Smudging has been used since ancient times by many people as a ceremony of purification--among pre-Christian pagans as well as Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, among Hindus and Buddhists as well as Cherokee and Lakota. Called "incense" in some traditions, it can be made of a variety of fragrant plant materials. Native Americans have used their local plants of obtained more exotic materials through trade with tribes of other regions. Among the plants used for smudge are tobacco, sweetgrass, calamus, red willow bark, red osier dogwood, cedar needles and sage. (This is not culinary sage of the genus Salvia, but is one of the species of the genus Artemisia, which includes the landscape perennials, silver mound and silver king, as well as sagebrush and mugwort.) We gather my favorite sage in the Rocky Mountains of Utah, Nevada, and northeastern California. Its fragrance is wonderful before and during the smudging.

The chosen plant material should be dried and tied into bundles with cotton string or any other natural plant fiber. We wrap bundles as thick as our hands can hold. Four colors of string is combined to honor the four directions--red for the east, yellow for the south, black for the west, and white for the north. Or the material can be crumbled, cut or coarsely ground and stored in a container that prevents the loss of the aromatic oils that give sage its characteristic fragrance.

A natural container is needed to hold the mixture as it burns or smolders. Some prefer a large shell (although some people believe that a shell has water energy which impairs the fire energy of the smudge), others use an earthenware bowl or a hollowed rock.

You will need a way to fan the embers to keep them burning. In some traditions, it is considered disrespectful to blow upon the smudge with one's breath. You can use your hand to sweep air into the embers, but a feather, feather fan, or wing are much more effective. To keep smudge burning you will also need matches or perhaps a lighter.

You can use this ceremony to purify and cleanse people, places and things. Smudging brings an awareness of the sacred and should be performed with sensitivity and respect. As you add each pinch of the smudge mixture to the shell or pot, offer thanks to the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of each of the four directions, The order of honoring may differ from nation to nation. Some start with the east, others from the north or east. Always the rotation is sunwise, following the path of the sun (east-south-west-north, for example). Then to Mother Earth (down), Father Sun (up) and finally to the Great Mystery within all things (brought to your heart).

Bring all of the smudge together in a mound in the center of the container. After igniting the mixture, fan it until it is burning well. Continue to fan the embers as needed to keep them smoldering. Once again offer the smoke to the seven directions--East, South, West, North, Mother Earth, Father Sun, and the Great Mystery. Cleanse yourself by drawing the smoke over your head, over each shoulder, and over your heart. With the help of another, you can be cleansed under each foot, along your legs and across your back. Sacred space is smudged before it is entered by others or at the beginning of the ceremony. Pass through the smoke whatever ceremonial instrument you wish to use--the fan, the pipe, your hands, a dream catcher. This is a useful way to cleanse your dream catcher to make it ready for use.

When the ceremony is complete, the ashes should be totally burned (avoid using more than you will need) and respectfully returned to Mother Earth, perhaps at the base of a tree, a shrub, or rock. Never dump the ashes into the garbage or trash. The purpose of the medicine path is to always walk in beauty, in balance between ego and heart, honoring the Great Mystery within you and All That Is, and respecting all other beings in the Web of Life. Ah hau!

Our large, fat sage bundles are available at $7.00 each.