Using Sage as a Personal cleanser

illustration by quotefancy.com

Anyone who practices Yoga and Meditation can share with you how they feel everything is connected. It isn't something said just to be said but something felt because it is experienced. Practicing Mindfulness, simply just being aware and still in the moment is a wonderful healing technique if one chooses to try going the natural route as oppose to chemicals. 

In my experience I have found that learning how to soothe myself in natural ways has given me more peace of mind than popping a pill and that surrounding myself and my home with positive energy has bought me more clarity.

bundling up my dried Sage on a Saturday night

I remember as a kid my mom having a ritual she would do about once a month in our house. She would mop with just water and some bleach, she would open all our windows and she would burn some incense. Then she would bring out this bowl and burn this "thing" that looked like leaves and go all around the house with it and all over us as well. She would say some words which I can't recall but today I do know that what she was burning was Sage and what she was doing is called Smudging.

Burning Sage is an ancient ritual used in many cultures but mostly known through Native Americans. It is used as a cleansing method for a person or a space. It is what we would normally do with a bucket of water and some Pine Sol but this is more spiritual and connected to nature. I didn't connect the dots between what my mother did so many years ago and what I started doing over a year ago until I sat in front of my Meditation mantle and the memories just came to me. She was cleansing our space, from any negative energy that may have been left behind from anyone who came in our home or in contact with us at any given time. 

illustration by pinterest.com

I was proud to share this commonality with my mother. She was as I am very protective of my space. I don't invite just anyone into my home I don't care that I have known you for many years. Same goes for my daughter and her friends. Your home is sacred, it is your safe haven from the craziness of the outside world. The place in which you go for comfort and where you feel safe at all times. 

I try my best to use as many natural products as I can. For my home, my office, in my car and on myself. My daughter's friend is the one who reintroduced me to Sage and Smudging. Lil mama came home one weekend after visiting her friend in New Paltz and was sharing how she had done a Sage cleansing in her dorm room and on themselves because she felt "their energy" was off. Light bulb moment I was like Yes! we need that toooooo. I feel our space has a little cloud over it we need a cleansing too!!! Lil mama went to a natural herbs spot and bought us a few sticks. That weekend I had her do a thorough cleansing of our place and of us and immediately we felt the vibe in our space change. 

illustration by thoughtsofabuxaddict.com

I recently had a friend bring me some Sage he picked for me on a trip he took and the place he visited had an herb garden. The owner was kind enough to send me a generous amount for me to dry and prepare into sticks. I shared a picture above. 

Mindfulness is an option we all have. To be open to new things and respectful of the connection we all have to all things. Perhaps next time you go for a walk in the park, take off your shoes and walk on the grass, stand under a big tree and literally hug it. Kids do it all the time be a kid and try it. If we are all truly God's creation than that shouldn't be such a stretch to do. Connect with nature. Be in the moment, reflect what you want life to be. 

I'm not saying burning Sage is for everyone, the scent my not be your cup of tea but its an option you can learn about and try. I included some videos you can look at and see. Let me know what you think? Are there any rituals you use to clean your space and/or yourself from negative energy? 

Advice from an Elder

Always stress free xo,

Mari

Stop pointing your finger

This is not an easy subject to tackle or even one that many like to touch upon or discuss.

As always I never shy away from real life or from any opportunity to have a teaching moment with my daughter.
She is close to turning nineteen (19) years old now and entering a new stage in her life. We have been blessed to have always been able to discuss any and all topics, nothing is off limits...nothing. As I have shared in the past I never set a specific age or time to discuss any particular matter. We just talked as things came up. That was something her father and I believed in strongly from day one.

This particular subject is nothing we haven't discussed in the past either because it came up in our lives through family or friends or because we or she saw or heard something in regards to it via television or other form of media.

The subject matter is Cheating.

I am going to start this by saying ...No one can wreck something that isn't already Broken.
No one comes in and wrecks anything that already didn't have cracks.
With that you can chose to continue to read or delete this post all together.

Ok so if you are still here and I have your attention, let us talk for a moment.
Some time ago while having breakfast, my daughter and I sat and watched a segment on Good Morning America that had women on discussing a website dedicated to so called exposing women who engage in cheating.

It's a site where wives blast the so called other women, who destroyed their home. Really?
So let me see, your house was running just fine. You and your significant other had this amazing connection. The kids are doing well, work and the house are in order, your sex life is for filling.You help one another be the best version of yourselves and instill that in your family. Your communication skills were on point, your goals were clear and being met and you were peaceful in your spirit.
You invested a significant amount of time with one another outside of the children, you led fulfilling lives outside of one another, you were supportive and respectful and so called best friends. Then one day your wonderful husband ran into this "other woman" and she just "took" him away? You don't know how, heck he doesn't even know but just like that she snatched your "prize" up.

Seriously, there is something very wrong with your story.

First things first, women need to stop blaming the other woman and hold their partners accountable.
Women need to stop being so catty.
Second, women need to have a little bit more self worth, respect and value.
Fighting for a man? Blaming someone else, taking him back and then blasting your business on a website?

This is not about making excuses or condoning poor behavior. This is about accountability. It is about more than just one thing or one person. Doing that would just be taking the easy way out. It would be hypocritical to assign ourselves judge and jury of someone else's personal life and home.

Relationships are very complicated and breakdowns begin to happen for many reasons. It would be a shame for me to teach my daughter to blame others when things go wrong. It would be poor of me to teach my daughter also to stick around when things are just not working.
Everyone deserves respect, support and love.

If in your relationship you are no longer connected, your goals are no longer the same and your emotions are more lows than highs...it is time for a conversation. Don't allow what began as a fairy tale (what some women dream of) to end in a horror show.

I have personal experience in knowing when it is time to let go. I can say I am grateful it was not connected to cheating but it was connected to being disconnected.
I ended my relationship with my daughter's father after eighteen (18) years. It was sad, it was surreal, it was an adjustment but it was what I knew was the right thing to do. I loved him enough not to ever disrespect our union, our family, our daughter. We ended peacefully and lovingly.
My daughter has amazing memories of a life lived with two (2) parents that truly loved and respected one another till the end.

That is what we discuss, that is what I have taught and continue to teach.

Build a strong relation, respectful, supportive, kind and full of communication. Be true to yourself at all times. Never engage in disrespectful behavior to get your so called point across. Be accountable at all cost.
When something no longer works its time to close that door and open a new one.

Let's start a conversation always three sides to every story his, hers and the truth.

“Stop pointing fingers and placing blame on others. Your life can only change to the degree that you accept responsibility for it.” Steve Maraboli