Just a Smudge

smudge
noun

1. a dirty mark or smear.
2. a smeary state.
3. a stifling smoke.
4. a smoky fire, especially one made for driving away mosquitoes or safeguarding fruit trees from frost.

smidge
variants or less commonly smidgeon or smidgin or smidgen
noun

1. (informal) a very small amount or part

On Sunday I had attended the hard, grand opening of an occult shop that was opened by two partner-friends of mine. (I never know how to describe them because they are partners/husbands to one another and they are both friends of mine... I think of them as individuals and as a couple). Anyway they had had a soft, grand opening in June and I was unable to attend due to my being out of town. This past weekend they had the real deal which included a book signing of The Witch's Apothecary by author Lorriane Anderson, tarot readers, light refreshments, and a collection of some very powerful energies. The mayor of South Pasadena was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the two entrepreneurs to the neighborhood as were other representatives of local political representatives.
I didn't want to spend a good deal of money that day because I needed to divert funds for a pleasant late lunch/early dinner with the female friend I had brought with me (we ate at the Piccolo Ristorante South Pasadena). I bought some white and some blue sage for smudging.
I had been to ceremonies and rituals that included anterior and posterior smudging. I had no training and all that I had done was to place the person before me (facing me) while I had the smoking/smoldering sage in hand. I would then start at the person's crown at a distance of about a foot and I would make the motion of a continuous sine curve from left to right. At the end of the frontal smudge, I would lower myself on one knee. Then I would tell the person to turn around and the smudging in continuous sine curve formation would repeat as I arise. The person would be let into our circle.
My use of herbs are pretty much exclusively for culinary purposes. They are also almost always used in liquids (soups or stews) and I don't have an expansive collection. Well, I certainly have more than my mother had and she certainly had more than her mother had. The maternal grandmother had coarse salt and black pepper (sugar was not considered an herb or spice). Come to think of it, salt is a mineral and doesn't really fall into that category either. My Mother had oregano for spaghetti sauce, crushed red pepper for pizza, bay leaves, sweet paprika, ground onion, ground garlic.
Come to think of it... my Mother's spice rack didn't really have a lot of herbs or spices that fit the category. Mine? There's dill, tarragon, chervil, sage, summer savory, Kümmel, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, as well as some prepared combinations that seem to come in handy (like Old Bay).
Off to the side--not as part of the spice cabinet--I have a few odds and ends that are needed here and there to make this and that. Some examples of this would be
achiote (a spice and food coloring that I used for making Costa Rican macaroni) or
cardamom (a seed that I pulverize with mortar and pestle to make Indian chai)
There are some things that I will only buy fresh such as Italian parsley or cilantro. I can't explain the why or wherefore behind that rationale. Suffice it to say that that's how that rolls.
...
So, this morning I opted to burn some white sage and make a circular loop as I walked the perimeter of my kitchen. At that moment, my beloved black longhair, Madison, came in from the outside and began to meow. She got a dose of virginal smudge. I finished my 180mL ration of black, unsweetened Costa Rican coffee and walked to the computer to collect my thoughts of the moment.
Love of my friends and their new venture in their golden years
Gratitude for my long-term familiar friend who protects the house from mice
Thankfulness for the abundance and bounty of food from which I can prepare meals
Clean water and soap that pour and dispense in the kitchen at my will
Electric light that I can control at will
Heating devices that are electric driven or that use natural gas

I thanked the King of the Universe for bringing me to this place and hoped that those in my circle be protected while they live or be allowed to rest in peace where they have been left to eternity).