Smudging your home with sage smoke can help cleanse it of negative energies, purify the air, and provide a calming ritual that helps ease tension and reset the living space. If you’ve recently purchased a new home, consider smudging the space for a fresh start that is all your own.
Your home is your sanctuary, your personal haven in a world of frequent chaos and tedium. Your home is the foundation for memories created, good and bad, and acts like a sponge that soaks up whatever feelings it comes into contact with. Just like a spring cleaning, smudging your home gives it a good refresher and can help release negative energy trapped inside its walls.
Smudging, or burning dried sage, is a practice that helps both mind and body, working to clear negative energy and provide soothing scents that have a direct calming effect on stress and tension in the body. If you recently bought a new home or want to brighten up the energy throughout your current dwelling, follow these steps to purify your space and release negative build up with a smudging ceremony.
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History of Smudging
This ancient tradition dates back thousands of years and is a common practice in Native American, feng shui, and eastern medicine treatments. Communities would collect their local plants and herbs — sage, lavender, cedar, sweetgrass — bundle them with string, and allow them to dry in a cool, dark place.
Practitioners of smudging would then burn the bundles in their dwellings, gathering places, use them in ritualistic ceremonies, or treat ailments of the mind and body with the healing smoke. The ritual carried over throughout time and is now utilized throughout cultures, religions, and personal practices.
Gather Supplies
Various book stores, incense shops, alternative medicine practitioners, and even Whole Foods sell smudge sticks. Some use white sage, some incorporate fragrant herbs, and others originated in spiritual places around the country such as Joshua Tree, Sedona, Chimayo, or Monument Valley.
Prep your smudge station with a bowl of sand, matches, a candle, and a fire-proof bowl. If you have a particular prayer, meditation, or calming song you like, have that nearby and ready to read or play. Set aside 15 minutes or so for the entire ceremony as it’s best to smudge uninterrupted.
Start by Smudging Yourself
The entire practice of smudging is meant to free the space of negativity. It’s best practice to start by smudging your person and other persons involved in the ceremony. Even better, smudge everyone who resides in the dwelling, if they’ll let you.
After initiating the ceremony, light the sage bundle on the candle until it begins to smoke. Wave the bundle in the air to generate smoke production, then begin to pass the smoking smudge stick over your body, starting up from your heels. Continue with each person participating, until all have been smudged.
Smudging your Home
Carry the fireproof bowl with you as you bring the smudge stick from room to room. You may also want to bring matches, as thicker smudge sticks have a tendency to go out. Starting at the front door, waive the smudge stick around and continue clockwise around your home.
Pay special attention to corners of each room, as those areas are more likely to collect and trap energy. Don’t skip over closets, laundry rooms, or basements, as these are all parts of your home that also contain energies.
Concluding the Session
After you’ve smudged all areas of the home, return to the initiation point. Carefully put out the smudge stick in the bowl of sand. You may recite a closing prayer or meditate silently. Pack away your smudge materials until they need to be used next time.
Time to Buy
When purchasing a new home, the seller is required to disclose certain information about the house. This varies state to state, and while some states require disclosure of suicide, homicide, or accidental death, some don’t. Certain disclosures may also include paranormal activity but sellers might also take liberties to omit as much as they can.
Employ the help of a Clever Partner Agent when searching for your next home. They’ll be aware of stigmatized properties and can help track down property and police records to give you a better picture of the home’s overall history. Even if you don’t believe in all this stuff, it’s always best to err on the side of caution.
