Cord Cutting a Ritual for Letting Go

What are you holding onto right now that you’re afraid to let go of? Is it a career that you thought was your life’s calling, something hurtful someone said to you, a relationship gone south, or your lack of control over a situation?

If you haven’t already been faced with one of these “letting go” hurdles, it’s likely you will at some point. The need to let go comes in all shapes and sizes throughout life and might be some of the hardest tasks you’ll face.

Why is it important to let go?

Holding on can take up a lot of unnecessary headspaces, leaving you anywhere but in the present moment. When you’re afraid to let go, it’s usually your ego that’s in control, and no one wants that! Refusing to let go means you’re also refusing to trust that you’ll be taken care of and that the universe does have a plan for you.

This week I’m breaking out my favorite ways to help you let go of whatever it is that’s holding you back from your highest potential. These rituals can be done on separate days or all together as one big ritual, your choice! Let’s get started.

Step 1: Burn Baby, Burn

Time to get out your candles and cauldron. The first step is to recognize what it is that you’re trying to let go of and become willing to work on it. A burning ritual can help make this decision more concrete for you.

You’ll need:

• Black and white candle. The white candle is for protective loving light and black candle is to help absorb negative energy, but any candle will work if you don’t have these colors available. Click here to learn more about candle magick.

• Pen and paper

• Cauldron or other fireproof vessels

• Optional: Frankincense EO or incense. Frankincense will help you center yourself and let go. I like using Plant Guru’s Meditation blend.

The best moon phase to perform this ritual is during a waning moon. Set aside some quiet time, and center yourself with as many deep breaths as you need to feel calm and present.

To get started, light both of your candles and incense, if you’re using it. Write what you need to let go of on a piece of paper. Light the paper with the flame of each candle and place it in your fireproof vessel. Watch and breathe as your paper burns, allow any feelings you have to come to the surface. This is also a great time to call upon any angels, deities, or energy you’d like to invite in to help you through this process.

When you feel like this part of the ritual is complete, thank any spiritual energies that you invited in and blow out your candles. You can leave this setup and the ashes of your burned paper out as long as you’d like as a reminder.

Step 2: Cord-Cutting Ceremony

This is my personal favorite ritual for letting go. I discovered it from The Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky and is the suggested ritual when you receive the Lilith Goddess card.

You’ll need:

• String. Must be strong enough to be worn for a long period of time.

• Scissors

• Candles, incense, EO (optional and can be the same as above)

This ceremony should also be performed during a waning moon. it blends well into the first ritual and I recommend performing them in tandem, though they do not have to be. If you do start this ceremony separately from the above one, be sure to set aside time to quiet your mind and center yourself.

To begin this ritual, start by deciding where your cord should be tied on your body. You’ll want to tie the string somewhere that connects with what you’re letting go of. If what you’re letting go of has something to do with work and you use your hands you might decide to tie it around your wrist, if you’re walking away from something you could tie it around your ankle, if it has something to do with your creative center you could tie it around your belly.

As you tie your cord on your body say out loud what the cord represents and what it is you’re trying to let go of. Wear this cord for the rest of the moon cycle, or longer if you feel it is necessary, as a reminder of your commitment to let go. When you feel that you are ready to let go and cut the cord, prepare a quiet space to do so. Thank yourself for your commitment and willingness to be more present and let go.

Step 3: Visualize & Verbalize

During this process, you may find that your desire to hold on becomes even stronger. It’s normal and is usually your ego screaming at you to stay in control! Here are some tools to use to keep your ego in check through this process.

Voice and movement are powerful tools to reinforce your commitment to let go. Here are my favorite supportive tools to use:

• Woodchopper yoga pose with a loud “HA” exhale

• Lion’s pose

• Allow time to shake it out, dance it out, and/or yell it out

• Wear a reminder of your commitment to let go.

• Create a vision board of what your life would look like if you did let go, and place it somewhere you’ll see it regularly.

• Create a mantra about what you’re letting go of. Write it down somewhere and place it where you’ll see it regularly.

• Journal. Write out all of your fears associated with what you’re letting go of. I find that if I write out my fears and look at them, many of them are pretty silly and things I don’t have any control over in the first place.

• Above all, be gentle with yourself!

Letting go can be hard but I hope my offerings give you the tools you need to move forward in your healing journey. Sending you strength and peace through your process of letting go!

Protection Rituals for Travel

Getting away on an adventure is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but as much as we love it, traveling can be anxiety-inducing too. Setting intentions with rituals, symbolism, and crystals can be a powerful way to ground yourself before travel and offer a layer of protection.

There are so many uncontrollable situations when it comes to traveling, especially if you’re visiting a new place. I’ve got a list of rituals to offer peace and protection during any summertime travels you may have coming up! Read on to learn 4 protective tools for traveling.

Invoke Green Tara

Tara is an adored Buddhist Goddess that is portrayed in many colors, 21 to be exact, each with their own qualities. Green Tara, one of the more well-known of the 21, is your go-to Goddess for protection. She will help shield you from negative energy and soothe your fears and anxiety.

Invoke Green Tara’s protective energy by inviting her into your meditation, carrying around a card or image of her, or repeating her mantra, “Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha,” (Ah-um Tah-ray Too-tah-ray Too-ray So-hah).

Protective Crystal & Stones

There is a multitude of protective gemstones, but some are better for traveling. Here’s my list of favorite crystals to keep in my bag, on my rearview mirror, on my finger, or around my neck while traveling.

Tiger Eye

This stone has long been used as one of the most powerful stones for protection and warding off evil. My favorite part about this stone is that it can bring confidence and a sense of security when going through anxiety-provoking situations. Tiger eye is perfect for wearing to act as a protective shield during travel.

vYellow Jasper

This stone is specifically helpful for traveling, mentally and physically. It is protective like tiger eye, but it also connects with your solar plexus chakra. The solar plexus chakra often becomes drained during travel, and yellow jasper is ideal for keeping the energy of your solar plexus balanced and energized. Place yellow jasper on your solar plexus chakra (in between your belly button and heart center) to balance and restore your will and power center.

Smoky Quartz

This is your stone for grounding and protecting any valuables as you travel. Put a piece of smoky quartz in your suitcase or purse to help guard them. Between flying and projecting fears about the unknowns during travel it’s easy to throw your root chakra out of balance. If you’re feeling detached from Mother Earth place a couple of smoky quartz pieces in each hand pointing down and take several deep breaths to restore your root chakra.

Wear a Protective Hamsa Hand Amulet

If you prefer to keep your crystals in your luggage or purse wearing a Hamsa Hand is beautiful and powerful alternative. The Hamsa Hand is perfect for traveling because it is said to see all things and ward off evil for the wearer. Beyond protection, the Hamsa Hand is also good for bringing good fortune, blessings, and strength.

The Hamsa Hand has roots in many cultures so its meaning will vary from person to person. Some believe that each of the fingers represents an element, the combination of these elements is said to change the flow of energy within the body and offer healing.

Whatever your beliefs are about this symbol, they all come back to protection!

Protection Magic Charm Bag

Charm bags are one of the easiest magical tools and great for travel because they’re small, powerful, and easy to create. I travel often and like to tuck away a protective charm bag somewhere in my luggage. During my most recent trip back home, I drew a Hamsa Hand on my charm bag for an extra layer of protection and it made it look extra fun!

To create your magic charm bag, put any combination of the following ingredients into your choice of bag color. As you place the items in the charm bag imagine a white shielding light enveloping you and your luggage. This is a perfect time to invoke Green Tara too! Place your charm bag in a suitcase, on your rearview mirror, or in your purse as you travel.

• Bag color: black, blue, or yellow

• Stones: Any of the stones listed above!

• Earth: Pointed shell, black and white feather, pine, acorns, cinnamon

• Amulet or Symbol: Hamsa Hand, Eye of Horus

Now you have all the tools you need to travel with confidence that you’re protected mind, body and spirit. Wishing you a summer full of new and magical experiences!

8 Simple Ways to ‘Be Here Now’

The present moment; that time in space where the magic happens. Life stops and everything seems perfect just as it is. All of it makes sense, if only for a moment. We’ve all felt this fleeting feeling, but how can we be here more often?

I want to help you find freedom from the inner chatter of your brain and reach a new level of consciousness in the present moment. I’ve got 8 quick tips for you that will help you ‘be here now’ more often.

...Which is a BIG deal. These 8 tips can help turn your worry-filled moments at a stoplight into zen filled moments. I think we all need more of that!

1) 5-4-3-2-1 Technique

This one is my favorite go-to for when you are having an internal freak-out!! Let's put those anxiety attacks to rest! By recognizing your senses, you can gain control of your thoughts. Catch your breath and ground yourself in reality by way of your five senses!

1. Acknowledge 5 things you can SEE around you

2. Acknowledge 4 items you can TOUCH around you.

3. Acknowledge 3 things you can HEAR

4. Acknowledge 2 things you can SMELL

5. Acknowledge 1 thing you can TASTE

2) Yin Yoga

Turn it down a notch with this slow-paced form of yoga. Switch out one of your faster-paced yoga classes for a Yin class!

By incorporating this style of yoga into your routine, you will begin to find the beauty in your pause. Trust me, all the feels come to the surface when your body melts into pigeon pose for two minutes! When you move so quickly in all other areas of your life, yin allows you to just be still. Bonus, you’ll eventually start to notice this slowness creep into other areas of your life.

3) Walking Meditation

Are you so busy some days that you don’t even have a chance to sit down? This one is for you! It also means that means you have lots of opportunities to practice it too!

Thich Nhat Hanh suggests not focusing so much on where you are walking, but rather how you are walking. Walk with reverence. Try matching your inhales and exhales with your steps. Focus intently on how the ground feels under your feet and how your feet feel coming in contact with the ground. Imagine each of your steps as a nod to our Mother Earth.

4) Power of the Pause

There's power in the pause. Heated moments of anger, frustration, jealousy, and fear are some of the hardest times to live in the present moment. Acting on your first thought isn’t the best option and can leave you in a pit of resentment or regret. But, when you buy yourself this space, you create options.

Next time you have a flash of one of those powerful emotions try pausing before you react. Perhaps in the quiet moment of a pause, a new option for a reaction (or lack of reaction) will enter your mind? It’s certainly easier said than done, but practice truly does make perfect. Try turning the pause into one of your habits and see what happens!

5) Mindfulness Apps

Being in the present takes practice, especially in our fast-paced lifestyles. Mindfulness apps are perfect for building reminders into your fast-paced day.

I could easily write a full blog post about the magic of modern mindfulness apps! I’ve tried many and am happy to share some of my findings. Though many of these do have paid options or upgrade they’re all absolutely free to start out with!

My top 4 mindfulness app finds:

1. Lotus Bud: This simple app will offer gongs or buzzes at random times as reminders to focus on the present moment.

2. Calm: This app is more robust and has lots of great paid offerings. My favorite thing about it is the free “breathe” function it has on it that has a timer for inhaling, holding the breath, and exhaling.

3. Tibetan Bowls Meditation: The app is great for the more seasoned mindfulness practitioner. It offers a variety of singing bowl sounds that are great for on the spot self-guided meditations.

4. Headspace: This app is great if you’re new to meditation. It has short and helpful videos before each mediation that walk you through all the mindfulness know-how you’ll need to know and has a great 10-day free trial.

6) Tapping

Past traumas and losses can play a huge role in your ability to be present and can seem difficult to overcome. Practicing tapping can help you get out of “lizard brain” mode (the fear, fight or flight, part of your brain) and into the prefrontal cortex (the conscious decision-maker part of the brain).

I know this one might seem a bit odd, but I can tell you firsthand, it works! This is one of my favorite methods for calming down when I’m consumed by panic or anxiety.

My preferred method is to cross my arms and lightly tap opposite shoulders. This might not always be a good option, like if you’re in a busy meeting. If tapping your shoulders won’t work you can try lightly tapping back and forth on opposite thighs.

If you have a specific traumatic event you’re trying to work through try out the following steps for a simple tapping exercise:

• Begin by tapping your left hand on your left thigh and then your right hand on your right thigh or by tapping opposite shoulders with your arms crossed.

• Lightly tap left to right, left to right.

• See the event. Acknowledge what you see, smell, hear, taste...as you relive that event.

• Continue tapping left to right left to right.

• Now replace the trauma with your “happy place” or a “circle of love.”

• Use your five senses as you dive into your happy place.

• Continue tapping left to right until you feel free from the bad memory and grounded in the present.

Pair this technique along with some breathing for a presence powerhouse!

7) Conscious Observation

This is a great tool for redirecting overactive mental energy. I can't tell you how many ceiling tiles I've counted in waiting rooms! Sometimes when we feel nervous about a situation we project all of the possible future outcomes, the good, the bad, and the ugly! Try taking your mind off of the unknown by observing something in your surroundings.

• Find an object near you, it can be anything.

• Observe the item, take in every inch of it.

• Mentally note the color, size, and texture of every aspect of it (i.e. the pillow is brown, it looks soft to the touch, it has light vertical lines in it etc.).

• Repeat with as many objects as you’d like.

8) Count Your Breaths

When you are overwhelmed, you sometimes forget to breathe! Instead of holding your breaths, count them! Depriving your body of oxygen can actually create anxiety. Take deep breaths to bring yourself back to the moment.

• Inhale for 5 counts through your nose

• Hold for 3 counts

• Exhale for 5 counts through your mouth

I like counting on my fingers by touching the top of my thumb to the top of each finger for each count. Add in your favorite calming essential oil for added benefits!

I hope you’re able to snag a few of these for your tool chest. Now you’ve got a mindfulness tip for every day of the week, and an extra for good measure! There are more tips for staying the moment than there is room on this blog, if you have a favorite I’d love to hear about it, send me a message on Instagram.

Healing Sounds: Tibetan Singing Bowls

Can you really receive healing energy from singing bowls?

I’m sure you’ve seen them in your yoga class, or maybe you’ve even got your own singing bowl. They’re becoming more and more mainstream in Western culture, but what’s all the fuss? Can these pleasant sounds really help heal us from the inside out?I’ve done the research for you and have learned that singing bowls can in fact help you heal. (More on this and where to start your collection later.) I also learned about an unexpected communication link between singing bowls and the Buddha, but here’s a little history first.

Where Do They Come From?

Tibetan Singing Bowls date back to 560-480 B.C. and knowledge of the singing bowls were only passed on by high-ranking lamas or spiritual masters. To complicate the passing down of this study, the teachings were traditionally spoken between teacher and student. There’s virtually no written text on the topic! I, however, came across an interview with a lama (spiritual leader) regarding the mystical singing bowls!

Communication from The Buddha

In the interview, the lama told all about how the singing bowls are a means of communication for Buddha, how cool! So, if you are listening to singing bowls, here are a few things you might learn directly from Buddha.

Emptiness: The sound of the singing bowl gives the teaching of broadness and emptiness. This is the essence of Buddha’s teaching. In emptiness, all things are possible. Having a bad day? Emptiness allows feelings and emotions to not linger for too long. It allows us to not take everything so seriously, which I really need a lesson in on a daily basis!

Healing with Singing Bowls

Ok, now here’s some awesomeness for ya! The medical director at the Deepak Chopra Center in California found that both chanting AND Tibetan Singing Bowls are chemically metabolized into internal healing agents and painkillers! Here’s the lowdown on how the singing bowls promote healing in our bodies:

Vibrations: All matter vibrates. When we have an ailment, it is a part of us that is vibrating out of tune. Singing bowls can literally change the matter within you by sending vibrations to your body that bring everything back into harmony. This can be done by having singing bowls played around your body, or even having them played while they rest on top of your body!

Emotional Response: Singing bowls heal us physically because they touch us on deep emotional planes. The sound creates a spiritual awakening that quiets negative self-talk and synchronizes our brainwaves to bring awareness of a mind/body connection.

Mind-blowing right?! Well, if you got as excited as I did about these you might want to start your collection now. I found an amazing shop on Etsy that sells small, very affordable, singing bowls that you can even coordinate with your chakras, check them out here.I’d love to hear any singing bowl experiences you have had, or if you have a favorite singing bowl, let me know! Send us an email.

2 Spring Equinox Rituals to Cleanse & Refresh

Have you ever been curious about how to celebrate the Spring Equinox, also called Ostara in the wheel of the year, or ever wondered what it is exactly? We’ve got explanations and two different ways that you can celebrate rituals for the Spring Equinox.The coming of Spring is marked by the Equinox - meaning “equal light.” The Spring Equinox, or the first day of Spring, occurs when the sun crosses the celestial equator from South to North. This special event happens every year on March 19th, 20th, or 21st. This year it is happening on March 20th. During this time, daylight and night are equal and balanced, right before tipping over to the side of light. Flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, and birds are chirping…it’s officially SPRING!!Around the world, many different cultures hold celebrations for the Spring Equinox, and I want to share with you some of my personal favorites.

Yoga Mala Sun Salutations

More than a beaded bracelet, a yoga Mala is completed by doing a set of 108 sun salutations. It’s a great way to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit. Completing this could take as long as two hours (expect a lot of jump backs into Chaturanga), but you can always rest in downward facing dog or child’s pose. Sweaty as you may be, it’s a great way to cleanse and detoxify the body for a new season.

How to Get Involved

If you’re an experienced yoga practitioner you can set a time special time and place to do this on your own or with friends. If you’ve got a favorite local studio it’s likely that they’ll be offering something for Spring.

What to Know Before You Go

• Sign up ahead of time for this special event at your local studio.

• Come to class with an intention. An encouraging message will help you to push through.

• Be prepared to sweat! The room will naturally heat from all of the movement and breathwork of you and your fellow yogis. Bring a towel to place over your mat, or a hand towel to wipe off any excess moisture that might cause you to slip.

• Wear an inspirational piece of jewelry. I wear a hamsa hand around my neck that inevitably dangles in my face while I’m resting in downward facing dog reminding me “you’ve got this!”

Forest Bathing

Forest bathing is a Japanese tradition called “Shinrin-yoku,” or “taking in the forest atmosphere.” Unlike the vigor of a Mala, forest bathing is meant to be a calm, low-speed experience. As leaves begin to bud, and flowers begin to bloom, a forest bath is a perfect way to honor the arrival of Spring. You could do this by meditating in a lush green area, taking a hike, or even having a picnic.Not only are these ideas relaxing from a spiritual perspective, but there are actually scientific advantages behind these inspiring practices, too. Many trees give off organic compounds that decrease stress hormones and boost your immune system.

Additional Benefits Include:

• Decrease in anxiety, depression, and anger

• Increased cognitive function

• Reduced blood pressure

• Accelerated healing

• Increased ability to focus

• More energy and better sleep

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these in the past or have plans to create a new ritual this year. Happy Spring Equinox! Find more rituals for Ostara here.