How to Cleanse Your Home with Incense: A Simple, Grounded Guide
A practical guide to cleansing your home with incense: a simple ritual, how to choose incense, how often to do it, and how to burn it safely around people and...
Michelle Rowland |
Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens), meaning “holy wood” in Spanish, is an aromatic wood native to parts of Central and South America, including Ecuador and Peru.
Known for its distinctive warm, woody and gently resinous aroma, Palo Santo has a long history of traditional and spiritual use and is commonly burned today as part of smoke-cleansing, meditation and ritual practices.
Our supplier sources this Palo Santo from Ecuador and Peru and advises that the wood is harvested under licence with full traceability. According to the supplier, no living trees are cut for this product. Naturally fallen wood is collected from the forest floor, and a portion of sales supports reforestation.
Traditional & Metaphysical Associations: Cleansing, Grounding, Protection, Peace, Spiritual Connection, Creativity, Good Fortune, Fire Element, Earth Element
In contemporary metaphysical practice, Palo Santo is often associated with cleansing while creating a grounded, peaceful atmosphere. Its associations with protection, creativity and good fortune also make it a beautiful ritual wood for clearing what feels stagnant before setting intentions for what you would like to welcome in.
Rather than thinking of smoke cleansing simply as removing “negative energy,” Palo Santo can be incorporated intentionally into practices of reflection, transition, meditation and creating sacred space.
Hold one end of the Palo Santo stick over a flame and allow it to catch. Let it burn briefly before gently blowing out the flame, allowing the aromatic wood to smoulder and release its smoke.
Move the smoke through your space or around ritual objects as part of your personal practice, or place the stick in a suitable heat-resistant vessel while it smoulders.
Palo Santo will often naturally stop smouldering after a short period and can be relit for future use.
Burn Palo Santo in a well-ventilated area with good airflow.
Always place burning or smouldering Palo Santo in a stable, heat-resistant vessel and keep it away from flammable materials, children and pets. Never leave burning or smouldering wood unattended.
Ensure the Palo Santo and any remaining embers are completely extinguished and cool before storing or disposal.
Find a suitable Cauldron or Incense Burner for safely resting your Palo Santo.
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Herbs, resins, aromatic woods and ritual incense can be used in different ways. Always follow the instructions provided in the individual product listing and only burn products where burning is an intended use.
When burning herbs, incense or aromatic woods, use in a well-ventilated area with good airflow. Always use an appropriate heat-resistant vessel and place it on a stable surface away from curtains, paper and other flammable materials. Where significant heat is generated, particularly when using charcoal, protect the surface underneath with an insulating trivet or tile.
Burning materials, charcoal, ash and incense vessels can become extremely hot. Never touch or move hot charcoal or equipment with bare hands. Use suitable tongs or tools where required.
Never leave burning or smouldering herbs, incense, wood or charcoal unattended. Keep all products and burning materials away from children and pets.
Allow herbs, incense, charcoal, ash and equipment to cool completely before handling, cleaning or disposal. Ensure smudge sticks, aromatic woods and other smouldering materials are fully extinguished before storing.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise on the individual product listing, products in this collection are intended for ritual, aromatic or incense use only and are not intended for ingestion.
Using charcoal for the first time? See our How to Burn Resin & Loose Incense on Charcoal guide for step-by-step instructions.