When people who are generally healthy, practice preventative plant medicine, and spend time outdoors still get sick I wonder how their home is different than mine.

I’ve found a practice that might be what makes the difference. I devote time every morning to practicing smoke medicine. (I’m not talking about inhaling the smoke, although there are many herbs you can do this with for many different benefits and reasons but that’s not what this post is about.)

This ancient ritual of clearing and cleansing space has been done for as long as there have been plants, humans, and fire. It’s commonly known that having incense or a fire outdoors in the summer time will keep bugs like mosquitos away so why not apply that same principle in you home to keep “bugs” like viruses and unwanted bacteria away?

Herbs like white pine, juniper, garden sage, mugwort, yarrow, lavender, and rosemary smell lovely and actually clear unwanted pathogens from the air!

CREATING A SMOKE MEDICINE BUNDLE: Gather your herbs. Even if you’re in the northern hemisphere you can still wild forage for white pine, juniper and other evergreens. There also still might be fresh sage or rosemary in your garden. Dried some lavender bundles this summer? You can incorporate them too!

Create a wand of your plants in your hand and wrap them with cotton/hemp thread or twine. Tie a knot at the bottom, tightly wrap the twine up the bundle, and then wrap it back down, tie another knot at the bottom. Let your bundle dry for a few days.

PRACTICING SMOKE MEDICINE: Light your smoke medicine bundle on fire over a bowl or the sink (the first light might have a bigger flame, especially if there’s loose plant material at the top of your bundle), then blow out the flame after a moment to create smoking bright orange embers.

Set an intention for this magical work, maybe its something like “My home is happy and healthy” or “My living space contributes to my health and vitality” and chant this out load of in your head while doing this work.

To cleanse your home of unwanted energy, bacteria, fungi, and viruses open a few windows (just for a few minutes) and walk around your home with your bundle smoking. Make sure you get the perimeter of each room, including corners and nooks while stating your intention. Having the windows open for a few minutes is a great way to bring fresh outdoor air into your home, you have the windows open for fresh air all summer right?

This might become a daily ritual or something you do every so often or when you feel as though it’s needed. I usually practice smoke medicine before I have guests in my home and ALWAYS after they leave! This clears any germs or negativity they’ve brought with them.

You can also practice smoke medicine on your own aura and personal space by lighting your bundle and simply letting the smoke waft around your body and stating your intention for wellbeing.

I cleanse my personal energetic field every morning and my entire home every week or so, maybe more often in the wintertime. I absolutely love doing it! The smell of the smoke, the grounding yet expansive sensation that comes over me, and the deep connection that I have with these plants that I foraged for myself, maybe even in my own backyard are some of the many reasons I come back to this deeply nourishing practice again and again.