TRADITIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN INCENSES

All Native People of North America use sage, cedar, sweet grass and juniper for smudging.  Smudging is performed to purify places before sacred events or meditation, before beginning an important meeting or before offering help or healing.  It is also used to purify a new home or apartment before moving in, in health centers to keep the space clear, and in places where difficult events have occurred (theft,  violence, etc.).

White sage (salvia apiana), the most masculine of these incenses and a powerful purifier, is harvested in the South West deserts.

Sweet grass (anthoxanthum odoratum), often called the hair of Mother Earth, grows in Eastern Quebec. Sweet grass is the most feminine of these herbs and is used to call in good energies.

Canadian cedar (thuya occidentalis) can be found everywhere in Quebec.  Called the Great Tree of Peace, it has the perfect balance of feminine and masculine polarities.  A powerful purifier, it predisposes to prayer, tranquillity and serenity. 

Juniper (juniperus scorpuiorum), which also grows in the South West, is used for remembering dreams and purifying the sleeping space.

Traditionally, Native Americans would burn smudge in an abalone shell.  Although any shell can be used, the abalone is still very popular today because of its beauty and resistance to high temperatures.  We choose a shell because in the alchemical process of transformation (in this case purification) four elements are represented: the shell for the water, the match for the fire, the herbs and ashes for the earth and the smoke for the air. 

To smudge, put several sage leaves in the center of the shell.  Add on top of it a pinch of cedar powder and some pieces of sweet grass.  Light with a wooden match.  If necessary, fan with a feather to activate smoldering.  When the incenses are almost burned, you can add more cedar powder to prolong combustion.

To purify yourself, bring the shell around you and allow the smoke to come in contact with all parts of your body.  You can also place the shell in front of you or, in a more traditional way, have someone to hold it while you bring the smoke towards your body with your hands. 

According to tradition, it is recommended to offer the smoke to the four directions, beginning to the North or the East and to say a prayer while holding the shell.  Native spirituality teaches us that the smoke of the sacred herbs brings our prayers into the spiritual world.  As it vanishes into the air, the smoke goes directly into the  world of perfect forms called «Ungawi», in Cherokee, this sacred place where all Spirits live.  Not only does this smoke brings our message to the world of the Creator, Great Spirit or Great Mystery, the One with so many names in so many languages, but it is also a offering for which the good Spirits are grateful. 

Smudging being a holy act, the remaining ashes are sacred and consequently should be given back to the earth in a respectful manner.  (In some nations, these ashes are accumulated during the year and buried during a special ceremony.) 

To purify your house, first open a door and a window in all rooms.  Starting from one side of the door, follow the wall with the shell, sending smoke everywhere, even in cabinets and closets.  When you are arrive on the other side of the door, your house will have been entirely purified. 

To purify someone, stand before that person and allow the smoke of the shell to come in contact with all parts of its body, starting with the feet and going up.  Do the same thing again in his or her back.

An elder of the Apache nation studied in laboratory the effectiveness of smudging.  With the help of  scientists, she discovered that the smoke produced by the native herbs would carry positive ions (an electric charge in the air molecule) out.  This is the reason why a window should always be open while burning these incenses.  

Positive ions are in high concentration in polluted places, like in a moving car with windows closed or in rooms without good aeration.  They can be detrimental to a healthy ambiance.   Negative ions, on the other hand, are beneficial.  After a thunderstorm, for example, they are in high concentration in the atmosphere.  This is why the air after an electrical storm is so invigorating.  They are also in high concentration in pine forests, near the sea and on granite mountains.

Pollution is carried in suspension in the atmosphere by positive ions.  Today, air purifiers are available on the market that produce negative ions. These negative ions will bring the positive ions to resolution and dissipation.  Native incenses work in much the same way.

Thus it is proven that burning sage, cedar, sweet grass or juniper eliminates harmful ions or «bad spirits».  Negative or harmful energies need a vehicle and positive ions do the job.  It is thus a very good thing to burn native incenses.  All of the herbs listed above can be used either alone or mixed together.

If you need more information, have suggestions or would like to order the shell and Native American incenses, please contact us : info@eartheagle.com  Phone-1-418-843-2733 Fax-1-418-843-9074