Among the many
world cultures, I find Native American history to be the richest and most
profound of all. Deeply rooted in the
great land that makes up the United States, their culture and practices are the
foundation of our American civilization.
Much is credited to Native American history and traditions. Many of their practices we still use today
(think moccasins, teepees or dream catchers) but others are unfamiliar and
worth exploring.
Continuously
aware of the spirit world and connected to the purity, symbolism and value of
each nature element, Native Americans believed in the worth of life—most
importantly the manner in which one conducts his life.
As an immigrant who
has grown up with a varied cultural background, I find the Native American
culture both fascinating and mysterious.
Although many of their practices could be viewed as religious, their
ceremonies and rituals were very much a way of life. Their beliefs and
traditions were an integral part of their being, much of which integrated with
the way they led everyday activities such as hunting and relationships.
During my
research I’ve come across Diane Simon, the owner of Nature’s
For You. In her blog she introduced
a simple yet powerful Native American cleansing technique. It caught my interest because even as a
Catholic I’ve been able to relate to this ritual with the understanding of its
sacredness and core purpose. When I
asked Diane if this ritual can apply to anyone no matter their faith system,
she explained, “I definitely believe and know that the Sacred Smoke Bowl
Blessing can apply to absolutely anyone. I lived near two First Nations
reserves in Ontario where I had a store from 2004 to 2009. I sold white
sage and other supplies to many of their people. I also had the honor of becoming
friends with a few of the woman elders and was invited to several full moon
ceremonies where smudging was part of the ritual. An amazing thing was that
most of the women there were just ordinary folk like me and not from the
Reserve, nor Native American. I discovered that First Nations people are happy
to share their knowledge with anyone and everyone.” The cleansing of an individual or sacred
place is an invitation to be open to the mercy and blessings ready to come upon
us. It is interesting to see how
cultures and religious practices overlap in similarity even through a large
span of differences.
The Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing, also known a Smudging,
focuses on smoke attaching itself to negative energy and thus carrying it
elsewhere. This shift of energy, from
negativity to positive, is meant to alleviate the troubles of the mind, body
and spirit or to purify an object or place.
Smudging is often associated to cleansing the mind when it’s feeling
depressed, attacked or angry. This
practice, often associated with other Native American ceremonies, must be
performed by a healer whose own energy, spirit and heart are cleaned cleansed
from all negativity.
During
the ritual sacred herbs and grasses are utilized. Smudge sticks, herbs bundled together, most
commonly contain cedar, sage, sweetgrass, lavender and sacred tobacco, but in
each smudging ceremonies there could be variations to the herbs used. White sage is often used to driving out
negative energy and the main herb of this ritual. Sweetgrass is also very popular and is an
important herb for the Sioux and Cherokee ceremonies.
The
Smudging ritual resulted in immediate success for Diane and her family. When asked how long after the blessing she
could sense a shift in energy, she shared some personal experiences. She said, “From my own personal experience, [the ritual worked] immediately. Years ago, my youngest daughter had taken to
sleeping on the couch and not her bedroom anymore because she had had a bad
dream. Months had gone by and we both agreed it was time for her to try
to sleep in her own bed again. So we got rid of all the clutter and then
smudged it with white sage afterwards, absolutely everywhere – under the bed,
in the closet, opened the dresser drawers …And she was able to start sleeping
in her room again that very night.”
It’s
important to remember that an essential element of the Sacred Smoke Bowl
Blessing is the intent of the healer.
The direction of this process is based strongly on the purpose of the
person conducting the ceremony—meaning, the positivity and balanced energy of
the healer will enhance the success of the blessing.
The
Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing has been an ancient tradition that is becoming
popular in our society. When asked about
the popularity it may be gaining, Diane was again very insightful. “I
personally think it’s becoming more popular because more and more people are
coming to realize that there is more to life than what we see with our eyes and
that it’s more about energy - positive and of course its opposite – negative
energy.” She continues, “Smudging is an
easy simple way to truly get rid of any kind of negativity. Cleansing is
the word traditionally used, but you can think of it as a shift in energy from
any bits of negativity to a more positive, peaceful state – something we all
need on a daily basis!”
To find more
detail information about the Sacred Smoke Bowl Blessing, check out Diane’s
Smudging Page, where you can find step by step instructions on cleansing, purchase
herbs and much more.
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