Story Of The Smudge Stick

Smudge Stick Definitions

The Smudge Stick has a very long and distinguished history among Native American societies. But first, just what is a Smudge Stick? It is a tightly wound and pressed tube of dry herbal material that is used by igniting one end and then immediately blowing out the flame. This causes the lit end to smolder with a large output of thick, aromatic smoke. Such smoke, when produced by certain special herbs, has had a religious significance in Native American life since time immemorial. Each herb, when burned in a smudge stick, fulfilled a particular role in ceremonies. Throughout the Southwest and Northern Mexico the herb most commonly used as a Smudge Stick was White Sage (Salvia apiana). White Sage was believed to be a powerful purifier and psychic cleanser. It was held to dissipate even long-standing negative vibrations, vibrations which could obscure clear understanding and vital insight. So the Smudge Stick was the tool of choice whenever important events were about to be undertaken or significant rites begun.

Smudge Stick History

As more and more people became aware of Native Americans’ use of Smudge Sticks, they tried burning the Sticks themselves and came away amazed at the results. In fact, whatever your background or belief system, the Smudge Stick provides a wonderful method to clear the psychic atmosphere. It is quick and easy to employ and also produces a delightful aroma that has been shown to increase the negative ion content of the nearby air. Negative ions promote both internal and external health and are usually generated with expensive electrical devices. Smudge Sticks are a way that these helpful ions can be economically increased - with no increased utility bills! The purifying effect of White Sage Smudge Sticks can be helpful for relieving anxiety in a very wide variety of situations and environments: from pre-game or pre-test jitters to sales and conference rooms.

Our Smudge Sticks Are Certified Organic

Lucky Six Farms has been cultivating, harvesting, and packaging White Sage as traditional Smudge Sticks for many decades. Our Smudges are certified organic, as they are produced with no harmful petrochemicals or toxic ingredients. All of them have been fully approved for Native American ceremonial use. We provide Smudge Sticks in all sizes for your convenience, from minis to large. If you’ve been searching for top-quality Smudge Sticks at reasonable prices, please give our products a chance. You’ll be delighted with what you find!

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Birth Of A Smudge Stick

Smudge Preliminaries

By far, Lucky Six Farms’ most popular products are smudge sticks. For many years, we made them exclusively from certified organic White Sage but have recently expanded our stocks to include Black Sage, Cedar, and Yerba Santa gathered from remote, ecologically sustainable stands in the Southern California high desert. Eventually, we plan to offer a series of herbal combination wands to satisfy the needs of even the most discriminating seekers. No matter what their constituents, however, smudge sticks will always appeal to a savvy demographic well-versed in both traditional Native American lore and alternative spiritual practice. Yet, the precise route these items take as they wend their circuitous way from Mother Nature to you is rarely described, let alone explained. It is for this reason that our staff often receives inquiries about the way quality smudge sticks are created, so I have dedicated today’s column to filling in those frustrating conceptual lacunae. 

Smudge Harvest

As some critics have rightly observed, it is terribly ironic that many who wish to pay homage to our benevolent Mother Earth inadvertently resort to approaches that ultimately exploit and decimate Her resources. Because our respect for the authentic Mother of All is profound, we have made a point of harvesting only herbs we have either personally cultivated or gathered after reverent study of local ecological systems. This study includes consultation with Native Americans who are both intimately familiar with local flora and directly involved with their conservation.

Each growing smudge stick herb is prayerfully taken at its seasonal peak, when the leaves are healthy, full-sized, open, fresh, moist, and available in abundance. We are careful to insure that every herbal stand is maintained for future growth and natural reproduction: none are ever destroyed or harvested past the point where easy regrowth is hampered.

Smudge Plaiting

Once the leaves are gathered, they are arranged for plaiting in bundles of varying sizes. Here the wands begin to assume their familiar tubular configuration. Plaiting is a skill that takes guidance to learn and much time to master. It is a genuine handicraft, and no artificially powered machines are ever employed in the process. Leaves are gently but firmly pressed together in a rotatory motion so as to create a uniform whorl from one end of the stick to another. The resultant wands, with the leaves already sticking well together, are then air-dried for several days in a special proprietary process unique to Lucky Six Farms. When they are finally hand-encircled with delicate spirals of all-natural thread, they readily yield to the augmented pressure so as form robust rods which combine maximum physical integrity with the range of characteristics required for smooth smoldering.

Considering the care that goes into the production of our smudge sticks, it is no wonder that they are often the first choice for Native American ceremonies, rites of magickal pilgrims, and New-Age practitioners worldwide!

By Alan Beck