Post by Lonicera on Sept 15, 2015 21:41:12 GMT
Smudging is a form of Native American "sensing" used to cleanse a person or thing.
It is believed that any herb with a pleasant sent can be used in smudging. Common herbs used by Native Americans (and some witches) are sage, sagebrush, sweetgrass, calamus, red willow bark, dogswood bark, cedar needles or bark, and tobacco. Some individuals also use lavender. After the herbs are ground into a powder or finely cut, they are burned on a plate, a flat rock, or a shell. The smoke is spread through the air or around the person, or thing with a bird feather.
Smudging is used to cleanse individuals and items for ritual use or to remove negative energies from an area. If used in the accompaniment of a cleansing and banishing ritual it can also be used to help ward off spirits. However, smudging alone is not enough to rid an area of spirits or entities.
Creating Your Own Smudging Bundles:
Items Needed:
Scissors or garden-snips Cotton string Herbs such as sage, rosemary, lavender, etc.
Cut off the stems of the plant in 6-10in pieces. If the plant is leafier you can use shorter stems, if the plant has less leaves; use longer stems. One you have the herbs cut, cut off a length of string about 5ft in length. Take several pieces of the plant (make sure they are all the same length)and out them in a small bundle so that the cut ends are together. Slowly tie the string around the bundle, leaving two inches of the string hanging at the end where you started wrapping the string.
Wrap the string around the base of the stems several times around the length of the bundle to make sure that it is secure. Continue wrapping the string around the length of the leaves until the entire bundle is wrapped in the string. Continue wrapping the string around the bundle in a criss-crossing pattern. Wrap the string tightly but not so tightly that it cuts the leaves of the plants. When you work your way back to the two inches of string you left hanging, tie the pieces of string together to secure them and then toss away any excess string.
Place the bundle outside or hang it up in your home to dry. It can take a few days to a few weeks for the herbs to try. When the herbs are dry, you can use them for rituals, spells, etc.
Note: Some plants can produce toxic fumes when burned so be sure you have researched the herb you are working with to be sure that it is safe to burn.
Source:
paganwiccan.about.com/od/lammascrafts/ss/SmudgeSticks_4.htm
The Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism. - Written by Raymond Buckland.
It is believed that any herb with a pleasant sent can be used in smudging. Common herbs used by Native Americans (and some witches) are sage, sagebrush, sweetgrass, calamus, red willow bark, dogswood bark, cedar needles or bark, and tobacco. Some individuals also use lavender. After the herbs are ground into a powder or finely cut, they are burned on a plate, a flat rock, or a shell. The smoke is spread through the air or around the person, or thing with a bird feather.
Smudging is used to cleanse individuals and items for ritual use or to remove negative energies from an area. If used in the accompaniment of a cleansing and banishing ritual it can also be used to help ward off spirits. However, smudging alone is not enough to rid an area of spirits or entities.
Creating Your Own Smudging Bundles:
Items Needed:
Scissors or garden-snips Cotton string Herbs such as sage, rosemary, lavender, etc.
Cut off the stems of the plant in 6-10in pieces. If the plant is leafier you can use shorter stems, if the plant has less leaves; use longer stems. One you have the herbs cut, cut off a length of string about 5ft in length. Take several pieces of the plant (make sure they are all the same length)and out them in a small bundle so that the cut ends are together. Slowly tie the string around the bundle, leaving two inches of the string hanging at the end where you started wrapping the string.
Wrap the string around the base of the stems several times around the length of the bundle to make sure that it is secure. Continue wrapping the string around the length of the leaves until the entire bundle is wrapped in the string. Continue wrapping the string around the bundle in a criss-crossing pattern. Wrap the string tightly but not so tightly that it cuts the leaves of the plants. When you work your way back to the two inches of string you left hanging, tie the pieces of string together to secure them and then toss away any excess string.
Place the bundle outside or hang it up in your home to dry. It can take a few days to a few weeks for the herbs to try. When the herbs are dry, you can use them for rituals, spells, etc.
Note: Some plants can produce toxic fumes when burned so be sure you have researched the herb you are working with to be sure that it is safe to burn.
Source:
paganwiccan.about.com/od/lammascrafts/ss/SmudgeSticks_4.htm
The Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism. - Written by Raymond Buckland.