White sage - Palo Santo

The White Sage and Palo Santo: the magical scents of druids and shamans

In the world of interior fragrances, white sage and Palo Santo occupy a special place. Because they don't just deodorize effectively and pleasantly perfume our air stained by cooking smells or other unwanted scents. They are mainly used for purification rituals or fumigation rituals.

The White Sage: The Sacred Plant of the American Indians

The white sage of California, the"Salvia Apiana"variety, has been used for centuries by Indian shamans during purification rituals designed to drive out the negative energies that have accumulated in a place, or on and around a person or object.

During a"smoke ceremony",the shaman burns leaves or a small bundle of white sage (called "smudge") and generously spreads the smoke all around what needs to be purified, uttering prayers. According to tradition, this ritual would allow to drive out undesirable"entities"and evils, but also to attract positive energies in order to create an environment conducive to the care and healing of people, but also to increase their wisdom and their ties with the benevolent spirits of nature.

This shamanic ritual has now spread across every continent and is widely practiced all over the world. Can this be seen as proof of its effectiveness?

One intriguing thing about white sage is that its magic has not only fascinated Native American peoples, but many others.

The Romans gave it medicinal virtues and named it "Salvia" from the verb "Salvare" which means to heal. It has also long been known that Celtic druids used white sage during protective rituals...

How to practice a traditional purification ritual with white sage?

There are many ways to use Salvia Apiana white sage during purification rituals. Let's look at the most common Native American ancestral method here.

• You must use the california white sage, Salvia Apianavariety. It comes in the form of loose dried leaves, or small bundles called "fumigation stick" or "smudge". You must also have a non-flammable container such as a ceramic bowl or hollow plate, for example. Native Americans often use a large shell or abalone shell, which are representations of the deities of the ocean.

• Light the leaves or sage stick with a match or lighter. Be careful, a burn happened quickly! Make sure that no flammable objects are near you during the ritual. Allow the sage to burn for about 8 to 10 seconds, then blow on the flame to extinguish it. The combustion will then produce a thick scented smoke that is precisely the vector of purification.

• If you purify an indoor place. Make sure you always keep a good ventilation, keeping a window ajar for example. This will allow the smoke to escape (but not the delicate scent that persists even when the smoke has dissipated), but also to evacuate all negative energies including any entities and other evils that may have besieged the place. Purify each room of the place by moving clockwise. Then, in each room, spread sage smoke everywhere, from bottom to top and from left to right, with particular emphasis on nooks and cranches, and always going clockwise. If you are not afraid of esoteric practices, you can utter and repeat a few words during the ritual. For example, "Spirit of Evil, I command you to leave this place and never return," or "Evil, leave without waiting and go back to where you came from."

• If you purify an object or a person.  The process is exactly the same, but on a smaller scale. It is therefore a question of spreading white sage smoke all around the person or object to be purified, by uttering a magic sentence. Make sure that those involved in the ritual do not inhale too much smoke. Be careful not to burn anything,

the white sage in embers is very very hot! The traditional rite is to let the white sage burn until it has completely turned into ashes. White sage that has already been used in a fumigation ritual should not be re-ignited.

• If you still want to turn off white sage before it's finished burning, you can run it under water, or crush it with a non-flammable utensil like a metal spoon.

Palo Santo: the "sacred wood" of South America

"Palo Santo" means "holy wood" or "sacred wood" in Spanish. It comes exclusively from the Bursera Graveolens tree, which belongs to the same botanical family as Myrrh and Oliban. Bursera Graveolens is endemic to South America. It is found mainly on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil.

Its use in spiritual rites dates back to the Incas! Shamans practiced fumigation rituals similar to those of Native Americans with white sage. The smoke of Palo Santo, and its divine scent, made it possible to drive out negativity, but also to facilitate communication with the gods. It was also accorded medicinal virtues: the essence of Palo Santo was used to treat certain skin diseases, or to heal wounds. Dermatologists now believe that its properties are due to its high concentration of limonene.

Regular consumers of Palo Santo are looking for its particular fragrance, which they know how to recognize among a thousand. Its woody and balsamic aromas help to create a relaxing and harmonious atmosphere in a place.

Palo Santo is most often in the form of sticks (or logs), or wood chips (or "chips"). It is also sometimes found in the form of natural incense or even indoor perfume vaporizers,the latter having the advantage of not requiring combustion.

How do I use Palo Santo?

To perfume your home with Palo Santo, light the stick (or chips, placed in a flammable container) with a lighter or match and let it burn for about 30 seconds. The Palo Santo burn longer than the white sage before extinguishing the flame. Then allow the wood to burn gently, in a suitable container, until it is completely reduced to ashes. Be sure to ventilate the room in which you burn the Palo Santo (keep a window ajar), so as not to inhale too much smoke.

To practice a fumigation and purification ritual with Palo Santo, the process is exactly the same as with white sage, see our description above.

That's it, you know all about white sage and Palo Santo! Coco Papaya puts her products, but also her advice and expertise as an importer at your disposal so that you can easily find the best quality at the best prices!

Magical rituals aren't your cup of tea? So why not try a meditation session with scents conducive to well-being?

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