Cleansing Tools, Cultural Appropriation, and Ancestral Connection
When I first started my spiritual journey I learned all about energy clearing and cleansing. The most commonly discussed ritual was “smudging” or burning bundles of white sage. This is an sacred spiritual ritual established by Native American tribes to clear energy and promote healing. After further investigation and education I came to find that the use of white sage in this type of ritual is considered a closed practice, reserved only for Native American people. I am not a person of Native descent. Considering the centuries of sickening oppression and harm inflicted by my ancestors on Native people, my continued participation in the ritual would be gross cultural appropriation.
Upon reading further into this topic I could quickly identify my own participation in the cultural appropriation. I am a member of a majority group (white woman), using an element of a minority group (Native people), for my personal benefit, without paying respects to its origins. Reading further, I came across a wide array of different opinions on the subject of smudging and culture appropriation. Some members of First Nations say it is ok to participate as long as you are showing respect and giving credit to the origins, others say this is absolutely not open to people outside of Native groups, especially given the history of oppression. Personally, I feel strongly that it’s best to listen, believe their pain, recognize my own participation in oppression and appropriation, and respect the request to stop participating in this practice.
I also discovered that the new found cultural fascination with smudging had caused over harvesting and unethical production of white sage, similar to its frequent companion, Palo Santo. I will not be purchasing either ever again.
This sparked my interest in creating my own cleansing tools for personal use. I grow lavender and rosemary in my garden and have dried these herbs to create bundles for smoke clearing my energy and home. Rosemary is burned for protection, lavender for promoting calm and peaceful energies.
This also encouraged me to look deeper into my own ancestral roots for tools that would help me feel connected, grounded, and supported by my ancestors. I am of British and Irish heritage and have started reading more about Celtic and Druid traditions. It is believed that rosemary and lavender were brought to England by the Romans and have been grown in the region for centuries. British lavender is the most common variety of the plant seen today.
I thought it would be helpful to compile a list of smoke cleansing options and connect them to their place of origin. If you are looking for a white sage alternative, why don’t you give something that connects to your heritage a try? If you are aware of a smoke cleansing tool from your cultural heritage or ancestry please reach out and let me know, I’d love to add it to the list!
Herbs open to all for use in smoke cleansing:
The book, “Plant Witchery” by Juliet Diaz, provided the magical meanings of the herbs used in the chart. I highly recommend this book!
Other plants from around the world suggested by friends!
Message me to add your favorite herb to the list!
Imphepho - South Africa
Sacred plants to Native people that should be avoided by non-Native people in smoke cleansing:
White sage
Palo Santo
Cedar
Sweet grass
Options to cleanse without smoke:
Selenite wand
Sound - bells, chimes, singing bowls
