Which is the sage used for smudges?

Among the plants used for smudge are tobacco, sweetgrass, calamus, red willow bark, red osier dogwood, cedar needles and sage.

(This is not culinary sage of the genus Salvia, but is one of the species of the genus Artemisia, which includes the landscape perennials, silver mound and silver king, as well as sagebrush and mugwort.)



The chosen plant material should be dried and tied into bundles with cotton string or any other natural plant fiber. We wrap bundles as thick as our hands can hold.

Four colors of string is combined to honor the four directions--red for the east, yellow for the south, black for the west, and white for the north.

A natural container is needed to hold the mixture as it burns or smolders. Some prefer a large shell (although some people believe that a shell has water energy which impairs the fire energy of the smudge), others use an earthenware bowl or a hollowed rock.



You will need a way to fan the embers to keep them burning. In some traditions, it is considered disrespectful to blow upon the smudge with one's breath.

You can use your hand to sweep air into the embers, but a feather, feather fan are much more effective.



You can use this ceremony to purify and cleanse people, places and things. Smudging brings an awareness of the sacred and should be performed with sensitivity and respect.



As you add each pinch of the smudge mixture to the shell or pot, offer thanks to the Grandmothers and Grandfathers of each of the four directions, The order of honoring may differ from nation to nation. Some start with the east, others from the north or east. Always the rotation is sunwise, following the path of the sun (east-south-west-north, for example). Then to Mother Earth (down), Father Sun (up) and finally to the Great Mystery within all things (brought to your heart).



Bring all of the smudge together in a mound in the center of the container. After igniting the mixture, fan it until it is burning well. Continue to fan the embers as needed to keep them smoldering. Once again offer the smoke to the seven directions--East, South, West, North, Mother Earth, Father Sun, and the Great Mystery.

Cleanse yourself by drawing the smoke over your head, over each shoulder, and over your heart. With the help of another, you can be cleansed under each foot, along your legs and across your back.

Sacred space is smudged before it is entered by others or at the beginning of the ceremony. Pass through the smoke whatever ceremonial instrument you wish to use--the fan, the pipe, your hands, a dream catcher. This is a useful way to cleanse your dream catcher to make it ready for use.



When the ceremony is complete, the ashes should be totally burned (avoid using more than you will need) and respectfully returned to Mother Earth, perhaps at the base of a tree, a shrub, or rock.

Never dump the ashes into the garbage or trash. The purpose of the medicine path is to always walk in beauty, in balance between ego and heart, honoring the Great Mystery within you and All That Is, and respecting all other beings in the Web of Life. Ah hau!

Which is the sage used for smudges?
I have made smudges out of regular garden sage and this worked just fine. I also made smudges out of sweet fern. Sweet fern was becoming an invasive on myh property so I harvested the sweet fern and made smudges. They worked beautifully.
Reply:its the sage that grows in big puff balls in the desert, you can pull over by the highway in new mexico and pick this stuff by the basket fulls.
Reply:Many commerically prepared smudge sticks are made from a kind of artemisia, often called sagebrush, and sometimes incorrecetly called "white sage". Although they are very aromatic, have medicianal uses, and work well for smudge sticks, they are not true sages.



The true whitesage is Salvia apiana (called "White Sage" or "Sacred Sage"). It's an evergreen perennial shrub native to the southwest U.S.



Other aromatic grasses and herbs are easier and faster growing, so lend themselves much more readily to use or smudgesticks. Perhaps you could grow several in your garden and use the ones that like growing there. If you live in an area where White Sage likes to grow - go for it! It does not winter over for me, and I have to grow it as an annual.