mint to fill the air with a heavenly scent!
How to Make a Smudge Stick
If you’ve got a healthy supply of sage around, it’s easy to make your own smudge stick. You can use both fresh and dried herbs when sage burning. It’s a little easier to work with fresh herbs because they are less brittle. Create a bundle and secure it with a long piece of cotton string or hemp twine. Wrap the bundle to the top and then crisscross back down to the bottom. Hange your sticks upside down for at around 3 weeks to dry. Then they are ready to burn!
Native American Tradition
Smudging has been used by many cultures around the world for centuries. The practice of sage burning used today is borrowed from the Native Americans. They would burn sage as a cleaning method during special rituals or ceremonies. Look for California White Sage at your local nursery or farmer’s market. You can purchase beautiful hand-tied smudge sticks online for as little as $6 a piece. Wonderful as table decor or as part of a gift basket!
Add Lavender
To sweeten up the scent, you can add other herbs such as cedar or yerba santa. Lavender has been known to relieve stress and is a wonderful addition when sage burning. You can also find smudge sticks wrapped with lavender and dried flowers online for around $11 each. These heavenly scented sticks are almost too pretty to burn!
Lovely Rituals
The best time to do a little smudging is during a new moon. Sage burning during a New Moon is said to help keep your intentions in motion. It couldn’t hurt to add a monthly ritual to your life that underscores your hopes and dreams. A beautiful smudge stick wrapped with California white sage and lavender is a little luxury you deserve!
Cleanse + Bless
Add a monthly ritual of cleansing and blessing your home this year. The practice of sage burning promotes healing and renewal. Every member of your household will benefit! You can make this a time of meditation and reflection which is a healthy practice on its own. Happy New Year!
Hey there! While smudging (which doesn’t have to include sage, there are many herbs you can use to cleanse a space) can be super positive and calming and cleansing, burning white sage is often unintentionally harmful. White sage, as you mentioned, is used in some Native American religious practices and the white, neopagan demand for it has, in some cases, restricted some native access to their native practices. You really should consider cleansing your spaces with something else such as lavender or rosemary!
great suggestion! thanks for the heads up on white sage as well. i know there is some controversy surrounding sage burning, so using other herbs makes total sense.