Anistara, my friend delivered your gift of sage (and the shell). Thank you so much. It's perfectly Indian sage. I ain't gonna lie, I do scoff at the non-Indian idea of sage. I'm speaking here of those big zuchinni-sized hunks os sage, wrapped in plastic, hanging in the nature shop aisle, waiting to be purchased along with the scented candle and organic toothpaste. They are like some kind of novelty cigar, once lit, they can't be extinguished. I've watched my friends, who didn't know any better, run in panic to unplug the smoke detector, dropping lit ambers across the carpet, trying madly to butt out the smoke-fire in their best China.
Anyway, Anistara, your sage is perfectly Indian. It is different from the sage we use back home, but it has all the traits of good Indian sage.
We offer tobacco to Mother Earth, then pluck a little sage from the ground and put it in a small bag. Later, we can take out a pinch and roll it into a small ball. When we light the ball, we can set it on a shell with the hot side down so it can burn its way upward. It's a small ball, the size of a green grape, so it only burns for a few minutes. It makes just enough smoke to lightly smug, say a prayer or two, then it goes out on its own. That's Indian sage. What you sent me is different, but the same.
For those of you reading along, Anistara sent me a lightly-packed bundle of dry sage leaves, nested in a shell the size of a child's palm. Like sage back home, it gracefully makes just enough smoke for what needs to be done.
People are always coming here to find out what is Indian. They think maybe it has to do with sage, so they want to catch as much as the Indian vibe they can so they buy those banana-sized bundles of sage. What they overlooked, was that we just use a little bit. We don't dig in the wallet because sage if given freely from Mother Earth, or, as in this case, freely from a friend. A little bit is more than enough. You see, this is the true Indian vibe. The lesson is always right in their faces. They want more, the big size, and they already have too much. This is why they make a four-storey mansions when a little bungalow would do. They can have warehouses full of sage, but it will get them no closer to the Indian soul than the thickness of a dolllar bill.
Anyway, Anistara, your sage is perfectly Indian. It is different from the sage we use back home, but it has all the traits of good Indian sage.
We offer tobacco to Mother Earth, then pluck a little sage from the ground and put it in a small bag. Later, we can take out a pinch and roll it into a small ball. When we light the ball, we can set it on a shell with the hot side down so it can burn its way upward. It's a small ball, the size of a green grape, so it only burns for a few minutes. It makes just enough smoke to lightly smug, say a prayer or two, then it goes out on its own. That's Indian sage. What you sent me is different, but the same.
For those of you reading along, Anistara sent me a lightly-packed bundle of dry sage leaves, nested in a shell the size of a child's palm. Like sage back home, it gracefully makes just enough smoke for what needs to be done.
People are always coming here to find out what is Indian. They think maybe it has to do with sage, so they want to catch as much as the Indian vibe they can so they buy those banana-sized bundles of sage. What they overlooked, was that we just use a little bit. We don't dig in the wallet because sage if given freely from Mother Earth, or, as in this case, freely from a friend. A little bit is more than enough. You see, this is the true Indian vibe. The lesson is always right in their faces. They want more, the big size, and they already have too much. This is why they make a four-storey mansions when a little bungalow would do. They can have warehouses full of sage, but it will get them no closer to the Indian soul than the thickness of a dolllar bill.
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North Carolina
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Re: Perfectly-Indian sage
Tue, April 29, 2008 - 12:51 PMperfect kimowan, your words are sage too, i can't agree more.
you know how it is. i can't say much on the issue, but have in the past and learned to filter my knowledge. its difficult to see the stuff pushed and sold the way it is, especially around here, california sage is harvested for world wide for one purpose, to get closer to the way, even if it isn't. in general, around here, we save the honkin' bundles for smudging larger crowds, before entering a sacred space, like the sweatlodge or arbor. other than that, its loose leaf and a little goes a long way.
this particular leaf is from my family brush. i harvest when i make it up there. but i take only a little bit, enought to last until next season. i used to get more and make small bundles and gift them, but i found this not to be useful, eventually. i share when it deems appropriate but i've had a lot of people let me know they would buy it from me. or want to know where i got it so they can get some. i'd think california was funky this way, but i know its everywhere. i keep a lot of stuff to myself and even been ousted by certain communities a bit as to not give away more, but i know theres a lack of understanding in these parts, so be it. i'm sticking to what i've been taught in these tricky times. what else to do... when i knew i was taking the hooppath workshop in ojai i thought it would present a neat opportunity. i am thankful you received our blessings, brother. :)
