How To Sage (Smudge) Your Home, Office, And Yourself
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To Sage (a.k.a. Smudging) is a process where dried sage leaves are burned, and the smoke removes negative energy (cleansing and purifying the space or person).
It's an ancient Native American technique that has become popular in other cultures. It's believed that the smoke from the sage attaches to the negative energy and carries it to the Great Spirit.
I've used this technique myself, and have created a weekly ritual where I cleanse the energy in my home and of my energy field. As a matter of fact, it's Sage Tuesday (for me). Meaning, every Tuesday is when I sage and I've already completed my sage session this morning. That's me and my sage in the pic.
You can use your intuition when deciding how frequently you want to do this process.
Some people also like to sage when they:
First move into a new space
When they're moving out of a space
When they are transitioning in work/life
After a divorce
After an argument or fight
After healing sessions (if you're a wellness coach or healer)
In hotel rooms ~ etc.
Tune into your inner guide and choose the times that are best for you.
I'm going to give you a step-by-step process to sage your home, but before I do that, I want you to know that this is information that I've gathered from my personal experience and from researching the subject.
You're welcomed to adopt any of the steps here for your own process, or you can research the topic on your own (if you need more information). I've also included a resource guide at the end of this post. It has links to article credits, "how-to" sage videos, and other sage articles.
With that said, let's get started.
Before You Start To Sage Your Home, Office, or Yourself
There are a couple of things to do and to keep in mind before you sage. Here they are...
Make sure you clean your home/room before hand.
This helps the sage travel better and cuts down on the time you have to spend in each room.
Turn off all major electronics (tv, radio, and you can silence your phone).
It's best that you have a clear mind and clear intentions before you sage your home or office.
Open the windows in each room (weather permitting).
Sage has a very strong smell and allowing in some air can help with that. It also helps if the negative energy collected has somewhere to go (it's released out into the fresh air).
Tie your hair back and wear comfortable (non-baggy) clothing.
The ashes sometimes fall and you don't want your hair or clothing to catch fire. So it's best to tie your hair back and wear non-baggy clothing when you sage your home, office, or yourself.
Have a heat-proof container ready to catch the ashes of the sage bundle.
Some people like to use an abalone shell. I use an old candle lid and it works just fine for me. Be careful, because the ashes will fall and can potentially set a fire. Safety first.
Try to sage in the morning.
If you sage another time during the day, the energy may be more dense. In the morning is when the "energy of the day (traffic, negative thoughts, etc)" hasn't settled, and I find it to be the best time to complete the process.
Start in the lowest part of your home and work your way up ~ to each level.
Example. Start in the basement and end on the top floor.
Set an intention before you sage your home, office, or yourself.
The sage is going to do the cleansing, but set an intention for what you would like to get out of each session. Are you using sage to heal, to grow, to clear your mind, to invite in new experiences, or more abundance? Set the intention.
It's also good to create a mantra and to thank the Great Spirit for assisting you with clearing your space of old and negative energy. You can say something like, "Thank you Great Spirit for helping clear my space of negative energy, blocked energy, stuck energy, or negative feelings/thoughts. May this space be re-filled with feelings of joy, love, happiness, and harmony." It doesn't have to be that exact saying. Get creative, and come up with a mantra that resonates with you.
Quick Tip: Light a tealight candle in each room.
This helps to relight the sage if the smoke dwindles.
How To Sage (Smudge) Your Home, Office, And Yourself (Step-By-Step)
Light the thick end of the sage and blow out the fire once it produces smoke. The smoke is what does the clearing.
Start in one corner of the room and move the smoke up and down. Some people like to use a feather to fan the smoke. I use my hand and it works just fine.
Move to each of the other corners in the room.
Once you've saged the corners of the room, move to the center (and rest of the room) and move the smoke over any furniture (the bed, couches, pillows, dressers, toys, antiques, etc) and electronics that you have. Be sure to also move the smoke around the windowsills and lastly, the doorframe of the room that you're saging in.
Once you feel that you've done enough saging in that room, it's then time to move on to the next room and repeat the steps above. Remember to start on the lowest level (basement or ground floor) of your home and work your way up to the top level. Here's a How-To Sage Playlist that I've created if you're a visual creature and would like to see step-by-step how the saging process is done (the videos also include instructions for saging yourself).
As you're saging each room, remember to show gratitude to the Great Spirit for helping you clear your energy and your space. Remember to also repeat your mantra as you move to the different areas in your home. If you want to call in your spirit guides or your angels to assist with the clearing process, you can do that as well.
Once you're done with each room, go ahead and sage each entrance to your home (front, back, and side doors). You can do that by just moving the smoke around the door frames.
That will complete the process.
After You're Done Saging
Once your done with your saging session, I recommend that you place the sage bundle in a fireproof container, in a safe place and let it burn out on its own.
If the smell is too strong for you, you can always press the burnt end of the sage into the fireproof container to put it out. Make sure the fire's out completely before you store your sage bundle. Give it a good 30 to 45 minutes before storing it away.
You can discard the sacred ashes by taking them outside and burying them or just spread them on the ground. Again make sure the ashes are out completely before taking this step.
That's it!
I like to light some scented candles and sometimes play some gentle music at the end of each session. Some people burn essential oils or spray essentials oils to complete the process. Again, you can use this article as a guide, but use your intuition when it comes to your ritual. Use the methods that resonate with you, your time, and your space.
“When your sage bundle burns too low to use, just crumple the remaining pieces into a piece of paper, ball it up, and set it on fire. Be sure to have a fire-proof container for this process. You can discard the sacred ashes by burying them outside or by spreading the ashes on the ground. Make sure the ashes are completely out before doing this part.”
Mixed Sage Bundles & Alternatives To Burning Sage
If you're looking for other ways to clear your space, or if sage is not your thing, or you're just curious to see what else is out there ~ for smudging your home, I've got you covered.
It's also popular to use the following items for cleansing and clearing your space:
Cedar
Sagebrush
Sage & Lavendar (a.k.a. Purple Sage)
& Sweetgrass.
Check out my Sage Bundles & Clearing Pinterest board. I hope it inspires you to create your own blend of herbs to assist you with cleansing your home and energy field.
There are also spaces and situations where you cannot burn sage. For those of you who are dealing with that issue, here's a video from Reiki With Jaclyn with alternative ways to clear your space (without burning sage).
Well There You Have It ~ How To Sage (Smudge) Your Home, Office, And Yourself
I hope this guide helps you understand the process of saging (smudging) your home. It's a wonderful way to clear negative/old energy and purify your space. Remember to use your intuition and adopt the parts of this routine that fit in with your time and space. The most important parts are that you set the intention, you follow your intuition when trying this process, and you show gratitude for the assistance.
Be sure to also take it easy after each session.
You're asking for your space to be cleared and all kinds of emotions and thoughts may come up. That's the energy leaving your space. Just breathe through it and center yourself. The smoke can clear your space, but you still have to work through the emotions and give yourself compassion as you are clearing/healing.
Happy Clearing!
Live Well & Keep Creating!
P.S. Here's the Article Credits & Additional Resources Guide that I promised you.
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