LIGHT YOUR FIRE

Following Directions

The Native American Medicine Wheel follows the four cardinal directions, as should your movements during smudging and clearing rituals. Begin to the east because that’s where life begins—it’s the place of birth and new beginnings. Travel next to the south, the place of the teenage years. West, representing midlife, is next. End to the north, the place of the elders, wisdom, spirits, ancestors, and the afterlife.

Some people find having a specific order to smudging useful. These directions were derived from the medicine wheel as reported by an elder of the Mide Lodge, member of the Cedar Women’s Society. The directions also follow the medicine wheel as described by E. Barrie Kavasch and Karen Baar, Native American authors of American Indian Healing Arts: Herbs, Rituals and Remedies for Every Season of Life (Bantam/1999).You can try this method or, if you are feeling creative, devise your own methods that are comfortable and sensible, in accord with your background, orientation, and living situation.

Smudge Stick Herbal Ritual

Smudge sticks are dried medicine bundles that are lit and waved like magical fragrance wands. While sweetgrass is inviting, smudge sticks are used for banishment—to clear spaces of negativity and illness.

When making smudge sticks, try to use homegrown plants or sprigs from trees on your property, bearing in mind that a part of the spirituality inherent in smudging herbs is that they are bartered or personally harvested rather than bought and sold. If you don’t have trees or herbs available, barter with a family member or friend who does.

To make a smudge stick:
1. Gather available sprigs and branches in the morning after dew has evaporated.
2. Cut each herb to between twelve and eighteen inches in length.
3. Bundle the herbs, then tie with hemp string.
4. Bring the bundle inside and hang it upside down away from direct sunlight.
5. Dry for several days; the bundle should still be pliable.
6. Lay the bundle on a natural fiber cloth or newspaper.
7. Fold, then roll the bundle until there is a neat six- to eight-inch-long bunch.
8. Bundle using natural hemp string or undyed cotton string.

Smudging ritual:
1. Open door or windows for good ventilation.
2. Light smudge stick.
3. Tamp out flame. Carry the smoking wand clockwise, emphasizing the four directions through each room, making sure you smoke corners and crevices. Languish over areas that need cleansing or where unfortunate occurrences and arguments have taken place.
4. Some people enjoy using a found bird feather to spread the smoke as they travel, but cupped hands are just as effective.
5. Dampen the smudge stick in seawater or rainwater. Hang it up to dry until next time.
6. Burning herbs on charcoal: As an alternative to smudging, crumble an assortment of herbs and burn them over a mesquite charcoal block or pieces of cedarwood, piñon, or another fragrant wood.