its beginning to look a lot like christmas.......wow we are full on in winter wonderland. its absolutely beautiful outside, pure magic. i have been wanting to make smudge sticks for a while now, but the usual sagebrush doesn't grow nearby. then i came across an inspiring article about all kinds of different plants and herbs to use in smudge making. in the past i have yelled out while on a road trip.....stop the car there is sage. gathered a bunch and made the sticks when i got home, but why not just use what is available to you. juniper is everywhere in our little corner of montana. but any of these plants and herbs will work thyme, lavender, yarrow, pine, mullien, rosemary, lemon balm, mint, bee balm, or catnip.
traditionally white sage, sweetgrass, cedar, or sagebrush are used. smudging has native roots, used in ceremony, to cleanse, purify, and heal. people and places. so a good time to smudge would be right before you move into a new place, or after a major house cleaning spree. or anytime you feel the need to clear negative energy. while burning you want to have a "home" for the stick. abalone shells work good, as would any bowl, or something that is sacred to you. i use a bowl my daughter made for me with a moon and stars on it. juniper, pine, or cedar can be collected any time of the year. i skied down rails today and wildcrafted this juniper
she was a happy ol thing, and wanted to share. my son skied with us for a while and that made me happy.
home again we were ready to get on with a little crafting. witch crafting, wild crafting, smudge making.
break off several branches, of even size. the length you want the stick to be. its really personal preference, haha. i also had a bag of fresh herbs from the store. herb co's organic fresh herbs, the herbed bird bag. usually shows up in grocery stores all over the place during the holidays. it contains fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme. if this is available to you, great. if not, no big deal. form the bundle with you hands to get the feel for the stick. tie the ends together and wrap the twine around several times. hemp twine works good, i'm using basic cotton kitchen twine. i also use fancy bakers twine.......available through etsy.
after you have wrapped the end a few times, start to wrap around the bundle down to the tip. then criss cross back up the bundle to the end and tie off. ta~da there you have it. this bundle is juniper sage, i also made a juniper rosemary, and a cedar one as well. there is no wrong way to do this, play around with it, and find what you like best.
and of course miss josephine herself was involved.
so what do you do with the left over juniper.....make it into cleaning vinegar. i keep a steady flow of infused vinegars going constantly. both for consumption and cleaning. i wasn't quite sure of juniper vinegar for eating, may have to read up on that a little more. but i do know it will be fabulous for cleaning. this is so simple, works great, doesn't create waste, costs pennies to make, and it chemical shit free. what more could you want? place broken up pieces of juniper in a clean glass jar, as much or as little as you like. there is no exact recipe, cover with white vinegar, place a cap on it, place in a sunny window for two weeks. strain and put in a spray bottle. the two week period is flexible, if you need it early or it sits for a month, all is well.
well there you go, a few things to do with juniper. green blessings are everywhere, year round. i hope you are inspired to go out there and connect with juniper, cedar, or any shrubery available to you at this time. my name is dacia and you can subscribe to my sometimes email, follow on instagram or facebook. i make soap, salves, and aprons, visit my website simplyjosephine.com have a most wonderful winter experience, christmas, holiday, and solstice. many many blessings, namaste
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