Sage What?

My freshly wrapped bundle of wild harvested sagebrush collected by the Malad Gorge along the Snake River.

There's like forty-eleven different types of sage plants, some that aren't even actually sage, and I'm not tryna bore you with those fancy details just now. Some types of plants we think of as sage are related to sunflowers, and some are related to mint. Mugwort is part of the same family as sagebrush but its properties are profoundly different and is not a substitute. I encourage you to do your own research if you want to learn more about sage as a botanical.

The kinds of sage you are probably familiar with are garden or white sage & sagebrush. White sage and sagebrush are different plants but often used interchangeably. The culinary or common sage you buy at the grocery store in the spices isle is not potent, so I recommend using some you’ve grown yourself or hike out into the desert and find some wild sagebrush like my fabulous ass did last week.

Let’s take a moment now to let ourselves get schooled.  White sage (not sagebrush) is usually what sage bundles in occult shops are made with and what Witchy folks are more familiar with. Most white sage is wild and is being overharvested by New Agers and Plastic Shamans looking to commercialize on and misappropriate Native American culture. Now you know we can’t have that. The overharvesting is also causing disruptions in the ecosystems where wild white sage grows, which is like quadrupley offensive. 

If you have any respect for others the way your mamma taught you, you’ll be down with understandin’ that this wild plant in particular, the white sage, should be reserved for Native peoples who hold this plant truly sacred as part of their culture. If you aren’t Native, sage can still be a part of your magickal practice. I recommend using sagebrush, garden sage or try growing your own white sage if you can so as to leave the truly wild white sage as an available resource for Native Americans using this herb in their traditional sacred ceremonies.

Now, on to using sage. It’s my opinion that Sagebrush in particular is worth your notice. Its ability to survive the harsh arid steppe environment it thrives in, communicate with its nearby brother and sister sagebrush plants when there is danger, and live over 100 years earns my respect.

Sagebrush has been used in North America for ritual and ceremony since just after dirt was invented. It has a long tradition and a list almost as long of uses. Native Americans valued sagebrush for its healing properties and when dried and burned, considered the smoke to be a sacred purifier. In other folklore, sagebrush symbolizes both wisdom and skill. Magickal practitioners have long used it for purification or exorcism.

Smoke cleansings can be done with alotta different plants. Sagebrush is easy to obtain where I live because I live in a desert. Where you live cedar or pine might be easier to get your hands on. Stay wise, my Witches. Some plants look too similar and could be toxic if burned. For example, Yew looks like Fir. Unless allergic, Fir is safe for most people, and is even edible. Yew is highly poisonous and if ingested your dumb ass probably gone die. Burning it won't do you any favors, either. If you don’t know your trees, shrubs or other wild plants, don’t handle them or take them home until you do. Bring a person with you who knows their shit or join a local plant identification group or club to learn for yourself like the respectable Witch you are.

All through ancient times, sage was popular for medicine, food and magick around the world. The English, Romans, Chinese, Dutch and others used and traded sage like it was gold lame` in 1970.  

Using sagebrush or common sage like the kind that grows in your garden is easy as spittin’. Dry the herb and burn it. It ain’t got to be hard. To bundle herbs do it when they are fresh, use cotton –not acrylic- thread to wrap, then hang to dry. Other options are a dehydrator or the lowest setting in your oven… 100-170 degrees works fine. For sagebrush, dry it whole and then chop it up or crumble the dried leaves off the stem. The stem is very woody, and will be more so after drying. Garden sage uses the leaves primarily and can be dried and crushed or chopped, or leave fresh and whole to write a blessing or wish on and bury or burn as you like.

Sage ain’t playin’. It works to dispel evil & negativity & bitches and shit. It purifies and cleanses your space, flips the evil eye the finger, and laughs in the face of bitches flinging bad vibes your way. It’s also associated with immortality, longevity, wisdom, and protection. Some folks believe it helps alleviate grieving from the loss of a loved one. Sage is a good herb to add to mojo bags to aid in your working.  

Incense for Grieving and Loss

• 1 part dried Cypress (white cedar)
• 1 part dried Sage
• 1 part dried Hawthorn

 Instructions:

1.    Roughly grind and mix together

2.    Toss into a fire outdoors, burn over a hot charcoal disc or add with a little oil in an oil warmer

Some folks prefer not to burn herbs or plants for a variety of reasons. Here are some alternatives.

Sage Spray

What you need:      

• Spray bottle
• ¼ cup dried or ½ cup fresh herbs

Instructions:

• figure out how much water your spray bottle holds and add that amount of water, or up to 12 ounces, to a saucepan or pot and bring water to a boil
• add herbs to a heat-proof mason jar or pyrex measuring cup
• pour boiling water into jar or glass measuring cup over herbs, stir & cover
• let sit for 4-8 hours- yes, four to eight hours, we are making a magickal infusion here peoples, not a weak-ass tea
• during the infusion process, send your vibes and do your blessings or chants over the soaking herbs based on whatever tradition you adhere to
• strain the herbs out and add the infused water to spray bottle
• discard used herbs in compost as an offering to your garden or trees, they cannot be reused otherwise
• will keep in fridge for a few days, use all or discard any leftover after 3 days and make fresh batch when needed again, recommend making only small batches

To use:

• use the sage spray in the same way you would do a smoke cleansing
• spray room to clear it
• spray before ritual to purify sacred space or afterwards to dispel lingering spirits
• spray after guests leave, or before they arrive
• spray dark corners and where clutter accumulates
• spray in air and walk under/through to mist yourself

Sage Floor Wash & Spiritual Cleanser

What you need:

• mason jar, pint or quart size
• 80-100 proof alcohol like vodka, everclear or absinthe
• Enough dried sage to fill half the jar- do not use fresh herbs for this

Instructions:

• Put dried herbs in jar & label with what’s inside, that day’s date, and the date six weeks from then
• Cover with alcohol and fill to top, leaving headspace for shaking
• Cover & store out of direct sunlight
• Shake every day for one or two weeks
• Check daily and add more alcohol if needed so herbs are not exposed and to avoid them oxidizing
• Herbs will swell
• Store for six weeks, occasionally shaking or stirring with a wooden spoon or skewer
• Strain our herbs and separate from alcohol- discard herbs, keep alcohol
• Add alcohol to a jar with a lid and label.

To use:

• Add a tablespoon or so to your floor wash, wash water or bath water for purifying your home, cleansing or consecrating magickal tools, spiritual cleansing, dispelling negativity and washing away bad juju.
• Can also be used as libation offerings
• Do not drink
• Will keep for years

Like all plant medicine and helpers, Sage has a spirit- it's worth your while to spend time with it and get to know it personally. Taking care to develop a respectful relationship and partnership with the plant you are working with will bring you abundance and wisdom in surprising and welcome ways. 

Blessings in Light & Dark,

~Solaris Moon