White Sage

We've been busy drying out our White Sage from the past fall, making smudge sticks.

We've posted this video before, we wanted to share it with you again.

White sage (Salvia apiana) is a plant native to high desert, and grows mostly in California.

For hundreds of years, white sage has been regarded as a sacred, cleansing, purifying, and protective plant.

The leaves of the plant are a whitish-green, and just by rubbing the fresh leaves between your thumb and forefinger you release a refreshing, cleansing scent.

Native Americans used and use White Sage to cast off evils spirits and negative energies.

White sage is used in rituals and ceremonies for protection and get rid of negative and toxic influences.

The White Sage plant is alive, it has it's own energies, offering protection, and clearing. 

Sage Smudging is a ritual where the leaves of the Sage plant are burned, and the smoke is brought into areas where clearing and protection are needed.

As the leaves are burned, the smoldering leaves smoke attaches itself to any negative energy in the area, object or being. 

As the smoke clears, the spirit of White Sage carries with it the negative energy that was once attached, back up to the Spiritual Light.

You can perform this smudging ritual on anything or anyone that needs a clearing.

You can use White Sage to help you clear a room, a building, or a property of any negativity.

White sage can assist you in releasing energies and thoughts that no longer serves you. 

You can use Sage to help you cleansing unknown energies from a stone, or something that you received as a gift.

Once you have lit the smudge stick and there are flames, blow them out quickly. 

Do not let it flame burn.

Once it is lit, and the flame is blown out, it will smoke.

The movement and release of the energy comes with the smoke and not with the flame.

The use of dried white sage however, is a 2,000 year old Indigenous practice. 

The shamans used dried sage plants on their fires as a ritual.

Any conflict, anger, illness or evil was absolved by the sage smoke, cleansed from the energy field of a person.

You can smudge whenever you feel the need to do so.

* When you move into a new residence.

* When you begin a new job or start your own business.

* Before, but especially after a visitor enters your home.

* After an argument or any illness.

* Upon returning home from crowded situations.

Do Pagans Have a Moral Code of Ethics?

Pagans are accused of ignoring the Ten Commandments and not accepting any kind of moral code of conduct in general.

Many Pagans are accused of having no morals because we don't subscribe to the traditional dogma preached from pulpits and as a result, they we will all burn in Hell, or something like that.

So, how to respond?

We believe that this indoctrination of religions in general make a deliberate effort to eliminate independent thought, and that's not a good thing.

One thing that we disagree with is the assertion that the Bible is a good example of morality.

It's just our collective opinion, but the Bible is full of ‘holy’ actions that are absolutely counter to our sense of moral behavior. 

If we really want to be morally upstanding people, it's our obligation to thoughtfully consider how our actions might affect others, the earth and ourselves.

This is what ethical and moral people do, that's how we learn.

Discouraging the ‘thinking’ part in decision making and blindly following the ‘ethics’ of a religious doctrine leads to many of the destructive actions that are common today.

Trying to force someone’s morality and ethics on people is like a fart…

So how do we know what's right and wrong?

How do we figure out the morality/ethics question? 

For most Pagans we learn through trial and error.

We hopefully keep doing what works and stop doing what doesn't.

When we make decisions, we need to take a good look how those decisions and actions have influenced our lives and that of those around us. 

We decide if it was the right thing to do, or if we need to make changes.

Through experience and education we learn, develop, adjust and become better people.

Regardless of the Paganism you practice, we can agree on the Wiccan Rede: 'An it harm none, do what ye will'. 

For us it's an affirmation of our freedom to act, combined with the requirement of taking responsibility for our actions.

The Wiccan Rede is known by Witches, Wiccans and Pagans, and it it's a pretty good moral code.

Here is a list of "Nine Noble Virtues" as used by some Norse Pagans:

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Keep Your Circle Small and Real

It’s difficult to imagine that some people may not have your best interests at heart.

This post is a reminder, keep your circle small.

Be selfish and selective choosing friends and remember, “Not everyone deserves a seat at your table.”

This is gonna sound contradictory, but sometimes, the best way to add value to your life is by subtracting from it.

Take a good look at your circle of friends and do yourself a favor by subtracting people who drain your energy.

This may not seem like a happy subject, but it is one that may bring happiness in time, by weeding out the bullshit and negativity.

Don't Give Up

We've all been there.

There are times when everything seems hopeless and you will want to give up.

But here’s an idea, instead of giving up, let’s learn to detach from all the negativity that surrounds you.

There are a few things you can do to help reduce stress, anxiety and depression.

So, the bottom line isn't about giving up on youself, its about getting rid of the negative losers who enjoy seeing you miserable.

You manage to do that and life will eventually seem like worth living again.