SMOKY SAGE EVENINGS

The ritualistic nature of burning sage helps me feel grounded and focused. It’s a traditional way to cleanse your space and make it sacred to you. 

If you choose to burn sage or other medicinal plants, please do so in a way that is culturally and ecologically sensitive. When we pick sage, we always leave the root and the newest leaves, and say a prayer of thanks for our harvest. This is as much of the ritual as the actual smoking/saging. This way, the plant will continue to grow and strive. When harvesting sage or other herbs sustainably for smudging or plant based rituals, always be mindful about its origins and significance. 

The flavour of sage mostly resonates with me during the winter season. We frequently consume this herb in the colder months with roast dinners and Christmas stuffing. Thankfully it will be a few months before the cold starts creeping in. So in the meantime, I will be wildcrafting a handful of sustainable sage bunches. I have been living and working abroad for the past three years and I have just returned home in London. The cleansing smoke from the embers of sage will help recreate and re-establish my sacred space as I pass through each room; banishing any lingering negative, stagnant energies. Crafting these bundles is a therapeutic process for me. They represent embodied prayers and intentions of love, hope, abundance, protection and cleansing. They also provide the perfect opportunity to spend more time outside to embrace the sunshine and forage wildflowers. Don't ignore life's simple pleasures! 

Our Salvia officinalis (common sage) has gone into extreme overdrive. To encourage some newer leaves to emerge, we carefully trimmed off the older leaves and respectfully burned them amongst some coal before having a little BBQ. 

As well as helping to provide a lovely smokey scent and infusion to our food, we love burning sage to welcome blessings and positive energy. 

In my household, rituals of burning beeswax candles and natural incense have always been part of my upbringing. Every weekend I would wake up to the aroma of Nag Champa as it slowly visited and purified each room. 

The natural aromas of the incense and sage can help improve your mood and heighten concentration. Their healing powers are naturally soothing and calming and are perfect to initiate a session of meditation or yoga.

The ritual of burning sage is shown to clean bacteria in the air (but not virus' I'm afraid!) I'll be sending a few out to my girlies. Now is the ideal time for self-care, spiritual self-care, balance and harmony :)