The Sage

[sooZen]

The word sage has many meanings. On the one hand it is a enlightened being who imparts wisdom in a calm manner (at least that is my interpretation) but that is not the sage I am specifically refering to. Sage is also a herb, a member of the salvia family and salvia comes from the word that means healthy.

Here in the desert southwest, white sage grows abundantly and is used ceremonially by the Native Americans in their ritual lives. The Indians (as Europeans and the Spanish refer to them...they are "the people" in their languages), use sage to purify and heal objects, the people and homes or to invoke a spiritual state of mind. This ritual is usually refered to as 'smudging'.

Smudging consists of lighting a bundle of dried sage that is bound with twine, colored yarn or something similar. The burning sage is blown out and the result is a smoldering wand with a pungent and for me, very recognizable acrid but pleasant smell. A fan, large feather (usually hawk or eagle) or one's hand is used to waft the smoke towards the person (another or yourself), object or in the case of a house, the corners of the ceilings in a room.

This is an ancient ritual, the Celts, Normans, and other tribes in Europe have used sage for eons. The indians have also used sage since the beginning and sage bundles are always available at the shows I frequent. Even the Farmers Market in Anapra, New Mexico, I can smell the distinct odor as I sit in my booth. Down the row and around the corner a herbal guy, with his pots and dried savories also sells bundles of the white sage brightly tied in different color yarns which remind one of the east Indian chakras.

I don't particularly suscribe or practice ritual, (my life is spontaneous and not practiced or planned particularly), but the sage in me and the herb itself call. I smuged the house after my mother-in-law died. Especially the rooms she occupied frequently. When you practice ritual, it is not so much the act but the intent, your perception, what you 'think' as you do 'it'. I keep it simple, brief and usually have a mantra of sorts in mind. Something like, "bless this space"...as simple as that.

I walked down the row at the market and bought a small bundle for Jan, my beading partner. Her mother has recently died and she is planning on selling her house. She will sage it even though Janice doesn't know much about the ritual other than what we in our Posse have told her. That is not important...it is just the intent, the thought that counts...

Peace,
SooZen