Have you ever walked into a new space and something felt a bit “off” or strange? This could be because of your intuition, energy, or something you can’t explain, but the truth is we all have some sort of sixth sense when something doesn’t feel right. Well, if you have or are experiencing something along this line we have a solution for you, it’s called saging.
When you burn sage in your house, you get rid of the negative energy that’s making you feel uneasy. Throughout the article, we will explain how this works and the many benefits that saging can have not only on your home but also on your body.
Where Did It Originate?
Burning sage can also be known as smudging, which is an ancient spiritual ritual still used today by many. Sage belongs to the mint family and is a low-growing shrub. Many of us know the uses as just an ordinary herb in culinary applications, but they have used the burning of sage for healing and wellness since ancient times.
This was first introduced by Native American cultural practice and even though it’s not used by all the groups, many Americans and western households use it worldwide.
What Are the Benefits of Burning Sage?
Let’s look at the many benefits sage burning has in more depth to give you a better understanding of what it can do for you and your home.
1. The first benefit is straightforward, but who doesn’t like a wonderful aroma around the house? Coming home and having a nice lovely incense with a divine aroma floating around the house can bring a sense of calm to anyone. This is also a wonderful chemical-free air freshener that has the ability for odor control.
2. It can lift one’s mood. Many cultures use white sage as a treatment for anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.
3. With the ability to lift your mood, it can also be a great ally against stress. Studies suggest that the same white sage that can positively affect your mood can also help reduce stress because of rich compounds that can activate certain receptors in the brain. The same receptors reduce stress and ease the pain.
4. Burning sage is not just great for repelling bugs and bacteria, it is also said to help neutralize positive ions in your home. Some of the positive ions that it can combat are pollution, dust, and mold. If you are struggling with any respiratory conditions like asthma, allergies, or bronchitis, this will help you tremendously. But just stay clear of the smoke, wait until it’s completely gone before going into the room if someone else is smudging the room for you.
5. One of the most popular uses for sage burning is the spiritual connection it can have, enhancing your intuition as it may. Many healers use the burning of sage to solve spiritual dilemmas or to just reach a state of healing. Certain types of sage, like salvia and white prairie sage, have been found to contain thujone. Thujone is mildly psychoactive, which in cultural spiritual rituals enhances your intuition and brings you to the state of healing.
6. If you are dealing with any past trauma, bad experiences, or negative energies from others, burning sage is a great tool for ridding yourself or any object of such negative energy. This will help you establish a positive space where you can meditate in peace while letting go of all bad experiences.
7. We’ve spoken about smudging yourself and a certain space, but you can also smudge a certain object. When you purchase new items or receive a gift and you’re unaware of the energy the said item releases are pure, you can smudge it to neutralize the energy of the object.
8. Negative energy can find a way into your sleep patterns and interfere with a good night’s rest. With the burning of classic garden sage, the main sage is used for improving your sleep, but it’s also used to soothe anxiety. The burning of this sage will eliminate any negativity trying to impede your sleep.
9. Sage can not only dissipate negative energy, improve your mood, improve your sleep, and strengthen your intuition, but it also can improve your focus and memory. The perfect sage to use is Salvia sage, which studies shows have promising benefits in treating dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
What Do You Need?
Burning sage and the tools required are fairly straightforward. All you need is a basic sage bundle, a small ceramic bowl in which to catch the ash so it doesn’t fall all over your floor, and some matches.
The reason for matches is that of the natural element in which the matches come. You can have a small fan handy to fan the smoke if it becomes too great.
How To Prepare?
The first thing you want to remove is any animals and/or people from the room you want to perform the burning in. I'd leave a window open during and after the ritual has been done, just to allow the smoke to escape peacefully. Another reason for leaving open the window for the smoke to escape is because the smoke takes with it all the negative energies from the room.
Smudge Your Home or Living Space
Start by lighting the end of the sage bundle and start directing it to the area you feel needs to most cleansing. It can cover all the surfaces and objects in your house or the specific room you are cleansing in the smoke. It’s better to be thorough.
If you want a method, it’s best to work in a clockwise or anticlockwise direction in your home or room just to make sure you cover every area. After the room is finished, you can put the sage in the ceramic bowl and fan the remaining smoke with a feather or small fan towards the objects or surfaces for that extra finish.
Smudge an Object
With this one, instead of a room or your house, you can just focus on the specific objects you want to smudge. These can be items such as jewelry, furniture, or clothes. Smudging will help to disperse any negative energy that might be stuck on it.
If you have any items that were caught with you in any negative experiences, you can also smudge those. You can also smudge objects which you feel have special meaning to you. Just burn the sage and let the smoke cover the object, releasing it from all the negative energy.
Aromatherapy
As we mentioned before, you can also burn sage just for the pleasant fragrance it releases. Improving the odor in your house and giving you a sense of peace for your mood. Simply waft the sage around your house, you don’t have to worry about covering any surface or object with the smoke, just the let air and smoke do their thing, and afterward while leaving a window open for the smoke to escape by itself, leaving you with the pleasing aroma.
What Do You Need To Do Afterwards?
After you have cleansed your house, room, or objects you need to cleanse, you want to make sure that the leftover sage is in a ceramic bowl catching up with all the ash. If the sage is still burning after you got all the smoke out, you can dab the burning end in some sand to stop the burning. Make sure no more embers are burning before placing them in a safe, dry place away from any sunlight.
Are There Any Risks Involved?
When done correctly, burning sage for cleansing can be completely harmless. Just remember that you are still dealing with something that is burning, so if it is your first time, just keep some water close. The reason for this is that if you’re not careful, you can start a small fire.
Leave no burning sage unattended, always make sure the entire bundle is out before storing or throwing it away. If you have a smoke alarm, rather switch it off as the smoke can trigger it. If you are dealing with any respiratory conditions, it’s best if you let someone else do it, because you don’t want any adverse reactions. Lastly, always leave a window open for the smoke to escape. Inhaling the smoke directly causes problems.
What To Take Away?
Even though there is still very little research on smudging, it suggests that smudging has many benefits for your health, such as improving your mood, lowering stress and anxiety, and improving your sleep patterns.
There is still much we can learn from this shrub plant, but if it’s anything from what we have already, the future looks like it’s going to be in a positive direction. Just remember to keep safe while burning sage and feel the aroma take away all that negative energy.
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