Smudging is a Hygiene act as much as it is a ceremonial practice.
Im someone whom smudges my energetic and astral [ emotional ] body so regularly, that, to me, it’s no different to getting into shower each morning and or evening and washing my physical body. It’s become so auto pilot. I don’t need to talk about it, film it, put it on social media, just like I don’t over expose my daily hygiene routines.
Smudging as Hygiene and self care act is exactly where I would love to inspire women, landing ever so softly within the hygiene + medicine of smudging, not the spiritual glamour or ego of woke culture practices.
I was first introduced to sage-ing like most of us, probably through a blog that tweaked the woke ego and so I went to the closest blue Buddha and purchased some, wanting to be “more connected to my spiritual side” or ‘call in my ancestors’, but then, eventually, it faded out after I got tired of trying to prove something to myself. Eventually that faded out and I certainly never paid respects to the traditional cultures that this act is tied too. Possibly invoking more karma [ balancing of energies ] toward me.
Fast forward to 2016, I was already studying Tantra weekly for 4 years by then and it was in those first 4 years of Tantra that I was trained heavily on the Astral [ emotional ] ether [ Energetic ] + Mental bodies. I was already familiar with the physical body obviously, like we all are. But it was never a part of my upbringing to cleanse or wash anything but the physical body. It was the only body I was taught how to clean, ie daily bath or shower ritual.
It kept drawing on me during those first 4 years of tantra, as I noticed the thoughts collecting over time and their was never really a process to remove negative ones apart from over writing them with positive ones, but that process alway felt clunky to me, like a pile on top of a pile and it did result in overstimulation, crammed mind. It was really no different with the Astral [ Emotional ] Body either, we collect so many emotions. Modern women tend to get very savvy and burying them too in order to cope and keep moving forward. The energy body, my gosh, not one part of my upbringing taught me how to clean my energy. It was becoming very visible to me how suppressed and lacking knowledge we are. No wonder we all felt drained and heavy.
It was December 2016, I received a phone call from a North American shaman that was coming to Australia and he said he had been given my name to contact when he landed here, we chatted for a while, I said interesting you call as I have been training women on the elements and how to use them as medicine, his medium was the elements, after a while of chatting he asked would I be interested in initiation. Long story short, Of course it was a yes, it’s not everyday we receive a phone call like that.
My initiations were to become a Shamanic Grief Holder and Initiated as an Indigenous [ to earth, not First Nation ] Ritual Leader.
I worked with him directly for 4 years. INTENSE, EYE OPENING and incredibly transformative chapter of my life. Everything you could possibly imagine and more.
It was the time he spent with me that matured my practice with smudging. From that day forward it has been a regular practice just like any other hygiene practice. I don’t think Id feel complete and Id certainly not feel light and clear with out my connection to this practice.
May your hands be cleansed so you can create beautiful things.
May your feet be cleansed so they lead you intuitively to where you are best placed.
May your heart be purified so that you may hear all messages clearly.
May your throat be cleared so you speak rightly and highly, and not when best.
May your eyes be cleansed so you can see.
May the smoke be honored as the medium that carries your prayers to the other side.
"Smudging sage has nothing to do with the magical room-cleansing nonsense sold by uninspired capitalists," writer + activist Taté Walker says, who is Mniconjou Lakota + a citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. "Speaking for myself and what I've been taught about my Lakota culture, sage is a critical component within Lakota medicinal and ceremonial knowledge."
In traditional Native American culture, burning sage is a sacred practice to cleanse people of negativity and promote healing, wisdom, and longevity.
In modern times, when someone "clears the air" with burning sage, it turns out they aren't just clearing it of spirits or stale emotions, research has proven that burning sage can actually remove a shocking 94% of bacteria from the air (ref; Lifehack.org).
It's important to note, though, that the sage smoke needs at least an hour to achieve this level of air purification, so waving a smudge stick like wand, once or twice in the corner of the room or over your Body, won't cut it for this purpose.
As I said above, I have always Questioned why we all have a need jump in the shower each evening and would be considered “dirty” if we didn’t, yet very few see that smudging or salting is necessary for emotional and energy bodies. I think it’s because they can’t see those bodies, everything is left unnoticed, but trust me when I said it absolutely has everything dot do with the condition of your physical body. Smudging 100% helps us with common ailments, ailments caused by congestion of emotions, thoughts and energy, such as constipation, menstruation, anxiety, sore throats, it is ideal for naturally repelling insects and more.
Id like to share a number of references to studies that have shown that medicinal smokes such as sage have powerful antimicrobial and antibacterial qualities, can improve mood and cognition, can serve as an insect repellent, and can even help with sleep quality by easing insomnia.
Home Made sage or smudging sticks are incredibly easy to make: contact billa Kate to participate in the upcoming MYO smudge stick workshop.
Why do people feel better post smudging?
People say they can "feel" healthier energy in a room after it has been smudged, there may be scientific reason for that, too. Research has shown that negative ions and positive ions have noticeable effects on the well being of human beings (sivanaspirit.com). Specifically, positively-charged ions in the air, which are often created in artificial environments and environments that house electronic devices (like our homes and offices) can increase stress and trigger allergies and other ailments, while negative ions, which are naturally high at places like a beach or a park, have an antidepressant and healing effect.
Interestingly, burning sage increases negative ions and reduces positive ions in the air. Further, a 2016 University of Mississippi thesis suggested that white sage is rich in compounds that activate certain receptors in the brain responsible for elevating mood levels, reducing stress, and even alleviating pain (via Healthline). No wonder a room "feels better" when you're done burning sage!
Too many of us grew up not understanding that cleansing oneself doesn’t just mean having a daily shower / with soap.
What does soap do anyway, that water doesn’t, Salt is needed in the shower too.
Salt will cleanse your restore, purify, recalibrate energy, sage will carry your prayers and clear negative emotions that have built up through the day.
Imagine what your body [ physical ] might look like today if you never showered?
Just pause to think, close your eyes and visualise a body thats never been cleaned in a shower.
Once you have your visual keep reading.
Now visualise your emotional body if it has never been smudged?
Or your energy body if it has never been cleaned purified or protected with salt?
What would it look like?
YUP, if your feeling over the shop, overstimulated, overwhelmed, heavy, self doubting, magnetised for lower vibrational words, habits, friendships, living through your mind, disconnected to your body, SAGE or SMUDGE
Many women are out of body and don’t even realise it, It makes sense we want to be out of the body when the bodies have been neglected, the vibration of them is resonating so low as we never were shown how to cleanse the, so we unconsciously disconnect to them and their for our power. We have to be in the body to remember who we are.
If you want to begin loving yourself, and dont know where to begin, try cleansing. ALL BODIES.
This extends to our homes as well, it’s an environment, that we are encapsulated in for hours upon hours each week.
Furniture holds energy, if someone sad sits on our chair that emotions stays there. Hopo’ponopono taught us this.
Scary but true.
Energy, needs attention, why?
Well, for starters It’s invisible, out of sight out of mind, we are so preoccupied with “life” we tend to be only able to comprehend and believe what we see.
Emotions are also ignored a lot as we can’t see them. We can mask them. Just like emotions build up. Energy does too.
Often not in positive way.
Energy that hides in corners of the home / drawers, cupboards, energy from those that lived in the house before you. Past partners. Yes. It’s still there.
It now influences your emotions. Your psyche. Your choices.
It weaves with your energy and alters your frequency. Alters your moods, energy, friendships, relationships.
The most adorable thing about true cleansing is it takes little time, costs very little and it improves not only emotional, mental and physical health, it uplifts relationships and revitalises quality of life.
What are the other benefits of burning sage?
The benefits of saging your home aren’t just spiritual. Sage is considered incredibly purifying and is able to clear away many of the toxins you breathe every day, including fumes from paint, chemicals, and cleaning supplies.
It's antibacterial. A 2007 study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacol linked burning sage to reducing airborne bacteria, meaning it can help you get a fresh start in more ways than one.
It helps you feel less stressed. A University of Mississippi research projectdiscovered white sage was rich with the compounds that activate the brain's receptors that are responsible for reducing stress.
It can help you sleep better. Studies have shown that sage might help ease insomnia, which is definitely another way to help improve that positive energy.
It can improve your mood. In 2014, researchers found that white sage has been used to treat anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.
It can help you think better. While more research is needed, a 2016 reviewfound that sage might enhance cognition functions and may even be useful as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
All right, I'm in. How do I sage my house?
First things first, you have to think about what you're going to use for your practice. You don't have to use white sage to cleanse your home, their are plenty of other plant allies that can be used, but, considering the over-harvesting of white sage in recent years, if you do choose to go with sage, it's incredibly important to buy from a sustainable and Native business.
Step 1 : Set the intention [ Think about the energy you want to surround yourself with and what you want to create and cultivate in your space. ]
Step 2 : Light the sage. [ Just make sure to blow out the flame once the bundle starts smoking. You’re looking for a steady smolder, not a wildfire, here. ]
Step 3 : Start with smudging yourself by trailing the smoke down arm, lift your arm and run the sage along the bottom of it, if the sage is going into your arm you need sage-ing, if it eventually is appearing to move off the arm your body is clear, repeat this in all areas of the body, particularly the heart feet, crown and hands.
Step 4 : Move onto each room in your home, Waft the smoke from corner to corner, open draws, cupboards get all up in there, clap in the areas you feel their is heavier energy, demand and affirm this home be cleared, eventually making your way through your entire home, ending at the front of the house. Make sure your windows and doors are open.
How often should I sage smudge my place?
The Shaman taught me the practices of smudging daily when I can, but it's also something you can do whenever you want to feel more cleansed, calm, clean and protected in your life.
Just moved to a new place? Sage.
Just had an Argument? Sage
About to Welcome a new born into a home? Sage
Guests arrive ? Sage
Looking to switch your perspective after some setback at work? Sage.
But, no matter when you smudge, it's important that it's done with the appropriate intentions. According to the Lakota tribe, in order to receive the healing that comes from the practice, "it can’t be used on a surface level—like just to make your house smell good. Nothing will come from that." You must be in this entire ritual, it would be like looking at soap in a shower and wanting to be clear, immerse in the whole act, not just waving a sage wand.
How exactly does sage welcome positive energy?
The power of sage comes from its plant spirit. Since sage is a plant, it, like all living things, has a spirit, and sage perfectly embodies its name by offering a wise, protective energy to the world.
Sage is a living being that we take from the earth, which means that we are connected to it. When we make a sage bundle and burn it, we are taking its breath and purifying ourselves with it.
Is burning sage cultural appropriation?
You may remember a few years ago Sephora announced it was launching a product called the "Starter Witch Kit" that included a bundle of white sage. The kit was later pulled after the brand received a swift and a large amount of backlash. This is just one of several instances of the commercialisation of aspects of Indigenous spirituality without recognising the heritage and history of the practices, practices that were illegal in the U.S. until the 1978 Freedom of Religion Act. And despite this, many risked punishment in order to keep their culture's practices alive.
Thousands of Native people have fought their whole lives to retain their culture, language, and way of life while experiencing hardships doing so So, to go through all of that pain just to have your ceremonies and culture taken and turned into something meaningless for an insta post, is what needs to be acknowledged and understood.
The Shamans + Tribes do believe it is important to share Native religious practices with non-Native people, and it's important that non-Native people do their homework before trying practices like smudging themselves. Honor the ceremony's intentions and learn the history behind it.
They are more than willing to teach people, to show people their ways, They are just not willing to give others the keys and have them drive away with what is ours. They have to respect that. Know that many of their people were killed for smudging. So when adopting this sacred practice honour it, thank them first you will notice a significant difference in your benefits by doing so.
Contact Billa kate to join in + register for the upcoming ‘Women’s Work’: Make your own Smudge Kits Workshop