I love sage because it’s something that is prominent in my Palestinian culture, but I’ve been reading a lot of content written by Native Americans on cultural appropriation and the inflation of sage.
Sage is a very healing herb. In Arabic, we call it meramiya (مرامية) has a root in Virgin Mary’s Arabic name – Mariyam.
In my culture, we drink it with the belief that it will cure anything. Think of any aliement, and a Palestinian will find a way to rationalise drinking sage to heal it. But be aware, the sage we drink is different to the sage you find in bundles to burn; so please only drink sage that is suitable for internal consumption.
In my culture, we also smudge. In the Gulf, my dad grew up on using incense sticks and would often find them in Mosques. I didn’t know this until I saw him buy some recently and he told me they remind him of his time in Kuwait! These traditions have been with us for thousands of years and predate religion, but continued throughout.
Islam's beloved Prophet Mohammed (SAW) used to use bukhoor for healing purposes and because it smells amazing.
Hadhrat Umm Qais Bint Mihsan narrates that “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu aleihi wa sallam) saying, “Treat with the Indian incense, for it has healing for seven diseases; it is to be sniffed by one having throat trouble, and to be put into one side of the mouth of one suffering from pleurisy.” (Saheeh al-Bukhari, Hadith # 5368, Kitab al-Tibb)
Interestingly enough, I have heard that sage has been used as a form of bukhoor in some rural Palestinian societies. Scientifically speaking, sage clears out up to 94% of bacteria in the air, improves your mood and helps to relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety through aromatherapy and releases negative ions in the air which neutralise the positive ions.
Sustainable sage and alternatives
Contrary to popular belief, sage as a whole is not endangered. White sage is the type of sage that is most commonly used for smudging and it is not yet on the Endangered Species List but conservationists are still concerned about the future survival because of overproduction. So yes, we do need to be careful. If we are going to use sage, we need to be mindful of how we use it, not erase its identity and make sure we do not ruin the environment, the local economy and lives!
This means, don’t buy sage from Urban Outfitters and try to buy from sustainable sources that actually help the economies that plant the sage. There are alternatives to sage, but we need to consider the sourcing of them as well.
○ Oud
○ Rosemary
○ Yerba santa
○ Palo Santo
○ Sandalwood
○ Lavender
○ Pine
If you have an aversion to burning, you could make sprays out of water essential oils of healing herbs, or use a himalayan salt lamp. Sound healing is one of my favourite ways to uplift the energy in my room as well!
How to smudge
Honestly, smudging is an intuitive process. But we need to ensure safety so make sure your windows are open and you’re being careful around anything flammable. The sage is not supposed to be on fire, but there needs to be smoke coming out of it.
Make sure you have something to fan the sage to keep the smoke going so you don’t have to keep lighting the sage.
Personally, I like to first sage myself before saging the room, objects or other people. This way, you’re energetically cleansed. It all starts from within, right? I do this through hovering the sage over my head so my crown chakra is cleansed and work down my chakra line, which is from the top of your head down to your pubic bone. I do this at the front and back and then do my arms and legs and I make sure I sage my hands and feet, because those are where you’re absorbing a lot of energy from outside.
If you choose to smudge another person, you repeat the process with the strong intention to heal the other. If you intend to smudge a room, you start by smudging outside the room and the door, then the door from the inside of the room. You do all corners of the room and places you sit/lay on because they absorb energy. It’s very important to sage your bed and inside drawers and cupboards.
You could also just leave the sage to burn in a well ventilated room and let it do its thing! Give thanks and trust it will clean the air, literally. Intention is the seed and gratitude is the water.
I remember when we were younger and my dad used to smudge us with bukhoor, he used to smudge over his head and recite Qur’an and allow the bukhoor to travel. Then he used to smudge us the same way, reciting protective verses and chapters of the Qur’an.
When you’re done, you can extinguish it by leaving your sage in a jar and close it so it doesn’t react to oxygen anymore and it will naturally extinguish.
I used to sage once a month, but I received guidance during hypnosis to sage myself every single day. With this, I’d recommend that you use your intuition. When you feel like you need an energetic pick-me-up, when you absorbed some negative energy from outside, or maybe you just want to sage for the sake of it. As long as you’re being safe, there’s no harm.
What I also do is I mix up my energy cleaning. I use my salt lamp before I sleep so I can relax better. I also play my singing bowl when I feel like it, put on some Qur’an, or listen to healing sounds.
Purify your intention, follow your intuition and act with love.
Love you all!
Di xox