Hi there friends & neighbors! I have a fun project to share! Sage is growing out of control in our garden so I’m using some to show you how to make smudge sticks from fresh sage!
Since my family & I started on this holistic journey toward living a green life, some things came naturally (pun intended). One of them was gardening. What I didn’t know is that some things grow faster & easier than others and you have to find something to do with all the harvest.
Case in point… sage. Smells great – like thanksgiving dinner – and grows so fast I couldn’t figure out what to do with it. Until the light bulb went off… We could make smudge sticks!!
We burn smudge sticks a lot. AND IT WORKS wonders for clearing negative energy from our home especially:
- After having company & (small) parties. Not because the people are negative, but just to sort of “reset” things at home.
- But sometimes there are visitors who do have negative energy, though it may not be intentional & they may not know it. So we absolutely cleanse after those visits.
- And then there are those that ARE intentionally negative. Remove, release, cleanse.
- Anytime there are difficult discussions, arguments, hostility, or unresolved issues.
- Anytime really. Unless you have allergies or asthma, it really is an uplifting ritual & smell to pray over your home for cleansing.
We’ve always bought our smudge sticks online until I started seeing them in a few of grocery stores we go to regularly. Only problem… they are a bit pricey and since we were entertaining alot pre-Coronavirus, we couldn’t keep enough of them.
Now that COVID-19 has changed all of that, we still burn sage to keep ourselves & our home uplifted. Difference is that now I make smudge sticks from fresh sage & sage flowers growing in my garden.
Before now I didn’t know how to make smudge sticks OR that I even could make my own. Somehow it just seemed much more complicated than it really is.
If you’re interested in how to make smudge sticks at home, keep reading. You won’t believe how simple they are!
How to Make Smudge Sticks From Fresh Sage
Materials needed to make smudge sticks:
You only need to 2 things to make these smudge sticks & you probably already have them on hand.
- Sage (if you’re not already growing it, you should seriously consider it)
- Natural fiber twine or rope (I used some jute twine I had from previous projects). Make sure it’s only 1 strand so if yours is twisted or braided, you’ll have to separate it like I did.
Quick important note: the twine or rope definitely has to be natural fiber. It should burn easily & not be treated with anything. That would defeat the purpose of the all natural sage smudge stick & you’ll just end up burning chemicals in your home.
Here’s a quick video on how to wrap the sage. You can also read the technique down below.
- Start with a bundle of sage that you have gathered together & tie a tight knot at 1 end.
- Wrap the bundle several times at the end
- Move your way up the bundle wrapping just tightly enough to hold it together. Make sure that you leave some space in between each turn of the twine (this is easy to see in the video above).
- When you get to the other end, start wrapping back down toward the beginning of the bundle. You are wrapping correctly if it looks like shoelaces.
- When you get back to the beginning, tie another knot to secure the bundle. Cut the twine leaving enough at the end to hang your sage bundle from.
- Find a spot where you can hang your sage to dry. It will take a couple of weeks to fully dry so make sure your space is not too humid & that it can’t get wet.
- I started mine outside under a covered patio & moved them to the garage after about a week.
How do you know the smudge sticks are ready to burn?
As your smudge sticks begin to dry, they will shrink a bit & you may even lose a few leaves. When you can pick it up without it falling apart or going limp, it’s probably ready.
I think the only true way to tell is to try it out. Mine took about 2 weeks in the Houston heat. As I use 1, I keep the others hanging or in an open dish where they can continue to dry out until we need them.
So there you have it… this is how I make my own smudge sticks now. They burn just as well as any we’ve purchased & are basically free! So long as our garden sage continues to grow, I don’t think we’ll ever buy them again!
