I first learnt about using sage to clear my space (or smudging) from a friend, Kim Millar. She described to me a process where she would burn a stick of sage and waft it through all four corners of each room of her house while calling in fresh new energy. Going to her home always felt like visiting a safe sanctuary (and she had four kids living in the house!). This simple ritual appealed to me and I eagerly decided to give it a go.

At first I thought the sage was the same sage used for cooking and then discovered it was something different. Dried white ceremonial sage has been used by many ancient cultures that can be traced througout the East in parts of Asia and even dating as far back to Ancient Greece. The idea is by burning certain herbs in a space, the smoke generated attaches itself to the negative energy and as the smoke dissipates, so does the negative energy. White sage has a strong scent, which isn’t for everyone, and thankfully the members in my household are ok with it.

This ritual has become a beautiful practice that always brings me renewed energy and shifts the vibration in our home. My daughters love following me around while I sage the house.  At first they were full of questions and now they welcome the scent and the atmosphere it creates. When they would ask what I was doing, I would explain that I’m calling the angels and ancestors to bless our home filling it will love and laughter as well as taking out any sad or angry energy. That answer was good enough for their curiosity.  My favourite time to cleanse the house is after it has been cleaned and I feel that it adds a little something extra to the space.

Often I will light a candle as I set an intention and then use the flame to light a stick of sage and waft it around my body before sitting down to work or before a yoga practice. It feels like taking an energetic shower. I often travel abroad with some sage in my suitcase so that I can clear the space of the room I sleep in. Of course I’m always mindful of whether this is ok with my host first.

You can pick up a sage stick from most new age shops or good old Amazon. If you’ve never heard of this before I encourage you to give it a try and let us know how you get on in the comments section below. Happy smudging!