How do we arrive at Sagehood when there’s a lot of hood, but no Sage? Hrmmm…ahem. Learn from Socrates, duh. “Cash me ousside So-Crats, how bow dah?” (Google “cash me ousside, how bow dah,” for context.)
Speaking of Sage, I’ll segway now to a righteous declaration of contempt for the herb: the stuff people burn to ward off evil spirits or negative energy. Actually, the impressive herb has been used throughout history for several medicinal and culinary purposes. It’s the burning of it that gets me, for clarifications sake. My personal opinion regarding the burning of the herb is that people like to engage in ritualistic/symbolic behaviors that signify a meaningful/personal intention for their lives. Perhaps by smelling the lingering scent or having a memory that they walked through a space burning the stuff, reinforces a healthier ATTITUDE in them, one that correlates with maximizing positivity in their lives. For the most part, we can manage ourselves; other people, not so much. The crank stinks when lit and I’m skeptical of the belief and practice, but keep in mind, this is coming from someone who would choose patchouli- mint soap over Dial or Axe body wash any day.
Funny story: I had a housemate in Asheville around 2013 who would walk around the house burning sage. One morning the scent traveled between the small line space between the hardwood floor and my door, up to my nose. I heard a deep roar of discontent within the belly of my spirit animal: a scorpion with a cobra snake head and batwings. “Cash me ousside SAGE!” I went outside, and asked ole boy kindly if he would stop burning it outside of my room, that it was irritating my asthma. He said it was no problem, that he was trying to clear the house of any negative energy. FACEPALM! OBJECTIVE REALITY/SUBJECTIVE PROJECTED REALITY. Reminds me of the psychological effects of attitude and prayer. My belief affects my behavior, and my behavior can influence, like a stone, the pond through a ripple. But if it’s raining hard, the ripple won’t be seen. Sigh, TOLERANCE. Anywho, after we came to a civil agreement, I added as he was walking away, “Oh, Eddie… my demons are really upset right now!” He smiled a big silent surprised smile as his head inched back and up with widening eyes. Gosh, it was great! I love my life inspite of my asthma
Burning sage, astrology, country music, blind faith, intolerance, violence: these are all things that irk me. Some things should be tolerated, others not: sage, yes; violent acts of injustice motivated by greed – well, I’ll let you think about that while a soft rain of moral philosophy drizzles over your head.
Feel free to defend your belief in the practice and share any stories/comments surrounding the herb or comment about anything at all.
A Stoic Mime's Blog 