Smudging has been used since ancient times to create a sacred space, cleanse the energy in your home & remove negative energies. White Sage Smudge Sticks & Palo Santo are wonderful choices, each with their own unique benefits. We will delve into the benefits and differences, as well as explore the best scenarios to work with these powerful tools.
White Sage Smudge Sticks
White sage (Salvia apiana) has a long history in Native American and Indigenous cultures. Its fragrance & smoke is believed to purify body, mind & spirit, cleansing your environment of negative energies, thoughts & emotions.
How To Use
White sage smudging involves the burning of bundled sage leaves. To work with your smudge stick, light by holding it over a flame or candle. When it is lit, gently, blow out the flame, thus allowing the smudge stick to smoulder. Waft smoke into each room and corner of your home with the intention to clear the energy in the space and infuse protection, cleansing and healing. To smudge yourself, fan the smoke around your aura with the intention that your energy is being cleansed and protected. Hold your smudging ceremony as a sacred ritual, with pure intention and spiritual connection.
Note: Please do not leave a burning smudge stick unattended. To extinguish the smudge stick, just place the lit end in a fire proof container filled with sand.
Benefits:
1. Cleansing: clear stagnant energy or negativity from your energy or space, creating a more harmonious environment.2. Spiritual Connection: strengthen your intuition and find deeper a connection with your higher self. Perfect for meditation, spiritual rituals and mindfulness practices.
3. Relaxation: relieve stress and anxiety, helping you to unwind and find inner calm. White sage has been found to be rich in compounds that elevate mood and reduce stress.
4. Dispel Negative Energy: powerfully clear away any lingering negative energy, bringing healing & calming vibes back to your space.
Best Times To Smudge With White Sage:
- Before spiritual rituals or meditation
- Before & after an energy healing session
- When moving into a new space, home or workplace
- Following a negative event, conflict or illness
- When your energy feels unbalanced
- After a difficult day (or if you have come into contact with a lot of negativity) to cleanse your energy & aura
- When you need some balance & peace
Palo Santo
Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens), which translates to “Holy Wood” in Spanish, is a sacred tree traditionally used by healers, shamans and elders during ceremonies and healings. It is a staple in South American cultures, amazing for energetic cleansing, protection, grounding, healing, attracting positive energy and raising your vibration. Traditionally, these trees were only cultivated after they had lived a full life to preserve their metaphysical and healing properties, once they have fallen they are allowed to lie peacefully for 4-10 years before being harvested and a seedling is planted in its place. It is important to only sourced ethical Palo Santo that have been respectfully harvested in the same manner as the ancients.
How To Use:
Light the Palo Santo stick by holding it over a flame. When it is lit, allow it to burn for 30-60 seconds and then gently blow out the flame, thus allowing the stick to smoulder. Fan smoke into each room and corner of your home with the intention to clear the energy in the space and infuse protection, cleansing and healing. To clear yourself, fan the smoke around your aura with the intention that your energy is being cleansed and protected.
Note: Please do not leave a burning Palo Santo stick unattended. To extinguish, place the lit end in a fire proof bowl, as long as you no longer blow on the ember it should stop burning on its own and can be used many times.
Benefits:
1. Cleansing: clear stagnant energy or negativity from your energy or space, creating a more harmonious environment.2. Infuse Positive Energy: Palo Santo clears negative energy, but can also raise the vibration of a space, bringing positivity, joy, calm & optimism.
3. Creativity and Focus: increases creativity and inspiration, and sharpens your focus.
4. Physical Healing: Palo Santo has been associated with alleviating symptoms of pain, colds, headaches, allergies and other minor ailments.
5. Protection and Grounding: provides energetic protection against negative energy and influences, while also grounding you gently in the present moment.
Best Times To Work With Palo Santo:
- When moving into a new space, home or workplace
- Following a negative event, conflict or illness
- When you feel spacy or unbalanced & need some grounding
- When you feel like you need some energetic protection
- When you feel down and need some positivity & joy
- After a difficult day (or if you have come into contact with alot of negativity) to cleanse your energy & aura and raise your vibration
- When you need to focus or be creative i.e. writing, studying, artistic pursuits
- When you need to get in touch with your intuition or higher self and find clarity - perfect to burn before meditation.
- After an energy healing session, to cleanse any lingering negative energy and infuse positive energy into the space
Both White Sage and Palo Santo are valuable tools for creating a more balanced, clear and peaceful environment. Whether you choose White Sage for its powerful cleansing properties or Palo Santo for its ability to cleanse and uplift, incorporating these sacred tools into your life will lead to increased positivity and well-being.
To explore our range of smudging tools, click here >
Much love,
Dani xx
