After reading the Marked series by P.C. and Kristen Cast (review to come), I was instantly drawn to the concept of smudging and ritual that they do.

From reading these books, I learned the terminology of ‘Smudging’, but upon further research, it’s not actually correct for me to call it that. Smudging is a Native American term, that should only be used by Native Americans. This is typically an in-depth ceremony that is not shown/passed down to non-Native Americans, and is a part of their culture that hasn’t always been allowed to be done. As a side note, in the series, she is part Native American, so the use of smudging would be correct.

Cleansing, in the most basic sense, is when you spiritually remove any negative energy and replace it with positive. Lately, I’ve been feeling a need to connect to something spiritually, and I feel like this would be a good place to start. New house, new beginnings, new rituals. I used to be really into it when I was younger. I read a lot of books, but it was more of something that was exciting and different when I was in high school. Now, I feel like this is really something that I need to do properly, and incorporate it into my life. And did a bunch of research regarding how to spiritually cleanse a house. Taking what I learned online, and I decided what I was going to try to invoke. I made the decision to do the ritual on the full moon, and while I knew that Andrew would probably be around for it, it just seemed right to wait until then. Actually, it worked out perfectly since Andrew was working late, and wasn’t around anyways!

Another thing that I need to get back into is yoga, start meditating, and catch up on my journaling. I looked at that this past week and I’m dismally behind (still writing about MAY – oy). I need to start actively making time for this in my life. Baby steps. This will definitely help ground myself, and hopefully get my life and priorities back on track!

I’ll be posting the ritual and how it went once the full moon passes! I’m so excited for this new chapter in my life.
Disclaimer: I am by no means a professional or expert, and I’m going through this with research, trial and error, and what feels right to me. Any suggestions are welcome! Some of the places that I took inspiration from are Mind Body Green, Belief Net, and Tumblr!