Maya 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.

Cedar (10) - Cleansing on emotional level
In Native American tradition the smoke of cedar is used to carry prayers to the creator. It is used to bridge the gap between heaven and earth. It also seems that the cedar tree has connections with power and the sun through many varying traditions such as Sumerian legend, Cabalistic lore and Eqyptian mythology. It is often associated with breaking the misuse of power or powerful forces that may be having a negative influence. This does connect further with Native American tradition where the burning of Cedar is used to help banish nightmares and also to release heavy emotional energies such as depression.

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.

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.