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. 

3 Herbal Recipes to Enhance Your Intuition

With so many herbs available to enhance your intuition, I wanted to share a few quick DIY recipes so you can put them to use! This is my last post in a more extended series about the intuition if you missed any of the previous posts and want to check them out first, click here.

Our ancestors have used herbs for more than just healing; a variety of plants have been used to connect with the psychic realm and experience spiritual awakenings since the beginning of time. The herbs suggested in this post are of the gentler variety, no peyote today!

As with any herb you choose to ingest, do your research, and consider consulting your health care provider first. 

Cards are featured from The Ritual Deck

Let’s take a closer look at each of the herbs I’m going to suggest for these recipes or keep scrolling to go straight to the recipes.

• Lavender and Chamomile: Both of these plants are nervines and antispasmodics, which means they can calm both the nervous and muscular systems. You’ll be better able to access intuitive messages when your mind and body are calm.

• Blue Lotus: Blue lotus was prized by ancient Egyptians and Mayan people for its beauty and medicinal effects. Similar to lavender and chamomile, blue lotus is a nervine and antispasmodic, which will help calm you. It also contains alkaloids that have a subtle psychoactive effect, which the ancients no doubt were aware of as well! 

• Mugwort: Mugwort is associated with the Goddess Artemis (the Latin name for this plant is Artemesia Vulgaris!) and the moon. These lunar ties give mugwort a strong connection to femininity, psychic work, and all things sleep-related. Mugwort is also extremely protective, making it an ideal herb to protect you while you’re opening up to the psychic world. Mugwort is not safe for pregnant or lactating women. Learn more about mugwort here.

• Frankincense: Frankincense has long been associated with accessing meditation, focus, and cleansing negative energy. Often found in resin or essential oil, frankincense can be burned or diffused to clear your mind and your space for optimal intuitive connections. 

• Rosemary: Rosemary is one of those herbs that comes with a host of valuable benefits, including amplifying your intuition. Rosemary correlates strongly to the area of the head and will help clear out thoughts related to any worldly woes. Use rosemary to help cleanse your mind and focus on your spiritual connection. Rosemary is also helpful for clearing negative energy. 

• Peppermint: Peppermint is a common herb that can help you access your psychic gifts. Peppermint, similar to rosemary, is extremely uplifting and clearing for the mind. It can also help to bring you some inspiration. Peppermint is especially helpful if you’re feeling a little sluggish or having trouble focusing on your intuition.  

• Cedarwood: Let us not forget the necessity to stay grounded while practicing psychic work! Anytime you’re accessing higher states of consciousness or your intuition, it’s imperative to stay grounded, and cedarwood can help you do this. Cedarwood also helps to soothe and relax the third eye area. Similar to peppermint and rosemary, cedarwood will also help you clear your mind, but more soothingly because it is also antispasmodic (like lavender and chamomile). 

These recipes can be used together or separately. If you feel called to one, in particular, go with that. If you want to go for a trifecta of intuitive herbal magic, try all three! Don’t be deterred if you’re missing a specific herb, and feel free to modify. Many of the herbs suggested are powerhouses all on their own. 

Intuition Tea 

Try this tea recipe in a warm mug or your next bath. One of my favorite ways to enjoy herbs is through a tea bath. Your skin is super absorbent; placing your herbs directly into your bath is a wonderful way to soak them up. 

Anytime you’re using dried herbs for teas, you want to ensure that they’re food-grade and preferably organic. Lavender and chamomile are easy to come by at most grocery stores in tea bags, blue lotus flower, on the other hand, will likely need to be purchased online. I love everything from Anima Mundi, and they offer blue lotus flowers here. 

This tea is seriously calming! I suggest drinking a cup of it before practicing psychic or intuitive work in the evening when you don’t have to go anywhere.

To make your intuition tea you’ll need: 

• 1t. Dried Blue Lotus Flower

• 1t. Dried Lavender Buds

• 1t. Dried Chamomile flowers

1. Pour boiling water over your dried herbs. 

2. Cover the mug as it steeps (this helps to keep the benefits of these plants in your tea rather than evaporating out).

3. Steep for 3-5 minutes. 

4. Cool and enjoy!

Intuition Smoke Blend

This smoke blend can be used to help center your mind and create a protective forcefield around you while you practice your intuition. This smoke blend is to be used to waft around yourself and your environment before psychic or intuitive work. 

I like to use an abalone shell for burning herbs, but any fire-proof dish will work. Many use a shell for burning herbs because it represents the water element. With the addition of the water element, all four elements are represented in the herb burning process (smoke- air, herbs- earth, and fire- well, from the fire). Iron cauldrons are another tool that is often used for herb burning that works well too. 

Please, use caution when working with herb burning. Never leave your herbal smoke burning without supervision, always use fire-proof dishes for burning, and ensure you have proper ventilation. 

To make your herbal smoke, you’ll need: 

• About a 1t. Dried Mugwort

• About a 1t. Dried Lavender

• 5-10 pieces of Frankincense resin

• Charcoal tablet

• Sand

• Fire-proof dish

• Match or lighter

1. Place sand in your herb-burning dish; this helps to insulate the charcoal tablet and disperse the heat. 

2. Light your charcoal and place it in the sand. You’ll know it’s lit when it starts sparking, 

3. Place your dried herbs onto the charcoal tablet. This method of herb burning creates a substantial amount of smoke, so start with just a pinch of each herb. 

4. Waft the smoke around yourself and your space. 

Check out this video to see how it’s done. 

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Intuition Spray

This recipe is similar to the High Priestess Mist that Eryn shared on the blog a while ago, with a few modifications. Rosemary and peppermint are often-overlooked herbs that are quite effective at working with the third eye chakra because they help to clear the whole head area. Cedar has a similar effect but is also soothing and grounding.

I love to use this spray when I’m feeling a little lethargic or have some thoughts whirling around my mind that could impede my intuition. Spritz some of this around yourself and your space before practicing intuitive work for an uplifting and inspiring psychic aid. 

To make the intuition spray, you’ll need: 

• Glass spray bottle

• 5 drops of Rosemary essential oil

• 3 drops of Peppermint essential oil

• 5 drops of Cedarwood essential oil

• Enough witch hazel to fill ½ of your glass bottle

• Enough high vibe-water of your choice to fill the remainder of your bottle. High-vibe water could be moon water, natural spring water, vortexed water, energy-infused water, or any combination. 

• Optional, amethyst, moonstone, or quartz crystals

• Optional, dried blue lotus flower and lavender buds

1. Combine all of your liquid ingredients into your bottle. 

2. Add any optional dried herbs or crystals. 

3. Shake, spray, enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these recipes! Be sure to tag @cassieuhl if you make them; I’d love to see your creations. Learn more about honing your intuition in these past blog posts.

Unlocking the Power of your Pineal Gland // 8 Tips

If you're interested in opening your third eye chakra and expanding your psychic abilities, understanding the pineal gland is essential. Ancient cultures were well aware of the power of the pineal gland. It's referenced and depicted in a variety of texts and artwork around the world. Furthermore, a variety of breathing techniques, chants, and exercises from ancient cultures are dedicated to activating this tiny gland inside your brain.

Somewhere in our evolutionary process, we've forgotten about the power of this pea-sized intuitive aid. For many of us, our pineal gland has gone unused and become calcified. Don't worry, there's hope! Science is slowly catching on to this forgotten gland, and there are so many tools (both ancient and modern) to help you activate your mighty pineal gland. Bonus, the tips I'm sharing don't all involve eating copious amounts of seaweed and green leafy vegetables.

In this post, I will cover what the pineal gland is, how it functions in our body physically and energetically, and tips for decalcifying the pineal gland for optimal psychic sight and third eye activation. I’ve linked several studies and resources in this post to help you out along the way! Keep scrolling for a video and more tips. 

Science is slowly learning more about the pineal gland. However, many doctors and scientists still dismiss it as a useless gland after sexual maturation. New studies are starting to pique the interest of the scientific community and are shedding light on what many ancient cultures and spiritual communities already know to be true. For starters, did you know that microscopic calcite crystals were recently discovered inside of the pineal gland? I’ll dive into this a bit deeper later in the blog post. 

The study of the pineal gland from a scientific and spiritual perspective is deep and complex. I’ve covered as much as I can in this post in a digestible format. However, if you feel called to research further, I encourage you to do so because there is much, both recent and ancient, to be learned about this topic. 

What is the Pineal Gland? 

The pineal gland is a tiny cone-shaped gland in the center of your brain. It’s about the size of a grain of rice, when not fully utilized but can grow in size when used properly. Its location inside of the brain lines up with the area of the third eye chakra, in the center of the brow bone.

At a quick glance, the pineal gland is responsible for regulating melatonin, circadian rhythms, and spurring sexual maturation. It actually has light receptors in it that function much like an eye, which enables the pineal gland to keep your circadian rhythms in check. 

Recent Discoveries About the Pineal Gland

Here’s where things start to get a bit more woo-woo and compelling...

• A recent study indicates that DMT, a psychoactive, may be produced in the pineal gland. Though the jury is still out on whether or not DMT is produced in the pineal gland, the implications are intriguing. Many describe the effects of DMT as feeling like an out-of-body experience or a feeling of being connected to all things. Both of these descriptions sound quite similar to being in deep states of meditation. 

• Another recent study found tiny calcite crystals inside the pineal gland! They are tiny and can only be seen with a microscope. That said, it is one of only two places where natural crystals are found inside the human body, the other being the inner ear. The calcite crystals in your pineal gland are piezoelectric (conduct electricity) when they vibrate. Yes, you read that correctly, there are tiny crystals in your pineal gland that can create energy when they vibrate. Because these crystals are so small, it doesn’t take much to make them vibrate.

• Your pineal gland is not protected by the blood-brain barrier and unlike most of your brain and has frequent contact with your blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In fact, the blood supply to your pineal gland is higher than almost any part of your body! Your cerebrospinal fluid is highly structured water (extremely pure and energized water), which you can learn more about in this wonderful blog post by Jen Isabel Friend here. 

These three facts indicate that the pineal gland is an incredibly important point in your brain. The fact that it aligns perfectly with several ancient descriptions of the third eye or spiritual eye is not a coincidence. 

Ancient cultures clearly understood the importance of the pineal gland, which is evident by the frequent depictions of third eyes, single eyes, and references to a singular eye in ancient texts. Many ancient pranayama techniques and chants are intended to push your cerebrospinal fluid up to your pineal gland and vibrate the tiny calcite crystals inside. If you’d like to learn more about third eye references in history, I suggest this digital short read by Manly P. Hall.

Based on these few facts, it sounds like we have an energized antennae in our brain. The more important question is, is your pineal antennae working? 

Calcification of the Pineal Gland

Now for the downside. It’s estimated that 40% of American’s pineal glands are calcified (this percentage varies from country to country). Calcification of the pineal gland has been seen at ages as young as two! To a certain extent, the calcification of the pineal gland is natural over time, many parts of our body calcify as we age. However, the extent to which our pineal glands are calcifying is likely much greater than what nature intended and certainly makes it harder for us to utilize the full potential of this gland.

Several outside factors can cause the pineal gland to calcify. The top offender is fluoride intake. Most countries add fluoride to their water, with claims of helping tooth decay. Fluoride can aid in cavity prevention, when used topically, but does not appear to add any benefit when ingested and is actually toxic. Read more about this here. Beyond fluoride consumption, processed foods and age also play a role in the calcification of the pineal gland. 

Tips for Decalcifying and Activating the Pineal Gland

You can find a host of suggestions online for decalcifying the pineal gland. Many of them may require huge lifestyle changes, which I also share here. I would also like to offer some more realistic suggestions, that, I believe, are just as valuable. 

These suggestions work best when they’re combined. Taking a supplement and ignoring the rest of the tips may not yield the results you’re hoping for. Start small and do what you can. I’ve placed the suggestions at the top that I find to be the easiest (and most cost-effective)

.1. Hydrate with High-quality Water

Remember how I said your pineal gland is bathed in cerebrospinal fluid daily? Well, this can’t happen if you’re dehydrated, which most of us are. Try drinking naturally structured spring water or learn techniques for creating your own structured water. Structured water, among other things, does a much better job of hydrating us. Learn more about structured water from my favorite water guru, Jen Isabel Friend, here. 

2. Practice Conscious Breathing Techniques

Conscious breathing and pranayama exercises are the simplest and cheapest way to cleanse and activate your pineal gland. Breathing consciously, especially sending the breath deep into your belly, helps push CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) up your spine and up to your brain, bathing your pineal gland in highly charged and clean water. 

Three-part breath and the breath of fire are two great options to get started. If you’re not familiar with them, you can find a plethora of videos with instructions with a quick internet search. If you’d like some more advanced suggestions beginning to work with the bandhas (pranic locks) as you practice your breathwork can be helpful. Dr. Joe Dispenza also offers a variety of meditations with breathing designed to push CSF up the spine (I’ve been using the Break the Habit of Being Yourself meditations and enjoying them).

3. Meditate Regularly

Before you run off and say you don’t have time to meditate daily, I want you to know that even ten minutes a day will have a big impact. I also want to emphasize the daily aspect of this step. Regular, consistent meditation will help you access and activate the pineal gland. Learn more about how to start and stick to that meditation practice here. If guided meditations resonate with you, check out my guided meditations here. 

4. Add Some Chanting to Your Meditation Practice

Chanting can help vibrate those tiny calcite crystals inside of your pineal gland and wake them up a bit. This is best used once you’ve started the process of decalcifying your pineal gland. Once you’re in a good groove of giving your pineal gland some love, add in some chanting and see if you notice a difference. My favorite meditation to use this “AHHH” meditation by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I always feel AMAZING after completing this meditation! 

5. Reduce Fluoride Intake

I’m not saying you have to stop going to your dentist and stop brushing your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste. I am saying to be aware of how much fluoride you’re consuming. Using it topically is one thing, but ingesting it from tap water on a daily basis is something else entirely. Do your research and find out how much fluoride is being added to your local water supply. 

Here are a couple of companies that offer great fluoride filtration systems, including fluoride removing straws and water bottles. Check out PWF here for fluoride removing straws and Clearly Filtered here for a variety of fluoride filters, including fluoride removing water bottles. I’ve used PWF’s filters and can attest to their quality. Again, these aren’t sponsored, simply products I’ve used or that look helpful.

6. Eat Mindfully

As I mentioned above, processed foods are another calcifying culprit for the pineal gland. In a fast-paced world, it can be tough to limit all processed foods. I’m just as guilty of relying on easy-to-make processed foods to get me through the day. I invite you to simply become more aware of what you’re putting into your body and how it makes you feel. Opting for whole foods and less processed foods will have a cleansing effect on not only your pineal gland but your entire body. 

7. Dark and light

Try minimizing light pollution in your room at night. Your pineal gland controls your circadian rhythm. Consider dimming lights and avoiding screens after sunset, and give yourself time in total darkness before bed. Both of these things will give your pineal gland cues that it’s nighttime and help it maintain normal function.

Alternatively, some ancient practices (that are still practiced today by some) suggest sun-gazing to invigorate your pineal gland and third eye chakra. It’s advised to gaze at the less intense light of the rising or setting sun and not the bright midday sun. Of course, please do your research on this and practice caution. Some also suggest candle gazing as an alternative. 

8. Suggested Supplements and Foods

There’s a slew of supplements that can be used to help decalcify the pineal gland. Bonus, they’re also pretty great for your entire body! As with any supplement suggestion, be sure to run it by your healthcare provider and do your research before consuming any supplements. 

Here’s a list of supplements to help in combination with the other steps outlined above. Many of these will cause your body to detoxify, please take these with caution and start with just one. I don’t recommend taking all of these at once, as it could leave you feeling pretty awful. 

• Spirulina 

• Chlorella

• Green leafy vegetables

• Turmeric

• Apple cider vinegar 

• Iodine supplements and iodine-rich foods. (Iodine can significantly affect the thyroid. Please, exercise caution and discuss with your healthcare provider before taking iodine supplements.)

There are some great supplement options created by trusted natural herbalists. One product that I’ve been using and enjoy for the purpose of decalcifying my pineal gland is this blend by Anima Mundi Apothecary. This isn’t a sponsored ad, I just really love all of their products! 

As I said, doing all of these things at once could be completely overwhelming and unnecessary. Start small and be kind to yourself. Bonus, all of these suggestions are pretty great for your entire body ;) 

Want to learn more about the third eye chakra? Check out this previous blog post all about opening the third eye chakra.

Vibrational Healing 101

What sounds are part of your daily life?

For many of us, those sounds may be things like cars honking, sirens blaring, alarms and timers beeping, and music on the radio. 

Those sounds can be incredibly harsh on our nervous systems. Think about it: how do you feel when you hear a horn honking or a siren blaring? Startled, anxious, on edge, heightened, nervous? 

Most of the sounds we hear on a daily basis aren’t soothing or healing, and many of them are also inevitable. Many of these noises simply go along with living a modern life. But that’s where sound healing comes in as an incredibly helpful tool for resetting the nervous system and realigning our energy centers.

Keep scrolling to learn more about some of the science behind sound, the benefits of sound healing, and ways to weave sound healing into your life each day.

WHAT IS VIBRATIONAL HEALING?

Vibrational healing, also called, sound healing, frequency healing, or vibrational medicine, uses the vibration of objects that resonate (such as bowls, tuning forks, gongs, and other instruments) as well as the human voice to soothe the body and mind, access a deeper state of meditation, and stimulate healing. Sound healing is definitely having a moment right now, but it’s far from new. Cultures around the world have used sound for healing for centuries.

THE SCIENCE OF SOUND

An article for the New York Times shares this:

“…Healers, sometimes called sounders, argue that sound can have physiological effects because its vibrations are not merely heard but also felt. And vibrations, they say, can lower heart rate variability, relax brain wave patterns and reduce respiratory rates.

When the heart rate is relatively steady, and breathing is deep and slow, stress hormones decrease, said Dr. Mitchell L. Gaynor, an oncologist and clinical assistant professor of medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York and the author of "The Healing Power of Sound." That is significant, he said, because stress can depress every aspect of the immune system, "including those that protect us against flu and against cancer.”

A study where participants received about 35 minutes of sound therapy (some in person, and some via an online recording) found that “Statistically significant, highly significant and extremely significant data was produced in the domains of Physical Relaxation, Imagery, Ineffability, Transcendence of Time and Space, Positive Mood, Insightfulness, Disembodiment and Unity across both live and recorded studies.”

There is also some fascinating research being done about the power of sound to help us access alpha brain waves, the brain waves associated with daydreaming, mindfulness, and meditation. Alpha waves, according to studies conducted by neuro-electric therapy engineers Dr. Margaret Patterson and Dr. Ifor Capel, boost the production of serotonin in the body.

There aren’t a ton of studies available, but as you can see research has been done and hopefully will continue to be done to explore the science behind sound healing.

THE BENEFITS OF SOUND HEALING

Some of the benefits of sound healing can include: 

• Access a deep state of meditation

• Relief of physical pain 

• Lowering stress

• Soothe anxiety 

• Decrease in mood swings

• Improved sleep

• Improved creativity

• Heightened self-awareness

Personally, I find sound healing to be incredibly relaxing and heart-opening. It helps me connect with my intuition, open my heart, and access a deeper meditative state. It definitely helps me release stress and relax as well, letting my body truly restore itself. 

HOW TO WEAVE SOUND HEALING INTO YOUR LIFE

Now that you know how amazing sound healing is for you, how can you weave sound healing into your life? Here are a few ways:

• Meditate with sound frequency meditations on Spotify - here and here are a few sound healing playlists I like 

• Buy a singing bowl and play it for yourself

• Attend a local sound healing event in your area - often called a sound bath or sound meditation

• Listen to binaural beats, music that specifically works to generate alpha waves

• Chanting OM

• Buy tuning forks and use them at home 

• Vocal toning to open your chakras (this website shares a simple vocal toning practice)

Have you tried sound healing? If you haven't, I hope you now feel inspired to give it a try!

The Witch’s Herb // 3 Magickal Uses for Mugwort

Mugwort, or Artemisia vulgaris, is touted as the witch’s herb. Mugwort is a powerful plant that every witch should have in their arsenal, but the richness of its history goes far beyond the witch. Mugwort is viewed as a weed and a nuisance by some, but don’t let this plant fool you, it’s powerful and potent!

Mugwort has been used for thousands of years and has a multitude of purposes, including ancient beer production, acupuncture, and protection rituals, to name a few. I’ll be focusing on ways to use Mugwort in your spiritual and magickal practice. Keep scrolling for four ways to use Mugwort.

Oracle card featured from The Ritual Deck.

Space Cleansing with Mugwort

There’s been a spotlight on the overharvesting of other plants commonly used in magickal and spiritual practices like white sage and palo santo. There’s undoubtedly some truth to these claims, and white sage and Palo Santo are not always the best option. If you do feel uneasy about using white sage and Palo Santo, or simply want an alternative, Mugwort is a pleasant and powerful option.

Similar to white sage, mugwort is an antimicrobial that can be used to purify the air of your space. Science has caught up with what many of our ancestors already knew, herbal smoke of certain antimicrobial plants can kill bacteria, and mugwort is one of them!

Mugwort has a light, earthy, and slightly sweet aroma. Many prefer it to white sage, myself included. To burn mugwort for energy cleansing you’ll need dried mugwort that’s either loose or in stick form. Use mugwort smoke to cleanse your space by wafting the smoke around with your hand or a large feather.

Beyond cleansing the air of your space, burning mugwort will offer protection and enhance your intuition. Keep reading for more about using mugwort for protection and intuition.

Protection with Mugwort

It’s quite astonishing how many cultures have relied on Mugwort as a protective tool. Native American cultures have used mugwort as a form of protection against ghosts, and as an amulet during sleep to protect against nightmares. In China, mugwort was used to dispel evil spirits during the Dragon Festival. There’s even a reference to St. John the Baptist wearing a wreath of mugwort as protection against evil spirits. In Europe, mugwort was often planted around houses as a form of protection.

Here’s a list of ways to employ the protective benefits of mugwort in your practice:

• Burn dried mugwort in loose or stick form to cleanse and protect your space before performing psychic and intuitive work.

• Hang mugwort above doorways to prevent negativity from entering.

• Plant mugwort around your house for external protection. Be careful, this plant is invasive and can spread quickly!

• Make a satchel of dried mugwort to carry with you for protection on the go.

Magick & Psychic Work with Mugwort

Mugwort is associated with the Goddess Artemis and the moon. These lunar ties give mugwort a strong connection to femininity, psychic work, and all things sleep-related. Another reason for using mugwort while practicing psychic work is how protective it is. Performing psychic work makes you vulnerable to psychic attacks and other negative energies. The protective properties of mugwort are another likely reason it became such a popular tool for witches.

Oracle cards featured from The Ritual Deck.

Here are some ways to use mugwort as a magickal tool:

• The next time you’re doing a card reading or any other intuitive work, aid your intuition by burning some mugwort or drinking a cup of mugwort tea before you begin your practice. Note: Pregnant or nursing women should not consume mugwort.

• To enhance your dreams, receive messages in your dreams, and practice lucid dreaming, place a pillow of dried mugwort under your pillow as you sleep.

• Create a psychic protection charm bag.

• Steep mugwort in a bowl of water to use as cleansing water for your psychic tools, only the ones that can get wet, of course! This is a great option for crystal balls, pendulums, and mirrors used for scrying.

• If you have access to mugwort plants, their stalks are hearty and make beautiful wands for circle casting and spellwork.

• Mugwort is associated with the crone phase of the Triple Goddess and is an excellent plant to work with when working with this energy.

Mugwort has been revered for its medicinal uses as well, especially in women, but that’s a post for another day! If you want to learn more about mugwort, I encourage you to continue to research it, and there’s much to gain from this magickal plant.

Everything You Need to Know About Reiki

If you’re reading this blog post, you’ve probably heard of Reiki. Maybe you’ve received a Reiki session, or love Reiki and are thinking about starting a Reiki certification.

I’m a Reiki Master, and I often find that even people who have received Reiki before don’t really know much about it. In this blog post, I’ll be explaining what Reiki is, the history of Reiki, the benefits of Reiki, what you might experience with Reiki, and how to weave Reiki into your ritual and spellwork practice.

WHAT IS ENERGY?

I’d like to start with energy. Reiki is energy healing and energy is a huge buzzword these days — but what is energy?

Everything is energy. This is something science has proven time and time again. Your table, your body, an orange, a tree, sound — our senses don’t detect the energetic movements of things like oranges and tables because they vibrate slowly and at a low frequency, but they’re still made up of energy.

We are all made up of energy. There is only one tiny basic unit that connects everything and makes up all of us.

WHAT IS REIKI?

Now that you know what energy is, what is Reiki? Reiki is a specific kind of energy work. It’s an energy healing modality that was channeled by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan, which I’ll get into more detail about below.

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.

Learn more about different types of energy work here.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF REIKI

As I mentioned above, Reiki was channeled by Dr. Mikao Usui. He was born in 1865 in a little village in the mountains of southern Japan into a well-off Buddhist family and was always interested in healing. Later in life, he became a Buddhist monk and lived in a monastery but was still looking for something.

Dr. Usui wanted to find a method of healing that was unattached to any specific religion, accessible to everyone.

So he isolated himself on Mount Kurama fasting, meditating, and praying. After 21 days, he felt an awakening. A vision of light, a feeling of complete peace and oneness, and he saw the ancient symbols that helped him create the Usui Reiki system of healing.

He quickly came down from the mountain and moved back to Tokyo where he established a healing Reiki clinic and school there (around 1922). He wanted to help as many people as possible, so he taught several Reiki Masters, making sure Reiki wouldn’t be forgotten.

Those Reiki Masters trained some other Reiki masters, who further refined the attunement process and the hand positions used. In 1935 one of those Reiki Masters, Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, trained a Japanese American woman who originally came to him for healing, Hawayo Takata.

Hawayo Takata is the person who brought Reiki to the US. She returned home and spread the system of healing to others here, attuning 22 Reiki masters before she died.

BENEFITS OF REIKI

Now that you know a bit about what Reiki is and where it comes from, what are the benefits of Reiki?

I have found over and over again that Reiki will give each individual whatever it is they need. Here is a non-exhaustive list of some of the benefits of Reiki from my experience and from my teachers:

• Relief of physical pain and discomfort

• Release of limiting belief systems

• Release of blocked energy and blocked emotions

• Reconnection to your highest self

• Reach a calmer, meditative state

• Become more present and enjoy your life more

• Open to your own self-healing power

• Feel lighter and more in balance

• Relax and reduce stress

• Calm the ego

• Connect you to who you really are

• Align with your higher calling and purpose

• Enhance your connection to spirit

• Open your intuitive channel

And more!

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT IN A REIKI SESSION?

You’ll typically receive a Reiki session laying down on a massage table, and you’ll always be fully clothed. Your practitioner will use a combination of hands-on gentle touch and hands-off (hovering).

Each individual’s experience of Reiki is unique, and there’s definitely no right or wrong way to experience Reiki. You might see color, words, and/or images. You might get intuitive hits, inspiration, and creative ideas. You might have an emotional release like crying afterwards, or the next day. Or maybe you just feel super relaxed. Maybe you fall asleep.

Personally, I often see color and get creative ideas and intuitive hits. I occasionally see images. I typically reach a calmer, more present, meditative state and deeply feel my connection with Source.

HOW TO WEAVE REIKI INTO YOUR RITUAL AND SPELLWORK PRACTICE

Attuned to Reiki? I love weaving Reiki into my ritual and spellwork practice, and you can do it, too! Here are some of my favorite ways to weave Reiki into my witchcraft:

• Using Reiki to clear and/or charge my magical tools

• Using Reiki in spellwork to charge my spell bag, candle, etc. with my intention

• Using Reiki to open my channel to receive messages from my guides and ancestors

There are so many different ways to work with Reiki once you’re attuned. Get creative and follow your intuition!

EXPLORE REIKI FURTHER

Want to learn more about Reiki? Two of my favorite books are The Art of Psychic Reiki by Lisa Campion and This Is Reiki by Frank Arjava Petter.

If you’ve received Reiki before and are thinking about learning Reiki for yourself, check out this article to help you choose a Reiki 1 training that’s a fit for you.

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. 

Dreamwork 101 // What is Dreamwork and How to Get Started in 5 Steps

Dreamwork is the practice of tending to our relationship with our dreams. We’re dreaming every night, but many of us barely remember our dreams, or if we do, don’t spend much time thinking about them or working with them.

(How often have you dismissed a dream as, “oh, it was just a dream?”)

But dreams can have a lot to teach us and offer us when we enter into a deeper relationship with them. The dreamworld is rich with feelings, desires, needs, and possibilities. Our understanding of what the dreamworld evokes and presents can support our physical lives and our connections to ourselves. 

In this blog post, I’ll share a bit about how to start a dreamwork practice of your own.

Dreamwork Lineage

First, I’d like to share my dreamwork lineage. What I know about dreamwork comes from the work of these folks in particular, as well as my own intuition and my ancestors:

• Blanca Villalobos

• Toko-Pa

• Robert Moss

• Tara Burke

• Sanyu Estelle

These are wonderful people to go deeper into dreamwork with if you feel so called.

1. Support Dream Recall + Sleep 

The simplest of ways to begin supporting your dreaming is by supporting sleep and dream recall. It’s difficult to consciously work with our dreams if we’re not sleeping well or can’t remember our dreams when we wake up. Everyone is different, but here are some things you might like to explore to support your sleep:

• Set screen time boundaries for a certain amount of time before bed 

• Drink a tea to support your sleep, like chamomile (always do your own research and check with a professional before ingesting herbs) 

• Create your own sleep ritual that helps you shift into rest mode 

• Meditate and/or do a gentle, restorative yoga practice

• Take a few minutes to journal brain-dump style to help clear your mind. 

To support your dream recall, there are a few things I find helpful:

• Set an intention to dream and to remember your dream(s) before you go to sleep (you can write this down, say it out loud, or just tell it to yourself silently)

• Take a few minutes in bed in the morning before you get out of bed (or look at your phone) to give yourself space to remember your dream.

• Create a dream altar and meditate at it before bed to welcome your dreams to come 

• Pay attention to the dreams you do receive by tending them (more on that below!)

2. Start a Dream Journal 

This is probably the number one tip anyone you ask about dreamwork will give you, and with good reason! A dream journal creates a container for tending your dreams, helps solidify your intention to connect with your dreams, and helps you understand your dreams.

I recommend choosing a dedicated journal for your dreamwork and placing it on your dream altar when you’re not using it if you have one. As soon as you wake up (definitely before you look at any devices), put pen to paper and record your dream. Try recording your dreams in the present tense to honor its aliveness (for example, instead of "I was walking by a river,” try “I’m walking by a river). 

If it feels available to you, you might like to marinate in the dream in bed for a few minutes before actually getting up and reaching for your journal to record.

3. Explore Dream Feelings & Textures

After you record your dream, there are many ways to work with it more deeply and explore the messages it might have for you. 

I like to explore the dream textures: what are the textures, sights, smells, tastes, sounds of the dream? What do those senses mean for you and evoke for you? How do they make you feel? How does the dream, in general, make you feel?

4. Understand Dream Associations

As you work with the dream you’ve recorded, notice what stands out to you. Maybe your red dress feels particularly alive, or the hawk sparks something for you, or you feel curious about a figure in your dream. 

Whatever you feel curious about, do a bit of freewriting about it. List out: what does this thing make you think of? How does it make you feel? 

For example, some associations that come up with hawks for me:

• Hawk feather

• Maggie Smith’s poetry book Good Bones

• Mothers

• Protecting your children 

• Imagination

• Play 

Notice how I’m not so focused on the hawk itself, but I follow the threads of what each thing is associated with! Now I have something interesting to work with and can ask myself questions like, "what’s my relationship with play right now?" 

Some of the associations you make might really surprise you and can offer deeper insight into your dream. 

5. Assign Dream Correspondences 

As you continue to work with your dreams, you start to develop some personal symbols and correspondences. 

Like you saw above in my example with the hawk, I could make a section in my journal where I note that hawk led me to mothers and children and play. When I see a hawk again in my dream, I have that reference and can ask myself if/how it applies to this dream. 

Over time, you can deepen your understanding of your own personal dream symbols and correspondences. I love this practice so much because, to me, it’s not about what a certain symbol means but about what it means to you, how it feels in your body, how it resonates with your ancestry. That’s what feels potent and powerful!

Dreams Aren’t Your Personal Vending Machine 

It feels important to state that working with dreams isn’t just asking a question and receiving an answer. Generally, it’s not a simple or linear way of working. There isn’t one true or hidden meaning that we need to uncover. 

In my eyes, dreams and the dreamworld are alive. So it truly is a practice of engaging in relationship with, of exploring. You might like to ask yourself, "how can I be in equal exchange with my dreams?" How can I honor the dream world and not just extract from it?

Dreams have such potential to expand us out of binary thinking and into visionary possibilities, especially if we acknowledge that power and allow them to take us there!

Going Deeper with Your Dreams 

Another way to explore dream tending and go a bit deeper is by asking for a dream. I share how to do this in the dreamwork ritual I shared for Pisces season, which you can find here.

Feel free to contact us and share: how is your dream practice going? How is your relationship with your dreams evolving? 

4 Ways to Perform Chakra Readings with The Ritual Deck

Your chakras are a primary energy source in your subtle energy body. They connect to your physical body and the rest of your subtle energy body, like your aura. If you'd like to connect with your chakra energy in new ways and learn different rituals for balancing your chakras, I created The Ritual Deck to help you do this. This oracle card deck is extremely versatile!

In this post, I will outline four ways to use this deck as an energy and chakra reading tool. If you have the Ritual Deck already, some of this is outlined in the guidebooks (along with other useful card spreads, like working with the moon phases.) Update 2022: The original Ritual Deck is currently discontinued but we're working on having a similar version eventually! 

The four techniques I’ll outline in this post are: 

1. Daily chakra reading

2. Chakra assessment card spread

3. Seven chakras balancing card spread 

4. Using a pendulum with the chakra cards for an energy reading

If you want to learn more about the chakra system in general, you can deep dive into the chakra system, explore my new book, Understanding Chakras.

Keep reading to explore four ways to use The Ritual Deck to work with chakra energy.

Daily Chakra Reading

One of the simplest ways to use the Ritual Deck with your chakras is to separate the seven chakra cards and work with just those seven cards. Shuffle the seven cards and ask any of the following questions. 

1. Which of my chakras is overactive? 

2. Which of my chakras is underactive or blocked? 

3. Which chakra should I focus on today? 

You could also spread your cards out and hover your hand over them to make a selection. Here’s a video I shared with these techniques if you’d like to learn more about selecting your cards.

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A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Select a card when you feel ready. Now that you have an idea of where you should focus your energy, you can separate the cards with that chakra and choose a ritual. For example, if you chose the throat chakra card, you would separate all of the cards with the throat chakra symbol in the correspondence bar and select a card (either intuitively or as a personal choice) to focus on for that day. 

Chakra Assessment Card Spread

This technique works well if you’d like to gain general guidance about each chakra. It can tell you more about each chakra's health and where you may want to focus your energy to help each chakra. You’ll be using the entire deck for this method. This spread works well for yourself or others. Follow the steps below to try it out. 

1. Start by gathering the chakra cards and placing them in order (either vertically or horizontally) from the crown chakra to the root chakra. 

2. Hold the rest of the card deck in your hands and begin shuffling the cards. As you shuffle, ask aloud or in your mind, “What does each chakra have to share with me right now?” or “What do I have to learn from each of my chakras right now?”

3. When you feel ready to stop shuffling, start at one end of the chakras (either crown or root, wherever you feel called) and flip one card over for each chakra card. 

4. The card you selected for each chakra is the guidance that the chakra wants to share with you. It could share a celebratory card indicating it’s happy and open or a card that may indicate that it needs some extra attention. 

As with all card readings, rely on your intuition first and your guidebook second for what each card means for each of your chakras. If, after this spread, you feel like you have some chakras that need some extra love after performing this card spread, check out the one below for help balancing your chakras. 

Chakra Balancing Card Spread

This card spread, outlined in the guidebook, works like a charm to balance specific or all of your chakras. This spread is great to use on yourself, or to use with other people. Follow these steps to perform a chakra balancing card spread. 

1. Start by gathering the chakra cards and placing them in order (either vertically or horizontally) from the crown chakra to the root chakra. 

2. Separate all of the cards that correspond to each particular chakra and place them into piles. For example, all of the cards with a root chakra correspondence will go into a pile together. You should end up with seven piles (one for each chakra). There will be a different amount of cards in each pile. Tip: Use the correspondence legend at the end of the guidebook as a quick reference if you like. 

3. Place each pile on top of its coordinating chakra, shuffle them, and turn them face down.

4. Allow your intuition to guide you in selecting one card from each pile. 

5. Now you have seven cards, each corresponding to one of your seven chakras. Perform the ritual for each card to balance and restore your chakras. 

You can use the same technique for one chakra, the upper chakras (crown chakra, third eye chakra, and throat chakra), or the lower chakras (solar plexus chakra, sacral chakra, and root chakra). If you’re focusing on one specific chakra, you may decide to select multiple cards to practice more than one ritual.

Performing a complete chakra body balance spread will require time, so feel free to spread out the rituals over the course of an entire week. This applies to any other lengthy card spreads outlined here. 

Using a Pendulum with the Chakra Cards for Energy Readings

This is a technique I outline in my new book, Understanding Chakras. You don’t technically need the Ritual Deck to perform this one, but it does come in handy! You’ll also need a pendulum for this technique, preferably one that you’re already comfortable with using. If pendulums are new to you, you can read more about them here. 

Using a pendulum for chakra readings may yield different pendulum movements than you usually receive. Your pendulum will usually react in one of three ways when using them to read chakra energy. The pendulum will circle clockwise, counterclockwise, or be completely still. 

These are not firm guidelines and rather soft suggestions. Energy is unique and fluid. Use your intuition and trust your instincts when using this technique to determine chakra health. 

• Clockwise Spin: Chakra is healthy and open.

• Very Large Clockwise Spin: Chakra may be overactive. 

• Counterclockwise Spin: Chakra may have a disruption or could be releasing negative energy. 

• No movement: Chakra is blocked or has experienced extreme trauma.

Follow these steps to try this technique. 

1. Start by gathering the chakra cards and placing them in order (either vertically or horizontally) from the crown chakra to the root chakra. You won’t need the rest of the deck for this technique.

2. Hold your pendulum in your hands and ask it to help you determine the health of each of your chakras. 

3. Hold your pendulum over each chakra and make a note of its movement for each. Using a notepad or journal is helpful for this technique. 

4. Once you know each chakra's health, you may decide to back to the previous technique to help balance any chakras that need balancing. 

I hope you feel even more empowered to work with your chakras using The Ritual Deck! Chakra energy is one of many ways to use this versatile oracle deck. You can use these techniques in similar ways with the five elements and the moon phases.

3 Ways to Understand the Health of your Chakras

When it comes to working with chakra energy, one of the first questions I receive is how to know if your chakras are blocked. Like all things relating to energy work, there are a variety of ways to approach working with your chakras.

Before we dive in, the most important thing for you to understand is how you receive extrasensory information. I dive deeper into this topic in a past blog post here. If you don't know what kind of "clair" you are, I suggest you give it a quick read. You can also check out a graphic I created below for some of the most common clairs. 

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In this post, I'll break down why understanding the health of your chakras can be beneficial to you in everyday life and in your spiritual growth. I share three methods in this post, which you can apply to understand the health of your chakras and, in some cases, heal them. 

Why would you want to understand the health of your chakras? 

As above, so below. As within, so without. I refer to this adage often because it's so applicable to spiritual work. What goes on in your energetic body (auras and chakras) can also manifest in your physical body and vice versa. 

Understanding the health of each of your chakras will shed light on your physical health, current life situations, future path, and where you may want to focus your energy. 

Let's dig into some ways to start working with and understanding the energy of your chakras. 

Understanding the Polarities of Each Chakra

Understanding the traits associated with each chakra will enable you to ascertain the health of your chakras quickly. This method can take a bit of time, especially if the chakras are new to you. You'll need to have a deep understanding of the polarities of each chakra. What I mean by this are the traits of each chakra when they're functioning optimally, and the shadow aspects of them as well when they're blocked. The expression of each chakra can range from overly open, balanced, to totally blocked, or somewhere in between. I discuss this more in this video. 

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Here's an example of how this technique can be applied. Have you ever felt overwhelmed and like you can't focus? These are all manifestations of a blocked or stagnant root chakra. The root chakra is responsible for your sense of safety and connection to the earth. If you're feeling this way, the next step would be to take action to activate and balance your root chakra. This could mean simply taking a break to go for a walk outside or performing a quick root chakra meditation. 

Here are my top suggestions to gain a better understanding of the polarities of each chakra. 

• If you want to dive into understanding the chakras right now, find blog posts on each of the chakras here: root chakra, sacral chakra, solar plexus chakra, heart chakra, throat chakra, third eye chakra, and the crown chakra. 

• I also cover the chakras in The Goddess Discovery Book V1, The Ritual Deck, and in my new book Understanding Chakras. These are great options if you'd like ritual suggestions and tools to go along with each chakra. 

• For deep dives into understanding each of the chakras, I suggest Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith PhD and the Complete Book of Chakras by Cyndi Dale. I'm particularly fond of Dale's book as it offers information on chakra systems from around the world. 

Feeling Chakra Energy with your Hands

If you consider yourself clairsentient and feel energy easily, this technique will work well for you. Even if you're not clairsentient, I encourage you to try, as anyone can learn and acquire new kinds of psychic abilities!

Your chakras are spinning wheels of energy, continually taking in and emitting energy. If you have the gift of clairsentience, you'll be able to feel this energy coming out of your body. I share the best way to get started with this technique in a previous post that also has a video breaking this technique down. Click here to check it out. 

Essentially, you're going to want to get yourself into a meditative state, activate the chakras in your hands by rubbing them together and begin to hover your hands above where each of your chakras is. You may start to feel a bulge of energy push your hands out as you come near each chakra. How far the chakra comes out from your body can be an indication of how under or overactive it is. You may also receive information about the health of each chakra as you feel into each one. 

Using a Pendulum to Work with Your Chakras

Pendulums are such a useful spiritual tool! If pendulums are brand new to you and you want to get the basics, check out this previous post here. There are SO many useful applications for pendulums, and understanding the health of your chakras is one of them. The technique I share here works well for doing chakra readings on yourself or others. If you're working on yourself or someone else remotely, you'll need a pendulum and a piece of paper or a drawing of someone with the chakras. You don't need anything fancy though and can even use a piece of paper with the chakras written down on it as a reference. Your pendulum won't know the difference! If you're working on someone else in person, all you'll need is your trusty pendulum. 

Before you start, ensure that you have formed a good relationship with your pendulum. You must understand how your pendulum communicates with you. Generally speaking, a clockwise swirl means "yes" or "open," and a counterclockwise swirl means "no" or "closed."

How to check your chakras with a pendulum: 

1. As with all spiritual work, take a moment to quiet yourself. 

2. Call on any spiritual support you'd like (guides, angels, ancestors, etc.).

3. Hold your pendulum over each chakra and ask if the chakra is open or closed.

4. The pendulum should begin to swirl one way or the other, indicating the health of each chakra. It is possible that the pendulum won't move at all; check out this previous post I mentioned above for more on why a pendulum might not move. 

5. Once finished, thank any spiritual aids you called on. 

As always, run any information you received through your intuitive filter, and if it feels off, you don't have to act on it. If you feel like the reading you received from your pendulum is accurate, you can now take steps to work with any chakras that may be blocked, stagnant, or overactive. 

The best thing about the pendulum technique is that after you've worked with a chakra that's a little off, you can retest with your pendulum. I'm often astounded at how quickly I'll get an open and balanced swirl from my pendulum after working on a chakra that needed some extra love. 

Connecting the Head and Heart with Fluorite

Fluorite represents bringing together the intuitive mind and the emotional heart. Fusing one with the other, to help you find ultimate clarity. Though this stone is often touted as one of protection, I've found its energy to be most helpful with working with the heart and mind, so that is what I'll focus on here. Before I jump into some ways to work with fluorite, let's look at its unique mineral qualities.

What is Fluorite?

When fluorite crystallizes, it does so in an isometric system that can present as cubic or as an octahedron. That's why you'll sometimes see perfect cubes for sale as natural fluorite, it actually forms like this in nature! Another prized quality of fluorite is the banding of colors. Did you know that fluorite's actual color is clear? The banding occurs over time with various introductions of fluid, gas, and heat. Lastly, fluorite is one of few stones that are triboluminescent, which means it can create light when friction is introduced (p.s. I don't suggest trying this at home with your fancy polished stones, but here's a cool video to check it out  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzBXXmcaf2M ).

Metaphysical Properties of Fluorite

Here's a reference guide for some of the suggested uses and meanings fluorite. One of my favorite crystal educators, Judy Hall, has this to say about fluorite from her book, The Crystal Bible: "Dissolving fixed ideas, it helps to move beyond narrow-mindedness to the bigger picture. This stone dissolves illusions and reveals truth. It is very helpful when you need to act impartially and objectively."Other uses and meanings associated with fluorite: 

• Mental clarity

• Focus

• Balance

• Heart chakra - (green fluorite)

• Third eye chakra - (purple fluorite)

• Connects the head and heart

• Stabilizes the aura

• Helps to bring structure

• Intuition - (purple fluorite)

• Healing - (green fluorite)

3 Ways to Work with Fluorite

1. Clarity Spray or Spell Bottle

Because fluorite is so helpful at clarifying your thoughts. It works well for spells and intentions involving clarity and focus. Here's a simple recipe that can be used as a spell bottle or as a spray to use throughout your day.

For this spell bottle you'll need: 

1. A glass vial or bottle

2. Piece of paper and permanent marker or pencil- only for the spell bottle, not for the spray 

3. Water- enough to fill your vessel 

4. Frankincense essential oil- 5 drops for a spell bottle and 20 for a spray 

5. Smokey Quartz or Jasper of any kind

6. Rainbow Fluorite

7. Rosemary- dried or as an essential oil, use 5-10 drops of oil or a t. of dried rosemary. 

To prepare your spell bottle, follow these steps:

1. Cleanse all of your items with sacred smoke of your choosing, under the moon's light, or by envisioning cleansing white light enveloping them. 

2. If you're making a spell bottle, you may choose to write something specific on your paper that you'd like to receive clarity about. 

3. As you place each item into your vessel, imagine yourself moving throughout your day with a perfectly clear mind and always knowing the next best action. 

4. Once everything is in your vial, close the bottle, hold it in your hands, and repeat this invocation or something similar that feels right to you: My mind is open and clear. I will maintain a calm focus as I work. My heart and mind are connected. So it is. 

5. Place your spell bottle on your altar or your nightstand. If you created a spray, use it anytime you feel the need for more clarity. 

2. Meditation for Head and Heart Connection

Fluorite is an ideal stone for meditation. It can help you access both your heart and third eye chakra. To work with fluorite in meditation, hold a fluorite stone in each hand, or lie down with one piece on your heart chakra (sternum) and one on your third eye chakra (in between eyebrows). 

As you settle into your meditation, visualize a line of energy connecting your third eye chakra and heart chakra. Begin to visualize each chakra glowing with light, purple for the third eye, and green for the heart chakra. Stay in the meditation as long as you'd like. This is also a great time to ask any questions that you've had lingering. You might find the answers come to you with ease with your heart and head connected in this way. 

The open communication between your head and heart will help offer a balanced and well-rounded answer to anything causing confusion in your life. This same visualization practice can be performed with or without fluorite. Working with the actual crystals serves as a potent intention-setting tool, but you can call in this energy for meditation without having the physical crystals. 

3. Focus and Structure at Work

The easiest way to start working with fluorite is to wear it while you work or place it in your workspace. If you decide to work with fluorite in this way, I suggest programming it with your work goals and desires. To do this, you'll want to cleanse your crystal first with water, smoke, or sunlight. Next, hold it in your hands and visualize how you want to feel at work. Crystals for this purpose work well as wearable talismans or pocket stones. However, a sphere or point on your desk is fine too. 

The connection between your heart and mind is essential for staying true to yourself, especially at work! I hope this post has made you feel empowered to work with the energy of fluorite. 

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.

5 Steps to Access the Akashic Field

Accessing the Akashic field, often referred to as “Akashic records,” can come off as an elite and secretive practice. Maybe you’ve read or heard that you need a specific prayer or guide to access the information held within the Akashic field. Prayer and guides may indeed help, but they’re simply not necessary. Again, I’m not knocking these tools, but I don’t want you to cut yourself off from a spiritual experience because you’ve been told you need something special to access this field of energy.If you’re unfamiliar with the term “Akashic field,” it’s the same thing as the Akashic records.

If you’re unfamiliar with both terms or want to learn more about why some prefer the term “field” click here to read a previous post.

Here are my five suggestions for accessing the Akashic field.

Access the Akashic field in 5 steps

These steps are intended to be an ongoing practice. You can practice them all before sitting down to access the Akashic field or do them separately spread out over days. Each step will help you gain access to the Akashic field regardless of when they’re performed.

Raise your vibrational frequency

You’ve probably seen this term used in memes and on t-shirts more than anything else but it’s an important step when trying to access anything in the spirit realm. A slow vibration is closely linked to the physical realm, whereas a higher vibration is linked to spirit. Raising your vibration means you’re operating from a place of love and gratitude which is going to make this work come more naturally. Learn more about raising your vibrational frequency in this guest post from Reiki master, Deborah Arconti.

There are a variety of ways to raise your vibration including meditation, pranayama, some forms of yoga, prayer, mantra work, and creative activities. Keep reading, step two is a powerful tool for raising your vibrational frequency too.

Focus on your crown and soul star chakras

Your soul star chakra, located above the crown chakra, is the gateway to the Akashic field and where many believe your “records” are stored. Your crown chakra, a ball of energy located at the top of your head, must be healthy to access your soul star chakra. Focusing on your crown and soul star chakra are also powerful tools for raising your vibrational frequency. Win, win! Learn more about the crown chakra here and the soul star chakra here. These articles share tips to help you energize both of these chakras. If you feel that your crown chakra is strong and healthy skip ahead to the post about the soul star chakra.

Ask

An overlooked tool in any new practice is to ask for what you want. If you’ve practiced a soul star chakra meditation and are feeling in tune with spirit, the next step is to ask clearly what you’d like to experience from the Akashic field. Here are some suggestions.

• What lessons am I here to learn?

• Who was I in my most recent past life?

• What lessons did I learn from my most recent past life?

• What are some traumas I experienced in past lives? (Please, be cautious when asking to experience past life traumas. I recommend experiencing past life traumas with a professional in past life regressions. However, if you feel that this is something you are prepared to handle or need to process, it can be a powerful healing too.)

• How can I live this life to my highest potential?

• Where are some places I’ve lived in past lives?

• What people in my life have I interacted within past lives?

• Is __________ the best choice for me in this life?

Trust

You raised your frequency with a meditation, asked to experience a past life, felt a sensation that you were near an ocean, but it didn’t seem like a strong enough sensation so you completely wrote it off. Sound familiar?

In the beginning, it can be easy to question or completely negate your spiritual experiences. Doing deep spiritual work like this is not something that’s often brought up at dinner while growing up. Your natural instinct might be to dismiss your sensations! Maybe you’ve lived two or three decades of being told that the spirit realm doesn’t exist, or that it’s bad to try to access it. If this isn’t your story, that’s great! Trusting your experiences may come naturally to you. Otherwise, be nice to yourself and if you get a sensation, even a faint one, trust it 100%.

Practice

If you don’t feel like much happened the first time you tried accessing the Akashic field, keep at it. The more time you spend raising your vibration and getting comfortable with the sensations you receive from doing this kind of work (which will be experienced differently by everyone) the easier it will be and the more information you’ll receive.

Just like there’s more than one way to meditate, there’s more than one way to access the Akashic field. I encourage you to try these five steps, but if they don’t work for you it doesn’t mean you’re unable to access the Akashic field, you might need to try a different approach and that’s OK.

Using the Cardinal Directions in Ritual

The cardinal directions, North, South, East, and West, can help you with more than navigation. Each direction holds a meaning of its own and corresponds to one of the four elements. There are both simple and complex ways of using the cardinal directions in ritual.

A variety of cultures honor the cardinal directions. This article is looking at them from a Pagan and Wiccan perspective. The four directions are often used by Native Americans on the medicine wheel. Neither way is wrong or right, just different, and for different purposes.

Read on for meanings and three ways to start using the cardinal directions in your magickal practices.

Connection to the Four Elements

Each direction corresponds to one of the four elements; understanding these connections can help you better understand the energy of each direction.

• North corresponds to Earth

• East corresponds to Air

• South corresponds to Fire

• West corresponds to Water

A quick note about these correspondences. The elemental correspondences can vary depending on your location, cultural background, or intuition. Catherine Beyer explains this in her article The Five Element Symbols of Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Spirit.

The Golden Dawn originated in England, and the directional/elemental correspondences reflect a European perspective. To the south are the warmer climates, and thus is associated with fire. The Atlantic Ocean lies to the west. The north is cold and formidable, a land of the earth but sometimes not a lot else.

If these correspondences don’t feel right to you, that’s ok! For example, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, you may find that the correspondences feel off. You can reassign the elements in a way that feels natural to you or is in better alignment with your cultural background.

Direction meanings

Here’s a more in-depth look at some meanings and correspondences of each direction.

North

• Physical body

• Health

• Chakra: Root

• Element: Earth

• Color: Green

East

• New beginnings

• Change

• Transmission of information

• Chakra: Third Eye and Throat

• Element: Air

• Color: Yellow

South

• Hardships

• Challenges

• Willpower

• Chakra: Solar Plexus

• Element: Fire

• Color: Red

West

• Emotions

• Endings

• Self-worth

• Chakra: Heart and Sacral

• Element: Water

• Color: Blue

Three ways to use the cardinal directions in ritual

1. Add a layer of meaning to your ritual

The easiest way to start implementing the cardinal directions into your magickal practice is by facing the direction that makes the most sense for what you’re doing. This idea can be applied to oracle and tarot card readings, candle magick, ritual, spellwork, meditation, or working with the moon.

Here are a few examples:

• Face North if you’re doing a meditation focused on your health.

• Face East if you’re performing a card reading for the new moon because the new moon represents new beginnings.

• Face South if you’re asking your guides about how to overcome a problem.

• Face West if you’re doing a ritual to help you let go of something.

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2. Calling the quarters for protection

The next time you’re practicing a ritual or psychic work start by calling on the four directions, this is also referred to as “calling the quarters.” Calling the quarters will bring you protection and the energy of all of the elements during your practice. It’s also said to create a sacred space that is connected to the spirit realm.

There’s more than one way to call the quarters. A quick google search will offer you a variety of options, but here’s one way:

Imagine each direction as a wind that you’re invoking into your space. You can even imagine a specific Goddess or God for each direction. As you call in each direction, stand facing the direction you’re calling in and ask it to join you for your ritual practice. Many like to start by calling in the North winds first because it will keep your ritual grounded. Rotate in a circle, going through each direction, asking it to join you. When you’re done performing your ritual work, release the winds, and thank them for their assistance and protection.

3. Altar placement

Whether you’re creating a new altar or updating your current altar, the direction it’s facing will have an effect on it. Try to place your altar in a direction that matches the season of life you’re in or want to be in.

Has your altar or sacred space been in the same location for a long time? It might be a time to rearrange and face your altar in a direction that’s in better alignment with your life. Check the meanings for the directions above and note which one feels like where you’re at or want to be right now.

Magical Moonstone Meanings & Uses

The magic of moonstone has been fawned over for more than 2,000 years. Ancient Romans and Indians believed that moonstone was a moonbeam in physical form, which sounds pretty lovely to me! This soft, feldspar-based stone can be found all over the world in a variety of colors. The most prized variety being rainbow moonstone with its blue sheen that appears to radiate from within. I’ll be focusing primarily on rainbow moonstone today, but the magical attributes and rituals shared can really be applied to all of the moonstone varieties. Beyond its beauty, moonstone comes with an abundance of magical properties and uses. Here’s a guide that covers some benefits of moonstone, read on for five ways to use moonstone in ritual.

Moonstone Meaning

5 Moonstone Rituals

Moonstone Travel Ritual

Moonstone has been used as a protective stone for travel since ancient times, especially for night travel. Next time you’re going on a trip hold a piece of moonstone close your eyes and ask the stone to protect you as you travel. If your moonstone is a piece of jewelry, you can wear it for the duration of your trip. If your moonstone is a tumbled stone, consider carrying it in your suitcase or bag as you travel.

Moonstone Bath Ritual

Moonstone corresponds to the water element (learn more about the four elements here). To take advantage of moonstones watery vibes, place a piece of moonstone in your next bath. Take this ritual to the next level by enjoying your moonstone bath at night under the light of the moon. Add candles and some ylang-ylang essential oil to help you tap into the feminine energy of moonstone.

If you’re a water sign (Scorpio, Pisces, or Cancer), balancing your water element will feel like being at home, cozy and comfortable. If you’re a fire sign (Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius), balancing your water element can help balance your intense and fiery traits. If you don’t fall into either of these categories, you can still benefit from this ritual. Restoring your water element will inspire femininity, creativity, and cleanse you energetically.

Moonstone Sleep Ritual

Because moonstone is associated with the moon, it is connected to your sleep patterns too. Keep moonstone on your nightstand or under your pillow to inspire deep sleep and lucid dreams. If you’re focusing on your dreams or trying to have lucid dreams, consider keeping a dream journal near your bed too. Learn more about dreamwork here.

Divine Feminine & Sacral Chakra Moonstone Meditation

Ancient Romans believed the Goddess of the moon, Diana, could be found in every piece of moonstone. The moon has long been associated with Goddess energy, especially in the Triple Goddess symbol, which you can learn more about here. Follow these steps to help call in more Divine Feminine energy and open your sacral chakra with moonstone. This meditation can help you tap into your sensuality, feel more feminine, balance your menstrual cycle, and improve fertility.

The ideal time to practice this meditation is at night under the light of the moon, but anytime will be beneficial.

1. Find a comfortable seat and wear or hold a piece of moonstone.

2. If you have a specific Goddess you’d like to focus on you can place an image of her in front of you. This step is optional, tapping into the collective Divine Feminine energy source will also be beneficial.

3. Close your eyes. Send your breath to your lower belly and focus on your inhales and exhales.

4. In your mind or aloud ask that you be filled with the energy of the Divine Feminine, or of the Goddess you’re focusing on.

5. Imagine your sacral chakra area (between your belly button and top of your pubic bone) glowing orange. Visualize a beam of light the color of a rainbow moonstone streaming down from the Universe, through the top of your head, and into your sacral chakra. With each inhale and exhale, visualize the orange ball of light in your sacral chakra increasing in size.

6. Stay here as long as you’d like. When you’re finished take care to thank The Universe for sharing this Divine Feminine energy with you.

Moonstone Intuition Ritual

The next time you’re planning to do an oracle or tarot card reading take a moment to amp up your intuition with this moonstone ritual. Moonstone corresponds to your third eye and crown chakra, both of which are essential for your intuition to be on point. With a piece of moonstone handy, lie down and place a piece of rainbow moonstone in the center of your brow bone where your third eye is. Stay here for 2-3 minutes and focus on your breath. Imagine the moonstone opening and unblocking your third eye and crown chakra allowing information to flow freely to you.

I hope these rituals offered you some useful ways to bring moonstone into your practice.

Accessing Energy Through Metatron's Cube

Sacred geometry is beautiful but knowing how to use it in your spiritual practice isn’t always obvious. Metatron’s Cube is an excellent example of a complicated-looking sacred shape that has rather practical uses.

First, let’s break down this shape and discuss who Metatron is, then I’ll share some ways to start using this symbol in your spiritual practice.

Who is Metatron?

This sacred symbol is named after Archangel Metatron. He is considered the scribe of God or Source Energy and his cube is responsible for protecting and balancing the flow of energy from Source to the physical realm. Metatron’s story also aligns with the story of Thoth, the Egyptian scribe.

What is Metatron’s Cube?

Metatron’s Cube is comprised of 13 circles that are all touching; this shape is called The Fruit of Life (shown below). To create the cube, straight lines are drawn from the center of each circle that connects to the center of all of the other circles.

Metatron’s cube also contains the five platonic solids, which represent the five elements (earth, air, water, fire, and spirit) and are the geometric building blocks of the universe. This topic is a blog post for another day!

How to Use Metatron’s Cube

Because Metatron’s cube protects the flow of energy, it is an ideal tool to use for cleansing, protecting, and accessing more energy. Here are three ways to use Metatron’s Cube.

Protection

Because Archangel Metatron and his cube control the flow of energy they also protect it. This symbol has long been associated as a symbol of protection. The easiest way to start using this symbol is to use it for protection.

Start by placing it in an area where you desire your energy or the energy of a space to be protected. When you place the symbol, imagine Archangel Metatron enveloping the space in a protective shield of white light.

Energy Clearing Grid

If you feel like your energy or the energy of your home are stale and need a refresh, try using Metatron’s Cube for a cleansing crystal grid!

Download a printable sheet of Metatron’s Cube for a crystal grid here.

To create your grid collect the following stones.

• Clear quartz for cleansing and amplifying, 6 or more pieces

• Selenite for cleansing and purifying, 1 large piece

• Amethyst for cleansing emotions, 1 or more pieces

• Kyanite for connecting you with Metatron’s cleansing energy, 1 or more pieces

• Smokey Quartz to ground and protect you and your space, 1 or more pieces

Cleanse your stones with a herbal wand or any other cleansing tool you prefer before you begin your grid. With your stones and Metatron’s Cube shape ready, close your eyes, quiet your mind, breathe, and call on Archangel Metatron to help cleanse your space through the help of your crystal grid.

Place the piece of selenite in the center of the grid, the quartz crystals in the six outer circles, and any remaining crystals where you feel called to place them on the grid. Imagine yourself and your space being cleansed as you place each stone on your grid. Thank Archangel Metatron for helping you to cleanse yourself and your space.

Keep your grid up for as long as you’d like and try to make contact with it daily for as long as it is up.

Energizing Meditation

Metatron’s Cube can also be used as a means to connect with Archangel Metatron to balance and amplify the energy throughout your chakra system. Meditating on Metatron’s Cube is a great way to access this energy.

Follow this guide to perform this meditation.

• Find a comfortable sitting position.

• Place an image of Metatron’s Cube in front of you on the floor so you can gaze at it as you meditate. Click here to receive the free download of Metatron's Cube.

• Close your eyes, breathe, center yourself.

• Call on Archangel Metatron to assist you in your meditation. Ask him to help cleanse, balance, and amplify your chakra system.

• Open your eyes and continue your meditation as you gaze at Metatron’s Cube.

• You may feel a buzzing up your spine as your chakra system wakes up and that’s ok. If you don’t, that’s ok too! You may also want to envision each of your chakras glowing and brightening in order up your spine.

• Stay in your meditation for as long as you’d like. Before you end, thank Archangel Metatron for assisting you.

I hope you feel more equipped to start using Metatron’s Cube in your practice!

Aura Crystals // Are they real and do they help?

Crystal purist or not, you can’t deny how stunning aura crystals are. So, what’s the deal with them? Are they real and what are their benefits? I’m going to demystify aura crystals for you today. Let’s dive into the big question first.

Are they real?

Yes and no. Aura crystals are enhanced crystals. The crystals themselves are real, or at least they should be, and the rainbow coating on the outside is a human enhancement. Genuine aura crystals are enhanced with metal, so the entire aura crystal itself is comprised of components from Mother Earth. Think of it as modern-day alchemy.

How are they made?

There are a couple of techniques, but all of the methods used to create real aura crystals involve coating a crystal with a very thin layer of metal. The metal coatings range from gold, silver, titanium, niobium, indium, and cobalt. Each metal will enhance the crystal differently with different colors.

Some aura crystals, like aqua aura, are heated and placed in a vacuum where the metal vapor is bonded to the crystal. Aura crystals that undergo this technique can be weakened in the process making them brittle, so be extra careful with them. Other aura crystals, like rainbow aura, also called titanium aura don’t involve heat leaving the crystal more intact.

Here are the metals used for different aura crystal varieties:

• Angel aura: silver and platinum

• Aqua aura: gold

• Opal aura: platinum

• Flame aura: titanium and niobium

• Rainbow aura or Titanium Rainbow aura: gold and titanium

The high price tag on some of these crystals might make a little more sense now.

Fake aura crystals?

Now, there are some crystals on the market being touted as aura crystals that are not the real deal. These crystals are sometimes called “jelly crystals” but sometimes they’re marketed as aura crystals and still come with a high price tag. These wannabe aura crystals are beautiful but undergo a very different, and less expensive process. Jelly crystals are coated with Teflon and dyes. Not quite as glamorous. How can you spot these fakes?

• Look for brighter more fluorescent colors

• Notice if the aura coating forms a pattern on the crystal

• Jelly crystals will appear unnaturally glossy and smooth to the touch

• The coating might not cover the edges of the crystal

Jelly crystals are real crystals underneath the coating, so if you find one you love, go for it! I just don’t want you to pay a super high price for something labeled as an aura crystal that isn’t. Also, Teflon is definitely a person-made component that doesn’t have the greatest reputation, but as long as you’re not licking it or adding it to your bath, you can enjoy these colorful crystals too.

What are the healing properties of aura crystals?

Because aura crystals are genuine crystals coated in metals from Gaia, you’ll receive the benefits of the crystal itself and the metals used to cover it. Furthermore, the gorgeous colors produced in aura crystals can be used to focus on specific chakras. Because most aura crystals contain a rainbow effect, they’re especially good for balancing the chakra system. This may be why so many feel that aura crystals have a very uplifting effect.

Some crystal purists believe the aurafying process can hinder the healing benefits of the crystal, especially the processes that involve heat, but many believe it enhances the healing benefits of the crystal.

Personally, I love having aura crystals around and do feel quite attuned to them. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how you feel about these crystals!

10 Ways to Increase Your Shakti Energy

How is a society that’s stuck in the patriarchy able to find balance? The answer lies in you. The answer lies in one person at a time increasing their Shakti energy.

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “Shakti” before but do you know how to tap into this creative life force that is the personification of feminine energy? I’m going to share what this term means with you, but more importantly, how you can increase your own Shakti to help our world find balance. First, let’s dive a little deeper into what and who Shakti is.

What is Shakti

Shakti is life, death, rebirth, destruction, and creation. Shakti energy is the divine feminine force coursing through the cosmos and all aspects of our reality. She is the ultimate Goddess and the creative energy behind all Goddesses. Even though Shakti is a divine feminine force, it is present in all life forms, male and female, though it may be repressed in some. The balancing force to Shakti is Shiva or masculine energy.

Who is Shakti

Shakti is referred to as the “Mother Goddess” in Hinduism. She is the Goddess that guides all other Goddesses. Shakti is represented in the Hindu Goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Kali. Each Goddess utilizes Shakti energy differently and can be called upon for different purposes.

Kundalini Shakti

If you’re familiar with Kundalini energy, then you have probably heard the term Shakti used here as well. Kundalini Shakti refers to the idea that every being has Shakti energy coiled up at the base of their spine, waiting to be awakened. You may have already had a Kundalini awakening and not even known about it! That’s another blog post for a different day though!

Here are ten simple ways to increase your Shakti. Warning! Shakti energy is INTENSE. Be mindful of this as you practice the following suggestions. Build in some time to ground yourself after practicing any of these exercises and if it feels like too much, take a break for a few days.

10 Ways to Increase Your Shakti Energy

1. Activate your sacral chakra

Your sacral chakra is your hub of creativity and feminine energy. This chakra is located below your belly button and above your pubic bone. Imagine it glowing orange with each inhale and exhale to awaken it. Learn more about activating your sacral chakra in this blog post.

2. Tap into the water element

The water element represents femininity, so it’s the element to focus on to increase your Shakti energy. Let the water element wash over you, literally, by taking a soothing bath. Learn more about yoga poses for the water element here and ways to represent the water element here.

3. Meditate, meditate, meditate

Meditation in and of itself will help increase your Shakti energy (check out guided meditations here) but here’s a technique to give it an extra boost. Visualize your Shakti energy coiled up like a snake at the base of your spine. With each breath visualize this snake-like energy uncoiling and traveling through each chakra, lighting it up and cleansing it along its path. Continue until you reach the crown chakra. This meditation can be very intense and energizing, allow ample time to calm and ground yourself afterward.

4. Call on Kali, Durga, or Parvati

Remember the three Hindu Goddesses I mentioned above? Kali, Durga, and Parvati represent Shakti in Hinduism, calling on any of them can bring some extra Shakti into your life. Each Goddess will bring a different kind of energy. Parvati is a Goddess of love, Durga is a warrior Goddess, and Kali is the destroyer who ultimately brings balance. Learn more about connecting with Kali here. Goddess cards are from The Goddess Oracle.

Goddess cards are from The Goddess Oracle.

5. Follow the Moon

The moon has long been associated with divine Goddess energy due to its correlation with our menstrual cycles and the Triple Goddess. Try charting your cycle or journaling with the moon to connect to this moon energy. Learn more about the Triple Goddess symbol here and more about rituals for every moon phase here.

6. Grab some moonstone

Moonstone carries the energy of the moon and can serve as a potent reminder of her Goddess energy. Wear it, carry it with you, or place some moonstone on your altar as a glowing reminder of the moon and Shakti energy.

7. Get in touch with your shadow side

The imbalance of Shakti in our society is a direct reflection of our own imbalances. We so often focus only on our light, while directly under the surface our shadow side is seething. Take time to explore your light and dark to find balance within yourself. Learn more about shadow work here.

8. Practice the Shakti mudra

Guess what? There’s a mudra dedicated to Shakti! Try using this mudra during meditation or your yoga practice to increase your Shakti. Breathe deeply and focus on Shakti rising from the base of your spine.

9. Yoga asana practice

Let’s jump straight to the obvious here, Goddess pose. Remember when I said Kundalini aka Shakti energy is coiled at the base of your spine? Any pose that helps activate the base of your spine can help get your Shakti flowing, and Goddess pose certainly does this! Try to work different variations of this pose into your yoga practice or any postures that activate the sacral and root chakra.

10. Breathe Deep

Prana, your breath or life force, is Shakti. Any focused breathing can help increase your prana and therefore your Shakti energy. If you’re not familiar with any pranayama techniques, start with a three-part breath. Inhale, filling your lower belly with air first, then your middle section, and last your chest. Exhale in the reverse order. Practice this three-part breath 5-10 times and notice how you feel after you’re done. If you’re familiar with different pranayama techniques, try adding one into your practice daily. You can learn more about breathwork here.

You might find that you’re already practicing some of these things regularly. If you’re not, don’t stress! No need to start implementing all of them right away, in fact, I wouldn’t recommend it. Start small and start with the tips that sound most appealing to you. Learn more about your chakras system, the moon phases, and more in The Goddess Discovery Book.

Benefits & Uses of Rose Quartz

Rose quartz is a stone known as the ultimate self-love crystal…making it one of our favorites over here and of course, a great stone for February!

But rose quartz isn’t just about self-love. It has a whole slew of benefits and uses, which I’ll be sharing in this post. Keep scrolling for some of the major benefits of this stone!

Unconditional Love

Rose quartz is associated with the heart chakra, helping you open your center of giving and receiving unconditional love.

Energy Muse states, “According to [ancient] myth, Cupid, the Roman god of desire, or Eros, the Greek god of love, bestowed the gift of love to humans in the form of a rose quartz.”

Rose quartz can be used to cultivate unconditional love of all kinds: self-love, romantic love, friendship love, love for the earth, love for family, and more.

Compassion

Along with unconditional love, rose quartz helps cultivate compassion. By opening the flow of love throughout your body and energy field, it helps you connect to the interconnectedness of all beings, creating more love and compassion for the people around you and even those you can’t see and will never meet. I’d love to get rose quartz into the hands of every person in the world and watch how the world changes!

Restores Trust

In the heart chakra, we store fear, anxiety, and broken trust. Rose quartz can be used to help us accept past hurts, forgive ourselves and others, and ultimately restore trust.

Softening & opening

Sometimes our hearts get hardened. This often happens when, as I mentioned above, our trust has been broken, our hearts have been broken, or we’re holding and carrying past pains and hurts with us.

Rose quartz is your ally to help you gently soften and open this center of love. It’s here to help you soothe and break down the walls, opening yourself back up to connection, love, and vulnerability.

Gratitude

Gratitude comes from the heart chakra. When our heart chakras are closed, it can be difficult to experience gratitude and really feel the depth of all that we are grateful for. Rose quartz can help you release blockages here and open up to a flow of gratitude, helping you love your life for all that it is.

Cleansing

This stone is associated with the element of water and is thought to be very fluid, helping wash out stuck emotions, toxic energies, and negativity to return you back to your pure, divine essence: love.

It works slowly and gently — think more of a softly flowing river than a crashing ocean wave!

Venus energy

Rose quartz carries with it the energy of Venus. Venus is the ruling planet of the signs Libra and Taurus, and connects to the Empress card in the tarot.

We can think of Venusian energy as the energy of lushness, self-care, receiving, beauty, and flow. If you’re wanting to up your self-care game, open yourself up to receiving, and release stress — work with rose quartz!

Uses of Rose Quartz

Now that you know some of the benefits and meanings of rose quartz, how can you actually incorporate it into your life? Here are some suggestions but as always, use your intuition! You can also meditate with rose quartz and ask it how it wants to work with you.

• Add rose quartz to your altar to call in Venus energy.

• Use in self-love rituals and spells. Find a rose quartz ritual in The Ritual Deck.

• Create a gratitude or love crystal grid featuring rose quartz. Find grid and crystals for a love crystal grid in The Goddess Discovery Book.

• Meditate with rose quartz on your heart to help you open your heart chakra and let forgiveness flow through you.

• Wear rose quartz as jewelry to carry its vibration with you wherever you go.

• Create a self-love spell bag with rose quartz in it.

• Incorporate a rose quartz facial roller into your daily routine.

• Place rose quartz in the corners of your home to open the flow of love throughout your space.

Heart-opening Yoga practice & breathwork to cultivate self-love

Every February, we’re reminded of the love that already exists within us. While there are so many different kinds of love in our lives, it all starts with us: from a place of deep self-love.

In this blog, I’ll be sharing a heart-opening yoga practice and a Kundalini breathwork meditation to help you cultivate self-love.

Kundalini Breathwork meditation

This Kundalini yoga breathwork meditation is said to help give strength to your heart and open up your heart center.

Find a comfortable seat and extend your arms straight out in front of you. You want them to be parallel to the mat with your palms facing down. Close your eyes and focus your inner gaze at the center of your chin. Start to take long, slow, deep breaths, holding your arms steady in front of you.

Hold this breathwork meditation for three minutes. Then, move into our asana practice below.

Yoga practice

This yoga practice is focused on heart-opening yoga poses because heart openers, like the name suggests, help balance and open your heart chakra. Your heart chakra is the center of giving and receiving love in your body. Opening this center helps open you up to a flow of unconditional love within and outside of yourself.

Heart bench

As someone with chronically tight shoulders, heart bench is my favorite restorative pose to start off a yoga practice. For this pose, you’ll need two yoga blocks. If you don’t have blocks, try getting creative with stacks of books or a rolled yoga mat under the shoulders.

You’ll take your first block at either its low or medium height and place it lengthwise along the spine between the shoulder blades, opening the heart. The second block will go under your head at whatever height supports a long neck and open throat.

Breathe into your heart space here, visualizing each inhale sending breath into the chest and each exhale softening, opening, and expanding your heart chakra. Stay here for 3-5 minutes, breathing deeply.

Half-pigeon variation

To transition out of your heart bench, lower all the way onto your back, bend your knees, and press your whole back into your mat. Feel your whole back grounding into the Earth, resetting the spine.

When you feel ready, cross your right ankle over the bottom of the left thigh (right under the knee). Then prop yourself up on your forearms and roll the shoulders back to open the heart as you energetically push your right knee away from you, stretching the hips. Spend a minute or two here, breathing deeply into the heart center, and then repeat on the other side.

Low lunge

Slowly find your way to downward-facing dog and pedal out the feet. When you feel ready, inhale to step your left leg forward. Lower the knee onto a mat or blanket, and create enough space in the hips so that you can really feel a stretch into your right hip flexor. Inhale to lift the arms overhead, bending back into a crescent lunge.

After a few breaths with this arm variation, stack your palms over your heart and breathe into your hands, keeping your back bending.

Stay here for ten more breaths, then repeat on the other side.

Mountain pose flow

From your lunge, step the back leg forward into a forward fold at the top of your mat. Hold opposite elbows to help pull your chest to your thighs and find a few breaths here.

When you feel complete, release your arms and inhale to a flat back, palms to shins or thighs. Exhale to fold forward. Inhale to roll all the way up to stand, reaching up and back. Exhale to fold all the way forward as you chant “YAM” (pronounced YUM), the bija mantra for the heart chakra.

Continue to flow with your breath for at least 10 complete cycles. Let yourself find a rhythm and find softness through the face, the knees, the heart, as you move.

Dancer’s pose

After your last exhale, hold in your favorite version of forward fold for a few more breaths. When you feel complete, inhale to roll up through your spine and find mountain pose with your arms at your sides.

Create a stable foundation by grounding down through your left foot, pressing into all four corners of the foot and through each of the toes. Bend your right knee and take the ankle into the right hand behind you. Inhale to lift your left arm over your head.

Feel free to stay here. If you’d like to go deeper, use your next exhale to slowly kick your right foot back and hinge forward at the hips, opening your heart and your right hip flexor. Stay here for at least 10 breaths. If you find yourself feeling unsteady or falling out of the pose, practice talking to yourself in a loving way and come back into the pose without judgment!

After ten breaths or whenever you feel ready, use an exhale to release everything back down and take the post to your other side.

Cobra pose or upward facing dog

From mountain pose at the top of your mat, fold forward, and step back to downward-facing dog. Inhale to shift forward to plank and exhale to either lower halfway or lower all the way onto the belly. Inhale to lift into cobra or upward facing dog. Stay here for a few breaths, rolling the shoulders back, pressing into the tops of the feet, and firming through the legs. After a few breaths, exhale to shift back to downward-facing dog.

Repeat this sequence one to three times, then stay in downward-facing dog for a few breaths.

Child’s pose

Inhale to lower your knees, and exhale to shift your hips back into your favorite variation of child’s pose. Let this child’s pose be a place of deep presence with yourself — with your breath, with any feelings or thoughts that are coming up to the surface. Practice speaking to yourself lovingly and tending to yourself with care. Stay here for about twenty breaths.

Cat/cow flow

From child’s pose, inhale to lift yourself into tabletop. Start to move through a cat/cow flow with your breath, using your inhale to lift your tailbone and open your heart, and your exhale to round through your spine and tuck your chin. Feel free to add in any other movements that feel good to you, like opening up through the sides of your body or incorporating hip circles.

Heart to Earth pose

When you feel complete in cat/cow, find your way back to a neutral spine. Start to walk your palms out in front of you, keeping your hips stacked over your knees, slowly lowering your chest and forehead all the way to your mat.

This intense pose invites us into a place of deep surrender. Keep your awareness on your breath, sending it into your heart space, and let yourself be with whatever comes up here. Stay here for at least 10 breaths, but feel free to stay longer if that feels right for you.

Bridge pose

Slowly shift back into tabletop and all the way onto your back, bending your knees and planting your feet on your mat. Inhale to slowly lift your hips and lift your arms all the way overhead, backs of palms touching down behind you. Breathe here in this bridge pose variation for 10 breaths, using an exhale to slowly lower your hips and arms back down.

Find a counterpose after you come down by walking your feet wider than hip’s distance and releasing your knees to rest in on each other. Place your palms on your belly and rest here for 5-10 breaths.

Reclining cobbler pose

Find your savasana in reclining cobbler’s pose, bringing the soles of your feet together. Rest one palm on your heart and one palm on your belly, letting yourself rest, relax, and integrate the benefits of your practice. Stay here as long as you like, but make sure you let yourself spend at least three minutes here.

Explore more blogs to help you cultivate self-love here:

• 7 Self-Love Rituals for Valentine’s Day

• The Only 3 Love Spells You’ll Ever Need

• 5 Tips to Open your Heart Chakra and How to Know when it's Blocked

• Attracting Love with Crystal Grids

How to Open Your Sacral Chakra & Know When it's Blocked

The sacral chakra, Svadhisthana, is one of the chakras I personally feel most connected to. I think in the spiritual community, we can sometimes forget how important the lower chakras are, but remember: you are a spiritual being in a physical body! So the chakras we tend to associate with our physical bodies more, like the root, sacral, and solar plexus chakras, are just as important as the higher chakras like your crown and third eye.

The sacral chakra is your center of creativity, sexuality, and feeling. It’s ruled by the element of water, and it’s located at the center of your low belly about three inches from your navel.

When this chakra is open, you’re able to feel deep pleasure in your life. You’re able to really feel the world around you and you’re connected to your emotions. You’re able to flow, expand, have healthy relationships with others, and use your creativity.

When this chakra is blocked, it may manifest as:

• Disconnection from your sexuality or being ruled by your sexuality

• Experiencing a lack of pleasure in your day-to-day life

• Inability to connect with your creative energy

• Feeling stuck in a certain feeling or mood

• Dependency on a person or substance that gives you pleasure

• Inability to feel your feelings or being too ruled by your emotions

If any of those sound like you, don’t worry. Our chakras are fluid, just like us, and they can change from day to day. Scroll down to get 10 ways to unblock your sacral chakra to connect with your creative and emotional flow.

The card shown in the image is from The Ritual Deck.

Get creative

This is one of my favorite ways to open this chakra! Even if you don’t feel creative in the moment, just start creating something. It might surprise you how your energy starts to flow! Try painting, writing, drawing, coloring, collaging, creating your own movement practice, or experimenting in the kitchen.

Use scents

My go-to essential oils for opening your sacral chakra are:

• Tangerine

• Orange

• Ylang ylang

• Patchouli

• Bergamot

• Sandalwood

• Rosewood

Try massaging your low belly with one or more of the oils (diluting with a carrier oil as needed), diffusing them in your space, or placing a few drops in your bath (which, bonus points, connects you with the element of water!).

Dance

I know everyone says this, but seriously, dance like no one’s watching (because no one is!). Put on your favorite music and move intuitively however feels good for you. If you’d like, incorporate some hip circles to help you get into your low belly.

Breathing into your low belly. As you’re laying down, place your hands on your low belly. With your inhale, feel your hands rise as you flood the belly with breath, sending your life force energy to this chakra. As you exhale, feel your sacral center soften, expand, and open.

Use crystals

Some crystals that help open your sacral chakra are:

• Citrine

• Carnelian

• Orange aventurine

• Orange calcite

• Goldstone

• Tiger’s eye

• Sunstone

• Peach selenite

Try sleeping with them, meditating with them on your low belly, placing them around your home, or placing a little tumbled stone in your pocket to carry with you all day.

Meditation

Bring your palms to the center of your sacral chakra in your low belly, and start to take deep belly breaths into that space. With each inhale, visualize a little orange ball of light over your sacral chakra. With each exhale, visualize it opening, softening, and expanding until your entire body is surrounded by a beautiful aura of pure orange light.

Check out my Energy Reset Meditation Bundle here.

Use affirmations

Write them down, say them every day, make them the background of your phone—the options are endless! Choose an affirmation from the list below or create your own:

• I am fully in my body.

• Creative and sexual energy runs through me.

• I am in love with life.

• I am a passionate being.

• I am deeply connected to my feelings.

• I honor my feelings.

• I honor my pleasure.

Yoga poses

Poses that stretch your hips are really helpful for opening your sacral chakra. Some of my favorites are:

• Low lunge

• Goddess pose

• Reclining cobbler’s pose

• Wide-legged standing forward fold

• Frog pose

In each pose, just remember to breathe into your low belly!

Get to the root of the blockage

One of my favorite ways to get to the root of a chakra blockage is pulling tarot cards for these two simple questions:

• Why is my sacral chakra blocked?

• Advice for moving through the blockage

Tarot cards have such a beautiful, helpful way of getting to the heart of the matter. If you’re feeling like there’s a deep, underlying shadow or issue holding you back from fully stepping into your sexual and creative power, try this.

Play with color

The color associated with Svadhisthana is orange. Try bringing more of this color into your life by lighting orange candles, eating orange foods, wearing orange clothes, or painting your nails orange.

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.

What is The Soul Star Chakra and How to Connect to it

Have you ever experienced flashes or intuitive nudges about your past lives? If you have, you may have already connected to your soul star chakra. Your soul star chakra is said to be the seat of your soul, even though it’s located above your head. It gets its nickname because it’s your direct connection to your higher self, the Akashic Records, your karmic past, and your past lives.

Think of this chakra as a storage bank for your soul. The soul star chakra carries all of the information for your soul’s past and present purpose for being here.

Generally, this information about your soul isn’t readily available to you in your earthly body unless you accidentally stumbled upon it or inadvertently open your soul star chakra. All of this information is there, present within your energetic body, and can be tapped into with practice.

Where is the soul star chakra located?

Similar to the earth star chakra, the soul star chakra is outside of your physical body and located in your etheric body approximately six inches above your head. It resides within your auric field and is connected to your other chakras. The color of this chakra is up for negotiation. Some say it’s white and golden, while others ascribe a specific color to it. I suggest connecting to this chakra and deciding for yourself what color yours is.

What is the purpose of the soul star chakra?

Activating this chakra will act as a potent chakra balancing tool. Because your soul star chakra is connected to your higher self it is also connected to the light of the universe. This powerful energy can keep your crown chakra open and healthy along with all of your other chakras.

If you’re interested in tapping into your karmic past, past lives, or the Akashic Records, the soul star chakra is the key. Your soul star chakra is the direct link to all of this information. Tapping into your soul’s past may help you better understand fears and challenges in this current lifetime, why you’re being faced with them, and how to overcome them. Another benefit of tapping into your soul’s past is better understanding the relationships and people in your life.

Learning how to engage with information about your past lives and the Akashic Records can be powerful and life-changing. It could also be upsetting and shocking if you’re not ready for it. If you feel uneasy about it or encounter something you weren’t ready for, there are professionals that specialize in past life regression and the Akashic Records that can safely assist you.

As an added benefit, connecting with this chakra will also help support your psychic abilities.

How to connect to the Soul Star Chakra?

There are a variety of methods for connecting with your soul star chakra. Here are some of my favorites to get you started.

Crystals

Try holding any of these crystals in your hands during meditation to connect with your soul star chakra.

• Kyanite: This is a great crystal to use when you’re getting started working with this chakra. Kyanite will help gently cleanse and balance all of your chakras to ensure that your energetic body is in good shape.

• Phenacite: This less common crystal is a powerful one for connecting with all of your upper chakras and especially your higher self. Because this stone is rare it tends to be a larger investment. The other more common gemstones listed below will also prove helpful and you may already have some.

• Selenite: This super cleansing stone can help open up your crown and soul star chakra. Try waving a selenite wand around the top of your head around your soul star chakra and crown chakra to cleanse and open them.

• Clear Quartz: Clear quartz is queen when it comes to balancing all your chakras, and is especially helpful for your upper chakras.

• Lithium Quartz: If you need help calming yourself as you begin your journey with this chakra, this stone has all of the added benefits of clear quartz with the addition of calming energy.

Meditation

Start your journey with curiosity as you become familiar with this chakra. A soul star meditation will be similar to a white light chakra meditation, but with your intentions set on your soul star chakra. Here are steps to perform a meditation for your soul star chakra.

• Find a quiet place to sit and place some of the crystals mentioned above in each of your hands (the crystals are optional).

• Focus on your breathing and begin to imagine a white or golden light about six inches above your head. If you feel this ball of light wants to take on a specific color, go with it.

• Imagine a beam of white light from the universe zooming down to meet your soul star chakra. Once the beam of light connects to your soul star chakra imagine it growing brighter with every breath.

• Ask to be connected to your soul star chakra. If you work with any guides or angels this is a good time to call on their support.

• If you feel called to, repeat the mantra “I am divine light” or “I am love” during the meditation.

• Once you feel connected to your soul star chakra imagine the light from it radiating to the rest of your chakras balancing them and restoring them.

• Close this meditation slowly and thoughtfully by imagining the white light slowly retreating back to the universe. You can continue to envision your soul star chakra glowing above your head throughout your day.

Practice this meditation a few times, or until you feel comfortable, before asking to be shown information about your past lives or karmic history.

Have a healthy crown chakra

Because your soul star chakra links directly to your crown chakra it’s important to ensure that your crown chakra is healthy and balanced. If your crown chakra is blocked you may have a difficult time accessing your soul star chakra. Feeling stuck? Check out this blog post to find out if your crown chakra needs some attention.

Want to learn more about the basic chakra system? Understanding Chakras Book offers tools and information about your chakras.

3 Ways to Use The Ritual Deck

The Ritual Deck is here! Here are tips and tools you can use to jump in and start using your deck as soon as you receive it. Update 2022: The original Ritual Deck is currently discontinued but we’re working on having a similar version eventually!

Ritual has the power to ground you, help you manifest your desires, and unlock your intuitive abilities. I created this deck to help you tap into the power of ritual on a regular basis without needing to purchase several supplies.
There are three main ways to use The Ritual Deck.

1. As a traditional oracle card deck for regular guidance from the cards.

2. Unique card spreads designed specifically for performing the rituals you need most.

3. The cards themselves act as energetic stand-ins for ritual, perfect for spell work or placing on your altar.

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I’m going to share a few ways to start using your deck here but keep in mind, The Ritual Deck comes with a robust guidebook that goes into greater detail on all three of these methods. The guidebook includes much more than I can offer here in one blog post! Beyond the guidebook, this deck is incredibly versatile, and I’m sure you’ll be able to find more uses than what is outlined in the guidebook.

Oracle Card Pulls with The Ritual Deck

First and foremost The Ritual Deck is an oracle card deck. Use it for daily card pulls to receive a message for the day or bigger oracle card spreads to find guidance on more significant questions you may have.

The triad card spreads outlined in the guidebook is a common one for oracle card decks because it has so many applications. Apply the triad card spread to any of the situations you’d like more guidance on:

Steps to perform a triad card spread:

1. Hold the cards in your hands and focus on your question.

2. Shuffle your cards.

3. Call in any guides, Gods, or Goddesses you work with to help (optional).

4. Turn over the top three cards in a straight line or in a “v” shape as pictured below. The “v” shape indicates that you’d like to bring more feminine energy into your reading.

5. Apply the chart above to your three cards and reference the guidebook for more information on each card you selected.

As an example, let’s pretend that your question is, “What is holding me back from my goal to find a new job?”. The first card represents your desire to find a new job, the second card represents what might be blocking you, and the last card references how your problem may culminate. You’d then be able to dig deeper into the meaning of each card in the guidebook.

Card Spreads for Ritual with The Ritual Deck

The Ritual Deck offers several unique spreads specifically based around rituals that can help you balance your chakras, follow the phases of the moon, balance the five elements within you or your space, and more. Here are the steps for practicing the five-element card spread.

The five elements are energies within you and outside of you that can help you feel more balanced. They can also be used to bring in a specific kind of energy you’re seeking. For example, if you’re trying to accomplish a goal on a short deadline you may want to bring in more of the fire element.

To perform the element card spread follow these steps:

Place the earth card North, the air card East, the fire card South, the water card West, and the spirit card in the center.

Next, use the correspondences on the bottom of the cards to sort the cards by element. For example, all of the cards with a correspondence of water will go in a pile together.

Place each pile on top of its corresponding element, shuffle the cards, and place them face down.

Starting with the top earth element card pile select a card. This will be the ritual you perform to balance your earth element. Continue around the circle selecting one card from each pile until you end in the center at the spirit element.

This card spread can be modified for just one element, and you can decide to pull as many ritual cards from each pile as you’d like! Space your rituals out over a few days, trying to do all of them at once may be overwhelming.

There are similar card spreads outlined in the guidebook for balancing your chakras and performing rituals for every moon phase.

Using Your Cards as Energetic Stand-Ins

Your mind is a powerful tool. By believing that these cards carry the same capacity as the actual objects, they will. I do not mean to discredit the power of real crystals and tools — they are potent healers that I use and adore, but it may not be convenient or possible to find all of the physical tools you need in a given moment for a ritual. That’s why I created this deck: to provide you with the tools you need to perform regular rituals and be transformed by them.

For example, if you’re trying to bring more feminine energy into your daily practice you could place these three cards on your altar as reminders.

Or, if you’re performing a manifesting ritual and need specific tools to perform a spell or ritual, you can use cards that align with manifesting as stand-ins rather than acquiring several different physical objects.

I hope you enjoy these tips for getting started with your deck! Of course, if you have any questions about using your deck you can contact us. Click here to read a blog post all about chakra readings with The Ritual Deck.

The Spiritual Side of Boundary Setting + 4 Steps to Help You Set Boundaries

Many of us, especially women, have been taught to give and give and give without question. Over time, as you probably know, this becomes exhausting and depleting. You might already have strong boundaries, or maybe you’re realizing just now that you really need to set them, but you’re afraid. If you’ve been waiting for a permission slip to create more boundaries in your life, consider this it.

You are a powerful being, and you get to decide what is and is not acceptable to you in your life (if reading that gave you a strong reaction, check out this post for tips to connect with your authentic power). You are allowed to take up space. You are allowed to speak up and stand up for yourself. This is the spiritual work of boundary setting.

Boundaries are an important way of setting the terms for how it is and isn’t okay for other people to interact with you, and on an energetic level, they’re a way of protecting your own energy.

Because spiritual work isn’t all pretty all the time. Sometimes it’s the deep, unglamorous work of digging into the roots of your heart and seeing what you truly need, and then telling people that no, you won’t answer their DMs, or no, you won’t do free work anymore, or no, you can’t hold energetic support for them at this moment because you simply have nothing left to give.

I saw Gabby Bernstein live last year, and during the Q&A portion of the night a woman went up to the mic and told Gabby that she was feeling so spiritual these days— so spiritual, in fact, that all she wanted to do was lock herself in her room and meditate and read spiritual books. She said she was starting to resent her life— her kids, her work, her husband— for taking her out of that.

Gabby said, “Here’s what you don’t yet understand: your life is your spiritual practice.”

That’s always stood out to me. Meditating, ritual, yoga, tarot, all of the things we love— they can all be part of your spiritual practice. But they’re not THE spiritual practice. Your spiritual practice is how you treat people, how you treat yourself, how you move in the world, how you set boundaries.

And since we’re always evolving and growing, our boundaries are always evolving, too.

Scroll down for some tips on how to set clear boundaries.

Figure out what your boundaries are

How do you know which boundaries need to be set? How do you know when a boundary has been violated?

Practice checking in with your feelings. Boundary violations may manifest as making you feel powerless, confused, drained, disassociated, angry, or upset. When you feel that way, take an honest look and ask yourself why?

Did someone treat you in a way that’s unacceptable to you? Did you perform free emotional labor that’s leaving you drained? Are you speaking to yourself in a way that’s hurtful?

Dig in and look at why you may struggle to set boundaries

Try these journaling questions:

• What did I learn as a child about the importance of being liked, going with the flow, and saying yes?

• What did I learn as a child about saying and hearing “no?”

• What am I afraid will happen if I set and stick with clear boundaries?

Open your throat chakra

The state of your throat chakra is heavily associated with your ability to set and communicate clear boundaries. When your throat chakra is blocked, you might be afraid to stand up for yourself and be seen or fear being judged for the boundaries you set. Get seven ways to balance your throat chakra here.

Communicate clearly

Once you’ve done the work in steps 1-3, this step should come more easily. Just remember when you’re communicating your boundaries to stand firm. You can speak your boundaries with love and compassion without apologizing, feeling guilty, or making them feel optional. Be as clear, honest, and direct as you can.

Remember, you have to set that boundary clearly with yourself before you can communicate it to anyone else.

You’ve heard it before but I’ll say it again: saying no creates the space for your big YES to come in—whether that’s relationships with people who treat you well, a job that fulfills your soul, or something else. Setting boundaries aren’t just about saying no, it’s about saying YES to only the things that feel good to you and light your soul up.

What’s your relationship with boundary setting? Now’s a perfect time to take a look!

How to Balance Your Throat Chakra & Know When It's Blocked

When your throat chakra, Visuddha, is balanced, you’re able to speak your authentic truth from a place of love. You set loving and firm boundaries, and stick by them. You’re able to find your voice and share your unique gifts with the world. You trust that what needs to come through you will come, and you don’t get stuck in self-judgment or self-doubt wondering if you should or shouldn’t say something.

So many of us get blocked at our throat chakra. When your throat chakra is blocked, it may show up as:

• Holding back from saying what you’re thinking and feeling

• Not standing up for yourself

• Not having strong boundaries

• Being afraid to be seen for who you are

• Having a sore throat, neck pain, or hoarseness in your throat

• Fear of being judged for what you say

• Having trouble listening to others

• Always needing to have the last word

Scroll down to look through some simple tips for opening your throat chakra.

Featured card from The Ritual Deck

Yoga Poses

Any yoga pose that stretches your throat is going to be really opening for Visuddha. Try one of my favorites below!

Upward-facing dog

Lift your chin and breathe deeply into your throat space. Try holding this pose for a few breaths instead of just flowing through it on your way from plank to downward facing dog.

Heart-to-Earth pose

Try heart-to-earth pose coming onto your chin instead of your forehead. This is a really deep stretch, so have blocks or blankets nearby to help you if you need them!

Camel pose

If your neck is healthy, try releasing your head instead of keeping your chin tucked. Bring your awareness to your breath flowing through your throat, dissolving any blockages.

Crystals

Working with crystals can be a beautiful tonic for your throat chakra. Try laying on your back and placing one of these crystals on your throat, sleeping with them by your pillow, or simply meditating holding one of them in your non-dominant hand.

• Sodalite to help you express yourself, set boundaries, and grow your self-worth and self-esteem

• Celestite to promote peace and soothe anxiety

• Lapis lazuli to help you communicate effectively

Scents

Plants are here for us as medicine, so let’s use them. Pick your favorite essential oil (or two, or three!) from the list below and diffuse it, make a rollerball to use on your skin, or put drops in your bath.

• Jasmine for greater communication

• Clary sage to allow energy to flow more freely through your body

• Cypress for transformation and renewal

• Eucalyptus to promote inner freedom and expansiveness

Work with Tarot Archetypes

Queen of Swords and King of Swords can be your inspiration for opening your throat chakra. The Queen of Swords helps you do the inner work you need to understand why your throat chakra is blocked, and the King of Swords reminds you that you do have something unique to share and that what you have to offer can only come through you.Try this Queen of Swords inspired tarot spread to help you understand why you might be energetically blocked in this area:

• What am I afraid will happen if I speak my truth?

• The wound or shadow underneath this blockage

• Advice for healing this blockage

• Why am I afraid to set boundaries?

• The wound or shadow underneath this blockage

• Advice for healing this blockage

• Mantra for working with the throat chakra

Journal about anything that comes up for you as you pull these cards. Place the Queen of Swords and King of Swords on your altar to remind you to speak your truth.

Meditate

I find that the heart chakra and throat chakra are so connected. If your heart space is closed, you’ll feel disconnected from your truth and not even sure what boundaries need to be set, so how can you speak your truth and set boundaries?

Try coming to a comfortable seat, closing your eyes, and placing one hand on your heart and one hand on your throat. Send your breath to your heart space, simply visualizing it arriving there and filling your entire heart with prana, life force energy.

When your heart feels full, begin to send your breath to your throat. Visualize your breath flooding this area, dissolving any blockages with love. Continue breathing into your throat space for as long as you feel you need.

You can also use this guided meditation to balance your throat chakra

Affirmations & Mantras

The bija mantra for the throat chakra is ham (pronounced “hum”). Try chanting that mantra, silently or out loud (out loud is super powerful!), or work with one of the affirmations below:

• I speak my truth with love

• I set firm boundaries easily

• I clearly state my needs

• My truth is love

• I speak my feelings easily

• I claim and honor my truth

• I release judgment over what I did or didn’t say

Play with Color

The color associated with the throat chakra is blue. Try incorporating this color into your life more! Some ideas to spark your creativity:

• Paint with different shades of blue

• Eat blue foods such as blueberries, blackberries, and plums

• Write in a blue journal with a blue pen

• Light blue candles

• Wear blue clothing

7 Tips for Psychic Protection

Once you open yourself up to working on your psychic abilities you’ll probably notice that you’re more in tune with subtle energies all around you. This is great most of the time but can also be troublesome when it’s negative or unwelcomed energy.

When you’re honing your psychic abilities it’s important that you learn ways to cleanse yourself after challenging psychic work, ground yourself, and protect yourself from unwanted energies.

In fact, you should perform some sort of psychic protection ritual anytime you perform an intuitive or psychic act. Leaving yourself so open may be seen as a welcome mat for negative energy and spirits.

I’m going to share simple and effective techniques with you so you’re able to protect yourself in a way that won’t block you off from all the positive effects of your newfound psychic abilities!

First, let’s cover some clues to know if you’ve ever experienced any negative side effects from doing psychic work. Keep reading for some common signs.

Have you experienced negative side effects from performing psychic work?

It’s true that there are many reasons you could experience the symptoms below. To be sure it was from practicing your psychic abilities, pay attention to your mood and emotional status on days you’ve been performing any psychic work.

• You feel anxious, nervous, or restless like you can’t focus on anything. This may indicate that you need to ground yourself more before practicing psychic work.

• You feel a heavy cloud of negativity for no reason at all that you can’t shake. This could mean that you picked up some negative energy from a lower-level spirit while performing psychic work.

• You feel a wave or attack of pessimistic thoughts about yourself. This might mean you’ve left yourself too open and receptive to others and are experiencing a psychic attack. People can knowingly or unknowingly psychically attack you.

• You’re receiving messages all the time and feel distracted and overwhelmed by them. This indicates that you need to learn techniques to better control when and how you receive psychic information. If you’re empathic, you likely identify with this!

How to protect yourself during psychic work

Shield Meditation

Create a psychic shield around yourself before practicing any psychic work or at the start of each day. If you’re very sensitive to the thoughts and energy of others you’ll find this tool very helpful! One popular meditation shielding technique is a white light meditation.To perform a white light shielding meditation, sit, close your eyes, get comfortable, and begin by focusing on your breath. Imagine your crown chakra (located right above your head) bright, white, and growing bigger with every breath. Next, imagine a cord of light stretching from your crown chakra out of your room, and out into the stars above you. With each inhale imagine light from this cord coming to your crown chakra and with each exhale visualize this white light creating a glowing white shield around your body. Continue this meditation until your shield is complete. You can visualize your shield anytime throughout the day as a reminder that you’re protected.

Crystals

There are a variety of protective stones available to you. The most effective are usually dark or black in color. Try having one near any time you practice psychic work or simply carry one around with you throughout your day for added protection. Here’s a short list of some of the most effective protective stones:

• Fire Agate: This stone is especially helpful at shielding you from negative thoughts from others and psychic attacks.

• Black Tourmaline: This stone is helpful at blocking negative energy of all kinds, it is also very grounding.

• Hematite: This stone is great for protecting and balancing your auric field. It is especially helpful for empaths and psychics who feel other people’s energy.

• Obsidian & snowflake obsidian: This stone does wonders for releasing and letting go of negative thoughts and energy. This stone will come in handy if you’ve picked up negative energy from a darker spirit and you’re having a hard time getting rid of it.

Salt

Cleanse, practice, repeat! Cleansing the energy of yourself and your workspace is key while doing psychic work and salt is a super simple and powerful protector and cleanser. Like I mentioned above, by opening yourself up, you may also be opening yourself up to some lower-level energy.Here are a few ways to use salt as a protective and cleansing tool:

• Create a mixture of salt and water to spray around the perimeter of your home and around yourself.

• You can also just sprinkle some salt around your house, this doesn’t work as well for cleansing yourself though!

• Cleanse your psychic tools (oracle cards, tarot cards, pendulum, etc.) in a bowl of salt (no water for this one!) every once in a while to keep them energetically sound.

• Take a salt bath! This is not only relaxing but will help wash away any negative vibes you’ve picked up.

Recruit the help of your favorite angels, guides & deities

This is a super powerful psychic protection technique that’s often overlooked. Your guides, angels, and beloved deities are always at the ready to help and protect you, but you have to ask! Place a picture or a reminder of some kind of your guides, favorite angles, or respected deities in your workspace, this will serve as a reminder to call upon them for assistance and protection during psychic work.

Ground yourself

One issue with honing your psychic abilities is that you may start to feel flighty and restless like you don’t belong here on the physical plane. Bad news, you’re still needed here and you can’t take off just yet! If you feel like your head is in the clouds call upon the nurturing and protective energy of Gaia after opening yourself up psychically. Click here to check out a previous blog post with lots of tips for getting grounded.

Cleansing Smoke

There are a variety of plants and herbs that can help cleanse your space and yourself. Bonus, some of them smell great too! Giving yourself a quick smoke bath in your favorite cleansing herb is a great way to “wash off” any residual negative energy from something you picked up while out or during a psychic reading. Click here to learn more about making your own cleansing smoke stick and which herbs are best suited for protection.

Prayer, mantra & positive affirmations

Super simple but very powerful, this is another protection technique that is often overlooked. The simple act of taking a few quiet moments to recite a prayer of protection can go a long way. Similar to asking your guides and angels for help, simply speaking it aloud and asking for what you need will help a lot. Here are some suggested mantras and positive affirmation to use during psychic work:

• I am safe and protected.

• I am surrounded by white protective light.

• I open myself up to only the highest beings of love and light.

• My guides and angels are always protecting me.

Try a variety of these tools out to know which ones work best for you. You might find that all seven bring some extra brightness into your day!