Cedar Bundle, 4 in

Green Smoke, Sweet and Heavy

A hand-tied bundle of cedar, roughly 4 inches long, wrapped in cotton twine. Lit and blown out, it holds a steady ember and gives off a thick, sweet, resinous smoke with real weight to it.

Cedar burns differently from sage. Where sage is dry and bitter and thins out fast, cedar is resinous and sweet and puts out considerably more smoke for the same size bundle. If you have used sage and found it too sharp, or found it burned out before you were finished, this is the one to reach for.

Specifications

• Plant: cedar, [CONFIRM BINOMIAL]
• Size: approximately 4 in long
• Binding: cotton twine
• Sold: individually, one bundle
• Reusable: yes, extinguish and relight across several sessions

Color runs from bright green to deeper olive depending on the cut and how long it has cured. Bundles are hand-tied, so each one differs slightly in density and shape.

How to burn it

1. Hold it over a heat-safe dish. Ceramic, stone, or cast iron.
2. Light one end and let the flame catch for a few seconds.
3. Blow the flame out. You want an ember, not a fire.
4. Let the smoke do the work. Open a window or a door so there is somewhere for it to go.
5. To stop, press the lit end firmly into the dish until the ember dies. Do not use water, which soaks the bundle and ruins the rest of it.

Cedar is resinous, which means it can flare back up after you think you have blown it out. Watch it for a few seconds longer than feels necessary, and check it twice before you walk away.

Working with it

• Clear a room, a working surface, or a whole house
• Pass a tool, a charm, or a piece of jewelry through the smoke
• Walk a boundary, along a threshold or the perimeter of a space
• Open a seasonal working, particularly at the turn of a year

Cedar or sage

Keep both if you work often. They are not interchangeable.

• Cedar is heavier, sweeter, and longer burning. Better for a whole room, a house, or anything you want to take your time over.
• Desert sage is drier, sharper, and faster. Better for a single object, a small surface, or a short working.

Care

Store dry. Damp bundles will not hold an ember and can mold at the core where you cannot see it. Keep it out of a bathroom or anywhere that gets steam. Cedar holds its aroma well in storage; if a bundle stops smelling like anything, it has taken on moisture.

Safety

Burn only over a heat-safe dish, on a stable surface, away from flammable materials. Never leave a burning bundle unattended. Ventilate the room. Cedar produces more smoke than most bundles of its size, so give it more air than you think it needs.

Do not burn near birds. Birds have respiratory systems that make smoke of any kind dangerous to them, well before it bothers anyone else in the room. Use caution around anyone with asthma or smoke sensitivity, and keep away from children and pets.

Not for consumption.