Black sage

Generally about sages

Plants belonging to the sage family are among the plants with mighty magical abilities. Wherever the plants of this powerful family are able to grow, they have become part of the local spiritual traditions. And because they have such magical abilities, they have been used in other parts of the world.

Not all sage plants are the same - they look different, they smell different, they are used differently, and even their safe use depends on the specific plant.

The best known plant from the sage family used in spiritual practices is white sage (Salvia apiana), which in Estonian is also called witch's sage, which is used to remove negative energies and for deeper cleansing, and to create and enhance protection. Similarly to white sage blue sage (Salvia azurea), or also known as azure sage, is also often used and it is suitable for daily cleansing practices. However, there is also a third quite popular plant in the sage family, which has very unique properties - this is black sage (Salvia mellifera), which smells sharper and more intense than other sages. This plant is mostly used for spiritual and astral journeys.

There is no exact answer as to why it is called a black sage. According to one hypothesis, this may be due to the fact that its darker green leaves become relatively dark when it's dreid. According to the another assumption, it's because of its vegetable juices, which, after picking for a few hours, leave your hands covered with black paint.

Where does it grow?

Black sage is an intensely aromatic perennial semi-deciduous herb that grows mainly in the coastal areas of California, Baja California and Mexico. Rather, it is found in higher areas, as it usually grows at an altitude of 1,200 m above sea level.

In terms of growth, black sage is not as picky as white sage. It prefers warmth and sunshine, but also tolerates partial shade. Black sage can grow in a wide variety of soils, including sandstone, shale, granite, serpentinite and basalt.

Indigenous use

Native American people have used and still use a variety of plants for spiritual rituals, cleansing, and healing. Of the sages, white sage has not been the only one used for this purpose. In fact, the use of white sage was common only among the tribes living in the deserts of southwestern America because it simply did not grow elsewhere. White sages were used even less often than blue sages - rather for deeper cleansing and for releasing trapped energies and souls, increasing and enhancing protection.

Among indigenous people different sage plants have been popular, including white sage (Salvia apiana), blue sage (Salvia azurea), garden sage (Salvia officinalis) and black sage (Salvia mellifera). Although nowadays the distribution area of ​​black sage has started to expand more and more to the north, taking over the former growing areas of white sage, black sage is not used for exactly the same purposes as white sage. Salvia mellifera has a sharper and more pungent aroma, and was used only during very specific rituals and ceremonies.

For example, the Kumeyaay Indians soaked the leaves and stalks of black sage in a bath to relieve colds, rheumatism and arthritis. The Luiseño tribes, however, picked small seeds of black sage because of their high protein content. Black sage has also been used to treat ulcers and inflammations of the stomach, sore throat, runny nose, cough, and lung disease.

The leaves of black sage have also been used to flavor food. Its taste is stronger than ordinary sage. Black sage's honey is considered one of the best. By the way, the name in Latin mellifera means honey production.

In spiritual practices, black sages were used in purification ceremonies and on spiritual and astral journeys for entrancing and to create strong protection, as well as in shamanism, divination, and dream work.

How to use black sage for energy cleansing?

As I wrote earlier, black sage, like other sage plants, has been used in Native American rituals and ceremonies for centuries. Depending on the indigenous tribe, different plants were used - still according to the proximity of these places, because in Indian culture it is customary to pick and dry all the ritual plants themselves. It is already part of the ritual itself and had to be done with good thoughts and wishes.

Black sage can be used to cleanse yourself, your home and various objects, but rather less often and for heavier energies, as its aroma is very intense, so it also has a very profound effect. Scientific studies have shown that smoking black sage indoors kills up to 94% of bacteria. Its strong aroma helps keep moths away from your wardrobe and it acts as a good insect repellent overall.

Salvia Mellifera 's holy smoke helps to see visions and removes negative energy and bad intentions. It is extremely useful for inner healing, the magic of dreams, shamanic travel, entrancing, and strong protection during astral journeys. If you are doing rituals or activities where you need to look deep inside yourself or want to access other levels of consciousness, black sage will help here.

In order to enter the astral world, you must first thoroughly cleanse yourself with a black sage ritual torch to clear your mind of everything redundant. In addition, you can use words, singing, chanting mantras, drumming or other techniques that will free your mind and help you achieve a higher level of consciousness. Be sure to keep a black sage torch smoking throughout the ritual, as it will keep you safe and secure throughout the journey.

Start the smudging ritual followingly:

Light a sage smudge stick with a candle, lighter, or match.

It would be convenient to use a white candle, for example, because during each cleansing ritual, a white candle should burn at the same time and after the ritual, so it will charge you and your home with new clean fresh energy after cleansing and removing negative energies.

It would also be good if you kept at least one window open during the cleansing ritual, so that negative energy could leave the room. You can also open it after completing the ritual if you do not want to distract yourself during the journey.

Hold the torch at a 45-degree angle to ignite and slowly swirl it in the flame to allow it to catch fire properly. If the torch does not want to light well, wave the "wind" by hand so that it starts to smoke properly. According to the wisdom of the indigenous people, neither the sages used for the cleansing ritual nor the wooden stick of Palo Santo should be blown, because for them it meant that you blew your soul away.

Let the torch burn for about 30 seconds and then shake gently until the flame goes out or, if you prefer, sprinkle some sand or other non-flammable material on the smudging dish and extinguish the flame by pushing the tip of the torch into it for a moment. The torch can then be placed on a smudging dish or other heat-resistant tray (a bowl is also suitable).

Keep in mind! Cleansing should only be performed with good intentions. Be sure to think positive thoughts before and during cleansing and pray or just ask the smoke of the plant to remove all negative and bad energy that is not in your best interest and for your highest good.

Every ritual must begin with yourself. This means that first you must cleanse your own aura and energy field and only then can you start cleansing the home, crystals, or other items that need cleansing.

Start cleansing yourself from your hands, moving them inside the smoke as if you were washing your hands. Then lift the palms with the smoke (as if you were taking water with your palms) and cleanse your ears, so you could hear good things, then your mouth, so you could say good things, your eyes, so you could see good things, and your heart, so you could feel good feelings. If you wish, you can also use the smoke to cleanse your hands and arms, so you could do good things, and also your knees and feet, so you could walk through life in a good way. You can repeat the same ritual when you have finished cleansing your home, crystals, or other things.

If you do not want to perform such a detailed ritual, it is enough to move the smoking sage torch over your body, simply letting the smoke do the cleansing.

When cleansing your home you should start from the front door of your home. If you live in a house and have several exterior doors, you should start with the main door.

According to the wisdom of indigenous people you can move in both directions - clockwise and counterclockwise. When you start moving clockwise, you cleanse and bring new good energy instead. However, if you move counterclockwise, you are asking negative and bad energy to leave your home. You can actually use both ways for cleansing. However, it is worth keeping in mind that moving counterclockwise may clear the whole home of any kind of energy. This means that along with illness and negative energy, good spirits and good energy also leave. At the same time, it helps if you apologize to the good spirits and simply ask them to come back after cleansing.

Remember that when you cleanse, you make room for more energy and nature does not tolerate an empty space. Therefore it should be filled immediately with new good and positive energy. For this you can use positive sounds: either sing or say something positive or play harmonious music in the background. If music or singing is not your thing, then just saying positive words will also help. At this point, be sure to notice what intentions you are entering into this space. Say those words by listening to your heart.

For objects (like crystals), you should also start the cleansing with good intentions and state what exactly do you want to remove. The item should then be kept inside the smoke until you feel it is cleansed. Since some of the energy has been removed, it should be recharged immediately with new energy. You can say positive words (intentions) or charge it in the moonlight or in the sunlight. The Sun charges objects with stronger and more active energy because the Sun represents masculine energy, and the Moon charges objects with softer and lower energy because the Moon represents feminine energy. Don't forget that we all have both masculine and feminine energy, and choose the charging method according to which energy you need more to support you at the moment.

After the cleansing rituals, it is always recommended to cleanse yourself again, so that negative energies don't get stuck in your energy body. When you finish the cleansing ritual, you can leave the torch on the dish to smoke. After a while, it goes out on its own.

Do not leave a burning torch unattended! Keep out of reach of children and pets!