A good way to start walking upon the Red Road and living in harmony with All Our Relations is through smudging. Smudging was used by Native Americans as a way of cleansing. Smoke from burning herbs is fanned over the body, usually with a feather, cleansing the energy field of the person. Smoke is able to penetrate the realms of Creation, moving from the dense to the more subtle.

The herbs most commonly used in smudging are the plants of the Spirit Keepers: Sweetgrass in the North; Tobacco in the East; Sagebrush in the South; and Cedar in the West. Sweetgrass stimulates positive energies, Tobacco absorbs either positve or negative energies, Sagebrush gets rid of negativity, and Cedar cleanses. Other plants may also be added to your smudge mixture. This way the specific energy of the plant is incorporated into the ceremony.

For this ceremony you will need: Sage, Sweetgrass, Cedar, or Tobacco, singly or in combination; a shell or bowl; a fan or feather; and matches.

1. Mix together the plants you will be using and place them in a shell or sturdy bowl. Light them.
2. When they are burning, use a fan or feather to put out the flame.
3. Once the herbs are smoldering, draw the smoke to your heart, then over your head, down your arms, and down the front of your body, then the back of your body toward the ground.
4. Now offer smoke to the six directions: up to Creator, down to the Earth Mother, to the North, East, South, and West.
5. You may then walk around the area you will be using, wafting smoke with the feather. Pay particular attention the corners of rooms, and make sure you always leave a window open in order to provide an outlet for negative energy.

DISCOVERYPath, Visual Guides on the Path to Self Discovery