For those who don’t know; smudging is when you clear and cleanse your space of discordant energies. This is done using tools such as sage and or palo santo wood smoke, incense, essential oils and even ammonia mixed with water. The space to be cleansed could be your home, stable, dorm room, any place where you and your animals spend a good amount of time.
Why Do You Need To Smudge?
It’s important! Think about it, you spend a lot of time in your home, living your life and dealing with all matters of energies on a daily basis ranging from positive experiences to negative ones. Your dreams, thoughts and actions are all energy and can fill a space pretty quickly with residual vibrations. Just as you would dust, tidy up or vacuum your home to keep it from becoming cluttered with dirt and objects, periodically energetically clearing your home can keep it from becoming cluttered with energy.
Our animals are connected to energies too, and an Animal Dynamic Personalities such as the Sensory & the Energetic can be especially SEVERELY affected by the energy and vibrations, even more than we are.
If the energy in a space they are in isn’t pleasant to them, they may try to let you know by exhibiting unwanted or negative behaviors, such as urinating, defecating, scratching, fighting, hissing, barking or biting. These could all be a sign that it’s time to smudge your space.
I recently had several clients whose animals were exhibiting unwanted behaviors; some of them had been doing them for months. When I talked to their animals they told me that they were trying to let their people know that the energies in the home were uncomfortable to them.
Animals have limited ways of getting our attention (unless we keep an active dialogue with them using animal communication) so many times the only path they can take to show us how they feel is through actions. If your animal is exhibiting unwanted behavior, they may be trying to tell you something, and that something could be that the energy in the space needs to be cleared, This could be a quick and easy fix to alleviating your animal’s unwanted behavior.
How Do You Smudge?
There are several ways to smudge, however I’ll only be discussing a few techniques that I use in my own home as well as when I professionally clear and attune a house or commercial space.
One Way Is Using Sage and or Sweet Grass
This is not sage that you cook with, it a kind of sage specifically used for burning in ceremonies and for cleansing. There are many varieties of sages, the most popular is “White Sage” this is the one found most often, typically sold in a tied bundle and can be found in New Age, health food stores and even on online.
Sweet Grass is a a special long grass grown in many parts of the United States, when burned it’s got a very sweet smell it to (hence the name) and this can also be used to clear spacial energies.
The type that I use is from the land of my people, the Sioux and it’s called Northern Plains Sage and if you’d like to purchase it from me for $22+ $5.95 for shipping, through PayPal.me.
ALSO I have a smudging kit available that I designed.
Which Includes all that you need to clear a space several times
It has a 3 inch braided piece of sweet grass, a mini sage bundle, a 2 by 2 inch pack of dried flat cedar leaflets, a small Abalone shell, a quick-lite charcoal tablet, and a small feather to use as a fan to keep the herbals smoldering available for $36 + $5.95 for shipping, which can also be purchased PayPal.me.
Sage can also come in a spray form (great for using in the office), this is not as effective as burning but it’s better than nothing at all.
This type of sage is what my people use in all of our ceremonies.
Second Way: Using Flat Cedar or Palo Santo Wood
Another other way to cleanse is using Palo Santo wood (holy wood), they come in sticks and have a wonderful smell when burnt.
Flat Cedar is a a bush/tree that is also sacred to many native American tribes and used in many of our rituals. The dried out flat leaves are used for burning, the same technique below that sage is burned. If you have a FLAT cedar bush in on your property you can dry the leaves and use them.
It doesn’t matter which you use; all of them will do the job of clearing a space.
WARNING: Please remember to take extra caution when burning any herbals in your home, it’s important to use the proper container and to make sure you keep your eyes on any live embers that might blow out of it.
Other Ways: Sound & Crystals
Sound can be a powerful way to clear spaces. Things like crystal or metal singing bowls, chimes, even your singing voice can be used to clear your space. I personally can’t carry a tune so I let my bowls do the work much better than I can. 🙂
Crystals such as obsidian, hematite, clear quartz and rainbow fluorite (to name only a few) are strong energy spacial cleansers, put a crystal in each room to help the discordant energy move out of the home.
My Personal Techniques For Smudging Your Space.
Burning sage should always be done in a porous or natural container, I use a abalone shell, you can also use a terra cotta plant saucer. Sage should NEVER be burned in a container made from glass; it will shatter. A abalone shell is a wonderful vehicle for smudging and I have small abalone shells that I’ve personally blessed available for $12.00 + $5.95 for shipping, which you can purchase through PayPal.me. too.
Take the sage and put it into the container and light it; for the Palo Santo wood you can just hold the stick. When it begins burning whoever is doing the smudging should cleanse themselves before proceeding with the space. Wipe your hands with the smoke (like you’re washing your hands) then from your head to your feet take the sage and let the smoke touch your body. Once you’ve smudged yourself you can them move on to the space and people living there. People in the house should also be smudged like you did for yourself only smudge them from head to toe, front and then back. Then proceed to do each room, as you enter a room to smudge move in a CLOCKWISE motion around the room. Clockwise is a movement found throughout nature, counterclockwise is not and that is why it’s should not be used when cleansing.
A thorough cleansing involves bringing the smoke to every possible place you can get to, that includes corners, under furniture, in closets and drawers. At each window and door, take the sage and again in a CLOCKWISE motion draw a circle with the smoke around the window or door. When you reach the place where you started in the room, the room is done and you can move on to the next and the next, until the entire space is done. Do NOT smudge your animals…they usually don’t like it, besides they instinctively know how to clear their energies themselves.
When your done, you can open the windows and/or doors and let the air clear out the smoke and carry any remaining negative energies away.
How Often Should I Energetically Clear My Homes?
It something that I personally love to do, so I do it at least one a month sometimes more. It depends on what’s going on in my life, the type of metaphysical work I’m doing and places I’m visiting. You can’t over do it, so smudge as often as you like. But especially when there have been people in my home, even those with great energy because it can become “too crowded” in my space with all that energy.
How Will I Know It Worked?
You may notice a difference in the feel of the space, it may feel calmer and more relaxed to you. You will also discover that you begin to sleep better, and your dreams are less chaotic and/or vivid.
Your animals could let you know almost immediately that the energies in the house are calmer and more neutral. If this was the cause of the unwanted behavior your animal companion should stop doing it within the first 12 to 24 hours of clearing your home. Hopefully bringing about a happy ending for both you an your animal companions.
Happy smudging!
Learn more about the Energetic Animal Dynamic/Personality. This personalities could be VERY effected by energies in the home.
Hi, I’m so grateful I came across your site. Today for the very 1st time ever I “smudged” my house because I moved in here a few months ago and unfortunately my Therapy Dog & Cat (I’m disabled) both died mysteriously. So after my 1st smudging this morning my new dog had a convulsion and or seizure this evening. As you can imagine I’m so heart broken, freaked out, terrified and desperate for help. I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thank you so very much, Dulce.
Hi Dulce, first let me say how sorry I am about your animals transitionings and illness, it’s so hard when they leave us and become ill, add in how they all became that way, of course you feel what you do.
Animals are sensitive to vibrations, energy and yes, spirits. When you do another smudging i would call in Archangel Michael to come with you and clear the house of any and all discordant energies and pass any unpassed souls to the light. Simple close oyu eyes call him in and see a purple light of protection around you and your animals then let him go with you while you smudge. He’s a very powerful entity who i use a lot when I professionally clear spaces.
If you would like for me to do a long distance a cleansing, then contact me the website and we can discuss it.
I send you and your dog much love and light
Hello, I came across your site researching smudging/saging as my husband and I have had (mostly me) such a large amount of negativity and loss. I am by nature a negative person, but we really needed to find a positive way to go on. Not to get into a long drawn out story, we smudged our home yesterday with white sage first, and we called upon Archangel Michael, and whom I feel is my guardian angel ( a number I keep seeing). We made sure to go clockwise throughout, including as best we could our crawl space and attic. We continued to state our prayer through each room. I personally was becoming more aggitated and more distracted but was able to refocus. After, we went through the house with sweet grass to each room. Last night I slept horrible and was completely aggitated, today both myself and my husband are completely drained. Is this normal? I was under the impression we would be more relaxed. I have today burned some insense (frankinsense) (spelling incorrect). We have a negative person coming over tomorrow. I plan to ground myself, and do a small sage before and after they leave. When we finished the home yesterday, we did let that sage bundle burn out on our front lawn (we did not want to bring back any negative energy back in for the first time doing this). I appreciate any thoughts on this. I am glad to have come across your site. Thank you in advance.
Hi Francesca, I have a few thoughts first in your own words “I am by nature a negative person” it’s not uncommon for people who are smudging their home of negative energies, often times have a “harsh” or “strong” reactions afterward. Because the whole point TO smudging is to clear or calm the discordant (or negative) energies and since your home as well as you yourself are vibrating and the lower energies of negativity you WILL be effected and it will feel uncomfortable to you. That is until you yourself realign your being to the more positive vibrational mindsets and ideals. Become more ware of how your describing your life and yourself, what words do you use? are the negative? Are they supportive? Become aware of the words you use because the words you use have power. We’ve all gone through hard times and losses, but it’s those who can say “I’m going to look for the opportunities in this situation”, instead of only seeing the problem that caused it or the loss that it brought with it, who are the ones that eventually find their way back to a better feeling place. I hope that helps,don’t stop smudging, keep it going, but also it YOU and your hubby who have to take your powers back with the loss and have to say “no more”. Good luck! I send both of you love and light.
HI I’m trying to figure out why when I smudge my dog hides he knows it immediately and runs and hides really strange?
The smoke may be too much for him, if he has s sensitive nose or if he’s one of the scent breeds smudging might not be the best thing. Maybe a smudge spray would be better.
Hi, three weeks ago my boyfriend started having problems with an entity in his home. A medium was brought in because of the touching and presence we would feel in the home. She did a smudging and talked about what we needed to do for awhile. In the last week the dog is easily spooked and hides, breathes heavily and is just not himself. I am worried, we have been using white sage, every night just to sleep and also including the dog when saging ourselves, however he seems to not get any peace. Any tips on what we need to do to protect him and ourselves?
Hi, If it’s been that long then there may be something more going on and I’d honestly say that contacting an animal communicator for a consultation may be in order to discover why your furrkid is still having issues. It may not have anything to do with the energy, because the smudging should have taken care of that. It sounds like there is some deeper things going on with him. If I resonate with you then I would be honored to talk with him, please feel free to read more about me and what to expect in a consultation. If I don’t feel like the one for you, that is perfectly fine, I just want him to be helped anyway possible so I encourage you to find one that you think is the right Animal Communicator for you. Blessings to all of you for the very best outcome. <3
Thank you, I will see what my boyfriend thinks. I think it’s still the entity in the home, we had only one day of quiet and than it all started again, only this time there is no touching just loud banging and other sounds.
Well then in that case would say either contacting the psychic you had there before to see if she’s come back or I can do a long distance consultation and clearing. I’ve cleared out everything from haunted houses or the land itself, to estates, hospitals and facilities for the mentally challenged. My consultations are recorded and you receive a copy when it’s all done. I work with my guides to clear and to pass any an all spirits to the light and I’ve been doing it for close to 15 years. If you have any questions about it, feel free to contact me through the contact form on my site. All the best
dear Ms. Kramer, How much do you charge to do a long distance consultation and clearing of my home?
Hello Mona, the clearing can be done in a 30 minute consultation, it would be recorded and you will get a copy of it and that would be $125.00, which you can purchase by going to my shop. Feel free to call me Coryelle. 🙂
Hi, I’m very concerned because I just did my first sage cleansing in my home today, and although I did not smudge any of my dogs directly, one of them is acting very, very strange now. She’s only an 11 month old chihuahua, and she’s always so full of light and positive energy and so playful and affectionate. All three of my dogs are very affectionate, positive, and loving creatures. However, as soon as I started smudging, all three of my chihuahuas hid in the darkest corner of my entire house. My two older dogs seem to have been positively effected by the cleansing after it was finished, but Luna hasn’t come out to do anything other than eat and potty once since then. It’s been almost a whole day now, so I’m very confused and concerned about what’s happening to her. Do you have any idea what may be causing this type of reaction in her?
Hi Alexis, I would then say maybe looking into a sage SPRAY is the way to go, some animals find the smoke too much for them. you also might try smudging with your doors open that we the smoke will get out faster. I wish you and your pups the very best of luck with this.
Hi, How common is it for a long-lived cat that is put down in your home, to torment the new kittens that are brought in a few months later? The cat in question was a super possessive, in-door female cat who later on marked. She was 17 years in the home before ill-health forced us to bring in the vet. I am thinking smudging might be a good idea in case there is a chance the new (now 1.5 years old) kittens see things – they often stare at spaces the other cat called home. They are edgy at times – and I work from home so they have it pretty good. The Calico is especially bothered at times. They are well fed and get plenty of rest – no other animals and lots of tree houses, toys and play time. Any suggestions on a kit?
Hi Russel, it’s actually quite common for animals to see the spirits they’re very open to that plane of existence, it certainly makes life for us and them interesting. I would try the smudging, especially with you working from home it’s good to do it every so often, I use a special type of sage that my people the Sioux use you can get it here http://www.nocbay.com/prodDetails.asp?ID=277&link=224. Now if that doesn’t do the job fully and they’re still having issues I’d then suggest that you might want to do a animal communication consult with me or another communicator because their might be a deeper issue going on with them. Best of luck to you and the kitties.
I need to smudge again. I bring in a lot of negative energy from the train, my job, and the streets of NYC. I had heard that you can smudge with kosher salt and water. Is this effective as well?
Hi, you sure can. put the salt in a spray bottle and then spray the water in the 4 corners of the room. I used that when I cleared a house that was VERY spirit active (and not the good kind). But I still like using the herbals to smudge it just feels more effective.
Hi Beautiful Coryelle thank you for sharing your wisdom ♥. I am about to smudge for my first time. I also bought crystals to work with. I am just waiting to receive everything that I need (or so I hope!) After reading this article, I am now a little worried because of my cats. They are like my kids and id be devastated if something went wrong. My fiance is going along with it because we are both in terrible health and really could use some help that the doctors CAN’T give. I just wanted to ask you
1. how often you hear about any negative effects to animals (or people).
2. Can you call in bad energy or spirits by accident while smudging
if you can, what do you do to prevent that?
And lastly
3.I’ve read a lot about smudging and everyone says something different regarding “rules” to smudge (i.e wearing no jewelry, taking Drugs before doing it) my fiance and I both take a lot of meds for our diseases including pain killers and I smoke a little pot to get rid of my terrible diabetic neuropathy). Should I stop some time before I smudge? Are there rules?
Thank you for sharing everything that you know. It’s SO helpful to those of us who dont.
♥♥
Jodi Albert
Hi Jodi, I’m sorry that you and your fiancé are having health challenges I wish you both only the very best. My answers to your questions are as followed
1. On average I would say that this occurs about 20% of the time with my sessions, and it’s getting more and more as the vibration of the planets rise. so it’s a good idea to do it on a regular basis.
2. I don’t believe that you can, what smudging is doing is clearing energy, setting up a barrier of neutral protection (so to speak) so unless you actively try to call something in, it’s been my experience that you can’t.
3. You’re asking the WRONG person about rules, I don’t follow anyone’s rules, I do what feels right to ME. I don’t put conditions on myself or what I do I do what feels right to me and that I believe nullifies anyone’s rules. My opinion? Smudge away!and screw what other people think.
FYI If you feel like your home needs more, I also do long distance clearing sessions which can be purchased in my shop.
Thanks for reading my post and all the best
Coryelle
I want to ensure that the smoke from my smudge sticks are not toxic to dogs prior to smudging. Do you know of any adverse effects these plants may have?
As far as I know there aren’t any Katie, I’ve been smudging with sage, palo santo wood and cedar for decades and none of my animals had any effects. I also make sure to open the window shortly after I’m done, only because I don’t think me and my animals want to sit in a hazy room all day, not because of health effects.
Hello Coryelle! Beautiful name by the way. After reading all these comments I’ve found that I smudge all the wrong ways lol. I’ll be correcting that thank you😁 here’s my thought though… I’ve been a dog groomer over 20 yrs and have had all types of pet from very young age. I’m an empath and sometimes i get short stories from the energies of dogs that I groom. I use white sage especially for the most disruptive or anxious dogs. I will burn it under my table make circles around them and sometimes swoosh it under their bellies. (A light smoke) it calms them almost immediately while others don’t seem to respond. I would never never want to cause harm to any animal. Do you feel I shouldn’t be doing that? I’m also descendant of Cherokee, is there something else you recommend that would enhance my intentions for my doggie clients? Thank you in advance for any suggestions ✌🏻
I don’t usually get close with the smoke to animals but that’s ME. if it works and feels right to you then it IS right for you. you have want to look into bring crystals into the shop or palo santo wood. But I always believe that if something is working then stick with it. Good luck
Thank you I appreciate your time. I do have some crystals & stones there and I also play chakra music or pan flutes all day as well as diffusing oils. I want to start working with moon stone. I’ve heard that is helpful with communication with the dogs. I also have 3 coonhounds at home that I will be contacting you soon about. Lol. Bless you & have a beautiful day!
I recently smudged my home for the first time. Feels so much lighter and calm,but I noticed as I was smudging the dogs in the neighborhood started barking incessantly …..coincidence or ?
Hi, I don’t believe in coincidences, there was something in your house that was negative and the dogs felt it leaving and transmutating (at least that’s what I feel happened). It’s good that you smudged there may have been some energy there from the previous owners.
A little Knowledge Can be Very Dangerous! Smudging can be both beneficial and toxic to your pets!
Hi Kerri, thanks for commenting. Personally In the 20+ years I’ve been smudging with sage I have never seen any animal have any adverse effects. Now granted, I don’t keep the windows and doors closed for hours after I smudge. I usually have a window or door open, but still I personally haven’t experienced either my animals nor anyone else’s be adversely effected, so I don’t believe that to be true.
I HAVE, on the other hand, seen animals adversely effected by aromatherapy oils, which is why I don’t usually proscribe them. So I suppose it comes down to what your experience has been and what you believe.
Hi!
I plan to do my first smudging in the next couple of days after some more clutter clearing, as I can feel the immense amount of bad energy rifling through my house, which I believe it effecting my 6 year old dog, we’ve had some very bad luck in this house over the last few years, so this is very over due, pets dying of cancer or other horrible ways, my father has maimed himself for life and nearly died twice of blood clots in the last 5 years, and I suffer from some bad health myself, I do believe that this smudging will be effective, and will help us all greatly.
Whilst I prep and recover my energy for it, I have been spraying some lavender essential oil mist around and burning white sage incense sticks to help me recover before the big event, but I can feel the negative energy trying to push it’s way back in.
I have always been very sensitive to spirits and energy, and used to always attract bad spirits, which I no longer usually do, though at the moment there is something in my house, I had pushed him out but after the events of my father nearly dying again last week, he’s back and I’m too weak to push him out and keep him out currently, is there a way whilst smudging to help me push him out, I am not sure when it comes to asking the Arch Angel Michael for help, as I am not religious and do not want to insult the entity, or do you think the smudging itself will be ok? I usually have a spirit of a lady who stays with me who I haven’t seen in awhile, who I picked up at my time at university, I call her the lady in grey, her energy is purple, orange and green, she’s warded things off for me before, but I feel bad calling on her spirit constantly for help, and it has been awhile since I’ve called on her.
Also there seems to be something that upsets my dog in the attic in the same corner that used to bother a couple of dogs that passed away, but I am unable to properly get into the attic, only to lift the hatch, what should I do?
My friend who also posses some spiritual power is going to be joining me for support and energy, so I hope that her presence will also help the process.
Hi Bea, it sounds like for the most part you’re doing all the right things. When I clear a space that has places I can’t get to (like the attic) I usually use light energy to clear it. I envision a color light that represents clearing to me (for me it’s white), then I see the entire house and land around in a bubble of that light, the light is able to get into ever crack and crevice and clear it, as I send the light I sent a intention for what it does for example “this light clears out anything and everything and everyone who does not have my or my animals highest and best good in mind, it will nullifying the energy of the house and land to a stance of peace, of calm, of healing and balance.” or whatever words you’d like to use.
I still smudge but the light clearing is a powerful tool too.
I wish you all the best.
My fiancee and I decided to smudge our home for the 1st time today and I’m concerned about my cat he got extremely scared. My cat started crying and he’s now hiding. I can’t find anything online and was hoping someone might have some insight. Thank you for your time.
Hi Crystal, make sure that after you smudge you open the windows (if you haven’t) it could be the smoke got your cat sacred since smoke = fire for some beings. It also could be that the energy in your home was so intense and your kitty got used to it, and now that it’s calmer he/she needs time to adjust. I hope things work out, and if you’d ever like me to talk with your kitty, I’d be happy to do a session for you all.
Hi Coryelle
i have a 12 year old cockatiel parrot and i was wondering if there was any other effective ways to clear negative energies from my home other than using smudge sticks etc That aren’t toxic to birds?
There are sage and cedar sprays, or you can envisioning your home in a certain colored light that means clearing to you (like green or white etc), you can ask a god, goddess or angel to come and bless and clear your space. Get inventive, 😉 there are many ways that you can clear your space. I hope that helps.
I just smudged my house for the first time today (my stepson has been dragging something back from his mom’s for a while). Our dog would run and hide every time he came into the room for at least a month.
The whole time I was smudging she followed me around wagging her tail. I did pass some of the smoke over her back. She even laid in the kitchen on the floor next to my stepson while he was playing with some clay.
I know it’s only a temporary fix until we can get someone in here to help remove the negative attachment to him. I’ll smudge the house everyday if I have to until then, because there was such a difference afterward.
Hello! So my Rottweiler did the oddest thing while I was cleansing. She stayed right by my side, literally touching my leg through the whole 20-30 minute process. (This did make it pretty difficult lol). She seemed immediately attracted to it. Do you have any insight to this? I thought it was so interesting!
Hi Britny,
That’s a very interesting reaction indeed, and I thank you for sharing it. And yes there may be more to her actions than meet the eye but that would entail my communicating with her. I’m certainly happy to do talk with her if you like and if you do than please go to my contact page and fill out the form and I can let you know more. Once again thank you for sharing this wonderful experience you had with your furkid.
Hi
Learned so much from reading your answers to questions on here. I smudged yesterday for the first time it’s 5am now and I haven’t been able to sleep tonight. I can’t sleep because my dog keeps barking, growling at the door and window just randomly all night. He’s super uneasy. I did accidentally smudge counter clockwise. Not sure if that’s part of it or what’s going on. Blessings
Hi Norka, I would make sure to air out your home really well. The not sleeping and your dog barking could be many things but it feels like your home hadn’t been cleansed in a long time, or not at all, so it might take being a little more consistent with your cleansing by doing it on a regular basis to fully clear your home. It could also be that you both have gotten “used to” the old energy and it might take your bodies time to adjust.
Thank you 🙏🏼 the non stop barking is what woke me up all night. Just did another cleanse the right way (what you recommenced). Hopefully tonight he stops barking. It’s been a long time since last cleanse and it’s been an emotional rollercoaster ride since quarantine started for me.
I’m sure, just know that you’re not riding that rollercoaster alone Norka. I wish you and your pup all the best.
I just smudged my apartment yesterday for the first time after living here for five years. And then last night my cat slept right next to my head with her paw on my neck. She usually sleeps at the foot of my bed. What is going on here?
Jess, I would only be guessing since we’re not working together but I would say she’s letting you know that she’s feeling the better energy of your home. I wish you and your kitty all the best.