Indigenous explainers: What is a smudging ceremony?

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — It is a typical mid-week summer evening in Fort St. John’s downtown core as a group of women file into the Fort St. John Friendship Society to learn and embrace healing in an Indigenous way..

Energeticcity.ca is attending the event as part of a series of articles to celebrate First Nations’ communities, look at traditional practices and appreciate Indigenous culture and history.

Smudging is a ceremonial tradition of burning medicinal plants in an effort to cleanse oneself of negative energies in an effort to bring those participating closer to the creator.

The workshop was held at the Friendship Society on Thursday, June 26th with 16 participants, and was hosted by Brandi Kennedy of the Friendship Centre and wellness practitioner Melanie Jansen.  

With the notion “there’s no wrong way to smudge,” the group was encouraged to ask questions to Jansen.

Jansen is the owner of health company Vibrant Wellness, and she led attendees through a spiritual journey, which included medicinal plants such as diamond willow fungus, sage, cedar and more. 

The two-hour session also included a meditation component, where participants were asked to imagine themselves in front of a river on a rock, overlooking a body of water.

Despite being Indigenous, Jansen didn’t embrace her roots until her daughter decided to take up pow wow dancing as a youngster.

“[It] is an ancient ceremony that we can use in our homes and [in] groups,” explained Jansen. “We can use it for clearing our energy [or for] helping us move through grief. We can do it to protect our energies. We can do it for clearing our [life] energy.

“It’s just a connection to the creator. The smoke takes our prayers up to the creator, and we talk about what we want to let go of. It is a clearing of our mind also, as well, to help us to walk the red road where we get to know our inner wisdom, to feel that connection, to feel the love, just to get grounded again [and] connected to Mother Earth.”

Once prepared, the plants are burned in an abalone shell, the husk of a marine snail. One by one, at the end of the workshop, each participant had the smoke moved over their limbs by Jansen, to feel the energy harvested inside the plants.

Jewelry was asked to be removed, as according to Jansen, it is man-made and therefore holds the energy of the individuals who have made it. 

“When you smudge, you just want to take all of that off so that you’re showing up in front of the creator as you,” said Jansen.

Kassandra Olson, an Ojibwe woman originally from Thunder Bay. Olson and her family have lived in Fort St. John for over 20 years.

“When I was younger, I had seen it, but today I’ve learned a lot,” said Olson. “I learned how to properly do it, and I learned how to take your jewelry out. I had no idea about that. That’s the first so now I know when to smudge, and if I am smudging with somebody to remove all our jewelry.”

Further details about Jansen’s Vibrant Wellness, visit the company’s website.

Learn more about Indigenous culture and practices with Energeticcity.ca’s explainers, here.