Herbal Prayer Stick
/“Nature understands fire and smoke better than words.”
One the most common rituals to many (most) religions is the burning (think smoke) of natural materials which is done in a sacred manner of remembrance and thanksgiving. From ancient times in the "old world" we have frankincense and myrrh, the resins of plants used as incense in many cultures throughout time. And in the West the counterparts are tobacco, sweetgrass, sage, and cedar. While we may not perform each other's holy ceremonies, the rituals (and gifts) are easily shared whenever we come together as "mitakuye oyasin” (Lakota for “all my relations.” We just need to remember to carry an attitude of humility when we do so.
While these look similar to smudge sticks, there is an important distinction: these are hand-crafted by plants, herbs, and trees that are within your particular bioregion. This is a regenerative response to the unfair practice of Western practitioners over consuming limited sacred resources of the native peoples, like white sage or palo santo (for example). When I create an herbal prayer stick, I honor the place smudging has in traditional native culture, while also acknowledging how most spiritual traditions the world over will burn herbs as an offering to the Sacred. My intention with herbal prayer sticks is that they are not appropriating the ceremonial smudging practice; rather, this is an invitation into a human expression of divine connection through the elements that we can engage through the plants that are right here in our landscapes.
Materials Needed: hemp cord, cotton thread, wool yarn four times the length of your cut items.
Collect an evergreen base if it is available for you. In my Pacific Northwest bioregion this might look like Juniper, Western red Cedar, Western hemlock, Sitka spruce, or Sugar pine. Bundle in seasonal herbs and plants that have healing and meditative qualities like you are creating a bouquet. I like to bring in rosemary and available, and seasonally bundle in other plant allies like borage, chamomile, lemon balm, or mint. As you make your stick, honorably harvest to create a connection between prayerful intentions and the spirit of a place, the sacred that imbues a bioregion and more specifically, the particular sacred spirit that all plants possess. This is the essence of “vereditas,” Hildegard of Bingen’s understanding of the “greening power of God!”
Take your twine and and tie up the bottom of your bundle, wrapping your cord around the stems to create a half inch secure base. Bring your twine up the bundle in a clock wise manner. Upon reaching the top of your bundle, descend with your cord back down in a widdershins direction. Tie of your cord into the base.
Allow the bundle to dry for 5-7 days.
Use your herbal prayer stick as a way to promoate healing and give form to your prayers.
Jane Alexander says, in her book The Smudging and Blessings Book, says smudging has the practical ability to help us ::
• clear away negative or stagnant energy in a space {i.e. a home you’ve just moved into, a sickroom, a space in which an argument has taken place…}
• leave old relationships behind and move on to new ones
• celebrate different times of the year
• wake up and greet the day full of confidence, energy, and hope
• ease into the world of sweet dreams and deep, invigorating sleep
• bathe away stress
• look for love
• feel more centered and protected from the world
“And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.”
Following are some of the energetic ways some of the local plants in my homescape offer healing. Who grows near you? How can they come alongside of your prayer life within your wild sanctuary?
sage—negative energy clearing lavendar—calming + peace + relaxation
cedar leaf—cleansing + purification yarrow—eliminates toxins from the body
juniper—cleansing + purification lemon balm—spiritual cleansing + calm
rosemary—protection + sense of peace peppermint—refreshing + soothing
calendula—purification basil—happiness + grounding + peaceful
