Sage Burning 101: Everything You Need to Know

Energy is all around us, and it can be both good and bad. In some cases, good energy can help you succeed in life and become more in tune with your developing intuition. However, bad energy (which may come from trapped earthbound spirits, among other causes) can mess up your home, environment, and general wellbeing. When you have to deal with negative energy it can be overwhelming, and challenging to focus on anything else.

The good news is that you can always do something about it. Whether you visit the psychic reader of your choosing to help cleanse your space, or participate in energy healing practices like remote reiki, there are many ways to rid your body, soul, and home of the negative energy bogging you down. One other way to keep your area cleansed is through saging.

Chances are you’ve heard of saging before, but you might not know what it’s all about. After all, it’s not a common practice used in every home. People who know how to connect with the spiritual world or are in tune with meditation and spirits are more likely to adopt a saging practice regularly.

Saging, also known as smudging, can help to remove negative energy from your body and from your home. Although it seems simple enough, there are actually some concrete steps you need to take to do it correctly. Don’t know how to get started? No problem – read on for everything you need to know about saging.

What is saging?
Today, saging is often used by psychics, clairvoyants, and those with mediumship abilities because they know how well it can work against the negative energy and spirits they feel on a deeper level. However, the practice has a fascinating past. 

Saging is an ancient practice that involves burning part of a sage plant to clear negative energy from a person or from a space. It can be traced to ancient Native American traditions where shamans burned dried sage over a fire to remove negativity and encourage healing. Because it is still practiced today, saging should always be done in a respectful way, honoring the culture it came from. In the same way you would want your culture to be celebrated, it’s crucial to treat saging as a culturally sacred practice and take it seriously.

There are also accounts that sage burning was used back in medieval times in Europe – people believed it got rid of bubonic plague germs! Typically, white sage is used today for purification rituals. If you’re wondering, “What do I need to know before burning sage?” it’s important to keep in mind that saging is a time-honored tradition and should be done with set intentions.

What are the benefits of burning sage?
First off, burning sage doesn’t have to be just for spiritual needs. The sage plant itself is purifying and can remove toxins in the air (such as from paint or cleaning supplies). It’s also antibacterial, so it can help you feel less of the effects of dust, pollen, and mold in your home.
Saging can also assist in removing negative energy from your life (especially if you’ve gone through something traumatic recently) or energy that’s trapped in your home. Many people like to sage their new houses or apartments to rid the space of any of the previous owner’s energy. It can also be beneficial in helping negative energy exit the space so it can’t cling as easily to your own body.

How do you prepare for smudging?
To prepare for smudging, you’ll need to buy a bundle of sage leaves that can be lit. Because saging has become so popular in recent years, it’s not hard at all to find sage bundles (even Amazon carries them!).
When you’re ready for your saging ritual, get matches or a lighter. Then comes the most important step you can take to be prepared for saging: to have a clear mind so that you can carry out the smudging with purpose.
It can be helpful to set some time aside to meditate or sit quietly and reflect before you begin your saging. Think about what type of energy you’re hoping to rid from your spiritual self or from your living space.

What steps are involved in saging?

1. Open all windows and doors
You’ll want to make sure there’s plenty of ventilation while you’re burning your sage (you don’t want any smoke alarms going off!). Plus, open windows and doors can also encourage negative energy to exit.

2. Stand by your front door and set an intention
Start at your front door, since this is where the transfer of energy from people comes in most easily. Set an intention for the smudging that will help you focus on what you want to accomplish with the ritual.

3. Think about the energy you want to surround yourself with
Maybe you want to bring in someone else’s positivity, or maybe you want your space filled with light and love. Naming the energy you wish to enter your space can be a great way to intentionally change the vibe in the room.

4. Light the sage
Since you will be using fire to light the sage, it’s vital that you’re ready and prepared for the flame. Do this step carefully, and make sure to blow out the flame once the bundle starts smoking.

5. Smudge yourself by trailing the smoke down your body, and then continue to each room in your home
Keep your intentions in mind as you move through your home. If your mind wanders, simply bring it back to the task at hand and thank the universe for offering you this way to cleanse negative energy from your life. Don’t forget to waft the smoke from corner to corner, making sure to push smoke out through windows and doorways.

6. End up at the front of your house
Finish your smudging ritual at the place you started from so that there’s a full-circle energy being brought to your space. This can help the ritual to feel complete.

How often should you burn sage?
There’s really no limit for how often you can burn sage. This means that you can pull out your sage bundle any time you’re feeling stuck spiritually or emotionally, or any time you feel like negative energy has become stuck in your home. Saging can even be helpful if you’ve just had a bad day and want to switch up your energy. Make sure you’re holding intentions during each saging so that there’s still meaning behind the ritual.

Saging can also be helpful if you’re grieving the loss of a loved one and know that they are still around or stuck in the earth plane. For example, say you’ve had a dream about a deceased loved one and want to wish them well in the afterlife so they can move on. You can do that by writing a smudge prayer for them. A smudge prayer follows the initial steps of saging, but you add a personal message while doing it.

After you’ve decided what you want to say, you can begin the saging process with step one. While you perform the ritual, recite your prayer loudly and with intention. When you get to the end of the process, you can let go of your message and any feelings of grief you’re experiencing.

While saging can be incredibly helpful in many ways, it’s not the be-all-end-all of clearing negative energy out of your life. Some energy may be stuck and stubborn. In that case, there are other ways you can use saging as part of an overall cleansing practice to help get rid of any negative energy once and for. For example, if you follow these steps to practice saging in your own home and still feel like there’s negative energy trapped in your body or living space, you can book a reading with a psychic. They can help you figure out what other steps to take to rid yourself of any negative juju.