Ask Carolyn
Divorce is mostly negative energy. Why not have a Sage Smudging Divorce Party for you and your besties to get rid of the negative energy? So, you kept the marital residence: I did that, and I found the constant reminder of my ex dragging my sensuality to my retained home a drag. One of my closest friends was familiar with Sage Smudging suggested this sage ritual. And, it worked: we took a wrapped “stick” of sage, a feather, and moved throughout the corners of the retained marital residence ridding the house of its ghosts and bad vibes. You can do this with a group of friends and a special cocktail.
You can create your own sage stick with sage alone or with other herbs. However, I found a good supply of options on Amazon. You need the feather, as sage does not burn like incense or a candle. One has to fan the smoldering end to keep the subdued flame moving into the corners of your home. So, fan, fan, fan with the feather. Sage takes a while to light, but the end of the sage bundle will smolder like a lighted cigar.
Many cultures share the sage burning ritual, but in the United States is was an established Native American cultural practice. In France, sage is used in tea. Sage was used for fertility in Egypt. Sage was used as a meat preservative in ancient Greece and Rome. Historically, sage is a form of incense mixed with cedar by the indigenous Americans.
There are several kinds of sage. The two most talked about are white prairie sage and salvia sage. White prairie sage has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. Clinical trials have been done on sage in the study of enhancing cognitive behavior. The ingredient Thujone is mildly psychoactive. Sage has had two clinical trials in the study of Alzheimer’s patients with favorable short-term effects. See www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. “Salvia (Sage): A Review of its Potential Cognitive-Enhancing and Protective Effects” by Adrian L. Lopresti. Sage may help clean the air of pet dander, pollution, dust, and mold. The negative ions of pet dander, for example, may attach to the positive ions of burning sage; this is not scientifically proved at this time. Sage also has a traditional use in mediation.
Sage is a herb that can be used in recipes and cooking. Perhaps a dish or two made with sage as an ingredient could be served at the Divorce Party: Sage Smudging. Try Lemon Sage Marinade over a luscious organic chicken breast. Make the marinade with ½ cup of fresh chopped sage leaves. (don’t use the smudge stick). Use your Vitamix. Place eight garlic cloves, ½ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup walnuts, and pepper and blend in the Vitamix. Add a little honey or stevia to taste. Then add two lemons, juiced and zested. Add one and ½ teaspoon of black pepper freshly ground. Then add the sage and pulse only a few times to break up the flavors; don’t blend it to death. Put the marinade in a zip lock freezer bag. Add your six chicken breasts. Squeeze out the air and seal; then refrigerate overnight. The grill or bake your chicken breasts. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes.
Have the “Was His” Cocktail to serve at the Divorce Party: lime juice, gin, maraschino liqueur, and green Chartreuse with some ice in a shaker.
Perhaps play Simon and Garfunkel’s Scarborough Fair about “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.” Discuss the meaning of this song as a party activity.
Yes, I smudged my big ol’ house after my divorce. Yet, I probably really should not have kept the big, empty house with empty memories. I sold that money-trap, and now with Dwight, I am living happily ever after. We did burn a sage stick in an abalone shell this week in honor of our happiness and this blog!