MAKING YOUR OWN SMUDGE STICKS
by Jane Alexander
Although smudge sticks are now readily available from shops specializing in New Age and Native American artefacts, you can easily make your own. Making your own smudge allows you to make a deeper connection with the spirits of the sacred plants used in smudge - and so can make your rituals and ceremonies even more meaningful. I think it’s a great idea to use plants which are local, plants you know and with which you have a connection. I tend to use sage, lavender and rosemary a lot �?as they are herbs which grow around my house and which have powerful cleansing properties as well. They also smell gorgeous.
YOU WILL NEED: A selection of your chosen herbs - see list below; colored cottons (embroidery threads work well); a little tobacco or cornmeal; candle and matches.
INSTRUCTIONS:
You really need to be able to pick your plants, or at least the mainstay of your smudge stick, fresh from the wild. It is unusual to find the length of herb needed from shops - and dried herbs will flare too easily. However you can combine fresh and dried herbs if necessary. If you are picking your herbs from the wild (or your garden) ideally you should gather them as they come into bloom during a waxing moon. Approach the plant with respect and ask its spirit for its permission to be used in your smudge. When you feel it is right, cut the plant with a sharp knife (you will need pieces around eight to twelve inches long). Only take what you need and give a pinch of cornmeal or tobacco with your thanks. Gather your materials together. Light the candle and quietly center yourself, asking the spirits of the plants you have gathered to help you make a powerful smudge stick. Take a sturdy stick as a base. Arrange the other stems around it. If you are using a combination of fresh and dried herbs, keep the dried, more fragile herbs on the inside. Take a piece of cotton or hide and tie it around the stick, starting at the bottom. If you want to add dried herbs which are powdered or crushed, you can add these on the inside of the smudge stick as you start to bind the bundle. Tie your smudge stick quite firmly - the cotton should reach about half way up the length of the stick. Now hang your smudge stick up by its bottom end (the tied end) somewhere warm and dry until the plants are almost dry - but not totally moisture-free. 
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