How Should You Smudge Your House to Invite Positive Energy
Inviting positive energy into your home is accomplished through smudging. You can use various herbs but the most common is sage.
Sage is a powerful word steeped in the roots of the very foundations of our human history. There are records of the healing properties of sage from over 4,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptians used it to treat infertility, for diseases and epidemics. The herb was the main ingredient in the embalming process and no Egyptian Pharaoh could move into the afterlife without this herb. It is still commonly used for smudging.
Read More »Whatever herb you choose, smudging is a cleansing ritual dating back to ancient times. Our own Native Americans establish the practice of smudging and solidified it as a cultural and tribal practice. Many other cultures around the world shared similar rituals. Many of our ancestors used smudging for health, well-being, and for purifying the mind, body, and spirit.
The Benefits of Smudging
Some of the great benefits of smudging are its healing properties and its power to cleanse. Herbs like sage have the ability to clear the air of bacteria and bugs, but another benefit of smudging is that it releases negative ions which helps neutralize positive ions. Smudging can provide relief for those with allergies, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.
Smudging has been used for thousands of years to connect to the spirit world and enhance intuition. Healers and shaman have used smudging to achieve a healing state and to reflect on spiritual matters. This may have some scientific basis as some herbs contain thujone. Thujone has mild psychoactive properties that can raise and enhance cognitive intuition.
Are you plagued with trauma from the past, bad experiences, or need to increase positive energy? The ritual of smudging can help you re-establish a positive environment and help you let go of negative thoughts. Even though your life may be negative at present, the ritual of smudging can open your mind to emotional healing and open your home to positive energy.
When to Smudge Your Home
There is no right or wrong time to smudge. The purpose of smudging is to release cleansing and healing properties. It is used to center and ground, to release negativity, and connect to our higher selves.
Here are some times and reasons you might want to consider smudging.
• The energy in your home feels off or there is an abundance of negative energy
• When you have experienced any kind of trauma
• You are feeling depressed, unenergetic, and lethargic
• You are having trouble letting go of negative thoughts or ideas
• When you need inspiration
• You are writing or meditating and want to achieve a positive state of mind
• After you or a family member has been sick or is coming down with an illness
• The day following a new moon and astrology smudges to invoke your sun sign
• To improve the feeling of Feng Shui
• Moving into a new home
Your reason for smudging doesn’t have to be monumental. They can be as simple as wanting to relieve your mental state after an argument. Perhaps you just came from a crowded space and want to return to a feeling of reflection and peace. It could be you have a feeling of being on edge and you need to relax and prevent the build-up of negative energy.
Smudging Your Home
You can grow your own herbs for smudging or buy them from supermarkets and health food stores. There are many sites online that sell specific ingredients for smudging to match your astrology, spiritual, or physical needs.
The essence of smudging is to create smoke that ascends with our wishes and intentions and mingles with the universe. This connects heaven, earth, and humanity. The smoke is used to transform a home and it blesses the space and its inhabitants. The most common herbs used are sage, cedar, sweetgrass, and lavender. Other products like Epsom salts are also used.
For feng shui, juniper and dried orange peel “chen pei” are often used. The items you will need for smudging include:
• Your herbs or materials for smudging
• Candle and matches
• A fireproof container
• Bowl of sand
How to Begin
You should never feel rushed when you smudge. Allow yourself time and space before you begin. It is recommended that you meditate for a few minutes beforehand to clear your mind and calm your spirit. You can include others in this ritual. They can assist with sounds like chimes or bells to add another healing dimension.
The key to smudging is intention. Understand and transmit your purpose and your wishes. When you clear your house, you create a vacuum. Your intentions are welcomed into the clear, clean, and open space.
Once your tools and intentions are in place, you can begin the smudging. Begin at the front door of your home and light the smudge stick. Move around your home mindfully and with care, always in a clockwise direction. Circle the entire perimeter of the home and be sure to let the smoke drift into hidden places like closets, dark corners, and basements.
If you have stairs in your home, include them when they are encountered in a natural process. Keep moving clockwise until you encounter the stairs again and continue to go up or down until the entire house is completed.
This movement around your house is called circumambulation. It’s an ancient and sacred practice that has been performed for thousands of years. You can use a mantra or prayer as you perform this ceremony to help fill your home with additional spirit-lifting and cleansing powers.
When your smudging ceremony is complete, end the session by dousing the smudge in your bowl of sand. Make sure the embers are completely doused to prevent any fire hazard. Visualize your home filled with bright sunlight and speak your intentions one last time to close the ceremony.
Smudging is a beautiful way to clear space and rejuvenate positive energy. Use smudging to free yourself and your home from negativity and embrace the power of positivity. Smudging can be performed any time you feel overwhelmed or consumed with negative thoughts. Having a good cleansing ritual can improve your emotional and physical state and restore peace and harmony in your home.