while we were at the farm i also made a few smudge sticks
i have enjoyed smudging for a few years since a friend introduced me to the practice, and started making my own smudge last year. they’re really easy to make, actually, and if you’re lucky enough to go to a friends farm in the country you can probably find all the ingredients you need in the field. 🙂
sage, cedar, and lavender
hold several stems of herbs together in one hand, all facing the same direction, woody stems together. wrap the stems together tightly, overlapping a few times to keep it secure, but leaving a longish tail loose (we’ll use this to finish up at the end).
i used half a strand of embroidery thread, but you could use any thin, strong twine. hold the stems loosely but firmly, and use your hand to smooth the leaves down into a tidy bundle.
keep wrapping, wrap, wrap, wrap – doesn’t need to be too tight.
work your way down the bundle, wrapping with string – when you reach the tip, double back and zig-zag up to the top again. then tie the remainder of string to the loose tail you left loose at the beginning.
ta-da!
trim off the scraggly bits, and let it dry in a cool-ish place out of direct sunlight for about a week.
that’s all.
fuller instructions in this text tutorial here if you need more thorough directions.
I think that my homemade smudge sticks smell much nicer than store bought ones – fresh? Much more affordable too.
enjoy. 🙂
freeplaycraft.wordpress.com 
Okay, call me stupid. What is a smudge stick for?
Smudge is certain sweet smelling herbs that are lit like incense – it’s a traditional native practice that is meant to be cleansing of negative energy and thoughts, to purify people and places. The idea is that you ‘wash’ yourself or a place with the smoke, by fanning it with your hands or a feather, and that the rising smoke caries away any negative thoughts or feelings. Disclaimer: I don’t claim to be any expert on the tradition, and I have pondered the ethics of appropriating a spiritual cultural practice I honestly don’t know that much about. In my experience smudging has been a pleasant, calming and grounding thing, and I think that is a goodness. I was first ‘smudged’ by a dear friend, and it was a loving gesture. I think that like any practice, it is the intention that we hold in mind when we perform the act that is most important. I also really enjoy the aesthetics of smudge, of gathering the herbs, and the scent of the smoke… midway between incense and campfire. The links above in my post can tell you more, and i invite you to do a little research of your own if you’re curious.
WRONG!!!! we use our sacred herbs as a offering, when we pray our gather. All are sacred and burned as the scent is to invite our ancestors and Creator to our space. Way 2 many use this thinking it’s to drive out evil spirit when its to invite this that walked before us in a good way. These plants are more then just the end result as it all begins with the intent upon the seed!!!!
Thank you for the correction and I apologize for my misunderstanding. As I mentioned smudging isn’t from my own cultural tradition so I appreciate your sharing your feedback. Can you suggest any links to appropriate information where readers can get more insight if they are curious?
mmmmm, smells good up in here!
Lovely. Thank you!
Blessed Be.
I live the idea of making my own smudge stick. I am a native woman and the only difference between your smudge stick and our traditional ones is the lavender. We use sweet grass instead and the stick is sometimes braided and we use cotton to wrap it. Smells very sweet!
Thank you very much for sharing your positive feed back with us, (the masses). I hope that Goddesses blessses you with more helpful hints that you can share with us again!! Blessed be friend and be well always!
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Loved seeing this, I make my own kinnikinnik version cedar, sage, mugwort, bee balm, maybe some lavender depending on intentional use, weaving and wrapping is very meditative. I wrap in plain brown paper and allow to hang dry.
I have been looking for a way to wrap my own Smudge wraps I love that I happened upon this thank you all very much for the posts that are leading me in the right direction.
Reblogged this on bohobikini.
I make sage smudge sticks and burn them on my deck to keep flying insects away and it smells amazing. I also use it to take negative energy out of my home if any has entered. It works for me and my family.
Namaste
When “wrapping” a smudge stick, it would be wise to first individually tie and knot in sections progressing up the stick. If you like the look of a wrap that is crossed over itself, that can be done over your tied bundle. The reason being as the smudge stick burns it will burn the wrapping as well. If it is a single wrap then once it has been burned through at the top of the stick the rest of the wrapping will become loose when you put the stick down. If you have individual ties the rest of the bundle will stay together for your next smudging event. A wee bit more work in the making of the stick but well worth it. Blessings.
That’s good advice. Thanks for the tip.