Sage Me
It is truly a wonderful thing that people are becoming aware that there is more than meets the eye, and exploring the idea that feeling is, in fact, believing. What a blessing to be living in a time where people are becoming more perceptive to the idea that there is more to themselves than just the physical body we are given to explore during our lifetime here on Earth. With this newfound knowledge, people of all walks of life are exploring usage of essential oils, learning about herbs, spices and flowers- discovering their magical healing properties and using that to their advantage to bolster, diminish or even eliminate usage of traditional pharmaceuticals. One of the most common plants used in holistic healing medicine and likely most widely acknowledged in terms of spiritual practice is white sage. It is generally one of the first tools explored when one looks into tapping into their spiritual side. An unfortunate downside to this global spiritual awakening is the reality of this precious, powerful herb being harvested rapidly, to meet the demand of consumers, leaving it climbing up the ranks as an extinct plant species. Bundles of sage are found everywhere from the dollar store to exclusive spiritual shops, and while it is incredible to see the accessibility and increasing acceptability, this leaves people without proper knowledge of exactly how and when to use it, leading to overconsumption.
With bundles of sage it is easy to burn too much too quickly. Over the years, I have grown to prefer loose sage over bundles in the name of conservation, my budget, and the realization over time that a little smoke goes a long way.
What many people don’t realize is, sage is a very cleansing herb. It is powerful and potent even in small amounts. You don’t have to burn sage every day, or even every week.
Something you can practice in order to align or cleanse yourself is calling on the energy of the herb. Burning is an immediate way to feel that energy, but it is not necessary to reap the healing and cleansing benefits from it. This goes for crystals as well. You don’t need to own each and every specific crystal in order to feel the benefits from it. Something you can try is calling on the energy of white sage, or calling on the energy of rose quartz in your mind’s eye. You can imagine yourself in a geode cave surrounded by cleansing smoke. Allow that energy to clean your aura gently. You can use this quick meditation practice with any animal, crystal, herb, flower or element you desire. This practice will become more powerful and more immediate the more you use it.
Of course, sometimes you do want the presence of real smoke that fills the corners of your house and auric field when you want heavier energy lifted immediately. I find incense delivers a soothing & balancing experience, and tend to use that as a daily cleanse smoke more frequently than sage.
But for those who practice a more frequent deep-cleanse ritual, you may find yourself going through bundles of sage because of how much effort it can take to light fully and snuff out completely after you’ve had enough. This usually results in broken pieces that have been half-lit or perfectly good pieces that crumble off as collateral, mixed with everything that’s already toast.
Other times a bundle burns more quickly than you were expecting it to, leaving your house in a thick veil of smoke that takes hours to completely dissipate, maybe setting off smoke detectors if you’re lucky. Sage smoke also leaves a scent that can be bothersome or irritating to some people and animals around you when burned in excess.
Loose sage makes a burning ritual less complicated by means of being able to easily control the amount of smoke you intend on making during usage. This method also brings peace of mind by not having to worry about whether the sage has been entirely extinguished; you are able to see when the leaves have burned completely.
I have created a more reasonable solution for the problems I have encountered in my time working with this incredible plant. Sacrament Essential Smoke is a loose sage blend made of high quality, amazingly fragrant California-grown white sage leaves and blue sage leaves. Each bag is made to order, and I pluck the dried leaves off the sprig to ensure you’re only getting a full bag of leaves, no stems.
Essential Smoke is a basic necessity for your spiritual cleanse routine, packaged neatly for your convenience. This packaging is 100% compostable. The packaging & labels will decompose within 6-8 months in a home compost. This deconstructed bundle is approximately the same amount as 2 standard size (4 inch) smudge sticks and should last a very long time when burned properly.
HOW TO USE: Start by adding a protective layer of sea salt to the bottom of a fireproof vessel. Take an intuitive pinch of Essential Smoke, place in an abalone shell or any fireproof, heat-resistant incense burner atop the layer of salt. Smudging is best done in the morning to allow the smoke to completely dissipate once you have finished. Begin burning the sage with all windows and doors closed. When you have finished going through each room in the house or establishment (ensuring each corner of every room, entryway, windowpane and all other reflective surfaces have been touched by the smoke), open all of the windows (and doors if you feel comfortable) for at least as long as the smoke completely dissipates, until you feel nothing is lingering. It's up to you how long this takes. Use your intuition to feel out when it is appropriate for you to close points of entry. The time it takes to feel the energy neutralize is different each time you smudge.
It is also wise to smudge any tarot decks (especially if they have been previously used by other people ie. vintage decks, used decks) to get the clearest messages possible without any interference from negative entities, as they can use tarot as a portal to confuse you and send mixed messages. Smudge your decks whenever they begin to feel physically heavy or after doing readings on or with other people to remove pent up energy from past readings & emotions attached to usage of your deck. As you smudge, ask for stagnant energy to be released, for protection from spirits sent to confuse you, and for only the clearest most truthful messages to come through for your highest and greatest good.
Walk through your closet and sage your garments & shoes (especially vintage, previously owned or frequently used apparel), to remove negative attachments or projections of others, negative feelings or memories that may have been experienced while wearing them and set the intention for good memories, confidence, comfort and creativity for the clothing you choose to wear.
Bless your computers and phones with the intention of positive and productive interactions. Set the intention to see things on the screen that put you in a good mood, make you laugh, smile, or to learn something useful.
You can also use this loose blend as a candle dressing by crunching into smaller pieces and sprinkling on candle wax while setting your own intention. This blend can also be burned with many different herbal & floral blends to bolster your manifestations. If you come up with more ways to smudge, let me know. I’d love to hear your ideas.
Stay blessed, enjoy your squeaky clean aura.
Love,
Marina
