DISCLAIMER: I am very new to celtic paganism, and saining is something I have only done in ritual settings with my grove. I do not claim to be an expert at all, but since this is something I'm learning about and I'm part of the #AffectionateAir team, I thought I could make a brief informational post. This is not going to be a how to guide, or anything of the sort because I just dont have enough experience for that :)
First, I'd like to make sure everyone reading this is aware that saining is a cultural practice which can be appropriated if not done properly and within it's full context.
What is Smoke Saining?
Saining is a Scottish practice which actually encomes a lot more than smoke. Theres water saining, fire saining, and sometimes saining refers to making religious symbols for protection. Smoke saining relies on the belief that you are asking the spirit of the plants you use to help you in cleansing/blessing your space. Saining using smoke is a type of cleansing/blessing that is done with juniper wood. Oftentimes people will add another type of plant to add different meanings to the intention of their smoke.
Misconceptions
Saining is not just "Scottish smudging". In fact pretty much the only similarity between the two practices is that smoke is being used for cleansing. The principles behind both practices are radically different and must be understood through the lens of their cultural beliefs and religion.
Very little is know about how saining was used pre Christianity; while that's sad its important to that paganism and Christianity have an interlocked and well-blended history especially on the celtic islands. In short, just because a lot of the traditional uses we know about have heavy Christian themes doesnt make them somehow worse than "pure" pagan practices (a notion which is pretty insidious beneath the surface.)
background from giphy
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