The Magickal Properties of Sage

Any Witch knows that Sage is a powerful cleansing herb, but Sage has other uses too. Along with cleansing, Sage can be used for wisdom, abundance, clarity, and protection. and as Mabon nears, it is an essential herb for the Sabbat. Sage contains power that some Witches do not know exists as its other properties have been overshadowed by its cleansing abilities. While we will be going over how to use Sage’s cleansing abilities, we will also discuss its other properties so you can use Sage in more than one Magickal way. Also, it will be explained how to use Sage during Mabon. Do note that for this article, the focus will be on the Common Sage, also known as Garden Sage.

Sage for Cleansing

As any Witch knows, the most common use for Sage is for cleansing. When you burn a sage bundle and allow the smoke to enter every corner of your home, it will push out any negative energies that have been collected. Once the negative energies have been banished, the Sage smoke will provide a temporary barrier, so the negative energies cannot return, and you can have a happy and cleansed home. Sage can also be used to cleanse negative energies you may be carrying, whether you are aware of them or not. You can banish these energies by meditating and inhaling Sage smoke, or you can drink Sage tea to warm your body and cleanse it of pains and unwanted energies.

Sage for Wisdom

Sage will help Witches develop wisdom. Now, the wisdom does not come out of thin air, but from the Witch, hidden deep inside – just needing a little push to come out. The best way to encourage your inner wisdom to come out is to carry an amulet of Sage in a red or purple bag. The combination will help clear any mental blocks that you have, allowing your true wisdom to show itself. Sage can also be combined in a medicine pouch with mint and five-weed grass to help instill the image of leadership and wisdom to whoever wears it.

Sage for Abundance

While Sage can cleanse you and your home from negative energies, it will thus encourage prosperous energies to enter the house instead. A simple smudging ritual can bring about the energy that will help you get an abundance of what you desire, such as love or positivity. When you cleanse, you need to focus on what you want an abundance of; otherwise, you will see no positive results. It helps if you were sure the abundance you seek is something reasonable to obtain as the magick is coming from you, not some otherworldly entities.

Sage for Clarity

The balancing effect that Sage offers works wonders for balancing the mind and providing mental clarity. There are several ways to help bring clarity to your mind. You can burn a bundle of Sage and meditate with the smoke to relax your body and remove bundling thoughts that are keeping you from focusing. You can let fresh Sage air dry on your altar so that it invokes a quiet atmosphere and helps you have a clear mindset in your sacred space. Or, you can burn Sage incense when working on a spell so that your mind stays focused on the task and doesn’t wander.

Sage for Protection

If you wish to use Sage for protection, this is one case where burning Sage leaves will not provide the outcome that you desire. When it comes to using Sage in protection spells, the easiest way to use Sage is in protection amulets. These amulets can be worn around your neck or carried on your person. Or, you can carry Sage leaves around in medicine bags so that the protection energy will always be near you. The Sage leaves can be dry or fresh, depending on how long you need the Sage’s power to stay active around you. Dry always lasts longer, but fresh gives a stronger effect for quick intervals.

Sage for Mabon

Mabon celebrates the second harvest of the year where everything stays in balance. Night and day share equal times in the world; it is also a time where people share their wealth with others. Since this is a time to express gratitude and balance, Witches must cleanse themselves and their homes of any energies throwing off that balance. Sage is the most used herb during Mabon as Witches can use it to purify themselves and their homes. No extra steps are needed to use Sage during Mabon cleansing rituals, though some spells may encourage using colors of the seasons or sound to further enhance cleansing.

Sage is edible, so you may see Sage being used in recipes. You will see Sage being used in butters for meats, in healing teas, in breads, and as a spice in hearty recipes. You do want to be sure that you are using Garden Sage in cooking recipes as not all Sage is edible.

Sage is an extremely powerful herb in Witchcraft. Any Witch, young or old, new, or experienced, can use Sage in their spells and rituals thanks to its easy to use nature. Sage can be used both dry or fresh, depending on the circumstances for using Sage. You can grow or buy Sage, though if you want to plant a Sage garden, it is recommended to have someone else plant the seeds to ensure stronger magickal energies. You can use Sage any time of the year for any of its purposes, but there are specific points during the year where Sage’s magickal properties are at its strongest – like during Mabon. Whenever and however you decide to use Sage, remember to use it to its fullest and not to waste any. With respect for Sage and with proper use, you should see a significant change or success in the spells or rituals you are attempting.

Sage Cleansing Spell

*Note: This cleansing spell is specific for Mabon as it uses elements of fall and brings about the energy of bringing thanks and preparing for the middle harvest of the year.

What You Will Need:

• Sage Bundle
• Wooden Bowl
• Matches
• Red String
• Bells
• Fall Colored Flowers and Leaves

What You Will Need to Do:

1. Start by making the decorations you will leave after the rooms have been cleansed. Use the fall colored leaves and flowers to make small bundles. Tie them together with the red string. Make sure that you make enough for each room of your home and that you have enough red string for the next step. When done, leave the decorations outside until after the ritual is complete.
2. Next, tie the bells to the red string and tie it around your wrists. The jingling of the bells will provide steady cleansing energy alongside the sage bundle. Make sure that the string is not too tight around your wrists, or the cleansing energy will not be produced properly.
3. With the preparations complete, take the sage bundle and wooden bowl into the room you feel the energy is the most stagnant. It can be a room in your home you spend the least time in or that you don’t like being in. This room has collected the most negative energies throughout the year, so it needs to be dealt with firs to prevent the other energies you cleanse from hiding there.
4. Stand in the doorway of the room. Hold the smudging stick in your dominant hand and light your smudging stick. Let it catch fire enough to start burning the Sage and blow it out. In your non-dominant hand, carry the wooden bowl and catch anything that falls from the smudging stick. Walk in the clockwise direction of the room. Move the smudging stick up and down to spread the smoke everywhere. Pay careful attention to get plenty of smoke in the corners of the room as stagnant energy can get stuck in corners. You also want to be sure the ceilings and floors are exposed to the smoke as well since we can carry energy in, and the energy can float upwards to the ceiling. As you cleanse the room, say the following chant: “I cleanse this room of all negative energy, so that my family and home can be full of happiness.”
5. Move in a clockwise direction in your home while repeating the cleansing steps in each room. When all the rooms have been cleansed, should there still be some of your sage bundle left, allow it to finish burning out in the room that filled the wooden bowl the most. When the Sage is done, take the bowl and bury the contents far from your home to prevent the burned energies from coming back.
6. Then, place the fall decorations in each room to promote positive energies for the rest of the season and help drive out negative energies.

This article is from the Mabon issue of Wicca Magazine. Our most recent issue can be found by visiting https://www.wiccamagazine.com/subscription