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People in the metaphysical community know about smudging ...
Have ever heard about the term smudging? Well if not, then here is a chance to learn about it from the spiritual perspective. Actually smudging is a concept that developed in Native America years back. The main intention of doing it was to clear the living space from all negative energies and purify the surroundings.
So how do we do?
Smudging is done with the help of herbs. These herbs have the ability to clean people, things and even air. It gives a smoke bath to all around. The herbs that are used to prepare smudge is primarily the leaves of a plant called “sage” a perfectly fit name for the purpose it solves. These leaves are dried and used to make smudge.
Originally these dried leaves were made into a stick and burnt. These leaves are tied together with the help of a string and are called smudge sticks. If you do not find the sticks you can might as well just burn the leaves.
The smoke that comes out from the sage sticks can purify the house you live in and the living space. All well as the furniture and the other items in the house. If you want you can also put the leaves in lukewarm water and take bath that can purify your body of any negative energy and keep you healthy.
The leaves when burnt give out a smoke gives out negative ions that can remove all negative energies from the surroundings. As a result the smoke can improve the mood of a person and have many other benefits.
The properties of sage plant
What exactly happens is that sage is a product of nature. We humans need nature not only for physical growth but also for peace of mind. When you are near nature, for example a waterfall, a river or a lake you will feel a sense of calm and peace.
These sage leaves that come from nature give out negative ions that can remove dust particles, dust and even doors from the air. These negative ions attach to positive ions and as a result the airborne particles become very heavy and they cannot stay for very long as a result the air is purified. These particles fall down on the floor and the air is purified as a result the people living in the house will not fall sick.
Our places of residence
We all live in houses that are filled with electronic gadgets and furniture. There are many things in our houses that are not even used. These items give out a lot of positive ions and the houses become a prison for positive ions. These ions make the air inside our house very unhealthy and negative.
This makes it essential to do smudging in all the houses. The scientists believe that we all live very stressful life so smudging can help us in more than one way. It is like spending a whole day in the lap of nature and feels energized completely.
It is NOT black magic
When you see someone do smudging the first feeling that comes to your mind is that they are doing some black magic or that it is some kind of a superstitious belief that does not holds good in science.
This is why a group of scientists conducted a study they practiced smudging for good one month is a certain space. They realized that after this process the area was completely devoid of any germs and bacteria. This process can work very well for closed spaces. They started to call this a scientific smoke after this.
The study proves that it is most useful on all particles that cause pulmonary problems. It can also work well on particles causing neurological as well as dermatological problems. The experiment was done in a small room and to everyone’s surprise the area became completely devoid of all harmful germs and particles.
Some benefits of smudging
We will now list the many advantages of smudging that is supported by scientific study:
It can be very helpful for people who suffer from depression. It helps to improve mental focus. Negative ions are natural antidepressant.
It can remove all negative energy from the house and the surroundings. It is a natural cleaning process. It works very well on memory and instincts. It helps a lot to reduce anger, anxiety and stress in a person.
A researcher named Dr. Clarence Hansell was the first to realize that negative ions can actually make a person feel more happy and in control. He noticed that one of his colleagues would become sad when there were positive ions emitted from a machine and in the presence of negative ions he was happy. Now it is known that negative ions help us to feel better and this theory is used by manufacturers of anti-depressant drugs. Smudging is any day much better than taking any drugs.
It is effective not only on bacteria but also on pollen, pet dander, dust and the list just goes on. Things that you cannot even see it can work on those.
It works on things as well. For example you have got something in the house that was used by someone for years or an antique piece. You can try smudging on these that will ensure that the negative energy from these things are removed and they no longer carry the effects of the negative energies that they were exposed to before.
Health is a primary concern for many today. We all want to live healthy and long. With the help of smudging you can feel relaxed. The many advantages are it helps to reduce blood pressure, it stops premature ageing from happening, it reduces stress and diseases as the negative ions help to fight all particles that can cause damage to you in more than one way thus it can have a lot more health benefits for the physical body.
We have a hormone in our body that is called Serotonin. This is called the feel good hormone. It is found in the brains. It helps to improve the mood, develop a positive outlook and improve the focus. As a result it can help us to do better in all aspects of life.
Smudging can also help a lot to improve sleep pattern. Anyone who suffers from a disturbed sleep the reason can be many must do smudging regularly. As it helps to regulate the Serotonin it can really help a lot to improve sleep.
The process of smudging
It is obvious that smudging is helpful but what is important is to know how we must do it. The most important thing is to believe in the process and respect it. When you get these leaves ensure that you store them in a place that is above the height of your waist and should be kept in a place that is respected and honoured.
Birch basket will be a good place to keep it in. you must know about smudging and concentrate on the process completely as you do it. To get the focus try to meditate a little before you start. Take a clay pot to keep the leaves as you burn them. The flames is not what you need you need the smoke. It will take a while for the smoke to come. As soon as it catches fire smudge it so that the smoke starts. This may take a while to master and prefer an open space to burn the sage.
Before you start the process you have to do a ceremony. Once the smoke starts use it to smudge your whole body from feet to head. As you does this just say “air, fire, water, earth, cleanse, dismiss and dispel. Once you have done this you are ready to smudge the house.
You can use your hand to spread the smoke all over. Move clockwise around the house. Start from the front door. Concentrate on the corners of the rooms as you spread the smoke. The corners are essential. You must do it in closed spaces too like closet. Do in all the rooms and in basements too. Each room follow the clockwise movement and imagine that all the negative energy is leaving your house.
Try to switch off all the electronic appliances and cover the mirrors in the house as you do this process for better result. Keep the windows closed as you do it and the front door must be open as all the negative energy is expected to leave from there.
You start and end the process at the main door. Try to do the process whenever you feel there is a need. The more you do the better it will be for all. Especially if you feel that someone in the house stores a lot of negative energy inside and is impacting the environment of the house do it more regularly.
We hope that this article will help you to understand the process of smudging. You should try to follow the steps that we have suggested and you will surely notice the benefits.
Editor’s Note: doesn’t this practice remind you of havana done as per the Hindu traditions? We are not trying to prove one culture superior over the other but this just goes to show the basic similarity among all nature and natural phenomenon even if they were discovered by different people in different periods of time.
Dr. Divya Mittal
http://www.metaphysics-knowledge.com/customstraditions/smudging-getting-rid-of-negativity.html/