GET SMUDGY

How to shift the energy in your space.

So, you take care of your body with the right food, hydration and movement right? At least you think about it (I’m a little more of the latter more than I would like to admit at the moment!). You take care of your mind then? You perhaps meditate, get out in nature, you talk a walk every now and then to clear the mind, maybe even a little yoga or journaling? This one I feel more confident putting my hand up to. Phew. Would you consider doing something similar to the spaces that you spend the most time in? Where you inhabit the energy so to speak.

I HEARD THE TERM, SPIRITUAL HYGIENE AND LOVED IT!

It wraps this all up quite nicely for me, although, I admit, it perhaps is a little woo-woo for some. I’m ok with that though these days. Maybe it’s those candles! I’ll put it another way. Have you ever walked into the room after an argument? You can feel the energy of that in the air, almost with the air itself crackling. Perhaps you’ve walked into a room and it’s been closed up for some time. The energy, you feel it. It immediately brings to mind a number of spaces that I’ve been in, like in Bali where things were just a bit, yuck - Julia, you were the one that day that strode in with arms waving around to shift the energy. I think that this was my first experience of seeing a space get ‘cleansed’ and I was hooked.

This concept is not a new one but it’s reached a level of comfortable acceptance and popularity more recently. Maybe it’s the ‘gram and how we share our holistic practices. Maybe it’s all that energy floating out and about around there! I do think though, that many will wield a palo santo stick or smudy sage roll without really knowing what we are doing. Yep, I’ll raise my hand to this. I’ve probably horrified my share of people before getting to grips with what I’ve actually been doing. Let me share what I know now, it’s a passing of the smudgy batton!

WHY DO IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

For me, I work with a variety of people in a variety of ways and I will share spaces after others have been working there. If you are working with various personalities and even different contexts then a clearing of the energy could be just what you need.

I’m quite often swapping in and out of things and from a heart / body / mind point of view, I find it incredibly helpful to shift my own energy as well as the space that I’m in.

KNOW THE HISTORY

This was my first step and an important one, especially as I love this side of things. Us humans have been clearing the energy since the dawn of time. From the earliest settlements to the oldest of cultures. From the far east to the Druids in the west. The Ancient peoples of Egypt, Rome and Greece to the Holy buildings still used today. Once you start looking, you’ll find evidence of it everywhere. For me, I wanted to connect with what I was doing, it had be felt not just looked or sounded good. I needed it to mean something. I started to think back to very old, ancient spaces that had that ceremonial, smokey vibe. The ancient temples I’d visited in my childhood. The old, old, woody, heady nooks and spaces in old churches in the UK that I’d sat in, many times. Even those feel-it-in-your-bones old stone age, spots in the Fen’s (the UK again) where you can find an odd clarity in if you listen hard enough.

These memories helped me to discover what I wanted and what I needed. Delve into yours, this is a really fun part of the exercise!

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BUYING

Yep, you guessed it. Not all smudgy-ness is made equal. Buy well, buy real, know what it is that you are buying. For example - if you are going to use sage, them make sure it’s the White Sage variety and not the sort found in your kitchen (that will not be a lot of fun!). Don’t scrimp either. An example of this would be oils, candles and incense which if cheaply, mass produced can actually end up with burning carcinogenic (really nasty toxins) that will damage your health. Sure, you may have gotten a bargain, but you will end up regretting it down the track. Has your product been ethically sourced? This is another big deal for a number of obvious reasons too. Clearing the energy with bad energy, doesn’t feel like it’s going to get you where you want to go. With things like candles (we’ve also been obsessed with candles and fire since the dawn of time!) However, our modern manufacturing can include some rather nasty petrochemicals in the wax and the fragrances can include some pretty nasty stuff too!

KNOW THE SCIENCE

We live in a magnificent time. Google, more acceptance, access to information and even that of the once woo-woo kind. Seriously, find out what your smudgy pick is going to do with you - does it fit with your intention? A great example of this is incense - go for the smokeless kind which isn’t full of potentially toxic ingredients - and the science behind aromatherapy. For sage, well sage has many positive medicinal qualities being researched by scientists. One of the most interesting in relation to smudging are the herb’s antimicrobial effects. cientists have proven the ability of sage to clear airborne bacteria in a space by up to 94%, therefore literally disinfecting the air. We also know that sage smoke is delivered very quickly to the brain and is absorbed quickly by the body. More recently, scientists have been able to confirm that sage does indeed improve memory and clarity of thought.

SET THE SCENE

If you are going to burn ANYTHING then you need to be highly conscious of what you are doing. From making sure windows are open to never, ever lighting anything new fabric or flammable items. Likewise, children and pets never go well with burn-y things! Keep it high, out of reach - and never leave them alone. Get the safety stuff right. I also always use candle trays to protect furniture. It’s also important that you have the right amount of time. Rushing can lead to mistakes and has the opposite energetic feelings. Get those good vibrations!

Focus on the space you are cleansing.

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE BURN

I love this use of oils and sprays to get things back on track. The best part, you can actually make your own so that you know exactly what is in your energy-fixer.

SOME OF MY FAV’S

I love Bodha, smokeless and the smell is incredible. I always have some on hand, in fact a number of their products to switch into different modes or work.

Buying sage here in NZ, my go-to is Aroha Love. They have an amazing collection.

We all know I love a candle and it was knowing what is in them that helped spur me making the collection for Conscious Me. No nasties and a flair for the ancient world.

What are you favourites? I love finding new places and new things to lighten it all up.