What is energy work and do you need it? + 5 common types of energy work

What is energy work? Is it real? Should you try it? I can’t tell you what’s best for you, but I can share detailed information about various energy work modalities and my personal experience with them to help you determine if and what’s right for you.

In this post, you'll learn a bit about what energy work is, if it's right for you, who can practice energy work, five common types of energy work, and experts in each field linked.

This is a big topic, friend! I invite you to cozy up with a cup of tea or to bookmark this read to refer back to later. Or, you can listen to the full episode here on my podcast, Rooting into Wholeness. 

My Experience With Energy Work

I experienced energy work for the first time at a very young age, 10 or 11 years old. I got my hands on some books from my grandmother about spirituality that explained how to feel the energy between my hands and over my body. I was easily able to feel my energy and was hooked. I continued meditating and working with my energy from that day in a variety of ways.

As an adult, I’ve tried various energy work methods both on myself and from others. I’ve also been practicing shamanic energy healing (in a Celtic lineage) for the last two years. Any of the methods I share here are methods I’ve experienced or administered firsthand. 

I will save my full story for another post that I’ll share soon.

What is Energy Work?

Energy work is the intentional effort to manipulate your or someone else's energy for spiritual, emotional, or physical healing. There are countless modalities of energy work practices in cultures around the world. You can perform energy work on yourself or seek it out from a professional. 

Energy work affects both the subtle body system (the energetic body) and the physical body in various ways. The subtle body system shows up differently across cultures. Here are some of the subtle body systems we see across the world: chakras and nadis (Hinduism), meridians (Chinese Medicine), the three cauldrons (Celtic), aura (cross-cultural), Ojos de luz (Incan energy system), and the list goes on. Most cultures around the world have some reference of an energy or subtle body system. 

Anything that affects the subtle body can also affect the physical body because they’re intertwined. It’s now commonly accepted that emotions can be stored in and affect the physical body. Many believe that energy can be manipulated to create changes in the subtle and the physical body in this same vein. As above so below, as within so without. 

Science now recognizes that everything is energy. When we zoom in on the physical world, really far, all we have is vibrating energy. There’s nothing solid about anything in the world we live in. It’s all energy. It can be hard to wrap the mind around physical objects not really being solid, but it’s what we know now to be true. This quote from the physicist Erwin Schrödinger illustrates this well in the quote below. 

“What we observe as material bodies and forces are nothing but shapes and variations in the structure of space. Particles are just schaumkommen (appearances).”- Erwin Schrödinger 

Aside from the quantum world, there’s also something to be said for unseen energies that we already know exist, like light waves, sound waves, electromagnetic energy, and heck, even wind. There’s an entire world of invisible energy that can affect us both positively and negatively. Though science has not completely caught up with the idea of humans having the potential to spark healing through touch and other psychic abilities, I believe it's something many ancient peoples have known all along. 

We spend so much time tending to and caring for our physical bodies, but what about our energy, our essence. 

Should You Try Energy Work?

If you feel called to try any kind of energy work, I suggest trying it. The bigger questions that you'll need to ask yourself are what kind of energy work you want to receive and who you want to work with. These are not questions that I can answer for you and will require some research and reflection.

As someone who's received a lot of different kinds of energy work, the best advice I can give you is that you'll know when you know. If you feel pulled to work with someone, honor that, and then do a bit of research about them, which I cover in the next section, to ensure that they're in alignment with your values and are working ethically. If you get any internal nudges that someone is or isn't a good fit, honor that.

Who Can Practice Energy Work and Can I Practice on Myself?

There are a lot of grey areas and different opinions within the answers to these questions. I will do my best in this short space, but please know that many feel differently and that this is a short answer to big questions.

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this post, it’s that you can perform energy work on yourself. It is not something you need to pay hundreds of dollars to receive. There are many great energy work tools that you can use on yourself, some of which I will share here. Personally, I think it can be extremely powerful and healing to learn different ways to manipulate and heal your own energy. I discuss some of this in my “Understanding Auras” and “Understanding Chakras” books, which are great places to start. 

Regarding who can practice on other people, here are some suggestions and questions I always ask myself.

What is their training? Notice I said training, not Certification. Certification is not always a necessity in the case of energy work. Sadly certifications can actually be quite misleading and are not equally accessible. In fact, certification processes often leave out the very people who have trained in indigenous cultures and lineages. 

Many certification processes end up being watered-down versions of traditional energy work methods. Furthermore, they could be actively causing harm to the indigenous peoples they came from. 

Certification is not always bad, but it’s important to ask some follow-up questions and use discernment when hiring someone with certifications in the energy work methods listed below, like, “Where did the certification come from?”, “Who did they train with for the certification?” and “Were the indigenous and cultural roots respected in the certification process?”. If these things aren’t stated on a person’s website who’s offering energy work, you have every right to ask, and I’d encourage you to do so. 

Benefits and Risks of Energy Work

The possible benefits of energy work are vast and will vary from method to method. I'll dive into specific benefits for each kind of energy work method I discuss in their respective sections. Here's a general list of benefits I've personally experienced from different kinds of energy work.

• can induce deep calmness and anxiety reduction

• can help you feel closer to the spirit realm and connected to All Life

• can aid in the balancing of the chakras and subtle body

• can spark physical healing (energy work should never replace the guidance of a medical professional)

• can bring messages from loved ones and spirits

• can help with the removal of unwanted or stagnant energy

• can be supportive in processing shadow work and trauma (energy work should never replace the guidance of a trained therapist)

• can offer a deep sense of feeling held

• can give greater perspective on life issues

• can help with decision making

• can bring about a general sense of peace and ease

Are there any risks to energy work. Yes and no. Some forms of energy work are riskier than others. The practitioner is actively engaging with your energy for energy work like Reiki, Shamanic healing, and intuitive healing. This is a very intimate and vulnerable act. If you are highly sensitive to energy, it will be of utmost importance for you to be clear about what you do and do not want to experience and make sure you're a good fit with the person you intend to work with.

This is why it's so important to do your due diligence about who you decide to receive energy work from. If you find someone you'd like to receive energy work from, I suggest going within and asking something like, "Is ____________'s medicine in alignment with my highest good?" Notice what comes up. Beyond this, always be sure to run anyone through the questions offered above about who can practice energy work.Another risk is having too high of expectations. Remember, you have autonomy over yourself and your energy. If you go into a session thinking that the practitioner will be able to fix all of your problems in one hour, you might leave pretty disappointed. Energy work is not meant as a cure-all (though in some rare cases, it can be) and is intended, in my opinion, to be a catalyst for healing. I view energy work as a tool to spark healing, soothe the energy body, and open the door to spirit, but oftentimes, it will require further work from you as well. Also, who among us is truly perfectly healed? Here in physical, we will always have something we're moving through.

The Fine Print

Before we dig in, I have a few important things. See, I told you this was a big topic!

1. Energy work should never take the place of a trained medical professional or therapist. Though energy work can affect the body, and physical healing can take place, it should never replace the work of a doctor. We are multifaceted beings who require multifaceted care. I love receiving energy work, but you better believe I’m going to the hospital if I break my arm.    

1. I am not trained in all of the energy work methods mentioned below. As I mentioned above, I have experienced or administered and have thoroughly researched all of the methods I share here. I will link experts trained in each energy work method so you can experience it or learn more about them.

1. This is a non-exhaustive list of energy work techniques. I simply did not have room to share more energy work methods and techniques here, but I will list some more at the end of this article. 

Ok, let’s dive in!

Reiki 

I think Reiki is what most people think of when they hear energy work, but energy work is quite a diverse practice, as you'll find from this post. Here’s one explanation of what Reiki is from a past blog post by Eryn Johnson. 

“Reiki is a specific kind of energy work. It’s an energy healing modality that was channeled by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan. The word Reiki itself means “Universal Energy.” It’s Universal energy, spiritual energy, the energy of oneness, that can be channeled from one human being to another to facilitate healing.

Reiki has its own intelligence. You don’t have to be special to give Reiki, which is one of the things I love about it. We all have this energy within us–it simply gets awakened through a process called a Reiki attunement.” - Eryn Johnson 

Nowadays, it’s relatively easy to become “Reiki certified” and be deemed a “Reiki Master.” This is where like I mentioned above, it’s important to do your research and have discernment when seeking a Reiki practitioner.

The most insightful information I’ve heard and read about traditional Reiki has come from Marika Clymer, trained in traditional Japanese Reiki. If you are interested in receiving or learning more about traditional Reiki, I highly suggest learning more about Marika’s work. Visit her website to learn more or book a session here. Listen to an interview with her on the Living Open podcast here, where she discusses traditional Reiki and decolonial energetic healing. 

My personal experiences with Reiki have been wonderful. In my experience, it’s a very gentle form of energy work that always leaves me feeling like I’m floating in the clouds. 

Crystal Healing

Working with crystals for energy healing is great because it’s so accessible. You do not have to have an innate psychic gift to perform it on yourself, there’s loads of information available about it, and a few basic crystals are really all you need. Some good old quartz is my favorite go-to!

Crystal healing is based on the belief that because crystals are perfect crystalline structures, they can stabilize or shift the energy of other things and people around them. To learn more about crystal healing, check out this blog or my book “Understanding Crystals.”

In my experience, I do think you need to be pretty sensitive to energy and patient to notice this kind of energy work as the shifts can be subtle and happen slowly over time. Although, this isn’t everyone’s experience! For this reason, you’ll often find that crystal healing is combined with other kinds of energy or bodywork. It can be a standalone form of energy work, but it also makes a great compliment to many practices.

I highly suggest my friend Ashely Leavy of the Love and Light School of Crystal Healing to learn more about crystal healing. If you’d like to receive crystal healing, Ashley has recommended two of her former students, Samady Medina of Crystal Gaia and Peyton Johnson of Sol Energy Healing.

The Energy Alignment Method (EAM), The Emotion Code, and Applied Kinesiology

I’ve lumped these three together because they’re all based on variations of muscle testing. However, they do vary and are practiced and taught in different ways. 

Applied Kinesiology (not the same as Kinesiology) was developed in the early 1900s by an orthopaedic surgeon named R.W. Lovett. He used it to help determine the effects of Polio on his patients. It’s since been used and further developed by a variety of medical and energy work practitioners. Applied Kinesiology is based on the idea that when there is dis-ease or blocked energy within the body, muscles will be weakened, and subsequent muscle testing will yield a different response from the body. 

I’m most familiar with The Energy Alignment Method (EAM) by Yvette Taylor and The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson, so that’s what I’ll focus on here. 

EAM uses a sway test (a form of muscle testing) to identify blocked or unhelpful energy patterns in the body. It then uses a series of unique steps to release the unwanted energy and ends by calling in the desired energy. The emotion code works similarly and uses muscle testing to find “trapped emotions” but uses a different method for releasing the trapped energy. 

I would probably tell you that this energy work modality was quackery if I hadn’t tried it myself because it almost seems too easy! Over the last year, I’ve worked with a wonderfully talented coach who uses EAM named Maria Saraphina. Not only could I feel the energy leaving my body when we did the EAM (I’m super sensitive to all things energy), but I also noticed marked differences around all of the issues we worked on. 

Personally, I prefer EAM to the Emotion Code and have benefited greatly from working with the EAM. I found the emotion code to be a bit harder to follow and appreciate that the EAM takes additional steps to call in desired energy. 

You certainly don’t need to hire a coach or practitioner who uses this method to benefit from it. It’s actually pretty straightforward to learn and try it out on your own. I suggest starting with Yvette Taylor’s book about EAM here or The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson here. My friend and coach Maria also offers a free instructional video about EAM that you can find here. 

Breathwork and Pranayama

This is another powerful healing method that’s been under some controversy in recent years. Depending on who you ask, breathwork is pranayama (the ancient yogic practice of breath control). Still, some believe breathwork is a practice of its own, rooted in various other ancient practices. I’m not here to tell you which is true, nor have I done the necessary research to offer you an answer. Wherever you land, I do think it’s important to offer credit where credit is due. 

Pranayama is an ancient yogic practice that is one of the eight limbs of yoga and translates to “breath control” or “control over the life-giving force.” Breathwork pulls from a variety of cultures and practices. Both use a series of breathing techniques to control and move the flow of energy within the body. The idea is similar for both that by controlling the breath, one can create shifts and healing in the physical, emotional, and energetic body. 

I can not speak highly enough of the benefit of practicing some kind of breathing technique, whether it be pranayama or breathwork. I find it helps to calm the nervous system, get into a deeper state of meditation, helps to release stored trauma, and can activate intuition. The benefits of practicing pranayama or breathwork are vast. 

Like many of the other methods I’ve mentioned here, breathing is certainly something you can do on your own. However, the results can be intense. Pranayama and breathwork are not practices, in my opinion, that will always leave you feeling like you’re floating in the clouds (though it can). It can be incredibly emotional and physically draining. If you do want to practice pranayama or breathwork but do not have any prior experience with it, I highly suggest seeking the assistance of a trained practitioner to assist you, whether it be online or in-person. There are many group and solo sessions available by countless practitioners. Here’s a list of some I recommend. 

For Pranayama, Susan Barkataki offers online and in-person yoga teacher training from a lens of respecting the cultural heritage of yoga. 

Eryn Johnson, who shares posts here, often offers breathwork sessions here. You can also read a previous blog post by Eryn that dives deeper into breathwork here. 

Chauna Bryant also offers breathwork sessions and coaching options here. 

Shamanic and Intuitive Healing

I saved this one for the end because it’s the energy work field I work in, so I knew it would be the longest section! In my experience and personal practice, I’ve found a lot of overlap between shamanic and intuitive healing, which is why I’ve put them together. Shamanic practitioners often offer a wider array of services aside from energy healing, but for the sake of this post, I’ll be focusing on it as an energetic healing modality. 

I’d also like to make it clear that I’m using the term shamanism as an umbrella term here, as the term itself is rooted in Siberian practices from the Tungus people. Shamanic-like practices have been found in cultures worldwide, similar to the Tungus people and often referred to as core shamanism. This is a much bigger topic that I will speak to another day! Intuitive and shamanic healing is based on the idea that energy can be accessed, manipulated, and healed by people with psychic and intuitive gifts that have been initiated or trained in this kind of energy healing. Traditional healing in this way can be found in nearly all indigenous practices. 

Healers working in these modalities can “see” (objectively or subjectively in the mind’s eye) or sense (clairsentience) misaligned energy, blocked energy, cords, and physical issues. These healers can then remove, balance, or heal the energy through in-person or distance sessions. The healer will often enter a trancelike state to perform this kind of work but not always. Similar to Reiki, proximity is not necessary as all energy is connected. This work often relies heavily on collaborations between spirit guides and helping spirits from both the practitioner and the client.

My introduction into this work began when I received my first shamanic healing session in 2013 from my now mentor Robin Afinowich. It was the most impactful healing session I’ve experienced, but I will save my story and initiation into this work for a later post. 

This is a healing modality that you won’t find many certifications for because people are often born or initiated into this work and taught through lineages of teachers that don’t always honor certification the way so many do in the West. 

Of course, as for recommendations, I suggest my teacher, Robin Afinowich, but she only offers local sessions in the greater Phoenix area and is generally booked out.

Another intuitive energy worker I deeply respect who I’ve heard speak about her practice often is Judea Star. She also co-hosts an amazing podcast called Spirit Speakers, which I highly recommend! You can learn more about her or book an intuitive healing session with her here. 

Other kinds of energy work

This is truly such a brief introduction to energy work! There are so many other powerful kinds of energy work that I didn’t have room to discuss here. Some of my personal favorites are sound healing, acupuncture, and reflexology. 

Phew, my friend! Did you make it to the end with me? If you did, I hope you enjoyed and learned something from all of this information. As always, if you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it with someone you think will enjoy it too. If you have a question feel free to comment on social media here or reach out via email here. 

How to See & Experience Auras

Seeing doesn't have to be believing, especially when it comes to auras. My introduction to auras came by way of sensing my energy field with my hands. Here's the thing, everyone experiences extrasensory information (auras, energy, intuition, etc.) differently.

How people experience extrasensory information is explained by the "clairs." To understand some of the most common clairs and to determine what your extrasensory gifts are, click here for a past post I shared. You can also learn even more about the clairs and auras in my new book, Understanding Auras. 

In this post, I'm going to share three ways for you to experience auras. If one doesn't work for you, don't worry about it! It doesn't mean that auras aren't real or that you can't access them; it means that you need to try a different approach.

Keep scrolling for three different techniques to experience auras and a video from me to learn more!

Feeling Energy & Hand Scans for the Aura

Did you know that you have chakras in your hands? Chakras are spinning energy centers that can, among other things, receive energy. You have seven primary chakras that align along your spine, but there are far more chakras, but that's a post for another day! Activating and accessing the chakras in your hands is an easy technique to sense the energy of auras.

To perform this aura sensing technique, you'll need about 20 minutes of dedicated quiet time. 

Steps: 

1. Take 2-5 minutes to center yourself. Focus on your breath or meditate for a bit to drop into the present moment. 

2. Begin to bring your awareness to the sensation of the air touching your skin.

3. Start to rub your hands together. Do this for about 20-30 seconds. 

4. Stop rubbing your hands together and slowly move the palms of your hands apart by about a foot. Then slowly move your hands back together. 

5. You may start to notice some sensations in between your palms. It might feel like you have an invisible ball in between your hands or like a tingling sensation on your palms. Be open and try not to doubt any sensations you receive.

6. If you are feeling some energy in between your palms, I encourage you to begin running your palms over your body to see what you can sense in your aura. 

7. If you're not feeling anything, don't worry about it. Try again tomorrow; if you still don't feel anything, you might experience energy differently. 

This technique will work best for those with the gift of clairsentience or clear feeling, but I recommend everyone try it out! Check out this video for more on sensing and seeing auras. 

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Seeing Auras

Ahhhh, the holy grail of auras! Everyone wants to see the rainbow of colors around people. Some people are born with a natural ability to see auras, but most of us will have to practice. Take it from me; I've been practicing seeing auras since my teenage years. To this day, my preferred method to work with auras is by feeling energy and my intuition. I can see auras, but it takes far more effort. 

You'll need: 

• 20-30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time

• A neutral-colored blank wall

• Patience

• If possible, an aura buddy to practice with

Steps:

1. Hold your hand out at arm's length in front of you with a backdrop of a blank neutral colored wall. Alternatively, if you were able to wrangle an aura buddy, have them stand about a foot away from the wall, and then you can stand about 4-6 feet away from them. 

2. Try to relax your eyes. 

3. Focus on the space around your hand or your model, but still close to the body, almost like you're looking through the body. 

4. If you're able to see anything, it will likely be the etheric layer of the aura, which usually presents as a white, grey, or light blue band of light around the body that's usually about 1-2 inches thick. 

5. Take breaks often, try to adjust your focus in different ways if it's not working, and go easy on yourself. THIS. TAKES. PRACTICE. 

These are just the basics, for more on this topic, I suggest my new book. This technique works best for those with the gift of clairvoyance or clear seeing.

Find all buying options for the “Understanding” series, including Understanding Auras, here.

Sensing the Aura with Your Intuition

This last method works well for all of the clairs! If you've struggled to connect with your aura using either of the two methods above, try this. 

To perform this aura experiencing practice, you'll need 20-60 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time. 

Steps:

1. Take 5-10 minutes to get into a meditative state. You can practice some breathwork, do a guided meditation, or repeat a mantra. Whatever works for you to drop into a tranquil and meditative state. If you need some guidance, here's a post all about meditation. 

2. Once you're in this state, ask aloud or within your mind for your aura to be revealed to you. 

3. Wait, be patient, and be open to different kinds of information. 

4. Information could come to you in a number of ways, depending on which of the clairs are strongest within you. For example, a clairaudient person might hear (aloud or in their mind) what color their aura is, a clairvoyant person might see their aura in their mind's eye, and a claircognizant person might suddenly know what color their aura is. 

5. Trust the information you receive. If you are skeptical about the answer you received, try again another day and see if the same answer repeats. 

6. If nothing is coming to mind, don't worry about it. Stay in meditation for as long as you'd like and be open to messages throughout the day. Information may come to you differently, or you might need to try again another day.

To learn more about auras, check out either of these blog posts, What is an Aura & What Does Yours Mean and 7 Tips to Protect Your Aura. You can also learn more in my new book, Understanding Auras. I hope you feel empowered to connect with your aura! 

Healing with Kunzite // 4 Ways to Work With Kunzite

Feeling like you need a little emotional protection these days? Kunzite is a lesser-known crystal that comes with a variety of benefits for your mind and heart. The high vibrational energy of kunzite invites you to let go of fear and sorrow so you can move through life with a protected, but open heart.

Let's dive deeper into the healing properties of this beautiful crystal and how to benefit from all it has to offer! Here's an overview of this potent healing gem. Keep scrolling for 5 ways to put this stone to use in your spiritual practice. 

What is Kunzite?

Kunzite ranges in color from the palest pink, light violet, green, or even white. It can vary from glass-like transparency to opaque, often with vertical striations. The soft pink hues of this stone along can bring feelings of comfort.

On an energetic level, kunzite aids in freedom of expression. It does this by opening the heart enough for you to follow your desires but subtly protects as well. Kunzite is a beautiful stone for those looking for emotional protection without closing themselves off from life or others. 

Kunzite can help align you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This stone can bring light and comfort into your everyday life. It is gentle enough to work with daily in meditation or ritual.

Kunzite Healing Properties 

• When carried, kunzite can aid in calming anxiety and panic attacks. 

• Wearing kunzite inspires us to be fully present in the moments. 

• Though kunzite primarily corresponds with the heart and upper chakras, it has the power to clear, activate, and open all chakras. 

• It helps to heal your inner child or emotional blockages from the past. 

• It can open your heart to receive spiritual and physical love. 

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Meditation with Kunzite 

You will feel a powerful sense of peace and comfort when meditating with kunzite. This spiritual stone clears and declutters the mind, which can open you up to receiving blocked memories. Kunzite reduces stress brought on by anxiety, making it the perfect stone for meditation. Have your kunzite near while meditating, or wear it on your body for a strong, energetic connection.

Create a Crystal Grids with Kunzite 

Kunzite is an excellent addition to your crystal grid. Use kunzite in grids for self-love, expression, working through trauma, peace, and healing. This powerful stone combines well with rose quartz, black tourmaline, malachite, and hematite, to name a few.

Kunzite can be harder to come by and more expensive, so I suggest using it as a center stone. Learn how to make a crystal grid here. 

Heal Your Chakras with Kunzite

As a stone that represents unconditional love and compassion, kunzite aligns best with the heart chakra. It can help to open your spiritual and emotional heart and bring healing to past trauma. 

Kunzite not only activates the Heart Chakra but aligns with all of the upper chakras (throat, third eye, and crown), triggering a harmony of transformative energy. To work with kunzite for chakra healing, place a piece on your heart chakra and visualize in creating a field of soft pink energy around your body. Learn more about chakras here. 

Cleanse and Strengthen Your Aura with Kunzite

This delicate stone allows us to embrace kindness and joy while connecting to a higher power. If you've built walls around your heart over time, kunzite can help. The calming energy of kunzite will cleanse any negative auric shadows that may have accumulated. Cleansing with kunzite encourages us to breakdown barriers to make room for unconditional and abundant love. Kunzite will also strengthen your aura. 

To work with kunzite to heal and strengthen your aura, hold a piece of kunzite about 6 inches away from your body and use your intuition to guide it through your aura, clearing away any negative energy. Performing suggestion number 3 will also similarly affect your aura. Learn more about auras here. 

Energy Clearing 101 // For You & Your Home

At the smallest level, we are beings of energy. Your aura can radiate several inches out from your body and can pick up energy from people you don’t even know. If you consider yourself an empath, it’s even more likely that you’re picking up energy that doesn’t belong to you.

Stuck inside your home for weeks on end, you say, due to a virus? You’re in the right place! I’m going to share best practices for cleansing the energy of yourself, your space, and a variety of energy cleansing tools. Use all of them, one of them, or any combination. They’re all useful, and many of the tools suggested you might already have in your home. 

Tip: you don’t need to be a trained Reiki master to cleanse the energy of yourself and your space! These tools are great for the novice and expert alike. 

Why is Energy Clearing Important?

Your subtle body (energy body) is connected to your physical body. This is reflected in the phrase, “as above so below.” What this common phrase points to is that if the energy of yourself and your space goes untended, it will no doubt begin to manifest in your physical body and your actions, and vice versa. If left untended, this bubble of energy swirling around your physical body will begin to muddy up your home as well. 

Cleansing your energy and the energy of your home is one of the fastest ways to lift your spirits. It also makes for good energy hygiene! I’m sure you’ve had the experience of going over to someone’s house, and the energy just felt heavy, or like it stuck to you even after you left? When you let the energy of yourself or your living space stagnate or pile up, it can begin to affect other areas of your life. 

Energy Cleansing Process

Before we dive into my suggestions for cleansing tools, let’s explore a few best practices for the energy cleansing process.

1. Dedicate time, 15-30 minutes, to the sacred practice of energy cleansing. Maybe even consider setting a weekly time to cleanse yourself and your space. Turning it into a regular ritual will mean you’re more likely to do it every week, and you’ll probably start to really look forward to it. I know I do. You’ll also probably start to become more aware of the energy building up in your space and how it affects you. 

2. Clean and declutter physically first. This will get you into the right state of mind to clean the energy of your space. This doesn’t have to be a thorough deep clean, but get your space clean enough that you’re not going to be distracted by any messes.

3. Get your energy flowing. I like to dance, do some yoga, meditate, or do some breathwork before I begin my cleansing process. Anything to get your energy going and raise your vibration a bit helps! This isn’t mandatory, but it will help get your prana (life force) moving and your energy flowing. This will make it easier for you to clear away stagnant energy in your aura. 

4. Know what kind of energy you want to bring into your energy field after you cleanse. Anytime you clear out stagnant or unwanted energy, it’s important to bring in the energy you want to fill up all of that extra space. If you skip this step, all of that cleared energy will likely just fill back up with all of the same stuff you cleared out. Some of the tools used for cleansing that I share below can also be used for bringing in some good energy. I like to use my energy, the energy of a higher power, candles, and selenite to bring positive energy, and I dive deeper into each of these below. 

Salt

Salt has been used as a purification tool since ancient times. From witches to ancient cultures, salt acts as a tool to banish all kinds of unwanted energy. My favorite thing about salt is how versatile it is! Here are three ways to use salt for energy clearing. 

• Take a salt bath

• Sprinkle dry salt around the edges of your house

• Make or purchase a salt spray by mixing salt and water. Spray it around yourself and your house. 

Card featured from the Ritual Deck

Smoke & Herbs

Like salt, smoke cleansing dates back to the ancients. A variety of plants have been prized for their energetic clearing throughout history and are still used to this day. You probably have some of these dried herbs in your spice cabinet!

I suggest exploring the plants used in your ancestral lineage for space cleansing first. If you want to rely on popular favorites like white sage and palo santo, be sure to do your research and ensure that you’re purchasing from a company that’s harvesting the plants ethically. 

Herbs and resin for energy clearing: 

• Rosemary

• Thyme

• Peppermint

• Sage- garden sage, desert sage, and blue sage are some great alternatives to white sage. 

• Frankincense resin

• Copal resin

You can burn sprigs of loose herbs, wrap them in a bundle for a smoke wand (learn how to make your own here), diffuse essential oils, or if you have fresh versions, you can simply hang them in your space for the aroma. 

Candles

Candles can be used for a multitude of purposes, including energy clearing. Candles are also a great tool for bringing in the kind of energy you want after you cleanse unwanted energy. To cleanse your space, I suggest a white candle. Light the white candle and walk around your space while visualizing a white cleansing light, clearing out negativity. Next, you can light a candle color associated with the energy you want to bring into your space. Learn more about candle magick here. 

Crystals

When it comes to energy cleansing, selenite is my favorite! Selenite is a high vibrational crystal that is queen when it comes to cleansing away unwanted energy. Selenite is often sold in wands and plates, which are ideal for energy cleansing. You can use a wand to comb through your aura or a plate to rest objects on that you’d like to cleanse. Check out the video below to watch a video of my cleansing the energy of my shop and using a selenite wand to cleanse my aura. 

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A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Some other great options are clear quartz, amethyst, and black tourmaline. Crystals are another tool that can be used to bring in the desired energy after cleansing. To do this, place some crystals out that represent the kind of energy you want to bring in. 

Crystal tip: Supercharge the cleansing power of your crystals by creating a crystal grid for cleansing. Learn more about creating a crystal grid here. 

Sound

Sounds are an incredibly powerful and often undervalued cleansing tool. Sound occurs from vibration; the vibration causes the air molecule around the source of the vibration to vibrate. The vibrating air molecules affect more than just your eardrums, which turn the vibrations into the sound you hear, but will match everything around it to its vibration as well. This process is called entrainment.

Use sound to cleanse yourself, your crystals, and your home. You don’t have to have expensive singing bowls to cleanse with sound either. There are a variety of sound healing tools available. Here are some of my favorites. 

• Tuning forks

• Gongs

• Chimes

• Chanting 

• Singing bowls

• Online frequencies (free and paid versions are available)

Learn more about sound healing here.

Your Energy and Energy from a Higher Power

Using your energy or that of a power greater than yourself (Goddess, God, Angels, spirit guides,  Source Energy, Universe, loved ones passed on, etc.) can be used for both energy clearing and bringing in the kind of energy you want. I like to use this technique in tandem with other tools. For example, if I’m using a white candle to cleanse my space, I will ask Source Energy to help remove stagnant and negative energy. After cleansing, I will call on ancestors and guides to bring in good vibes and inspiration. 

You can work with this kind of energy through visualization, asking for the presence of your higher power of choice, and by placing physical reminders such as pictures or amulets of your higher power of choice.

Energy hygiene will have a ripple effect on your life. Remember, as above so below, as within so without. Whatever is going on inside will reflect what’s going on inside. I hope these tips help to keep your energy clear and flowing, sweet soul!

The Four Types of Indigos & How to Thrive as One

An Indigo person is anyone who has the color indigo as the primary color in their auric field. I shared more about the birth of this term and who Indigos are in a previous post. Click here if you missed it and want to learn more about who Indigos are before reading on!

As I shared in the previous post, according to Nancy Tappe, most of us are Indigos now. A more important question to ask is, what kind of Indigo are you? Throughout Nancy’s work with Indigos, she identified four types: humanist, artist, conceptualist, and catalyst. Each Indigo helps progress and connect humanity differently. 

Read on to learn more about the different types of Indigos and determine what type of Indigo you are. You may identify strictly with one kind of Indigo personality or a combination of two. I’ve also shared gemstones and activities that will help support each type of Indigo.

Humanist

Humanist Indigos are the social butterflies of the new world. Think Instagrammer’s and YouTubers with huge followings, political mavens, and teachers. Humanists are extremely social beings who feel driven to connect with others. They’re always thinking of new ways to communicate with people, primarily through technology.

Humanist Key Points

• Social 

• Verbal

• Relatable

Humanist Purpose

• Connect humanity on a larger scale through the use of technology. 

Humanist Support

• Humanists are often pegged as overactive, due to their social nature. The humanist Indigo will benefit from grounding exercises and stones. If you identify as a humanist and feel off-balance, spend time in nature, meditate on your root chakra, and try carrying grounding stones like hematite, obsidian, and jasper. If you’d like to amplify your humanist traits, focus on your throat chakra, and work with stones like lapis lazuli and sodalite. 

Featured card deck: The Ritual Deck

Artist

Indigo artists are, not surprisingly, the artistic powerhouses of the new world. Young people that are seemingly born with the innate ability to sing, dance, and create are the Indigo artists of today. These Inidigos are extremely sensitive and emotional. Unlike previous generations, when emotions were meant to be stuffed and kept quiet, the Indigo artist has no problem expressing their feelings. 

Artist Key Points

• Expressive

• Sensitive / Empathic

• Emotional

Artist Purpose

• Create a more expressive and sensitive human race. 

Artist Support

• Empathic artists Indigos will benefit from learning techniques to protect their energy when they need a break from feeling everything. Working with stones like soothing and protective amethyst or energy shielding labradorite will prove helpful for Indigo artists. If you’d like to amplify your Indigo artist traits meditate on your sacral and throat chakra or work with stones like carnelian and opal. 

Conceptualist

Conceptualist Indigos are the systems-oriented engineers and inventors of the new world. These Indigos are introverts and happier behind the scenes observing rather than mingling with their Indigo brothers and sisters. They are the ones inventing new technology and systems enabling humans to connect and communicate on a larger scale.

Conceptualist Key Points

• Introverted

• Focused 

• Problem solvers

Conceptualist Purpose

• Create better tools and infrastructure to help connect humanity. 

Conceptualist Support

• Quiet conceptualists can find balance through spending time with people they love and trust. Find likeminded people that you feel comfortable spending time with to get you out of your head from time to time. Working with airy stones like citrine, calcite varieties, or yellow jasper will bring some levity to your world. To hone your problem-solving abilities focus on your solar plexus and sacral chakra. 

Featured card deck: The Ritual Deck

Catalyst

Nancy Tappe identified the catalyst group as the smallest group of Indigos. It’s also the group that is least likely to know that they’re Indigos, partly because they’re so detached. Catalyst Indigos are catalysts because they push and force us into new ways of thinking, often without even intending to. These Indigos have a strong sense that they don’t fit in here and can have a difficult time relating to others. Catalysts are often given labels, but it’s their seemingly odd tendencies giving them labels that are forcing us to start doing things differently.

Catalyst Key Points

• Detached 

• Demanding

• Feels like they don’t fit in

Catalyst Purpose

• Challenge the human race in new ways to inspire change. 

Catalyst Support

• Similar to conceptualists, catalysts will benefit from spending time with people they love and trust. Because socializing can feel so difficult for the catalyst, they must find people that they genuinely feel comfortable with, even if it’s on rare occasions. Because catalysts are often viewed as offbeat, they will benefit from protective stones like hematite and black tourmaline. Meditating on the throat chakra and working with stones like sodalite and lapis lazuli will help give catalysts a voice when they do need to speak up. 

Featured card deck: The Ritual Deck

Featured card deck: The Ritual DeckYou may find different Indigo labels, but these four are based on Nancy Tappe's work. I think they’re a great starting place to understand the Indigo phenomenon better. Crystal children and starseeds are a topic for another day! I believe it’s valuable to start with understanding the purpose and types of the Indigos before diving into these new labels. If you identify as a crystal child, your parents are likely Indigos, and you probably have a lot of Indigo in your aura too.

Are you and Indigo? Probably, and here's why.

The term “Indigo child” is one of those buzz words in the spiritual community that you either love or hate. Some believe the label has genuinely caused harm, while for others it has been their saving grace. Doing an online search of the term reveals thousands of articles. With so much information out there about Indigos, it’s not a surprise that misinformation started spreading about them.

The truth is, most of us are Indigos, and the label might not be as mystical as you think.

Are Indigos essential to the growth of the human race? Yes, invaluable. Are all Indigos blue-eyed, psychic, empaths with magical powers? No.

The idea that all Indigos are highly spiritual beings is a misconception. Kathy Altarans and Nancy Tapp explain in Indigos: The Quiet Storm, “Are Indigos spiritual? Of course, but only in the sense that all humans are spiritual at some level.”

Let’s take a quick look at where the term originated before diving into who Indigos are.

The birth of Indigos

Nancy Tappe has a rare form of synesthesia that enables her to see a field of color around all living things. She spent most of her life learning and understanding the colors surrounding us, what they mean, and how they can benefit us.

In the late 1960’s she started to notice a new color emerge, Indigo. She saw the number of children born with the color indigo in their color field continued to increase every year. Before Nancy died in 2012, she estimated that 95% of all children born had Indigo in their color field. Even if you were born earlier than this time, you might have started to show some indigo in your auric field due to humanity shifting in this direction.

During Nancy’s time here on Earth, she dedicated much of her life to understanding Indigos and their purpose. She assessed that there are four primary categories of Indigos; artist, humanist, conceptualist, and catalyst. To assume that all Indigos are a bunch of fair-skinned, blue-eyed, empathic people goes against Nancy’s entire life’s work.

Why are Indigos here?

The goal of the Indigo is to connect the human race. The primary way that Indigos are doing this is through technology. Take a moment to think about how connected our species is due to technology. From Facebook (Nancy identified Mark Zuckerberg as an Indigo,) to texting, to the internet, the way that humans connect and interact has completely changed over the last century. Indigos are responsible for this change and continue to find new ways to connect the species daily.

Who are Indigos?

Like I mentioned above, most of us are Indigos, or at the very least have some indigo in our auric field. The simple definition of an Indigo is any person who has Indigo as the primary color in their aura. Going off a quiz or simple checklist to determine who is or isn’t an Indigo can be misleading. Indigos are all over the world and come from all different cultures, so the intricacies of the Indigo personality reflect the same vastness. The qualities of an Indigo from the 1960s compared to a young Indigo will vary as well.

A better question to start asking ourselves is, “What kind of Indigo am I?” Nancy identifies four different kinds of Indigos: artist, conceptualist, humanist, and catalyst. You can learn more about these categories here. Intrigued and would like to explore them deeper? Check out these books, Indigos: The Quiet Storm and Understanding Your Life Through Color.

What crystals, symbols, and scents do you need most?

It can be overwhelming to know what crystals, symbols, scents, and other tools to rely on for different purposes. Here’s a quick guide for a variety of situations you may be seeking support for or, perhaps, you have a friend who needs support in a specific area?

Happiness

Who doesn’t want to be happier? Scroll through the tools below for symbols, crystals, scents, and herbs that can help you cultivate more happiness in your life.

Symbols & tools

Wunjo Rune is the rune of joy, pleasure, and harmony. Get The Ritual Deck to get your Wunjo Rune oracle card, a great reminder of joy to place on your altar or carry with you throughout the day.

Crystals

Citrine, a crystal of happiness, emits positive energy and can help you stay positive, attract your desires, and be more present in your life. That’s where the joy really comes from after all, right?

Scents & herbs

Brahmi, an ancient Ayurvedic herb, can help promote feelings of well-being. Try burning it in the morning as you do a gratitude meditation.

Grounding & Protection

There are so many reasons grounding and protection are important. For those of us who do energy work and psychic work, grounding can help us bring our energy back into our body, back into the lower chakras. Protection can help protect you from absorbing the energy of others, either in spiritual work or just in general as you go about your life (especially for anyone who lives in the city!).

Regardless of your work with magick, grounding and protection help bring you back into your body, feeling safe, supported, and cared for.

Get more tips for psychic protection here.

Symbols & tools

There are many symbols of grounding and protection in the magical world. Some of my favorites are:

• Algiz Rune, the shield rune for protection

• Salt, a tool that has been used as protection for centuries

• Root chakra, your energetic center of safety and grounding

• Dark moon, an invitation to ground into your body and shed negative energy

The Ritual Deck includes representations of each of these symbols, which can act as energetic stand-ins in rituals or on your altar.

Crystals

Use snowflake obsidian, a stone of cleansing negative energy and releasing blockages, or smoky quartz, the ultimate stone for grounding and balancing.

Scents & herbs

Clove is your go-to for protection. Spruce will help you ground, bringing you deeply into the present moment.

Anxiety Relief & Peace

Many of us struggle with anxiety in the modern world. It’s so easy to get caught up in what has happened and what might happen or could happen. The tools below help you relieve anxiety and connect with a sense of inner peace.

Symbols & tools

Blue is a soothing color that can help restore tranquility and peace. Try lighting a blue candle or working with the blue candle card in The Ritual Deck.

Crystals

The crystal kingdom has an abundance of stones to help soothe your anxiety and restore your inner peace. We love blue lace agate for its calming vibrations, labradorite to keep you from absorbing too much of other people’s energy, and howlite to help relieve stress and get better sleep.

Scents & herbs

Lavender can be used as aromatherapy to soothe mild anxiety, and chamomile has long been used to reduce stress and anxiety.

Abundance & Wealth

Who doesn’t want to call in more abundance and wealth? The tools below will help you connect with the abundance you desire to manifest in your physical reality.

Symbols & tools

The color green is associated with abundance, wealth, good fortune, and success. Light a green candle on your altar or work with the green candle card in The Ritual Deck.Fehu Rune is your Rune for bringing abundance of all kinds into your life, whether it be financial or other. Fehu can also be used as a useful tool to tap into the abundance already surrounding you. If you’re having a difficult time tapping into gratitude for all of the gifts you already have, Fehu can help fill your heart with gratitude. Check out a ritual to work with Fehu in this blog.

Crystals

Citrine is also known as the success stone. It’s associated with the solar plexus chakra and can be a powerful aid in manifesting wealth and abundance.Green aventurine is another stone well-known for attracting abundance, success, and luck. It’s also associated with the heart chakra, helping you to open to receive the abundance that is on its way to you.

Scents & herbs

Cinnamon has its roots in many cultures as a powerful plant for attracting abundance as well as success and healing. Try adding it to your coffee, blending it in your smoothie, and sprinkling it over a banana or your favorite dessert!

Love & Compassion

Turn to these tools when your heart chakra needs some healing. They’ll help you cultivate unconditional love and compassion for yourself and others. Find rituals to cultivate self-love here.

Symbols & tools

Use a pink candle when you’re working with self-love and compassion, or a red candle when you’re working with passionate love involving someone else.

Crystals

Rose quartz is your crystal ally for unconditional love and compassion. It’s a gentle healer for your heart chakra, a space where we can store so much fear and doubt.Carnelian is another beautiful stone of love, as well as faith and devotion. Use carnelian when you want to devote yourself to a healing practice or when you need to deepen your faith and trust in yourself.

Scents & herbs

There are many scents and herbs that help promote love and compassion! Try hawthorn, rose petals, lotus petals, or motherwort. Mixing a few herbs together into a tea or a bath can be lovely.

Cleansing Negative Energy

Sometimes, we’re not able to protect ourselves from negative energy. Life is life, and negative energy is sometimes inevitable. Use the tools below to cleanse yourself and your space of negative energy, especially after a difficult conversation, a break-up, or a stressful day.

Symbols & tools

Salt is an amazing natural tool to absorb negative energy. Use a representation of salt from The Ritual Deck, take a salt bath, use a salt lamp, or place a bowl of salt in your space.

Crystals

Black tourmaline, a dark stone for protecting and cleansing, is your go-to for cleansing negative energy. Try meditating with black tourmaline, visualizing all of the negative energy being absorbed into the stone.All-purpose quartz, the ultimate balancer, is another great crystal to have on hand for cleansing negative energy. Learn more about the magical properties and benefits of clear quartz here. Labradorite is also available to help you cleanse your aura. If your aura is weak, has tears, or holes in it labradorite can help. Keep your aura squeaky clean by meditating with a piece of labradorite or going around your entire body with a piece of it in your hand.

Scents & herbs

Rosemary and cedar can all help you cleanse negative energy. Burn them over yourself or in your space to cleanse, purify, and release.

Intuition & Psychic Abilities

These tools will help you open your third eye chakra, to connect with your psychic abilities and center of intuition. (We have a whole slew of blog posts to help you in these areas as well -- check out 5 Quick Tips to Improve Your Intuition,You Are Psychic! How to Determine What Psychic Gift You Have, and 3 Daily Actions to Improve your Intuition to get started.)

Symbols & tools

Your third eye chakra is the center of your intuition. It’s associated with the color purple, so try burning purple candles or connecting with the color in other ways like wearing it or including it in your space.

Crystals

Amethyst is a classic stone for your third eye chakra. It’s like a cool bath for your intuitive center, gently opening and awakening it to deepen your connection.Labradorite connects strongly to your third eye, making it ideal for honing your intuitive abilities. It can also help you connect with spirit guides and angels, and open the doors to the other side by helping you with astral travel. A multi-purpose stone for your intuition and psychic abilities, indeed!

Scents & herbs

Experiment with mugwort, lavender, juniper, and bilberry to open your center of intuition.

Connecting to the Moon

Symbols & tools

Work with representations of the moon in all her phases to connect with the lunar, divine feminine energy of the moon. The Triple Goddess is also here to connect you with the moon and its cycles, as well as the mother/maiden/crone cycle of life. Download your Triple Goddess free printable here.

Crystals

Moonstone, just like the name implies, is your crystal ally for connecting with the moon. It’s a dreamy goddess stone that channels the energy of mama moon into your energy field.Selenite received its name from the Greek goddess of the moon, Selene. Selenite offers the water element, connecting you to emotions, intuition, your highest self, and of course, the moon.

Scents & herbs

Mugwort is your go-to to harness the intuitive and psychic power of the moon. Burn it in your space to connect with the moon’s energy and your own inner Selene.

Femininity

Symbols & tools

The Earth element, represented as an upside-down triangle with a line across the bottom, and the Water element, represented as an upside-down triangle with no line, are both beautiful representations of the divine feminine, womb healing, and receiving. Work with the representations of these elements in The Ritual Deck.

The triple goddess symbol that I mentioned above, shown by two crescent moons with one full moon between them, is another beautiful symbol of the divine feminine. Besides the phases of the moon, it also represents the phases of womanhood we cycle through: maiden, mother, and crone.

Crystals

Rainbow moonstone is here to connect you to your inner goddess and divine feminine energy.

Strawberry quartz can also connect you to feminine energy as a gentle, loving stone here to fill you with the healing energy of love and open your heart center to give and receive love unconditionally.

Scents & herbs

Hibiscus, the flower associated with the Hawaiian goddess Pele, connects you with Pele’s fiery, passionate, and yet nurturing energy.

The lotus, whose petals represent the yoni, can connect you with your feminine energy and feminine center, the space of creation within you.

I hope you find this guide helpful for quickly finding tools to help you!

10 Uses for Labradorite

It’s hard not to fall in love with labradorite. Ancient people who came upon labradorite believed it was connected to the Aurora Borealis. Just like this natural wonder in the sky, no two pieces of labradorite look quite alike with their flashes of color.

In addition to its colorful glow, labradorite comes with a slew of metaphysical and spiritual uses. The best part is that this stone is easy to come by and relatively inexpensive to acquire.

Labradorite is said to be the stone of magick. This title isn’t surprising due to its long list of magickal and spiritual benefits. Keep reading for ten uses for labradorite.

Aura Cleansing

Labradorite is queen when it comes to cleansing your aura (learn more about auras here). If your aura is weak, has tears, or holes in it labradorite can help with that too. Keep that aura squeaky clean by meditating with a piece of labradorite or going around your entire body with a piece of it in your hand.

Psychic Protection

Beyond protecting your aura, labradorite can help shield you during psychic work too. Whether you’re practicing tarot, using a pendulum, or scrying with a crystal ball labradorite can help protect you from any unwanted spiritual energy. Try wearing or placing a piece of labradorite nearby you the next time you practice any form of psychic work.

Enhancing Intuition

Labradorite connects strongly to your third eye, especially if you can find one with some purples in it! This third eye connection makes this stone ideal for honing your intuitive abilities. Start including labradorite into your daily life and see if it makes a difference. You may even try placing some labradorite on your nightstand to work on your intuition at night too.

Connecting with Guides and Angels

If you’re trying to connect with your spirit guides or angels, labradorite can help with this too. If you haven’t noticed, labradorite has a thing for helping you with the spirit realm! Think of labradorite as a window to the other side. This stone will make connecting with your guides and angels easier, and the best part is that it will also offer protection too. Wear or hold a piece of labradorite in your hand as you call on the guide or angel you’re trying to connect with.

Balancing Chakras

Because you can find labradorite in just about every color, it’s a potent healer and balancer for your chakra system. If you know that you have a specific chakra that’s out of wack you can try to find a labradorite stone that matches that chakra's color. Or, you can grab yourself an extra rainbowy labradorite that has every color in it to have a powerful chakra balancer for all of your chakras!

Astral Travel

Labradorite is a must for astral travel. It will help open the doors to the other side and will offer you protection along the way. Wear or hold labradorite in your hand anytime you intend to leave your earthly body for a trip through the cosmos or to the Akashic records.

Aid for Magick and Spellwork

Of course, the stone of magick is ideal for performing any magick or spellwork. Anytime you’re performing magickal spells you’re enlisting forces on the other side to help you. Because labradorite helps open doors to the other side, it’s the ideal stone to have nearby for any magickal work you’re practicing. If you already have an altar space where you perform spellwork placing a piece of labradorite on it won’t hurt!

Creativity and Imagination

Looking for a way to get more in touch with your creative side? Think of your creative thoughts as little nudges from the other side; labradorite can help let them in. If you’re looking for labradorite to help with a serious creative block, try finding labradorite with an orange flash to it so it can work on your sacral chakra too.

Anxiety

If you have anxiety or identify as an empath, labradorite is an excellent stone to keep handy while you’re out and about, especially in large groups of people. Because this stone is so good at protecting your energy, it’s great for super sensitive souls too. Don’t let labradorite take the place of your doctor or therapist, but it can offer some added protection when you’re feeling triggered.

Light Bringer

Remember when I said ancient tribes believed labradorite was connected to the Aurora Borealis? Remember that anytime you use it. This iridescent stone is all about bringing self-awareness and opening pathways for you. Labradorite is a true bringer of light in both appearance and its many applications.

I hope you’ve found ten more reasons to adore this stone! It truly is a stone of magick and has so much to offer.

7 Tips on How to Protect Your Aura

Did you know that if your radiant and glowing aura is left unprotected, it can be sensitive to outside energies? Those unwanted energies affecting your aura also have an effect on your physical body because your physical body and energetic body are divinely intertwined, one always affects the other.

With so much negativity out in the world, what’s a goddess to do to protect her energetic signature? Furthermore, when you feel energetically attacked, it can feel difficult to live your truth and stand up for what you believe in.

In my last blog post, I talked about what is an aura and what yours mean. Today I'm going to go into a variety of powerful and simple ways to give your vibrant vibes a protective shield, so you can stay at your peak physically and energetically.

Visualization for Daily Protection

This may be the simplest way to offer your aura the protection it needs, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not powerful. Visualizing a protective field around your aura each morning will set you up with a negativity shield that will keep your love-filled aura glowing and radiant.

This is perfect to add to a morning meditation practice because it can be done in just a couple of minutes. If you don’t have a regular meditation practice yet or needed to skip it for the day, you can still squeeze this simple visualization in with just a few moments of quiet mindfulness.

To do an aura protection visualization:

1. Close your eyes and focus on your breath.

2. Imagine your aura filled with love, glowing bright, and extending with each breath.

3. Once you have a clear image of your aura in your mind's eye, imagine a bubble around it.

4. Spend as much time as you’d like visualizing yourself in your protective bubble. If you know you’ll be encountering a lot of people and a variety of energies, you can spend more time. If you know you’ll be in safe spaces all day, less visualization may be required.

5. Tap into this visualization anytime throughout your day that you feel you need additional protective support. Alternatively, if you’re in a safe space and want to freely give energy and experience others' energy, you can imagine your shield going away.

Crystals & Symbols for Daily to Strong Protection

Wearing protective stones and symbols can offer energetic protection from bad vibes that could affect your auric field as well as a physical and visual reminder to take other steps to protect your energy. This method works especially well when you know that you’ll be in large groups of people while going on a flight, to a concert, a festival, or if you simply live in a big city.

Anytime I fly I either wear a protective talisman like a Hamsa hand or the Algiz Rune, gemstones for grounding and protection, or all of these. Though there are many stones and symbols that can help shield your energy, these are the ones I find to be the most effective for aura protection:

• Labradorite: Great for physical, mental, and spiritual protection labradorite will shield you from unwanted energies and can also help with energy leaks in your aura.

• Smoky Quartz: One of the most powerful grounding stones, smoky quartz will help keep you anchored to the Earth and feeling safe and protected.

• Black Tourmaline: This stone is great to keep around during rituals and spell work. It will create a protective shield around you and your space while also clearing and balancing all of the chakras.

• Hematite: Will help to block negative energies from entering the aura and help to rid the aura of any current negative energy.

Learn more about symbols for protection by reading this blog post about protection during travel.

Healers for Strong Protection & Cleansing

If you’ve been out of the loop on auras and feel like your energy needs a serious overhaul, working with a trained healer is a great place to start. Get started by doing a search online for a Reiki or energy work practitioner in your area, then do your research. Seeing a healer on a regular basis for a few months will not only refresh, restore, and help protect your aura, but you’ll also feel amazing.

Did you know that most energy workers can work just as powerfully remotely? This really broadens the scope of who you can work with. Take your time when searching for an energy worker or reiki practitioner to find someone who's a good energetic match for you.

Salt for Moderate Protection

Looking for some aura protection in your workspace? Salts of all kinds absorb negative energy. This protective tool is a perfect passive aura protection method. Keep a cup or bowl of salt on your desk at work or at home to keep any bad vibes of anyone passing by out of your aura.

Salt also works well as an aura cleanser. If you feel like you’ve been exposed to some bad energy, taking a salt bath can help cleanse and restore your aura.

Shield Meditation for Strong Protection

Think back to the last time you had a really powerful meditation. Did you feel like you were walking on a cloud for the next 24 hours, like negativity couldn't touch you, and that you were better able to react to people with love?

If you already have a solid meditation practice in place, you may already be experiencing the benefits of this aura protection method!

Meditation will raise your vibration and intensify your aura. Doing a white light meditation is standard for a protective shield, though some healers suggest a clear or golden light meditation. Black energy is also powerful and can help banish unwanted spirits or forces. I suggest trying each out to see what works best for you.

To practice, start your meditation practice as usual. Once you’re settled, imagine white, clear, or golden light coming from the universe and surrounding you and your aura. This can be a powerful protective tool, use it as often as you need throughout your day.

Sound Healing for Moderate-Strong Protection & Cleansing

Escape to another plane and protect and revitalize your aura with this healing tool. If you’ve not yet experienced the healing powers of sound, put it at the top of your self-care to-do list! Sound healing is not only a powerful tool to keep your aura in peak condition, but it will also leave your whole body buzzing.

Here are a few methods to experience sound healing and protection:

• Singing bowls in a class or individual use.

• Chanting mantras. My favorite is this Kundalini yoga protection mantra: AAD GURAY NAMEH.

• Tuning forks treatments or individual use.

• Some instruments can help with this like gongs and didgeridoos.

• Audio tracks via download or CD.

Learn more about sound and vibrational healing here.

Get Grounded for Moderate Protection

Getting grounded is a great tool to use when you don’t feel like you’re protected. You might be trying out all of the methods listed above but still, feel like you’re not protected. Grounding will activate your root chakra and make you feel protected as well as protecting you with earth energy. You can read all about tips for getting grounded in this previous blog post here.

Live to your fullest potential, fearlessly, knowing that you’re protected and safe! Now you’ve got all of the tools you need to be protected mind, body, and spirit. Learn more about auras in the Understanding Auras Book!

What is an Aura & What Does Yours Mean?

Who was the last person you felt immediately drawn to as soon as you met them? Maybe a soul sister that you knew you were destined to be best friends moments after meeting. I’m sure you’ve had the opposite experience too, when you feel immediately repelled by someone’s energy. It’s just your intuition, right? Not entirely. Often times those feeling are you picking up on someone's auric field.

Learning more about our auric field can tell you about your personality, your health, and areas of your life that could be improved. Even if you can’t see auras, it doesn’t mean that you can’t use it as a healing tool!

I’m going to walk you through what auras are, techniques to see them and feel them, and how to interpret your own. You can also check out this blog post where I talk more about experiencing auras.

What is an Aura?

An aura is an energetic, electromagnetic field or atmosphere that surrounds every living being. This field appears as colored light radiating around the body. There are seven layers to an aura, but I’ll get into all of that in a future blog post.

Everyone’s aura is different in size, shape, and color, just like a fingerprint. Auras change colors often and quickly, like a chameleon, as well as from mood to mood. It’s not generally visible to the naked eye though you can learn techniques to see it, or intuitively understand it. (Non-woo-woo speaking, an aura is the vibe a person gives off.)

How Can You See Auras?

There are a variety of techniques available to learn how to see auras, including visual techniques to see it with your own eyes, aura photography, and your intuition.

Doing a quick search online will yield several techniques to teach you how to see auras. These techniques are certainly worth trying out, eventually, but a great place to start is sensing your aura with your intuition.

I’ll cover below how to intuit your auric field with actionable steps that will not only result in you having a better understanding of your aura but also a beautiful piece of artwork!

What is Aura Photography?

Aura photography is an interesting tool to explore too! The method of photography is called Kirlian photography, after its founder, Semyon Kirlian. Though there’s still debate around its validity, it is still being researched to this day to find out uses for it.

An aura camera reads your aura by placing your hand on a metal plate. The plate measures energy outputs from specific acupressure points on your hands and then converts different kinds of energy taken into specific coordinating colors. Check out mine by Radiant Human!

Understanding Your Aura & Aura Worksheet Guide

Here’s a fun and intuitive guide to help you learn more about what your aura colors are and what they mean: click here to download your free printable aura guide and coloring sheet.

This free printable download includes a checklist to help you discover what colors are in your aura, and a fun coloring sheet to intuitively color in your aura.

Here are some other fun tips for intuiting your aura:

• Your chakras directly affect your aura. Quietly connect with each chakra, which ones feel balanced and thriving, deficient, or overactive. The most active colors will show up more in your auric field.

• Chakra colors aren’t the only ones! There can be a variety of colors hiding out in the seven layers of your aura.

• Use your intuition, what colors do you feel are in your aura?

• Rub your hands together about one foot in front of you, and slowly pull your hands apart. Do you see a color or feel a color as you gaze at this empty space? Ask the color to appear, visually or in your mind's eye.

Aura Color Meanings

What Affects the Color of Your Aura?

Pretty much everything can affect your aura: your mood, your health, the food you eat, your environment, and the energy of other people. So what you’ve intuited for your aura today is certainly not how it will be forever! Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep your aura radiant, healthy, and protected. I’ll be going over techniques for protecting your aura in a future blog post.

The Power of Quartz // 6 Uses for the Ultimate Crystal

Are you looking for the ultimate crystal to do the work of an entire crystal collection? I won’t hold back on you, clear quartz is it. Want to learn how to put this workhorse of a crystal to use? I’ve got 6 simple rituals and uses for quartz to share with you, so you can get the most out of wearing and using quartz. First, let’s learn a bit more...

What is Quartz?

Quartz is comprised of silicon dioxide which is naturally occurring in the earth’s crust. It’s the most common and abundant crystal found on Earth.

These gems were so prized by ancient people that many believed that quartz crystals were alive, taking breaths once a year, or were incarnations of divine beings. Some still believe this to be true.

Quartz is the ultimate healer, balancer, manifestor, and energy amplifier. Judy Hall sums it up pretty well in this quote from her book The Crystal Bible.

If you’re not convinced that your quartz is breathing or the incarnation of an ancient Sumerian, don’t fret, because this beauty has a long list of powerful uses!

Here’s a short list of some of quartz crystals amazing qualities:

• Best stone for programming

• Ultimate balancing stone: balances chakra, immune system, mood, etc.

• Master healer

• Can create electricity!!! Quartz is piezoelectric, meaning if pressure is applied to it it will create electricity.

• Contains the entire color spectrum

• Meets you where you are energetically

• Protects from negative energy

Quartz Uses & Rituals

Amplifying

Because quartz is the ultimate amplifying stone, it’s perfectly suited for manifesting and spell work. Use quartz on a crystal grid to help amplify your intention for the grid. Learn more about making your own crystal grids here in this previous post.

Doing some spell work or magic? Be sure to add in a piece of quartz, its amplifying powers can give your spell a nice little boost!

Connecting with the Spirit Realm

Quartz can help you connect with spirit guides, the spirit realm, and be more in tune with your psychic abilities. Clear quartz strongly activates the upper chakras, which are responsible for your intuition and psychic abilities. Next time you sit down to meditate, try to connect with a spirit guide, or hone your intuition, place a piece of quartz in your hand to assist you. Having a quartz crystal ball in the same room that you’re meditating in will have a similar effect, you can read more about quartz crystal balls here.

Programming for Manifesting

Quartz is a powerful stone for storing information. In fact, scientists have discovered techniques to store up to 360 TB of information on pieces of quartz that can last billions of years. You don’t have to be a scientist to take advantage of this superpower of quartz, it can also store energetic information too.

Program a quartz crystal necklace or stone. Here’s a quick guide on how to program a crystal:

1. Cleanse your quartz crystal with a smoke wand or your favorite herb. You can read more about crystal cleansing here.

2. Clear your mind.

3. Hold your quartz in your dominant hand or in both of your hands.

4. Mentally and verbally repeat your goal or intention into the crystal.

5. Do this until you feel the stone is programmed with your intention.

6. Keep your programmed quartz nearby by wearing it or placing it somewhere you’ll see it daily.

7. Once your desire has manifested clear your quartz again for future programming. Because quartz is so good at storing information it can be powerful to use the same one for repeated programming as your successes and energy will build on each other.

Protection

The high vibration of clear quartz can also help protect your aura from unwanted energies. Wearing a point crystal necklace is perfect for this purpose. Patricia Mercier from The Chakra Bible explains:

When working with your higher chakras it is recommended that you wear a quartz point as a piece of jewelry hanging on your chest, with the point facing down toward the Earth. Place it in the position known to some Native American healers as “the spiritual grounding point”: right at the end of the breast bone between the heart chakra and the solar plexus chakra. Doing this will always keep you electromagnetic field or aura perfectly clear. Anything negative coming near you will be repelled by the light transmitted through the quartz. Always choose your crystal jewelry intuitively and don’t forget to cleanse it every night after you have worn it.

The Perfect Stone for All Levels

Quartz is special because it meets you where you are energetically. Just starting your woo-woo journey? Great, quartz can help! You’re a proficient healer, psychic, manifesting guru? Perfect, quartz can help you too! Simply keeping some quartz near you, at any stage of your spiritual journey, will be helpful.

Balancing & Healing

Clear quartz radiates white light, and white light contains all of the colors of the color spectrum in it. Because quartz carries with it all of the colors of the rainbow, it acts as a powerful balancing stone for all of the chakras. The balancing effect of quartz will go beyond your chakras and energize your entire aura, bringing greater health to your energetic and physical body. The clearer the quartz the better for balancing and healing.

Energizing Other Crystals & Objects

Use quartz to energize and elevate your other crystals or special objects. If you have multiple quartz crystals, you can place other crystals, jewelry, or other small objects in a dish with clear quartz to give them a nice charge. Quartz is also perfect for placing on oracle or tarot decks to keep them fresh.

Surprise surprise, many of your other favorite crystals are part of the quartz family! You might have more quartz hanging around your space than you even knew. Here are some other varieties of quartz:

• Amethyst

• Aventurine

• Citrine

• Smoky quartz

• Tiger eye

• Rose quartz

• Agate

• Carnelian

• Onyx

• Jasper

So, if anyone ever asks you, “If you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring one crystal with you, what would it be?”--now you know the answer! Quartz is where it’s at in the crystal world!