Through the years, Samuel has suggested a smudging technique that, if done periodically, will help keep the energy in a space fresh and intentionally filled and blessed by love. Anywhere you spend significant amounts of time, such as a home or office, is the ideal place to smudge.

Smudging

by Mary Claire O'Neal, from "Phoenix Rising", Winter, 2004

This technique is a quick and easy tool for purifying your space through the conscious act of Intent, Thought, Word and Deed.

What you'll need:
• either a lit stick of sandalwood or amber incense, salt, or salt and water

My husband, Cam, and I have smudged at home on a fairly regular basis, and the effect is magical. In fact, I can usually tell as soon as I walk in the door if Cam has smudged the house, even after all traces of the incense have dissipated. The house is somehow lighter and fresher, and feels really good. For years, whenever we travel, we have smudged our hotel room before we unpack or start “nesting.” In fact, because we recognize the importance of smudging, some members of the Temple Team stay and smudge the entire Phoenix building after every cleaning.

Here are Samuel’s directions for a smudging procedure:
1) Before beginning, establish yourself in the loving work you are about to do in whatever way works best for you. I anchor myself in love by silently affirming my intent to spread wholeness, joy and love throughout the space.

2) Use smoke (Samuel has suggested sandalwood or amber incense), or use salt, or use salt water.

3) Standing inside the room, start by facing the main entrance, and always work in a clockwise direction. As you are waving your stick of incense, sprinkling salt or salt water, constantly murmur aloud your affirmations of the positive energy for the space. Samuel has said that murmuring aloud is important because it utilizes the power of three—thinking it, saying it, and hearing it. For example, I murmur aloud while smudging: “This space is filled with love, light, happiness, awareness, wholeness and joy.” In this smudging process, your smoke or salt serves to neutralize the energy, so only use positive affimations to fill the neutralized space with positive energy. Statements about removing something (negativity, anger or pain, for instance) are not used.

4) As you work clockwise around the space, trace a pentagram (a five-pointed star within a circle) over any opening that goes to the outside of the room, such as doorways, windows, air vents, drains, exhaust fans, etc. With your hand, trace in the air, over the opening:

a) Starting at position #1 in the diagram, trace a circle clockwise that encompasses the entire doorway or opening (returning to position #1 in the diagram).

b) After tracing the circle, create your star inside the circle by beginning at position #1 of the circle and then tracing down to #2.

c) From #2, trace up and over #3.

d) From #3, trace straight across to #4.

e) From #4, trace down to #5.

f) From #5, trace back up, returning to #1.

5) Once you have returned to where you started in the room, you are ready to move on to the next room to the right (keeping things moving in a clockwise direction).

I’ve found that whenever and wherever I am smudging, this process not only makes me feel good because I am consciously putting out positive energy with a focus, but the space has also been enlivened and transformed by that focus of love. It really does make a difference!

Download a PDF of these instructions.