Palo santo tree grows in the South American rainforest. In Spanish, the name palo santo literally means “Holy Wood”. This sacred wood is used to cleanse, protect and heal. For centuries the indigenous people of the Andes have been using palo santo for spiritual purification and energy cleansing. They would burn Palo Santo sticks to cleanse their space and ward off spirits. Palo santo cleanses a space from negative energy and attracts positive energy afterward and heals people on physical and spiritual levels, which makes it unique among plants used for smudging. Its smoke enters the energy field of those it reaches to clear negative energy. Only trees that died naturally are used for smudging purposes as palo santo’s true powers are at it’s highest only after it’s been dead for a few years. It’s important to know that no tree was killed to use for cleansing as that would defeat its purpose. To start smudging wit palo santo, light a stick with a match or a lighter and let it burn for 30 seconds and then blow out so only smoke is produced. Set an intention about what you want to clear out of your space and move the stick around while the smoke is coming around and allow it to spread around space or a person and do its job of cleansing the negative energy and bring positive energy in. You can re-lit the stick as necessary until ceremony is finished and leave the remainder of the stick in a fire proof dish until it cools off. The stick can be reused until it’s all burnt.