Help me, I am just starting to learn witchcraft, and I ended up studying, or trying to study the subject of smudging and smoke cleansing, but, the more that I read, the more confused I get about who is what, and which is acceptable for someone to do outside of a certain culture and which is not. Can you sort that out for me?
I can certainly try. :)
Smoke-cleansing is a safe term to use for the practice of cleansing a room, house, property, or ritual space with smoke from burning herbs. It can also be called "recaning" (pronounced "reekening"), which comes from an Anglo-Saxon word for the same process. Smoke-cleansing may be accompanied by prayers, chanting, or invocations, or simple silent meditation on the task at hand.
Smudging is a Native American term and the rituals accompanying it are far different than what most New-Age authors are referring to when they use the word. These rituals are also sacred to some tribes and religions and should not be used by outsiders...which is generally pretty easy because they are not shared. Still, the word "smudging" is appropriative and a misnomer and it's a good idea to remove it from your witchy vocabulary.
In addition, while we're on the topic, White Sage is becoming a threatened species in the wild due to high demand and overharvesting. If you are able, it's a good idea to grow your own (you can buy seeds at the supermarket in springtime), or to use any of the following herbs in its' place:
Common Sage (green or purple, both are effective)
Basil (any type, a combo of sweet and purple smells very nice)
Rosemary (hardy and easy to grow in pots or windowboxes)
Thyme (again, any variety will do)
Peppermint (insanely easy to grow...it's a weed, after all)
Happy Witching!
