Using Smoke to Clear Negative Energy

Smoke Cleansing is an ancient ritual carried out by all different religious faiths and backgrounds. Some may use different herbs and say specific prayers but when it comes down to it, the ritual is performed for the same reasons, similar ways and produces the same outcomes.

So what is "smoke cleansing"? basically put, it is the burning of sacred herbs to remove stale, negative and unwanted energies from the home or from a person.

Smoke Cleansing is based on a combination of spiritual, medicinal, herbal and cultural teachings from the past, modern day smudging rituals can be anything from fancy ceremonies with traditional prayers or simply lighting a white sage (or other sacred herb) bundle with the intention to clear out unwanted energies from your home, from an object, to cleanse your crystals or even yourself.

The easiest way to use smoke to cleanse your home, is to use a white sage stick or piece of Palo Santo wood. Some people prefer to burn loose white sage, or a blend of herbs chosen for their cleansing properties such as Lavender, Frankincense, Sweetgrass or Eucalyptus.

Smoke Cleansing your home doesn't need to be a big fancy ritual with incantations or prayers and in this article we discuss the basics of smoke cleansing and some easy ways you can do this yourself at home. 

Firstly, you will need a white sage stick, or some palo santo. We sell these in our online store, but you should also be able to find some at your local Health Food store or crystal shop if you can't wait for one of ours to arrive in the mail ;)

You'll also need something to sit the stick in afterwards, or a heat proof dish with some sand to extinguish the smudge after you're finished. Some people prefer to allow their smudge to burn out on it's own - we do this in our home, but extinguish if we are performing a House Clearing etc. for a client.

So, let's get down to it....

As with all spiritual work, Intention is the most important tool you have. Be clear on your intentions to clear out unwanted, stale or negative energy before you even start, this helps your intention set and grow as you perform the ritual.

Starting at your front door, light your sage stick at the "loose or leafy" end. If you're using a Palo Santo chip, it doesn't matter which end you decide to light. To light your sage stick, light as you would an incense stick, allowing it to catch alight before gently blowing on the end to create little embers which smoulder releasing the beautiful smoke.

Firstly, you want to "cleanse yourself". This is quite simply waving the sage stick all around yourself allowing the smoke to cleanse your body. Once you feel ready (you'll feel lighter and clearer) begin to make your way around the home.

Now, some people will tell you that you need to move in a certain direction, generally I tend to move to my left and work clockwise around the home and each room. There isn't a right or wrong way to do this so go with whichever direction you feel is right for you at the time, use your own intuition.

As you move around, enter each room you pass and allow the smoke to pass through everything you can, inside cupboards, under and behind furniture and over any objects which you feel drawn to give an extra cleanse. 

Keep moving around the house in the same direction until you come back to the front door.

If you feel the need to go around a second time, do so. Otherwise start with the front door and either place your sage stick in a fireproof container outside the front entrance or extinguish it.

I like to talk to my sage sticks, and to the smoke (when doing a cleanse at home), I ask it to clear out any energies which aren't welcome, to move out stale energy and allow fresh energy to take it's place. You can say any prayers or words you feel appropriate or be silent it's up to you. 

There are many different ceremonies and traditional prayers for smoke cleansing (and traditional smudging prayers), however the point of this article is to let you know how easy it can be to clear your home of "bad energy" in the easiest and simplest way. 

Smoke Cleansing is a wonderful practice which we should all do whenever the house feels stale, stagnant or "heavy" and is, in my opinion, essential after arguments or bad days - we all have those!

Blessings! Lyllith Xx

[Images found on the Internet, unfortunately we couldn't find the original sources.]