Sage, Smudge, Palo Santo
Burning sage is one of the oldest and purest methods of cleansing and purifying a person, group of people or space. Ceridwen’s Sage is collected in the traditional way from sacred land in either Big Sur, Mt. Shasta, or Ojai, California or Sedona, Arizona. There are several ways to burn Ceridwen’s Sage: 1) Light the full end of the sage bundle and blow the flame out. Move the smoke by waving it gently around the person or object you want to cleanse or gently move the smoke through the room to purify it. 2) With your hand, break off between a few pieces to a handful of sage from the full end. Place it in an abalone shell and light the sage with a wooden match. Softly blow the flame out and gently move the smoke from the sage around the person, object or room you want to cleanse. For Ceridwen’s sage we prefer the #2 method but #1 will work. Be aware that if using the #1 method the burnt aroma will attach itself to the remaining sage bundle.
Abalone shells are the traditional vessel for burning sage. When using abalone shells, all of the elements are represented. Sage represents earth, abalone represents water, flame represents fire and smoke represents air. Burning sage in abalone brings all these elements together in balance and enhances the cleansing process. Abalone shells are strong and should be thick, so they are not too hot to hold. A small potholder or thick piece of cloth may be placed underneath the shell if necessary. Charcoal is not needed for burning sage, nor should you burn cone incense in abalone shells due to the toxins they release from the shell. Metal incense containers become too hot, so we do not recommend using a metal container for burning sage.
