Our homes are an extension of us. In the same way that we carry energy within us, whether positive or negatives, it is the same way our houses are.
An indication that you have negative energy in your home is that if for some reason you’re always arguing with people in the same space.
Another example is if you feel restless and anxious instead of restful and at peace. These are indications that you need to do something to get rid of and ward of the bad vibes in your home.
That process is typically done through smudging.
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What is smudging?
Before we begin, we have to first look at what smudging is. It is the practice used to cleanse the mind, body, spirit, and our environment. It has its origins in Native American tribes where they used this method to remove unwanted negative energy and beings such as demons.
There are variations of how that gets done, but it primarily involves the burning of herbs while speaking away undesired energy.
In our current culture, there are no defined rules of what smudging should entail. What however is crosscutting is the intention behind the activity.
People from various backgrounds will use different methods and even words, but the primary purpose is to bring balance, wholeness, and harmony.
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Before smudging a house
Smudging is not merely about burning herbs and letting the smoke feel the room. It is a spiritual practice, and it ought to be revered.
Before you get into smudging, there are preparations you ought to first consider making.
Check your energy
If your spiritual leader or someone enlightened you look up to were in a bad mood, you’d hesitate if they asked to pray for you.
That hesitation is an indication that the knowledge that energy gets transferred from one person to another. It’s the same scenario at home or in the office.
If people were having a light moment and someone with a sour mood walked in, it would transform the overall feel of the place in a sphere that we cannot physically see. All we can feel is the impact.
It’s the same thing with smudging. If you do have negative energy attached to you when smudging your house, you will transfer the same energy into that space.
Doing so might not only affect you but the people you share the space with. Depending on the state of your soul, mind, and spirit during the smudging, if you’re not cleansed yourself, smudging may prove to be disastrous.
You may end up having more fights in the space, everyone is in a bad mood, and the home feels oppressive than before. Others in the same area won’t be able to explain why.
Therefore, it is wise that you come into alignment before smudging. You can meditate or perform any other spiritual practice where you release the bad and let in the good. Equally, check your intentions; if you’re doing it because it’s cool, it won’t be beneficial.
Those who genuinely want a home with positive vibes will do it from the right place.
If you don’t leave alone, have a conversation with those you share a space with. Whether it is your roommate or your family, let them know what you wish to do and why.
If they are on board, they will welcome the idea and even choose to participate. Some will, however, not be up for the idea.
It is important to respect them and leave their space untouched. Forcing smudging will only bring a worse space than there was before as the energy will ward off what you were trying to do in the first place.
Safety first
Since you’ll be dealing with fire, ensure you practice safety when smudging. You don’t want to end up calling firefighters in between the process.
Use a dish or bowl to catch the ash as you move around the house. Keep the windows opened when smudging to avoid setting off the smoke detector alarm. Also, ensure that you do it away from kids, the elderly, and anyone who might have a respiratory issue as the smoke might affect them.
Smudging ingredients
The most commonly used components for the smudging process are sage, sweetgrass, cedar, smudge sticks, and a gemstone.
Sage: This is the primary cleansing tool and considered the most potent. There are various types of stage, but the common ones are white sage and desert sage.
Sweetgrass: You’ll only likely find this herb at herbalist vendors since they are hard to find in the wild nowadays. You want to use this because, as the name implies, it produces a sweet smell when burned.
Cedar: Traditional rituals use cedar leaves for purification. Mixed with sage, it brings out more power.
Smudge sticks: You can get a combination of sage, cedar, sweetgrass, and copal bundled together at your herbalist. These are easiest to get and use for the ceremony.
Gemstone: Some people use crystals or gemstones to absorb the negative energy that mare in the space as you do the smudging. It protects you from absorbing them.
As you begin, light the herbs. Blow on them occasionally if you note the embers is about to go out. You don’t want the batch on fire; you just want it to produce smoke.
Use your hands or a fan to get the smoke to all parts of the room or rooms you’re cleansing.
What to say when smudging
Given energy signatures are different; there is no right set of words that you can use. However, here are ideas to aid you to come up with something unique to you.
Protection prayer: As you start, pray that you’re protected from the negative energy you’re about to combat with the smudging ritual. Ask that it may be absorbed by your protection emulate or that it might leave with the smoke as it exits the room.
Declare your intentions: Say out loud why you’re doing the ritual. Be specific, for example, if you have been feeling depressed when you get home, or you don’t feel productive when you’re in your office space you can state those as the reason for doing the cleansing. That way, it is clear what’s being targeted.
What you wish for: If it is to have a peaceful environment, say that’s what you want. You can state what you to happen in those places as well, for example, for creativity to flow, for everyone in the home to prosper, for everyone to get a good night’s rest. Be clear of what you want to manifest as it’ll bring about the positive energy specific to your need.
Make it permanent: You don’t want to be repeating this ritual annually. Therefore, make it clear that you’re doing this ritual to benefit generations to come or into eternity. It gives you the peace that smudging is permanent as long as you’re in the space.
However, if something wrong happens, be quick in restoring what you lost.
What to do during smudging
Keep these in mind during the process for it to be a success.
Get every corner: walk the perimeter of the house, stopping to ensure that you get the corner, tucked away places and behind the door.
Energies tend to concentrate in areas where there is a minimal disturbance, so you want to ensure you affect positive change everywhere, leaving no space untouched by the smoke.
Visualize: imagine the space you want and hold that visual in your mind.
Think of what peace would look like, think of what productivity would look like, think of what love in the room would look like. Make your desire known through visualization.
Do it boldly: When speaking the words and performing smudging, do it with conviction. If you are half in and half out you will create more disturbance in the home.
If anything, the negativity will amplify as it will try to fight back for its dominion. Therefore be confident in your prayers, speaking audibly and with boldness to bring forth what you want.
Don’t forget to smudge yourself: As you start and as you finish, fan the smoke around yourself from head to toe. It removes negative energy from you; it could be in the form of mental, physical, or emotional disturbances. You want to eliminate bad things attached to you.
While smudging yourself, picture everything harmful is leaving you and only functional and beautiful things remaining.
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Conclusion
Smudging is an excellent way to reset your home to tranquility and harmony. Feng Shui doesn’t have to be just about your home; it spills over into your life as the book Feng Shui Secrets That Will Change Your Life shows. There are many opportunities to do this.
You can do it before moving in if you’ve been in a space for a long time and suddenly it feels out of balance or even as something you do traditionally when you feel you or someone else might have brought negative energy into a space.
Only remember to ensure that you and the house are prepared for the positive energy to take hold.