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. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

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. 

Meditations for Each Moon Phase + Free Guided Meditation

There are so many ways to tune into Mother Moon. But did you know, there’s a powerful tool you can use to align yourself with lunar energy that requires nothing more than your mind?

Meditation is the ultimate tool to tap into the cycles and energy of the moon. 

Meditation grants you the opportunity to shift your energy on a deep level. During meditation, you can visualize and experience your desires on a physical and energetic level in a way that produces real change. Now, line these powerful energetic shifts up with Mama Moon, and you’ve got some real magick. 

In this post, I’m going to breakdown meditation techniques for the five primary moon phases, including the new moon, waxing moon, full moon, waning moon, and dark moon. 

I include a free guided meditation for the waning moon that you can get access to here. To purchase guided meditations for all five moon phases, click here. 

For each moon meditation, I offer you a meditation script, a suggested mantra, and a list of optional tools. Please, don’t feel like you can’t perform these meditations without the optional tools! Your mind is incredibly powerful, and the meditations alone will have a powerful effect on your energy and intentions. 

Keep in mind; you don’t have to perform these meditations at night, when the moon is out. Feel free to perform your moon meditations any time of the day during the moon phase. Just like the stars in astrology, the effects of the moon can be felt even when it’s not visible. As above, so below. 

New Moon Meditation

The new moon is a time to cleanse, prepare, have hope, and be open. The new moon invites you to welcome fresh energy and be aware of guidance and direction. One of the best ways to tune into the energy of the new moon is, you guessed it, meditation. When you quiet your mind, you enable yourself to tune into the flow of information from your guides, higher self, and the universe. It’s within the realm of spirit that you can receive guidance.

New moon card featured from The Ritual Deck

The meditation for the new moon is all about cleansing your energy and allowing yourself to receive guidance from spirit. The new moon is less about taking action and more about tuning into your highest truth and receiving guidance. 

New Moon Mantra: My energy is clear, and I am open to receiving guidance. 

New Moon Optional Tools: Selenite wand, white candle, cleansing herbs like cedar or rosemary. 

New Moon Meditation: 

• Sit in a chair or on the ground with your spine upright.

• Say aloud: New moon, I ask you to help cleanse and clear away any energy no longer serving me. 

• Quiet your mind, and become aware of your breath.

• Start sending each inhale deep into your belly. 

• Begin extending your inhales, and your exhales. 

• Visualize white cleansing light coming from the new moon softly surrounding your body. 

• Imagine that this white cleansing energy is gently clearing away energy no longer serving you. 

• Continue to focus on your breath and imagine the cleansing energy cleansing your aura for a few minutes. 

• When you feel that your energy has been cleansed, thank the new moon. 

• Say aloud: New moon, I ask that you and my guides share guidance with me about what I should focus on this lunar cycle. 

• Continue to focus on your breath. 

• Be open and receptive to information that may come to you.

• Trust any sensations you experience as truth.

• Continue to focus on your breath. 

• Stay in this receptive space for as long as you’d like. 

• Thank the moon and your guides for any information they shared with you. 

• Release any control of your breath.

• Open your eyes, connect with your body, and jot down any information you received. 

Waxing Moon Meditation

The waxing moon invites you to grow and take action. While the new moon is focused on receiving guidance, this phase beckons you to act on the information you received during the new moon phase. The lively energy of the waxing moon intensifies as it nears closer to the full moon. The waxing moon phase includes the waxing crescent, the first quarter moon, and the waxing gibbous moon phases.

Moon cards featured from The Ritual Deck.

The meditation for the waxing moon focuses on activating your energy center and solar plexus chakra. This is a great time to focus on completing tasks you’ve been putting off or finishing a difficult project. With the combination of the wave of energy from the waxing moon and your internal energy, you will be unstoppable at accomplishing your goals.  

Waxing Moon Mantra: I have everything I need to accomplish my desires.  

Waxing Moon Optional Tools: Tiger’s eye, sunstone, or citrine, a yellow candle, and a spicy cup of tea (chai is a great option).

Waxing Moon Meditation: 

• Sit in a chair or on the ground with your spine upright. 

• Say aloud: Growing moon, I ask you to spark a fire within me to give me all of the energy and wisdom I need to accomplish my goals. 

• Quiet your mind, and become aware of your breath.

• Start sending each inhale deep into your belly. 

• Begin extending your inhales, and your exhales. 

• Visualize a golden yellow light coming from the moon and connecting with your solar plexus region (below your sternum and above your belly button). Visualize this light sparking a fire within your solar plexus area. With every inhale, the fire and the golden light grow bigger and brighter. 

• Begin the breath of fire to move this energy throughout your body. The breath of fire is conducted by taking a sharp and fast inhale followed by a quick and forceful exhale. You should see your low belly moving up and down for this breath. If you feel lightheaded at any point, stop the breath of fire. 

• As you breathe, visualize the golden yellow energy flowing throughout your body. 

• Complete three rounds of 30-60 breaths of fire

• Release all control over your breath and allow your breath to return to its normal state. 

• Say aloud: Growing moon, I ask that you give my signs over the coming days to indicate that I am taking the right action.  

• Continue to focus on your breath. 

• Be open and receptive to information that may come to you.

• Trust any sensations you experience as truth.

• Continue to focus on your breath. 

• Stay in this receptive space for as long as you’d like. 

• Thank the moon for its energy.

• Release any control of your breath.

• Open your eyes, connect with your body, and jot down any information you received. 

Full Moon Meditation

The full moon is a time of celebration, fulfillment, and gratitude. Even if you haven’t reached your goals, the full moon invites you to pause and celebrate all of the abundance you do have in your life. The full moon is also an ideal time to perform magick work of all kinds as it is the most potent moon phase and affects us the most.

The full moon card is featured from The Ritual Deck

The moon is completely full for about a minute. Aside from this one minute of total fullness, the moon is either at its peak waxing or waning phase. These peak phases are the most potent times for action or release. You can read more about waxing vs. waning lunar energy here. This is something to keep in mind during this meditation, as it may change the time and purpose you decide to use this meditation for. 

Full Moon Mantra: I am grateful for all that has come, and all that is still coming to me.   

Full Moon Optional Tools: Rainbow, white, or peach moonstone, purple candle, dried mugwort. 

Full Moon Meditation: 

• Sit in a chair or on the ground with your spine upright.

• Say aloud: Full moon, I ask you to fill me with gratitude and reveal the magick all around me. 

• Quiet your mind, and become aware of your breath.

• Start sending each inhale deep into your belly. 

• Begin extending your inhales, and your exhales. 

• Visualize the bright white light of the full moon bathing you in sparkling white light. 

• Bring something to mind that you’re grateful for. Allow yourself to experience your gratitude fully. Continue bringing things to mind that you are grateful for. 

• Sit in this place of gratitude for as long as you’d like and continue to focus on your breath and the sparkling light of the full moon. 

• You can stay in this place of gratitude for the remainder of the meditation or continue and connect with spirit. 

• Say aloud: Full moon, I ask that you help me open up to the spirit realm. 

• Continue to focus on your breath. 

• Be open and receptive to information that may come to you.

• Trust any sensations you experience as truth.

• Continue to focus on your breath. 

• Stay in this receptive space for as long as you’d like. 

• Thank the moon and any spirit guides for any information they shared with you. 

• Release any control of your breath.

• Open your eyes, connect with your body, and jot down any information you received. 

Waning Moon Meditation

The waning moon invites you to release anything that’s no longer serving you and accept your current situation as is. This energy may also require you to reevaluate your previous desire and let go of any expectations you might have or control of your current situation. Download my free waning moon meditation here.

Last quarter moon card featured from The Ritual Deck.

The waning moon is a potent reminder that The Universe doesn’t always work on our timeline. Things might look or feel out of control, but it all has a purpose. Beyond the harsher side of letting go, the waxing moon has a soft side of acceptance of what is. Though this phase might seem quite active, it is actually more passive. I invite you to imagine waves gently removing what needs to go. Love and accept everything that remains. 

Waning Moon Mantra: I release what no longer serves me and accept myself as I am. 

 Waning Moon Optional Tools: Obsidian, rose quartz, black candle, and cedar.

Waning Moon Meditation: 

• Sit in a chair or on the ground with your spine upright.

• Say aloud: Waning moon, I ask you to show me what needs to go and what needs to stay. 

• Quiet your mind, and become aware of your breath.

• Start sending each inhale deep into your belly. 

• Begin extending your inhales, and your exhales. 

• Visualize a soft pink light coming down from the waning moon and weaving all around you. Imagine that this soft pink light is whisking away any stagnant energy, old beliefs, or cords connected to other people that are no longer serving you. Imagine it’s sending anything it takes from you down into the Earth to be transformed into useful energy for someone else. 

• Some things might stay that you want to go and that’s ok. 

• Imagine this soft pink light is now surrounding you like a soft cloud of love. 

• Say aloud: Waning moon, I ask you to help me love and accept myself where I am right now.

• Continue to focus on your breath. 

• Be open and receptive to receiving love and acceptance. 

• Trust any sensations you experience as truth.

• Continue to focus on your breath. 

• Stay in this loving space for as long as you’d like. 

• Thank the moon for the release and love that it shared with you. 

• Release any control of your breath.

• Open your eyes, connect with your body, and jot down any information you received. 

Dark Moon Meditation

The dark moon is a time of rest, integration, and restoration. This moon phase beckons you to do very little. This is a time to reflect on everything that transpired during this moon cycle so you can integrate it into your being. Without proper integration, cycles will continue to be repeated. 

Dark moon cared featured from The Ritual Deck.

The dark moon phase happens right before the new moon when the moon isn’t visible in the night sky. You can learn more about the difference between the dark moon and the new moon here. 

Dark Moon Mantra: I am allowed to rest. Rest is necessary for growth.

Dark Moon Optional Tools: black tourmaline, blue or black candle, dried lavender. 

Dark Moon Meditation: 

• Sit in a chair or on the ground with your spine upright. 

• Say aloud: Dark Moon, I ask you to guide me to deep rest so that I can integrate everything that has happened. 

• Quiet your mind, and become aware of your breath.

• Start sending each inhale deep into your belly. 

• Begin extending your inhales, and your exhales. 

• Visualize a dark blue sparkling light coming from the dark moon and meeting you at the top of your head. Imagine that this blue energy is warm and heavy. Visualize the energy gently touch each part of your body, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes, covering you like a warm blanket. 

• Notice thoughts that come up and ask if they need anything to be resolved. You may have thoughts and feelings that come up that will require you to purge emotions. Let your emotions come and go as they need. 

• Say aloud: Dark Moon, I ask that you help me experience the light and shadow of any emotions that come up. 

• Continue to focus on the breath and the warm blanket of energy from the moon. 

• Stay in this receptive space for as long as you’d like. 

• Thank the moon for its comfort and restoration. 

• Release any control of your breath.

• Open your eyes, connect with your body, and jot down any information you received. 

The phases of the moon can be used as a guide to manifest, trust, release, connect, and rest. Each phase offers you a reminder to tune into different kinds of energy and different aspects of your life. Meditation is a powerful way to put this energy into practice. 

If you’d like to learn more about working with lunar energy, you can check out lots of free content from our blog here or purchase my Meditate with the Moon bundle of guided meditations here.  

Energy Clearing 101 // For You & Your Home

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

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

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

Why is Energy Clearing Important?

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

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

Energy Cleansing Process

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

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

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

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

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

Salt

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

• Take a salt bath

• Sprinkle dry salt around the edges of your house

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

Card featured from the Ritual Deck

Smoke & Herbs

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

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

Herbs and resin for energy clearing: 

• Rosemary

• Thyme

• Peppermint

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

• Frankincense resin

• Copal resin

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

Candles

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

Crystals

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

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

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

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

Sound

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

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

• Tuning forks

• Gongs

• Chimes

• Chanting 

• Singing bowls

• Online frequencies (free and paid versions are available)

Learn more about sound healing here.

Your Energy and Energy from a Higher Power

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

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

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

6 Ways to Align Yourself with the Energy of Imbolc

Imbolc is a sabbat on the Wheel of the Year that happens on February 1st.

At Imbolc, the Earth is beginning to wake up and we celebrate the approaching return of spring. We are through the hardest and darkest part of the winter, and we begin to prepare ourselves to direct our energy outwards again in the lighter part of the year to come.

The word Imbolc means “in the belly” - offering us the promise of hope, renewal, of the awakening of the Earth again. 

Imbolc is also deeply associated with the Celtic triple goddess Brigid and her sacred flame. Brigid was one of the most powerful and most loved goddesses in Ireland, and she is the goddess of healing, poetry, and smithcraft. She is associated with the hearth, fire, the home, and water. At Imbolc, as the Earth reawakens, Brigid is said to be in her maiden aspect. 

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing some ways to align yourself with the sacred energy of Imbolc. Keep scrolling to read them!Page featured from The Goddess Discovery Book V2.

Page featured from The Goddess Discovery Book V2.

1. SPRING CLEANING

Imbolc is a beautiful time to clear some space for the new beginnings to come - physically, emotionally, and energetically. This could mean literally cleaning your home and donating things you no longer use, or it could be about letting go of an unhealthy pattern, belief system, or even identity. Whatever it is for you, it’s time to clear space in order to plant seeds for spring.

2. HONOR BRIGHID 

Honor the goddess Brigid in whatever ways feel good to you. Writing poetry, reading poetry, and making something with your hands are all beautiful, tangible ways to honor Brigid. You could also sit in meditation and ask Brigid to come to visit you and share messages with you.You can read more about Brigid in this blog post.

3. CONNECT WITH FIRE

As I mentioned above, this sabbat is deeply associated with fire, the sun, and the sacred flame that burns within. You might connect with fire by going outside during the day and sitting in the sun, lighting candles or burning a fire in your fireplace, meditating on the sacred flame within, or doing a fiery movement practice to open your solar plexus. Find a journey to fire here. 

Card featured from The Ritual Deck. 

4. CREATE AN ALTAR

Create a fresh altar with items and symbols that invoke new beginnings, hope, fire, and awakening. Some suggestions:

• Seeds 

• A Brighid cross (click here to learn how to make one)

• Fertility symbolism 

• Blackberry

• Tiger’s eye, citrine, or carnelian crystals 

• An image of Brigid - print one out or use her card from a goddess oracle deck if you have one 

• White and red candles

• Frankincense or dragon’s blood incense 

• A bowl of water 

As always with building altars, get creative and use your intuition!

5. TAP INTO YOUR INNER MAIDEN

Brighid is said to be in her maiden aspect at Imbolc, so we’re all invited to tap into our inner maiden. Connect with the young part of you that is playful, that believes in magic, that has a vivid imagination. Let yourself embody creation, pleasure, and desire - whatever that means to you.

6. PREPARE FOR SPRING

If you haven’t been resting through winter and really sinking into the winter invitation of sacred solitude, this is your last opportunity to connect with this energy. If you have been resting and feel excited about spring, preparing for spring could mean starting to plan, organize, and align yourself to set some strong foundations for spring growth.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Wishing you a beautiful Imbolc, goddesses! You can find more rituals for Imbolc here and meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.

Understanding Waxing VS Waning Lunar Energy + How They Relate to Full Moons

The moon’s influence over the tides serves as a constant reminder of its continuous push and pull of energy. Each phase of the moon imparts a specific kind of energy onto you and any magickal workings you perform. When we zoom out and take a more straightforward look at lunar energy, we can understand it as expansive vs. contracting energy.

I’ve been sharing an annual moon phase calendar with my newsletter subscribers for the past five years. One of the most common questions I receive is how to use the moon phase calendar. This simplest and most effective way, in my belief, is to weave the waxing and waning energy of the phases into your life. 

It can feel overwhelming to keep track of every single moon phase and its ever-changing astrological sign. Working with each phase (new, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, etc.) is more nuanced but isn’t necessary to fully benefit from the effects of lunar energy. 

In a busy world where self-care is shouted from the rooftops, shouldn’t we be finding ways to connect with ourselves and nature in easier ways? Rather than skipping the ritual or the meditation because it seems like "too much"” I want to offer you easy methods to honor lunar energy. 

Cards featured from The Ritual Deck.

Waxing Energy Vs. Waning Energy

When we break down lunar energy into its purest forms, we have waxing energy and waning energy. Waxing energy is in alignment with growth, expansion, and abundance. Waning energy is in alignment with releasing, surrendering, and resting. 

When does the waxing phase happen?

The waxing phase of the moon cycle begins at the new moon and ends at the peak of the moon’s fullness. 

When does the waning phase happen?

The waning phase begins the moment the moon starts decreasing in light and ends at the dark moon. If you’d like some clarity about the dark moon vs. the new moon, check out this previous blog post I shared. 

Waxing Moon Energy Correspondences

• Elements: Fire and Air

• Yang 

• Action

• Growth

• Abundance 

• Celebration

• Accumulation

• Seeking

• Motivation

WaningMoon Energy Correspondences

• Elements: Water and Earth

• Yin

• Passive

• Releasing

• Letting go

• Surrender

• Acceptance

• Peace

• Review

• Integration

• Reflection

• Rest

Working With Waxing & Waning Energy Daily

Once you begin working with the phases of the moon in this way, you’ll likely feel more in tune with her energy. Rather than looking up the specific dates for each new moon and full moon, you’ll be in flow with the entire cycle of mama moon. You may begin to feel so in sync with her energy that you instinctively recognize waxing vs. waning energy on a soul level. 

In my practice, I rely on the energy of the waxing or waning moon for basic decisions throughout my day. Throughout my day, I may decide to do or not do certain things based on the moon being in a waxing or waning phase. 

Aid in Decision Making 

When faced with the decision to push forward or let it go, notice what moon phase you’re in for guidance. If you’re in a waxing phase, push on; if you’re in a waning phase, consider letting it go. This idea can be applied to interactions with people, manifesting work, and projects. Of course, there are times when you may not have the option to “let go” of a project that genuinely needs to get finished. If you’re in a waning moon phase and really need to complete something, you can still make a mental shift to let go of expectations and desired outcomes. It’s a subtle but powerful shift.

Burning Candles

Candle magick is one of the easiest ways to shift your energy. When you align it with lunar energy, it is even more potent. When I say “candle magick” in regards to daily energy work, I simply mean lighting a colored candle that’s in alignment with lunar energy, that’s it!

Candle colors that align with waxing energy: white, red, yellow, orange, green, gold

Candle colors that align with waning energy: black, blue, purple, pink, brown, silver

Here’s an example of how to apply this to a real-life situation. If you’re trying to bring more financial abundance into your life and it’s a waxing moon phase, light a green candle to expand your wealth, if it’s a waning moon phase, light a blue candle to bring in a sense of peace and acceptance around your desire to increase your financial abundance. 

Adding and Clearing Energy

When you get in tune with the cycle of the moon, you may find that you enjoy cleansing the energy of yourself and your space more during the waning moon phase. Because the energy of the waning moon is associated with releasing, clearing, and letting go, it will amplify your desires to cleanse and purify. Alternatively, if you feel the need to add energy to yourself or your space, the waxing moon phase will be in better alignment. 

Wearing specific crystals

One of my favorite ways to stay in sync with waxing and waning energy is to wear specific gemstones that are in alignment with the current energy of the moon. Here's a list of crystals that align with waxing vs. waning energy.

Waxing Moon Crystals: citrine, tiger's eye, green moss agate, sunstone, pyrite, sodalite, lapis lazuli, green aventurine, garnet, rainbow moonstone, turquoise, fluorite, kyanite, carnelian, and malachite.

Waning Moon Crystals: obsidian, snowflake obsidian, hematite, black tourmaline, rose quartz, smoky quartz, rhodonite, prehnite, larimar, black moonstone, onyx, jasper, labradorite, and bloodstone.

Full Moons & Waxing and Waning Energy

The different energy associated with the waxing vs. the waning phases of the moon is especially relevant for the full moon. The full moon is the most intense point of the lunar cycle, so understanding the waning vs. the waxing side of it is really helpful! The full moon can be broken down into three parts, waxing side of the full moon, 100% lumination (which only happens for about one minute!), and waning side of the full moon. If you are going to perform a more in-depth ritual, knowing which side of the full moon to perform it on will add a very intense and specific kind of energy to your ritual. 

I hope this breakdown of waxing vs. waning lunar energy helps you feel more confident in your ability to connect with the moon daily! You can find more in-depth rituals to work with lunar energy in the blog posts below:

• How to Journal with the Moon Phases + 10 Journal Prompts

• Meditations for Each Moon Phase + Free Guided Meditation

• 4 Rituals for the Waning Moon + Card Spread

• Rituals for Every Moon Phase // Free Printable Moon Cards

• New Moon Card Spread

• Yoga, Mantra, Pranayama for the Full Moon

• More Full Moon Suggestions

• Three Dark Moon Rituals

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. 

","resolvedBy":"manual","title":"","url":"","hSize":null,"floatDir":null}" data-block-type="22" id="block-9f0189acdb4bb10bfbb9">

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. 

The Moon as Shadow Work // How Aligning with the Moon Invites Shadow Work and Tips to Make Lunar Work a Daily Practice

The moon comes after walking through the tower and the renewed spark of inspiration from the star in the tarot. The moon serves as a portal between worlds, sitting in between the star and the sun. The star is the inspiring rebirth and the sun is the ego-self, shining bright. But in between them, the moon shows up to call you inward. It's an invitation to explore everything that's come to pass at the subconscious level.

It's within this portal that shadow work comes in, which could go by so many other names: soul work, subconscious work, "dark night of the soul," or emotional exploration, etc. Shadow work calls you in to peel away the surface and explore the parts of yourself that you often ignore, hide, or push away. 

Listen to this post on my podcast, Rooting into Wholeness, below.

","resolvedBy":"manual","title":"","url":"","hSize":null,"floatDir":null}" data-block-type="22" id="block-94848ebcd1ccfdb3d2b4">

The moon's light is not her own. Its light is reflected by the sun. The moon is the mirror. What shadowy areas within your soul need to have a mirror held up to them? 

Shadow work, like the moon, is a portal to wholeness. One cannot exist without the other. Your shadow work is still there even if you are not addressing it. It does not just go away. It remains untouched and undiscovered. A powerful healing tool waiting to be utilized and waiting to bring you to wholeness. 

So many want to skip over this important portal. Here's the thing, though. You can't. The opportunity will keep repeating itself until you decide to walk through the shadowing realms of your subconscious. In my experience, I've learned that if you ignore your shadow long enough, it will come crashing down and force you to examine what needs to be learned and seen. No amount of love and light can keep you from knowing all facets of life. We're human. It's why we're here.

How to work with the moon to honor your shadow

How can you embody the energy of the moon, her wisdom, to approach this inner shadow work? It starts as noticing the moon in her phases and turns into allowing these phases to influence your rituals. The shifts will be subtle, but eventually, shadow work will become a regular part of your life. Here are three ways to start weaving more lunar energy into your daily practice.

Much of this work is observational and feeling work that needs to happen within the mind and body. All other tools (crystals, herbs, cards, etc.) and are ancillary allies. Use them if you feel called, but do not let them be prohibitive to your growth if you do not have them handy. 

1. Become more aware of the moon. Let's first start by connecting with lunar energy regularly. Track her, notice her, and notice how you feel in her different phases. If working with the moon is new to you, start by solely noticing when the moon is in her waxing phase vs. waning phase (I find this more helpful than tracking the new/full moon.) Learn more about waxing vs. waning lunar energy in a past post here.

When you begin to adopt the moon's cycles into your daily life, you will begin to understand the necessity of living more cyclically. Rather than shaming yourself for needing to go within, you will appreciate it as a natural phase. Here's a non-exhaustive list of some ways that I connect with lunar energy regularly. 

• Look for the moon anytime you are outside at night or consciously decide to go outside and seek her out regularly. You will soon learn where the moon lives in the sky during different parts of her cycle. 

• Track her with an app. I like to keep a pulse on when the moon shifts from waxing to waning phase and vice versa. Using an app is an easy way to know when these shifts happen. I also like to know what astrological sign the moon is living in as this also affects her energy. My favorite app is The Moon App. The free version is great, but I prefer the paid version. 

• Wear a specific piece of jewelry is a reminder of whether the moon is waxing or waning. I have a moon-shaped ring that I flip, so the moon is facing inwards or outwards according to whether the moon is waxing or waning. However, there are many ways to do this. You could wear a specific necklace, ring, or bracelet for waxing vs. waning energy. Doing this brings the energy of the moon into the physical and offers you a daily reminder. 

2. Bring the moon into your rituals. If your ritual practices only include rituals to make you feel good or to manifest, you're missing out on some big growth opportunities and magick-making. When you invite lunar energy into your rituals, you open the door to more profound transformations through shadow work. The moon does not stay stuck in her growth, waxing, manifesting phase, and neither should you.

Everyone's ritual practice varies, but there are ways to bring lunar energy into just about any ritual. Bringing lunar energy into your rituals will require you to be more mindful about your ritual practices. Here are a few ways to work lunar energy into common ritual practices.

• Burn candles and herbs in line with lunar energy. If candle magick, incense, or herbs are a part of your ritual practice, this is an easy place to honor the moon. How can you be more mindful about what candle colors or herbs you're working with? For example, I would avoid more energizing plants and colors like peppermint, citrus, and candle colors like red, orange, and yellow during a waning moon phase. I will often burn a simple white candle during a new moon, and during a dark moon, phase black. 

• Invite lunar energy into your meditation practice. Honoring the moon in your meditation practice can be done for each phase or just waxing and waning energy. If you already have a meditation practice, this will be a simple way to begin engaging with the moon's energy on a deeper level. In my meditation practice, this looks like doing more energy clearing at the end of the waning moon phase, being more open to guidance from Spirit at the start of the waxing phase and around the new moon, and focusing on gratitude during the full moon. I wrote a full post about it here.

• Place specific items on your altar or sacred space for certain moon phases, or consider an altar refresh for specific moons. If an altar is a part of your ritual practice, be open to how you can weave lunar energy into your sacred space. I usually update my altar based on the seasons. However, some lunar events warrant a full altar refresh. I invite you to trust when you feel called to do this. Even if you don't want to refresh your altar completely, placing specific herbs, candles, or tarot/oracle cards on your altar for specific phases can also be a powerful way to connect with the moon. 

Simple changes like these begin to make working with the moon a part of life and a way of living. You can find many blog posts here about working with the specific energy of each moon phase. However, I do find some of these basic things just as impactful as they make honoring and connecting with the moon more of a daily practice rather than something you only do on new and full moons. 

3. Study the moon card in the tarot (any deck.) While studying the moon card, notice what comes up for you? Each deck will bring a different kind of flavor, but the energy of the moon card will remain consistent from deck to deck, as will the placement of the card amongst the Major Arcana. This may not be true if working with moon card in an oracle card deck (learn more about the difference between tarot and oracle cards here.)

Notice the cards around the moon in the tarot and the story they tell. Where does the moon sit in the Major Arcana? What cards are nearest to it? I discussed this a bit in the introduction. But one way to view its placement is as a portal between the star and the sun. Like all wisdom from the tarot, allow yourself to be open to different teachings and ideas. This is just one viewpoint. The wisdom in this step will come from finding your own meaning from the moon card in the tarot. Here are some ways to work with this card.

• Place the card on your altar or somewhere else where you'll see it regularly. 

• Journal or meditate on the moon card. What comes up for you when you look at it? What stands out? What does it mean to you at this moment? 

• Read about the meaning of the card from different perspectives. Some of my favorites are Rachel Pollock's book 78 Degrees of Wisdom and teachings from Lindsay Mack on her podcast Tarot for the Wild Soul. 

• Draw your own version of the card. What comes to your mind when you think about creating your own version of the moon card? Allow yourself to be a channel for its wisdom. 

If you find these offerings overwhelming, begin implementing what feels the most aligned and appealing to you. Or, if you feel up for a fun shift in perspective, select the one that feels the scariest to you! 

Working with the moon as a spiritual practice is an invitation to honor all phases of life, including death, shadow, and transformation. These are necessary phases of all life, even yours. When you open yourself up to being in alignment with all of these phases, you open yourself up to being whole, flawed, and simultaneously perfect. The shifts and changes to living alongside the moon will happen slowly over time. Until one day, you realize you allow and honor all of your phases. 

This shift is the magick of embodying shadow work, living cyclically, and aligning with the moon. For more on shadow work, check out these past posts. 

Sinking into acceptance // 4 Rituals for the Waning Moon + Card Spread

The waning moon phase is nature's way of calling you inward. How can you truly know what you need to release, shed, or let go of if you haven't allowed yourself time to go inward and fully experience your emotions? This phase is your invitation to feel and allow.

The waning moon phases occur after the peak of the full moon to the dark moon. Energetically this phase represents a time of allowance, acceptance, and shedding.

Growing up, most of us are taught to bottle our feelings up rather than sinking into them and accepting what is. Acceptance doesn't mean rolling over and taking it or being okay with the status quo. Not by a long shot. Acceptance of the current moment means allowing yourself to fully experience whatever is bubbling up in you at the present moment. 

If things in your life, or the world at large, are not aligned with your desires and want them to change, you don't have to accept them as they are. What you do need to accept is your feelings about these situations. It's in the allowance and acceptance of situations that healing, growth, and change can occur.  

There's an opportunity to grow from every situation you're presented with, and this phase asks you to be open to the learning and evolving process rather than pushing against it. Imagine the energy of this lunar cycle as a big unconditional and loving hug. 

Here are a few keywords to understand the basic energy of this lunar phase. 

Energetic Themes for the Waning Moon

• Passiveness

• Acceptance

• Allowance

• Releasing

• Shedding

• Letting go

• Resting

The rituals outlined below will work well together, but if you don't have the time or tools to perform all of them at once, that's okay, do what feels most aligned with your needs. Keep reading for four ritual suggestions for the waning moon phase. 

1. Candle Ritual for the Waning Moon

Candles are an ideal ritual tool for this moon phase because they can be used as a very passive tool. I suggest using this candle ritual suggestion in tandem with one of the ritual suggestions below so your candle can burn as you sink into a ritual. There's more than one candle color that will work for this lunar phase, here are three suggestions, go with what feels best for where you're at, or use all three!

Pink candle: Pink candles offer soft and loving energy. This candle color is ideal for bringing in self-love and acceptance. This candle color is often suggested during the waxing moon phase to call in romantic love. For the waning moon phase, its energy will be used as a tool to call in self-love. 

Blue Candle: Blue candles offer peace and respite. If you've been in a cycle of overwhelm and feel like you can't catch a break, this is your candle. The energy of this candle can help you soften into the present moment to access your emotions better. 

Purple Candle: Purple candles offer inner wisdom and perspective. If you're in a place of allowance with your emotions but struggling with accepting them, the energy of a purple candle can help open you up to a higher perspective and shed light on why you feel the way you do. 

If candle magick is new to you, and you'd like to learn more about how it works and the process I outline here, check out this past blog post on candle magick basics. 

Once you've selected your candle color(s), you may want to anoint your candle with a specific oil. I suggest lavender, bergamot, rose, or geranium work well with the energy of the waning moon. If you don't have any of these available, a simple carrier oil, like almond or coconut oil, will work just fine. 

Anoint your candle with your oil, hold it in your hands, and impress it with your energy. Repeat this intention or something like it that feels good to you, "I love and accept myself as I am. I am allowed to feel the fullness of my emotions and will let them flow through me. I trust that Spirit will show me what needs to stay and what needs to go. So it is."Light your candle(s) and stay with it as it burns. 

2. Waning Moon Meditation

If you're going to do any of these waning moon rituals, meditation is my top suggestion. I covered this topic in-depth in a previous post, so I'm not going to spend too much time discussing it here. But, if you've followed me for long, you know that I adore meditation. 

Meditation opens you up to your inner world, which is step one in allowance and acceptance. As I said above, you have to take the time to explore your inner landscape before you can truly know what needs to be released. Meditation and internal reflection is the first step in this process.  

Click here to get my free waning moon meditation or here to read my previous blog post on meditating with each moon phase. 

If you'd like to add some supportive crystals to your waning moon meditation, I suggest rose quartz and a grounding stone of choice like obsidian, black tourmaline, or garnet.

3. Waning Moon Card Spread

Use this card spread with your favorite oracle or tarot card deck. These questions can offer guidance on finding more acceptance in your life and suggestions for releasing anything holding you back from your highest good.

If you didn't begin with the candle ritual or meditation suggestion above, take a moment to connect with your breath and ground yourself. 

1. In what area of my life do I need to soften my resistance?

2. What lesson does my resistance have to share with me? 

3. Where can I focus my energy to bring more acceptance into this area of my life? 

4. How can I integrate these lessons into my life?

5. How will I hold myself back if I am unwilling to explore my resistance?

6. What old ideas do I need to shed to come into more wholeness?

Be open and honest as your cards reveal guidance to you. The next ritual can help you uncover any confusion you may have about your reading. If your reading is initially unclear, leave it, be open to signs from Spirit, and revisit it at a later time. 

4. Write and Release

This ritual suggestion works well after performing either the waning moon meditation or waning moon card spread because you should be fresh with emotion and insight. Take some time to write about what came up for you. Alternatively, if tarot and oracle cards aren't your thing, you can use the card reading questions above as journal prompts. 

Writing is a powerful tool for exploring, feeling, processing, and releasing your emotions. Here's a conclusion from a study conducted on the healing benefits of writing: "There is power in written expression and the personal sharing of one's story. Writing shows promise not only as a therapeutic tool during intervention, but as an ongoing avocational activity with many personal and health benefits." 

Try to write without judging what you're writing and let your thoughts and feelings flow. 

Choose to release your writing in a way that feels good to you. You can burn the paper in a fire-proof vessel, bury your text in the earth, release it into a flower body of water (ensure that your paper is compostable if you do this method!), or something else that feels good to you. You cannot do wrong; the purpose of all ritual is to bring meaning and healing to your experience, so trust that the releasing method you select is what will serve you best.

 I hope you feel empowered to love and accept yourself fully, emotions, and all. Dance with all aspects of your being. Know that in each moment, even the uncomfortable ones, there is an opportunity to go deeper and find wholeness.

Crystal Cleansing & Charging 101 // 8 Ways to Care for Your Crystals

Perfectly structured lattices of molecules repeat and layer until a crystalline structure begins to emerge. Crystals are the magical and living offspring of earth, heat, and pressure. Viewing your crystals in this way can help you sense their aliveness, at least it does for me.

The perfect structures within crystals make them masters at storing and emitting energy. Because they’re so easily impressed upon, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they will require energy maintenance, just like you and me.

Aside from honoring your crystals as the entities that they are, charging and cleansing them will also make them more useful. Like all energy beings, your crystals may hold onto unintended frequencies or could be charged with energy that’s not in alignment with your desires. 

Before we dive into some actionable steps for crystal care, I’d like to pull apart the differences between cleansing and charging. Even though these terms are often used interchangeably, they are entirely different facets of crystal care.

Here's a breakdown of the differences between crystal cleansing and charging. 

Now that you understand the basic functions of cleansing vs. charging crystals, let’s dive into some steps you can take to care for your crystals. 

These suggestions are by no means an exhaustive list of ways to cleanse and charge your crystals! Learn more in my new book, The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Crystals. I also recommend you run everything through your intuitive filter and only practice what feels like a good fit to you. 

Crystal Cleansing 101

Here are a few reasons why you might want to cleanse your crystals: 

• It’s new

• You let someone else handle it  

• You no longer need to use it for a specific purpose 

Your cleansing schedule can be as regimented or as intuitive as you like. You might decide to cleanse your crystals every time you receive or purchase a new one, or you can wait until the crystal feels like it needs cleansing. I lean towards the more intuitive method, but both are valid. 

5 Ways to Cleanse Your Crystals

1. Direct sunlight for 10-20 minutes. This method works best with bright midday sunlight. Sun cleansing is one of the simplest and most effective cleansing methods. Caution: some crystals can fade in sunlight. Here are some of the most common ones: amethyst, citrine, celestite, and fluorite. Short periods in the sun, will be okay, but do not leave crystals susceptible to fading in the sun for more than ten minutes every few months. 

2. Hold in running water for 2-5 minutes. Fresh running water from nature is ideal, but tap water will do in a pinch. Water from nature will require less cleansing time. 

3. Bury in the earth for 1-5 days. The burying method is gentler, so it requires a bit more time. 

4. Hold your crystal in cleansing smoke of your choice. Frankincense, lavender, rosemary, or even a cleansing incense will work. 

5. Hold your crystal in your hand and call upon your guides, ancestors, and angels (or any other force you connect with) to cleanse your crystal. Visualize a white or rainbow light enveloping your crystals and cleansing away any unwanted energies. 

Crystal Charging 101 Here are a few reasons why you might want to charge your crystals. 

• You want to use it for a specific purpose. 

• You feel as though it has lost its effectiveness. 

• You feel intuitively nudged to charge the crystal or feel as though the crystal is requesting to charging in a specific way. 

You don’t have to charge your crystals to work with them, but it will undoubtedly enhance their effectiveness and increase your connection with your crystals. There are similarities between the techniques used for cleansing and charging; the most important distinction is that charging is adding specific energy to your crystal. There are a variety of ways to do this, but understanding your intention is critical. 

3 Ways to Charge Your Crystals

1. Place your crystal under the light of the moon phase of your choice for 1-2 nights. Working with the moon phases is one of my favorite ways to charge my crystals. Each moon phase has specific energy; you can learn more about that here. For example, if you’re working with a crystal to give you energy, you’ll want to charge it under the light of a waxing moon. The waxing moon is the growth phase of the moon and corresponds to action and energy. Alternatively, if you’d like to charge a crystal to help you rest, you’d want to charge it under the dark moon, which is a restorative moon phase. 

2. Place your crystal in the morning or evening sun for 20-30 minutes. Our life-giving sun can be used for both cleansing and charging. I do suggest being mindful of what time of day you use the sun for either charging or cleansing. This method works well if you feel like your crystal needs a little boost of energy. 

3. Charge your crystals with your hands. The heat and warmth of your hands alone are enough to charge up your crystals. Charging with your hands is an ideal method to use when you’re working with crystals for massage or bodywork. Hold or rub your crystal in your hands for 1-2 minutes for a quick charge. 

I hope you feel empowered to start connecting with your crystals using these tools! Your crystals will thank you, and the more you connect with them, the better they’ll work for you. 

You can dive much deeper into this topic in my new book, The Zenned Out Guide to Understanding Crystals. In this new book, I share how crystal energy works, how to program a crystal, and how to use crystal grids. This book also contains a fully illustrated crystal guide! 

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. 

3 Rituals for Letting Go

What is your relationship with letting go?

Ritual and magical practice can help us with more than manifesting, attracting, and calling in. It can also help us shed, let go, and transform ourselves and parts of our lives. The winter season invites us to incubate, release, and hibernate. It is an ideal time for release work (as well as the fall!). The phases of the moon that correspond to release are all the waning phases - the waning gibbous moon, the last quarter moon, the waning crescent moon, and the dark moon. Learn more about the phases of the moon with The Ritual Deck (pictured below.)

Before we get into the rituals, I also want to add that we can put a lot of pressure on ourselves to let go of things, and I want to honor that letting go can be really hard. Especially if what we’re letting go of has been something we have loved and cherished but is no longer a fit, feels comfortable, and/or feels safe. 

So please, be gentle with yourself, be kind to yourself, and let release happen on your own timeline. 

Keep scrolling to find a few rituals to support you in letting go.

MOON RITUAL FOR LETTING GO

Our sweet, gorgeous moon is more than just an archetype, a deity, or energy. She is a real living body just like the Earth that we can go outside and look at, connect with, and talk to. I think sometimes we forget this but this is one of my favorite practices! 

This is ideal to do when the moon is in its waning phases but still visible (so not the dark moon). 

For this ritual, what you’ll need is yourself, an offering for the moon, and clarity on what you’re releasing. Your offering could be anything - a plate of your dinner, a glass of water, a branch, a flower, a drawing, a song - let your intuition guide you and go with what feels right. 

When you have your offering, it’s ideal to go outside and sit or stand under the moon. If it’s really cold out or you don’t have space outdoors to do this, you can also sit by a window - that works just as well! 

Take some time to center and ground yourself, entering a ritual space. Turn your gaze to the moon, ask to connect with her, and share your offering with her. Spend some time gazing at her and share your offering with her in whatever way feels good to you.

When you’re ready, tell her what you’re desiring to release. Ask for her help letting go. Sit in meditation, drawing down her energy and light through your crown and your whole body, letting this energy fill you up and either help you release whatever you’re desiring to release internally (blocks, fears, internal limits, ways of talking to self, etc), or charge you with the courage and power to release externally (a relationship, a job, a situation, project, etc.). 

When you feel the energy shift, you know you’re finished! Thank the moon, ground yourself again, and spend some time journaling and processing afterward. 

TAROT OR ORACLE SPREAD FOR LETTING GO

For this ritual, you’ll need your tarot or oracle deck and journal. Take some time to create a ritual space, whatever that means to you, and ground yourself before working with your cards. Set the intention to communicate with your highest self, spirit guides, ancestors, intuition, or any other deities or beings you had a relationship with.

Once you’re fully present, shuffle your deck and pull cards for the following questions:

1. What do I need to let go of at this time?

2. Why do I need to let go?

3. What is on the other side of this release?

4. Supportive energies to connect with to help me let go.

Take your time with each card, really letting its messages move through you. I find it incredibly helpful to either meditate with my cards or journal about each card and what the spread means to me. I always get more information and a deeper understanding this way.

When you feel complete, it could be nice to add the cards to your altar - particularly the first and third cards - to support you throughout the release. 

CANDLE MAGICK FOR LETTING GO

I love working with fire in spells and rituals, so naturally, I love candle magick! Fire is such a powerful element with its ability to transform and transmute - think of how fire turn logs into ash. It helps things change shape, die, and transform. 

For this spell, you’ll need a black candle, a tarot card or oracle card representing what you’re releasing, and a safety pin to carve your candle.

Start by grounding yourself and casting your circle. Call in any supportive deities, guides, or other beings you have a connection with to join your circle and help you.

Next, you’ll want to intentionally choose the card from your deck that most represents what you’re releasing at this time. Take your time with this and really make sure you’re clear on what you’re desiring to release.

Once you have your card, it’s time to carve your candle. Carve into your candle any words and/or symbols that represent letting go to you. For example, I like to carve the glyph for Pluto into my candles when I work with releasing spells. Pluto represents change, rebirth, and transformation. Symbols and words work best when they’re personal to you, so don’t worry as much about the technical meaning and just intuitively choose what feels right to you!

Once your candle is ready, set it up with your card under it and take a few deep breaths. Speak your intention aloud as you light your candle, saying, “As I light this candle, I release X.” You might like to spend some time gazing into the candle flame as you focus on this intention.

Then, it’s time to raise energy. You can raise energy however feels good to you - you might chant, sing, dance, do breathwork, or use any other tool that feels good to you. As your candle burns, you are raising energy in order to support this release.

When you feel the energy is at its peak, direct it with your intention towards releasing whatever it is you are releasing from your body, from your life. 

When you feel complete, ground yourself again. Let the candle burn all the way down, thank any beings who joined you to help facilitate this release, and re-open your circle. Spend some time processing in your journal afterward, writing down what came up for you and what you felt.

Full Moon High Priestess Mist

The High Priestess is the archetype in the tarot’s major arcana, who reminds us that we have all the answers we need within us. Ruled by the moon and associated with the triple goddess, divine feminine, and the story of Persephone’s descent into the underworld, the High Priestess, brings us deep within to awaken our connection to our wisdom and intuition.

I love working with tarot archetypes in different ways, and one of those ways is by making mists. In this post, I’ll be sharing how to create a High Priestess mist to connect you to your intuition - a connection that is your birthright. High Priestess card from The Starchild Tarot.

High Priestess card from The Starchild Tarot.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• A spray bottle

• Small tumbled crystal chips of amethyst or another stone you intuitively connect the High Priestess to (note that some stones dissolve or lose their luster in water) 

• Water charged under the full moon

• Witch hazel 

• Essential oils of frankincense, clary sage, and/or sandalwood 

HOW TO MAKE YOUR MIST

The ingredient that may or may not take the longest to get (depending on where the moon is as you’re reading this!) is water charged under the full moon. I recommend charging your water on the night before the moon is technically full - so for example, if the moon is full at 8:30 am on Saturday, charge your water on Friday night, not Saturday night. 

All you need to do to charge your water is to place a bowl or glass of water under the full moon and leave it out overnight. Place some amethyst in your water if you'd like, but it's totally optional. You can drink your excess water or use it in rituals and spells! 

Once you have your full moon water, I recommend creating this spray on the day of the full moon. Here are your steps:

1. Fill half the bottle with witch hazel 

2. Add 25-30 drops of essential oils (if using multiple oils, split up the drops according to whatever scents you prefer!)

3. Add your crystal chips

4. Fill the rest of the bottle with the full moon charged water

5. Close the bottle and shake!

If you’d like, it can be nice to spend a little time meditating with the mist to set intentions for it to connect you with the High Priestess within you. Use the mist before doing divination work to infuse your space with High Priestess Energy, before meditation, and in ritual and spellwork around intuition.

Let your intuition inspire your use and enjoy! Click here to share your mist with us on Instagram. 

Meanings, Benefits, and Uses of Larimar

Larimar, also known as dolphin stone or blue pectolite, is a beautiful blue stone that often has white veins swirling through it. It’s an extremely rare stone because it can only be found in one place, the Dominican Republic.

According to Judy Hall’s The Crystal Bible, Larimar is one of the “spiritual stones” that open to new dimensions, stimulating the evolution of the Earth. I picked up my first piece of Larimar at a local rock shop a year or two ago and knew I had to take it home - I felt immediately calmed as soon as I touched it. 

Keep scrolling to discover some of the top benefits and uses of this magical crystal! 

BENEFITS & USES

PROMOTES TRANQUILITY AND BALANCE

Feeling anxious or struggling with anxiety? Larimar brings calmness, equilibrium, and serenity. Meditating with this stone can also bring clarity, which can help you drop out of an anxiety spiral and into truth. 

Larimar can also help remove fear and guilt, bringing you into a more balanced, less stressed state. 

FIND MORE FLOW

It’s Scorpio season, and all of us can connect with the water-energy that water signs (Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio) naturally have. Larimar is our ally for releasing and flowing, connecting us to the power of water through cleansing and surrender. 

HELPS REMOVE SELF-IMPOSED BLOCKAGES AND CONSTRAINTS

Larimar helps gently reveal and dissolve self-sabotaging behaviors as well as limiting thought patterns and belief systems. It helps bring in more constructive thought patterns and systems to replace those that were shed. Try carrying a piece of tumbled larimar with you as a reminder throughout your day. 

FACILITATES ANGELIC CONTACT

Want to connect with your angels but not sure how? Use Larimar in a crown chakra meditation to open yourself up to contact with the angels here to support you. 

INDUCES A DEEP MEDITATIVE STATE

Incorporate Larimar into your daily meditation practice for access to a deeper meditative state. It can also be your ally for receiving Reiki, receiving sound healing, and other energetic and vibrational types of practices to help you fully surrender and sink in.

HEALS HEART TRAUMA

One of my favorite aspects of Larimar is its ability to reconnect us to a playful and joyful childlike energy. If you struggle to connect with your carefree, playful side as an adult with very real bills and responsibilities - work with Larimar to help. It’s not just limited to connecting to childlike energy - it’s also deeply healing for all inner child work. Use it on a visualization journey to healing your inner child! 

HELPS GUIDE THE SOUL ON ITS TRUE PATHWAY

According to Judy Hall’s The Crystal Bible, Larimar is ultimately an empowering stone that can help dissolve the boundaries that constrain the spiritual self and help guide the soul on its true pathway.

If you feel lost, confused, or unsure of the direction your soul wants to take you, work with Larimar to receive the gentle guidance you need and step onto or continue on your soul’s true pathway.

BALANCE THE WATER & EARTH ELEMENTS

Larimar connects deeply with the water element. Larimar was actually created by volcanic activity, which gives it a unique balance of energy. You can use this stone to help find more flow from the water element, balance fire the fire element, and connect with Earth energies.

This is definitely one of my favorite things about Larimar! Larimar is an Earth healing stone that helps us connect to the energy of the Earth goddess. If you feel disconnected from nature or from the Shakti part of yourself, work with Larimar to restore balance and tap into the energy of the Earth goddess. One of my favorite uses for Larimar is to work with it in spells and rituals to heal the Earth! 

Book featured is The Goddess Discovery Book.

DRAWS OUT PAIN

On a physical level, Larimar can help draw pain out of the body. Place it on a spot where you’re feeling pain and let it help you heal. It can also be used to clear the meridians of the body, restoring healthy energy flow throughout these vital energy pathways. Learn more about the meridians in the body and the practice of meridian tracing in this blog (just incorporate Larimar to get the benefits)! 

WATER MAGICK 101

Water is associated with the moon, the direction of the west, the Cups suit in the tarot, and the zodiac signs of Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Water signifies intuition, surrender, dreams, emotions, and psychic abilities. It is oceans, rivers, ponds, the moon, waterfalls, light rain, hurricanes, and tsunamis. It extinguishes fire and floods Earth. It cleanses and purifies, and connects us with the deepest parts of ourselves.

We can use the element of water in ritual, spellwork, and spiritual practice and that’s what I’ll be talking about in this blog. Keep scrolling to learn what water magick is and find different ways to practice it.

WHAT IS WATER MAGICK?

My favorite definition of magick comes from Starhawk, who said: “Magick is the ability to change energy at will.” So water magick is simply changing energy using the element of water and all that it represents, as I shared above.

We can do magick with any of the elements. There is air magick, fire magick, and Earth magick as well. But in this article, we’ll be exclusively exploring water magick.

SCRYING

Scrying is an ancient divination practice where you connect with your intuition and make the unseen seen by gazing onto a reflective surface. Some common reflective surfaces to use are the full moon or a black bowl filled with water.

You can do scrying with other substances such as fire, a crystal ball, or a mirror, but when working with water magick you want to choose something associated with water like the options I’ve shared above.

To begin your scrying practice, create a ritual space for yourself and either go outside and find a view of the moon or gather your bowl and water. As I walk you through scrying, I’ll use the example of a bowl of water. For this practice, you’ll want to be in a dark room with only one or two candles lit.

Once your space is ready, enter a trance state through meditating, energy work, drumming, chanting, breathwork, or any other practice that helps you drop into your subconscious mind.

Once you feel like you’re in an altered state of consciousness, relax your eyes and gaze into your bowl of water. Breathe deeply, let yourself soften, and ask a question silently (for example, what is holding me back in X situation? Or what do I need to know about Y?).

Gaze into the bowl and let yourself see what you see. It may take time for images to come up, but if you stay focused and present, they will. Allow the images, words, and sensations to flow, rather than holding on to them tightly.

When you feel like you’re done, you’re done! Spend some time journaling after about what you felt and saw to help you answer the questions you came to receive answers for. Remember, the subconscious mind works with symbolism, so don’t discount anything that you see even if you’re not quite sure what it means at first!

CLEANSING SPELL

This simple spell helps us use the element of water to release and is best worked during the waning and dark moon times. You’ll need:

A large glass of water

A piece of paper and pen

To start, choose what you’re focusing on releasing. Maybe is blocks to self-love, fear of being seen, a harmful way of speaking to yourself, or self-judgment.

Once you’ve decided what you’re ready to release (you’re welcome to spend some time journaling on this to get clear), start making a list of all the limiting beliefs and stories that you hold associated with this block.

For example, let’s say you’re working with clearing fear of being seen. Your list might hold beliefs like:

I’m not good enough

If people see who I really am, they won’t love me

I’m too weird

Keep letting the beliefs flow! I tend to fill up a whole page when I do this spell.

Once you have your list, it’s time to work the spell. Ground yourself, cast your circle, and pick up your list. You’re going to say the first belief out loud, starting with “I clear the belief that ________ from my body” and then taking a big sip of water. Pause and notice, feeling and visualizing the water moving through your body, cleansing this belief from your system on every level.

Repeat this for each belief on your list, taking your time and really feeling the beliefs move out of your body.

MOONGAZING

Personally, this is one of my favorite practices. It’s best done when the moon is full or around fullness. All you need is yourself, the moon, and your creativity for this practice.

In its simplest form, simply go outside, sit or stand under the moon, and gaze up at her beauty. Beam a heart full of love towards her, and feel her filling you up with her lunar energy.

You might like to take it further in a number of ways:

Drawing down the moon (opening up your arms and visualizing your crown opening to receive lunar energy

Singing to the moon

Writing poems to the moon and reading them to her

Asking her questions and sitting in meditation under her light to receive answers

There’s no right or wrong way to moon gaze. Let your intuition and creativity be your guide!

CHARGE WATER UNDER THE MOON

A powerful form of water magick is charging water under the full moon at night and then using it. In its simplest form, you simply drink the water. You can also use the water in spell workings, water your plants with it, or add it to your ritual bath (which we’ll explore below).

You are welcome to charge just a glass of water under the moon. However, you could also add a crystal to your glass that’s related to your intention for extra power. Here are some suggestions:

Rose quartz for a love infusion

Green aventurine for an abundance infusion

Amethyst for clear sight and intuition

Citrine for personal powerObsidian for protection

Carnelian for creativity

Clear quartz as an amplifier for any intention. Use alone or with another crystal!

You can work with any crystal you’d like, just remember that some crystals are water-soluble so check first to make sure it won’t dissolve in your water overnight.

SPEND TIME IN BODIES OF WATER

If you’re lucky enough to live near a body of water, going to that body of water whether it’s a lake, river, or ocean and immersing yourself in it for cleansing and purification is one of the most powerful forms of water magick there is. Turn a simple dip into magick by using your presence, breath, and intention to receive the medicine of the water.

Card featured from The Ritual Deck.

RITUAL BATH

If you can’t get to a body of water or it’s too cold to get in, a ritual bath is a beautiful way to immerse yourself in the power of water. In this blog post, I share some herbal bath recipes for specific intentions to help make your bath extra magical. But again, if all you bring to your bath is your presence, breath, and intention - that’s all the magick you need. Everything else is just an extra amplifier!

Three Dark Moon Rituals

The dark moon is one of my personal favorite times of the cycle. It’s the last few days of the waning time of the cycle, when the moon continues to shrink and eventually disappears from the sky.

Different traditions honor the dark moon at different times. Personally, I honor the dark moon when you can’t see the moon at all in the sky--which is technically the new moon. Others honor the dark moon the last few days before the new moon. I recommend using your intuition and noticing how you feel during these days to understand when to honor the dark moon versus new moon.

So what is the dark moon all about?

The dark moon is our time for radical rest, for deep clearing and releasing, and turning within. This is the time to cancel plans, to do shadow work, to go to sleep early and wake up late, and to pull tarot or oracle cards to tune in to your inner voice.

Keep scrolling for a few rituals to consider working with at this time.

WATER SPELL FOR CLEARING

One of my favorite spells to work during the dark moon is this simple water spell. Water is a helpful element for cleansing and purification, and this spell works especially well when the dark moon is in a water sign--Pisces, Cancer, or Scorpio. You’ll need:

• A large glass of water

• A piece of paper and pen

To start, choose what you’re focusing on releasing. Maybe there are blocks to self-expression, fear of being rejected, shame around your path, or blocks to abundance. Once you’ve decided what you’re ready to release (you’re welcome to spend some time journaling on this to get clear), start making a list of all the limiting beliefs and stories that you hold associated with this block.For example, let’s say you’re working with clearing blocks to abundance. Your list might hold beliefs like:

• I can’t make money doing what I love

• People with money are jerks

• It’s wrong to have money when other people have so little, etc.

Keep letting the beliefs flow! I tend to fill up a whole page when I do this spell.

Once you have your list, it’s time to work the spell. Ground yourself, cast your circle, and pick up your list. You’re going to say the first belief out loud, starting with “I clear the belief that ________ from my body” and then taking a big sip of water. Pause and notice, feeling and visualizing the water moving through your body, cleansing this belief from your system on every level.

Repeat this for each belief on your list, taking your time and really feeling the beliefs move out of your body.

Card featured from The Ritual Deck

When you’re done, use the energy of your palms to charge your last sip of water with what you do want - abundance, healthy self-expression, creativity, etc. - and feel your whole body being charged with this intention by the power of the element of water.

Give thanks to water and the Universe for their help, ground yourself again and open your circle.

CANDLE MAGICK FOR RELEASING

For this spell, you’ll need:

• Black taper candle

• Carving tool like a sharp point crystal, toothpick, or athame

• Black tourmaline, smoky quartz, or petrified wood

• A simple oil like grapeseed or bergamot essential oil

• Rosemary

Start by cleansing all of your items for the spell. This can be done by wafting rosemary smoke over them or visualizing light cleansing them.

For this spell, you’ll be carving what you’re releasing into your candle as well as the glyph for Pluto, the planet that helps things die and be transformed. For your words, keep them simple and powerful by carving the basics of what you’re releasing like “fear” or “self-doubt.”

Anoint your candle with your oil and roll it in your dried rosemary. As you carve and anoint your candle, visualize your all of whatever you’re releasing - your fear or your self-doubt as in the example above - pouring into the candle.

Place your crystal(s) and candle on your altar, light your candle, and start meditating on the flame. Continue to visualize all that you’re releasing pouring into the candle, and watch as it burns and turns to smoke. Stay with this meditation until you feel a shift in your energy - until you really feel a release.

Let the candle burn out if you can or snuff out the candle and continue the same spell each night until the candle has burned completely.

SHADOW WORK TAROT OR ORACLE SPREAD

The dark moon is a deep invitation into shadow work.

What is shadow work?

Simply put, it’s an intentional exploration of our shadow side - the parts of ourselves that we reject, that we’re ashamed of, that we stuff down and hide. Click here to learn more about shadow work if you’re new to it!

For this ritual, you’ll want to create a ritual space - whatever that means to you. For me, it usually means cleansing my space with smoke beforehand, lighting incense, and lighting candles. Maybe you also like to take an essential oil bath beforehand, or sprinkle herbs in a circle around you.

All you’ll need for this ritual is:

• A journal and pen

• Your tarot or oracle cards

Spend a few moments grounding yourself, then shuffle your cards and pull a card for each of these questions:

• What part of my shadow is rising to the surface to be worked with?

• How has rejecting this part of myself manifested in my life?

• How can I show this part of myself more love and integrate it into my whole self?

Give yourself the gift of sitting with your cards after you pull them. Spend time meditating on your cards, journaling about them, or even painting with them to process and understand what their messages are for you.

Meanings, Benefits, and Uses of Amethyst

Amethyst’s popularity is for a good reason - it’s beautiful, fairly easy to find, and energetically, it’s an incredibly magical stone.

According to Judy Hall’s The Crystal Bible (a great book to pick up if you want to learn more about crystals!), amethyst is “an extremely powerful and protective stone with a high vibration.”

Keep scrolling to discover some of the top benefits and uses of this special crystal!

BENEFITS & USES

PROTECTION

Need some protection from a negative environment or psychic attack? Amethyst is your new go-to! It’s a natural protector and tranquilizer, able to transmute negative energy into love. If you identify as an empath or a highly sensitive person (Don’t know? Find out in this blog!), amethyst is a must-have to keep you from absorbing other people’s energy.

Card featured from The Goddess Discovery Book V2 // Magick & Nature

ACCESS HIGHER STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Amethyst has incredibly strong healing powers. It enhances spiritual awareness, opens your crown chakra, and helps you open to another reality — making it a helpful aid for meditation, visualization, and trance journeywork.

[Looking for more ways to open your crown chakra? Check out this blog: How to Open Your Crown Chakra and Know When It’s Blocked]

ADDICTION SUPPORT

Did you know that amethyst was traditionally worn to prevent drunkenness? It’s true! Amethyst has a sobering effect on overindulgence and helps overcome addictions and blockages of all kinds. Looking to quit alcohol, sugar, your TV habit, or reduce your phone time? Amethyst is here to support you!

CALMS THE MIND

Amethyst has a beautiful ability to calm the mind. If you ever feel mentally scattered, have trouble focusing, or struggle to assimilate and integrate new ideas, amethyst is your ally for a calmer, more focused mind. Along with this, it also aids in meditation and deeper understanding.

SUPPORTS GRIEVING

Amethyst can help provide emotional centering when you need it most, balancing your highs and lows. It can help you come to terms with loss, alleviating sadness and grief and gaining a higher perspective.If you’re going through a difficult time, like a deep transition, the death of a loved one or pet, or the shedding of an old identity, work with amethyst to support you.

OPENS INTUITION AND ENHANCES PSYCHIC GIFTS

Amethyst is said to be one of the most spiritual stones (and we have to agree!). It’s famous for bringing in spiritual wisdom, opening intuition, and enhancing psychic gifts. It gently opens your third eye, the center of your own inner wisdom.

That makes it the perfect stone to use for scrying, channeling, and pulling tarot or oracle cards. I recommend laying down and meditating with amethyst placed on your third eye for a few minutes before doing psychic work if you feel like you need some assistance!

Card featured from The Ritual Deck

INTUITIVE DREAMS & BETTER SLEEP

Amethyst is helpful for all things sleep! Amethyst can bring in deeper sleep, intuitive dreams, out-of-body experiences in your dreams, and aid in relaxation to help you fall asleep. If you struggle with insomnia or nightmares, you can place some amethyst under your pillow to help.

Learn more about dreamwork here.

AURA CLEANSING

Did you know that we actually have many bodies? Of course, we have our physical, mental, and emotional bodies. But we also have a spiritual body and an auric body, which includes layers of auric energy (Learn more about the aura here).

Amethyst helps cleanse your aura, that energy field that extends off of the body. It also balances and connects your physical, mental and emotional bodies, linking them to your spiritual body.

Your Spiritual Tool Box for Stress & Anxiety

Whether you’re in full-on crisis mode or wading through a stressful season of life, knowing which direction to turn for relief can feel overwhelming. A quick fix like reaching for a glass of wine or a shopping splurge might help now and then, but it’s not a long-term solution. What tools can you rely on to help keep your cool when things seem to be falling apart around you?

As a new mom to twins and a business owner, stress and anxiety have become part of my norm. Over the last year, I’ve had to put my spiritual tools to work like never before. I believe we all come to the Earth plane with an assortment of battles to accept and overcome to help our souls progress. We’re all fighting battles. The important part is how you walk through it.

Crisis often brings people to spirituality. I’m frequently asked, “ XYZ horrible thing has happened. Where do I begin?” Here are my top go-to tools that I turn to when life feels out of control.

1. Meditation & Mindfulness

Sit. Be still. Heal. When most people reach out to me asking how to ease stress and anxiety through their spiritual practice, they want a crystal suggestion to make everything OK. Sometimes, a crystal just won’t cut it and work better as an ancillary tool.

Meditation and mindfulness are at the top of my list because if you’re practicing them regularly, even five minutes a day, the rest of these tools will come easier.

Sitting in silence may feel incredibly uncomfortable, initially, if you’re going through a stressful season of life. If you haven’t given yourself a moment to process anything that’s happening in your life, of course, your mind is going to be running a mile a minute the moment you sit down.

During stressful times, I find it helpful to look at meditation as more of a time process and purge. Let all of the stuff that’s been running around in your mind run free. Permitting your thoughts to race around will allow you to process things you’ll otherwise keep cycling through over and over.

Once you’ve allowed your mind some time to run free with your worries, you might find a guided meditation helpful. I love all of the guided meditations from Meditation Oasis, and they have a wonderful selection of free meditations, including several specifically for stress and anxiety. You can also check out my Energy Reset Meditations Bundle and other guided meditations here.

Try meditating or sitting in silence for five to ten minutes a day for a week and see how you feel — having a hard time sticking to your meditation practice? Check out this blog post for ways to stick to it.

2. Body Awareness 

Your miraculous body does so much for you during times of stress! Taking time to become aware of your body offers the opportunity to tune into something other than your worries and can give your body a needed release. We store stress and anxiety all over our bodies but often don’t even notice it because we become so used to it. Try this body awareness exercise a few times a week if you’re in the midst of a stressful time.

To become more aware of your body sit or lie down and name each part of your body. Start at your toes and work your way up to the top of your head. You can do this by saying something like “I feel my left big toe” or “I breathe into my right thigh” etc. for each body part. Take a breath for each body part you go over and spend extra time on any parts that feel extra tense. You can make this activity as long or as short as you need. If your time is limited, try doing this activity in the shower or at a stoplight. Even little moments of body awareness can help.

Mudras are another great tool your body offers. Learn more about using mudras during times of stress here.

3. Breathwork

When we’re stuck in worry and fear, our breath often stays high in our chest. Short chest breaths signal to our body that there’s danger nearby. Directing your breath deep into your belly can help break the anxiety cycle and send messages to your body that it’s OK to relax. It also can take a little bit more focus to remember to breathe from your belly, which can give your mind a break too.

Deep belly breaths are a given if you’re meditating or practicing body awareness but can be an invaluable tool when you’re on the run. Running late and stuck in traffic? Have a screaming child in your arms? Whatever your stressor and wherever you’re at your breath is available to you. The hardest part about this tool is remembering that it’s available. You can learn more about breathwork here.

Remember how I said that meditation and mindfulness would help with all of the other tools? If you’re meditating regularly, even five minutes a day, the thought to take deep belly breaths may come to you more readily than if you’re not meditating.

4. Accept the imperfectness 

During times of stress and anxiety, it can be helpful, and sometimes necessary, to shift our expectations of ourselves. We so often compound our anxiety by placing pressure on ourselves to continue to perform at a near-perfect level even if we’re going through a stressful time. Warning, this one can feel the hardest because it often involves letting others see you in a vulnerable state.

Take an honest look at your week, what can you let go of to help you through this challenging time? Can you let go of cooking a few times and eat out? Can you call a friend or family member to ask for help with something you usually do for yourself? Can you take some time off from work to reset?Whether you choose to let some things go or are forced to, accept yourself and your life where it is in the moment, even if it doesn’t look the way you want it to right now. Accepting yourself where you’re at will let you off the hook from unnecessary self-imposed stress.

Working with a mantra can be helpful when working on acceptance. Find a list of mantras and learn more about using them here.

5. Crystals 

Even though crystals may not be a cure-all for working through stress and anxiety, they can still serve a purpose. I like to think of crystals as a physical reminder of the tools I do have during stressful times.

Grounding stones like jasper, obsidian, onyx and smoky quartz are great candidates when it comes to keeping calm during times of stress. Beyond the grounding energy these stones offer, keeping them nearby can remind you throughout your day that you do have tools to help you through times of stress.

For more tips to help you get grounded, check out this blog post all about the root chakra.

I hope these tips make you feel more supported and offer some relief if you’re facing a hard season of life. Know that it will pass and that The Universe wants nothing but the best for you. Your soul is here to learn and grow!

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.

How to Create a Crystal Grid in 7 Steps

Whether you’re trying to manifest more self-love, a vacation, or a new job, crystal grids can help! Crystal grids can be as simple or complex as you make them and a simple grid can be just as powerful at helping you manifest your goals as a complex one. Think of a crystal grid as your manifesting ally! It may not be the only tool you use to manifest your desires, but it can certainly help.

There are just a few necessary steps you need to follow to create a crystal grid. First, let’s briefly discuss why crystal grids work.

Why Crystal Grids Work

Crystals are formed from perfect geometric patterns and this is one reason why crystals are such a powerful healing tool! The perfect geometry within crystals makes them an ideal energy conduit and easily programmable. By placing several crystals in a repeating grid format, you will amplify their power. Using sacred geometry as a grid template for your crystals adds another layer of perfect geometric patterns to help better communicate your intentions.

If those reasons seem a little too out there for you, view crystal grids as a beautiful reminder of your intention. The most important part of manifesting your desires is visualizing what you want daily, and your crystal grid will serve as a reminder to do just that.

7 Steps to Create a Crystal Grid

1. Set an intention

Your intention for your grid is your starting place and will lay the foundation for everything else you choose for your grid. Get quiet and breathe for a few minutes so you can gain complete clarity about what it is you want. Don’t play small; you deserve everything you desire! Once you’ve set an intention for your grid, you can start selecting your grid format and crystals.

2. Select your grid format

Sacred geometry is an ideal format for crystal grids because it is symmetrical and each symbol carries unique energy that will help amplify your intention. To learn more about sacred geometry click here. Several different sacred geometry symbols can be used, here’s a list of the most common ones and the categories they’re best suited for:

• Vesica Piscis: Birth, femininity, sexuality, new beginnings, new projects

• Seed of Life: Inspiration, potential, chakras, creativity, growth

• Flower of Life: Community, connection, love, communication, partnerships, intuition

• Metatron’s Cube: Cleansing, clearing, balancing, energy, chakras, healing

• Sri Yantra: Balance, male energy, feminine energy, meditation, connection to Source Energy

3. Select your crystals

Now, the fun part! Let’s select your crystals. A pointed crystal will work well for the center stone, and tumbled crystals work well for the secondary crystals that will radiate around the center stone. You don’t need 50 crystals to have a grid that works. Even if you have one center stone and a handful of quartz, you can make an effective crystal grid. Clear quartz is your crystal grid bestie because it is ideal for all intentions, easily programmable, and super amplifying. I suggest using three different stones to strengthen your intention with the addition of five or more pieces of clear quartz.

A quick google search of “crystals to help with ________” will go a long way! However, here are some common crystals and the purposes they’re best suited for:

• Amethyst: Intuition, calm, peace

• Citrine: Abundance, joy, happiness

• Sodalite: Creativity, expression, communication

• Quartz: Balance, health, cleansing

• Rose Quartz: Self-love, compassion, friendship

• Carnelian: Sex, creativity, birth

• Green Aventurine: New beginnings, wealth, growth

4. Cleanse your tools and space

Cleanse your crystals, any other tools you’ll be using, and the space you’re creating your grid in. You don’t want any lingering bad juju playing a role in your manifesting! Cleanse with an herbal smoke of your choice, cleanse under the light of the full moon, or envision a bright white light cleansing your space and tools.

5. Set your grid up

You’ll want to place your center stone first. You can base your center stone selection on a few things, like a stone that best matches your intentions, the largest stone, or a crystal you have a personal affinity for. Next, place your other stones radiating out around the center stone in a balanced format. As you place each stone visualize your end goal of what you’d like to manifest.

6. Activate your grid

Think of activating your grid as turning on the lights. You’ve set everything up, and now it’s showtime! There’s more than one way to activate your grid. The simplest method is to close your eyes and imagine the energy of all of your crystals connecting and communicating your desires to the universe. To see more techniques and detailed information on activating your crystal grid click here.

7. Be present with your grid daily

Don’t just set it and forget it! Make sure to take a few quiet moments every day to connect with your grid. Connecting with your grid daily will allow you to visualize your desires and goals.Leave your grid up for a complete moon cycle, or longer if you’d like. If it does start to attract dust give it a light clean to prevent the energy from stagnating. Find a free printable crystal grid template here.

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!

The Birthplace of Sacred Geometry // What is the Vesica Piscis?

The Vesica Piscis symbol is comprised of two overlapping circles that form an almond shape in the center, also called a “mandorla.” Though the coming together of these circles may look simple, and possibly remind you of fun times in middle school filling out Venn diagrams, its meaning is profoundly powerful.

Vesica Piscis translates to “bladder of the fish” in Latin, this not so flattering or mystical name was given to it due to its similar appearance to a fish bladder. The Italian phrase “mandorla,” or almond, refers to the shape created in the center.

Mathematically speaking, this simple shape is the starting place of very complex geometry. The circles have the same radius and intersect in such a way that the perimeter of each circle touches the center of the other. The almond shape created by the overlapping circles contains two equilateral triangles. For more on the mathematics of this shape, exciting as it may be, you’ll need to do your own research! From here on out I’ll be focusing on the significance, meaning, and uses of this sacred symbol.

Let’s dig into the significance of this symbol and even more important, how you can put it to use in your spiritual practice.

Where did it come from?

The Vesica Piscis was formed first in nature, but when it was first identified by humans as a significant shape is still up for debate. Beyond nature, this shape can be found in paintings of Christ and Buddha, modern-day logos like Coco Chanel, crop circles, and ancient and contemporary architecture. It is also the starting place of the Seed of Life and the Flower of Life. If you missed my blog on these two basic sacred geometry symbols, you could learn more about them here.

Like most sacred geometry, there’s a lot of speculation about the origin(s) and meaning(s) of the Vesica Piscis. Because this symbol is found in so many places, it’s hard to pinpoint where it originated. Many, myself included, believe this simple symbol found all throughout history and nature has a divine source.

What does it mean?

Because the Vesica Piscis symbol shows up so often in nature and human history there are varying meanings associated with it. One thing most people can agree on is that it is a significant symbol.

Some view the Vesica Piscis as a Christian symbol due to its similarities to the “Jesus fish.” It also mimics the shape of the female vagina and is therefore viewed as a symbol of femininity, birth, and sexuality.

From a spiritual viewpoint, if we recognize the circle on its own as Source Energy (God or Goddess, whichever you prefer), the Vesica Piscis represents creation or the “womb of The Universe.” Think of a single circle as a Source of Energy, adding a second circle represents the spark of creation when the universe is born. This idea is enforced by its similarities to the shape of the vagina, the starting place of birth on a human level. It is enforced again by the fact that it is the starting place of most sacred geometry.

This is why for many, the Vesica Piscis symbol is considered very sacred. On a spiritual level, it represents creation, birth, and the joining of spiritual and physical. Take this a step further, and without the Vesica Piscis, sacred geometry would not exist, and we would not exist.

How can you use this symbol?

Here are a few ways to bring this cosmic symbol into your practice and honor its sacred meaning.

Represent Goddess Energy

The almond shape of the Vesica Piscis mirrors the form of the female yoni. If you’re trying to call in more feminine energy or connect to Goddess energy place an image of or create the shape of the Vesica Piscis on your altar. Placing this symbol in an area you use often can uplift the space and bring in more feminine energy. Try enhancing the shape by adorning your space with other symbols and objects that represent femininity like a cowrie shell, carnelian, rose quartz, or roses.

Crystal Grid for Manifesting & Birth

Fortunately, the Vesica Piscis is a simple shape that lends itself to easy crystal gridding! Due to its simplicity, you may not need a diagram, but if you’d like one try drawing the shape or printing one online. I used a Seed of Life grid and formed the grid on one of the Vesica Piscis shapes within it, shown in the image below. Otherwise, arrange your crystals in an almond shape and add any crystal embellishments you desire.

Crystal grids that focus on new beginnings, birthing new projects, physical birth, or manifesting new things into existence are ideal, but not limited to, for the Vesica Piscis. Here’s a list of stones you could use for grids of this nature. Use the ones that best suit your needs and feel free to add more of your own!

• Citrine for manifesting

• Amethyst for connecting to Source Energy

• Pyrite or tiger eye for luck

• Green aventurine for abundance

• Carnelian for femininity and physical birth

• Clear quartz for amplifying

Connecting with Source Energy

Many believe that the two circles in the Vesica Piscis represent the physical world and the spiritual world, thus creating a portal from one to the other when they overlap to form the Vesica Piscis. If you’re trying to connect to the energy of the spirit world to become more enlightened or to improve your intuition, try meditating on this symbol as you work.

I hope you feel more connected to this powerful symbol and sacred geometry as a whole! Learn more about sacred geometry and find tools to create your own crystal grids in The Goddess Discovery Book.

Four Abundance Rituals

Do you want to call in more abundance? You’re in the right place! Abundance can come in so many forms and means many different things to different people. Abundance could be time, money, freedom, or anything else that makes you personally feel abundant!

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing four rituals to help you connect with the abundance that’s always available to you. Keep scrolling to read them!

ABUNDANCE CRYSTAL GRID

Crystal grids are a beautiful tool for manifesting more abundance in your life! The ideal time to set up your abundance grid is at the new moon, and you can leave it up until the full moon.

Start by gathering your stones and cleansing them. Your abundance besties in the crystal kingdom are aventurine, citrine, quartz, moss agate, tiger eye, and kyanite! Try one of each stone, although if you have more than one, that’s great, too.

You’ll place your citrine stone in the center and arrange your other stones radiating out around the citrine in a way that feels good to use. Use the crystal grid in the Goddess Discovery Book or place your stones on a cloth or table.

As you place each stone, keep an image in your mind’s eye of what you’re trying to attract. Ask yourself how you’ll feel when you receive the abundance you’re requesting.

After all your stones are in place, trace your crystals with a pointed quartz. Imagine the quartz connecting your crystals and unifying their energy. Try to connect with your grid daily until the full moon!

ABUNDANCE SPELL BAG

Spell bags, known in Voodoo as “gris-gris,” or to Native Americans as “medicine bags,” are one of my favorite ways to make magick. The waxing moon is the best time to do any abundance spell work, so try to do each of these rituals then if you can!Here’s what you’ll need to make a spell bag for abundance:

• Basil or a sprinkle of cinnamon

• 10 of Pentacles tarot card (or a copy of this tarot card if you don’t want to put the actual card in the bag!)

• A knob of ginger

• Honey calcite, pyrite, citrine, or green aventurine

• Anything else that represents abundance to you. For example, if you work for yourself you might include a printout of an email where a client booked a session with you.

Spend some time with your spell bag to infuse your energy into it. Hold it in your hands as you meditate on abundance, and breathe into it before you pull it closed!

ABUNDANCE CANDLE MAGICK

You can work with the magic of fire to help you call more abundance into your life! If you’ve never done candle magick before, read this blog to learn how to get started.For this spell, you’ll need:

• Green candle

• Carving tool like a sharp point crystal, toothpick, or athame.

• Tiger eye, citrine, and green aventurine

• Patchouli or frankincense oil

• Coins or money

Start by cleansing all of your items for the spell. This can be done by wafting herbal smoke over them or visualizing white light cleansing them.

For this spell, you’ll be carving the Fehu Rune into your candle. Fehu is a powerful symbol of abundance. If you’d prefer to carve a specific dollar amount or item you’re hoping to attain you could carve this into the candle too.

Anoint your candle with the oil of your choice. As you carve and anoint your candle, visualize your abundance goal.

Arrange your crystals, money, and candle in a place where you can leave it up for a few nights. Light your candle and meditate on the flame. Visualize your abundance goal clearly, imagine yourself reaching your goal and what it would feel like to attain it.

You can continue this until the entire candle burns or snuff out the candle and continue the same ritual each night until the candle has burned completely.

Bonus! You can get this spell as a free printable spell card (along with spells for love, letting go, and connecting with your intuition) here.

ABUNDANCE TAROT or ORACLE CARD SPREAD

Turn to tarot or oracle to understand your blocks to abundance and what you can do to connect to more abundance. You can create a ritual space by grounding yourself first, lighting candles, burning herbs or incense, or doing anything else that feels right to you.

Cards from the Journey Tarot Kit

When you feel grounded and centered, shuffle your cards while holding the intention to connect with the wisdom of your highest self. Draw cards for each of the following questions:

• What belief system or patterns blocks me from the abundance I desire?

• How to release this belief system or pattern

• How to open myself up to greater abundance

• My mantra for calling in abundance

Spend some time journaling with your cards and meditating on your mantra card. If you’d like, you can place your mantra card on your altar!

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!

When’s The Best Day For Your Ritual? // Days of The Week & Magick

You know all about the moon phases and the best phases for specific rituals and spells (if you don’t learn more here) but did you know that the days of the week also play a part in the energy of your rituals? Each day of the week has an energy of its own that will affect any rituals or spellwork you’re doing.

Of course, it can be easy to become overwhelmed with all of these magickal “rules” but rest assured your spellwork won’t be ruined if you miss the perfect day. Think of using the energy of the days of the week as an added layer of energy. Just like a specific stone won’t make or break your ritual, the day of the week won’t either, but it can help push your intentions in the direction you desire most.

Each day of the week carries the energy of a planet, an element, and masculine or feminine energy. These factors give each weekday its magickal energy. Here’s a rundown of the energy each day of the week carries.

Want to adorn your space with a beautiful reminder of the energy of each day of the week? Click here to receive the printable featured below! 

Sunday

• Planet: Sun

• Element: Fire

• Energy: Masculine

• Key Words: Growth, personal power, goals

Get excited! Sunday is your day to plan big and expect to conquer all of your goals. This is the perfect day to set the wheels in motion for anything you’d like to accomplish in the week ahead. Set up your special altar, start your candle spell, or place your crystal grid on Sunday to get the energy of your intentions set in the right direction.

Monday

• Planet: Moon

• Element: Water

• Energy: Feminine

• Key Words: Intuitive work, increased psychic abilities, emotion

Want to hone your intuitive abilities or connect with spirit on a deeper level? Monday is your day. If you’re planning to do a ritual with the moon, try to implement it on a Monday for an extra boost of moon vibes. Save your special oracle or tarot card readings for Monday to connect with the special intuitive energy it brings.

Tuesday

• Planet: Mars

• Element: Fire

• Energy: Masculine

• Key Words: Strength, courage, leadership

Invoke your inner warrior on Tuesday because this day is all about fire and intensity. Feeling stuck or need some inspiration? Try a ritual or spell to light your internal fire on this day. Maybe you just need an extra boost of energy, try lighting an orange candle on a Tuesday. The strong fire energy of the day can help give you the boost you need.

Wednesday

• Planet: Mercury

• Element: Air

• Energy: Masculine

• Key Words: Creativity, change, communication

This is your day to express yourself. Let your words, needs, and desires flow freely from you. Have you been holding back with someone, not letting them know how you really feel? Try to schedule your hardest convos on Wednesdays. Have a spell or ritual based around making a big change that requires you to speak up? Wednesday is your day.

Thursday

• Planet: Jupiter

• Element: Earth

• Energy: Masculine

• Key Words: Abundance, wealth, success

Smile, Thursdays are all about happiness and harvesting your desires. Save all of your abundance rituals for this day to take advantage of Thursday vibes. Whether it’s money, a new house, or an abundance of friends you’re looking for if you’re looking to multiply something in your life this is the day you’ll want to plan your magick work for.

Friday

• Planet: Venus

• Element: Water

• Energy: Feminine

• Key Words: Love, romance, fertility

Friday is the perfect time to slow down and offer some love to yourself or another. Try drawing a luxurious bath for yourself and lighting a pink candle to invite more love into your life. If you desire to have a baby, Fridays are the ideal time to set an intention to be open to new life dwelling within you.

Saturday

• Planet: Saturn

• Element: Earth and Fire

• Energy: Feminine

• Key Words: Protection, cleansing, endings

Saturdays are the ideal time to cleanse your space. Invoke both the Earth and the Fire element by burning herbs to cleanse yourself or your home. If you intend to perform a ritual for protection Saturday is the ideal time to do this. Any kind of cord-cutting or detachment ritual could be performed at this time too.

Again, don’t stress too much over the day you perform your rituals. It’s certainly better to devote some quiet reflection time to ritual any day rather than not at all! Your timing will sync up perfectly at times, sometimes it won’t, and that’s OK. Perhaps you’ll even be inspired by this list to plan some rituals for specific days.

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.

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.

How to journal with the moon phases + 10 journal prompts

Your mood, physical body, and spirit body all go through phases, and journaling with the moon is an ideal way to track all of these. You may find that you’re more synced with the moon than you thought!

Why You Should Try Moon Journaling

Wouldn’t it be nice to know which moon phases make you feel the most intuitive, expressive, or reserved? The way you relate to each moon phase is reflective of you alone and experiences will vary from person to person. You may find that your diet, intuition, and menstruation are affected by the phases of the moon. Keeping a moon journal will enable you to track any patterns to better understand all of your cycles. 

How Often Should You Write in Your Moon Journal?

Take notes in your moon journal as often as you like! Journaling once a week will ensure that you hit each of the main phases of the moon: new moon, waxing moon, full moon, and waning moon. Moon journaling twice a month, on the full and new moon, can also be enlightening.

Starting out, I suggest making a quick note in your moon journal for 30-60 consecutive days. Making a quick note daily, in the beginning, will help you catch any obvious patterns right away.

What You’ll Need to Start Your Moon Journal

1. You’ll need a moon phase calendar, digital, or a hard copy.

2. You’ll also need a writing utensil and a journal or notepad. That’s it!

10 Topics for Moon Journaling

Here’s a list of suggested moon journaling topics. Read through the whole list. What topics call out to you the most? You can journal on all or some of these topics, it’s completely up to you.

Start your moon journaling by recording the date, the moon phase, and the zodiac sign for the phase (optional).

1. Record how you feel emotionally. Check-in, do you feel content, happy, sad, jealous, excited, energized, grateful, anxious, or angry? Record your mood for the day or overall week. This can be as simple as writing one word.

2. Record how you feel spiritually. How connected and intuitive do you feel? If you meditate regularly, was it easy for you to “drop-in” or did you find your meditation to be a struggle (this is always a good indicator of my spiritual well-being).

3. Record how you feel physically. How are you sleeping, your energy levels, and your diet? Are there any particular foods you're craving? If you exercise regularly, was your activity easy or more forced?

4. Record when you start and end your menstrual cycle. You may also decide to notate what each menstrual cycle feels like to help unearth patterns. If you’re particularly in-tune with your cycle or trying to conceive (or not conceive!) you might also find it helpful to track your ovulation with the moon.

5. Note any goals, intentions, and manifestations you’ve initiated and when they manifest. New intentions are best to set on a new or waxing moon.

6. Note any habits, people, outcomes, or things you’re trying to let go of and when you feel you’ve shed them. Releasing and letting go is best to initiate during a full or waning moon.

7. Notate the zodiac sign the moon is in. If you want to take your moon journaling to the next level you can notate what zodiac sign the moon is in. The moon is always positioned in a zodiac sign and cycles through them every 2-3 days. The sign the moon is in will also have an effect on you too. Try looking for even broader patterns by notating what sign the moon is in when you journal. I like this online resource for tracking the zodiac sign for each moon phase.

8. Track your triumphs! Did something happen that was totally out of the blue and made your day? Maybe you received an unexpected promotion, landed your dream job, or ran into an old friend, write it down!

9. Track your worst days. Did you have one of those days where nothing seems to go as expected and you just can’t shake it? These days aren’t as fun, but being able to estimate when they may come up can sure be helpful.

10. Note your dreams. Dream journaling is an insightful activity on its own. Notating the moon phase for your dreams can shed even more light on what your subconscious is trying to tell you. You might be able to identify times when your dreams are most active so you can plan to have a notepad ready on your nightstand.

Moon journaling can be as simple or in-depth as you’d like and can be tailored to suit your needs and schedule.

4 Ways to Honor the Winter Solstice

The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year, and so we traditionally associate it with darkness.

But it’s also the beginning of the waxing phase of the year, as the days start to get longer and nights start to get shorter. We are reminded that light always follows dark. The balance begins to shift, the wheel of the year turns back again.

This sabbat, also known as Yule, is a time for us to connect with our darkness and alchemize it into lessons, into medicine, for the year to come.

Below are some ways to honor this sacred holiday.

Journaling prompts

Create a quiet, safe space (candles are recommended!) and let yourself free write to the questions below with no editing. No one’s going to read your answers but you!

• Write a love letter to your darkness.

• What am I most ashamed of? How can I transmute this shame into a source of power and love?

• What part of me do I want to feed and grow?

Tarot or oracle spread

Pull out your tarot or oracle deck and set the intention for your highest self tospeak to you through the cards. Give them a shuffle, and pull a card for each of the questions below. I recommend writing down the spread and the cards you pull, as well as your interpretations of them.

• What shadow wants to work with me?

• How does it want to be worked with?

• Advice for moving through shadow

• What wants to be born from my darkness?

• Advice for birthing whatever needs to come through

• Message from my inner child at this time

Lay out the cards in two rows of three like so. The deck featured here is The Ritual Deck.

Create an altar

Creating an altar is a beautiful way to honor any sabbat. Let this be an intuitive, creative process and place anything there that feels good to you! Some ideas to spark your creativity are:

• Your Death and Temperance tarot cards

• A Yule log or branch

• Holly or mistletoe

• An evergreen wreath to symbolize the wheel of the year

• Any red, green, or white crystals that you’d like (I love carnelian for red, selenite for white, and moss agate or malachite for green)

• Ash, frankincense, and any other sun herbs you like

• Pine cones

• White and silver candles

• A representation of something in your shadow that you’d like to honor and alchemize this year

Painting

One of my favorite ways to work with my subconscious these days is intuitive painting. Get out your paints, paper, and allow whatever wants to come through you as you focus on the winter solstice and what it means to you. Try not to focus on how it looks— no one needs to see it but you!

After you finish, you could place it on your altar.

Below is an infographic with a visual representation of rituals for Yule

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Want to learn more about the different sabbats on the wheel of the year? Click here to learn more about the wheel of the year and download your free wheel of the year printable.