I buy sage regularly and indeed, it has helped me with a lot of things and today I would love to share some of the good stuff it can do for you. Let's begin our count :)
1. American Indians and other native folks all over the world have used sage in many spiritual rituals to keep the bad spirits and any negativity away, to heal one another and to communicate with the ancestors. They honor this amazing plant and consider it sacred.
How to use: you can buy sage in dry bundles or dry the plant by yourself. When you burn the sage, wait till the smoke starts and then proceed to cleansing the area. If you are drying the plant yourself, it's best to tie a few sprigs together with a cotton thread before the leaves are dry. Otherwise, it will be hard not to destroy the leaves when tying them up. Give it a couple weeks to dry out completely. If you don't give it enough time, it might not burn well and you will have to light it up over and over again. To perform purification, go around the room with the bundle in the clockwise direction. It helps if you say a positive affirmation or mantra during the process, such as "love, peace, happiness" or whatever it is you want to manifest.
2. Sage relieves stress. Tons of it. If you live in a big city, like I do, it's almost impossible not to be bothered by stress. Our contemporary lives get so tied up and often drive us crazy, which makes an urgent need for some R&R. Sage makes it possible. If you don't have time, or let's say, your financial situation leaves much to be desired, burn some sage. Yup, I said it. It might sound a bit off the wall but once you breathe in the smoke you will feel the difference right away. And if you can do Pranayama (breathing technic) the effect will be double, triple, quadruple...
3. Sage is a great source of antioxidants and important nutrients. It is considered a panacea of sorts as it has been used in medicine and cooking as a solution for many diseases. It has anti-inflammatory properties and helps treat diseases like stomach pains, asthma, diarrhea, excessive sweating and helps relieve painful periods. (Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266480.php)
4. Sage improves memory. Try adding sage into your favorite dishes, such as soups, casseroles or stews. In addition to yummy flavor you get to stimulate your brain! It's better to add sage near the end of the cooking process, since it has a very delicate flavor, which will remain if you add it a couple of minutes before the meal is done cooking. I also make hot tea out of dry sage leaves. Just pour hot water over it, let it brew for a few minutes and your hot drink packed with goodness is ready! If you'd like, you can add ice, lemon and/or honey, too.
For more health benefits of sage, follow this link: Herbwisdom.
Moving up to more spiritual benefits now!
5. If you are buying new furniture, new clothes or anything new, you can let the smoke pass over the thing to remove any "foreign" energy. I especially recommend doing this if the object was used by someone else before. By saging the item you will make it "yours". If you have a pet, you can sage them as well. It's a great idea to sage your cat's litter box to freshen it, as an example.
6. Going back to saging your room. Open the doors and windows of the room that you are cleansing. If there are cabinets in the room, open them as well. The bundle should be held by your left hand as the left hand takes the energy away (according to Ayurveda, the left hand is in ignorance, that has the energy of taking, and the right hand is in goodness, which has the giving energy). Don't worry about taking the bad energy in. You are only freeing it and it will go away with the smoke. Although, don't forget to take a full shower (with your head) afterwards, to restore the energy and bring the aura back to its natural state. If you don't want to wet the hair, you can use a shower cap. The bad energy will still be washed off with the water since the aura is located above your head. By the way, when you take a shower, it's better to use your left hand as well for the same reason of the left hand being the "taker". But that's a subject for another post :)
7. Sage is known to also increase spiritual awareness, intuition, the sense of peace and harmony. It has an ability to help purify your subtle body and clear your mind. As a result, you might see a bigger picture of a problem or might get a different perspective on a situation, maybe even something that's been bothering you for a while. To my mind, this alone is worth giving it a try!
A Quick Tip: it's great if you have a backyard and can grow sage there. If you don't have one, it is certainly better to buy organic sage, in case the non-organic one was irradiated. You certainly don't want the toxins to come out with the smoke and cause more damage than the good. But even if you don't have a garden, you can grow it in your own apartment, here is how to do it: Grow Sage.
I hope all the above has inspired you to try this herb full of spiritual wisdom, delicate taste and physical health benefits, or if you have been using sage - has helped you discover more reasons to keep it up!
