If you are looking to smudge your home for the first time then different plants can be used for smudging ceremonies. Some common examples are sage, cedar, and lavender.
If you want to clear negative energy and encourage positive energy, smudging is a way to energetically cleanse the environment with smoke. When smudging, you use plant material to create smoke that purifies and fills the space.
Smoke offerings are found in Buddhism, Indigenous practices in the U.S., and many other spiritual religions. These ceremonies create transformation and bless the space, their inhabitants, and any techniques they might perform.
White sage is the most commonly used and popular herb for smudging. It’s associated with purity, and has a strong, heavy presence. It’s useful in cases when you need to purify an entire space.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start
Before you start smudging your house, it’s important to ask yourself some questions. Here are a few to get started:
-What do I want to achieve with this smudging?
-What are my goals for this session?
-What is my intention for doing this?
-Am I open to receiving guidance and assistance from the spirit world?
-How will this smudging impact me and those around me?
-What are my spiritual goals for this session?
-How will the smudging affect me and those around me?
-Should I meditate or pray during the smudging session?
-Should I light a candle or incense during the smudging session?
Whichever way you decide to do your smudging, it’s important that you follow these few steps:-Be careful with the spirits. If you’re unsure, ask them questions. Listen carefully to their answers. Ask questions as needed. Follow through with what they say, even if you don’t understand it all.
Gather Your Materials
In order to smudge your house for the first time you will need to gather a few materials. Take your time with the materials before you start the ritual. Mindfulness begins when you get your supplies, so practice this with ease and care. Slow down all your actions and don’t rush through this first step, the preparation stage is just as important as the smudging stage. The materials that will you need for smudging are as follows:
- Smudge Stick
- Candle and Matches
- Fireproof Container
- Bowl of Sand
Smudge Stick
There are many types of smudge sticks that offer amazing scents that you can use. For example, “chen pei” is used for feng shui, and juniper is used for Tibet while white sage is used for a lot of the western world. You can even mix smudge sticks, for example white sage and cedar. Here at smudge sticks UK we stock a wide variety of different blends of smudge sticks. Just make sure you enjoy the smell of the smudge you are burning as this will help with the positive energy.
Candle and Matches
It is recommended to have a candle nearby to relight the smudge stick during the smudging ceremony. Matches or a lighter are used to light the candle. And you will light the smudge stick with the candle flame.
Fireproof Container
It’s recommended to use a fireproof container, like a small clay bowl, underneath your smudge stick to catch any ash or ember if they escape. Indigenous peoples often use an abalone shell for this, incorporating a water element. I recommend using a container (bowl or plate) that you love and only use for your ceremonial smudging sessions.
Bowl of Sand
A bowl of sand is an essential component to properly extinguish the smudge stick. It is also used during a ritual. You can buy all sorts of sand to use in the ritual such as coloured sand, white sands so make the ritual even more personalized.
Before You Begin the Smudging Ceremony
Before you start, give yourself enough time, space, and opportunity to meditate. Doing so will allow you to get in touch with your feelings without feeling rushed or stressed. If anyone else is present during this smudging ceremony, you can include them in the ritual. Prepare some other space clearing tools that they can use while you are smudging. For instance, they can work with sound and ring bells.
Remember partitions and a clear mind are extremely important, therefore take some time to think about what your wishes are for the house and family members. When the smudging is complete a vacuum is created in the newly cleared and open space, so you want to welcome your wishes into it. Therefore you always need to be thinking of your initial goal, what energy you wish to fill the room and so forth.
Smudging the Space – An Introduction to Smudging Your House
Now you have all of your tools, preparations, and rituals in place, you can begin the smudging ritual.
Take a smudge stick, light it, at the front door. Now start to move around the home, you will want to do this process in a clockwise movement, so move clockwise around the perimeter of your home. Make sure to keep mindful during the full process. Make sure to allow the smoke to drift into every space in your home, even more hidden places or hard to get to places such as closets, dark corners and basements. If you have stairs in your house simply go up and down them as normal even if it breaks the clockwise pattern, it’s essential to reach every room.
Moving around a space like this in order to change the energy, is called “circumambulation”. Circumambulations have been done for centuries in ancient cultures in order to make this space sacred.
It is also helpful if you chant a mantra or prayer that helps make the space vibrate with more cleansing vibrations. I use the Tibetan Buddhist mantra “Om mani padme hum” which is the motto of compassion. You can also find a number of mantras and prayers in our blog should you wish to use something else.
Closing the Ceremony
When you get back at the front door, chant your final mantra. Then you can visualize your entire home is filled with bright white sunlight and positive energy. Use your final words to close the ceremony by closing it out.
Creating a space clearing with smudging traditions is a wonderful way to bring positive energy into any home. It’s good to perform this ritual yearly or more often to clear the energies in your space and bring in more love and light. Performing it on the new year, especially near the full moon, is even more powerful as then it calls on the frontiers of time, and opens a doorway to old magic and original creation.
Tips for Successful Smudging
When you’re ready to start smudging your home, it’s important to follow these tips for success.
1. Choose a positive energy plant to smudge.
Some of the most popular plants used for smudging are lavender, sage, and frankincense. These plants are believed to have a positive energy which can help to invigorate and cleanse your home.
2. Do a sweep before smudging.
Make sure that everything in your home is clean and free of any clutter or debris before beginning your smudging ritual. This will help to create an inviting space for the positive energy plant to work its magic.
3. Smudge from the bottom up.
Start by lighting the plant and placing it in the center of the room you wish to smudge. Then, move the plant around the room as you inhale its scent. When you’re done, extinguish the flame and allow the plant to cool down before removing it from the room.
Conclusion
The purpose of this article was to inform the reader on how to do a spirit smudging ritual. You may wish to perform this ritual for any number of reasons, such as personal growth, communicating with spirits, finding information on ancestors, or divination. Also, you may want to use this ritual in conjunction with other magickal practices such as Tarot Card Reading (which is highly recommended) and other magickal rituals. The proper tools and supplies are required for this ritual.
Smudge Sticks UK
If you’re looking to purchase smudge sticks to cleanse your home for the first time make sure to stop by our shop. We offer a wide range of smudge sticks from traditional californian white sage to mugwort sage and blue sage. We even do a number of mixed smudge sticks in which we combine different herbs into one smudge stick.