Smudge Bundles, what it is and why/ how to use them.
The latest garden harvest brings smudge bundles!
What does that mean?
One of my many goals with our garden was to grow sage in order to dehydrate it for smudge bundles. Something I’ve thought about doing for 4 years but the timing and locations just weren't right. I did try growing sage once and it tried so hard to grow but the location got too much sun.
This year I ended up growing nearly an 8 foot long row of sage and it’s been so crazy happy. I was able to harvest some to simply thin things out. Our new toaster oven has a dehydrator setting and it’s lovely! I tested it out on onion scapes and basil first and I couldn’t be happier.
I’m so grateful that this is going so well, it’s cute, and during one of our meditation sound bath classes it came through that the garden would do amazing. To be fair, I never know exactly what spirit means by that, it could mean anything. Turns out that not all plants did amazing, some didn't make it and some thrived.
Why sage?
As far as energetics go, sage when burned removes negative energy. I often pair it with cedarwood or palo santo as that pulls in positivity. I plan on foraging some from my dad’s farm to combine with the smudge bundle. Sage and cedarwood are honored in the native traditions, a culture that I have always felt connected to in many ways. I went through a lot of self healing experiences and meditation to fully understand my energetic connection.
With this first batch of sage I'll be combining pine with them instead of cedarwood. Pine is grounding and aids the lungs and the heart chakra to process grief in its many forms, allowing the spirit to release what's ready to go. The pine came from a fallen tree on our property.
When you grow your own it strengthens your intention. It’s a connection to the earth, it’s a connection with your guides.
I’ll be selling a few smudge bundles while supplies last. A blend of sage, pine, and palo santo (from an ethical source). Palo Santo is nice to cleanse and remove odor from the air. Palo Santo means Holy wood.
To do a simple cleanse of your space:
Burn the smudge bundle on a fire safe dish (I use abalone shells) and stand at the front of the room and walk clockwise and do every corner of the room. The direction you go is an important aid to remove the negative as well. Clockwise is best for this. Simply sit with that experience and see what you notice. Sometimes the room just looks brighter like more light is coming in. Sometimes it just feels lighter like the heaviness of past conversations has been lifted. How open you are to noticing will determine what your experience will be. We all enter our homes and unload our day and experiences.
When I do this I notice the energetic shift more than my hubby. He’s not big on the smell but he has expressed that there are some things he might do that I'm not big on and I let it go. So he decided to let this go. As he has noticed how important it is to me. He enjoys palo santo interestingly enough. Keep in mind I don’t smudge my home everyday.
This is a simple yet effective exercise you can do to start to listen and trust your own intuition. At the beginning of each work day I cleanse my room of anything that was released the day before and I set a very specific intention that has honestly evolved over the years.
When I do a simple cleanse of my home the intention is different since my home is not my work. Just as each Clearing and Blessing I do with Leixe is very much its own. No two are alike.
If you have pets, they might be sensitive to the aroma. Have them sniff the smudge bundle before you burn it to see if they are comfortable with it. If they are cool, continue. If not, open the windows and allow them to leave the room if it becomes overwhelming for them. Animals have a very sensitive olfactory system, it’s wise to respect it.