The wind was peripatetic that day (see Meryl Streep in ‘Doubt’), flitting this way and that with large gusts that would press the imperious fountain grass close to the ground while ripping the staunchest oak leaves from their tenacious grip. It pushed against windows and doors, shaking the whole house and making me glad to be on the inside looking out. Before hunkering down for the long wait of winter, however, I needed to do one thing: smudge the house.
I opened up various windows and doors and started in the attic. Lighting a stick of sage and lavender, I filled the first corner with the cleansing smoke of ages, and relaxed a bit. The bad spirits were swept instantly away, and I waved the burning wand in gentle swirls, making sure the smoke went into every hiding space. Working my way downstairs, closing windows and doors behind me when the cleansing of each space was complete, I filled the house with the pungent aroma of burnt sage and smoky lavender. A purification and a benediction. The christening of a new couch and the start of Daylight Savings season.
When I was done, and the last of the negative energy had been driven out of the house, I walked outside to snub the smudge into its mother-of-pearl shell. I inhaled the wind as it rushed by and gave quick thanks for all that we had. Our house was again a home.
