Spiritual Cleansing & Advice
The Bearing Branch
Just as the trees cannot bear fruit if they have not stood before the winter’s storms, so it is with us
Smudging
Ceremonial tobacco (Semah) will be present but not burned
Making use of the sacred medicines of sage, cedar, and/or sweet grass, smudging helps to cleanse us of negative energy, give a sense of direction, and open us to truth and gratitude for the good around usSage is used for releasing what is
troubling the mind and for removing
negative energy
Cedar is used to call upon protection offered by the spirits around us
Sweet Grass attracts positive energy, and is used for calming and purification
Runemal: Rune Casting
Runemal is the casting or reading of runes played upon the field of the world; always coming to be or passing awayOne Rune Layout: Draw a single rune to get insight on what you should know right now; what you need to focus on
Three Rune Layout: Right to left, read for insight into a particular situation, a course of action, and the evolution forthcoming
The Four Elements Cast: Representing what is to be done (fire, the spiritual plane), adjusted (water, the emotional plane), considered (air, the mental plane), and the root cause (earth, the physical plane)
Disclaimer
I wanted to set aside a section to speak upon the importance of cultural appropriation, given the fact that smudging is a spiritual practice of Indigenous people.Am I a full-blooded Indigenous person who grew up on a reserve and has suffered the destruction of my way of life? No.Is it part of my heritage? Yes.These are my own spiritual practices that I have researched with the intent of being respectful and intentional, and have derived my knowledge from members of the Indigenous community.There is not a one-size-fits-all answer as to whether or not it is cultural appropriation to make use of these practices. Some within the community will say yes; others within the same community will say no.Article: Rethinking Sage Burning
Article: How your Smudging Ritual May be Culturally Appropriating
Article: What is Cultural Appropriation?
Video: Why Do You Smudge?
Video: How to Smudge
The difference, truly, is education, intention, and mindfulness. I do not practice this for profit or as a trend. Smudging with intention regularly, learning about the sacred medicines, the Medicine Wheel, the seven Grandfathers, these all have brought a great deal of peace and joy into my life; it has brought me a sense of wholeness and appreciation through this practice.I have done my best to be respectful; to make sure I am pulling my information from appropriate resources and sourcing my medicines from Indigenous providers as I connect to my native roots. I also educate myself on the history of how this practice was taken away from its people who were considered less-than, and now has become a commodity that is harming Indigenous communities because of how sage is being harvested.I bring it into FFXIV as a way to share it with a community that touches on a broad range of cultures, and with the advent of Dawntrail and the travel to the equivalent of the Americas, is going to (and already has) started touching on the beliefs and practices of the Indigenous people.Chi Miigwetch (Thank you)