For those of you who don’t follow my blog or know me, hello my name is Violet, and I am a Muscogee Creek Native.
//What is Smudging?//
•Smudging is a ceremonial and traditional Native American cleansing ritual. Traditionally white sage, cedar, Sweetgrass and lavender can be used. Smudging is done to prepare a space or a person for a spiritual ritual or ceremony, or the arrival of spiritual leaders and elders into a sacred space. The burning of herbs is often accompanied by chanting, singing, fervent prayer and sometimes musical instruments. The particular herbs and techniques will vary from tribe to tribe and clan to clan, which is why the method is often past down from family members.
//How can I smudge?//
•Unless you are Native and have been taught by family/clan/tribe members, you cannot smudge. Native religions and cultures are closed to outsiders/non-natives.
//But other cultures smudging!!!??//
•Actually, they use smoke cleansing. Smoke cleansing is the burning of purifying herbs to cleanse an area. Many cultures all over the world smoke cleanse, and have their own techniques and specific herbs they prefer. However, smudging is a term that refers specifically to the religious ritual in nearly all ndn tribal cultures. Because of centuries of having our cultures ripped from us and beaten out of us, we have lost our original terms for many rituals and important spiritual aspects of our cultures. So we are reclaiming the English words used for them, much like the terms ‘two spirit’ and ‘spirit animals’. .
//Beliefs and Religion//
•In the religion of the Muscogee people, we believe in an all encompassing energy. People and objects have this energy. Plants and animals have this energy. It is an ever shifting, ever balancing spirit that lives within us all and is mastered by Epohfvnkv. Our word for this energy is Puyvfekcv, the fire within. This is where Medicine comes from, this is where we feel the Vnokeckv, the deep love that connects all peoples, all creatures, and all that exist.
•However, personal energies can often become polluted by bad words, bad thoughts and bad actions. So too can objects and places. They become Porrv, bad spirits. Evil medicine.
•This is where Smudging comes in. This practice is one of many methods, usually accompanied by days of fasting, drinking a medicine to clean the bowels, sitting in the sweat lodge and then jumping in the river to clean the blood and the words, and smudging to clean the energy field, to cleanse a person of Bad Medicine or to prepare them for Postetv (Green Corn Ceremony) or a Opvnkvhaco (vision quest).
•Cleansing is to purify all aspects of life, the Ena (body), Feke (heart), Ekvlpa (mind), Cate (blood, life force) and Puyvfekcv (fire within). This way balance and harmony can be sought.
•Imbalance of any of these things can disrupt energy and cause mental, emotional, spiritual and physical sickness and disease.
•My people traditionally will carry or use Svpryv (medicine crystals), Tvstvnvkvlkoce (medicine herbs or ‘herbal warriors’) in Medicine bags to prevent imbalance and sickness and to promote good luck and well being.
•Smudging is the combination of calling on the spirits of the Tvstvnvkvlkoce (medicine herbs) Puyvfekcv (fire within), Hesaketvmese (giver and master of breath), Pucasv (taker and balancer of energy and fire), and Ekvnvvcakv (Holy Mother Earth) to purify a space or person. It is a very spiritual and involved practice.
I have shared all this information merely to inform and would like to remind everyone that the Muscogee religion a is closed religion, and that our beliefs are different from other tribes.
Thank you for reading. Mvto!
andulkaphoto
germansingergirl
