Smudging has been around for hundreds of years and has many benefits; it releases negative ions, enhancing your mood, lifting anxiety, and bringing about a sense of peace and calm.
In layman’s terms large enough quantities, the negative ions released from burning sage attach themselves to the positive ions which in turn causes germs, bacteria, pollen, viruses, dust, and other hazardous airborne particles “heavy “ so heavy they fall to the ground or onto a nearby surface, which clears rids them from the air that you are breathing.
Benefits
As well as cleaning the air you breathe smudging has many other positive effects. A recent experiment showed that Smudging produces a smell that percipients linked with memory and happiness and as such is very good at combating feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, grief, stress, and even depression.
Smudging is also an excellent way to clear the air of pollen, helping alleviate allergy symptoms.
Smudging is also said to improve sleep patterns and has a positive effect on regulating serotonin (feel-good hormone) production.
Objects
Smudging not only has positive outcomes on you as a person, it is also suitable for cleansing objects; each time you bring a new item into your home, especially something second hand or antique, it is possible that it has some negative energy attached to it, so smudging will help clear this negative energy, so it doesn’t affect you or your space.
In addition to smudging objects, you can also smudge your home, workplace, and any space you are occupying or that needs clearing of negative energy.
How to Smudge
Start by opening a door or window so that the smoke can escape and carry the negative energy away with it.
While you are smudging, visualize the negative energy being carried away on the smoke out of your home or space.
If you don’t have a particular prayer to repeat, you could say something simple like Fire, earth, air, water, cleanse, dismiss, dispel.
Once you have smudged your space, either allow the herb bundle to burn out, or press it into the sand to put it out, and store it away for another time.