When we smudge, we are looking for the smoke, not the flame.

Remember to give thanks to the bountiful earth for giving us the gift of sage.

Burning Instructions:

Use a candle, match or lighter to ignite your bundle of Sage. I use a t-lite candle; it’s easier to get it lit.

Hold the stem-end or chunky-end of the bundle in your hand. At an angle, put your sage into the flame.  Move the sage around the flame to really get it lit. Allow to burn for about 30 seconds to 1 minute and then blow out the flame on the sage (if you have one.) Take a fire proof bowl, plate or shell and hold it under the sage.

I start at the front door. (Trust yourself to start where you need to.) Open the door and in a clockwise fashion (left, up and around) circle around the door frame, then move in a clockwise fashion around your entire space. (I will do this pretty quickly, but I give a little extra love over mirrors and reflective surfaces.) If the sage goes out, just relight it.

You should end at the place you started. If it’s the front door, I open it and say, “Any and all things that are not here for my higher good or the higher good of all those dwelling here must leave now.”  Shut the door, put out your sage, that’s it. How often should you burn it? – When you feel you need it. Trust yourself.  (Always use caution when working with Fire. Make sure your sage is out. I will tamp it out in sand until it goes out. I always leave it in a fireproof container, my abalone shell, and keep it away from any drapes or fabric.)

How often should you use sage? When you feel you need it. At home I can go months without it. At the Z (the Store)  I smudge weekly and sometimes daily. (Gems and crystals can attract and hold a lot of energy.) I smudge when I feel the energy is blocked or negative. All of us have been with a friend and after we left their presence we felt like we got “Slimed.” That would be a good reason to bring out the sage and say a little prayer for them as well.