How To Use A Smudge Stick

Today we’re going to talk about how to use a smudge stick. Now most smudge sticks are typically made up of dried sage, white sage or blue sage. Some are made up of a mixture of ingredients. They are frequently used in Native American traditions, and it’s used to help clear energy, the physical and spiritual energy of a room or even an actual being like a person, and it’s been a practice that has been adopted by many cultures.

There are a few things to note about white sage. White sage has a very pungent smell and it’s very important for you to have a bowl or something that you can catch any of the falling ashes with so that it’s safe and you don’t accidentally leave burn marks on your floors. It can happen.

So, starting off here’s what white sage smudge stick looks like

To light your smudge stick, you hold it upside down. Take your lighter and position the flame right underneath it. Let it catch on fire just a little bit and you’ll start to see the smoke beginning to rise quickly. Once it has started properly smoking blow it out. You can blow on it a few times now to get the embers going. Once you see the embers burning it’s ready.

To smudge a person, you start from the top of the head. You can do this to yourself. Start at the crown of the head. Holding the smudge stick in one hand, holding it close to your head, but not so close that you might accidentally burn yourself. Use your other hand in a sort of cupping action, to waft the smoke back onto yourself. Work down from your head, all the way down your arms, and into the armpits where your lymph nodes are located. Your Lymph nodes help to process toxins, so this is a really good area to spend some time working on.

If you want to use your smudge stick to clear the energy of a room, then it’s very similar, as you are using the same technique. You take the smudge stick in one hand and use the other hand to gently waft the smoke away from you towards the walls. Work your way around the room and pay particular attention to the corner of the room and the window frames. Let that cleansing sage smoke fill the air. In some traditions, a feather is used to waft the smoke and an abalone shell is used to rest your smudge stick but you can use your hand and any non flammable dish will work just as well.

You can also use your smudge stick to cleanse your crystals. Using the same technique again, gently wave the smoke towards your crystal. Let the crystal sit in the smoke for a minute or 2 or until you feel a noticeable change.

Now you know the simplest way to use your new smudge stick to smudge yourself as well as any room in house.