Smudging: White Sage & Palo Santo

white sage palo santo smudging goddess elite north olmsted

Smudging is the act of cleansing yourself and your sacred space, your home, or even your workplace. Think of it as spiritual house cleaning.

While there are many different ways to smudge, most people tend to lean towards either sage (white sage) or Palo Santo to keep the good vibes going. 

This post explores these popular smudging preferences to help you choose what’s right for you.

White Sage Smudging

 

Ancient Romans called sage a salvation plant (literally, salvare, meaning ‘to heal’); sage was also used in ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Greek medicines for its natural healing properties.

White sage has been used over the years by Indigenous peoples for cleansing, purification, warding off evil spirits, and dispelling negative energies. Often, burning white sage can bring forth wisdom and clarity as it increases your spiritual awareness.

White Sage properties and benefits include:

  • Clearing and rebooting energy in a room
  • Restores intuition
  • Offers protection
  • Alleviates stress
  • Increases mindfulness
  • Can kill some airborne bacteria and viruses, like the common cold

Palo Santo Smudging

Palo Santo (Bursera Graveolens) translated from Spanish, Palo Santo means ‘Wood of the Saints’ or ‘Sacred Wood.’ is a sacred tree and grows in select parts of South America.

It has been used for many centuries by shamans for sanctification in ritual prayer, ceremonies, and healing. Palo Santo offers a grounded and clear energy while also enhancing creativity and bringing forth good fortune.

Palo Santo properties and benefits include:

  • Clears bad energy
  • Helps with meditation
  • Raises your vibration
  • Increases spiritual awareness
  • Sanctifies your space
  • Can repel some insects

Smudging Intentions

Merely burning either of these will not ensure the utilization of their magical and transforming properties.

Sage and Palo Santo are both smudging tools to be used with intention. You’ll only get out of it what you put into it. The intentions you concentrate on are everything.

At Goddess Elite, we carry both white sage and Palo Santo, as well as other smudging tools and room sprays. Feel free to ask us if you are confused as to what type of cleansing your space or ritual needs.

As with any fire or smoke-related practice, be sure you don’t leave any of your burning sage or Palo Santo sticks unattended.