Nature: A Return to the Senses

     When I was little, I remember being in my grandparents apartment and seeing my grandmother holding a long handle connected to a brass-looking bowl with smoke coming out of it. She was cleansing a corner of her kitchen with a resin that reminded me of church. It was frankincense.

The act of cleansing the home was a kind of ritual that was a part of my life. And, I believe that this ritual for our home, our body, our objects is a form of cleansing the space. I have been ritualistically practicing cleansing my body with incense of sage and copal for a while now. I especially cleanse when I have spent time in large groups or cities. This is a way to allow me a moment to reset my energy.

Energetic cleansing is the intentional clearing of stagnant, heavy, or unaligned energy-from the body, the space, or objects. Just like we wash dirt from our skin, energetic cleansing removes unseen layers of emotional residue, thoughts, experiences, and even external energies we’ve picked up.

I also like to cleanse my altar with sage or cedar every time I light the candle. It is a spiritual cleansing to re-awaken the life of the space. It reminds me to give gratitude to the new moment, of the day. It is an invitation to the present moment. 

It’s less about superstition and more about attunement. It is about tuning back into your own natural frequency, releasing what isn’t yours, and restoring harmony.

The resin is typically from trees and to welcome nature into our home, onto our bodies revitalizes our connection to this great mystery of life. It can be used with whatever intentions you wish to bring. It can be an offering, a form of reciprocation to the ever giving breath that keeps us animate. If one wants to get more grounded and in touch with their body, bring clarity to the mind, or attune to balancing the emotions, burning a plant like copal or palo santo can support that. 

Before giving or receiving a session from my coach or therapist, I sometimes light the candle and cleanse the space with an incense. This creates a container for me to automatically drop into a more meditative state. I can bring up my intentions in my being and allow myself to connect with the innate intelligence of life and trust that the session will bear the fruits of what’s meant to be experienced. 

These are tools to bring us more to our nature. If you are inspired to experiment with different incenses, try more natural forms like tree bark, resin, or leaf.

Another piece to this is our power of smell. Smell is one of our most ancient and primal senses. It supports shifting our states of consciousness and plays a role in memory, emotion, and even survival.

Using our senses, like our sense of smell to tune to our bodies and our present moment experience is accessible. May your days be filled with all the nourishing smells that feed you well, your body, soul, and mind.