Every New Year I don't realize i'm doing it until after the fact but i clean my apartment similiar to a person crazed by demons. I also do this before my birthday. It's like I want to set the stage for something amazing.Get out the old and bring the new...whatever that may be. Yet each time I obsessively clean I sage. I have done this for I don't know how long. Sage burning/smudging has always been considered a clearing of bad energy but I thought why not share just a bit more information about this amazing ritual.
Burning sage is one of the oldest and purest methods of cleansing a person, group of people or space. While Native American sage burning is the most commonly recognized form of it today, it has nevertheless been a shared practice in other cultures too.
From the ancient Celtic druids who used sage as a sacred herb alongside Oak Moss for burning as well as medicinal purposes, to the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon whose ‘Palo Santo’ (sacred wood) sage burning ceremonies are still practiced to this day.
The Latin for sage, ‘Salvia,’ stems from the word ‘to heal.’ The other qualities of sage when burned, such as giving wisdom, clarity and increasing spiritual awareness, are also indicated in the name.
Yet you can also burn cedar! Cedar branches are brushed in the air to cleanse a home during the House Blessing Ceremony of many Northwest Indian nations. In the Pacific Northwest, the people burn cedar for purification in much the same way as sage - it drives out negative energy; but it also brings in good influences. The spirit of cedar is considered very ancient and wise by Pacific Northwest tribes, and old, downed cedar trees are honored with offerings and prayers.
Sweetgrass is another item you can add to your repetoire! It is good to burn sweetgrass after the sage or cedar had driven out the bad influences. Sweetgrass brings in the good spirits and the good influences. As with cedar, burning sweetgrass while praying sends prayers up to the Creator in the smoke.
Come in and get Sage in White Sage, Lakota Sage, sweetgrass, cedar..you name it!