Peaceful Flow Ceremony

I thought it would be fun to share a short ceremony for bringing a peaceful flow to your sacred space.  You don’t have to be an expert or have all of the tools that I am going to mention.  Instead of feathers, you can use your hands.  Instead of smoke(if you are sensitive) use wax melts.  The purpose is to bring your space into balance and assist with giving it a peaceful serene feeling.  If you don’t have a room where you meditate or do ceremony, the bedroom is a great place to start, a good night’s sleep in a thoroughly cleansed bedroom is dreamy!

We are going to raise and move energy to reach a goal.  If you perform any type of energy healing, practice martial arts or yoga or qi gong, magick or prayer, you are already raising energy, giving it a purpose and then releasing.  So you already have the basics for the ceremony.  If this is your first time performing anything like this, I am sure you will find it to be uplifting and you will have a feeling of harmony.  Ready?  Okay let’s get started.

If you are going to follow the ceremony using all the tools, you will need:  your feather, your abalone shell, the medicines(herbs) such as sweet grass, sage and lavender( these are perfect for this ceremony), wooden matches( a lighter is fine too but I prefer the matches) and some alone time so you won’t be disturbed.  Once you have gathered all the tools necessary, sit for a moment in the room you will be working with and connect with the energies, stay open and relaxed, note if you are drawn to a particular corner or piece of furniture, breath normally and let your body relax.

Next awaken your feather, run your thumb and middle finger along the heart line of the feather( the very center of it), gently caressing it, ask the spirit of the feather to join you from its resting place and honour the energies of the feather.  After invoking the spirit of the feather, place the feather over your heart to fully connect with its energies and bring your hearts together to beat in unison.

Start adding the medicines to your shell, first the sweet grass then the lavender and last the sage.  As you are adding each herb, thank the plants spirit for its medicine and assistance.  Always remain thankful and humble, these are powerful energies and deserve your respect.  Once all the medicines are in the shell, invoke the spirit of Mother Earth and Father Sky to watch over and protect you during the ceremony.  Ask that they assist the smoke in carrying and moving the energies to bring peace, serenity and healing.

Then light the pot, starting from the furthest point away from and moving forward.  Watch how the medicines light, as you practice this more, you will become aware of any symbols in the flames and the smoke.  Ask your spirit guides to protect and bless you throughout the ceremony.

Start with a corner in your room away from any doorway, gently wave the feather over the smoke, asking the smoke to transform any negative energies into harmonious healing energies.  Remain humble and reverent to the medicines and the spirits you have invoked.  Move in a clockwise motion around the room, pay attention to the corners and any areas that you felt drawn too while connecting to the room.  Ask Earth Mother to take your prayers of harmony, peace and serenity to the Great Spirit and transform your room into a loving sacred space.

When you reach the doorway, pay a lot of attention to it, ask only love and light to remain and banish any negative energies.  Before ending the ceremony, wave the feather over the smoke toward you, start at your head and surround yourself with the medicines, bathe in the sacred smoke.  Ask that the smoke cleanse your eyes, ears and mouth so that you can see more clearly, hear for your highest good and speak from your heart.

Take the pot outside and give the medicines back to Mother Earth, thank Mother and Father Sky for being with you, thank your spirit guides, your feather and your pot(shell) for assisting you and lastly thank the spirit of the medicines for cleansing and healing you.

Once you have finished be sure to have a drink of water and something small to eat to help ground yourself.  I sincerely hope you enjoy this simple yet elegant and powerful ceremony.

The Benefits of Sacred Smudging

Sacred Smudging is a spiritual ceremony dedicated to cleansing your personal space, mind and body.  Numerous religions practice it and the tools used can vary from one tradition to the next.  I use an abalone shell with my feather wand.  To give my sacred space a good “cleaning” I use sweet grass, white sage and sacred tobacco.  Depending on the work I am doing, I will change up the herbs used and will also employ lavender, rose petals, yerba santa, frankincense, myrrh and copal, to name a few.

Before I cleanse a room(s), I cleanse myself by dry bathing in the smoke.  I use my feather wand to direct the smoke, using your hands is fine too.  You can also simply light a stick of incense and “wash” yourself then cleanse your room(s).

The ceremony itself can be as elaborate as you wish.  Once a month I go all out, I set up my altar, light candles, put on David Hickey, invoke the four directions and break out the shell and feather wand.  I cleanse myself and the entire house, making sure I get the corners, behind furniture etc., anywhere energy can sit and become stale.  Daily before my yoga practice, I light some incense and dry bathe myself and let the incense burn for about 10 minutes.

Some of the benefits of smudging yourself and your space are:

Clarity, Grounding, feeling one with the Universe, Promotes Release, Prepares for Forgiveness, Brings the Chakras into Balance, Facilitates connection with the Higher Self, Allows a feeling of being in the Present, Removes blockages, Joy, Peace, Rids your space of any negative energies, Promotes a general state of calm, Creates Sacred Space, Makes the space feel more Welcoming and Removes energy left behind by others.  This is not an exhaustive list they are many more benefits to you and your family.

The extra added bonus is that your sacred space will smell amazing!