Smoke Cleansing

What It Is

Burning dried herbs and moving the smoke through your space to symbolically clear and reset.

Why It Helps

Smoke has been used cross-culturally for centuries to mark transitions and “clear the air.” The act gives your brain a sensory cue: something is ending, something new is beginning. You’re taking up space.

What You Need

Dried herbs from your garden or grocery store—rosemary, lavender, bay leaves, or common garden sage (not white sage, which is sacred to Indigenous peoples and often overharvested). A heat-safe bowl or dish.

How to Do It

Open a window. Light the herbs, let them catch, then blow out the flame so they smolder. Move through your space, wafting smoke into corners while stating what you’re releasing: “I release shame” or “Old stories leave here.” Let the smoke carry it out the window.

This Is Not Worship

It’s a symbolic reset ritual found in Mediterranean, European, and many global traditions. You’re not summoning anything—you’re marking change.

Variations

Do this after conflict, when moving into a new home, or seasonally. Add intention by speaking aloud what you’re inviting in after clearing.