What is smudging?
Smudging is the ceremonial burning of sacred herbs or resins to cleanse and bless a person or a place. It comes from Indigenous peoples of the Americas, and different nations use different plants, including sage, cedar, sweetgrass and tobacco. Not every nation uses sage, and not every nation calls the practice smudging (Wikipedia: Smudging).
Today, many people outside those traditions burn sage or other herbs to clear a space: after an argument, an illness or a breakup, or when moving into a new home. Most simply call it cleansing or saging.
Smudging vs saging: what's the difference?
- Smudging is a sacred ceremony of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, with prayers and protocols passed down in each community. Depending on the nation, it uses sage, cedar, sweetgrass or tobacco.
- Saging is the everyday name for burning sage, usually white sage, at home to clear a space or yourself with your own intention.
- Smoke cleansing is the broad name for cleansing with smoke, found in many cultures, using any herb, resin or wood: sage, rosemary, cedar, palo santo or frankincense.
So if you're burning sage at home with your own intention, you're saging, or smoke cleansing. Smudging, in the strict sense, is the ceremony. Many cultures cleanse with smoke in their own ways, from church incense to temple censers (Wikipedia: Smudging).
Sage bundle vs smudge stick
- Sage bundle (or sage stick): dried sage leaves and stems tied tightly with cotton string. Only sage.
- Smudge stick: the same idea, but often a blend, such as sage with cedar, lavender, rosemary or rose petals. Shops often use the two names for the same thing, so check what's inside.
- Loose sage: a few leaves burned in a shell or bowl. Easier to control, and good for a small room or for cleansing yourself.
- Palo santo: a single stick of wood, not a bundle (see palo santo vs sage below).
What you need
- A bundle of dried herbs: sage, cedar, rosemary or lavender (see the alternatives below), or a stick of palo santo.
- A fireproof bowl: ceramic or an abalone shell, with a little sand to rest the bundle in and put it out.
- A lighter or matches, and a feather or your hand to guide the smoke.
- An intention: one sentence on what you're clearing and what you're inviting in.
Before you begin: prepare for the ritual
The ritual starts before the sage is lit. Preparing the space, and yourself, ties the whole cleansing together.
- Let go of what you're holding on to. Clear clutter and release the things that carry old energy: gifts from a past relationship, things you keep out of guilt, anything that pulls you backward. Cutting ties with those things is part of the cleansing.
- Clean and tidy. Clear the surfaces and open the curtains so light comes in.
- Cleanse yourself. Wash your hands under running water with the intention of washing away the day.
- Bless the sage. Hold the bundle, thank the plant, and ask it to help carry away what no longer belongs.
- Set your intention. Say out loud what you're releasing and what you're welcoming in. Everything that follows carries this intention.
How to sage your house: the cleansing ritual
- Open a window or door. Many people say the old energy needs a way out, and it keeps the smoke light.
- Light the tip. Let it catch for a few seconds, then gently blow out the flame so it smolders.
- Begin at the entrance. Smudge the front door and doorway first, with the intention of welcoming the arrival of new things.
- Move through every room, most often clockwise, saying your prayer as you go (see below).
- Get into the corners. Energy is said to collect in corners, so take your time there, and along windows, doorways and behind doors.
- Open the closets and wardrobe. Your clothes may smell faintly of sage for a day, and that's fine; they hold energy too.
- Don't skip the bathroom, or the center of the home.
- Close the ritual at the front door. Thank your home, say that it's protected, then press the bundle into the sand until it's fully out.
- Close the window after a few minutes, and let the space settle.
Going deeper: some people bring in feng shui (which direction the front door faces, and what sits at the center of the home) or the numerology of the house number, which you can work out with the numerology chart. Start with the basics above; they're all you need.
Cleansing, not calling in: a word of care
A cleansing ritual is for clearing, not for reaching out to spirits. Keep your words on release and protection, invite in only love, peace and light, and close the ritual on purpose: thank your home and say that it's protected. Words and intention carry weight, so choose them with care.
Practices like speaking with spirit or divination go deeper than a home cleansing. If you feel drawn there, learn from an experienced teacher first, and keep this ritual simple.
How to sage yourself
- Set your intention, light the bundle and let it smolder in your bowl.
- Start at your feet and guide the smoke slowly up the front of your body.
- Circle the smoke around your heart and through your hands, where many people feel they carry the most.
- Bring it in front of your face, keeping a short distance, then up and over the top of your head.
- Finish by passing it down your back and around and under your whole body, so every side is cleansed.
- Breathe slowly and say: “I release what isn't mine. I am clear, calm and whole.”
What to say when smudging: smudging prayers
Set your intention before you start; the words carry it. There are no fixed words, and what matters is that you mean them. Use these as they are, or change them to fit.
- For your house: “I cleanse this home of all heavy and negative energy. Only love, peace and light may stay here.”
- At the entrance: “I bless this doorway. Only good may enter, and new blessings are welcome here.”
- To remove negative energy: “Anything that doesn't serve the people in this home, leave now. I release you with love.”
- For protection: “This space is protected. Only what is good and kind may enter.”
- For a new home: “I bless this new home. May it hold joy, rest and good memories. I clear what came before and welcome what's ahead.”
- For yourself: “I release fear, doubt and anything that isn't mine. I am clear, grounded and at peace.”
- For money and abundance: “I clear the way for abundance. Money flows to this home easily and often.” Pair it with the money affirmations.
- For cutting ties: “I release every tie that no longer serves me, with love. I am free, and so are you.”
- After a breakup: “I release this chapter with gratitude. This home, and my heart, are open to what's next.”
When to sage your house
- Moving into a new home, or before you move in
- After an argument, an illness or a hard season
- After a breakup, or when someone moves out
- At the new moon or full moon, or at the start of a new year
- Whenever a room feels heavy, or you just feel stuck
Palo santo vs sage
| Sage | Palo santo | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Leaves of a sage plant, dried and bundled | Wood of the Bursera graveolens tree; the name means “sacred wood” |
| Where it's from | White sage grows in Southern California and Baja California | Mexico, Central America, northwestern South America and the Galápagos |
| Scent | Strong, herbal and earthy | Sweet, woody and citrusy |
| Used for | Deep clearing of heavy energy | Gentle clearing and inviting good energy in |
| How to use | Light the tip and let it smolder | Light a stick for 30 seconds, blow it out and let it smoke |
Many people use both: sage to clear, palo santo to bring good energy in. Palo santo is not endangered, but buy wood labeled as harvested from fallen branches, the way Peru's regulated harvest works (Wikipedia: Bursera graveolens).
Smudging with respect
Smudging is a living ceremony for many Indigenous nations, and white sage is sacred to some of them. Commercial demand has led to white sage being overharvested in the wild, and many Native people have asked non-Natives not to use it (Wikipedia: Salvia apiana).
If you'd like to honor that, there are easy ways: call your practice cleansing, choose a different herb, or buy cultivated sage from Native-owned growers rather than wild-harvested bundles. Your intention is what does the work.
Alternatives to white sage
- Garden sage (common kitchen sage): easy to grow and dry yourself.
- Rosemary: long used for cleansing and protection, and it smells wonderful.
- Lavender: soft and calming, lovely for bedrooms.
- Cedar: grounding and protective.
- Sound: bells, singing bowls or a steady tone clear a room without smoke. Try the session above with 417 Hz, or a sound bath.
- Crystals: black tourmaline by the front door is the classic choice for protecting a home.
Cleanse and charge your crystals
- Cleanse with smoke: pass each crystal slowly through the sage smoke while you hold your intention. It's an easy way to double up on a home cleansing.
- Recharge in moonlight: set them on a windowsill overnight, especially at the full moon. Moonstone is especially linked with the moon's energy. See more ways to cleanse crystals, including sound.
- Place them with intention: where a crystal sits matters. Black tourmaline by the front door, set with the intention that no heavy energy enters, protects the whole home, not just you.
Keep your home clear: small rituals
- After guests leave: some people sprinkle a little salt at the threshold, or give the entrance a quick smudge, to clear what was left behind.
- Keep letting go: when something new comes in, let something old go out.
- Refresh regularly: a short cleansing at each new or full moon keeps the energy light.
Safety
- Never leave burning sage unattended, and put it out fully in sand or dirt, not water you'll pour down a drain.
- Keep it away from curtains, children and pets, and open a window so the room stays ventilated.
- If you have asthma or are sensitive to smoke, choose sound, a room spray or an unlit bundle instead.
- Smoke can set off alarms; cleanse in short passes rather than filling a room.
