Add your brainstorming topic here... by Minjae Kim

step 1

km423039 — 2025-01-03 15:48:10 UTC

Get Sacred Medicines to smudge on (sage, sweet grass, tobacco and cedar)

It is possible to mix or use other medicines, but sage is the most used medicine for the purpose of smudging

Step 2

km423039 — 2025-01-03 15:55:38 UTC

Place the prepared medicines on the smudging bowl (Large clam shell) and let the conductor of smudging circle, likely an elder, to set them on fire, allowing smokes to rise

Step 4

km423039 — 2025-01-03 15:58:17 UTC

Smudge the nearby eagle feather with the rising smokes before smudging yourself (For eagle feather has religious meaning on Mi'kmaq culture, as well the feather will be used for a very important occasion later on)

Step 5

km423039 — 2025-01-05 01:48:24 UTC

Smudge the hands first as it is a tool that will catch the smokes and rub them in the desired body parts.

Step 3

km423039 — 2025-01-05 01:59:57 UTC

Prepare to pray to the Creator while performing step 4 and 5

Step 6

km423039 — 2025-01-05 02:01:43 UTC

Smudge the mouth first as it is what allows people to say sacred words

Step 7

km423039 — 2025-01-05 02:04:20 UTC

Then smudge the senses (eyes & ears) as it is what people use to see the good things that the Creator did to them and to hear the good things people have to say toward each other. (Some also smudge their glasses during this steps)

Step 8

km423039 — 2025-01-05 02:12:32 UTC

Smudge other miscellaneous body parts from head (hair, identity of people and storage of DNA, ultimately ancestral history) to feet (what people use to walk on Mother Earth).

Step 9

km423039 — 2025-01-05 02:17:29 UTC

Pray to the Creator and spirits in silence for what is needed from them. (i.e him to be with people). Smokes created will flow to the sky, sending those prayed messages to the Creator.

Step 10

km423039 — 2025-01-05 02:21:20 UTC

Point the open, less steep part of the bowl to the circle and fan the smoke with the eagle feather, sending the smokes to people far off and allowing them to get what they need to smudge themselves

Notes

km423039 — 2025-01-05 02:30:02 UTC

Smudging is to put or rub smoke from the medicines into a body part to cleanse them.

Technically there are no strict rules or steps required for a smudging session, only the general flows of action and thus, varies from people or groups. Which is why some recommend newcomers to make their own rules or methods after getting enough smudging experiences.