Smudging
My clan elders taught me that before a person could be healed
or heal another they must be cleansed of any bad feelings,
negative thoughts and emotions, bad spirits or negative energy.
This cleansing was to be both physically and spiritually.
One way we did this was in the purification lodges and the
romans who encountered my people and witnessed this practice
called them purgatoriums. We also were known to take nettle
baths before the lodges, and salt rubs and salt baths also
My elders also taught me that this physical and spiritual
cleansing helps the healing come through in a clear way, without
being distorted by negative stuff from either the healer or
the patient. It was always told to me that all ceremonies
and rituals, whether they be private or clan, must be entered
into with a good heart so that we can pray, sing, and walk
in a spiritual, sacred manner and be helped by our ancestors
and spirits to enter a sacred space, whether that space be
between trees, or between one another.
While I still purify myself through purification lodges or
sweat lodges, it is not always feasible to do this for and/or
with every person who comes to me seeking help, health and
healing. There are times I take salt baths if I am unable
to do a purification lodge in preparation for a major ritual
or ceremony and I also will use essential oils to anoint the
air if I'm in a space that doesn't allow incense. (i.e. No
Smoking places etc.)
When not purifying in the lodges,etc., many indigenous peoples
throughout the world used herbs/plants to accomplish the cleansing
and purifying. One common practice is to burn certain herbs/plants/resins
and to take the smoke in one's hands and rub it or brush it
over the body. Some use a feather to distribute the smoke
over the body also.
Today this practice is commonly called smudging.
In my travels, I have come across certain herbs, plants that
are used most constantly in ceremonies. These herbs/plants
are Sage, Cedar, Sweetgrass, Copal, Frankincense, Myrrh and
Tobacco. For me these are the herbs I use in smudging and
rituals. The following is a brief synopsis of what they are
and what I use them for.
Sage- There are many varieties of sage and I have seen most
of the them used in smudging. The botanical name for sage
is Salvia which comes from the Latin root salvare which means
to heal. There are also varieties of sage which are of a species
separate from Salvia and they are called Artemisia. This would
include mugwort( Artemisia vulgaris) which I sometimes use
for cleansing and protection. It is thought that sage drives
out bad spirits, feelings, or influences and it also keeps
them from entering the area where a ceremony or ritual place.
Cedar-Sometimes there is confusion about the terms to name
plants because in some areas junipers are known as cedars.
Cedar has long been used to help cleanse, purify and protect
ones belongings, even clothes ( cedar chips, or even cedar
chests and drawers). Some rituals use cedar branches, or brooms
are made from them to "sweep" to cleanse a home
during a house blessing. It is thought that by burning cedar
that it too will drive out negative energy but also bring
in good influences.
Sweetgrass-this is one of my favorite plants to burn as its
rich , perfume like, musty odor has such a fond memory for
me. My grandfather used to burn this after he finished his
work, rituals etc. and just a whiff of it today floods me
with the memories of a man I love and learned much from. It
is thought that after the sage and cedar or other herbs drove
out the bad influences that sweetgrass would bring in the
good influences and spirits. Thus my grandfather would use
it as a way for the good influences to further the work and
hold the space where he had just prayed. This plant is getting
rarer and rarer today due to the overdeveloping of the land,
cattle grazing and wheat fields. I try and obtain my supplies
from traders at Pow Wows or from Native American outlets who
try to keep the fields from being depleted.
Copal- This is a resin, that I came across whiles attending
some central and south american rituals and ceremonies. Its
very powerful sweet, aromatic presence seems to permeate the
environment in which it is burned. It is thought that this
is a very good resin for removing negativity from all that
the smoke touches.
Frankincense and Myrrh are both resins also that have been
used in Africa, the Middle East and Europe for ceremonies
and rituals. I often will burn both as I was taught that when
burned together they represent the masculine and feminine
and bring balance into what I am practicing or working on
and with.
Tobacco-For ceremonies I burn tobacco to help send my prayers
up to Creator, this is a practice I have observed primarily
in North America. And as I do with all of my plant relations
( Sage, Cedar, Sweetgrass, etc.) I thank them for their help
with my work and prayers.
These seven herbs/plants/resins can be obtained at most herb
stores, metaphysical shops etc. Like I said previously, I
will obtain my sweetgrass from traders at Pow Wows, the rest
I obtain from stores, grow myself, or wild craft.
The smudging ritual or practice can be done as such; burn
the clippings or resin and rub your hands in the smoke. Bring
the smoke into your body or rub it onto yourself, especially
onto any area that you feel needs spiritual healing. Keep
praying all the while that the plant helps you cleanse and
purify. Sometimes one person will smudge another, or a group
of people using hands or using a feather or wing to lightly
brush the smoke over the person.
I personally have been taught to look for dark spots in a
persons spirit body and to concentrate smoke and prayers on
that spot. Another thing that I have seen that I personally
don't agree with is the use of abalone shells as smudge bowls
etc. My beliefs are that the shells come from the sea and
thus should be used in water ceremonies or rituals. I have
a clay bowl that I use for the herbs and a metal brazier I
use for the resins since I use charcoal to burn the resins.
In any case smudging is a ritual that should be done with
care. We are entering a relationship with the plants and with
the spirits of the ceremony and or ritual and as with all
relationships there should be respect and honor if the relationship
is to work.
I hope that my words share a resonance with you. I don't believe
that any one path has all the knowledge, but I am happy to
share with you what I have experienced and have been taught.
For me truth is the measure of its effectiveness, i.e. what
works works.
Lastly I will leave you some words of my grandfather that
were in a response to my questioning of why do we burn incense
and use the wings/feathers for smudging. He asked me if I
knew or noticed the difference in the air after a storm had
passed, or after a flight of birds had taken off in front
of me. When I said I did he said, that the difference was
in the ionization of the air, that when it was thick and heavy
with positive ions things cling to us, like the coal when
walking through a mine. That when the air was clear the air
moved freely and our thoughts flowed freely too. The incense
acts like the storm, clearing the air and allowing our thoughts
and prayers to flow free. The feathers act like the birds
and move the air around us also changing the vibration.
Like the child I was at that time I really didn't understand
the talk about ionization, etc. but I trusted my grandfather
and had experienced the difference in the air after a storm
and after a birds flight. I also have experienced the difference
in my thoughts and prayers after I have smudged. So for me
truth is in the experience and what works for me. May your
truth be also what you experience and works for you.
| Authors Details: Unknown Source |
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