{"id":2911,"date":"2020-05-28T10:29:10","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T10:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gator4138.temp.domains\/~seocloud\/website_bd55b9c6\/?p=2911"},"modified":"2023-05-21T12:31:58","modified_gmt":"2023-05-21T12:31:58","slug":"history-of-smudging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/history-of-smudging\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fascinating History Of Smudging"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:56.25%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-2::before{padding-top:56.25%; }img#mv-trellis-img-2{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-3::before{padding-top:56.25%; }img#mv-trellis-img-3{display:block;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Cleansing your energy field is very important in this day and age. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">We often unconsciously pick up on the &ldquo;subtle&rdquo; intentions, thoughts, projections, and energies of others. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Sometimes these can be positive, and they often are! <\/span><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">But, they can also be negative and harmful for us. This is where <i>smudging<\/i> comes in.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span class=\"s1\">Smudging is essentially cleansing and clearing your aura.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span class=\"s1\">In this article instead of looking at the benefits and reasons for smudging, we will be looking solely at the <i>history<\/i> of smudging- such as where did it come from? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Let&rsquo;s find out. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"p6 wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><b><strong>Where Did Smudging Come From?<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging-1.jpg\" alt=\"showing the history of smudging \" class=\"wp-image-10016\" srcset=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging-1.jpg 560w, https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging-1-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20560%20315'%3E%3Crect%20width='560'%20height='315'%20style='fill:%23e3e3e3'\/%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" alt=\"showing the history of smudging \" class=\"wp-image-10016 eager-load\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging-1.jpg\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-1\" data-src=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging-1.jpg.webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging-1.jpg.webp 560w, https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging-1-300x169.jpg.webp 300w\" data-svg=\"1\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Smudging is an ancient practice first used and adopted by tribal and ancient cultures. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Those who worked and lived on the land, and who were in tune with their earthy and spiritual roots used special plants and herbs to purify the air and cleanse themselves of <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/signs-of-negative-energy-in-a-house\/\" data-lasso-id=\"892\">negative energy<\/a>.<\/span><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">These tribal cultures and groups of people also believed that smudging could protect them from harmful spirits, therefore smudging is historically a way to ward off evil spirits and unseen energies. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Although obviously having roots in superstition, there is some scientific backing to this belief. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><i>Kirlian photography<\/i> shows how the aura, or electromagnetic energy field as defined by science, is real. <\/span><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Very real in fact! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Ultimately, we do have an aura- a protective subtle field encompassing us. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">This energy field is responsible for subtle influences including both our own intentions and mental projections, and the thought projections of others. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Our auras are perpetually interacting with other people&rsquo;s auras, and the energy and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/law-of-attraction-vibration\/\" data-lasso-id=\"893\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">vibrations emitted by natural objects &amp; entities<\/span><\/a><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"> such as crystals, special gemstones, herbs, plants, and flowers. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Thus, in terms of smudging, its emergence and establishment as a necessary practice by ancient people portray how much wisdom and knowledge of plants and herbs or flowers these people actually held. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Let&rsquo;s look at the various origins throughout history&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"ul1 wp-block-list\"><li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Native Americans used sage and other herbal\/ plant bundles in ceremony. In other words, a &ldquo;smudge stick&rdquo; was used to cleanse people, spaces and environments of negative energy, including any lingering spiritual forces that may not have been entirely benevolent. Sage is the most commonly used smudging plant used today and is known to come from this Native American practice. Sage, like many other herbs and plants, is seen to be <i>sacred<\/i>. <\/span><\/li><li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Buddhists, Catholics, and many other people throughout history have burned plants &amp; herbs for positive and healing effects. The idea regardless of the culture or religion has always been the same; smoke is <i>purifying<\/i>. Smoke from herbs like sage transforms negative energy into positive energy, removing toxins and impurities in the air. <\/span><\/li><li class=\"li4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Europeans used to burn herbs and plants for practical purposes. Some cultures believed smudging could help relieve people and animals of parasites and unwanted bugs! Of course, we know how much truth this holds as almost 100% of all western and modern medicine is taken from some part of nature, from some herb, plant, or flower. <\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">In short, sage, one of the main herbs for smudging, helps to drive away negative and harmful energy, thoughts, emotions, and mental projections. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">It is fascinating to know that sage itself is called Salvia officinalis in Latin, originating from &ldquo;salveo&rdquo; which translates as <i>to<\/i> <i>save or heal<\/i>. Powerful stuff!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"p6 wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><b><strong>Is Burning Sage Considered Witchcraft?<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging.jpg\" alt=\"history Of smudging and witchcraft\" class=\"wp-image-10014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging.jpg 560w, https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging.jpg.webp\" alt=\"history Of smudging and witchcraft\" class=\"wp-image-10014 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging.jpg.webp 560w, https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging-300x169.jpg.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/history-of-smudging.jpg\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-2\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">So, we all know the witch hunts and trials were unfortunately real. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">&ldquo;Witches&rdquo; were medicine women (and sometimes men) who used sacred plants and herbs for blessings, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/intention-setting-ritual\/\" data-lasso-id=\"894\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">intention setting<\/span><\/a><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">, and ceremony. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">They worked with the land and the beauty of the earth, yet, due to fear, ignorance, and illusion in historic and ancient times, were misjudged and subsequently persecuted. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Quite simple, in times of old, Satan was a real thing. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">He was an entity, a person, and a force that could &ldquo;possess&rdquo; and control people, objects, and things like plants. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The truth is today sage is not considered witchcraft, there is too much wisdom, truth, and self-awareness. <\/span><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">(Thank goodness!) <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">However, there are still some who hold old-age illusions and ignorance. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">They may not see burning sage for smudging as witchcraft per se, but they do view it as some &ldquo;hocus-pocus,&rdquo; delusional and &ldquo;woo&rdquo; type thing. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">It is unfortunate, as there are great healing and self-realization to be achieved and attained through smudging. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Herbs and plants hold medicinal and therapeutic properties&hellip; The medicine men and women from ancient times were aware of these &ldquo;powers.&rdquo; <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Witches were humans who were in tune and touch with their spiritual selves, with the subtle dimensions and realms of life. <\/span><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">T<\/span><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">hey used herbs and plants to cleanse, heal, and purify. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">So why did we persecute them so?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The fact that burning sage was considered witchcraft once upon a time shows how important the practice of smudging is. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">From Buddhists to Catholics, shamans to native Americans, and cultures all around the world; smudging has been a sacred practice used <i>only<\/i> for good and health. There is no evil in it&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"p6 wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 24pt;\"><b><strong>Smudging Today<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/smudging.jpg\" alt=\"Smudging historic \" class=\"wp-image-10018\" srcset=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/smudging.jpg 560w, https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/smudging-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\"><\/noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/smudging.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Smudging historic \" class=\"wp-image-10018 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/smudging.jpg.webp 560w, https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/smudging-300x169.jpg.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/smudging.jpg\" id=\"mv-trellis-img-3\" data-trellis-processed=\"1\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Today, smudging has become a way for meditators, spiritual people, and practitioners of the healing arts and holistic\/ alternative medicine to &ldquo;clear space.&rdquo; <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Yoga teachers, meditation practitioners, holistic health therapists, and people from all walks of life use sage for smudging. <\/span><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">And this is exactly what sage smudging and other forms of smudging does, it clears space. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">In the east, Buddhists and Taoists burn <\/span><a data-lasso-id=\"5965\" href=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/spiritual-herbs\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">herbs for spiritual purposes<\/span><\/a><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">In the West, &ldquo;new-age&rdquo; spiritualists also make use of the cleansing and purifying effects of smudging.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">If learning about the real applications and essence of smudging does anything, it shows that the outdated beliefs and illusions once held by our ancient ancestors (such as the witch trials and the like!) were extremely significant in our human journey. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">We first fear and seek to destroy what we don&rsquo;t understand&hellip; but even this in itself shows the power of the thing we are seeking to destroy. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">If it didn&rsquo;t hold any real power and significance, our lower human minds and ego wouldn&rsquo;t seek to destroy it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">It is a disease of the mind, and it is this precise disease and distortion that shows just how empowering and loving sage and other plants as used in smudging are. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\" style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Luckily, we have moved away from this &ldquo;dark&rdquo; age and mindset.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks I hope you enjoyed this article on the history of smudging. Check out these related articles on <a data-lasso-id=\"8845\" href=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/smudging-for-beginners\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">smudging for beginners<\/span><\/a> if you want to experience the power of smudging in your life, or alternatively this article on the difference between <a href=\"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/palo-santo-vs-sage\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"28675\" data-lasso-id=\"15327\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">when to use Sage and Palo Santo<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cleansing your energy field is very important in this day and age. We often unconsciously pick up on the &ldquo;subtle&rdquo; intentions, thoughts, projections, and energies of others. Sometimes these can &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"disable-in-feed":false,"article-schema-type":"","disable-critical-css":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[100228],"tags":[97],"class_list":["post-2911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-practices-and-rituals","tag-smudging"],"aioseo_notices":[],"gutentor_comment":1,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2911"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":553973,"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2911\/revisions\/553973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/subconsciousservant.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}