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Sage, Sweetgrass & Smudging
For thousands of generations, Indigenous Peoples all over the world have been smudging. If a person seeks healing or seeks heal another, one must be cleansed of any negative feelings. Greed, lies, manipulation, self pity and more, all of those feelings that hold us back must be cleansed. If a person has stolen from another or transgressed in any way, the person must show remorse and then be healed. If the energy around you is negative, if it is heavy, unhappy and sage helps the healing to come through in a clear way, without being distorted or sidetracked by negative "stuff" in either the healer or the one being healed.  The native belief is that all ceremonies, tribal or private, must be entered into with a good heart so that we can pray, sing, walk and dance in a clean, sacred, honest  manner.

The most common ceremony is to burn certain herbs, take the smoke in one's hands and rub or brush it over the body. This is  called "smudging." In North America, the three plants most frequently used  are sage, cedar, and sweetgrass.

Sage
Sage is by far the most widely used herb for cleansing. There are a few varieties used, but the one most used is white sage. The second most widely used  is mug-wort, sometimes called Buffalo sage or gray sage.
A quick note of interest - The Latin name for sage is Salvia Apiana. The root of that is Salvia which means to heal.  

Sage not only drives out bad spirits, bad feelings, and bad energy, it also to keeps bad spirits from entering the area where a ceremony takes place.  Sage is often spread the floor of the sweat lodge, and participants rub the leaves on their bodies while in the sweat. Sage is also commonly spread on the ground in a lodge or on an altar where the pipe touches the earth. Some nations wrap their pipes in sage when they are placed in pipe-bundles, as sage purifies objects wrapped in it. Sage wreaths are also placed around the head and wrists of Sundancers. Sage is placed on the door and window lintels to help keep evil out of the home. We also place it between our mattress and box spring. When traveling, we always have some in the van.

Cedar
First, let's clear up any confusion about names. Some people refer to cedar as juniper. Juniper is close to cedar but not cedar, although Juniper is also used in smudging.

Cedar is burned while praying. The prayers rise on the cedar smoke and are carried upward to the sky beings.. Cedar is also spread along with sage on the floor of the sweat lodges. Cedar is for purification in much the same way as sage - it not only drives out negative energy; it also brings in good energy. The spirit of cedar is considered very ancient and wise and old, downed cedar trees are honored with offerings and prayers. You may purchase Cedar, Mugwort and Juniper on the next page.

Sweetgrass
Sweetgrass is a tall wild grass. Sweetgrass grows in various areas of North America.  It is also called Seneca grass, holy grass and vanilla grass. 

Sweetgrass is usually braided together in bunches as a person's hair is braided, although some bunch it and wrap it in organic cloth. Sweetgrass  is burned by shaving little bits over hot coals or lighting the end, waving it around, and letting the smoke spread through the air. As with sage, this allows the smoke to reach all the corners of the house or sacred space.

It is traditional to burn sweetgrass after the sage or cedar has been burned. Sweetgrass brings in the good spirits and the good influences. Sweetgrass is also put in pipe bundles and medicine bundles along with sage to purify and protect sacred objects.

Sadly, Sweetgrass is becoming rare today, its territory is being cut daily development, cattle-grazing, wheat fields  and burning. The best way to get sweetgrass is to get it from small businesses - like ours.  This gives support to those who can help the fields from being depleted.

Smudging
To perform  a smudging ceremony, burn the clippings of these herbs (dried), rub your hands in the smoke,  then gather the smoke and bring it into your body, or - rub it onto yourself; concentrating on the area you feel needs  healing. Keep praying the whole time. Pray for cleanliness and honor. Pray for joy. Often one person will smudge another, or a group of people, using hands - or more often a feather - to lightly brush the smoke over the other person.

Use sage first to drive out the bad influences. Then  purify with cedar and repeat the cleansing process until you can feel the negativity gone. Then sweetgrass is used the the same way. Some then use a candle to lit the corners of the home. This also clears negativity.

One more note about smudging. It is very popular to use abalone shells in smudging. While it is good to smudge, using abalone shells is not good. Abalone shells are being depleted. The use of abalone is not traditional. There are tribes that feel that shells represent Grandmother Ocean and the use of shells is disrespectful. Some use shells that are native to the shores. On the East Coast, some use quahog shells. Quahog is used to make wampum, the shells that are not used are often used for smudging. Remember to put a bit of soil or charcoal in the shell first. We use a rock we found in the forest. It is wonderfully formed and has a small di in the center. Look around, you'll find something to use. You can also use stone bowls or clay bowls.

Smudging is a ceremony that must be done with care and respect.  You are inviting unseen powers into your lives, treat those powers with respect, honor and responsibility.