Artemisia tridentata or sagebrush is good for many witchy things, from medicinal or remedial teas, to magickal smoking mixtures, to dream pillows, bath salts, smudge sticks, incense and more. It grows wild, abundant and free just on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains. Tarragon, wormwood, mugwort and daisies are also all part of the Artemisia family, and for some uses, they may be substituted for one another. The Salvia family of clary or red sage, white sage and California sage -- Salvia apiana and Salvia officinalis -- is more commonly used as cooking herbs, though you will see a lot of California or white sage used in smudge mixtures also.
For the past 12-plus years, I have been cultivating the sagebrush in one particular bend of the Ellensburg canyon where the Yakima River flows between Yakima and Ellensburg. I visit, talk with, groom, nurture and harvest sage from the plants there. I typically go about this time of year; the spring equinox is a beautiful time to go if the weather has warmed up a bit. The sage is just beginning to wake up from a deep winter sleep, and all of the old dead growth needs to be cut back for the new, pale grayish-green sprouts to flourish. There is already some new growth at this time of year, but I am careful not to cut too much and possibly harm the plants.
You can readily spot which bushes are the ones I chose so long ago by their fullness and optimum health. The shrubs are clumped together, some very large, old grandmother bushes along with the adults and some tiny baby- and child-sized bushes, and there are new small ones every year. I have to be really careful not to step into any circles of wildflowers or cactus -- fairy circles. None were evident when I began making the trip, and for the first couple years after, but the last eight or so years have seen many sprout up!
I have in the past made this a coven field trip, but in more recent years I've preferred to commune with the sage alone or with one or two other people. I begin by gathering the tools and necessary items together: a very sharp knife, scissors or clippers, a pair of leather gloves, bits of bright ribbon, small crystals, organic tobacco, a bit of wine, a sweet or two for the fey and several large paper bags.
The knife, gloves, clippers and bags are all obvious choices for tools, but you may wonder why I bring the ribbon, crystals, wine and other items. It is customary in many traditions to leave a gift for the plant when you take something from it -- an energy exchange, something dear, something that the fey that tend the bush might like. So the brightly colored ribbons, crystals and tobacco. I also generally take some sweets, something shiny and sometimes a bell for the fey, to tie with the ribbons on the branches of the trees. I use the wine as a libation, pour it out on the earth as an offering to the plant spirits and fey. They like wine a lot! The fey (and the crows that look like fey) seem to enjoy the bells I leave, and they're usually all gone by the time I return. I sprinkle the tobacco around the roots of the plants and embed a crystal or two in the earth there.
If I am going to get the sage directly from Seattle, I generally try to get a fairly early start -- for me that's about noon -- as it's about a two-hour drive. When I arrive, I park as far as I can get off the old two-lane highway, out of harm's way and safely far from where the loud, shiny semi trucks hurtle past. I walk around a bit breathing in the soft, hazy, golden afternoon, notice the dragonflies playing chase and the birds and small animals that seem not at all afraid of me.
I notice the condition of the different bushes, which ones are doing well and which need a bit of TLC. I begin to touch them softly and gently.... sagebrush can be very stickery if you're not respectful of it. If you go in with a knife and just start whacking pieces off, it will leave your arms and legs bruised and scratched up. So I treat the plants like the old friends they are, say hello to the old man, tell the babies all hi and explain how I will only be cutting the tiniest amount from them, just enough to give them a good boost.
The older plants know what I am up to and are glad to see me. They know what a good trim can do for their health and vitality --- and since they cannot do it themselves, and the other option is usually being mowed down, they decided long ago that I am friend rather than foe. When I go alone, I may sing while I trim. I have to be careful because I get into a meditative space where I tend to lose focus on what's going on around me. I have been surprised in the past by people who were wondering what I was up to -- "sneaking up on" me.
I always ask the plants to allow me to harvest from them, as I believe that the plant spirits will willingly give of the abundant bounty if you ask. This is also part of why I offer them gifts, out of respect for their contribution to my life and well-being. I speak to the sage sometimes verbally and other times just telepathically. Like animals, most plants will communicate telepathically with you if you are open to that. Some are very articulate, and others don't say much, just like people. I tend to be very complimentary to the plants, mostly because I truly like them but also to reinforce what good they do as smudge or incense, how magickal and special they are and how much we honor them as we would only ever use the best and most sacred of plants in our ceremonies.
I cut away the old growth first. It is hard, brown and very spiky. It is not fun if you grab it with bare hands, so don't forget your heavy gardening gloves. Once I have cut off most of the dead stuff, I can see how much new growth there is and decide where to trim to make the plant symmetrical, keep it from overshadowing its neighbor or just help it fill out more in spots.
Go easy at the spring cutting, especially your first few times till you get the hang of it, and there will plenty to cut by the summer solstice, which is when I do my main gathering. At the spring equinox, you clear away and nurture and come away with a small amount of sage. At the summer solstice, you harvest, when the plants are in heavy bloom with their beautiful flowers and strong scent.
Ever since someone first tossed some leaves into the fire as fuel, people have been burning plant materials. We burn herbs or smudge to actively change the energy of our bodies, homes and belongings for ritual or cleansing and use incense to make a room smell nice.
The Native American people of this area knew sage's value and used it for many things. I remember first being introduced to sage as a teen one summer at a Yakima Indian pow wow. I enjoyed the drums, bells and rattles that accompanied its burning as well as its smoky scent.
In Plains Native American sweat lodge ceremonies, the floor of the structure is strewn with sage leaves for the participants to rub on their bodies during the sweat. Sage is used in keeping sacred objects like pipes or peyote (feather) wands safe from negative energies. In the Sioux nation, the sacred pipe is kept in a bundle with sage boughs. Some Native Americans believe that sage should never be bought or sold, as this ruins the spirituality of the herb. I will purchase it if I have to from time to time, but what I gather from "my" plants on the equinox and solstice usually lasts me all year.
You can burn sage during meditations prior to doing readings or other forms of divination and before, during and after rituals. Special magickal tools, Tarot decks, jewelry and crystals can be protected by being bundled with sage. I also use sage in protective amulets and charms. You can do many other things with sage, such as make teas, incense, dream pillows and smudge wands.
Sage smudge wands are typically used for clearing and purifying negative energies from a thing, space or person. Sometimes another herb or flower is used either in conjunction with or after a sage bundle. The intention of smudging is usually to cleanse and bless and bring positive or whatever influences you are looking for into a person or space.
You may also combine another herb or plant with sage; in this case, sage is used for clearing or cleansing and the other herb for blessing. One herb that comes readily to mind is cedar, a good choice because it is sacred to Northwest Native people. I also occasionally like to use lavender for blessing and healing. Both cedar and lavender not only help bring in wonderful energy, they also smell great combined with the sage! Having two herbs in one wand makes it easier, because it takes only half the time when you combine cleansing and blessing -- unless you have a reasonfor wanting to separate the processes.
Making a Smudge Stick or Wand
If you want to make a sage smudge stick or wand, you might wildcraft or purchase your sage from one of our local herbal apothecaries such as Travelers on Pike Street, on Capitol Hill (see their ad on this page!) which keeps both the Salvia or California white sage and the Artemisia or sagebrush in stock. You can get sage either in bulk or already wrapped into sticks. Once you have acquired the sage, make sure it is well-dried. If you gather your own, you'll want to do so on the New Moon if possible and then allow the sage to dry in moonlight while the Moon waxes toward full. I usually lay mine out on a table with absorbent paper; paper bags work well for this! Do not seal the sage up in plastic until it is completely dry, as it will mold if you do.
Once the sage is mostly dry, you may select pieces to group together for your wands. Try to find a variety of fronds that have leaves and foliage all over. Gather these together tightly in a bunch and wrap with brightly colored silk thread -- I have used embroidery thread with good results. A natural substance is preferable; don't use any thread containing plastic or polyester, as it smells bad when it burns.
Wrap the thread around the bases of the sage stalks a number of times, and tie it in a knot at the bottom. Then proceed to wind the thread up the stick several times, around it, each pass about an inch or so apart from the next. Spiral the thread up and then back down the other side. Make sure to knot it at the end so it stays together. Perform this process a couple times until the wand seems reasonably stable. You don't want it falling apart all over the place when you're doing your ceremony. While you gather and wrap, make sure and focus your intention and visualize your purpose for the wand.
When finished with your wands, you may want to tie all of them upside down from a string suspended high in the air and let them sit there for a few days, to allow any remaining moisture to dry and to make sure all of the sage resin is evenly distributed to the ends of the leaves. You're then ready to use your smudge sticks.
Smudging Traditions and Practice
Smudging is a way of using the smoke from burning herbs as a way to cleanse the body, an object, or a specific area of negative influences. Sage can and is traditionally burned in smudging ceremonies to drive out evil spirits and destructive thoughts and feelings and to keep harmful spirits away. Substance and action attract energy, and whether that energy is electromagnetic, ionic, psychic or emotional, it can negatively or positively affect whatever it comes into contact with.
Smudge and other types of incense are utilized to cleanse away negative energy, as well as to establish and amplify the positive. Smudging or incense burning simultaneously repels detrimental and attracts desirable energies.
When you are attuned to the energy of what's happening around you, you may smudge whenever you feel negative energy, for example when you sense a need to "clear the air" after an argument. Smudge whenever you feel you need to create or enhance positive energy around you. The effect is all in the intention of the one who is doing the smudging.
You can smudge anything and everything, anyone and everyone who wants or needs it. Smudge yourself, your home, your possessions. Smudge your friends and the people you live with (if they will allow it). Smudge your pets (if they seem to enjoy it).
I like to smudge my home, car and workplace before a thorough cleaning and after. Beforehand, smudging works as an energetic cleansing to help repel negative energy and to help get rid of unwanted stuff along with the clutter. Afterward, it attracts and enhances the positive energies that I want around me now that the house is cleansed; it is akin to the final cleansing.
Smudge before ritual or ceremony, no matter what your spiritual path. Smudge when you are angry, sad and especially if you are depressed or blue. Smudging is a great way to focus on clearing the emotions, energies and concepts that are making you feel down. When you or someone else is ill, smudging will often make a person begin to feel better as negative energy may be one reason he or she feels sick.
The only thing that should keep you from smudging, if you feel the need, is if the other people or entities including pets and plants in your space do not want it. Do your best not to intrude on another's space if you can avoid it.
Donot smudge if it is dangerous, for example if you or someone around you is allergic to sage smoke. Don't smudge if the environment is easily combustible, such as in very dry weather or outdoors on an Eastern Washington summer night. Do not smudge on or near combustible material, such as near aerosol cans, gas pumps or propane tanks. Please use your head; you are dealing with fire, a very powerful force. Take it seriously and use it respectfully.
How to Smudge
First, I don't believe there is any one right thing to believe or one way to do ritual. As long as you respect the traditions rituals come from, you are not hurting anyone or anything and those involved with you consent, then I think there are lots of right approaches to ceremony.
In the traditions it comes from, the ritual of smudging itself is considered sacred, as well as its use of revered plants and herbs. Smudging should be done with care, reverence and in an attitude of love, respect and honor to the plants that have been given to us for our healing.
My smudging technique is to place my smudge stick or loose herbs in a shell or a small metal cauldron. You may also burn clippings of the herb in an incense burner or brazier or a clay or stone bowl. If you use any container that is breakable, you may want to half-fill it with sea salt, sand or small stones to keep the high temperature of the burning herb shielded from the container bottom and sides. That way, you don't burn yourself or crack the bowl.
If the sage is bundled in a stick or wand, you can light the leafy end of the wand. I like smudge sticks myself. Light the sage, fan the flames a bit, then let it burn out &fraq34; the idea is to get it to smolder, not burn with an open flame. Once it is smoldering, focus on your intention. I begin by offering smoke to the Earth and Sky, the Earth that the sage comes from and the Sky that makes it grow and burn. You may direct the smoke with your hands or with a smudge fan or peyote (feather) wand over the person or thing you wish to smudge. If you see auras, look for dirty places in the aura and direct the smoke towards those places on the person's body.
When smudging yourself, it is slightly more difficult to get to the areas like your back. The best way is to get someone to smudge you. But if you are alone, you can make do.
The person being smudged, or the smudgee, usually stands before the smudger with his or her arms slightly out. Alternatively, the smudgee can direct the smoke towards him- or herself using a smudge fan -- a feather, wing or tail of a bird is the most common. Hands work well too.
I start at the feet and fan the smoke towards the smudgee, moving up the legs to the torso and up toward the head. I smudge the arms and then walk around to the back of the person and repeat the process, bottom to top again. When I do myself, I use the wand to direct the smoke in the general direction and focus my intent. Focus and intent are very important. If at all possible, the smudger and smudgee should be concentrating on the same intention, and it is crucial that the smudger be focused on the rite. As smudger, focus on any areas that you feel need extra attention or that seem sticky or dark.
I also like to smudge my house to clear it of negative energy, as follows. Before you begin, remember to leave a window or door open to the outside so you don't set off your fire alarm, or disable the fire alarm temporarily (be sure to turn it back on at the end of the rite). Be very careful of flying sparks and cinders; you would not want to light something on fire inadvertently. The smudge bowl can also get hot; be careful holding it and where you put it down. Always be very conscious of what you are doing when using fire.
Once you're ready, take a sage bundle and go throughout the inside of the house or apartment, making sure the smoke penetrates every nook and cranny. I start in the front doorway and move around the space widdershins, counter-clockwise. I do this all throughout my house, going room to room repeating the counter-clockwise motion in each room; I seem to be spiraling around the house. I use the fan to push the smoke around each room, up, down, in corners, under beds, in closets, everywhere. I end up where I began, connecting the circle!
As you complete smudging, again focus on your intent to cleanse, clear and purify. In the last room, focus on any unwanted energies leaving your home, never to bother you or anyone else again. It is helpful to send that energy back to the Earth. Ask that the Earth transform it and use it for her healing and support.
Next, you may repeat the whole thing but going around in a clockwise direction, as a blessing. You might want to use the cedar, sweetgrass or lavender for this part. You now focus on attracting whatever positive energies you want and blessing your home. Think about all the nice, fun and good times to be had and visualize those energies coming in.
One article can never cover all there is to say about sage. Different people have varying opinions and traditions, so not all of this information may fit what you believe. But I have given you some basics to work with here, and you can enlarge on them to your heart's content!