BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Wicca Purification and cleansing techniques

Hi all <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I noticed that in another forum Wendy talked about a sage smudge bowl - and I was wondering if anyone here could tell me how to make one, and if there were any other good ways to cleanse a house of negative energy, and how often this would be necessary? I use incense a lot, crystals washed in water, salt and so on... but I'm not really very well informed about the subject in general <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Any tips, pointers would be most appreciated <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thank you! - Jane <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

saltwater is a good all around cleansing. Since I am sort of allergic to most incense or smudge sticks I sometimes use a bundle of fresh sage to sprinkle the saltwater around the area I want cleansed - including myself if thats what I am trying to do, like before ritual.

Or you can also soak fresh sage or add a few drops of sage oil to clean water before adding the salt to get the same properties.

sage can be burned in any heat proof container but many people use an abalone shell. One inexpensive way to do it is to get a terracotta saucer like you would put under a potted plant. Put a layer of sand or dirt in the bottom to help absorb some of the heat and use that as a smudge bowl. You can even paint the outside of the saucer to make it more beautiful.

Thank you so much Fiona - that's really helpful <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'll have a go at that tomorrow - but if I can't find fresh sage, it'll have to be dried <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. I've been burning bay leaves a lot for mental clarity recently - they smell lovely !

I'm really grateful for your help - thank you <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Jane

No problem!

rosemary is good for purification as well, and may be easier to find.

Most any metaphysical type shop should havve sage, and the sage in particular used for cleansing by many Native Americans is called White Sage.
You can also probably finnd it online. A good place to try out is www.wanderingbull.com I get alot of my regalia building pieces there.

One time in a pinch I needed to do a cleansing and I had NOTHING... SO I sang! And I sang LOUD!

Worked marvelously LOL!

I usually like to use sage though. It smells SOOOOO yummy! I love incense too! Especially Lavender and Rosemary.

This is going to sound dumb...

But why are sage and rosemary supposed to be good for cleansing? I would have thought that just clear water, possibly salt, adn clear crystals (all being clear and therefore clean themselves) would be purifying.

But I don't understand why making smoke of anything helps to cleanse. Smoke tends to make me think of soot which is dirty.

<img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Bad spirits don't like the smell of sage. However, they love sweetgrass, so if you burn sweetgrass, you have to burn sage first to make sure the bad spirits have gone away.

I've used salt, water and crystals too, and they all seem to work equally well. I guess it just depends on what I'm in the mood for <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Is there a specific tradition that you can equate that rule to? Or someplace that can be referenced? I've never heard anyone say that before and I'm sure there are folks who would dispute it.

In my research and experience with native culture, ie the abenaki of northern new england, sage and tobacco are burned to cleanse and clean and also to carry prayers up to the creator...hence why smoking is so sacred, it takes a part of you with the prayer up to creator. then cedar or sweet grass are burned to call in protective spirits.
If you ever go to a pow wow, youll hear the mc call for the dancers to get 'smudged' and there will be a long line of them all in their regalia, there will be the fire keeper often with a large abalone shell full of smoking sage to cleanse the dancers before they go in to dance for the spirits, ancestors and creator

I've seen in in several books whihc are upstairs in my library....i will look later and get back to you with names and authors.

i have always heard that if you have movied in to a house and it has a ghost that you are suppost to take salt and out line the in and out side of you house and window and doors and by the time the salt is aborbed the ghost will be gone and stay away.
and i have heard that you can use oil to bless your house and bring peace and protection.
has anyone ever done this or know if its true or where is came from?

Salt is a natural purifier. It is used often in absorbing negativity and for cleansing.

I have used it to "seal" windows and doorways in my home to keep the negativity out.

And yes you can use oils with properties of protection, abundance, happiness, etc. to annoint doors and encourage those energies in your home <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Using sage, as well as salt, oils, and various crystals can help keep unwanted energies out and protect the home. The ways to cleans and purify are vast and varied and really it all depends on what you are trying to purify or cleanse. For example - if you got a new athame, and wanted to cleanse it before use, often salt water is not the best choice - (salt and metal, you know) ... anyway - another method to cleanse (when appropriate) is to lay the item under the moonlight on a full moon - and let the moon's rays cleanse the item. You can also bury the item briefly (say, overnight, for example) and let the impurities be taken in by the earth.

Great question and discussion! I'm enjoying reading all the replies!

Michelle, singing *does* work, as will other forms of music.

I've been at rituals where we had people who couldn't tolerate smoke/smudging and so we used singing bowls to perform "sonic smudging."

As with all "magic" it's the intent that informs and directs the action. I've even grounded and cleared with lovely wet mud, which works since it is an energetic cleansing and not a literal one...LOL...

doesnt pine and ceder oil and wood have an antiboidic affect on the air sorta like lysaol?

yes some of the woods and other herbs used in purification have the added benefit of being a natural antibiotic or antiviral <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Others leave a nice clean scent and feeling behind as well. Like lemongrass. mmmmmmm.

I love the smell of lavender!!! My mom has a herb garden with 10 different types of lavender!!! All of them together made a lovely smudge stick, it was a bit on the strong side but I still loved the smell..Rosemary also makes a lovely smudge stick, what I do is pick(with the permision of the plant) a bunch of sticks and tie them with string and let it dry and then I burn it..

This may seem like a stupid question, but how do you know if the plant grants permission?. I can see respect involved with asking another life force to sacrifice part of itself, but what if it "says" no??

Are there any good chants to do or say while you're cleansing? I just did my house last night and as I was moving from room to room, I wondered what i should say, if anything.

I think it has to do with respect for a living creature..Funny story, I went one holiday to holistic farm for a week, very rural with a lot of people staying in tents and just living together in harmony..short story it had a beautiful forest at the back of the farm where everyone left little trinklets ext. in the trees, on the rock everywhere you looked everybody said thank you for the peace and harmony they experienced while in the forest..this was all new to me and I was taking lots of photos of everything around me..needles to say that none of the photos came out..I put it down to not asking permission to take the photos..eversince then I always ask permision when I am in nature..if a plant "sais" no the picture wont come out..same with the smudge sticks..it wont burn properly ext..

But that is just me and what I believe..some may think it silly, but after my experiences I just cant believe otherwise..I once took a phote of a beautiful tree in Knysna South Africa (with permision of course) and when I developed the photo there was a face in the tree..a tree spirit!!!! wow it is amazing!!!!

I chant sometimes just om or other times in with the good and out with the bad..

In early summer I love lying in freshly turned soil right before planting, a little dirty yes, but it makes my body sing if that makes sense at all...also stargazing with a full moon feels absolutely amazing.

[color:"blue"]I also use a lot of sage . However there are two kinds of smudge sage . One is "white sage male" the other is "Silver sage female" I'm not sure if silver sage is even the right name , my medicine man told me about it 17 years ago <img src="/images/graemlins/lovers.gif" alt="" /> I don't like the smell of white sage but it's good to have both on hand . I've gathered silver sage in Grand jct. Colorado . Anyway when I can't light it up I just take a small handfull and crush it up then sprinkle it all over every room in my home . I also use the smudge sticks to walk my protective circle around my land . I need to do this because I'm finally in my own home <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Nobody seemed to bring up one more little point ... When you cleanse your place be very careful what you say . Because "neagtive" doesn't always mean "bad/evil" I learned that the hard way by accidently sealing my circle off form a few elementals <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> Now I just tell All beings with harmful or evil intent to get the H##^^$ out of my space <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Then I go on to invite all those who are in need of love and saftey and healing whom bear only love good pure etc.etc. intent to be welcome ... [/color]

I'm no expert, but I think another reason for smudging is the symbolic joining of the elements in a cleansing ritual: the plant is of the earth, using water and sunlight for its growth, it is burnt with fire, and smoke represents air. My guess is this makes it quite a powerful ritual - I'm not sure how it stacks up against a cleansing ritual that only uses one element, like sprinkling water, burying in earth, using moonlight, or salt, or a singing bowl. Perhaps a single element is more focused and therefore more powerful, or perhaps combining the elements is more powerful?

Hi all, I'm new here. I smudged my new house about a month ago (do not own, only rent, but house was never lived in before us) at the direction of a friend and since then, everything has gone wrong! Murphy's law has taken over so to speak and our life is almost in shambles. My husband lost his job, the sale of my previous house is falling through xx, my business has slowed up terribly etc etc... Could I have done it wrong? How do I undo whatever I have done.
Please help

I don't think you can smudge wrong. Smudging cleanses the space just like washing your hands cleans them.

I am sorry you are havign difficulties, are there any other areas of your life that changed and may have affected you ?

Thanks for your reply. I expected an email to tell me something had posted. Well everything changed because we moved. But this move was supposed to be positive and bring about a positive atmosphere and things for my family. Glad to know I didnt' smudge wrong, but don't understand that everything started going wrong after that. Could I have gotten rid of good things too?

Mark this as a favorite (lower left) then you will be notified and not loose this thread.

Sounds like you need some other help, before a spell or anything take a good hard look and see what you can change, then meditate and focus on the positive. See the good things happening, then do what you can to make them happen. Sometimes it seems things need to crumble so they can be rebuilt better, never let it get you down, it will work out if you keep focusing forward.

Thanks Anamaree, I marked it as a favorite. Yes I agree I need to keep focusing forward but its like everytime I try to move in that direction, somebodys throwing something at me to move me backwards again. Be it an angry family member who didn't want me to move, a freind feeling the same perhaps or just the universe, I don't know. I wrote a list of positive goals yesterday and will try to keep focused on those and work towards them in both spirit and physical.
Thank you

You will know right off if is says no. You can hear it. And if it says, 'no', you simply move on until you are attracted to a plant that says yes. You must ask permisssion and gain consent.

How far away from your previous residence did you move? Did this move affect just you, or other members of your family? In Feng Shui it's believed that moving in the "wrong" direction according to the cycle you are in can have some negative effects. The further you move the greater the influence, positive or negative. It's usually felt around the third month of the move.

Well that has something to say there. We moved approximately 1000 miles from our old home. The move effected my entire family and friends I guess. We moved mid July it is now Mid October. So what am I to do... How do I get rid of the negative. I can't move back.
Thanks,
Angela

You can certainly try to rebalance the energy flow that your move has interrupted. Start with yourself - write down what you feel your temperament is according to the elements: are you fiery, watery, etc. Use whatever you believe in to help you, whether that is astrology or attunement to nature or feng shui. Then write down what is happening: are you fighting a lot amongst family members, or are you depressed, do you feel lost or a lack of confidence. Relate that feeling or energy use back to your temperament: for example your water energy might be clashing with a lot of fire energy, so you can balance that by bringing potted plants into your home, or planting trees, and feed your own energy with metallic jewellery or wind chimes.

I think this might be getting off topic here now, so I'm going to open a thread in the Feng Shui forum about moving if you want to discuss this in more detail.

In addition to what Elle said... remeber the Law of Attraction... what you send comes back to you. SO if you are spending a lot of time focusing on the bad then you attract more of that into your life.

Take some time to specifically think about your blessings and the good things you have. Every time you start to dwell on the negative make yourself counter it with something positive. Start attracting the good to you.

Its challenging but it really can make a difference

I've used smudge sticks for smudging/cleansing but wondered how someone would use an abalone shell or some other kind of bowl without it becoming too hot to hold onto.

If I use a bowl I put sand in the bottom to absorb the heat

Also, there are stands that you can place the shell or bowl onto - I have also seen deer antlers used which basically make a "cage" for the bowl to sit and leaves a "handle" from you to hold onto...and the point of smudging is to cause the elements inside to smoulder away not so much to burn like a fire which is intensely hot.
You may also just want to consecrate a cloth or even a potholder type thing so that you can hold it in your hand. Make it yourself and pack it with herbs or elements important to you (cedar shavings, pine needles, lavender, sand, etc.). That way your flesh will be protected from the heat.

Another good inexpensive way to have a smudge bowl is if you are an active rock hunter like me then you might try and find one that has a deep groove in it like a bowl and use it. Also very useful to crush herbs and such just find another rock to do the crushing (mortar and pestal).

I went to a local kitchen store and went thru their cast iron department ... There I found various sized iron cauldrons ... I got a 4 inch diameter version with 3 feet and a wire bail handle ... I put a bit of iron sand I got from the beach in it and use that for smudging ...

I also have one that I use for different incenses ...

I used to spend a few days to clean up a new room when I move in. But some old houses, sometimes, i might feel strange and scare so I need someone to stay with me. Apparently the ghost only appears in an old house, according to Chinese legend

I had a problem in an apartment that was filled with negative energy. Even my husband felt it when he walked in. Having no
White Sage, I picked the Grey Sage in my garden, Tansy, Rosemary and a few other herbs I was told to pick. Some I burned in the space, and some I made into little bundles and placed on each window sill and inside and outside the door. I would go down and burn candles too. We felt it took about a month before we could go down into that apartment and start to work.
I recently found out about Salt - because it is a crystal. My daughter is going to be using Salt around the outside of her house as we have had some negativity in part of our family.
Newbie and wanting to learn more.

Welcome! I love seeing you comb the boards for older topics. :-) I always use sea salt to cleanse a new home or area. Making smudgesticks is something that I *plan* for each year, since it is a nice touch to offer a friend when they move throughout the year. I never seem to have enough. Here in MT, we have sage galore so I use that mixed with some pieces of Rosemary and bind them together.

Thanks for posting!!

Amelia

whoops! Still logged in as the herbs editor. It's still me though.

Amelia
Herbs and Wicca Editor
BellaOnline

Some really neat space clearing techniques on this site:

BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!