New Age ritual turning ‘bad energies’ into smoke may contribute to overharvesting of wild plants

A commercialized New Age ritual causes smoke not only of “unwanted energies” but also of alien wild plants. A study by Utrecht University researchers Isabela Pombo Geertsma and Anastasia Stefanaki and colleagues from Wageningen UR and Naturalis Biodiversity Center reveals that dried herb bundles sold for ritual burning in the Netherlands often contain plants from remote areas.

on a piece of paper in the magazine plantsResearchers show that many of these bundles contain white sage (Salvia apiana), a North American plant that may be unsustainably harvested to meet growing demand.

For thousands of years, religious ceremonies around the world have involved burning or smoldering dried plant material, producing smoke. Smoke is often used to create a ‘sacred’ atmosphere or to connect with ancestors and spirits.

Various Native groups in North America use tightly tied bundles of dried herbs in their traditional ceremonies. One end of these bundles, known as smudge sticks, is illuminated. The smoke released is used to “purify” the home after an illness, for example, or to increase hunting success. Different Indigenous groups use a variety of wild plant species, including sweetgrass and white sage, for these rituals.

Modern witches and the New Age

The use of smudge sticks has been adopted relatively recently by New Age practitioners. Geertsma, Ph.D. The candidate, who studied witches’ use of plants, discovered this in his interviews with modern witches.

“Modern witches have told me that they use these smudging sticks,” says Geertsma, “but I have discovered that they are actually used much more widely in the New Age movement to clear spaces of unwanted energies.” New Age is a Western spiritual movement.

white sage

Geertsma became curious about the plant species found in commercially available smudge sticks. Especially since there is evidence that plants traditionally used by groups in North America are now being harvested unsustainably to meet growing global demand. However, no research has previously been conducted on the plant species found in smudge sticks sold in shops (online or brick-and-mortar) in the Netherlands.

The researchers found that 10 of the 29 bundles studied were made from or contained white sage. They also identified other North American plants, including several species from the genus Artemisia. Co-author Berber Zandstra collected most of the smudge sticks for his Honors thesis at Wageningen UR.

Impact on nature and Indigenous people

Overharvesting of white sage in the wild poses a problem not only for the plant itself, but also for Native North American communities that use it in their ceremonies. However, Dutch consumers who purchase smudge sticks are often unaware of these potential negative effects.

People buy smudge sticks made with white sage because this herb has been used traditionally by certain cultures. But also contributing to this is the commercialization of New Age and modern witchcraft movements; This has led to smudge sticks containing white sage being widely available in retail stores.

connecting with nature

Through interviews with Dutch people who use smudge sticks, Geertsma discovered that almost none of the users went out to collect plants.

“I think these people want to connect with nature, but they still buy products from the other side of the world,” Geertsma explains. Some of those interviewed also stated that they believed American herbs worked better or had a more pleasant scent.

‘Not available in the Netherlands’

According to researchers, the Dutch generally have limited knowledge on this subject. native plants and traditional uses. Adopting exotic rituals can fill this gap.

Geertsma says: “People often claim that such traditions do not exist in the Netherlands, but in fact they do. In the southern part of the Netherlands, dried and consecrated plants were burned to ward off lightning and thunder.”

“Elderly people shared in interviews that they had to get out of bed at night during these storms. Then their parents would throw some of the bundles hanging near the front door into the fire. The smoke would fill the house and come out of the chimney, protecting the house.”

Alternatives

There are actually viable alternatives to North American facilities in the Netherlands. In some of the bundles examined, the researchers identified plants native to the Netherlands, such as wormwood, sage and chamomile.

Geertsma concludes: “You can use all kinds of wild and garden herbs for burning. Think lavender, rosemary, tansy and rose. These herbs have recognizable scents and evoke specific associations for many people.”