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I ordered some smudge sticks and would like to cleanse my new home before I move in.
I am wondering if anyone here does this on a regular basis, or when you move? Can you describe the actual smell of the burnt sage, since I have not tried it yet? Any advice, rituals or methods you could recommend?
I do when I move into a new place.
Sage is very pungent, some say it smells like cat pee. While I find the smell a bit 'ripe', it is not offensive.
The main thing when smudging is to get the smoke into the corners- like closets and such. Use a fire safe container to put the smudge stick in as it burns, and use your hand or a small fan to direct the smoke.
Some say to start in a specific direction and work your way around each room in the same manner. There are all kinds of different thoughts on 'how' to properly smudge, all found online.
Does anyone else think sage smells like cat pee? I sure hope it doesn't. They have not arrived in the mail yet, so I will repost once I see for myself.
Cat pee has to be one of THE worst smells anyone could purposely introduce to a home.
To me, sage does not smell like cat pee. It smells like sage. It does have a vaguely acidic quality to the odor, a certain pungeancy that might offend some people, but I like it, and importantly, it does not linger. So go ahead and smudge.
I smudge with bundles of sage and juniper which grow all around here, but any dried herbaceous plant that emits a fragrant smoke when burned will do provided it is not toxic. I do it mainly for 'cleaning' purposes rather than spiritual, though.
I don't think it smells like cat pee, but it is a very similar pungent odor. I think the juniper smells a lot like cat pee.
OP, light a smudge outside and see how you feel about the smell. If you don't like it, you could always place a circle of protection around the house with a thin line of white cornmeal and the proper requests to the spirits. No interior cleansing necessary. Nothing bad would be able to remain inside. (you would be able to carry "issues" inside on your own person, but that applies to the sage smoke as well.)
Never heard of the cornmeal. But the times I've been to native American ceremonies they smudged the outside of the lodge then us just before entering.
The smudge always smelled good to me.
Sage doesn't smell like cat pee to me but it is a strong, pungent smell. I'm not really fond of it, and it doesn't seem to linger.
I haven't heard of using cornmeal. I have heard of using salt as a thin line around the perimeter of the house.
I smudge when I move to a new place and I used to do it fairly regularly but haven't in a long time. I just ordered some smudge wands recently and will be doing my place again soon. I'd like to get back in the habit of smudging every so often. It just felt better when I did.
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