White Sage vs Palo Santo + the art of smudging
Mar 21, 2017
Ever since I was a little girl, I loved to play with fire. Growing up in the California desert, White Sage was always around. After any gathering, Mom would clear the house and open all the doors to release what didn't belong in our sacred space. As I got older and dove deeper into my spiritual practice, I rediscovered Palo Santo. As a Peruvian Shaman in my past life, that Plant Medicine became the missing piece in my life. Since then, smudging became my daily ritual. To this day, every client I work with has smudging be part of their daily ritual because it's the best way to ground and anchor ourselves as we go forth and share our medicine with the world.
The Practice of Smudging
Smudging is a form of energy clearing where plant medicines are burned to purify the air and the energy of any space. As the smoke carries, it picks up on dense energy and transmutes it into energy that supports you.
This sacred ritual allows you to clear and release any negative energy in your room or space, including yourself. With your prayers and intentions, ground yourself as you become a pure channel of Divine Light.
As we become more sensitive as we go deeper on our spiritual journey, it’s important to smudge yourself daily so that you aren't a sponge and picking up everyone’s energy around you. You are a walking expression of Divine Light. Just as a fly is attracted to light, you’re more likely to attract denser energy because it’s craving to be healed by light. As you ground yourself, you are able to stand in your truth with ease and conviction, being the observer of the energy around you. I can guarantee you, once you stop, you can’t stop.
As I began diving into Shamanism, I was introduced to a new plant medicine I couldn’t get enough of. I remember the first time I smelt Palo Santo was in the middle of my Kundalini Yoga Teacher training. One of my sisters decided to burn some after a deep soul retrieval session from a powerful Kriya we were just taught. It became an aphrodisiac for me, turning me on every time I smelt it. It all began to make sense after a Shaman let me know that I was a Peruvian Shaman in a past life who came back to help restore the planet. A lightbulb instantly went on as that smell carried me to lifetimes of me being the Medicine Woman I am today.
White Sage vs. Palo Santo
Every plant offers different medicine. Dating back throughout generations, Medicine Women and Shamans would burn and use different plant medicines to treat different ailments. It was only recently that we derived away from the offerings and gifts these plant medicines share thanks to the rise of the pharmaceutical industry. As people are awakening and realizing that those drugs are hurting more than helping the body, there is a hunger to get back to basics and utilize the gifts of Mother Gaia. Burning Sage and Palo Santo is far from being a trend. When something makes you feel good time and time again, you realize that it’s timeless. As you burn these plant medicines, it’s good to be aware that each offer something beautiful and unique to your sacred ceremony.
WHITE SAGE
Sage comes from the Latin word “Salvia” which translates as “to heal.” Burning Sage brings forth wisdom and clarity as it increases your spiritual awareness. Carrying more of the Masculine/ Yang aspect, White Sage has been used by Native Americans for thousands of years for cleansing, purification, warding off evil spirits + negative energies. White Sage has been used in ceremonies to seek blessings of health + prosperity, banish evil spirits, and to encourage protection. Collecting heavy energies from an individual or a space, as the smoke clears, the Spirit of White Sage carries with it the negative energy that was once attached back up to the Spiritual Light to be regenerated into something positive.
PALO SANTO
Going back to the Indigenous People of the Amazon, Palo Santo is still being burned today for Shamanic Ceremonies. These trees hold wisdom as they were once living organisms that have lived on for generations. Known as “holy wood”, Palo Santo is able to be used once these trees have naturally fallen in the rain forest and lie dead for 4-10 years before they are harvested. This Sacred Plant Medicine helps keep the energy grounded and clear while enhancing creativity + bringing forth good fortune. This plant medicine helps calm the immune + nervous systems for faster recovery of illnesses. Providing energetic protection, Palo Santo helps remove negative energy as it uplifts your Spirit. When burning this Amazonian Sacred Medicine, the smoke helps set + seal your intentions. Palo Santo also helps headaches, anxiety, inflammation, and emotional trauma. Allow yourself to raise your vibration as you prepare your meditation space to connect deeper to Source.
It's my dream to keep the conversation going as to how these medicines have helped support you along your Spiritual Journey. Interested in working with these plant medicines as part of your daily rituals and ceremonies? Check out SMOKE SIGNALS in my Shoppe and get your hands on Mother Gaia’s medicine so that together, we may live in ceremony as we go forth and birth new paradigms.
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