Let’s explore the practice of using the smoke of plants to cleanse our personal space.

We have all been in spaces that feel off. Sometimes, you may feel it in the form of a headache, dizziness, restlessness, fatigue, anxiety, nightmares, trouble falling asleep, and general discomfort.

As energetic beings, we have to understand how energy effects our wellbeing.

Incompatible energy and negative energy may collect in our auric field and can cause blockages and dis-ease in our system.

Just because we can’t see something with our physical eyes doesn’t mean it isn’t there. This practice is about trusting what you ‘feel’ even when you can’t see it.

We come into contact with other energies throughout our day. Some are for our highest good, and some aren’t. Some can drain our energy, so it’s important to purify and cleanse our energy. The life force energy of plants smoke penetrates deep into the ether and can change the vibration of a space or living being. It absorbs any heavy, dense energy.

Just as your body can hold heavy energy, so can your home. The smoke from plants neutralizes the space and fills it with the energy of love. After this process, your space will feel light and more balanced.

Ancient civilizations and the Native Americans have used the burning of plants for thousands of years for spiritual cleansing, ritual and ceremony.

For this practice, you can use either Palo Santo, White Sage, or Copal Resin. Please be sure the one you choose is organic or wild-harvested. The one I prefer to use is Palo Santo. It has a sweet aroma and is the one I am most drawn to. Select the plant you are most drawn to.

SUPPLIES

Choose one dried plant to burn: Palo Santo, White Sage or Copal Resin

Ceramic dish

Candle

Bell (if you wish)

Raw egg (if you wish)

STEPS

As the sun rises, remove any excess clutter.

Begin by placing your items on your alter.

Open all doors, window coverings and open some windows. Invite the element of air into your home and the sun. It’s important to create openings for the energy to flow and move out of your home. If you have more than one floor, begin in the one closest to the Earth and move up to the Sky.

Visit each room and ring a bell or use your voice to awaken the energy present.

Return to your alter and light the candle. Hold the plant in both hands and begin to connect with it’s energy. From your heart, set your intention asking for purification of your space. Use your breath to blow your intention from your heart into the plant.

Ignite the plant until a flame occurs, then blow it out so that the embers are glowing and place the smoking plant into your dish. With your hands, bring the smoke into your heart, over your head and down the front of your body and back body to clear and bless yourself. Ask for protection from your spirit guides and angels. You can also call in the four elements - Water, Earth, Air and Fire.

Enter every room of your home and allow the smoke to penetrate the space. Focus on the four corners of the room. Stay focused on your intent and connection with the plant. You may have to relight the plant several times during this process.

If a room feels particularly heavy, like your body is being pulled down or feels especially strange, this may be a sign that denser energy is present. Smoke the room as usual, but then you could place a raw egg in the center of the room for 24 hours. Set the intention for the egg to purify the space. After 24 hours have passed, crack the egg in nature or into the toilet and flush it immediately. Dispose of the egg shell in nature or your compost bin. The egg is a symbol of life that absorbs and expels energy.

After you have visited every room in your home, return back to your alter with the plant and give thanks to it. Then you can close all the windows and place any ash from the dish into nature.

After we cleanse a space the energy often neutralizes. At this moment, it is important to fill the space with the energy of love. You can spray yourself and each room with flower water. I oftentimes use rose water, but you can also make your own. There is a section in the workshop that will show you how to make your own. Just a quick spray in the middle of each room is fine.

After the cleansing process, please soak in a bath of coarse sea salt and fresh cut lemon or apple cider vinegar. If you don’t have a tub, you can pour the mixture over your body in the shower. This practice cleanses your auric field, neutralizing dense energy and clearing any negative influences. The bath can also be prepared in the evening before bed. After your bath, don’t rinse it off with water. Leave it on your skin overnight and rinse off in the morning if needed.

TIPS

If your children, animals, or anyone else in the house is sensitive to the smoke, you can easily use a plant mist. You can make your own by filling an amber glass bottle with spring water and add a few drops of organic, therapeutic-grade white sage or palo santo oil. Shake it well to activate it and use it the same way you would the smoke.

Energy follows intent, so stay focused. If you notice your mind wandering, come back to your intention. Turn your phone on silence to avoid interruptions.

You can do a deep cleansing 1-2 times per month. However, every morning at my alter I burn plants or incense and set intention to clear the energy of my space.

If you travel, be sure to bring palo santo or sage with you to purify the space you’ll be staying in, especially if you’re sleeping there. We are very vulnerable while we sleep as we visit other astral realms. If you prefer, you can also use a plant spray instead if you can’t use smoke in the space.

Always remember to open windows so the energy has a way to move out.