I firmly believe that I’ve always been aware of and sensitive to energy. There have been times in my life when I could ignore this fact (ah, ignorance is bliss) and there have been times when I could not. (Eek! Some of them were quite rude).

There have been even more instances where I was in total denial of this innate sensitivity. Hi, my name is LuLu and I am incredibly stubborn sometimes.

I remember a client saying to me once, “Gosh you must not be able to go anywhere!” And I fucking hated it.

So I replied, “No, no, of course not! It’s fine, I can turn it on and off.” Which was a lie, at the time. A lie I wanted so desperately to believe that it took me years and lots of inner ill-ness to finally admit that I can’t really go anywhere without knowing 75 things about every human being I come into contact with.

Okay, fine. I’m “sensitive.”

Also, energy is REAL.

Today, I use smoke clearing and plant essence to support my system and take responsibility for my energy. Being responsible to and for your own energy serves you incomparably, as well as every person you meet. It will dramatically change the way people receive and perceive you.

This is a blog about smoke clearing. What it is, how to do it, and how it can change your life. Because it certainly changed mine.

My First Experience With Smoke Clearing

I can remember so vividly the first time I was cleared with copal. I was visiting Tulum by myself and had heard about a sound healing that was happening at Azulik Hotel. As soon as I walked in, I realized I had entered a giant structure made of palm trees (palapa). It was dimly lit, and I was greeted with a large clay lantern that was glowing from the inside. The gentle man carrying it slowly bowed to me and began waving the smoke around my whole body.

It was a very unfamiliar smell. I experienced many anxious thoughts around if I was “doing it right,” and then something shifted. Whatever anxiety or anticipation I had walked in with was starting to disperse and leave me, and by the end (which felt like a very long time) all that was left was my open heart and total willingness to receive the experience about to take place.

It was one of the most powerful sound healing ceremonies I have ever attended. The variety of instruments, the location, and the copal were all contributing to my experience. It was awe inspiring.

I went in search of discovering whatever that sacred smoke was for a couple of years before I found it, but the experience has never left me. To receive an energetic cleanse from a complete stranger who has your highest good intended is one of the more vulnerable and heart-expanding experiences I have had the pleasure of receiving. It is a sacred connection. It is a deep, divine trust, and it changed me. It is a memory I will treasure for a lifetime.

The History of Smoke Clearing

Smudging, as beautifully explained by Neelou Malekpour, is “the act of using smoke from sacred herbs and flowers to cleanse and purify a person or a space. This ancient ritual is practiced by a myriad of cultures and dates back thousands of years. Wild rue, sage, palo santo, rose, lavender, dandelions, cedar… the list of plant allies goes on. Whatever one may need in life, there's a plant you can burn to call in support.”

Often, we go to the practices that we’ve seen from Indigenous peoples because we’re longing for a connection to the Earth or to spirituality. However, as renowned healer Stephanie Burg points out, we must be mindful when using the word smudge because this term is used by Indigenous peoples as part of their spiritual practice. Up until 1970, by law, Indiginous folks could have their hair cut, their children taken away, or be imprisoned for doing any of their spiritual practices, including smudging. So, in respect of the plant and the ritual, we should refer to this practice as smoke clearing or smoke cleansing. I bow in gratitude to the bringers of this medicine and ritual. It is a sacred practice and I am honored to participate.

Connecting With Plant Allies

The very best method of smoke clearing is to form a relationship with the plants you are working with. In fact, smoke clearing is less about the action and more about this relationship; without it, you won’t have the same co-creation, efficacy, or power. Build a connection with your plant allies and give gratitude each time you use them. Tend to them, watch them grow, and harvest their medicine when you need it.

If growing and harvesting your own herbs, resin, or wood is not an option for you at this time, it is best to choose and purchase products that are sustainably sourced by others who have this special relationship. Below are three women-owned businesses that each have strong connections to the herbal and mineral medicine they’re selling. These are women that I know personally, and one was referred to me by someone I trust. I hope their products, diligence, and healing energies permeate your life in beautiful, profound, and unexpected ways.

Neelou Malekpour, owner of Smudged
Mariah Lyons, owner of Astara
Abigail McClam, owner of Lotus Healing Centers in partnership with Rainforest Remedies Ltd.

Origins

In Spanish, palo santo translates as “holy wood.” For thousands of years, the wood, resin, and oil have been used for medicinal purposes, purifying, cleansing, and clearing negative energies. This plant is also quite helpful to burn when your intention is to focus. Palo santo has a warm, sweet, citrusy aroma that might remind you of myrrh and frankincense. Yum!

This plant ally is used most effectively for energetic cleansing and purification. Because of its heavier, more supportive nature, palo santo has the robustness to move energy out of a dwelling space or energy body. It’s great for setting intention and amplifying focus as well.

How to Use Palo Santo

To use palo santo, simply burn the wood (it’s typically purchased in small sticks.) I like to light a candle, set an intention, and use the candle’s flame to burn one end of the palo santo stick. It may take a few moments to catch fire when the stick has been previously lit, but once it does, let the small flame burn for a few seconds so that a large surface area of the stick is smoking (or else you’ll have to keep re-lighting it).

Once the wood begins smoking, wave it around the space you’re in and around your auric field before letting it rest in a seashell or metal bowl so it can safely burn itself out. Palo santo is a plant ally you do not usually have to put out yourself; it will burn out on it’s own, and usually quite quickly.

Important Things to Know

Because of its popularity, palo santo has been over-harvested and its current habitat has been extraordinarily threatened. In fact, its natural homeland, the tropical dry forests, are even more endangered than our planet’s rainforests.

“Dry tropical forests have been decimated. Estimates are that only five to ten percent of dry tropical forests are still intact around the world,” said Susan Leopold, Ph.D., and executive director of United Plant Savers, a conservation organization.

It’s very important to purchase palo santo that is sustainably wild harvested from naturally fallen trees and branches, not intentionally cut or cleared forests. Fun Fact: This holy wood’s magic is activated during the decade or less that the plant lies dead before being harvested.

You can purchase affordable and ethically sourced palo santo here:

→ https://www.smudged.co

→ https://astaracollective.com/products/restore-kit

Origins

My primary plant ally is copal. It was an instant connection for me. Copal is most commonly used in the Mayan tradition, whose lands I resonate with profoundly. I travel to Mexico 1-2 times a year to recharge my energy and buy all the copal I can carry. Copal is a sacred resin that is sourced from the copal tree. It can be found raw, in crystallization form, and in incense sticks.

This resin is used most effectively for powerful energetic cleansing and purification. Because of its sticky nature and high potency, it’s an excellent ally for clearing the energy of a dwelling space or energy body. Undesired energy sticks naturally to the smoke and is carried away with the wind. I utilize copal in energy healing treatments, when traveling and staying in rooms where many other energies have stayed, and when desiring a fresh start or blank slate. The smoke also makes for a great insect repellant, and is commonly used in restaurants on the Yucatan Peninsula to keep mosquitos away.

How to Use Copal

Because of its potency, you do not need to burn much copal to create a powerful energetic cleansing effect. When using copal incense, burn the tip of the incense stick until it catches fire and begins to light up the area. You’ll typically have to snuff out the incense when you are finished with it. (It’s best put out in a bowl of sand or salt, avoiding water as it drowns the representation of the “inner flame” or soul spark.) To clear a space copal resin, you need a pot with a coal disk or copalera full of hot coals. Once the coal is lit, sprinkle the resin or resin dust over the coals to ignite the smoke. It’s so delicious smelling and creates a peaceful atmosphere.

Important Things to Know

It’s very important to find copal sourced directly from where the copal tree grows in its indigenous habitat. As mentioned, good products begin with honorable sourcing and handling. When you truly understand energy, you understand this completely.

The properties of copal when used in smoke clearing can help to cleanse spaces, people, and places. This plant ally is also known to ease the spiritual diseases of envy, fright, grief, and sadness. The after effect of burning copal is often described as uplifting, providing relief and a sense of lightness, well-being, and renewed energy.

You can purchase affordable and ethically sourced copal here: https://rainforestremediesusa.com/collections/smudge-products/products/copal-smudge-incense-resin-mix

Origins

White sage is a multi-purpose plant ally used for cleansing, protection and healing. It’s the first plant ally I was ever introduced to, and I’ll be honest, the smell made me laugh in confusion. To the unfamiliar nose, it smells a bit like cannabis. Funny story: I used to rent an office space right next to a lawyers’ office and one day my sage bundle would not go out. I tried everything (but water) and it would not stop burning. Eventually, I just surrendered and it put itself out when it was done — about 10 minutes later, my landlord came bursting through the door on a mission to discover the illegal drug use happening inside his property. I giggled a bit and held up the dried sage bundle for him to smell while apologizing for the confusion. The words, “It’s a common misconception,” were likely used throughout the unnecessary apology, because to my now experienced nose, of course, the aromas could not be more different.

I cannot help but laugh as I write this. It’s akin to when kombucha first became popular and was sold in bottles identical to beer bottles. It looks like something entirely different than it is!

How to Use White Sage

Of course, as truth seekers it’s very important for us to educate ourselves and to know when our actions can be harmful and appropriative. The burning of white sage is a sacred and holy tradition in many Native cultures and ceremonies, and to use it casually in an office setting and laugh at the reactions of others (as I just shared) is unintentionally disrespectful. When we know better, we must do better! In this case, I’m happy to be an example of what not to do.

Important Things to Know

White sage has become very popular, and we must be careful not to add to its over harvesting. Typically we buy it in giant bundles which can be wasteful unless you’re using it outdoors or to cleanse a very large space. If you are using sage to cleanse yourself or a small room, you really only need one leaf at a time. This is much more honoring to the plant, the culture, and the Earth. If you cannot grow your own, the sage I recommend using is certified organic, and sustainably sourced.

You can purchase affordable and ethically sourced white sage here:

→ https://www.smudged.co

→ https://astaracollective.com/products/restore-kit

Shift Your Energy, Shift Your Life

Whether it is your first time using smoke clearing or your hundredth, you are responsible for the energy and the vibration you put out into the world.

So now, any time you’re in a funk or need the energy in a room to feel different, you have resources. Use a plant ally and watch your entire experience shift. The mood of the space you’re in will change instantly, and if you’re paying attention, you’ll notice how powerfully it affects your mood, thoughts, energy, and well being.

I’d also love to invite you to sign up for a 1:1 Virtual Intuitive Reading with me. These readings are SO much fun, and you can choose a crystal reading, essential oil reading, or more general reading to see what’s resonating with your mindbodyheart at the moment. Plus, you’ll get a free aura cleansing + emotional frequency mini-book AND access to a recording of the Effortless Manifestation Workshop as my gift to you!

More practices to support your energy:

Keep sacred spaces clean (don’t let them get dusty)
Maintain your dwelling space — keep it fresh and relevant to your life
Give whatever you hold sacred your attention every day
Take a restorative yoga class
Dance, sing, and experience joyful movement like yoga, walking, tai chi, swimming, etc. to move emotions in a healthy way
Journal about what you desire most
Practice meditation
Practice self pleasure
Reset your magnetic field with a shower
Go outside everyday and be with nature
Eat a delicious meal
Keep high vibrational company
Practice self love, forgiveness, self trust, and self honoring
Avoid gossip of any kind
Call a loving friend
Be conscious of toxic thoughts and emotions (do what you need to do to heal them
and let them goooo)
Take the long, luxurious bath with the bubbles and fresh fruit and rose petals and, well, whatever you want
Practice self awareness
Drink adequate amounts of water (1/2 your body weight in oz is recommended per day)
Eat whole foods that grow in the sunlight and nutrient-rich soil
Practice energetic activation techniques
Breathe deep daily and practice daily breathwork
Sweep your organs and energy field like you would sweep a floor (especially over
areas that are hurting)

If you have any questions, please ask in the comments below and I’ll answer. Enjoy!

How to Clear Energy With Smoke: An Ancient Practice