Smudging, burning fragrant herbs or wood, is widely utilized in psychedelic spaces. This tradition, most commonly found in Native or Indigenous cultures, is a ceremony for purifying or cleansing the soul of negative thoughts of a person or place. While it has largely wafted away, smoke has accompanied and enhanced Jewish spiritual practice from before the Biblical period. Together we’ll learn some key sources of wisdom and practice describing Jewish smudging rituals throughout history, consider contemporary questions about appreciating and appropriating Indigenous culture, and how we can once again “offer sweet smelling spices as our ancestors did” in Jewish psychedelic journeys.
This session will be 75 minutes, including an optional 15 minutes breakout room/discussion section at the end.
Smudging, burning fragrant herbs or wood, is widely utilized in psychedelic spaces. This tradition, most commonly found in Native or Indigenous cultures, is a ceremony for purifying or cleansing the soul of negative thoughts of a person or place. While it has largely wafted away, smoke has accompanied and enhanced Jewish spiritual practice from before the Biblical period. Together we’ll learn some key sources of wisdom and practice describing Jewish smudging rituals throughout history, consider contemporary questions about appreciating and appropriating Indigenous culture, and how we can once again “offer sweet smelling spices as our ancestors did” in Jewish psychedelic journeys.
This session will be 75 minutes, including an optional 15 minutes breakout room/discussion section at the end.
Image 1 of 1