A smudge as we all know by now is a bundle of magical herbs which is burnt and smoke of which is used to purify places, souls, as well as people. It also develops a energy field around a territory and an individual. The process of smudging can be done for both oneself and others.

Smudging is very popular among the Wiccans in the North American territory. It is a crossover practice in the territory which has been a tradition adopted from the Native American Spirituality. Although Smudging is basically burning of special herbs as a part of ritual processes its a purifying process in nature. The purifying nature has hardly any side effect on the people around it. It therefore is non allergic in nature. However many chemical scents have come up in the markets today and the use of which needs to be avoided. Some of the artificial fragrances available in the market is known to cause serious diseases such as cancer or nerve disorders.

So what’s the procedure for making a smudge stick?

One can buy any premade smudge sticks which includes numerous plants in it. The popular smudges available are sage smudges, and some combinations of things such as sage, lavender, and cedar.

Not in case you want to make it by yourself following the steps below might help you:

Use of harvesting plants

The process needs to be conducted with the right set of knowledge and awareness. One should be sure about their intent and what is the reason they want to smudge for?

One should work along the cycles as each harvesting plant has its own harvesting time. It may be dawn or the night time, Dark Moon or the Full Moon. Thus it is necessary to plant the appropriate plants at their specified time.

The best practice to find the best plant to harvest would be leaving the first plant one sees. The time when a person is harvesting a plant for the purpose of smudging or spirituality or ritual purposes the best way would be ask the plant’s willingness and leave that thanks with an offering.

Moreover this is important for each item that is found in nature that one wishes to use for the purpose of ritual practices. In case one uses an item and does not show respect to it the spirit of the plant gets harmed and resentful. Therefore bringing any such energy for your surroundings is detrimental for ones purpose.

Hence while choosing a herb it should be based in the qualities they have or invoke. For example a sage smudge can clear out negative energies.

Binding of Herbs

Creation of a smudge stick is sorted as a ritual in its own. After harvesting the herbs in a sacred manner then next step is proceeding with the wrapping process.

In order to do so one needs to gather all the materials required for the purpose of sage in a sacred place. Besides the herbs one needs to have scissors and a few threads for wrapping. For many it may seem to be a messy process so one would like to have a sheet or something beneath them while sitting for making the process of cleaning up much easier.

Highly recommended for the thread selection is the natural embroidery or quilting threads as they are thicker. If one takes a thin thread like the sewing threads then they can cut into the herbs rather than binding them to burn easily.

One should also have a sheet made out of cotton, hemp, linen or any other similar material. They should also be uncoloured by the use of dyes. The reason behind this is that people would be burning this and inhaling it so it should be such that it does not pollute the environment. Also it would pollute the energy and your sacred body with polyester or chemical constituents.

In case you get a dyed and natural plant colouring they go for a thread based depending on which colour would be best for the task. For example wrap the herbs with a green grass thread when carrying out the process for health benefits. The moment one wraps the smudge stick one needs to be aware of what energy they are collecting into that. After all it’s a thread that is binding the magic inside the whole bundle. With all respect one should feel the gratitude of the gift which the plant and the Mother Nature have given us. After the bundling task is done its the time to offer prayers and say a blessing as a dedication for the cause the smudging process has been carried out for.

Many people also use the seashells in order to smudge but it is highly recommended of not using it for the said process of smudging. Especially the Abalone shells should never be used. In the markets smudge sticks are often sold along with these Abalone shells for some bizarre reasons. However it is absolutely inappropriate for using that for smudging purposes.

The primary reason for this is that shells are not fire-safe. Moreover another important reason is that Abalone is a sacred item for the Gods and Goddesses. Also these shells are affiliated to water so it’s highly preferred not to disrespect them by putting into fire. And this applies for each and every shell and not only Abalone.

Smudge sticks are bundle of dried herbs and the most common herb used in them is the White Sage. Many times other herbs and plants are used in making them. All the herbs are bound together with a string in a small bundle and then dried together. The additional herbs that are used include cedar, cilantro, mugwort and lavender. None of these herbs are native to the Americans. All the herbs are pleasant and produce strong aroma when burnt.

The term smudge stick has been introduced by American Indians and it includes the practise of shamanism. The smudging process is followed many different traditions and religions. Binding the smudge sticks and using them for smudging ceremonies has been intentional process in itself. The use of scents and scented smoke in different purification rites is common in most of the traditions around the world and it has been done from hundreds of years.

Composition

Smudge sticks are essential and integral part of the smudging ceremony. A smudge stick can be made with the help of a single herb or by combining many different herbs. White sage has been the most common herb which is the most traditional herb for making a smudge stick. White sage is also known as salvia apiana and is the most traditional herb in the preparation of smudge sticks. But it is mostly out of the Native American context.

Some of the other popular plants are cedar, lavender, yarrow, rosemary, balsam, Silver King Artemesia, juniper, or mugwort. Smudge sticks can be made from many different herbal materials found around the world. The practise of burning herbs for sacred or medicinal purposes persists in many different cultures around the world. The use of incense is common in almost all the Asiatic religions while the use of mugwort in moxibustion is common in Chinese medicines. Smudge sticks are mostly used to clear away the negative energies. It may be through a smudging ceremony or some other traditional practise. The herbs are bound together with cotton, linen or hemp. Smudge sticks are mostly made by traditional spiritual practitioners. Prior to their use they must be made in the most appropriate manner. One can even make a smudge stick by following proper guidelines required to make a smudge stick. While buying a smudge stick one should make sure that it is bought from a specialised retail outlet.

Contemporary uses

In the modern era smudging has gained huge importance. It has been incorporated into many belief systems which includes new age spirituality, where it is analogous to censing aspersion or a thurible. It may also be used in meditation or rituals. Many practitioners regard smudging as spiritual and psychological cleaning. It is mainly used to drive away the negative energy. One can cleanse himself or cleanse an object through smudge sticks. It is the best way to drive away the negative energy and bring in the positive energy. People can either cleanse themselves or others by fanning the smoke produced by burning the smudge sticks in the desired direction. To fan the smoke one can take the help of other smudging tools like bundle of feathers.

While smudging the intent of a person is very important. The intent behind the ritual is also considered important along with the actual constituents of the smudge sticks. While smudging one must take note of the time of day, month, or the year. While making the smudge sticks also it is important to take note of the time for example: at dawn or evening or at certain phases of moon or according to yearly cycles. It is necessary to take the permission of the plant before collecting the herbs. It is necessary to take the permission as it shows respect towards the plant. It is said that the sage varies in potency in different parts of the year. Many people collect the sage in the month that contains the letter ‘r’ or only full moon periods. One must carefully collect the crinkled leaves. The smudge stick ceremonies are quite significant at aphelion, perihelion, equinoxes or in solstices.

There are many indigenous American people who use smudge sticks in different ceremonies. The Cree and Ojibwa ceremonies include smudges of sage, or juniper for cleansing. Smudging with coal underneath can provide a lot of smoke and they can also be used to repel mosquitoes and other insects.

In Native America where the smudge sticks were used traditionally to purify people, places and objects, it is said it also helped in cleansing and repel evil influence. It also has medicinal as well as religious correlations to the spiritual beings. It is a kind of object that can be used before or after a prayer.

The use of smudge sticks is a great way to cleanse sacred spaces and most of the people use smudge sticks made of sage and sweetgrass. They are available commercially and are also inexpensive. But one can also make them at their own by growing different herbs in their garden. If they have space any place near their home then they can go for wildcrafting.

People need:

•          Scissors or garden clippers

•          Cotton string

•          Plants such as sage, mugwort, rosemary, lavender, or juniper

The herbs should be cut in pieces of about 6-10 inches. For the leafy pants one can make the pieces even shorter. But it is good to use longer pieces for the plants that have few leaves.

The use of smudging tools is part of many Native American practises. The burning of herbs is done for psychic, emotional, and spiritual purification. Using a smudging tool is part of many Native American traditions.

The burning of herbs is done for emotional, psychic and spiritual purification and is followed among various healing and spiritual groups. The ritual of smudging can also be defined as “Spiritual cleaning.” The smoke produced by smudge sticks attaches itself to the negative energy and as the smoke clears away it takes away the negative energy with it, then the positive energy is regenerated.

Almost all the religious and spiritual traditions around the world practice burning herbs. Smudge sticks are native to the Americans. These sticks are made of different kinds of herbs. It is said that burning these herbs helps in purifying a person, place, or an object. It can heal the emotional and psychic parts in humans through spiritual purification. The Native Americans mainly use the smudge sticks to cleanse a person, place, or any object. It is said that these sticks help in removing the negative energy and brings positive energy. Smudge sticks can be used for following purposes:

• You’ve been feeling depressed, angry, resentful.
• You’ve had an argument with someone.
• You’re going to have a special ritual or ceremony.
• As part of a general spiritual housecleaning.
• To clear your crystals of any negative energy.

The smudge sticks are considered to be sacred in Native societies, as they are made of special herbs. The smudge stick should be given due respect as they are used for the respectful act of smudging and spiritual cleaning. It is particularly centering to have an intention in mind. For example: if someone is stressed then he should visualize that the smoke is carrying away all the feelings of depression and if there is an argument with a person then we should visualize the person with whom we argued and being in with peace with him.

One must always remember to thank the crystal and the smudge stick for helping him in realising his goals. While smudging a house or a room people should think that their home is like temple for the body.

Smudge sticks can be lit with flame of a candle. Once there is a flame then we should blow it away so that smudge stick just smoulders and not burns away. The main idea is to get smoke and not burn the smudge stick or set it on fire.

If someone is smudging an object then he can hold it in the smoke and if they are smudging more than one object then they should fan the smoke on the objects. The room should be smudged by walking around the perimeter of the room and special attention should be given to the corners of the room. One can also fan the smoke in the room with the help of large feathers. If a person is being smudged then we should fan the smoke over the person properly and make sure that it touches the whole body. People should specially focus on the areas where they think there is some kind of blockage. It helps in healing spiritual, emotional, and psychic pain.

We should always have a fire proof receptacle to put the smudge stick in them when we are finished. It is ideal to put the stick in sand or use small amount of water. We should always keep in mind that the smudge stick is out of the room before we leave the room.