I've been seeing a lot of confusion and mixed information on social media about smudging, sage and clearing energy. I've decided it's time to clear the air, so to speak.
Smudging and sageing are used interchangeably by most these days. The difference is that smudging is ritualistic as done by shamans and various tribes and peoples, and sageing is is done without ritual. So many say that smudging is a closed practice. To those not in the know, a closed practice is something that can only practiced if your born into it or invited into it. Some examples of closed practices in both religions and communities, are Santeria, Brujeria, Judaism, Roma, Haitian Vodou and Hoodoo. As smudging is used by many groups, religions and beliefs throughout the world, that makes it an open practice. If you do smudge, please be respectful.
Let's start with when to clear. The main clearing times are when you or someone in your space has been sick. It can be something as simple as a cold, or a miserable as a flu or stomach bug, but clearing after any illness is always a good idea.
Another great time to clear is when your space has been rearranged, added to, or removed from. Rearranging your space is something that can be needed, especially if you're like me. I get bored and I move things. Then I move them again. In these instances, it's best to wait to clear until you've decided on what you think will stay for a while at least.
The biggest question in clearing, which seems to cause the most anxiety, is when do you use what? That question has so many answers. Is there a difference? There is, yes. A pretty big one, actually.
Let's start with sages. Not all sages are the same. Not everything called sage is actually sage. For example, blue sage is actually cedar. Black sage is mugwort. Neither of these are sages. Neither are for basic clearing. When in doubt, white sage bundles or loose is perfect. Barring that, garden sage, tri-colored sage, purple cooking sage can all substitute. If you have white sage mixed with flower petals (like the two shown), they will clear and raise the vibration at the same time. We'll get more into that in a minute, but it's kind of like shampoo and conditioner combo. It's ok, but... Also, if you can't use a smoke method of sage, there are fantastic sage sprays available with sage essential oils. I do not recommend one charged in a full moon unless it specifies which moon, as all moons have different energy. I don't need a sage spray charged with erratic moon energy, do you? (More on moon energy in a separate blog).
An amazing energy clearer is Florida Water. It's like sage on steroids, and then some. It had a little jaunt in the spotlight and seems to have fallen out of notice my many, but it's one I always have handy. It's so underrated. I do property walk-throughs and other spirit work, and this is something I take with me without fail. It's maybe a bit of overkill, but I swear by it.
Contrary to popular belief, Palo Santo is not an energy clearer. You'll notice it's not even in my personal cleansing tools. It raises the vibration and is to be used following a cleanser, such as white sage. Some people like it. I don't. It smells like black licorice to me and it's nauseating.
Another vibration raiser is incense, also not shown. Incense does not clear, at all. Not any kind, not even sage scents. It is effective to raise the vibrational frequency and is another one best used after a cleanser like white sage.
Keeping on topic, another favorite to raise vibration and not clear, is sweet grass. Pictured is braided sweet grass. It's another one that is like Palo Santo, some love it, some don't. I prefer it to Palo Santo.
There are various salts. They all clear. All salt is a purifier, so really, it should stay in everyone's arsenal. You don't need a specialized salt. Regular table salt is just fine. My own preference is to have various salts for various purposes. Keep salt sachets hanging in your windows, use coarse salt in corners of rooms and through out the house. One of the best ways to clear a room or house, is to sprinkle salt on the floor and sweep it toward the most used door of the room/house/space. Vacuum after if need be, in the same direction. Be aware that if you have pets and you miss salt, they'll find it.
Speaking of pets, not all items are pet friendly. Please be sure to remove pets from the room before doing any cleansing.
Sound clearing is underrated, in my opinion, as a method of combination clearing and raising vibration. You don't need anything fancy to utilize sound clearing. Bells, chimes, singing bowls, they're all great. Any instrument will do,, and yes, voice counts. Sustain a single note. There you go. Job well done. You've just cleared energy.
Energy clearing is best done as a two part or even three part system. Go through every area thoroughly. Feathers are great for pushing the smoke to every crevice in the room. You want to get it everywhere. Keep a window open if using a sage. Let the smoke leave the area or you will be setting off all of the smoke detectors. Take my word for it, I've done it. I thought it was open, I didn't double check. Foolish me.
Once you've pushed the smoke, sound or salt in all areas, follow up the same way with a vibrational raiser. Any of your choice will do. If using incense, palo santo or sweet grass, use the feather to push the smoke into every crevice as mentioned with the sage.
If you used a sage bundle with flower petals, I'd still suggest at least following up with incense. On it's own I haven't felt it's ever quite enough. Very much like those shampoo and conditioner combos. They do the job but it's a noticeable difference when you shampoo and condition separately.
Crystals are awesome at clearing as well. Clear quartz crystals and selenite are my go tos. Taking it a step farther, you can utilize crystal or salt lamps. I have a selenite lamp and a pink Himalayan salt lamp. If you've been to my office, you've seen them in action.
You might notice, I didn't mention anything about clearing energy if you have spirit or something spirit like. If you have a comfortable spirit energy, you can give a heads up that you're clearing the place and tell them they're welcome to return when you've finished. It's a polite thing to do. If you feel like you have a not so pleasant energy, I don't suggest clearing until you know what is there. Some entities can gain strength from sage and the like, so what might be just uncomfortable now might escalate rather quickly.
If the latter is something you're dealing with, it's best to reach out. If not to me, than to a reputable paranormal program. Absolutely under no circumstances should you try to clear it yourself. Send an email to guidance@thecrescentmoontarot.com and if it's something I can't assist with, I'll help you get in touch with someone that can.
Go forth and cleanse your sacred space!
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