Ancient ways ...and me

Day before yesterday
i decided to ~smudge~
hadn't done it for a while and the air in my home was feeling
heavy and stale...
mainly due to a stubborn flu bug that has had my son out of school for a week
and has been nagging at the corners of my immune system too (Bah humbug!)
so i went to my trusty little 'potions box'
(the 'meat safe' section of one of my olde dressers)
and pulled out a lavender smudge stick
(handmade by me when our lavender bush had it's annual prune)
from amongst the essential oil bottles and herbs that i have there



i discovered smudging
along with a growing spiritual awareness
after the death of my Beloved Dad
having always been partial to a little incense burning
i never really understood why it made me feel more ~peaceful~ somehow
later i came to understand that it helped to shift or clear stale energies
both in my surroundings and my energy system (or Aura)

So with this in mind i lit my little bundle
over a glass plate (to catch any wandering embers)
i opened the doors to a sunny winters day
and as the flame died on the bundle
the 'smoking' began...
i then closed my eyes for a moment
for a silent prayer
for the dark to be lifted
and light to fill the empty spaces...



Then slowly and quietly
i moved from room to room
(ALL rooms for staleness will sit in dark corners)
and allowed the gentle smoke to drift
and swirl...

Later that day, my teenage daughter arrived home
and smiling at me questioned what i had done?
Shifted some furniture? or scrubbed some walls?
For something felt, different or cleaner, somehow?
...she said

And that is what smudging does
whether you consciously ~Believe~ or not
there is an ancient 'something' at play
a something that connects us to the 'ye olde ways'
a something a little spiritual, a something a little practical
a something a little *magical*

i think am predisposed to this kind of ancient ceremony
because it is simple and without elaborate ritual
i think it is the simplicity and practicality
that sits most comfortably with me
and because there is a connection

to the Ancient ways ...and me



*Smudging hints

x