Four directions smudge stick (8 inches approx)

Desert sage (10) - Native American ceremonial smudging herb
Desert sage (Artemesia Tridentata) covers much of the high desert and plains areas of the Western States of America. As well as being burned, desert sage is often held, worn or kept with sacred objects to ward off negative influences. Native American tradition says that wherever sage is, evil spirits cannot enter.

Sage, which cleanses and disperses negative energies, is sometimes called the 'ear opener' because it opens up our inner ears, allowing us to become more in tune with the sacredness of the world around us. Sage can be used before meditation, prayer or ceremony or any time you wish to clear your aura. It can also be burnt to cleanse your house, and is frequently used in Feng Shui for space clearing.

Copal resin (2) - Healing, spiritual, intuition
The copal tree is originally believed to have grown in Mexico, but now it can be found in a range of places, including western Africa, India, Central and Southern America. It's the resin that's considered most precious and in ancient times it was even more so if it came from trees that had been hit by lightning. The Mayans regarded copal resin as extremely sacred, only daring touch it on their altars with special instruments, not their bare hands.

As incense, resin is best burned on charcoal or in a fire and emits a high quality, pure aroma - something that can come as a surprise, as prior to burning there's practically no scent at all! Copal resin from Central America comes in three varieties - white, gold/golden and black.

The white form has a light, bright, fruity scent. It's said to be cleansing for the spirit and can help with mental and spiritual work. Unlike the other forms, white is harvested as a liquid then left until it's dried out.

Gold or golden copal resin has a richer and smoother aroma than white, with warmer, more exotic overtones. It's believed to help open the soul and can stimulate imagination, intuition and creativity. Due to its golden yellow colour, the Mayans typically burnt it at sunrise to honour the sun god.

Black or night copal, as it's sometimes called, has the heaviest fragrance. It's often described as mystical and mysterious and is said to carry the "secret energies of the night." It's regarded as a grounding and calming fragrance, helping people connect to the deeper levels of their soul. It's burned a lot in Mexico, but particularly on the Day of the Dead, when it's said to be used to help souls find their way back home.

Each of the copal resin types is useful in a healing capacity. They can be used on their own or combined together.

Lavender flowers (4) - Balance, sacred connection
The striking purple flowers of lavender (Lavandula officianalis) are highly fragranced - a scent that you'll either love or hate! It's been used by a variety of societies through the ages and has gained alternative folk names such as Elf Leaf, Nard and Spike. Alchemists believed lavender was ruled by the planet Mercury, North African women thought it had the power to provide protection against maltreatment from their spouses and it was a common ingredient in love spells.

The distinctive flowers can be burned, put into sachets or left uncovered in an open bowl to release the scent. Lavender is renowned for its calming energy, helping to rebalance tired and distorted emotions. It's particularly good for easing headaches, anxiety, depression and dispelling insomnia, but it's also said to be helpful for restoring the connection to the sacred realm.

It's very versatile, so whether you want a pleasant aroma, need aid for alleviating a health condition or are seeking something to increase your spiritual intentions during meditation, lavender could be the answer.

Sweetgrass (4) - Purification, prayer
Sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata) can be found growing in the Plains of the United States, as well as in some areas of Alberta in Canada. It's a distinctive green grass, being tall in stature with wide blades and a reddish tone at its base.

It's got similar properties to sage, popularly being used as a purifier of places, objects and people to encourage positive energy and dispel old and negative vibes. It was often used in Native American sweat lodge ceremonies, where the sweet scented herb was sprinkled onto the hot rocks to improve the energy inside the lodge and fill the air with a sweet aroma.

Traditionally it was plaited into long braids - ideal for using during cleansing, prayer and smudging - and is still often found sold like that today. Belief has it that when sweetgrass is burned, a prayer is sent to heaven on the smoke. It's properties make it ideal for using in quiet moments of contemplation, as well as when wanting to create an air of purification.

Californian white sage (8) - Cleansing, purifying
The home of Californian white sage (Salvia Alpine), a scrub plant with spiky flowers, is along the sun-washed coastline of Southern California.

Sage is a cleansing and purifying herb and can be used to help break up feelings of negativity. Traditionally, it's regarded as being able to open people up and bring about the ability to have a greater connection with the sacred world.

Its properties make it ideal for use in cleansing and clearing ceremonies of people, places and objects, as well as for meditation or prayer. People wanting to build a closer spiritual connection may also benefit from burning or carrying the herb.

Native Scents (27) -
Native Scents is a company centred in New Mexico, USA and is made up of a network of Native American wildcrafters from Canada to South America who collect plants in an ecological and respectful way. Wildcrafting is a term which means that the herbs and plants are collected in such a way that the source is sustainable. For example this means not pulling up root systems, harvesting just enough so that the plant will continue to thrive and generally caring for each plant source. Because of the scarcity of some of the traditional Native American herbs and plants we feel this attitude to be absolutely essential as some companies are actually damaging the environment because they are putting profit first.

We consistently find their herbs and smudge sticks to be of the highest and most exquisite quality.