Smudges are used to cleanse, purify, protect and remove negative energy. It has been used by Native American and others for thousands of years. The smudges most used by Native Americans are sage, sweet grass, cedar and in central and South America copal resin. In the East Frankincense and Myrrh resins have been used by Christians and Jews for purification and protection. The most common smudges used in smudging ceremonies are, Cedar, Copal, Sage, Lavender and Sweet Grass.
Sage, Cedar and Sweet grass can be purchased and burned in small bundles. It can also be cut up and mixed with each other. Sometimes these mixtures will contain Lavender flowers as Lavender is used in love and healing rituals and promotes sleep and peace.
It is traditional to burn the smudge in something made of the earth such as a clam or oyster shell, clay pot or flat or concave rock which can be purchased at most metaphysical stores. Pour a small amount of mixture into the shell and light it on fire. Let the mixture catch on fire and then gently blow out the flame and let the smudge herbs smoulder. This will create a small stream of smoke that you will use your feather to guide the smoke around yourself or the room. You can hold the shell in one hand by the edge. Be careful for the bottom of the shell will be hot. Resins, such as copal, frankincense and myrrh are burned on tablets charcoal.
Use the feather to guide the smoke in a clockwise fashion in every corner of the room. Use the feather to guide the smoke and sweep the negative energy out. Say a prayer or say what it is you intend the smudge to do. For example if you are removing negative energy say and think it, while you are smudging the room. You may as for protection and purification while smudging. When you are done smudging the room simply snuff out the end of the bundle or place a bigger bowl over your mixture in the shell and it will extinguish itself.
Spiritual and Magical Properties Incense and Smudge
AFRICAN VIOLET
used for spirituality and protection.
ALOESWOOD
used for spirituality, meditation, luck, love and to strengthen other incenses.
AMBER
used in healing, meditation.
APPLE
used in love, peace and happiness.
BAMBOO
Bamboo is the stick used to hold the herbs and resins in most stick incense. It has magical uses of its own. It is used in divination in Chinese Temples. Used in luck, protection and hex-breaking rituals.
BANANA
used for fertility, potency and prosperity rituals.
BASIL
used for happiness, peace and money.
BAY
used for psychic awareness and purification.
BENZOI
used for purification, prosperity, knowledge, peace, and psychic protection
BERGAMOT
used for peace, happiness, restful sleep.
CAMOMILE
used for sleep, meditation and peace.
CAMPHOR
used for purification, physical energy and celibacy.
CEDAR
used for purifying, protection and to banish bad dreams. Used by Native Americans in sweat lodges to release heavy emotional energies.
CHAMPA
used for meditation and for creating your sacred space. An auric energizer. It brings one's energies into harmonious balance.
CHERRY
used to attract love and divination.
CINNAMON
raises spiritual and protective vibrations, stimulates psychic powers, physical energy.
COPAL, BLACK: used in immunity, heart rituals, purification. An earthy, spicy Copal. Burned during "Day of the Dead" Celebrations.
CLOVE: used to drive away hostile, negative forces, a psychic enhancer. It is also used to produce spiritual vibrations and to purify the area.
CLOVE
used to drive away hostile, negative forces, a psychic enhancer. It is also used to produce spiritual vibrations and to purify the area.
DESERT SAGE
used to drive out bad spirits, feelings and influences. An important, strong, herbaceous Native American Plant. Burned for wealth, wisdom, knowledge, protection, and purification.
DRAGON'S BLOOD
Resin from the palm tree. It is used in rituals involving love, protection and exorcism. Burned for consecration, protection, good luck.
EUCALYPTUS
used in healing and to maintain good health, purification and protection.
FRANGIPANI
used for psychic work to restore peace and harmony with its soothing vibrations.
FRANKINCENSE
used as an incense for purification, spiritual growth, knowledge and meditation. Has been used for over 3,000 years and is still burned in Catholic churches.
FRANKINCENSE and MYRRH
A powerful combination that is used for spirituality, healing, protection and exorcism. Used as an incense for purification, spiritual growth, knowledge and meditation.
GARDENIA: used in love spells and to attract good, peaceful spirits during rituals. Possesses very high spiritual vibrations Also used for peace and love.
GERANIUM
used for happiness and protection.
GINGER
Used in money and success rituals, for psychic growth, success, sex, love money and courage.
GUM ARABIC POWDER
used in protective and psychic awareness rituals. Burned for purification.
HONEYSUCKLE
used for love, fidelity, money, protection and clairvoyance. A mental stimulant that aids intuition and psychic perception.
HYACINTH: used for love, protection, happiness and overcoming grief. Guards against nightmares.
HYSSOP LEAF
used for wealth and psychic protection
IRIS
used for love and psychic awareness.
JASMINE
used to create prophetic and psychic dreams, love, peace, spirituality and raising vibrations.
JUNIPER
used to promote psychic powers, protection, purification and healing. Guards against evil and sickness. Used in sick rooms throughout Europe.
LAVENDER: used in love and healing rituals. Used to attract and protect relationships. Promotes sleep and peacefulness.
LEMONGRASS
used for psychic awareness and purification.
LILAC
used for love, protection, exorcism and protection. Brings peace and harmony into everyday life.
LIME
used for purification, physical energy and protection.
LOTUS
The Lotus has been long revered in the East as a mystical symbol of life, spirituality and the centre of the universe. Burned for protection and as a sacred offering to the Gods. It is said to attract good fortune and love while promoting long life.
MACE
used for psychic awareness.
MAGNOLIA
used for fidelity and love.
MELON
used for healing and health.
MIMOSA
used for psychic dreams and love.
MUGWORT
used for psychic awareness, psychic dreams and astral projection. MUSK: used for protection, enlightenment and sexual magnetism. Stimulates self-confidence, determination and enhances extroversion.
MYRRH
Was used in the temple of Isis. Great meditation and contemplation incense. Used or protection, spirituality, healing and stimulates crown chakra.
NAG CHAMPA
A blend of costly, highly fragrant rare gums, resins and powders for meditation and for creating your sacred space. An auric energizer. It brings one's energies into harmonious balance.
NUTMEG
used for physical energy, magical energy, psychic awareness and money.
OSHA
A plant revered by all Native American healers for its powerful healing abilities. Used to treat respiratory and rheumatic complaints.
ORANGE
used for beauty, luck, fidelity, love, purification, joy and physical energy.
PEPPERMINT
used for healing, protection, prosperity, growth and renewal.
PINE: used for healing, purification, protection, grounding, physical and magical energy.
PINEAPPLE
used for luck, money and chastity.
PINION PINE
used in healing, money, exorcism and protection rituals.
PLUMERIA
used for peace and love.
ROSE
used in love, luck, grief and healing rituals. Induces thoughts of loving affection and peaceful harmonious vibrations
Used for prophetic dreams.
ROSEMARY
used as powerful cleansing and purifying vibrations. One of the oldest incenses. Used in love, healing and mental rituals. Stimulates memory and clarification.
SAFFRON
used for love, healing, happiness, lust, strength and clairvoyance.
SANDALWOOD
used for spiritual awareness, meditation and psychic development.
STAR ANISE
used for psychic awareness. Sacred Japanese temple incense used to drive away negativity and to bring good luck
STRAWBERRY
used for love and luck.
SWEETGRASS
used to purify spaces and to attract positive influences.
SWEETPEA
used for happiness and courage.
TEA, GREEN
used for money, courage and strength.
TUBEROSE
used to ward off evil and negativity. It restores happiness, peace and harmony.
VANILLA
used for love, lust, healing, luck and mental powers.
VERBENA, LEMON
used or carried for protection and love.
WHITE SAGE
used to purify and protect objects, places and people.
WISTERIA
used for protection and calling higher spiritual forces.
WOOD BETONY
used in protection and reunion rituals.
YARROW
used for psychic awareness, courage and love.
YERBA SANTA LEAF
used to drive out negative influences and restores a guarded boundary of protection.
YLANG-YLANG
used for peace, sex, love, calming and tension relieving.
Prayer and Smudge Feathers
Prayer and Smudge feathers are traditionally used with burning sage, herbs or incense during prayer or cleansing ceremony. The feather directs the smoke where you want it to go such as to the Great Spirit or to cover yourself or a space for protection.
“The smudging ceremony has been a sacred ritual for the Native American and for many other tribal peoples for thousands of years. It is a ritual of cleansing and purification for the physical ands spiritual bodies. Smudging is used to cleanse energy fields of each person, animal, rock, plant or home,” Silver Wolf Walks Alone.
The feathers used for a ceremony are as important as the smudge. The Prayer feather has a vibration just as the cleansing herbs it is used with. These are vibrations from the colour of the feather and the aura of the bird in which the feather came. The feather not only guides the sacred smoke around your body or room, it also fluffs up your auric field.
Birds of prey may be the most revered bird of the Native Americans and many tribes used their feathers for decoration and ceremonies. Game and song birds were appreciated for their different qualities, symbols and totems in Native American culture. Turkey, Goose and Duck feathers are often used in Native American feather work such as ceremonial fans and headdresses. Song bird and exotic bird feathers from Central and South America were often traded among tribes and were considered very special for the medicinal qualities. In Mayan culture the Turkey was used to serve the elite and used in ceremonies for healing, planting and praying for rain according to Mauricio Espinoza.
Native people believe that all living things have lessons to teach us. Feathers can remind us of the wisdom, experience and medicine power of a particular bird.. Each bird has something they can teach us or has a special significance to each of us. Below are the meanings and special medicines and traits that are associated many types of birds. The birds highlighted in the colour red are feathers we will work with to make your own Prayer or Smudge feather.
Copyright 2008 by Steve Spur
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