:: The Ritual of Burning Sage ::

BURNING SAGE :: A POWERFUL RITUAL

I get asked a lot of questions about saging/smudging. The practice of energy clearing with sage and palo santo helps banish negativity and really brings home the good vibes. There’s science behind the spirituality, too: When burned, sage smoke releases ions that change the composition of the air and have been linked to positive mood boosts. In addition to being an excellent stress-reliever, burning sage can be a powerful spiritual ritual and self-care practice.

You may burn sage to cleanse a space or your environment of negative energy, to generate clarity, and to promote healing. Intention is everything with this ritual, so before you light up, ask yourself what you’re trying to purify and/or heal from or release — in your space and in yourself.

THE BEST TIME TO SAGE IS ... WHENEVER YOU WANT

Moving into a new home or office space is a perfect time to burn sage in order to clear the previous owner’s energy and set your own intention for the space. However, you can sage your home any time you feel called to, whether you want to energetically reset or just chill out a bit. It is also a good practice to sage after entertaining or having people over.

HOW TO SAGE YOUR HOME 101

• Light one end of the wand bundle 
• Carefully allow the flame to go out so that the tips of the dried leaves are smoldering slowly, and let the smoke billow up. 
• You can blow on the end to release more smoke and fan the smolder, but keep your face far away (at least two feet), because it’s typical for little sparks of ash to break off, and you don’t want them flying in your face. 
• Start to waft around your space and through your different rooms with your intention in mind. 
• Starting in one corner and “pushing” energy toward the door can be a good way to release bad vibes. 
• Pay special attention to wafting in corners and near mirrors, as well as high-traffic areas like hallways and doorways. Also, pay extra attention to windows. 
• Use an abalone shell or other fireproof dish to catch the ashes as you go.
• After clearing and cleansing, extinguish your sage stick by gently pressing it into the abalone shell or a clay dish, glass bowl or ashtray. You can also allow it to burn out on its own. Some people like to wait 20-30 minutes to allow the sage smoke to reach maximum potency. Then, open any windows and your front door to let all of that stuck energy out.

FINISH WITH PALO SANTO

Now that you’ve cleared the energy and created a new, pure space, infuse it with your own positive thoughts and intentions. Burning palo santo wood is an excellent way to do this; between sage’s cleansing powers and the healing, uplifting properties of palo santo, they really are a complement to each other. Palo santo helps bring forward your intentions and positivity to any space.

So go ahead and light it up!