It can be draining to go days without a good night’s sleep. We’ve all been there. I used to be the one who fell asleep at the drop of a hat and slept soundly until morning. Now, when I have something on my mind, I wake up a few hours into the night and toss and turn until I’m so exhausted, I crash only to have my alarm go off a couple of hours later. Can you relate? Do you have trouble sleeping then finally get back to sleep just in time to get up? If you’re like me, you may find the following tips for smudging your house especially your bedroom helpful as you’ll learn when to smudge, the steps you need to take to smudge properly, and the herbs to use for cleansing and blessing your home so you can start sleeping better too!

WHAT IT MEANS TO SMUDGE YOUR HOUSE

Recently I realized that smudging my chakras was a great thing to do after I finished a round of sessions for the day and after I’d gotten off one of my live chakra calls on Clubhouse. But it was only going to help me sleep better if I also cleared my bedroom of stagnant energy and clutter.

As I’ve said before, smudging is one of my go-to tactics when I need to clear stagnant energy from a space and get things moving again. It is a Native American tradition that uses the burning of dried herbs to create smoke which is then used to purify negative energy from a space. Smudging is a slow methodical process that should be carried out in a mindful manner. Here are my tips for smudging your house and bedroom so you can sleep better.

WHEN TO SMUDGE YOUR HOUSE

I’ll admit it, life is like that. We collect things and sometimes those things clutter our houses and impede the energy flow in our rooms. In addition, those ‘things’ we collect carry energy so each time we bring something new into our home, we’re also bringing in the energy it carries with it.

Take a few minutes to think of your house, especially your bedroom, where’s the clutter? Is it on your nightstand? Dresser? In your closet? Maybe it’s the stack of clothes tossed over the chair in the corner. Wherever it is, physically clear the clutter before smudging. That way the smoke can cleanse all the spaces that may be congested. It’s also a good idea to sweep, vacuum, or wash your space as much as you can before you smudge.

HOW TO PROPERLY SMUDGE YOUR HOUSE

I do what feels right for me when it comes to smudging. Even though some believe that you must start at the front door of your home and walk clockwise, I prefer to trust my instincts. For example, if I’m having trouble sleeping, I smudge the bedroom. If I’m stuck and can’t figure out what to write, I smudge my office. And other times, I smudge the whole house! There really is no wrong way to smudge your house as long as you are careful with the burning ashes, so you don’t drop them on anything flammable.

As I talked about in this post, smudging consists of two main steps: cleansing and blessing. For cleansing the energy of a space, use white sage, prairie sage, cedar, juniper, lavender, or a smudge stick containing a combination of the above. I collect many of my own herbs, so I use mostly loose herbs for smudging.

STEPS FOR SMUDGING YOUR HOUSE

Start by cleaning the space. Clear clutter, sweep, vacuum, and wash what you can. When I smudge the bedroom, I also wash the bedding so I can put it back on clean and fresh when the smoke cleanse is done.

Gather your smudging supplies: a shallow dish, feather, wooden matches, aromatic cleansing herb, and the blessing herb. Then, light the cleansing herb in the shallow dish and blow out the flame. Waft the smoke into the air as you move around the room. Phrases such as “I clear all energies that are not for my highest good” or “I clear all negativity from this space” can be used as you are doing this but don’t worry if you don’t as the power of the smudge will be effective whether you say the phrases or not. Make sure you get the smoke into the corners of the room and in any areas where there is a lack of airflow as there is a good chance that that is where energy is stuck.

When you feel like you’ve cleared enough low vibrational energy, refresh the space by lighting some sweetgrass. It is said that sweetgrass shifts the air element to transform one’s environment by connecting humans to the spirit world and it allows you to call forth the energy of peace and love. If you’re like me, you love the smell of sweetgrass and will find it aromatically pleasing and less harsh than the odor of the sage. The steps for refreshing your space are the same as for cleansing except, if you repeat phrases, try one such as “I nourish the universe and the universe nourishes me” to ensure your space is filled with the highest possible vibration.

There you have it, a sneak peek into how I use smudging to clear congestion from my house. You’ve learned how I use it to clear the stagnant energy from my bedroom, what it means to smudge your house when to smudge, how to smudge your bedroom including which type of container to use, how to cleanse the space, and how to refresh the energy by burning sweetgrass as a blessing.

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