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Smudging is an ancient practice that involves burning one or more herbs gathered from the earth. Smudging is used to clear the air around us and clear our minds, our hearts, and our whole being. We smudge to remove stagnant or negative energies.
Smudging with sage or palo santo produces a medicinal smoke that is antiseptic, antimicrobial, and antibacterial so it can help to purify the area around you of bacteria and viruses. Both sage and palo santo have healing properties, sage is typically used to clear negative energies and is great for clearing all energies. Palo santo is great for clearing negative energy, but also attracts positive energies.
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The smudging fan is used to move the smoke and direct it to where you want to go. The feathers add the element of air and the circulation of energy into the world. Birds are also the messenger according to shamanic tradition, so when using the feather to move smoke through the auric field it also sends prayers up to the creator.
How to use a smudging stick:
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Open windows and doors: As you are clearing negative energies, they need someplace to to, so open a window or door so the smoke will escape and take the negativity and impurities with it.
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Light the smudge stick - Personally, I like to break off pieces of the smudge stick and burn them separately which helps them to burn better and helps the smudge stick last longer, but if you want to light the whole smudge stick that works too, sometimes it may be difficult to light because it may be bundled too tightly, in this case, you can loosen it a bit to let air through. If it seems that the smudge stick is trying to put itself out as you are smudging you can blow on it gently to reignite it. When burning palo santo you may have to keep lighting it to keep the smoke going.
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Place the stick in the abalone shell to collect the ashes as it burns.
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To smudge yourself - draw the smoke to the top of the head, over the face, ears, and neck, then down the body to the heart, sending it to places that you feel need the clearing this will help clear the aura of any negative energies.
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Usually, it is best to allow the smudge stick to continue to burn until it puts itself out if it is going too long and you need to put it out, press the burning end against the shell to stop the burning.
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Clearing a room or house - allowing the sage stick to burn in the abalone shell, take the smoke around pushing it with the hand, a feather, or your breath through each corner of the room with the intention of clearing the area of negative energies, as you go from room to room allow the smoke to touch all the nooks and crannies and much as possible.
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