This is the second of a two-part video series on smudging. Last week we talked about how effective smudging is a partnership between you and Spirit. Spirit provides the energy, magic, and healing energy, and your intention directs and moves that energy.

I want to continue with that this week by talking about two different elements of smudging. The first and most commonly known aspect of smudging is to cleanse and purify. You might light some smudge to cleanse your house or office of negative energy or energy that no longer serves you.

And that's great, but to me, that's only half of the picture. Because once we remove the energy that no longer serves us, it's really important that we put some new energy in its place. This is because we as human beings don’t really do well with a void. So it's out with the old and in with the new.

The second element of smudging adds to cleansing the space by offering an intention for what we want to put back into the space. So if it's my office, I might remove any negative energy, and then bring in the healing energy, intuition, empathy, and all of the energy that I want to have in the session.

So then I’m going to partner with Spirit or life and call forth the energy of healing that I intend for the space. If I smudge before a ceremony, I, first of all, cleanse myself of all the energy that's not serving me and then call in the spirit and energy I want for the ceremony. So the calling in is an intention.

And so as I smudge myself, I start by awakening and cleansing my connection with Spirit. I'm removing any blocks to my connection with life and Spirit. And now I'm intending by awakening and inviting that spiritual energy down into my heart and into the space.

At the very end of my smudging is when I offer the primary intention for the space. I say in this space, I want this and this and this to happen. And this intentional smudging can be used whether you're smudging yourself, clearing a space, or starting a personal ceremony or group ceremony.