What’s Smudging – Using Essential Oils for Clearing Energy

Essential Oils for Clearing Energy

One way that spiritual and energy workers purify themselves and clear negative energy from a treatment room or sacred space is by smudging with natural herbs. Here, you’ll learn about using essential oils for clearing energy – natural aromatic oils extracted from these same plants.

Using Essential Oils for Clearing Energy

Native Americans and Tibetan Buddhists are well-known for this practice. Each has been using the smoke from local herbs, shrubs, and trees for hundreds of years. The use of natural essential oils extracted from these same plants and others is more subtle and equally vibrational. The wide range of available essential oils offers a wider range of healing properties.

Native American Smudge Plants

Native Americans typically use dried herbs such as white sage (Salvia apiana), sagebrush (Artemisia californica), and sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata), which are bunched up and tied tightly together into wands or sticks, i.e., smudge sticks. These are lit, the flame extinguished and the resulting smoldering stick is passed over people and objects and/or throughout the healing space as the smoke purifies and clears negative energies.

Diffuser Oils as an Alternative Method of Smudging

Unfortunately, some people have allergies to smoke so smudging between healing sessions or in spaces that others use can be problematic. Still clearing is an integral part of a healing practice. An alternative to smoke smudging is subtle aromatherapy or diffusing just a few drops of an all-natural essential oil blend in the healing space. The scent does not have to be strong to be effective. It’s easy to create a healing ambiance that is not overpowering to clients and others.

Essential Oils for Clearing Energy

Some of our favorite essential oils to include in diffuser oils for smudging (i.e., for diffusing and purifying) are white sage, juniper berry (Juniperus communis), and cedarwood (Cedrus altantica). At times we add additional essential oils to the diffuser blend in order to expand the intentions. For example, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) protects against physical and energetic harm, and fragonia (Agonis fragrans), an Australian plant, releases deep-seated blockages.

Additional Essentials for Special Intentions

You can use subtle aromatherapy and essential oils in other smudging ceremonies as well. For example, smudging ceremonies on the new moon. Guided by new moon energy, these ceremonies tend to be about new beginnings.

Those on the full moon stress the release of old patterns and letting go. In this case, add some essential oils that provide support to the process of letting go. Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus), and frankincense (Boswellia cateri) will all assist with one form of release or another. Respectfully, they release ties from the past, fears, dysfunctional attachments, etc.

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About Patricia Bonnard, PhD, ACC

Mind-body-spirit healing. Addressing the whole person, I blend conventional coaching, embodied practices, and energy healing to help you live a more balanced, confident and conscious life. Offering sessions in-person (Bethesda, MD and Washington, DC area) and virtually anywhere in the world. Workshops, eBooks, free guided meditations, and an active blog are also available.