Smudging

Smudging is believed by most to have originated from the native Indians.  No matter of the origins the power has been established and is there for each of us to harness and use.  This ancient ritual which as of recent picked up the name smudging is intended to combine the intent of the human with the powers inherent in the earth and all that comes from it.  The overall outcomes do vary with the herb used as one may offer protection from bad spirits or another may vanquish those bad spirits already present.  In most rituals or divination though the real key is the amount of faith in the truth to what you are doing.  The ritual is very easy the hard part is getting sage which is not to bad itself.  A quick Google search and you can find thousands of sites that sale them or if you grow your own or live close to wild sage I recommend harvesting your own on a full moon for maximum power.  Once the wand is dried and prepared light the end of the wand careful not to let the flame get to big, then "smudge" it into something to extinguish the flame and allow for smoke only.  This smoking stick is now to be wafted over yourself and all possessions you believe need the cleansing.  The smoke latches to bad spirits and carries them above to be laundered into good ones.  Some say to open the windows to let the smoke out so the bad spirits do not get trapped inside but I do it to keep the fire alarms from going off.  lol  Once the bad spirits and smoke bond they have nowhere to go but up and be reconstituted to good.  Smudging does require intelligent adult supervision as the dry sage can easily get out of control if safety is not tended to.