Smudging - How to clear the energy of your space.

Smudging Your Home: A Gentle Reset for Stagnant Qi

Many of our clients visit us feeling that something in their home is simply off. They can’t always name it, but they know it in their body the moment they walk through the door.

You might recognise the feeling too —
a space that feels weighted, uncomfortable, sluggish, or as though the energy has stopped moving.

In most homes, this isn’t anything to fear. It’s not “negative spirits” or anything dramatic. What we’re usually sensing is stagnant Qi — energy that has built up over time through life, emotions, stress, illness, change, and simply living.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to shift stagnant Qi is through smudging.

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What Smudging Really Does

Smudging is a beautiful combination of intention and smoke. The smoke helps loosen and move stuck energy, while your intention directs where that energy goes and what replaces it.

Think of it as opening the windows of your home energetically — allowing what no longer serves to leave, and inviting in freshness, clarity, and calm.

Smudging works not only on the space itself, but also on furniture, objects, and the people who live within the home.

       

What You’ll Need

You don’t need anything complicated. Keep it simple and meaningful.

• A heatproof bowl with sand or soil

• A feather or smudge wand

• A smudge stick (white sage is traditionally used for its purifying qualities), or

• Loose white sage leaves, or

• Bay leaves (one of my personal favourites — gentle, grounding, and abundant in energy)

• A lighter or matches

• Your intention words

Your intention can be written or spoken quietly in your mind. What matters most is that it feels true for you.

A gentle guide:

• Keep your words positive

• Include the phrase “for my highest good”

• Only smudge when you feel calm, centred, and present

Fear and tension don’t clear spaces — calm awareness does.

Before or After? Clearing Your Own Energy

There’s often discussion around whether you should cleanse yourself before or after smudging your home.

In truth, both ways are valid.

Some people prefer to shower or clear their energy first so they feel focused and clear while working in the space. Others prefer to cleanse themselves at the end so they can fully enjoy the refreshed energy they’ve created.

My personal rhythm is:

• A light aura spray or grounding moment for myself first

• Smudging the home

• A shower cleanse afterwards

Find what feels supportive for you.

 

How to Smudge:

There are many versions to how to smudge and the process to clear your home or area with smudging. One area of debate is whether you should shower and clear your own energy first before starting the house smudge or at the end when you are finished.

I have found many of our clients work both ways with those who cleanse before they smudge feeling they have a clearer intention to work in the home with those cleansing after they smudge feeling that they have cleared the home, themselves and they can then enjoy the new energy more fully.

I personally find that clearing my own energy with a great aura spray first then the home and a shower cleanse afterwards is my best method for me.

• Open all the windows and doors to your home or the area you are smudging.

• Light the end of your smudge stick and keep over your bowl so that no smoulders will fall on any of your flooring or furniture.

• Use your feather or smudge wand (available in our store) to move the smoke into the corners of the room and around the windows and doors of your home.

• Work each room – one by one and thoroughly smudge as you are going.

• Work your way in a clock wise motion around the home.

• In areas that you feel particularly heavy – you may like to spend more time and work the area a couple of times.

• Once finished stub the end of the stick into you bowl of sand and place outside. I also have a garden pot with soil that is my Smudge Pot and once finished it is into the soil and I leave it there for further use if it still has plenty on the stick.

• If you have used leaves be sure to extinguish them well so that they do not relight. The Smudge Pot is good for this as I can place the sand or soil over the leaves and know that they will not fly away.

After the Smudge

Once the home feels lighter, I always recommend sitting quietly for five to ten minutes.

No doing. No fixing.
Just being.

Let your home settle. Let yourself feel the shift. This is where intention anchors into the space.

You may like to reflect on how you wish to live in the home now — how you want it to support you, hold you, and nourish you.

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When Smudging Isn’t Enough

Occasionally, a home will still hold a heavy pocket of energy after smudging. This doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong — it simply means the space may need a more personalised approach.

If this happens, please reach out. I’m always happy to talk with you about deeper space clearing methods and what might best support your home.

Your home listens.
When you honour it with intention, it responds.

With blessings and grace,
Leanne 

https://fengshuistoreandmore.com/