Complete Smudging Ceremony / Purification with Sage

A ritual of purification with Sage can be simple or elaborate. Circumstances (time and place) sometimes require proceeding with a simplified ritual. It is still important to practice a complete ceremony from time to time to honor the elements that contribute to our well-being. Here is an example of the steps of a complete ceremony.

1. Establish the intention for the ceremony

Examples: The energetic purification of place(s) or of person (people); The release of the stress and worries; Help for passage in the beyond; The treatment of difficult emotions; The installation of beneficial energies such as peace, harmony and love.

What matters is that your intention regarding cleansing is clear making the ceremony successfully oriented. You activate and attract what you need (the guides and the elements) to achieve your purification.

2. Prepare your list of tools and items you need for your ceremony

Use the tools and invoke the elements that suit you. It is you who chooses the ones you prefer to include during your ceremony! See the list below for inspiration.

Beforehand, you can do a ritual of tools’ consecration tools that you use for this ritual. Here is an example of a ritual of consecration of a tool of power. You can practice your decrees in advance by reciting them. It’s also alright to read them at your ceremony. Eventually, you will know them by heart.

Tools and objects used during the ceremony (some suggestions)

Centering decree;
Purification ritual with individual sage and places;
Ritual of centering and energetic cleaning;
A container (plate or shell of abalone);
Sage stick or leaves;
Feather duster or feather;
Incense according to your choice (for example: myrrh and frankincense are popular);
Charcoal for grain incense;
Matches / lighter;
Holy water (see blessing method of water here);
Ceremonial cup or container for holy water;
Semi-precious stones, salt, sand or soil;
Candles or tea-light;
All symbolic or representative objects of your guides that you choose;
Jacket, shawl, scarf or ceremonial garment;
Your intention clearly formulated (written or verbal);
Prayers and gratitude;
Offerings (herbs, incense, flowers, precious stones, shells, etc.).

List of guests (some suggestions)

The 4 directions spirit (North, South, East, West) or from the 7 directions (North, South, East, West, Beyond, Bellow, Inside);
The celestial energy (cosmic chi) the Source, God, the Universal Energy;
Earth Energy (chi-terrestrial) Gaia, Mother Earth, Spirits of Nature;
The energy of the Heart (unconditional Love);
The four elements spirit (Fire, Earth, Air, Water);
The spirit of the kingdoms animal, vegetable and mineral (The Devas);
The spirit of space and time;
The spirit of truth and clarity;
Willingness;
The spirit of physical perceptions and extra-sensory perceptions;
The planes of consciousness: conscious, subconscious and superconscious;
Your angels and your guides;
You (all aspects of your being: body, soul and spirit);
Any other presence that you believe appropriate.

3. Preparation for the ceremony

Determine the best time for your ceremony;
- Astrological influences, lunar cycles, etc .;
- Time without interruption (children, cell phones, etc.);
Gather your tools and your objects;
Prepare your intention, your decrees and your prayers. Use and customize according to your preferences the decrees offered here or create your own decrees. If you need written materials, prepare your documents;
Wear your chosen garment, if necessary;
Go to the designated place for the ceremony and set up with your tools.

4. Conduct of the ceremony

Make sure that a door or a window is open. If possible, at two different places;
Light your candle and incense if you want to burn it during the ceremony;
Make your centering and your energetic cleaning (see decree of centering);
Do the energetic cleaning of the place and of your tools;
- Invite your guides to join you for the ceremony. See accompanying decree by angels and guides and decree of honor towards the four elements of nature;
- Use the same kind of decree for all your other guests;
Honor all your invited Guides by greeting them;
- Face North and greet the 4 directions (North, South, East and West) by turning towards each of them;
- Greet the beyond (the high), the below (the low), and the inside (the heart);
Stand in front of your symbolic objects and hold in your hands your tools (abalone shell with lighted candle, feather duster and sage stick ready to be lit). It is desirable to have the consecration of your tools before this ceremony, but you can always add the consecration of your tools at this stage of the ceremony if you have not done it yet. (See ceremony of consecration of a tool of power);
Express and recite your intention. The one you established during the first stage;
Look at your tools with respect and imbibe each of their energies and ask that they take over yours;
Raise your tools to the sky and bring them back to your heart.

You are now ready for Smudging / Sage Purification

From the lit candle in your abalone shell or from your designated plate, you light your sage stick and let it ignite for a moment so that it smoke enough. Then blow it on to extinguish the flame and let it smoke. You can turn it on again if necessary;
At all times, stay centered and be aware: you work with the fire element and with your sacred sage. Make small movements, make sure that the embers fall into your shell, pay attention to the sources that can feed the fire (air, wind, etc.) and use your good judgment to avoid the risk of fire while respecting the elements with which you work;
Before starting the tour of the place, purifie yourself. For your purification, you turn three times on yourself with the sage stick at the height of:
- Knees;
- Heart;
- Head;
- At the level of the face and you can have a particular intention for the top of the head (crown chakra), the eyes, the mouth and the ears so that all that you see, say and hear is transmitted purely and in the energy of the heart, in connection with the divine and in respect of All That Is;
- The smoke, rising around you, creates a spiral and a vortex of positive and protective energies that release the aura.
For the purification of the places, we start on the lowest floor and we go upwards. For example, if I have a house with a basement, a ground floor and a floor, I start with the basement. If I live in an apartment, I will choose the room in which I want to start;
We choose to go through the pieces clockwise or counterclockwise and maintain the same meaning for the entire duration of the ritual. This allows us an organization to make the methodical grid of places;
The rooms are traversed along the walls and in the corners;
Throughout the journey, as the energies are released, we decide what we want to invite as alternative energy. For example: here is love; here is harmony; here is joy; here is peace; here is concentration; here is pleasure; here it is collaboration;
We observe the smoke and the flame of our candle: their movements and their reactions can indicate to us the points where there are accumulations of stagnant, undesirable or unhealthy energies;
Particular attention is paid to corners, where energy tends to accumulate;
If we are surprised by the presence of energy, we recenter ourself;
We order the energy to leave by saying “Go away” or “To God”;
If you meet someone at the Smudging of a place, you are offered a cleansing. See below the method for smudging another person;
When we have finished touring the place and we are back to our starting point, we purify ourselves. We turn three times on ourselves with the stick at the heigh oft:
- Knees;
- Heart;
- Head;
- The smoke rising around you creates a spiral and a vortex of positive and protective energies that release the aura.

Before ending, go to the stage of gratitude and thanks to the guides

Recenter yourself;
From the sage stick, light an incense stick for gratitude;
Thanks all the angels, guides and the elements who participated in this ceremony;
Raise your arms and look up and thank heaven;
Wood of the holy water of the cup and sprinkle it a little as an offering and gratitude to the Earth;
Take a deep breath and breathe one last time on the sage stick while thanking him and then putting him out in the shell. In the event that the stick refuses to go out, we can ask for help from the Earth element or let the rest of the sage burn in our shell;
Blow on the candle and thank the Fire element for its benefits and transmutation strength;
Touch the ground with your hands and thank the Earth;
Bring your hands to your heart and thank you;
Have gratitude for this privileged moment and enjoy this calm and inner peace.

Finish by gathering and storing your tools with the respect and care due to them.

Have a good ceremony!