Smudging  or clearing with sage can help clear or remove this negativity, and help you start a brand new day much lighter and brighter. Smudging is an ancient ceremony in which you burn sacred plants that are often bound together with cotton or something similar. The most commonly used is sage, to allow the smoke to clear and bless a space or yourself.

Smudging can sound a bit intimidating to many people. It can also look j pretty unsafe or super complicated to be practiced often. Rest assured this is not true. Smudging is not complicated, not hard and totally safe when you follow several very simple and easy steps that even my children can do safely. What is important to keep in mind though, is that smudging is an ancient and sacred ceremony, so when you do give it a try, it is best to do it with full awareness and in a slow, mindful manner full of strong  belief that what you are about to do is true, correct and for your highest good always with strong intent.

As even the happiest, bubbliest of  homes accumulate in time negative energy, it is good to smudge your home thoroughly at least several times a year or whenever you get that gut hit that it's the right time. You can also smudge your car, any technology you use such as cell phones, computers and your office space (not during busy office hours!); as well as use smudging to clear your own energy or the energy of other people that cross your path frequently.

I will give you my simple instructions on how to do smudging, and then let you in on  the most common concerns with smudging a house/office. You will also find here instructions on how to smudge yourself (or somebody else),

The most common smudging herbs.

SAGE - For driving out negativity and for healing, white sage is preferred.
The botanical name for sage is Salvia (e.g. Salvia officinalis, Garden Sage, or Salvia apiana, White Sage).  It is interesting to note that Salvia comes from the Latin root salvare, which means "to heal" .

CEDAR - Drives out negative icky energy and brings in positive balanced influences.
Cedar is burned while praying or holding intent either aloud or silently. The prayers rise on the cedar smoke and are carried to your higher power (whoever that is for you personally).  Cedar branches are brushed in the air to cleanse a home during the House Blessing Ceremony of many Northwest Indian nations.  In the Pacific Northwest, the people burn cedar for purification in much the same way as sage - it drives out negative energy, but it also brings in good influences. The spirit of cedar is considered very ancient and wise by Pacific Northwest tribes, and old, downed cedar trees are honored with offerings and prayers.

Cedar is primarily considered a fire element, though it is often used for general, four-element purposes.  It is known for its sharp, piney scent and is believed to aid clairvoyance, revive the tired mind, body, and spirit, and stimulate contact with other worlds. This one is one of my personal favorites for smudging my body as the smell is really nice.

SWEETGRASS - Sweetgrass is used for blessing after sage has been used.  It brings in the good spirits and the good influences.

Sweetgrass is an important part of Sioux and Cherokee ceremonies. One of the most sacred plants for the Plains Indians, sweetgrass is a tall wild grass with a reddish base and perfume-like, musty odor. It grows mainly on the eastern side of the Rockies in Montana and adjacent Alberta, Canada. It also shows up in some small areas of Wyoming and South Dakota. Its botanical name is Hierochloe odorata. Some common names for it are Seneca grass, holy grass and vanilla grass. A nice smelling alternative to sage, however if you really want a good deep clearing definitely use sage first and then sweetgrass or use sweetgrass on you personally.

On the Plains, sweetgrass is usually braided together in bunches as a person's hair is braided, which is often how it looks when you are buying it from a store, although sometimes it is simply bunched and wrapped in cloth..  Either way, it is usually burned by shaving little bits over hot coals or lighting the end and waving it around, letting the smoke spread through the air.  Elders teach that it is good to burn sweetgrass after the sage or cedar has driven out the bad influences.

As with cedar, burn sweetgrass while praying or holding intent sends prayers up to your higher power (whatever that is for you personally) in the smoke.  Sweetgrass is can also be put in pipe bundles and medicine bundles along with sage to purify and protect sacred objects.

MUGWORT - Mugwort is a variety of Sage (Artemisia vulgaris). 
Mugwort is used to promote physical wellbeing, endurance and protection. This ancient herb can also encourage prophetic and happy dreams and act as an aid to astral travel.

Also, when you want to cleanse the atmosphere of your space and need something super-heavy-duty, beyond normal white sage smudging, Mugwort is indeed the herb to use.

Mugwort is perfect for anyone wishing to develop their conscious or lucid dreaming experience.

What You Need

• Sage or other sacred plants listed above. Sage represents the earth element and when burned, the smoke from it represents the air.
• Abalone shell. This is meant to hold and burn the plants. The shell represents the water element. And it's pretty not to mention practical.
• Matches or a lighter. These represent the fire element.
• Feather. This represents the air element. Although I tend to use my sage sticks in a circular, clockwise motion.
• Drum(s) or sacred drumming music, which represent the beat of the heart.
  
  All though you could have all of these if you wanted to make it easier again all you need is a smudge stick, lighter and fireproof container.

Clear your space of clutter and mess (a great time to salt your carpets and floors at the same time) and open up windows and curtains and allow for clean air to enter. Light your sage (or other herbs) on fire and then fan the smoke with your feather or slow clockwise circular motions around your body and anyone else in your space.  Don't forget your pets, but respect their space, a little distance is fine when held with strong intent to clear their energy.

SMUDGING IN FIVE EASY STEPS

1. Place the candle/lighter/matches, the fireproof container, and the smudge stick on a table, desk or any other appropriate surface (I tend to use my fireplace because it's already fire-proofed in a way. It is best if you create a sense of ceremony when you smudge your house, as well as find time when you will not be disturbed; 10-15 min should be enough unless you have a really large house (don't forget the garage and car if you have time).
2. Light the candle if you are using one and say a prayer or just focus your energy and set the intent of what you want to happen. Light the tip of your smudge stick with a candle light/lighter, then gently wave the stick in the air till the tip begins to smolder.
3. Hold the smudge stick over the fireproof container at all times in order to avoid any lit herbs falling on the floor. You can use a feather if you have one, but usually just gently waving your hands to disperse the smoke is enough or rotating in a circular motion. Remind yourself to stay connected to your breathing throughout your smudging session staying present and calm (this is the energy you are manifesting into your house while removing the yucky, stuck energy.
4. Stay connected to your breathing, keeping yourself calm  as you smudge all areas in a clockwise motion around your house (usually starting at the front door), and gently wave the smoke into the air. Spend a bit more time smudging the room corners, as they tend to accumulate stagnant energy. Be sure to also open the closet doors and carefully smudge inside. Do not forget about spaces such as the attic, laundry room, the garage or the basement and cars.
5. When you have smudged all areas of your house, come back to where you began and gently extinguish your smudge stick (dipping it into sand while applying a bit of pressure usually works well, it's best not to use water if at all possible). Wait a bit, then pack your smudge stick, as well as the container, till your next smudging session. You can leave the candle going, if you have used one, to continue to purify the energy.
   

Clearing Your Body 
 Smudging is not only for spaces; it’s also for clearing your body, mind, and spirit of any negativity, stagnation, or energetic disturbances within or surrounding you. Make sure to invite the sacred smoke around your body from head to toe and front to back before smudging your space.

A Smudging Prayer for use on yourself - 

May your hands be cleansed, that they create beautiful things.

May your feet be cleansed, that they might take you where you most need to be.

May your heart be cleansed, that you might hear its messages clearly.

May your throat be cleansed, that you might speak rightly when words are needed.

May your eyes be cleansed, that you might see the signs and wonders of the world.

May this person and space be washed clean by the smoke of these fragrant plants.

And may that same smoke carry our prayers, spiraling, to the heavens.



Q: Do I really need to smudge my house to make myself and my family feel better?
A: Yes, it is always a good idea to smudge your house, as stagnant energy accumulates even before you were living in the house (past tenants owners don't always clear their energy before handing over the keys to the new owners. If smudging does not appeal to you at all, explore alternative ways to clear the energy it's worth it!

Q: How often do I need to smudge?
A: At least a few times a year (I tend to recommend to my clients to do it with each new season if they don't want to do it often OR when you change your tooth brush. Some people smudge every week while others might smudge less. Remember you can choose alternative ways to clear the energy, such as basic space clearing, using incense, etc.

Q: Can I make my  very own smudge stick?
A: Absolutely you can! The herbs most commonly used in a smudge stick are sage, cedar, sweetgrass, and I often pop lavender in with mine because i love the smell. I often make my own little bundles with sage and lavender, and it works beautifully. You might choose to use a colorful string to hold the herbs together, I always use the color of the Chakra that i'd most love to bring balance to, but what you use is not really important as it will eventually burn anyway.

Q: Where can I buy smudge sticks? 
A: You can buy sage smudge sticks in most new age bookstores, healing centers or crystal shops. You can also buy them online from many different sources.

 Before they could go on an amazing technicolor journey and enjoy unimaginable adventures within or just plain go through the necessary steps in the visualization technique to accomplish a subconscious image, sound or peace…now they are coming to be saying they are unable to reach that state. What is going on? The answer is simple, they have entered a brand new cycle/ a new wave a fantastic progression, where they have waded through the ick of life, old struggles and without them even being aware they have shed themselves a few more layers of their onion or shed a few skins much like a snake. You see, we are constantly shifting cycles/upgrading/growing. Life in this existence is not linear, it is spiral like a never ending fractal, in an outwards motion. We are constantly growing and expanding through life.

When you are within this conscious spiritual path or wandering along your journey, cycles whether they are up, or down are all part of the process and they can be controlled, but only for a very short period of time, sometimes a week, a month if you're lucky you may even get a few months (but that is if you're lucky of course wink, wink manifest). It’s almost as if the Universe, picks up that you finally got it, you finally dredged through the hardest task, shed the biggest, fattest skin and here you are thinking you have  perfected yourself to a point of ahhhhh peace, so the then the tests and the assignments become more intense, shifting more frequently and dramatically and you find yourself on yet another rung in the ladder of your life.

Unfortunately, because of a huge lack of understanding about our soul’s evolution, humans unfortunately usually get sucked in and react with an ego-based response. Meaning they turn on themselves (Self-sabotage), they start thinking something is broken inside of them or they keep making mistakes, ie. “What am I doing wrong?” or “What is wrong with ME why can't i get this right?”  or “That YouTube meditation doesn’t work anymore for ME, I must be doing it wrong”. In actuality, things on their journey are progressing at fantastic rates, the fact that you can’t reach the inner silence all of a sudden, means you are dealing with new and deeper issues. (Yes it could mean you are out of balance not filling your body with the nourishment it needs to connect, but I'm talking about the ego based in this instance) Whatever path they were enjoying previously, they accomplished their purpose and now, new and different adventures await on that up and down journey called life.

If you have hit a bump, a stagnance in your meditation practice or altered mind state, the number one step to move forward is to stop, breath and  relax, Then sit your amazing self down and confidently tell your gorgeous self with love and understanding (meaning be gentle on yourself, your ego can be badass, but let's face it you did some HARD work to lose that last skin and it's time to remember to be nice to yourself) that you just successfully finished that cycle of your soul path and you are now entering a new one. The second step is to stay seated and go forth to the depths of yourself to uncover where the new development is needed. (Mercury Retrograde is perfect for this!)

Always, always, always remember, in this amazing space we call the Universe, the only constant in our lives and the world around us is “Change”, live that Truth  with everything you are and you’ll always be in balance with the fantastic flow that is life.

Have you ever hit this stumbling block before? Maybe sharing your experience will help another so feel free to share below.

Love and Warm Blessings
Rebecca Fox R.M.

In this strengthening of your Secret Sauce, I have put together an exercise for you to have fun with and strengthen your intuitive skills by reading the person in the photo below.

The purpose of this intuitive strengthening exercise is for you to improve your intuitive abilities when reading other people (and their energy) and gain some confidence.  If this is your first time, don't be afraid, no answer is ever wrong, as you may be picking up on a totally different part of the person's life to someone else – so why not have a go? Like many of my Intuitive development students that have told me "I don't have good intuition, i'm sure i'll get nothing" well it just so happened they totally surprised them self with what they did no and you just might surprise yourself too.

Here is the person I chose for this experiment:

PLEASE NOTE - IF YOU KNOW WHO THIS PERSON IS - Please don't post their name! 
There will be plenty more of these to come where you may not know the person.  
Make sure to include your findings in the comments below.

For this exercise in trusting your secret sauce and strengthening your intuition, I encourage you to get a piece of paper and pen or record yourself on your cellphone (or something similar).

Make sure the photo of this gentleman is in the middle of your screen.  Ground your feet flat on the floor. Close your eyes.  Take three deep breaths in and out.  Ask that any information about this person please be brought forward or given in a way that only you will understand. Take another couple of breaths, open your eyes and look at the picture of the man.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when looking at his picture:

Would you want to live next door to this person?
Does this person have an animal?
Does he come from a large family or small?
Did he have a hard time growing up or was it easy?
Did he have a calm household or a destructive one?
Is he married?
What does he do for a job?

If you get any impression/feeling about him at all record it for yourself.  It may come up as a picture in your mind, you may just know or you may hear the answer in your head.  TRUST that anything you get is perfectly, perfectly for you, because you did after all ask for the information to come in a way that only you would recognize.

If you get some answers then try to dig a little deeper.  For instance if you believe he has 100 brothers and sisters, how many of each are there, how many if any did he share a bedroom with?

Remember that everyone is multi-faceted, so don’t be at all surprised if your information about this man, is different from the comment above or below you.

If you get a feeling/picture that you don’t understand, do some further questioning around it by asking ‘What does this mean?’ Quite often, people will get a piece of information, not know or understand what it means and leave it at that or ignore it. But sometimes you have to ask extra questions about your initial thoughts/impressions in order to clarify them.   ALWAYS trust and believe in what you get, don't over think it, just trust and write it down or record it.  You never know what you may have stumbled across.

Here is an article that explains what Cord Cutting is if you are unaware - Cord Cutting 

These are my exact words for cutting cords/ties. I do this as a highly sensitive Empath that works with energy just about every day of the week, at least three times a day, before each client, after each client and when I've been around lots of people.  It's a fantastic way of grounding back into your own energy and removing some of the heaviness that attaches to us each and everyday.

Archangel Michael and Metatron (or your higher power, whatever that may be), please step forward and cut any cords/ties attached to me that no longer serve me for my highest good.
Past, present, future, mind, body and soul, lower energy, negativity or entity, please remove them now and take them to the light for purification.
I thank you all for stepping forward with much love and gratitude.  And so it is. 

Try it! You may be surprised with just how good it feels to cut away quite possibly a lifetime of cords.  

In the next Intuition strengthening exercise I will compile all your comments together to see if as a whole we get a good picture of who this man may be, along with identifying exactly who this man is.  If you want to find out quicker, sign up to receive my emails.  The results of experiment 1# will be in there earlier.

I congratulate you all for giving it a go and trusting in your very own brand of Secret Sauce.

May the Secret Sauce be forever in your favor!
Love and Warm Blessings
Rebecca Fox R.M.