“Smudging” is the common name given a to powerful cleansing technique from the Native American tradition.
A smudge stick is a bundle of dried herbs, most commonly white sage, bound together by string. It is used in rituals to cleanse the area/house and drive away negative energies and spirits.
Any action undertaken with intention and belief can become a potent ritual, so consider your intention before you smudge and hold it clearly in your mind. Smudging should be done with care, with reverence and in an attitude of love.
How to smudge an area:
- If you’re doing it inside close the windows and doors
- Light your smudge stick on the unbent end from a candle
- Put out any flames so it’s smoking
- Make sure you have something to catch any ashes in as you move around the house
- Walk around the house and waft the smoke into each room with your hand or a feather
- While you’re doing step 5 say/think/whisper something along the lines of asking dark forces to leave and only embracing the light
- Make your way back to the room where your alter is set up, and smudge yourself by moving the smudge stick around the outside of your body three times as it burns
- When you feel the smudging is complete, stub the smudge stick out and make sure it’s not still burning (you dont want to burn your house down)
- Now, proceed with your spell/ritual
(via deathbycat)
Hecate
The literature surrounding Hecate (Hekate) yields very conflicting images of the goddess. In Pre-Classical Greece, she was portrayed as a young woman in a long robe holding burning torches. Later, we find the triple formed statues – three female figures back to back. Hecate statutes were found at crossroads and temples entrances facing three different ways so that her vision would be all encompassing. Through history, a gentler vision of Hecate may be found– a beneficent Deity who guarded gateways, acted as Divine Attendant to Persephone, one who presided over birth and death as well as personal interaction between humans and deities. Hecate acted as intermediary between humanity and the Divine in the crossover point between life and death.
Hecate can be seen to represent all three aspects of the Goddess as Maiden, Mother and Crone. As the Crone, symbolized by the dark moon, she was the Goddess of the Dead and the Queen of the Night. Hecate was worshiped at the intersections of three roads, where she walked with her spectral hounds, illuminating the night with her blazing torch. Those who worshiped Hecate knew the secrets of magic and sorcery, and dedicated their work to the dark goddess. The Crone aspect of women, represented by Hecate, was honored in many cultures as the wise woman, the guide to the Underworld and the great revealer of the mysteries.
To honor Hecate, erect her three-faced image at a crossroads where three roads meet. This is also where offerings to her are left, at Full Moon. Honey, menstrual blood, roast meat, graveyard dirt (ground patchouli leaves, alone or mixed with other dried herbs), and eggs and onions that have been used to absorb negative vibrations in the home, are all suitable offerings to Hecate. Red wine, honey, and willow water, an infusion of willow bark, are appropriate for libations to her.
(via deathbycat)
