How to Smudge

An Ancient Practice

The ritual of smudging to clear out old energy and cleanse and purify your space is one that has been used by indigenous peoples for millennia.

Practice of sage burning also carries medicinal benefits. The ancients knew! Research shows that burning sage kills 94% of airborne bacteria in an hour of burning.   The disinfection was maintained up to 24h in the closed room.

The herbs used to make smudge sticks are usually white sage, sweetgrass, or cedar. Any dried herb is fine, however, even lavender. White sage, or sage, are the most common. Choose an herb that doesn’t have a woody stem. If there is such a stem, make the bundle of leaves that you pull off.

Good Choices for Smudging

A reason to choose white sage is because the leaf clusters are very long. The leaves will smolder for quite a long time. Sweetgrass has a lovely, light sweet odor, but it burns very quickly. Many spiritual healers believe that sweet grass brings a high level of spirituality and burns away negativity. Cedar is very strong, and is considered powerful for removing negativity. However, you need to remove the woody stems as much as possible.

If you make your own smudge sticks, honor the tradition of honoring the plants with your appreciation for using their leaves. Smudge “sticks” are readily available on and offline; look for ceremonial-grade sage.

Many people burn smudge in a big shell, using it as an ashtray. An ashtray will also work. You want to burn the smudge in a container that will contain the flames, so that you don’t start a fire. I open the smudge bundle and pull out leaves and light them, as opposed to lighting the whole smudge stick on fire.

Light the dried leaves, and once there is a good flame, blow it out so that the leaves smoke. The burning leaves will smolder, and the smoke will waft into the home. Walk around with the ashtray (smoking herbs included), and make sure the smoke reaches into all the areas of a room you want.

When to smudge, and why?

Smudging is great to use to clear out unwanted energy no matter what that energy is. I think that this is because the sage permeates the air, attaching to humidity, shifting and changing it. Smudge after a fight, when you’ve cleaned out a closet or after working all day. Smudge if someone has been sick, or any other thing that you sense has been stressful in some way and you would benefit if it were removed.

Annie teaches the HeartMind Energy Healer School and gives healings in Rhinebeck, NY, New York City, and Boston. She gives distance healings to people all over the world.