When I gather with my mama friends for a ritual, such as our
New Moon Circle or a
Mother Blessing, we always open the ceremony by
smudging each other, calling on the spirits of sacred plants to clear away any negative energies. It is an essential piece of "
juju," as we call our assembly of ritual paraphernalia.
Smudging works equally well - and fast - on restoring the balance in your physical space. When the house gets a bit too stuffy - be it literally or figuratively - a smudging
is the perfect remedy. Tonight, my house was calling out for a little energy clearing. So I lit a bundle of dried baby sage that was appropriately gifted to me at my
blessingway for my daughter Sage. One deep breath, and I could practically feel the accumulated emotional and psychic garbage drifting away in the smoke.
At my
blessingway, I was also gifted a beautiful, approachable book on smudging called
The Smudging and Blessings Book, Inspirational Rituals to Cleanse and Heal by Jane Alexander. It offers basic directions for a self-clearing using a
smudge stick:
- Light the end of a smudge stick and let it burn until the tip starts to smolder. Then extinguish the flame so the smudge stick smokes.
- Call on the spirits of the smudge to cleanse and protect you saying, "Sacred sage, drive away all negativity from my heart; take away everything unworthy and impure."
- First, waft the smoke towards your heart. Then take the smudge smoke over your head, down your arms, and down the front of your body. Imagine the smoke lifting away all the negative thoughts, emotions and energies that have become attached to you.
- Breathe in the smudge, visualizing the smoke purifying your body from within.
- Bring the smoke down the back of your body toward the ground. Visualize the last vestiges of negativity being taken back into the earth, and away into the air.
- As you smudge, imagine yourself being surrounded by gentle, loving energy - breathe in positivity, courage and love.
You can adapt this simple ritual to cleanse your space, or another person. After my simple space-clearing tonight, the energy in my home feels lighter. And it smells so good. Ah...it's a little bit of
juju you just don't want to be without!
When I gather with my mama friends for a ritual, such as our New Moon Circle or a Mother Blessing, we always open the ceremony by smudging each other, calling on the spirits of sacred plants to clear away any negative energies. It is an essential piece of "juju," as we call our assembly of ritual paraphernalia.
Smudging works equally well - and fast - on restoring the balance in your physical space. When the house gets a bit too stuffy - be it literally or figuratively - a smudging is the perfect remedy. Tonight, my house was calling out for a little energy clearing. So I lit a bundle of dried baby sage that was appropriately gifted to me at my blessingway for my daughter Sage. One deep breath, and I could practically feel the accumulated emotional and psychic garbage drifting away in the smoke.
At my blessingway, I was also gifted a beautiful, approachable book on smudging called The Smudging and Blessings Book, Inspirational Rituals to Cleanse and Heal by Jane Alexander. It offers basic directions for a self-clearing using a smudge stick:
1 comment:
Well, its partly your fault I am returning, writing about your blessing way made me cry and want to come home! It was sad to think we built all this energy around birth and community, and then I was just going to miss out on it all for this baby. I need ju ju. I am coming home for the ju ju.
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