Palo Santo, literally meaning “holy wood” in Spanish, is a tree that is widely distributed throughout Central and South America. Palo Santo is used in South America in much the same way as White Ceremonial Sage is used in North America- to combat negative energy and to cleanse the space. Palo Santo is different than many of the other smudging materials as it is fragrant in its raw form and does not necessarily need to be lit, though it usually is when being used for ceremonial purposes. Palo Santo is often used by Amazonian shamans in sacred plant spirit ceremonies; the rising smoke of the lit sticks is believed to enter the energy field of ritual participants to clear misfortune, negative thoughts and to chase away evil spirits. Its use reportedly dates back to the Inca era.

Use a candle, match or lighter to ignite your stick. Then hold it at a 45 degree angle pointing the tip down towards the flame. Allow the stick to burn for 30 seconds to a minute and then blow it out. From there you can either place the stick in an incense burner and leave to smoulder, or you can use it for smudging. If left to rest the stick will smoulder and release smoke for approx 5 mins. If used for smudging, or you are waiving it around a space, it will smoulder for longer.

STEPS FOR SMUDGING

Smudging is the ritual of cleaning the energy of a physical space, object or person. First you start with a clear and simple intention of focusing on clearing the negative energy out of your space and mind. Once you have your intention clearly in mind, light the Palo Santo stick as per instructions above.

Then walk around the room, space, object or person, fanning the smoke over it’s entirety, whilst focusing on cleansing and clearing negative energy. Palo Santo will smoulder and release smoke for a few minutes and may need to be re-light a few times throughout the ritual, depending on the size of the area area you are cleansing.

Once you’ve finished smudging and removed the negative energy, you must push positive energy into the space to maintain balance. To do this, declare your intention out loud or silently in your head.