As some of you already know, I’m selling my house. This is the longest I’ve lived anywhere since I left for college at 17. From my reference in the last post to Motown, that’s been a while!
If you ever want to open Pandora’s box and take a lovely fun filled trip down Memory Lane, put your house on the market. I’ve shredded years upon years of a paper trail marking the decades prior to electronic payment options. Clothes long forgotten have been washed and brought to the thrift store. Old bikes with missing seats and rusty chains went as a group lot in the yard sale to a young man with small children who will rebuild them for a second life. Multiple trips to the local recycling and transfer station have shown no apparent progress in how much still needs to be done.
“But have you smudged?” For my juju friends, this is second nature. “You’re trying to sell your house, of course you need to smudge!” Others may be thinking, “Oh, I saw that on Long Island Medium, it’s something about clearing space and bad energy.” And there are those of you who may be thinking “She is an absolute loon!” I’ll go with all of the above.
I walked through every room of my house and smudged with white sage. I relived memories, cried, laughed and thanked each room for keeping us safe and giving us a place to grow, to learn, to laugh, cry, and go through so many rites of passage. The dogs were following me looking a bit amused. I got the same reaction from the resident old man “ghost” who frequents the basement and barn. I also asked the house to please be as much of a haven for the next family or people who live here. When I was finished smudging every room, I retraced my steps and rang a small bell to bring joy and new energy to the whole house.
The use of burning various herbs and plants to clear, protect, or bless sacred spaces has been used for centuries all over the world. The Shamans of North and South America, Siberia, and Europe as well as the Aborigine have all used the healing power of smoke in their rituals. As I wrote that, I thought of a few people who would immediately make a crack about “the healing power of smoke”. Not the medicine I’m talking about here!
If your space is feeling heavy, unproductive, stagnant, or unsettled, give it a smudge and see if it helps. It’s great to use after an argument, a break up, or if you’ve had guests that left residual energy behind. It’s also incredibly good for clearing a space before you move into it or clearing used objects before you bring them into your home.
Sage and the sage blends have a strong scent so be forewarned, for those unfamiliar with smudging, it may be mistaken for the other herb!