Spooky season is in full swing and what better way to celebrate the season than with a bit of spiritual hygiene? That’s right, we are talking DIY sage smudging goodness, and my witchy, hippie heart is so here for it. I have been burning sage for as long as I can remember, and believe it or not, this is my FIRST TIME ever creating these DIY sage smudge sticks myself. Full disclosure: this DIY adventure is incredibly easy! So let’s tuck some sage in our hair and get to it, shall we?
Before we get started let’s explain a little for those who may be thinking “WTF is a smudge stick?!” In a nutshell, smudging is the burning of sacred herbs, and is a rite that is filled with intention and beauty. The ancient ritual is used to cleans a space, an object, and even ourselves.
White sage is the superstar of sage smudging but all types can be used, each with its own spiritual purpose. As you can see from my photos, I used regular garden sage. While it is the same as the sage you find at the store, it has an extra special energy because it was grown in my Avó‘s garden. I simply can’t wait for these smudge sticks to be ready for action!
DIY Sage Smudge Sticks
As I said, the steps for making this DIY are simple, attainable and fun! So much so that my husband even got in on the action. With the commercialization of this sacred ritual, I am here to encourage you to add some intention to your practice by DIY-ing the bundles yourself. Visual learner? Scroll to the bottom to check out the quick video of the DIY process.
SUPPLIES
INSTRUCTIONS
Step No. 1: Gather up your sage branches and trim them to create pieces of around the same size. Toss excess leaves or small pieces to the side, you’ll use them later.
Step No. 2: Using the pieces you have trimmed, start bundling them up. I try to line up the bottom leaves, but don’t worry if the stems are uneven at the base, they will be trimmed.
Step No. 3: Once you have a decent sized bundle put together, start adding the large leaves you tossed to the side earlier. I add them to line up with the tip first, and keep adding them down and around until the whole bundle is covered.
Step No. 4: Now you should have a beautiful sage bundle and your DIY area should smell incredible. It’s time for twine! Starting at the base, wrap the twine around the stem tightly a few times. Wrapping the twine over itself a few times will keep it tight while you wrap the rest of the bundle. Be sure to leave a bit of a “tail” so you can tie it off when you finish wrapping. Wrap all the way up the bundle and back down to where you started, tucking in stray leaves as you go. Tie the twine to the tail you left earlier.
Step No. 5: Trim the stems at the base of your bundle so everything looks neat and tidy, and hang them to dry in a cool, dark place. Since this is my first time making these DIY sage smudge sticks, I honestly don’t know how long they need to dry. My plan is to just wait for them to be crunchy.
TA DA! DIY sage smudge sticks for your next crafting adventure. Simple, right? This was such a beautiful hands-on project that I will be recreating for years to come. It felt so wonderful to connect to the herbs that we will be using to smudge with in the future, and I highly recommend doing it yourself if this is a practice you regularly participate in. Now who is ready to embrace their inner witchy woman, and burn some sage to the sweet sounds of Ravi Shankar with me?
xoA
Over To You
Are you a smudger? If so, have you ever created your own smudge sticks? If not, will you try it out? Let me know what you think in the comments below! If you use this tutorial to create your own DIY sage smudge sticks, be sure to tag @leoandmaude if you post about it so we can share your beautiful creations.
