Sweetcense 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.

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.

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.