Smudging & Salts

Smudging

Burning certain incense (which have the same properties as herbs) can achieve the same effect which is similar to smudging. Smudging usually involves taking a bundle of dried sage, cedar or sweetgrass and lighting the tip of it until it starts to smoke, then waving the smudge stick around your home, letting the smoke and your intent remove negative energy. Incense such as Frankincense, Sandalwood and Myrrh, with the intent, can accomplish the same thing You may have seen smudging done by either Native Americans, Wiccans, Pagans, or Catholic Priests, in movies or in person. The Native Americans, Wiccans and Pagans would have used a smudge pot or bundle of herbs and feather to burn and waft the smoke around. The Catholic Priests use what is known as a censer and they swing it gently back and forth with the smoke coming out as they walk through the church.

Sea Salt - The Ultimate Purifier

Sea salt is an excellent neutralizer. The ocean holds a lot of power, especially for cleansing and healing, so sea salt obviously does too. You can get pure sea salt at health food stores and many online shops carry it also (try to get unrefined sea salt if possible because it retains most of its natural properties.) You can mix in some sea salt with your herb mixtures, or use it by itself as described above for the herbs. Sea salt bath is one of the best ways to cleanse and purify yourself and I highly recommend it before any ritual, cleansing or healing work is done.

Black Salt

This is another very protective salt that dispels negativity. In some Hoodoo and folk magick traditions, black salt is used as a protective element. It can be blended up and sprinkled around your property to keep your home safe from intruders or troublemakers. It is traditionally used to drive away evil, and can be sprinkled in the footprints of someone who is bothering you to make them go away. Below is a basic recipe for black salt:

Black Salt

2 parts Sea Salt

1 part scrapings from a cast iron skillet or pot - (magickal cauldron is ideal)

1 part fine ash from your fire pit or fire place

1 part finely ground black pepper

If you have a well seasoned cast iron pot or cauldron, you should be able to get a good amount of black scrapings out of the bottom of it - if it seems too oily just use the ash and black pepper instead. A few folks have recommended using black chalk dust, black powdered food dye, or lampblack as a way to color the salt so you may consider those to make it darker.

Don't confuse this concoction with the black salt used in Indian cuisine - that item is actually a mineral salt which is a pinkish gray color and has a bit of a sulfuric taste to it.