Cleansing Rituals–Smudging

Living in the age of technology and fast-paced routine, we forget to clear negative energies that bound us most of the time. Cleaning your space or yourself from all types of negative energies is itself the most enthralling thought.

Introduction

When we talk about cleaning ourselves or our space of negative energies, Smudging is the most dominant ritual that seems practical. Smudging is a unique and well-believed practice that Native Americans, Indians and other tribal people have used for a long time. Burning Sage or Palo Santo is claimed as Smudging.

Difference Between Sage & Palo Santo Burning

Sage and Palo Santo are the most prominent plants that have been used for healing and cleaning purpose. Sometimes people get confused about the actual effects of both mentioned plants. To get the clear difference between both plants, it is essential to understand the sacred history of the burning ritual of any of these plants.

Burning Sage

Sage is a wide species of plant with different types in its family. Mostly, leaves of the sage plant are used to clean negative energies and promote a positive environment around them. It leaves a vigorous plant-like smell and effectively eliminates heavy negative energies that are stuck around you. It effectively eliminates toxic points in your space and encourages peaceful feelings.

Burning Palo Santo

Along with the other different herbs, woods and resins, burning Palo Santo stick was claimed as the sacred practice. It is known as holy-wood and a cut-up wood from Bursera Graveolens trees in Spanish. At the same time, sage removes the negative energies. Palo Santo encourages positive energies and make your place more healthy and growing. It also offers to relax and calming scent. Burning both Sage and Palo Santo together give more instant and reliable effects. You can first remove the negative energies by burning sage and then add up positive feelings by burning sticks of the later.

Types Of Sage

Sage is a most useful plant to perform smudging rituals with great ease. Along with its properties of removing toxic energies, it also holds different scientifically proven medical benefits. There are different types of sage plants that are used for smudging. Mainly used sage plants include the following,

White Praire Sage:

Scientifically the medical importance of white praire sage has been proved through different experiments. It holds great antimicrobial and anti-bacterial properties. Burning this type of sage not only cleans negative energies but also repel the insects and help to enhance healthy growth.

White Sage:

In ancient times, most people used white sage for smudging due to its potent antimicrobial properties. It has certain compounds that trigger the receptors in the brain to boost mood.

Classic Golden Sage:

Mainly, people burn classic golden sage with white sage for smudging purposes. It helps to improve mood and reduce stress level.

Artemisia Species:

Different species of Artemisia are also used for smudging purposes. It helps enhance a calm vibe at your space and keeps the anxiety and stress at bay.

Benefits Of Smudging

Sage plant belonged to the Salvia family, and in Latin, the word indicate “to heal”. Smudging offers tons of benefits to human physical and mental health. You can take care of your emotional well-being by actively adding smudging to your occasional routine. Some of the most impactful benefits involve the following;
• Smudging release negative ions and effectively neutralize positive ions in the air to repel toxic energies.
• It holds antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties to repel insects and keep the infectious agents at bay effectively.
• Smudging using sage uplift mood and boost positive energies to lower the stress and level of anxiety.
• In old times, burning sage is as an effective remedy to cure depression and filter out negative thoughts.
• Asthma and other respiratory disease patients claimed to feel calmness after completing the smudging procedure.
• Burning sage is also claimed as a spiritual tool used to enhance intuition and help to connect with the spiritual realm.

How To Perform Smudging?

To perform smudging, you need a list of ingredients along with the sage plant. You can use;
• A sage bundle.
• Seashell recommended clay or glass bowl to hold burning sage.
• Recommended match to light sage.
Remove the animals or living beings from the place before performing smudging. Leave the window open for smoke to escape, and all the negative energies.
Using Florida Water For Smudging

Sometimes people with asthma or other fatal respiratory diseases also want to perform smudging. Burning sage can be effective, but they have to leave the place for a longer time to avoid the lingering risks. Using Florida water, you can smudge without dealing with the smoke. It is best for people with allergies or asthma or in buildings where you can’t have smoke.