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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
What is smudging?	Andrew	Sunday, February 28, 2016
Question: An acquaintance of mine is into new age. When I visited her at her home, she was walking around the house saying things with what looked a huge cigar that had an odd smell. She said she was smudging her house because there is evil in it. What is smudging? Can it clear a house of evil spirits or is it a gateway for more spirits to enter? If smudging is harmful, what can someone do to reverse those new age incantations and any effect of the smudging ritual?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), CCL, LTh, DD, LNDC Dear Andrew: A smudge stick is composed of dried herbs bound together in a bundle. It is then burned and used to bless a person or places. The herbs used depend upon the culture who is using it. Among New Agers, this practice, usually using sage for the herb, is borrowed from Native American traditions. The New Agers are generally not doing the ritual accurately to those Native American traditions, but think they are. This practice is similar to what we do in the Catholic Church when incense is used to bless and purify the Alter, the priest, and the people during Mass, for example. As smudging is not a Christian practice, even though it is similar to our ritual of using incense, it should not be done as it is appealing to a source of "blessing" and "purification" that is not the True God. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

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What is smudging?

Andrew

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Question:

An acquaintance of mine is into new age. When I visited her at her home, she was walking around the house saying things with what looked a huge cigar that had an odd smell. She said she was smudging her house because there is evil in it.

What is smudging? Can it clear a house of evil spirits or is it a gateway for more spirits to enter?

If smudging is harmful, what can someone do to reverse those new age incantations and any effect of the smudging ritual?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), CCL, LTh, DD, LNDC

Dear Andrew:

A smudge stick is composed of dried herbs bound together in a bundle. It is then burned and used to bless a person or places. The herbs used depend upon the culture who is using it.

Among New Agers, this practice, usually using sage for the herb, is borrowed from Native American traditions. The New Agers are generally not doing the ritual accurately to those Native American traditions, but think they are.

This practice is similar to what we do in the Catholic Church when incense is used to bless and purify the Alter, the priest, and the people during Mass, for example.

As smudging is not a Christian practice, even though it is similar to our ritual of using incense, it should not be done as it is appealing to a source of "blessing" and "purification" that is not the True God.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.