{"id":253291,"date":"2026-01-27T00:39:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T00:39:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/253291\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T00:39:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T00:39:20","slug":"i-tried-a-sage-cleanse-at-home-it-shouldnt-be-taken-lightly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/253291\/","title":{"rendered":"I tried a sage cleanse at home – it shouldn’t be taken lightly"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Walking back to my place that afternoon, everything surrounding me appeared more vibrant.’\"Sage<\/p>\n

The sage stick will catch fire, then begin to smoulder, care must be taken(Image: Katie Oborn)<\/p>\n

As January 2026 got underway, I fancied trying a sage cleanse to refresh my home and banish any stale energy that might be hanging around. It wasn’t something I’d attempted previously, but with the new year<\/a> barely begun, I reckoned I’d have a crack at it as the bleak, chilly month wore on.<\/a><\/p>\n

Having read that this age-old practice of burning white sage continues to “work wonders”, I figured it was worth a shot \u2013 and hoped it might brighten the mood indoors. My first encounter with ceremonial incense burning came when I went to meet a “witch” a few years back at an unusual shop that had recently launched in Plymouth.<\/a><\/p>\n

During that visit, practising witch Paul Bryant at witchcraft emporium The Cunning Grove lit a blend of copal, rose petals, marigold and lavender while I was present \u2013 and something curious occurred on my journey home afterwards.<\/a><\/p>\n

Walking back to my place that afternoon, everything surrounding me appeared more vibrant. I experienced a feeling of tranquillity yet simultaneously invigorated, and this sensation persisted as I tackled some household tasks.<\/p>\n

That memory lingered \u2013 and two years on, the idea of performing a fragrant cleanse made it onto my January agenda, so I purchased two of the California White Sage Smudge Sticks (Mini) from Baldwins, reports the Express<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Sage<\/p>\n

The sage stick will smoulder as you aim to get it’s fragrant smoke in all corners of a room (Image: Katie Oborn)<\/p>\n

I was keen to order from a reputable source, given the ethical questions involved. With sage proving popular, excessive harvesting of the plant has allegedly led to environmental consequences.<\/p>\n

London herbalist Baldwins has been “purveyors of natural products since 1844” – and their compact sage stick seemed perfect for my requirements.<\/p>\n

After searching online, I discovered the Enchanted Soul store, which detailed the ancient practice of burning sage – commonly referred to as smudging.<\/p>\n

According to the Enchanted Soul website, smudging is a “practice that involves burning dried herbs, resins, or woods to purify energy, clear negative influences, and invite positive vibrations.”<\/p>\n

The ritual has been a sacred tradition within indigenous communities, particularly amongst Native American tribes, spanning countless generations, and this sacred and ceremonial dimension must be honoured and acknowledged when carrying out smudging.<\/p>\n

\"Sage<\/p>\n

Journalist Katie Oborn did a first-time sage cleanse (Image: Katie Oborn )<\/p>\n

The purpose behind this spiritual ritual includes purifying an environment, eliminating stale energy and even encouraging healing or achieving a contemplative state.<\/p>\n

Personally, I hoped to refresh the atmosphere throughout my property and welcome fresh starts, so when the compact sage bundle turned up through the letterbox, I enthusiastically opened it, and the fragrance from the bundle was wonderfully potent even before lighting it with a match.<\/p>\n

The sage bundle comes bound with string. Crucially, following some investigation, I learned that this string should remain in place during the burning ritual.<\/p>\n

I started by having a clear-out, tidying away mess throughout the property, dealing with the dishes and giving the bathroom a proper clean, before the sage burning commenced. It’s crucial to exercise caution when performing a sage cleanse because of the fire risk and burning involved \u2013 safety must come first.<\/p>\n

\"sage<\/p>\n

This size ceramic bowl will ensure the ritual is carried out safely (Image: Katie Oborn )<\/p>\n

I kept a clean, empty ceramic bowl nearby to extinguish or rest the stick while it was smouldering.<\/p>\n

Certain websites suggested “lighting the sage with a candle”, but I wouldn’t advise this approach, as melted wax can drip onto the sage and create a fire hazard, so I simply used a large match instead and kept a candle nearby.<\/p>\n

What’s more, there’s no need to burn an entire stick (even a mini one like mine) in a single session \u2013 in fact, a modest amount of smudging goes an incredibly long way, which is something I’ve learnt since starting the cleanse.<\/p>\n

So I ignite the sage stick at its bulbous tip, and initially there’s a small flame which extinguishes \u2013 and should extinguish \u2013 allowing the herbs to begin smouldering.<\/p>\n

From there, it’s genuinely instinctive. I simply moved through the rooms of my home, wafting sage into each space, including corners and even inside cupboards.<\/p>\n

For whatever reason, I felt compelled to direct the smoke towards doorways where rooms connect.<\/p>\n

\"Sage<\/p>\n

I ordered my mini white sage smudge stick from herbalist shop, Baldwins (Image: Katie Oborn)<\/p>\n

Once I sensed a room was done, I progressed to the next space. The sage repeatedly goes out and requires relighting at frequent intervals, and there’s typically plenty of smoke, so opening a window is advisable.<\/p>\n

The smoke’s aroma is incredibly potent; it leaves me feeling calm. I felt as though I naturally understood what to do, progressing gradually as it slowly burned, and I experienced a renewed sense of energy.<\/p>\n

Everything around me appeared more vivid. I also felt compelled to smudge along the junction between ceiling and walls, as well as the corners of every room – and a few blue-grey ashes fall as you move around, which seems to be an integral part of the ritual.<\/p>\n

The cleanse took me several days to finish; there’s no need to hurry through it, and I’d only got through roughly a quarter of the mini stick.<\/p>\n

I’m planning to extend the cleanse to the back courtyard shortly (once conditions improve) – and I’ll work through the remainder of the smudge stick as the months progress.<\/p>\n

For the moment, though, the atmosphere genuinely feels transformed, like a fresh start, making space for whatever lies ahead – and when I do this again, I might experiment with a different incense, as there’s plenty of variety available.<\/p>\n

As the Enchanted Soul website highlighted: “Smudging can be a beautiful way to cleanse your space and mind, but it’s crucial to practice it ethically.<\/p>\n

“By choosing sustainable, non-appropriative alternatives like mugwort, juniper, or lavender, you can honour both the Earth and the cultures that have preserved these traditions for centuries.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"‘Walking back to my place that afternoon, everything surrounding me appeared more vibrant.’ The sage stick will catch…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":253292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[565,146745,146746,134,146744,146743,524,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-253291","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-happy-house","10":"tag-healing-herbs","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-ideal-home","13":"tag-ideal-homes","14":"tag-medication","15":"tag-new-zealand","16":"tag-newzealand","17":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}