SMUDGING
Smudging is the burning of certain herbs to create a cleansing smoke. The
smoke from smudging attaches itself to negative energy and as the smoke clears
it takes the negative energy with it, releasing it into another space where
it will be regenerated into positive energy.
Some of the common herbs of smudging are Sage, White Sage, cedar, Lavender,
Sweet grass, Mugwart and Copal.
Mix together the plants you will be using, placing them in a shell or sturdy
bowl, and light them. Some mixtures of herbs do not stay lit well. You may
need to put a charcoal in the bowl first. Before lighting either the charcoal
or herbs, make sure there is some soil or sand in the bottom of the bowl or
shell. This will keep it from being too hot to hold.
When the herbs are lit, use a fan or feather to fan out the flame. Throughout the ceremony you will need to fan the herbs to keep them smoldering.
Once the herbs are smoldering, draw the smoke to your heart, then over your head, down your arms, and down the front of your body. Now move the smoke over the back of your body toward the ground. If you need special balancing or healing in some part of your body, you can emphasize by pulling the smoke to the area.
It is your responsibility to cleanse your own energy field.
The plants help. They do not do it for you.
Next, offer smoke to the six directions: up to the Creator, down to the Earth,
and then to the north, east, south and west, in that order.
After you have smudged yourself and offered the smudge, you can hold the bowl while others smudge themselves, or you may smudge them. They should draw the smoke to themselves, first to the heart, over the head, down the arms, down the chest, and down the back.
You may now walk around the area you will be using, wafting the smoke as you go. If you are inside, smudge around the walls of the room, paying particular attention to the corners.
Smudge any medicine tools you will be using during ceremonies.
CENTERING
There are many ways to center yourself in a ceremony. Using one of them is critical because the more centered you are, the more powerful the ceremony will be. Basically any centering technique helps to bring all your energy together, allowing you to let go of the everyday world and thus enter the sacred space. Some of the ways we often use to center energy is to drum, rattle, or chant.
DRUMMING
To begin drumming, you should quiet yourself and listen to
your heartbeat.
Begin to drum your heartbeat on the drum.
As your heartbeat shifts, allow your drumming to change.
Do not try to change the drumbeat rapidly. A slow, repetitive beat is more
effective.
If your drumming is accompanying a chant, listen to the chant first. Make
the drum beat complement the chant, not compete with it. Under no circumstances
should you drown out the chant with the drum.
At the end of a chant you should make several rapid beats, which serve the
purpose of sending the song out to the Great Spirit and announcing the song
is completed.
CHANTING
When you chant properly, you take the energy of the earth in through your body, magnify it, and send it out to all your relations on the planet. This means you should feel the chant throughout your whole body, not just your throat. It should cause a vibration that touches all your energy centers.
It does not matter if you can sing or not. Chanting is a way of centering and sending energy.
BREATHING
To begin, relax your body. If this is not easy for you to do, begin with your toes, tighten your muscles as tight as is possible, then release them. Tighten the muscles of your calves, release them. Do the same with your thighs, buttocks, stomach, diaphragm, chest, lower back, mid-back, upper back, shoulders, neck. Finally, tighten your scalp and release. Now do your face muscles and release.
Allow your breath to go through as much of your body as possible. Visualize it as a hollow vessel. Fill the vessel with air. Remember to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Take long, slow, deep breaths.
Pay attention to yourself relaxing as you breathe.
Feel your breath fill you and connect you with the earth, the sky, and all
that is around you.