What Is Shamanic Smudging?

Shamanic smudging--or just smudging--is an age-old tribal tradition which has been used for centuries to create harmony and peace. There are many different shamanic smudging ceremonies, and different tribes use a variety of herbs for smudging.

To define it more clearly, shamanic smudging is the burning of herbs or incense for cleansing, purification, protection of physical and spiritual bodies, banishment of negative energies and creation of sacred space. You can use smudge sticks (herbs that are tied into a bundle for easier handling), braided herbs and botanicals (like sweetgrass) or loose herbs (burned on charcoal or mugwort, or in a firepit). Shamanic smudging releases the energy and fragrance of the herbs and botanicals so they can heal, cleanse and purify.

In many traditions, shamanic smudging involves a four directions ceremony or prayer, which sends specific kinds of smoke or prayers into the four directions. Different tribes have different smudging prayers that "program" the smoke to do a specific action, such as cleansing or aiding in divination.

In general, shamanic smudging can be used in daily life for practical purposes--to restore physical, mental and emotional balance; to shield against negative energies; to cleanse yourself, your magickal tools and your space; and to restore you sacred space.


COMMON HERBS USED IN SMUDGING 
Although different tribes and traditions use different herbs for shamanic smudging, some of the most popular herbs include desert sage, white broadleaf sage, juniper, pinon (sometimes in resin form), sweetgrass, copal (in resin form), mugwort, lavender and sacred tobacco. Here are some general uses for the different herbs often used for smudging:

PINON RESIN
Primarily fire element though can also be used for four-element general purposes. Has a pleasant and meditative fragrance. Is cleansing, strengthening, warming, and used by Native American cultures for its spiritual and healing properties. Produces a thick stream of smoke, and is excellent for refreshing the senses and reviving a tired soul.

COPAL GOLD RESIN
Primarily fire and water elements though can also be used for four-element general purposes. When burned, the scent is sweet, resinous, slightly woody, mildly earthy and spicy. Was a holy incense used by the peoples of Mesoamerica. Traditionally used as incense in divinatory and cleansing ceremonies. The resin contains aromatic chemicals called terpenes, which make it volatile and flammable. Used by Mayan shamans prior to ingesting mushrooms.

MYRRH RESIN
Primarily earth element though can also be used for four-element general purposes. Produces a lot of smoke when burned, very earthy, piney scent. Gathered from an almost leafless Middle Eastern shrub called the Commiphora Molmol. It was used by the ancient Egyptians in rituals of Healing and Passing. It is one of the ingredients used by the Egyptians to embalm bodies. Useful for spirituality, meditation, happiness, release, transformation, strength, confidence and stability.

FRANKINCENSE RESIN
Primarily fire element though can also be used for four-element general purposes. Is the resin of an African tree and produces a rich, dense smoke when burned. Used extensively in meditation and healing. In numerous religious traditions, frankincense's spiritual scent was believed to confer divine blessing. Pliny the Elder mentioned it as an antidote to hemlock poisoning.

DESERT SAGE
Primarily air element though can also be used as for four-element general purposes. Has a somewhat sharp, light and refreshing scent. One of the most sacred herbs among Native Americans. Used to purify the mind, body and spirit before prayer, meditation, ritual or ceremony. Also used to purify sacred items such as pipes, magical tools, tarot decks and eagle feathers. Can be used for area, house and personal cleansings. Some people carry a small amount of Sage in a pocket or medicine pouch to insure personal and spiritual safety.

JUNIPER
Primarily fire element though can also be used for four-element general purposes. Has a sharp, piney scent. Excellent to stimulate and revive when tired in body, mind or Spirit. Used in ancient times for ritual purification of temples. Smoke believed to aid clairvoyance. Also useful for purification and to stimulate contact with other worlds. Burned during the Plague to resist disease.

LAVENDER
Primarily air element. Has a light, aromatic and refreshing scent. Useful for attracting peace, happiness and restful sleep. Also reduces depression, grief and sorrow. Aids in meditation and divination, and often said to aid in manifestation. Known as Elf Leaf, Nard, Nardus, Spike and Lavandar. Traditionally associated with fairies and elves

WHITE BROADLEAF SAGE
Primarily air element though can also be used for four-element general purposes. This is a broad leaf sage that is highly prized for its strong aromatic properties (strongest of the different types of sage). Considered the king if all sages. Excellent for meditation, divination, smudging, cleansing and purification.

YERBA SANTA LEAVES
Traditionally used for enhancing psychic abilities, magical protection, healing and spiritual strength. Excellent for meditation and divination. Said to be ruled by the moon. One Native American tribe rolled the leaves into balls, dried it in the sun and chewed it for a natural mouthwash.

HIBISCUS FLOWERS
Primarily fire and water elements. Produces a sharp, invigorating scent that lasts for a long time after burning. Often used in divination and psychic communication. Excellent for rejuvenating the senses and restoring life force.

ROSE FLOWERS AND PETALS
Primarily water element. Produces a heavy, warm, aromatic scent with just a hint of sharpness – scent lasts a long time after burning. Excellent for meditation, divination, increasing psychic abilities, contacting powers and beings in other dimensions and psychic communication. Also traditionally associated with attracting love, conferring peace, stimulating sexual appetites and enhancing beauty.

SWEETGRASS
Primarily air element. As its name suggests, sweetgrass produces a sweet and light fragrance that does not last for long. Excellent for cleansing sacred space. Sweetgrass is a rare grass which is found growing wild in very few places. Traditionally, sweetgrass is believed to invite the good spirits.

You can burn these herbs singly or in combination with each other. One good combination that covers all four magical elements of air, fire, water and earth is pine resin and sage (either desert sage or white broadleaf sage). This combination is appropriate for general use, cleansing, ceremony and ritual.


WHEN TO SMUDGE YOURSELF 
Smudging yourself on a daily basis can be very helpful in keeping yourself balanced and maintaining a peaceful state of being. However, you should definitely use shamanic smudging techniques when you've been around people who are ill, depressed, fearful, angry or generally emotionally unbalanced; before meditating to create a calm state of being; when you're feeling blue or depressed; or when you've been under a lot of stress.

Smudging yourself is easy. If you're using a smudge stick, light the smudge stick on a candle flame. Hold the stick in the flame until there is a lot of smoke and the stick is burning well (that's why a candle is better than a match--it can take a while to get the stick really smoking). Using a feather (or feather fan) or your hand, gently fan the smoke onto your body, starting at the top of the body and moving downward. Get the back of your body as best you can (it's often easier to use a smudge pot and loose herbs for this). When you're done, inhale a little of the smoke (just a little!) to purify your insides.

If you're using a smudge pot or Firebowl and loose herbs, light the herbs (using self-lighting charcoal --not the barbeque kind!) until it is smoking well. Then, put the Firebowl on the ground and stand over it with your legs spread and feet on either side. Weave back and forth in the smoke until you have been thoroughly cleansed. Clothing is optional for this approach, and smudging in the nude is recommended for a more thorough cleansing. Again, when you're done, inhale a little of the smoke to purify your insides. People often feel more relaxed, lighter and brighter after smudging.

If you're going to use the smudge smoke during meditation, use a charcoal burner or Firebowl, light the herbs and enjoy the scent and smoke as you meditate. Meditating with these herbs often produces a deeper and longer-lasting state of relaxation and contemplation.

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Magic: Practice So You Don't Panic

by Stephanie Yeh

I recently had an experience that showed me why I practice magical techniques any chance I get. One of my horses choked on her food (a chunk of it was stuck in her throat so she could breathe but not swallow). She was panicked, sweating, and running around in small circles. She also had saliva pouring out of her mouth and nose. I suffered a moment of panic myself before all of my magical training kicked in. I took a deep breath and began doing energy handling with the four elements. Specifically I:

1. Pulled red orange and yellow orange fire energy from her entire body to reduce her panic and movement. I dumped all that excess fire energy into a nearby power transformer. She calmed down enough so I could begin to locate the source of the choke.

2. Ran my hand along the bottom of her neck (about an inch away from her neck) until I felt the "hot spot" where the food was stuck in her throat.

3. Began flowing water energy into the area to move the stuck food along. Within about 5 minutes of flowing water energy, she really calmed down and almost went to sleep. I continued this process for another 15 minutes.

Within an hour, my horse was up and grazing calmly as if nothing had happened. I was delighted! It definitely showed how energy could move matter (the stuck food).

Even more important, this experience showed me why I had spent all those hours practicing my magical techniques, such as throwing bolts of fire energy to make a candle flame jump. The repetitive practice allowed me to act without thinking in an emergency situation, and to resolve the potentially life-and-death problem quickly.

That same practice has stood me in good stead when it comes to self-defense. I was once verbally attacked at a picnic by a drunken man on a tirade. He was advancing on me quickly, yelling all sorts of insults. I backed up against a drinking fountain, which makes an excellent electrical ground, and began pulling fire energy, the energy of rage and drunkenness. I didn't have time to think, I just did it.

Luckily angry people radiate fire energy at an immense rate and I was able to pull and ground most of his excess energy. By the time he got within 2 feet of me he had lost steam. He looked confused for a moment, and then wandered off while muttering under his breath. Had I taken the time to think, he might have started in with the physical abuse.

I admit that I used to get very bored and twitchy when it came to the repetitive practice with air, fire, water, and earth energies. The practice seemed so remote from any use that I might eventually have for it that my mind would just wander off to other topics. But events like these really bring it on home for me. Practice, boring though it may be, keeps me from panicking when I need to act quickly. It's a realization I'm supremely grateful for because it keeps the practice of magic real for me. Magic then emerges from the land of strange "out there" stuff and into the practical nitty-gritty of my everyday life. You can get on board with using real magic to help with everyday problems and issues in your life with our Complete Guide of Witchcraft for Beginners.



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Are You a Deep Magical Genius or a Practical Manifester?

Each of us has a different personality. We know this when it comes to friendship or dating. But did you know that you also have a magical personality? You might be primarily an Air, a big time communicator and thinker, or a Water, a person who interacts with the world through emotions, the language of Spirit. Take the test to find out more.

Which of the Four Elements Is Your Dominant Element?
Once you take the personality test and know your personality according to which of the four elements you are most dominant in, how does this help you? Good question. Each of the four elements has its own characteristics associated with it. By knowing what these characteristics are, you'll be able to identify what your strengths are, how you view the world and how you interact with the world and others. This knowledge can help you find the career you are best suited for, know the type of people you are most compatible with when looking for friends or a mate, and give you an understanding of the best way for you to approach situations in your life. It also makes you aware of your challenges so you will be prepared to encounter resistance or difficult situations with a plan for dealing with them already in place. Once you know which of the magical four elements is dominant in your personality by taking the magical personality test, you not only get a better understanding of yourself, but also start looking at others and any situation you encounter in relation to the elements and how best for you to interact with them.

Real Life Example
My adult daughter is totally dominant in the Water element so I know that she views the world and will generally react from an emotional stand in any situation. I, on the other hand, am most dominant in Earth. As a water personality, my daughter views the world from characteristics such as emotions, feelings, intuition, compassion, empathy, sympathy, knowing, and devotion. She always makes herself available to help others, she has a helping service career, and feels very passionate about community and making things "right" for others. She is able to appreciate beauty in her life as well as the gifts and blessings she has. The problems come for her when she takes on too much feeling for others and absorbs their negative energies or when her water energies become stagnant or too dark which causes depression. As an Earth personality, I am often able to help her anchor and ground out these negative energies when this occurs. Knowing my personality characteristic which include strength, endurance, patience, structure, serenity of beingness, solidity, boundaries, permanence, loyalty, persistence, stubbornness, security, and anchor, and knowing hers, I have insight into the best ways to help her when she goes on emotional overload and calls me in tears of frustration, sadness or from being overwhelmed. I know that she will be most successful in situations that allow her to express who she is and stay true to her values, so any conversation we have needs to start with just letting her talk. As an Earth personality, I am able to patiently wait and listen until she winds down and gets all her emotions verbally spewed out. This in itself offers an anchor and some stability to her. I can then offer magical solutions to help her regain energy such as Rooting or going to the nearby river and putting her feet in the moving water. Once she has her emotions balanced again, it is simple to guide her through looking inside herself to find her own answers for her current problem. My role in this process is to simply be an anchor and a rock for her. This is what I am able to share with her just by having an understanding of my four element personality and hers.

On the other hand, as an Earth personality I can be rigid and yes even stubborn at times. These are characteristics that I am aware of and have to be on my guard against. I often lack the emotional connection in situations and with people in favor of organization, practicality and I can be inflexible at times. Especially when interacting with other people, I have to be aware of these challenges and guard against closing off and showing no empathy for others being convinced that I am right and there is no room for compromise. This is when my daughter's personality can be very helpful to me. As an empathetic Water personality, she is able to translate to me what others might be feeling about a situation and give me insights from an emotions perspective. This helps me shift my Earth stance a bit to be able to look for compromise and consider the other person's view on the situation. By knowing these personality characteristics that we each have, my daughter and I are able to help each other through our challenges by lending the strengths we each possess from our dominant element.

Fire and Air
Since we pretty much covered the characteristics for Water and Earth in the example with myself and my daughter, let's take a quick look at characteristics associated with Fire and Air.

Fire - energy, power, will, desire, anger, pain, motivation, radiance, passion, initiative, aggression, limitation, endeavor, activity, creative, willingness, urge, inspired, excitable, courage, bravado, compulsion, fanaticism, frustration, resentment, rage, freedom

Air - seeing, breathing, speaking, hearing, planning, thinking, believing, memorizing, communicating, learning, teaching, information, ideas, wisdom, understanding, worry, sensation, awareness, opinions, data, memory, mind

Look through the characteristics listed for each of the four elements and see which sounds the most like you. This will give you a good idea of your dominant element. You can get an even better idea by taking the four elements personality test. Then look at the people around you that you get along the best with and those that you don't get along with. Consider what their dominant element might be. This will help you find the people you will be the most successful with and help you be aware of those that you will have a challenging relationship with and help you find ways to deal with them. Beginning to see the world from a perspective of the four elements can open a lot of doors for you and help you be successful in whatever you do. This is the start of living a magical life and seeing life from a viewpoint of magic.

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Ready to Get Serious About Magic? Start Here...

For those who have dabbled in magic and are truly serious about getting on the magical path, Basic Magic I is the place to start. This online beginner magic course will teach you the foundations of a solid magical practice. You will learn the basic techniques necessary to work with the four magical elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. It is said that if you can understand the four magical elements, you can understand anything in the Universe... Ready to give it a try? Then get started with the Level I basic Magic Course. Not sure yet? Here's a look at the four elements to get you going.

By having an understanding of and a working knowledge of the four elements, not only can you understand anything in the Universe, you can also create anything you desire. Four element magic is at the heart of everything in the Universe including magical powers and abilities. For example, clairvoyance and telepathy can be developed by working with the Water element since Water is the language of Spirit and lets you access information and emotions at a Spiritual level. Telekinesis is the ability to channel your Fire energy. Our classes teach students to practice this skill by throwing firebolts at a candle flame. When they are able to make the flame "jump" by pointing a finger at it then they have begun to develop this magical skill.

Understanding the four elements goes deeper than just developing magical abilities. They help in just about every aspect of life. For ourselves, they can help us follow our birth visions, listen to our Spirit guidance and live more creative and peaceful lives. In our everyday life, understanding of the four elements helps us to know ourselves better according to our elemental makeup and see what types of careers we are well suited for, help us choose compatible relationships and have a better understanding of the lifestyle that will make us happy. We are also able to apply this knowledge to others and provide service in the forms of healing, divination and facilitating communication. Having an understanding of this magical foundation of four element magic and the laws of the Universe allow us to be in accordance with the Universe instead of running into constant resistance with it.

Four element magic is the first step to developing a deep understanding of the driving forces of life and opens the doorway to direct knowledge and spiritual scientism. You can get started on this path for yourself with our online Basic Magic courses and bring some serious magic to your life.



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Why There are No Muggles, Only Magicians

Are magicians born or made?

Good question. Lots of people ask this question.

Answer: Neither.

Sorry to disappoint all you Harry Potter and Charmed fans out there, but magicians are neither born nor made. In other words, there is no division between magicians and non-magicians. Everyone has the power and ability to be a magician and to practice magic. Everyone!

Magic is the birthright of every planetary citizen. That means you.

Why There are No Muggles
The reason there are no muggles is the same reason that every single person on this planet can practice magic. Here's the reason: magic is nothing more (and nothing less) than following the laws that govern the universe. It's as simple as that.

For instance, once you learn how to use the four magical elements that form this universe (Air, Fire, Water, and Earth), you can do a lot of powerful magic rituals. Here's just a short list of things you can do just using hand magic and the four elements:

• psychic communication
• heal sprains, bruises, and more
• safely get rid of anger, anxiety, and depression
• divine the future
• put up energy and psychic shields

And yes, any old person on the planet can learn to do this kind of magic, nothing to do with magical parents or anything like that. Past lives can give a person an additional magical boost, however. For instance, if you studied magic in your last 17 lifetimes, chances are that the knowledge will come to you much more easily, and your magic will probably be more powerful than that of the average Joe.

Everyone Can Be a Magician
So now that you know that there is no division between magical and non-magical people, there's no excuse not to practice magic. The key word in that last sentence is, of course, "practice." Magic is an art and a science, and like everything else, if you want to be good at it, you need to practice.

Start small, with some daily magic rituals or with our home study courses. We also always have new teleconference courses starting. Check out these resources and see what kinds of magic rituals tickle your fancy:

Free "Real Magick" Ezine
Magic Ebooks
Magic Home Study Courses
Magic Email Courses
Magic Article Library
Current Teleconference Magic Courses

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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/garethfordwilliams/ / CC BY 2.0

How to Cast Stronger Magic Spells - Part II

This is the second in an article series on how to cast stronger magic spells. In Part I of this article series I outlined three principles to help magical practitioners clarify what they want their spells to do and not do, resulting in a stronger spell. In this article, I focus on the importance of gathering the appropriate symbols for the spell.

Choosing the Right Symbols for Your Magic Spell
One of the keys to casting stronger magic spells is choosing and using appropriate symbols. In spell work, symbols are not just for decorative purposes. Symbols are actually like doorways, and they access the power of the thing they represent.

For instance, we often use the symbols for the four elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth in our spell work. Take the Air symbols. Air can be symbolized as clouds, gusts of wind, or a Wand, which is the magical tool for the element Air. The clouds or gusts of wind symbolize Air on the mundane or ordinary level, while the Wand symbolizes Air on the spiritual level. On the ordinary level, the element Air is associated with thinking and communication. On the spiritual level, Air is linked with enlightenment and spiritual understanding. If I want my spell to increase communication between distant family members, I would use the cloud symbol, since the spell is for ordinary world-level communication. If my spell is for increasing opening up my spiritual horizons, I would use the Wand symbol.

And how would I use these magic symbols? That depends on what kind of spell I am casting. For instance, if I am casting a single candle spell, I would carve the symbol on the candle I will use to launch the spell.

Gathering the Symbols for Your Spell
Since symbols access the things they represent, they are really doorways to great power. Knowing this, it becomes obvious that choosing the right symbols for your magic spell has a lot to do with the power of your spell.

A magician preparing a spell is a lot like a mother preparing for the arrival of her baby. Your spell is your baby. When you start gathering the symbols, litanies, and other tools for your spell, it's similar to a mother preparing the nursery for her baby. If you take the same amount of care preparing your spell as a mother does preparing for the arrival of her baby, you will cast a much stronger magic spell. Plus, you'll enjoy the process more!

If you have a long-term spell, consider using a talisman or touchstone as a symbol for your spell. Check out the wide variety of animal, fairy, angel, and tribal symbols in the online store to use as talismans and amulets.

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Photo credit: Fairy Child ~ Amy Brown Inspiration ~ Explore