Dealing with grief is one of the hardest things we go through in life and part of healing is dealing with your grief. People who want to start smudging say over and over again “I want to feel better”. So, they turn to smudging as a way to clear negative energy, improve their mood, and even help them stay focused on gratitude and positivity.
People start smudging for all kinds of reasons. Maybe they’ve had a big fight or maybe they’ve been through a big life change like moving into a new house. But, grieving is another reason why some people choose to smudge. That’s because smudging can be an amazing way to process emotions in a healthy way, allowing the person to find peace and acceptance sooner.
Smudging is not a cure for everything you’re experiencing, but in times of intense grief, it is helpful to have an outlet; something that feels comforting and cathartic at the same time. If you’re ready to try smudging to deal with any grief you may be experiencing, here is a step by step process for getting started.
To get started, you can follow four simple steps:
1. Identifying What Stage of Grief You are In
Identifying what stage of grief you are in can help you determine where you are in the process and gain a greater understanding of your past, present, and future journey. This is a good way to check in with yourself, remind yourself of your progress, and remind yourself that you have the strength to keep moving forward.
The stages of grief are:
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
Wherever you are today is perfect. There is no right or wrong way to grieve or a specific speed you should move through the stages at.
2. Determining How You Want to Feel After Your Current Stage of Grief
After you’ve determined what stage of grief you are at, you can decide how you would like to feel once you have completed that stage. This will help you set some goals for your smudging ritual and help guide you in writing your prayer.
Remind yourself that the stage of grief you are currently in is part of the process and you can use it to your advantage in order to move forward successfully. How would you like to use this stage to feel better in the next stage?
Establish some small goals for yourself. Perhaps you’d like to feel more happy or hopeful in the next stage. Or maybe you’d like to start taking better care of your personal needs. Determine what is important to you and how YOU would like to feel once this stage of the process is over. Setting your intentions is an important part of the smudging process.
Now that we have checked in with ourselves about how we are feeling and where we are at in our journey, it’s time to start developing our smudge prayer that will help us with our grief.
3. Composing A Smudge Prayer or Manifesto
Use the ideas from the previous steps to compose a smudge prayer or message. The words you recite while smudging don’t have to be a “prayer”; they’re simply a way for you to engage with the smudging ritual and speak aloud what you are needing and feeling. This is an important part of setting your smudging intentions.
You can write to yourself like a journal. You can formulate the words in the form of a prayer to the Creator. Or you can simply recite a list of everything you hope for, need, or want on the next stage of your journey.
This process is completely up to you. Please feel free to do what feels best to you and aligns with your personal beliefs. Reciting words aloud simply helps with the smudging process and can be healing and cathartic for you.
4. Writing Down Your Smudge Prayer or Manifesto
You have done a lot of hard work and deep reflecting. Now it’s time to write down what you have decided on as your prayer or thoughts to recite while smudging.Again, this can be whatever you want it to be. Writing it down will help you process what you need and help you move forward as you process your grief.
Examples of Prayers for Grief
If you’re not sure where to start or are having trouble coming up with your own recitation, here are just a few examples of smudge prayers for grief:
You can speak directly to the Creator, saying a prayer like, “Creator, please take these heavy feelings of loss away from me and fill my heart with love and light. Show me that my loved one is in a better, happier place now.”
You can also speak to your feelings and your need to move on to the next stage of your journey. For example, you might say:
“I wish to let go of these feelings of grief. I have felt them deeply and am ready to let them go. For as long as this smoke burns, my pain will exit my body, making way for positivity and light.”
Or, very simply, you can say:
“I am ready for these feelings of grief to be taken away from me.”
Choose the right words for you and know that you are taking a brave step by helping yourself heal.
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