“The path of the green witch is the path of the naturalist, the herbalist, and the healer. It is a free-form, flexible, and personalized practice for anyone who wants to explore the gifts of nature and use them to find balance and harmony in life…”
–
The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock
Cleansing with smoke is not something new in the history of humanity. This is an ancestral practice that connects us to Mother Earth and the Universe. Cleansing with smoke consists of burning herbs, plants, flowers and such, in a bundle or loose. The smoke that these bundles creates is sacred and has many other properties depending on the materials you use.
Select and the herbs you’d like to use for your herbal stick and mindfully take a moment to thank them before cutting them. Make a connection with the plants and honor them. Once you’ve done this, you may cut them.
Measure a piece of thin string. Use approximately more than twice the length of the herbs you’re using. Use cotton, twine or natural/organic fibers because you don’t want toxic materials to be released when burning it.
Before starting to work with the plants, set an intention for the herbal stick you’ll be creating.
Now that you have connected with the spirit of the plants and set your intention, start to make a bundle with your herbs and materials. You can make it as thick or thin as you’d like. Do consider that if you’re using fresh-cut herbs and the bundle is too thick it may take longer to dry.
Wrap the string tightly around the base of your bundle and start to wrap vertically from the base up in a swirling motion. Make sure you tighten it well, as it will lose volume as it dries. Tuck stems or twigs poking out if you wish.
When you reach the tip, work your way back down to the base (the string will start to resemble X’s). Tie the two ends of the cord together at the base.
As an optional last detail, you can trim the edges. Allow your stick to dry out 4-8 weeks or until you notice it has dried properly.
Here’s a list of some of the herbs and plants you can use to create your herbal sticks according to some of their properties.
Amaranth – Healing. Harmonizes spaces. Removes intuition blocks.
Bay leaf – Protection, healing, calming, attracting success, reduces anxiety. Can also be used for clairvoyance.
Calendula – purification, ceremonial.
Chamomile – Healing, happiness, comfort. Aids with restful sleep and bringing luck.
Cedar – Grounding, protection. Ceremonial. Purifies low vibration energy, brings in the high vibes.
Cinnamon – Healing. Relaxes and soothes while increasing energy. Also promotes power, success, psychic abilities and mental focus.
Copal – Cleansing, protection, divination, improves intuition. An offering for divine beings, spirit guide connection.
Dandelion – Divination, spirit calling, meditation.
Eucalyptus – Protection, healing, improves health, energizing, purifying.
Basil – Purification, calming, strong protection. Aids in bringing in wealth, love and courage.
Juniper – cleansing, purification and protection.
Lavender – Protection, purification, calming. To call in happiness, love, beauty, relaxation, restful sleep and psychic knowledge.
Lemongrass – purification, cleansing. Encourages clarity and focus.
Mugwort – purification, soothing, deepens intuition, aids clear and lucid dreaming.
Mullein – cleansing sickrooms + heals/improves respiratory function
Palo Santo – Cleansing, purifying, healing. Invites sweetness and harmony.
Peppermint — soothing, healing, protection. Aids intuitive abilities and restful sleep.
Pine needles — cleansing, purification, protection. Blessing new spaces.
Sage (White, desert, grey, etc.) — Purifies, cleans and neutralizes energy. Used for healing, meditation, cleansing, ceremonial or blessing.
Sweetgrass — Purification, brings positive energy and ideal for ceremonial use.
Rosemary — Healing, protection, purification. To call in love, strength, memory, stress relief, and mental clarity. It invites peace and harmony.
Rose petals — Calming, attracts love and harmonious energy into spaces.
I hope you enjoy making these as much as I do! If you feel like sharing, go ahead and tag me @themanifestingmoon.
Love and light,
