Desert sage - a reliable remedy for driving away evil spirits and attracting wealth
Desert sage is native to the southwestern United States. It is a plant endowed with a unique mystical aroma, which it generously shares when smoked. For centuries it has been used by Indians in various ceremonies, such as sweat lodges, and to chase away evil powers. Native Americans also used it as a remedy for coughs, colds and added to medicinal baths. Sage leaf smoke is used to sanitize homes and purify the air. It relieves evil powers, negative feelings and emotions, unfavorable influences from the outside world, on top of that it has a germicidal effect. Desert sage is also used in magical rituals to ensure prosperity.
Desert sage
Desert sage grows in dry western deserts, at altitudes of 900 to 3,000 meters above sea level. It prefers dry areas, highlands or rocky areas. It often grows in habitats such as the cold, snowy peaks of Central and Southern Utah among Pinyon or Juniper trees. The plant is extremely resilient and can grow with little water in sandy conditions, at temperatures exceeding 43 degrees, and during winters and deep snow to -28 degrees Celsius. The desert sage bush reaches 0.5-1 meters. A thick sheared stump supports side branches that climb upward. The younger, more tender stems are smooth and green-silver, but as the plant grows and matures, the stems become harder and gray-brown, and the bark begins to grow stripes. The leaves are green and oblong, growing upward. Mature sage is quite pungent and aromatic. During flowering, you can smell sage for miles.
Family: asteraceae
Synonyms: common sage, sagebrush
Origin: northern temperate regions, South America, South Africa
Parts used: dried leaves
Aroma description: herbal aroma with delicate fruity notes
Emotional attributes: cleansing, strengthening, creativity
Cosmetic uses: used in sachets, powders
Medicinal attributes: bitter, warming herb that improves digestion and liver function, relaxes spasms and destroys intestinal worms
Element: air
Magical properties: protection, dreams, wealth
Astrological affiliations: Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius, Capricorn
Related planets: Jupiter, Saturn
Season: spring, summer
Essential oil: none known
Blends well with: cedar, copal, hyssop, juniper, lavender, lemongrass, marjoram, mugwort, pine, rosemary, white sage, sweet grass, thyme, lemon peel, orange peel, etc.
Medicinal properties of desert sage
Sage has been and continues to be used to relieve many physical ailments. The literature and the experience of those who use the medicinal properties of sage suggest that it acts:
analgesic,
anti-rheumatic,
antiseptic,
diaphoretic,
stimulating the digestive system,
disinfectant,
softening,
sedative.
Spiritual properties
Desert sage has primarily spiritual healing properties. Native Americans knew its values and used it in many of their rituals and ceremonies. It was often used as an aromatic and inflammatory agent during the sage sweat lodge ceremony, a ceremony to prevent evil spirits from entering the world of the living. The ritual also brought physical and emotional cleansing, and sage facilitated this process by releasing heavy energies, negative emotions, unproductive and malevolent thoughts, bringing clarity of mind and restoring inner power. However, we don't have to take part in a sage sweat shala to benefit from the precious properties of sage. The ritual of sage encirclement can be performed virtually anywhere. The sage is also often used in a fumigation ritual to expel evil spirits in a sick room or after the birth of a child. It is believed that the spirits are waiting to enter the infant's body through the cut umbilical cord and that the smell of burning sage scares them away.
Desert sage is also used in magical rituals to ensure abundance and prosperity.
Sage emits negative ions. Our aura has positive ions, just as a carpet, when you walk on it, produces static electricity. Only these positive ions are not "good," and on the contrary, make us feel sluggish, tired or just not ourselves. Sage smoke meets the positive ions, adheres to them and neutralizes them from our aura, from the room or house where we live or work.
How to perform a cleansing ritual with sage
Cleansing places is quite simple. First, we close all doors and windows so that the smoke and fragrance can reach every corner of the space.
We light a candle, preferably a white or honey candle, with the intention of cleansing the energy in a particular place, such as: "I cleanse this room of all impurities, negativity, unfriendly entities and everything that is not good for our highest and best good" From the candle we light a sprig of desert sage. We surrender to the guidance of the sage spirit and, moving around the room, we thoroughly envelope the room, imagining how the sage spirit, with the help of the smoke, absorbs all negativity, problems who were in the room before us, all toxicity and everything we want to make go away. We then imagine a clean space, full of positive and fresh energy. After blessing the room, don't open the windows or doors. Let the smell disappear on its own.