Important things to know about native American smudging ceremonies
2 min read
Smudging is an ancient native American tradition that has been practiced for thousands of years. It’s used as a way to cleanse, purify, and heal both yourself and your environment. The word smudging has latin roots and means “to make dirty” or “to befoul.” over time the word evolved into our modern-day English word “smudged.”
Smudging ceremonies have been performed by many different cultures over the centuries; there are lots of different herbs that can be used to smudge with depending on what kind of ceremony you’re doing. But one thing remains constant: that special container called an abalone shell (which can be made from seashells).
Smudging is a way to purify yourself and your environment
Smudging is a way to purify yourself and your environment. It’s used to cleanse people and places of negative energy, bad spirits, negative thoughts and feelings. Smudging can be done at any time or place—whether you’re at home or in the woods—and can serve as a powerful spiritual practice that can help clear your mind, calm you down, or take away any unwanted negative influences around you.
Smudging ceremonies are held for many different occasions
Native american smudging ceremonies are held for many different occasions. They can be used to cleanse a person or space before a ceremony, or to cleanse a person before they join in the ceremony.
- Smudges are typically made from dried herbs that have been gathered locally. The herbs may be used on their own, or mixed with other ingredients such as tobacco or cedarwood leaves.
- In some traditions, smudges are burned by themselves without the use of any other ingredient (for example: sage). Other traditions require that specific herbs be used together with one another (for example: sweetgrass and cedar).
- Smudging is done by burning dried plant matter in an abalone shell, then passing it over your body while visualizing yourself as being cleansed with its smoke.
