On Smudging, Space, and Spiritual Freedom

It’s not about smoke or ritual. It’s about intention, alignment, and choosing what feels true to me.

Lately, it feels like I’ve been going through one challenge after another. Since I came back home, the energy in my space has felt off. Like it’s not completely mine. Not entirely peaceful.

Then it hit me. Other people had been living here while I was away. And I hadn’t cleared the space since I got back.

One of the spiritual practices that always helps me feel grounded is smudging. Before I moved into this house, I smudged every room. I spoke my intention into the space. I welcomed in all that is positive, peaceful, and aligned with the divine. I asked anything that wasn’t to leave.

For me, smudging is not about the smoke or the sage itself. It’s about the intention. It’s a way to realign a space with who I am and what I invite into my life. A way to say, this is my home, and this is the energy I choose to live in.

Right now, I’m in a relationship with someone who practices Islam. And in his faith, smudging is considered haram. Anything that doesn’t come from Allah is seen as wrong, or even dangerous. I understand that perspective. Islam is rooted in surrender to one God, and relying only on Him for protection and guidance.

But for me, my spiritual path has never been about following one religion. I was baptized Christian. I grew up Catholic. I practiced Buddhism. I studied Taoism. I’m still learning about Islam. And the more I learn, the more I see truth in all of them.

I don’t believe one path holds the only key to God. I believe God can be found everywhere. In stillness. In silence. In nature. In rituals. In breath. In prayer.

When we see life only in black and white, we lose the in-between. We lose the texture, the nuance, the full picture. I’ve never felt drawn to that kind of thinking. It feels like trying to shrink the whole universe into one single room.

We’re not meant to be that small.

We are layered. We’re human. We hold both light and dark, joy and grief, clarity and confusion. To me, trying to label everything as either good or evil, right or wrong, ends up cutting us off from the bigger truth.

So no, when I smudge, I’m not rejecting God. I’m reconnecting with myself. I’m clearing out what doesn’t belong, and making space for what does. I’m inviting peace in again.

And honestly, that feels pretty sacred to me.