Smudging: A Guide To Smudging Yourself And Your Space • A Little Hippie-ish

If you have any interest in energies or spirituality at all there’s no doubt that you have heard of smudging. This isn’t anything new it’s a spiritual practice that has been utilized by indigenous people for millennia to clear out negative thinking and put kind thoughts in your mind. It has been used by newer practitioners as a way to clear out bad energy from your space, no matter where that may be. In this article, I will talk about the practice of smudging and the importance of smudging yourself, and how to practice it properly.

Smudging is a tradition common among many first nations. This involves the burning of one or more medicines gathered from the earth. Smudging is a sacred tradition passed down from generation to generation and should be regarded as such. 4 of the sacred medicines used in the ceremonies are Tobacco, Sage, Cedar, and Sweetgrass. The most common medicines are sweetgrass, sage, and cedar.

• Tobacco is great for peace and healing
• Sage dispels negative energy
• Cedar is good for overall blessing or to cleanse where there has been illness.
• Lastly, sweetgrass draws in positive energy.

You can add other herbs of your choosing depending on what energy you would like to bring into your mind body, or space. The ones listed above are considered the most sacred. ¹

In a ceremony hosted by the Niji Mahkwa School in Winnipeg, A community grandmother presented the following as the steps for this cleansing smudging practice ¹

• We smudge to clear the air around us.
• Clean our minds so we have good thoughts of others.
• We smudge our eyes so we only see the good in others.
• We smudge our ears so we will only listen to the good things about others.
• We smudge our mouths so we only speak well of others.
• We smudge our whole being so that we will portray only the good part of ourselves through our actions.

Smudging allows people to stop, slow down, and become more mindful and centered. This allows people to remember to connect and be grounded, in the event, task, or purpose at hand. It also allows people to let go of negative feelings and thoughts. Letting go of things that inhibit a person from being balanced and focused comes from feeling calm and safe while smudging.

How To Smudge

Forms of smudging will vary depending on the nation but is considered by all to be a way of cleansing oneself. Smudging is part of the way things are done and is part of living a good life.

Smudging is always voluntary. No one should be pressured or forced to smudge. They can either stay in the room or leave during the smudge. Respect for all is a principle in any indigenous tradition.

Steps

1. Prepare your bowl – you can use a smudge stick or create a smudge bowl using a small fireproof container like a shell ceramic or stone bowl. Like the herbs of your choosing.
2. Light the herb with a match and allow the smoke to cover your entire being.
3. If you’re being smudged then the person doing the smudging should be smudged first then the other.

How To Smudge Your Room

Steps

1. Prepare the bowl or stick and bathe the room in smoke to wash away any negative energy and bring in the good.

I hope this article helped you if you’ve been curious about smudging or how to do it. I know I personally learned a lot about smudging and how to use it properly and it will help me reevaluate my smudging practice so I do it properly and respectfully.