Salvia apiana
Life can be sticky. Members of the Sage clan have been used in a multitude of cultures for clearing the invisible wisps of energy that cling, barnacle-like, to people and places. Whether you think of those energies as your own spent emotions or the leftover emanations of someone else’s, Sage can help you make your peace and move on. Sage is sacred because it clears the way, creating a blank canvas and an open path, allowing you the opportunity to reach your full potential. Sage’s appearance tells you that a block needs to be cleared (whether you can name it or not) so you can move forward.
Ritual 
Smudging uses smoke from Sage, Cedar, Palo Santo, Sweetgrass, and other culturally important plants as a blessing or way of clearing negative energy. It does for your energy field what hitting the reset button does for your computer.
The ancients believed that burning released the plant’s spirit so it could assist us in keeping the air clear of emotions and emanations of illness. Modern science shows that Sage smoke contains volatile compounds that kill airborne bacteria . . . and so the ancient and modern align!
Even if you’ve smudged a zillion times before, smudge regularly. You can use White Sage or culinary Sage (Salvia officinalis), which both Celtic and Middle Eastern cultures have used for this purpose.
Smudging is simple to do: Take either a bundle or a loose piece of Sage, light it, and then tamp out the actual flame so the leaves are smoldering and smoking. Move the Sage around your body or home so the smoke touches everything. If you’re smudging a person, be sure to pass smoke over the palms of the hands, because that’s where we make contact with other people.
Reflection
Modern psychology teaches that we need to understand our emotions before we can release them. In contrast, traditional healing and shamanic practices offer release without conscious, cognitive awareness. When you smudge you’re taking advantage of the latter, letting the smoke lift away whatever isn’t serving your path in life. Check in with yourself.
Are you willing to release without analyzing?