How to Use Palo Santo: A Guide to This Sacred Wood
Sometimes it can be really easy to feel disconnected in this crazy, fast-paced modern world.
How do we go about feeling like the BEST balanced version of ourselves, consistently empowered, all while maintaining a balanced mind, body, and spirit? 🤔
You smudge with palo santo!
Palo Santo, often referred to as "holy wood," is a fragrant tree native to South America, particularly found in countries like Peru and Ecuador. Traditionally used by indigenous communities for spiritual purification and healing, this wood has gained popularity around the world for its aromatic properties and potential health benefits.
I use mine to cleanse my space, enhance my meditation practice, and because I just love the scent, I use the palo santo essential oil as room fragrance oil in my oil burner and add a few drops into my coconut oil as a moisturising body oil. A few drips of palo in my eco friendly home made Kangen Water cleaning spray for the kitchen worktops and my eco friendly floor cleaner - OMG the smell - it's one of my favourite scents of all time - sweet-smelling woody piney notes of citrus and mint. When burned as incense the sweet-smelling smoke from the wood carries these beautiful notes of citrus and mint wafting through the air.
You can use Palo Santo to:
Cleanse a house.
Cleanse a person.
Cleanse a thing. Such as crystals
Palo santo is something that I use everyday, but so many don't know how to use this sacred wood.
Here's my guide on how to use Palo Santo effectively and why you should!
What is Palo Santo?
Palo Santo comes from the Bursera graveolens tree. The wood has a sweet, citrus-like aroma when burned, and it’s often used in rituals to clear negative energy, promote relaxation, and invite positive vibes. It’s also known for its potential therapeutic benefits, such as reducing stress and anxiety.
How to Use Palo Santo
1. Cleansing Your Space
One of the most popular uses of Palo Santo is for cleansing the energy in your home or workspace. Here’s how to do it:
Materials Needed: A stick of Palo Santo, a candle, a lighter or match, and a fireproof dish or bowl.
Instructions:
Light one end of the Palo Santo stick with a lighter or match. I light a candle first so that I have constant flame to light my palo santo stick.
Allow it to burn for about 30 seconds, then blow out the flame. The stick should smolder and produce smoke.
Walk around your space, gently waving the stick to disperse the smoke into the corners of each room, paying attention to areas that feel stagnant or heavy.
As you do this, set an intention for the cleansing, such as “I release negativity and invite positive energy.”
Extinguish the stick in your fireproof dish when you're finished.
How To Smudge A House to clear negative energy?
Make sure when choosing a time to smudge your house, that you have 10-15 minutes of quiet time. You want to ensure you’ll be able to complete the intention aspect of smudging undisturbed.
Place the candle, fireproof dish or bowl and palo santo smudge sticks on a sturdy surface like a table. Allow yourself to focus your energy and light the candle. Light the tip of your palo santo wood stick with the candle, let it burn for about 30 seconds so the flame catches. It will take a little while for the wood to catch, so be patient and focus your energy on the wood as it's taking. You can gently wave the stick around to help the smoke accumulate. At this point you don't want the wood to be on fire or burning red, you just want to flame of the wood to be extinguished but to be giving off it's beautiful smoke. Once smoke arises from the ember, you’re ready to say your intention. Some people call it a prayer, but I like to call it intention / my desired outcome that I want from this session. This is a personal experience, so the intention you set is completely up to you.
A common prayer when using palo santo is asking the good spirits in your house to please stay for good fortune and health, while requesting the negative spirits to please leave and remove themselves. Remember to breath and feel your intention is at this point.
While staying connected to your breathing, start at the front door of your home and gently wave the smoke in the air. Going clockwise around your entire house, make sure to smudge the corners of the home as it’s believed that’s where the most stagnant energy resides. Up walls and around the edges of the room. Ensure to smudge inside wardrobes, around door frames, behind pieces of furniture pushed up against walls. The utility room, spare rooms and even the garage or a shed. Once every room, corner and door has been smudged, you’re ready for the final step.
When you’re back where you started in the house and you have finished the smudging your home, stay connected to your breathing, gently extinguish the smudge stick and place it in the fireproof dish for the ember to die out naturally. Any ashes leftover should be treated with intention by spreading them around the earth outside of the environment you’ve smudged in.
With your free hand, try holding the smoke and bringing it over your heart, your eyes, your third eye, and your head, remembering to connect with each area you’ve smudged and feeling love and light in your heart.
How To Smudge Your Body to clear negative energy?
Smudge the body before meditation, before cleansing the home, after being in public spaces where you can collect energies of everything you've come into contact with. You can do this to yourself or to others to revive the energy within that you’ve intended.
Light your palo santo stick and breathe deeply, stay connected, and guide the smoke toward the field surrounding your body, start at the top of the head. Continue swaying the smoke waves toward your body’s energy, allowing the smoke to overtake every area of your surrounding field all the way down to your feet.
Using palo santo in the ancient ritual of smudging is a great way to bring calm and peace to yourself, invite positive energy, connect to nature and continue on your journey towards living a high vibrational life filled with love, self-growth, and happiness.
2. Enhancing Meditation
Palo Santo can enhance your meditation experience, helping to deepen relaxation and focus.
Materials Needed: A Palo Santo stick, a lighter or match, and a quiet meditation space.
Instructions:
Before you start your meditation, light the Palo Santo stick and allow it to smolder, filling your space with its aroma.
Sit comfortably in your meditation position, holding the stick or placing it nearby.
Take a few deep breaths, inhaling the calming scent as you settle into your practice.
When you’re finished meditating, extinguish the stick and reflect on your experience.
3. Creating a Relaxing Atmosphere
Palo Santo can be used to create a soothing atmosphere during relaxation time, yoga practice, or while enjoying a bath.
Materials Needed: Palo Santo stick, lighter or match, and your relaxation space.
Instructions:
Light the Palo Santo stick and allow it to smolder.
Place it in a safe holder away from flammable materials.
Enjoy its aroma while you read, practice yoga, or take a calming bath. The scent can help promote a peaceful mindset.
4. Using in Rituals or Ceremonies
In many cultures, Palo Santo is used in rituals for blessings, protection, and healing.
Materials Needed: Palo Santo stick, lighter or match, and any other ritual items you wish to include.
Instructions:
Light the Palo Santo stick and allow it to smolder.
As you perform your ritual, use the smoke to cleanse your space, objects, or yourself.
Speak your intentions or prayers as you allow the smoke to surround you or your items.
Caring for Your Palo Santo
To ensure you get the most out of your Palo Santo sticks:
Storage: Keep them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight to maintain their fragrance.
Usage: Use small pieces at a time; a little goes a long way in producing aromatic smoke.
Palo santo wood can be relit time and time again, so once you’re all finished, pack up your materials until you’re ready to cleanse your space once again. Try once weekly for good results. Or as much as you feel needed.
Final Thoughts
Would you like to see a video on how to use palo santo properly for smudging / cleansing energy? Let me know in the comments.
Using Palo Santo is a beautiful way to incorporate the essence of nature into your spiritual practices and daily life. Whether you're cleansing your space, enhancing meditation, or creating a calming atmosphere, the aromatic properties of this sacred wood can support your journey towards mindfulness and positivity. Remember to source Palo Santo ethically to ensure the preservation of this sacred resource. Happy cleansing!
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Palo santo is one of the most fragrant woods in the world. Its sweet scent of pine, mint, and lemon has, for centuries, been a harbinger of healing and good fortune. Shamans, saints, and those seeking a stronger spiritual connection with the world use palo santo to protect, experience, and heal.
Here are ten of the incredible benefits palo santo offers:
Palo Santo Uses -
Energy Clearing / Cleansing (Smudging)
For generations, the native inhabitants of the Andes have utilised the palo santo sacred wood for spiritual cleansing and purifying energy. Burning the wood is thought to eliminate negative energy and bring back peace and serenity.
The act of smudging is intended to rid a space of negative energy in order to transform it into a more comfortable and serene environment. Similar to sage, sweetgrass, or cedar, palo santo can be burned to cleanse a room by using its smoke to attract positive energy and release negativity. To smudge a room with a palo santo stick, one can ignite the end, let it flame for around 30 seconds, then extinguish it and allow the smoke to spread throughout the space. Some individuals prefer to focus on their intentions for clearing the home and envisioning how it will feel after the purification process. The individual performing the smudging ritual can gently blow the smoke in various directions to ensure it reaches every corner of the room.
Energetic protection and the removal of negativity.
When palo santo is utilized for smudging or burning, it has the ability to dispel negative energy, fostering a serene and peaceful environment. Begin by setting an intention to clear any unwanted energy from your space, then proceed from corner to corner, banishing negativity, uplifting your mood, and inviting positive energy into your home.
Meditation
When palo santo is burned as incense, it is believed to induce feelings of peace and clarity, serving as a perfect accompaniment to meditation. According to certain beliefs, palo santo has the ability to dispel negative energy and elevate vibrational frequencies. Using it as incense during meditation may enhance creativity and promote a sense of peace and stability.
Healing
Throughout history, Palo Santo has been utilized for various therapeutic purposes such as alleviating colds, flus, anxiety, depression, respiratory conditions like asthma and bronchitis, as well as headaches. Its pain-relieving properties are attributed to its anti-inflammatory effects. Additionally, the mature wood is rich in d-limonene, a compound employed by natural medicine experts in the treatment of gastrointestinal issues and heartburn. Research suggests that limonene may have chemopreventive qualities that could aid in preventing different types of cancer.
Vibrational cleansing and renewal for crystals.
Crystals play a significant role in removing negative energy. But crystals require regular cleansing to preserve their optimal properties. By incorporating a smudging routine every 2-3 days for crystals like rose quartz, amethyst, jasper, citrine, and others, you can ensure that your crystals are always ready to harness their full potential.
Aromatherapy
The essential oils obtained from palo santo wood are suitable for aromatherapy purposes. The pleasant blend of woody and citrusy fragrances in the oil can uplift the atmosphere in a space, fostering a sense of positivity and well-being. This aroma is known to be beneficial in alleviating anxiety, lowering stress, and improving focus and mental clarity. When paired with frankincense and myrrh, the oil can create a sensory journey that encourages a meditative and contemplative state.
Eco friendly / skin friendly bug repellant
Burn as incense to release the smoke when sitting outside. We have incense burning all the time in Bali from the moment we wake to going to bed at night. And Palo Santo is great to use as incense. Smudging in the summertime provides the additional benefit of warding off mosquitoes in a natural, non-harmful way. Palo santo features volatile oils and aromatic resins that communicate a warning sign to pesky bugs, but without the harsh chemicals of products such as DEET. Check out my Eco Friendly Insect Repellent Recipe here that we use in Bali
Affiliate Link for My Palo Santo Smudging Essential oils https://amzn.to/4f9ITWo
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