Yule Smudge Sticks

I made a lot of these last solstice and gave them as gifts to friends and family. They were easy to do and turned out beautifully. We are using them this year to smduge the house for the holidays. They give a clean, refreshing scent to the air.

Gather and use your own smudge stick

Winter is often a cruel time for the trees; harsh weather causes many of them to fall or snap their limbs and send them crashing to the earth. If your yard, a neighbor's yard, or a nearby natural area has any fallen cedar branches, you may want to try this special way to bring the magic of the living green home with you and keep these valuables from going to waste. Smudge sticks are easy to make and satisfying to look at, and the purifying smoke will make a meaningful addition to your Yule celebrations.

Native Americans have known for centuries that cedar, as well as sage, has special purifying properties, especially psychospiritually; if the atmosphere in your home is tense or unhappy, a quick go round with a burning smudge is one way to clean things out and restore a feeling of harmony. Native people harvest the herbs and branches ceremonially and prepare the smudge bundles with ritual. Cedar and sage are also burned in bulk in large abalone shells, with feathers used to direct the smoke.

If you want to make smudges but your cedar trees are all intact, you could see if any judicious pruning is needed; it doesn't take much to make a smudge stick. If you do this, you may want to leave a special gift to thank the tree. (Check a field guide to make sure its cedar you are taking)

To make your own homemade smudges, find several pieces of cedar branch that are green, full, and well leafed, about a foot long. Cut longer ones to this measure. Arrange the branches in a bundles with the tips all facing the same way; these bundles should be about two or three inches thick at their widest point. Then wind the cedar bundles firmly with thin cotton string (embroidery floss works well) starting at the bottom and working up to the tips, then winding back down again so that the thread crisscrosses. Look at the smudges commercially available to see how much string to use. You can sing a special song while you do this, if you like:

All around, all around

Peaceful, peaceful

All around, all around

Peaceful, peaceful

Spirit of the cedar

Calling me, calling me

Spirit of the cedar

Blessing me, blessing me

All around, all around

Peaceful, peaceful

When you have wound the string up and back down, knot it at the bottom and cut off the uneven ends of the branches an inch or so below the knot to make a uniform length. Allow these smudges to dry before lighting. (This can take a good long time)

To use your smudge, light the tip with a match and let it flame fro a moment, then blow out the flame and allow it to continue smoking for as long as you like. Enjoy!