Ask for help

There is nothing wrong with asking for help, it takes a village to live life, identify your village and use it. We were made to live in communities, no one is an island, but in the spirit of guarding our hearts and spirits, we also need to be mindful of who we allow to be in our space. Not to say that you are better than anyone but if it is not adding to your growth, cut it off.

Set Boundaries
We all have boundaries but sometimes we get caught up in playing nice, and push them too far. It is okay to say no to the things that do not work for us. If it is not helping you grow or giving you joy, kindly decline and keep it moving. I cannot stress enough how important it is to guard your heart at all price, cultivate joy and maintain your peace. You’ll be a better person for it.

Forgive yourself
It is good to remember our mistakes so we do not repeat them but we also have to let them go in order to grow and glow. We are not perfect and that is not a new narrative, we are going to make mistakes, I only hope that we do not continue on paths that we know are destructive and we learn from the past. Say it out loud: I forgive myself. Mean it, breathe and make better choices. Forgiving yourself is one of the best self-care act you can do.

Read
It is said that our eyes are windows to our souls so the things that we allow our eyes to see is going to set the atmosphere. That being said, read something motivational, read something you can learn from. Keep a book at your bed side and aim for at least a chapter before bed. Social media is great, but it does not have to be the last thing we see before going to bed. We can control our mood and emotion by feeding our brain (and body) positivity.

Pray
Pray an active prayer. Work your faith. It’s no use for you to be praying without believing and working towards your miracles. As you pray, you have to prepare yourself for the answer. You have to believe that you deserve what you’re praying for. Make it a habit, a lifestyle and be positive that it will shift your life in the right direction.

People have been using sage for centuries for many reasons but in some circles, they manage to give it a non-biblical connotation which makes certain people and by certain people I mean the saints, feel guilty about using it.

Many people believe in demons but they do not want to wake them or get involved with them, which makes sense because why would you? Being born and raised in Haiti, I know my fair share of my heritage and the role that Voodoo plays in it, so growing up in the church, it seemed safe to stay away from anything that may look like it has an association with Voodoo.

From a traditional standpoint, the idea of burning sage has been for the purpose of keeping demons at bay, creating safe energy, and cleansing yourself and your home. This practice has been used by Native Americans and many other tribes, now different people use the same practice as a spiritual ritual. I do believe that it takes more aggressive measures to keep demons at bay but that does not take away from all the health benefits you can reap by using this amazing herb! Let’s go over a few, shall we?

Burning sage releases an aroma therapeutic scent that’s known to relieve stress, improve sleep quality and uplift one’s mood. That alone can make me feel like I killed some demons! When I get good sleep, I wake up ready to conquer the world, and if there are any herbs that I can use to help with that, I believe it’s the safer choice for me.

Sage is also known to have anti-microbial properties, which is a huge health benefit. It is like spraying Lysol in your home, but a much safer one. It can help with pollution and mold so smudging sage does clear the air, but it might not be attacking the types of demons you think it’s attacking.

Sage is also full of antioxidants and it is an easy herb to add to your daily diet. It has been traditionally used to regulate blood sugar levels and enhance memory. You can blend it in your seasoning mix if you use a wet seasoning mix, use it as a rub, or put some leaves in your soup and stew.

Maybe the idea of smudging sage makes you feel ancient and archaic, that’s okay, because there are all types of other options for you. You can buy sage candles or essential oils for your diffuser that let you inhale the same goodness. I bet the saints wouldn’t mind you using a sage essential oil in your diffuser because the modernity of that cancels any possibility of that being a demonic ritual, right?

There might be groups of people that use sage as part of a spiritual ritual, but they are also using many other things like honey, lavender, and mint, rosemary and so on which are everyday things that we use. We don’t automatically get spiritual powers from using herbs, because we are not using them in that way, but we can always reap the health benefits from using natural remedies.

The bottom line is, sage is amazing! Like many other herbs, it has healing powers that all of us can benefit from. You may not like it because to each their own, but I hope the reason you’re not using it is not because you’re scared of getting involved in some spirit mess. Let me say, it would take more than sage to ward off evil spirits, I do believe they exist and if you feel attacked by them, GET RIGHT WITH GOD! BUT if the demons you’re fighting are Stress, Sleep Depravity, Bacteria in your home, just to name a few, then go right ahead and SAGE UP THE JOINT!