The day I realized I am actually wayyyy more fire than air (my Sun being Libra) was when I found out I was ascendent Sag and obviously A LOT of my dark burning side made sense.
There is just this thing with me and fire. It’s just anchored in me. It’s in my veins I guess, my blood hailing from desert nomads, performing fire rituals every evening.
Fire and smoke are the simple things that purify me.
Burning things calms me down. So obviously, never having embodied a pyromaniac per se, my fire-demons have gotten their outlet and frenzies pretty much with a hell lot of incense, as I ventured into experimenting into smudging everything that made sense to me.
Having started to craft ritual smudge sticks for CATHARSIOPA, I just fell in love with the art of burning dried plants.
It’s so soothing to light up colorful flowers, barks, roots and herbs and smell the divine essences that are released from the fire.
Plus the smoke embalms us directly in a mystical mood, it’s literally transcending.
Smudging has been performed throughout the times, and across the corners of the world; in fact, the earliest records of smudging date back to Kemet (Ancient Egypt), a people who were so advanced in aligning their spiritual existence with their worldly lifestyle, which I will tell much more about along my posts as they inspire me in so many more facets of life.
Book of the Dead of the scribe Nebqed, reign of Amenophis III (1391-1353 BC), The scribe offering incense to the God Osiris source
A ritual passed from generation to generation, in all kinds of settings, the religious and ceremonial use remains the most current today.
Smudging attracts the wished intention and can bring to existence many kinds of effects.
Amongst the usual rites, it is performed for
purification,
protection,
restoring health and bringing energetical balance,
banishing spirits and toxic vibrations,
inviting Gods and the divine into a ceremony/circle,
balancing out the ions in the air,
performing a rite of passage,
starting a new chapter in life,
making Love, etc…
@Ravenking13 and I pretty much have some incense burning from when we wake up until we go to sleep, and since I thought some of you may enjoy burning incense as well, I’d share one of my favorite practice, which actually is a very self-sufficient way to burn your favorite smells in your favorite places.
Even with no reason, burning incense is an amazing way to keep a room / space fresh and high-vibrational.
To me, nothing beats the smell of a room that is regularly smudged.
All you need is an incense diffuser [or a simple plate with a charcoal works too]
and some dried organics [keep it creative!]
I always keep even the tiniest scraps of dried scented flowers (roses are heavenly!), cinnamon sticks, sweetgrass, orange peels AND the leaves, I am addicted to their smell!, sage, anise star seeds, peppermint, vanilla, coffee beans, lavender, even organic tobacco (which smells so differently than cigarettes or any type of smoking).
I collect them in a coconut bowl that I keep on our Nature-Altar so whenever our plants lose flowers or when I have leftovers from crafting smudge sticks, they all land in the sacred bowl.
So whenever I feel like a ‘hands-on’ smudge, I light up a charcoal, take the coconut bowl, put some of the herbs in a mortar and crush them with the pestle to a loose-tea-like mix.
[An awesome witchy way is to add an intention while you put your mix before crushing it, and while you crush you literally imagine the magical juices flow into the Quantum Field]
You can even throw in resins if you have frankincense, myrrh or any other resin you even collected yourself on a tree!
Once your mix is ready, infused with your vibe, you can throw it onto the coal and take in that long smoke of splendid flavors!
Enjoy the sacred smoke telling you its story while it dances into the air!
