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A Crystal Message about the Healing Properties of Selenite: "I am energy manifested in the physical realm. I embody peace and clarity in all I do." Common Healing Properties of Selenite: Used for purification Cleanses the chakras and the aura Enriches the dream state and helps you receive intuitive messages in your dreams Facilitates spiritual growth and ascension Enhances the connection between your conscious mind and your Higher Self Promotes a connection with your divine self or with the divine feminine Aids in the ascension process Helps you channel universal source energy for healing Promotes a good night's sleep Helps you overcome past life issues Encourages new friendships Promotes love and empathy Eases mental or emotional shock Clears the mind before meditation Enhances your ability to follow your spiritual path Brings white light into your energy body being Promotes peace and harmony Helps you connect with the energy of the Moon and with Moon Goddesses Clears out mental clutter and stagnant energy Enhances self-confidence Cleanses and charges other crystals Helps in decision making Use as a "runway" back to the physical realm after astral travel or dreamwork Helps you connect with other realms and dimensions more easily (especially the angelic realm) Clears spaces of energetic debris Can be added to a crystal grid for the protection of your home   /*   Colors: Clear to shiny, brilliant white Associated Chakras: 7th (Crown) Zodiac Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces Elements: Air, Water Companion Flowers: Snow in Summer Companion Essential Oil: Orchid Companion Stone: Black Tourmaline Common Origins: Morocco, Mexico Notes: A variety of Gypsum. While the name Selenite technically applies to clear crystals, "Satin Spar" Gypsum (which is white and striated) is also Selenite. Wanna’ Get Science-y? Click Here to get more information about this crystal!   More About Selenite: Selenite is a pearly-white form of gypsum (hydrated calcium sulfate). It is named for the moon goddess Selene (the Greek goddess of the full moon), probably because its sheen resembles the light of a full moon. Both the full moon and selenite purify energy. Although colorless, the parallel striations that run the length of this crystal often give it a whitish appearance. Gypsum’s otherworldly tendencies continue today in the white sands of New Mexico, which are so bright they can be seen from space. A crystal ball made of selenite can represent the full moon (for rituals or magical workings), especially at times when the moon is in another phase or the night is cloudy. Since selenite has a reputation as a scrying stone and a record-keeper, this fits right in with this beautiful stone’s still-developing tradition of use. A natural insulator, it often warms up when held. Large, thin sheets of Selenite were once used for windowpanes and smaller sheets were used as eyeglass lenses.  The Cave of Crystals in Naica, Mexico, discovered in the year 2000, is filled with giant Selenite crystals, some of them hundreds of feet tall. It forms natural wands, but may also be easily carved or etched. Selenite can be damaged by water, so please don’t cleanse it in water or use it in an elixir. Small pieces may also come off in needle-like slivers, so handle it carefully. The chemical formula of Selenite is CaSO4 . 2H2O   One Way to Work with Selenite: When you work with Selenite for healing, it’s like having a direct connection to the universal source (divine or universal energy). This energy is incredibly cleansing and purifying. Rough, Selenite wands (sometimes called blades), are the most common form of Selenite. They're actually the Satin Spar form of Selenite Gypsum, and they can be used to remove negativity from the energy field.

Hello and welcome! Today, I am so excited and honored to be interviewing the amazing Kathryn Solie. Kathryn does a lot of amazing different work, but primarily she teaches some meditation classes and workshops on poisonous plants and plant medicines.    An Interview with Kathryn Solie: What poisonous plants can teach us about healing.   Interview transcript: Kathryn Solie: Thank you for having me here! Ashley: Oh, it is my pleasure and my honor. I have really been getting into this journey with plants and plant medicines and I actually signed up for your Poisonous Plant Medicine, Class 1 and Class 2. And I know that you are going to be starting a new round of that very soon. I was wondering if you could introduce yourself to everyone? Tell them a little bit about your story, and how you got started on this path, and what you are up to now? Kathryn: That is always an interesting question to ask because it is hard to know what exactly brought me here. There has been so many different things, but essentially, I work with plant medicine. If I am just talking to a regular person, I just say, I am an herbalist. Probably, not a lot of regular people are listening, so I can kind of go into a little bit more detail in the way that I work with them. I work a lot with plant consciousness, or what a lot of people call plant spirit medicine. It's really similar to the way that you work with crystals in that they have this energetic medicine. I have been really pulled towards poisonous plants. Or I kind of want to do air quotes as poisonous, because it is the dose that makes the poison. Everything is poisonous, even water can kill you if you have a big enough dose. Those plants have just really called me in the past few years. And their medicine is really needed on the planet at this time. They help bring us into the shadows and to our deeper psyches and to our unconscious into places where we are discouraged from exploring. Our current society only focuses on being happy. Be happy all the time. And it is great if we can be happy all the time, but there is also likely an undercurrent underneath that has all our life stories and moons and fears and that is always going to be there. That is normal and healthy and part of being human. I feel like the poisonous plants can help guide us through those spaces that might be normally kind of uncomfortable.    Ashley: I feel so grateful that you are bringing this up. In my personal journey with these medicines, this is exactly when they showed up in my life. When I really started to consciously dig into that shadow aspect. I found that I needed some support, and this was what came through. For me, this was what my body, my mind, my spirit all needed. To kind of do this work on multiple levels and find that energetic support and that medicine for this, really deep dive inner journey, personal healing, transformative, shadow aspect work. Was it something similar for you personally that drew you in? Or did this just evolve naturally in your exploration of herbalism? Kathryn: I think that it was always kind of just part of my makeup as a person, just even as a little kid I was always kind of, not, I would never use the word morbid, I feel like other people might use that word, but just kind of interested in the aspects of life that people try to keep hidden. Even for many years before I really fully stepped on the plant path, I was really on a path of meditation and non-duality and kind of eastern philosophy in eastern religion. I still am on that path, but a big part of that path for me was working with the archetypes of the wrathful deities. In Hinduism and Buddhism you get Kali, which is symbolic of transformation and of going into these difficult times. Or if you have worked with this astrology -- Saturn, Pluto -- that kind of energy. I feel like that kind of aspect of life has always felt natural and comfortable to me,

A Crystal Message about the Healing Properties of Carnelian: "I am motivated by divine purpose. I allow myself to tap into Universal creativity and feel it flow through me. If I remain focused, I will manifest my vision with ease."   Common Healing Properties of Carnelian: Helps you to feel grounded Enhances creativity & the flow of creative ideas Increases motivation Stimulates success in business and financial endeavors Assists you in overcoming negative thought patterns and self-limiting beliefs Enhances sexual energy Improves concentration Opens your heart chakra to divine guidance and love Instills a sense of peace and calming within the user Removes negative energy from items or from your environment Helps lessen pain associated with the back or with the sciatic nerve Speeds up recovery of broken bones Remedies sluggish digestion by enhancing the digestive fire Aids with emotional balance Helps heal the reproductive organs Increases blood circulation Regulates menstruation Assists with energetic cleansing & purifying   Colors: Orange, Burnt Orange, Mango Associated Chakras: Root (1st), Sacral (2nd), Heart (4th) Zodiac Signs: Aries, Leo Elements: Fire Companion Flowers: Torch Lily Companion Essential Oil: Ginger Companion Stone: Blue Quartz Common Origins: Sausalito, California; Sri Lanka; China Notes: When Carnelian is banded, it is often called “Carnelian Agate.” Wanna’ Get Science-y? Click Here to get information about the chemical composition, hardness, streak, etc. of this crystal from one of my favorite sites!   /*   More About Carnelian: Carnelian is chalcedony in which iron oxide gives an orange to red color. Carnelian helps you overcome negative thought patterns and approach your endeavors with new energy. Sard is like carnelian, except that the color tends more toward brown. Its banded form is called sardonyx.   One Way to Work with Carnelian:  Work with Carnelian during the time of the First Quarter Moon to keep yourself motivated and on track with your New Moon action plan. If you feel yourself starting to lose steam, take some time to soak up some good Carnelian vibes.=   Carnelian Lore:  The ancient Egyptians prized carnelian for reasons both practical and metaphysical and its golden-red color reminded them of the sun setting over the desert, symbolizing the immortality of the soul. Carnelian often accompanies turquoise, the fiery qualities of the one balancing the air and water associations of the other. Egyptians personified these qualities through the fierce lion goddess Sekhmet and the mild Hathor, who sometimes appears as a cow. Because of its color, carnelian was associated with the magical blood of the mother goddess, Isis. This is likely where Carnelian gets its reputation as a stone for reproductive health and to support childbirth. Since wax doesn’t stick to it, this form of chalcedony worked well for carving official seals. A scarab beetle of carnelian, with signature hieroglyphs on the bottom, might be an amulet for either the living or the dead. It could be set in a ring of clay, to be worn and used as a signature seal. Such a seal could also be placed over the heart of the deceased to be used in the afterlife. Carnelian for the Corn Moon:  This deep orange stone nourishes you by pulling energy into your energy field (called your aura). Just as we sustain the physical body by enjoying the results of a bountiful harvest, so too must we nourish the energy body. The Corn Moon is about enjoying the fruits of your labor due to the effort you’ve put in previously. Carnelian helps you do this in your own life by encouraging joyful activities related to the Sacral Chakra (like creativity, dancing or sex).

Hi everyone and welcome. Today, I have the pleasure of re-interviewing the amazing Dana Whitby about card reading. Dana has been on the podcast before so you can go back and check out that previous episode because she always has so much to share.      Thank you so much for being here with us today again! Dana: Thank you so much for having me, Ashley. Ashley: So for those of you who remember Dana, you probably recall that she is the host of the Soul Rising Podcast, which is one of my faves. It is so worth binge listening to, so if you are in quarantine and you need something to do, the Soul Rising Podcast is so so perfect. I was wondering if you could tell everybody a little bit about your journey? You have so many roles in your work as an empath and a Healer. Dana: Yes, thank you so much, Ashley. First of all, I am just so excited to be here. I love spending time with you Ashley. So, I began my podcast journey almost two years ago, and this really was born out of a spiritual awakening that I had a few years prior. I started going down this path of wanting to heal myself and searching out different healing modalities. I had become certified in regression and hypnosis as well as Reiki -- I am also just interested in any homeo-healing modality that comes my way. My podcast is really a way to share what I have learned and the different ways that we can find to heal, because they are absolutely endless. I want to share them with my listeners to help ignite a passion for someone along that path. It has always been born out of wanting to heal myself and that goes way back into my childhood. I have a degree in Psychology and a master's degree in counseling. So those are kind of my more mainstream modalities that started me on this path. Eventually though that really dovetailed into a spiritual awakening that opened up so much more. So now I offer intuitive one-on-one Oracle readings and custom meditations. These really help my listeners deepen their practice with getting in touch with themselves, what is going on for them right now, and how to take their healing to a deeper level. Ashley: I think this is really cool because you have kind of created this podcast from your own journey taking others along the ride with you. You are like, come along with me as I discover all these things about healing and about myself, and about how we fit into the world. And now you are doing some more one-on-one kind of heart-level connections with people. You're getting to go a little bit deeper into the individual journeys and stories of each person. I'm wondering, how did this really come about for you? What was the driving factor behind deciding to incorporate readings into the healing work that you do? Could you also share a little bit about how that journey has evolved? I know there are so many of you listening or reading who want to do this kind of work. Dana is so courageous to really get going with it and do it. So Dana, we would love to hear that story. Dana: Yes. It really began almost five years ago. I went to a medium and at that time I was open to spiritual topics, but I did not know much about them. I knew I wanted to go to someone who would not just connect me with my dead grandmother, I wanted guidance. Because I felt so lost in my life and she gave me this beautiful reading and basically said to me you are an intuitive and you are not using your abilities and I just was so floored. I had this feeling like, "Who, me?" I did not think I was anything special at that point in my life. That was really how I felt about myself. So that really pushed me to start looking into my own intuition and to think, "Okay, well, if really everyone has intuition, how does it show up for me? What are my abilities? What can I do?" and so the medium that I saw began teaching intuitive listening courses. I was among her very first cohort in her class to take her intuitive listening class,

The time of the full moon is the peak time to engage your intuition and use your psychic gifts, such as clairvoyance or clairaudience. Be on the lookout for any signs or symbols that present themselves in your life during this lunar phase.   Do you keep seeing a specific number? Have you come across an animal messenger? These may be signs from the universe. The energy of the full moon is incredibly powerful, so be gentle with yourself. Allow yourself to be fully immersed in this energy. Using the right crystals for the full moon can enhance the energetic power of this time.    The Full Moon carries the energy of: Achievement Completion Dreams Flow Intuition Manifestation Power Protection Wholeness    Go with the flow rather than fighting what is being revealed. Allow sensations of wholeness and completion to wash over you as your dreams are manifested into being. Although manifesting usually takes center stage during the time of the full moon, there’s another important aspect to its energy that shouldn’t be overlooked. The bright light of the full moon illuminates things that may otherwise be hidden to you. It calls your attention to potential roadblocks or challenges that, if left unchecked, can slow down your progress. This isn’t to say these things must come to pass, only that if you remain on the present path, they could be issues. Luckily, the full moon is also known for its protective qualities. A little ritual and some course corrections can head off your potential troubles.  Finally, the full moon is a powerful time for divination work. Because your intuition is heightened during this period, you’ll feel more connected to your divination practice and the results will show it. Need some crystals to support you through these energetic shifts? These are the 4 Best Crystals for the Full Moon... 1) AMETHYST: People have been using Amethyst to connect with intuition and psychic skills since the time of the ancient Romans. Incorporate Amethyst into your Full Moon divination practice for ease in deciphering the messages and information you receive. Alternatively, call upon Amethyst’s protective abilities and charge your crystal with Full Moon energy to create a powerful protection talisman.   2) LABRADORITE: Labradorite is a mystical stone that gets its brilliant flash from reflected light, similarly to how the full moon is illuminated by reflected light from the sun. The energy of Labradorite and the energy of the Full Moon are like kindred spirits. Work with them together to enhance any Full Moon rituals or activities. You can also use Labradorite during this moon phase to facilitate lucid dreaming and to promote insightful, intuitive dreams. Tuck a piece of Labradorite into your pillowcase or create a simple rectangular grid using four pieces around your bed to have an out-of-this-world dream experience. 3) RAINBOW MOONSTONE: Believe it or not, Rainbow Moonstone is a white variety of Labradorite. They’re the same stone, but where Labradorite has flashes of color on a dark, gray-colored crystal, Rainbow Moonstone has flashes of color on a light, white-colored stone. Rainbow Moonstone works similarly to Labradorite for dreamwork, but it also encourages you to stay in flow with the lunar cycle all year long. Some people tend to notice the moon only when it’s full, but they miss out on the true benefits of living in tune with the moon. Work with Rainbow Moonstone to cultivate a lasting lunar practice that will serve you all cycle long.  4) WHITE MOONSTONE: White Moonstone is a member of the Orthoclase Feldspar group of minerals, different from Rainbow Moonstone (which is actually a member of the Labradorite Feldspar group). With its soft, white shimmer, it’s no wonder it was named for its resemblance to the moon. This crystal mimics the energy of wholeness and completion embodied by the full moon. If you feel like something has been missing from yo...

A Crystal Message about the Healing Properties of Red Jasper: "I am fully in touch with my creative fire, my passion, and my purpose in life."     Common Healing Properties of Red Jasper: Promotes grounding Encourages justice Stimulates intuitive insight and provides perspective into your problems and challenges Helps you to remember your dreams Aids you in asserting your personal boundaries Brings peace and calming Encourages you to lend a helping hand (or to receive one from others) Promotes shamanic journeying and astral travel Enhances protection Cleanses the etheric body Banishes electromagnetic pollution Facilitates accurate pendulum dowsing sessions Assists energetically sluggish digestion and increases your digestive fire Enhances will power Stimulates courage Helps you to organize your environment Increases support during times of illness Stimulates cognition Encourages nurturing attitudes and behaviors Stabilizes your energy   Colors: Brick red to dark, blood red Associated Chakras: 1st (Root) Zodiac Signs: Aries, Capricorn Elements: Earth, Fire Companion Flowers: Crocosmia Companion Essential Oil: Cinnamon Bark Companion Stone: Blue Kyanite Common Origins: India, Africa Wanna’ Get Science-y? Click Here to get more information about this crystal!   Metaphysical Uses of Red Jasper: Red Jasper is a grounding stone, associated with the root chakra, and with strength used to promote the cause of justice.  Passionate Aries is ruled by Mars, and this stone amplifies Mars’ warrior spirit while at the same time keeping emotions under control.  But contrary to what this might imply, it’s also a stone of the Divine Feminine, associated with childbirth and courage in women.  For healing, Red Jasper is strongly associated with blood. Red Jasper is a stone of reverence and dignity and mimics the honor and respect that was shown to animals who were killed during the hunt. This stone has a primal energy and allows you to better understand the earth’s natural cycles and of the cycles of life and death.   Red Jasper Lore: Red Jasper is a form of quartz with traces of hematite, which gives it both its intense color and some interesting properties.  While healing and other metaphysical uses go back to ancient times, writers often used the word “jasper” to refer to any opaque stone, so it isn’t always easy to be sure what mineral they mean.  But generally, the brick-red form has been associated with strength and grounding.  The Egyptians, for example, considered it the “blood of Isis” (along with Carnelian), and believed a drop-shaped red jasper pendant would give the soul the courage needed to face Osiris for one’s judgment in the next world.     /* More About Jaspers: Jaspers are primarily quartz (silicon dioxide, or SO2) which has been broken down and reformed within the earth, often picking up traces of other minerals in the process. Red jasper, for example, contains traces of hematite. More complex jaspers may even include veins or small pieces of other minerals. Some jaspers are actually agates, rhyolites, or… well, whatever. For the sake of this list, we’re just going to go by what they’re commonly called. In general, jaspers are associated with grounding and connection to Mother Earth. The heavily patterned ones are often also associated with creativity and mental focus. Pin it!   Are you interested in becoming a Certified Crystal Healer? Find out more about the CCH and Advanced Crystal Practitioner Program HERE!

Today I'm thrilled and super excited to be interviewing the amazing Alena Hennessy. Alena has released one of the most beautiful books I have read in a long time, the healing guide to flower essences.     Ashley: So flower essences are only part of your journey. You really combine the beauty and I think soft, gentle energy that flower essences share with us along with some creative expression and art. I'm wondering if you can tell everyone a little bit about your journey and how you got here today? Alena: Sure. Well, I have been an artist and been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. I was also a tomboy nature girl. I grew up in Florida and so I spent all the time outside in the parks and just riding bikes. So I fell in love with nature at an early age and just have always been drawn to painting botanicals and animals and other things. I was a commercial artist for a long time and doing well with that. Selling to galleries and catalogs and whatnot. I came to a point in my journey where I wanted my art and my purpose in life to have more meaning. To be more connected to the mystery. So I studied at the school here in Asheville about 12 years ago, and that is when I learned about herbalism and flower essences and energy healing. From here I became a far essence practitioner. Then a few years ago, my mom and I collaborated and made this Oracle deck called mysteries of love Oracle about animal totems and flower essences. And the publisher found me and was like, do you want to do another book? And I already had three books out on painting. At first, I felt too busy to do it, but then she approached me again in the spring. I was like, sure, I will do it. And so that is how this came about. Ashley: I love that. And we were just chatting before we started our interview and you actually did the amazing piece of artwork that is behind you right now. I love that you can kind of see a lot of those influences and elements coming through in your artwork. It is so expressive and it is really enjoyable. In regards to the artwork in the book, you said it was a collaborative effort with someone quite special. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Alena: Sure. So my mom has been a fine artist since she was in university. When she was raising three kids, she kind of put that to the side. Now, she's pretty much in retirement, so she has more time to draw and paint. She moved up to Asheville a few years ago and we collaborated on a few projects, first being the Oracle deck and then this book. My mom painted and I did everything else -- the writing, the design behind the subject matter. And some of those cute, whimsical illustrations. And she did the main, more classical painted illustrations of all the flowers. So it was another collaboration. Ashley: It's such a beautiful project and it is so exciting to see it come to life. So let us dive into your book a little bit, obviously, it is all about flower essences. This is something that I have been working with for just about a year now. And my background is actually in botany and horticulture, even though I am a crystal person now. So I love plants and flowers. The essence was something that really spoke to me. And I think they did the same for you with your journey into urbanism and flower essences and becoming a practitioner. Can you give a brief introduction and understanding of what flower essences are and why we might want to work with them? Disclosure: The link here is an affiliate link, meaning I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Yay! Alena: Sure. They are amazing. I find that deep healing happens in the subtle realms and the energetic realms and with our emotions and that is what flower essences are about. So they are very gentle. There are not any side-effects you might experience because it is on an energetic, emotional, spiritual level. So it is homoeopathic. Sort of.

Shadow work helps you gain an intimate understanding of your inner self. It’s the process of exploring the dark, interior realm of your subconscious mind to shine a light on the parts of yourself that are hidden within the Shadow Realm.   Uncovering these hidden aspects of yourself is often easier said than done. But by engaging your intuition, you can connect with your subconscious mind. Using this crystal elixir recipe for shadow work will bring important messages and wisdom to the surface. Once there, your conscious mind can be made aware of them. It’s in these messages that we find the gifts that our Shadow side holds.     One of my favorite methods of retrieving Shadow wisdom is scrying divination. Scrying is an ancient divinatory art that can be practiced with a number of mediums. From fire to crystal balls, to clouds, to water and more. In my Crystal Shadow Work Master Class, I teach my students how to uncover the hidden meaning of Shadow Work symbols. We do this through the art of crystallomancy (working with crystal balls - especially Obsidian Scrying balls). Today I’d like to share another method for revealing these important Shadow Realm messages... water basin scrying. This method of divination involves scrying, or focused gazing, into a shallow dish of water. For this very sacred practice, it’s important to engage your intuition AND your subconscious mind. This will bring hidden messages and wisdom forward where they can be consciously absorbed and integrated for healing and balance. To help connect you with your intuition, we won’t be scrying with ordinary water - we’ll be using a special energy-infused blend. To create your intuition-boosting scrying water, you’ll need: A clear, glass bowl About a cup of spring or distilled water (tap water will work in a pinch) Your favorite intuition crystal (I recommend Labradorite or Black Obsidian). Just be sure it’s safe to put into water and won’t react, rust, or dissolve. Why not try one of the 5 Best Crystals for Shadow Work? A Bay leaf (or another non-toxic, intuition-boosting herb of your choice) A marker or pen Something for cleansing (a bell, an herbal bundle, or even a Selenite wand)   Begin creating your Shadow Work scrying water by choosing a night to prepare it. Consider the energy of the Moon Phase on that evening and what magical qualities it will bring to your water. NOTE: I highly recommend creating this Scrying Water during the upcoming Full Blue Moon on Samhain (October 31st!). This is when the veil is the thinnest and when you can more freely walk between the worlds of Shadow and Light. In general, when it comes to Shadow Work: New Moon: A great time to commit (or re-commit) to your Shadow Work Practice Waxing Moon: A time when you’re drawing in what you seek from your Shadow Work Full Moon: A time for heightened intuition Waning Moon: A time for release and letting go of trauma or wounding that doesn’t serve you Dark Moon: A time deeply connected to the subconscious and to the Shadow Realm   On your chosen evening, place your glass bowl on a tabletop near a window where it can be charged by the energy of the moon. The bowl doesn’t have to be in direct moonlight for this to work. Just get it as near as possible to the window. You can even place the bowl outside if you’d like! Pour the distilled or spring water into the glass bowl. Work with your cleansing items to remove any unwanted energy from the water, crystal, and herb. If you’re working with a bell or singing bowl, chime it a few times over the items. If you’re working with an herbal cleansing bundle, get it nice and smoky and use the smoke to cleanse everything. Or if you’re working with a Selenite wand, wave the wand over each item and comb any unwanted energy away. Feel free to use any other cleansing method you feel drawn to, just so long as you’ve purified the water, crystal, and herbs before continuing ahead. Next,

We’re approaching Samhain - the time of year when the veil is the thinnest and when we move into the dark half of the year. This is a time for withdrawing inward.   This is not just about the ways that we withdraw from the world and start enjoying the warmth of the home as the weather turns colder (here in the northern hemisphere). It is also about how we start to reflect upon our own inner world. It is the time for getting comfortable with the darkness and following the flow of the earth’s natural cycles. It’s the time for Shadow Work.   Shadow work is a journey inward to reclaim the darkness and light within you. Shadow work helps you gain an intimate understanding of your inner self. It’s the conscious undertaking of exploring the dark, interior realm of your subconscious mind and the hidden feelings and wounds that reside there. In a modern, spiritual sense, Shadow Work is about uncovering and exploring the parts of yourself that are holding you back. These parts may be preventing you from living in authentic joy. They are created over time through social conditioning, personal fears, and trauma and wounds inflicted upon you by others (from your childhood to the present day). These shadow aspects of your personality are created when you have a traumatic emotional response to something that was deemed negative by others (and thus, seen as negative by the self). To cope, your subconscious mind locks this part of your psyche away in the “shadow.” Shadow work is the spiritual work of uncovering and reacquainting yourself with the parts of you that you’ve been made to feel are “unacceptable”. The discarded parts of yourself that you’ve locked up and hidden away because others (family, friends, society) have deemed them unsuitable or negative. It is the conscious reintegration of these aspects as part of your whole self. Your shadow self and your light self are two halves to one whole. Re-integrating and reuniting these dual aspects of yourself is important for balance and alignment. After all, both pieces are a part of you and contribute to the uniqueness of who you are. Thus, the Shadow is a necessary part of your being, it is part of your wholeness. It's Time to Walk the Path of Shadow and Illumination...Do You Feel the Call? Perhaps you’re brand new to this concept. Maybe you’re a little familiar but don’t quite understand it all yet, or maybe you’re even deeply immersed in this process as a part of your regular spiritual practice. Shadow work helps you get to know yourself better than ever before. No matter where you’re at on your path, healing crystals can be incredibly helpful for support during your Shadow Work Practice, (both the novice or the experienced shadow worker alike).     /* The following are the 5 Best Crystals for Shadow Work: Black Moonstone: Black Moonstone is connected to the energy of the dark goddesses (especially Hecate/Hekate, Baba Yaga, and Kali) that rule the Shadow Realm.  These goddesses are often feared because of their perceived negative connotations, but in fact, they represent transformation. Black Moonstone assists you during times of uncomfortable change as both an emotional and energetic support. It’s also a stone of feminine empowerment and is linked to the archetypes of the maiden, the mother, and the crone.  It is an excellent companion stone for times of rebirth or transformation, especially spiritual rebirths.  Black Moonstone reveals to you your identity as it’s seen by the divine.  It can facilitate a connection between your light side and your shadow side.  It is especially powerful for use during ritual or ceremony related to shadow work during the dark and new moon phases.  Black Moonstone is related to all forms of growth (physical, mental, and emotional).  It can keep you energetically protected during major life transitions so that you can emerge safe, supported, and whole on the other side of your journey.

Today I'm so excited to get to be speaking with the amazing ladies at Energy Muse, Heather Askinosie and Timmi Jandro. So ladies, thank you so much for being here with us today.       I've been really looking forward to talking to you both again. Our last conversation really got me thinking...One of the things that we touched on during that interview was clearing cords with crystal energy. So, I thought that would be a great thing to share with everyone today. Can you tell us a little bit about energetic cords? Timmi Jandro: So, sometimes people don't even realize that they have attached to someone energetically. Again, I could just use Heather and I as an example. We're around each other a lot. And so, let's say I come in and I'm having a terrible day. I might not mean to put that energy towards Heather, but because we're so close, she feels it. It's a good practice that we use often because you want to just be free of that energy and it's not like she's cutting me out of her life. She's cutting that energetic cord, sending light my way to replace that cut or that energy that's been cut. Then we move on and you feel a lot lighter because when you're a sensitive person and you're around people, you can pick up on energy so easily. And even when you're not so sensitive, it happens. Ashley: So, for someone who's new to this concept, they probably haven't heard this term before. So these are really just energetic attachments between people. Can we be corded to places or objects as well? Heather Askinosie: Yeah. I think, for me how I get my head around it, because I always have to get my head around it, is that when we get attached to something. Say it could be a crystal, and when you see this crystal and you're like, oh, I really want it, but it's maybe out of my price range or what not, but you can't stop thinking about it. So that could be more of an object. Or sometimes we can be attached to places we've traveled to and emotions and experiences that we had there. The reason it's important to cut the cords, even if it's a fantastic experience, is that we want to have all our energy fully invested in ourselves. I don't want to be leaking it, whether it's good, bad, or indifferent. And so, cutting the cords helps you really find out where you're leaking your energy. Where are your thoughts in the past? Where are your thoughts in the future? It can keep us from being in the now moment because we're not fully present. So, I look at it as an almost spiritual housecleaning. That way, we are empowered to be in the present moment. It gives us a tool to help us cut or disconnect. Ashley: Yeah, that's so true. And you touched on my next question a little bit there, which was... What really happens to our energy body when we have these cords or attachments? You mentioned this idea of an energy leak. Now, can you explain to everyone why that is a bad thing? Timmi Jandro: For me, you might feel physically drained. So it might be more of a physical thing. And if you look at it energetically, it might be that one of your chakras where the attachment has occurred may be blocked because that cord is there to another person. Heather Askinosie: So, this might be going a little bit deeper. I don't know if it's too much, but I'm just going to say it. What I'm researching now with crystals is how trauma is held in our body. Specifically, how we could use the energy of the earth to help us go back on a cellular level and re-pattern ourselves. Okay. So, hypothetically, you're in fifth grade and you're playing on the bars at school, and you fall off and somebody laughs at you. A lot of times we think, you know what, maybe that didn't have any kind of traumatic effect on us. But maybe it did. In some little respect, it made us not feel as confident. So maybe we didn't go on the bars as much. How does that one little event play out over time and how can we use cutting the cords on a deeper level?

Before we get into my 3 favorite crystals for the Virgo New Moon, I want to share a personal story with you about how I got started working with lunar energy and why it’s so important to me.         I know how important this work is based on my own experience. I want to share it with you so that you may find healing and comfort through working with the moon just as I have.     About four years ago, my life was interrupted dramatically when I needed to have a hysterectomy. It was only two weeks before my 29th birthday, and it wasn't entirely devastating for me because I had long before decided not to have children. Despite this, it hit me in quite an unexpected way. My personal choice not to bear children felt positive and somewhat empowering, but when that choice was completely taken away, part of me grieved for what I may have lost. Over the next few years, I struggled silently with grieving a part of myself that I hadn't realized was so important to me. Part of me felt incomplete. I felt a longing for a reconnection with the part of myself that had been lost. These feelings completely took me by surprise, but I knew I needed to do something to feel empowered again. So my journey into connecting to the DIVINE feminine began. This journey wasn’t about gender, it was about energy - the energy of the sacred feminine. I spent my days meditating, connecting with goddesses, and creating rituals for myself. Naturally, my love of crystals ensured they were a regular part of just about everything I was doing, but I started to develop a new passion: I became enamored with the moon. I fell in love with learning all I could about staying in rhythm with her natural cycles and flows. Perhaps the need for that connection arose from the absence of my own feminine cycle, or perhaps I was simply awakening to something larger taking place in our world. Whatever the reason, living in alignment with lunar energy became part of who I am. Tuning into the rhythm of the moon helped me heal. Perhaps the need for that connection arose from the absence of my own feminine cycle. Or perhaps I was simply awakening to something larger taking place in our world. Whatever the reason, living in alignment with lunar energy became part of who I am. I fell in love with learning all I could about staying in rhythm with her natural cycles and flows. I spent many, many hours journaling and sketching and doodling about the spiritual moon work I was doing. One evening while connecting with some amazing women in an online Goddess Circle, I shared a few of the ways I had been working with the moon in my own spiritual practice. It was then that I realized just how powerful this work was—and just how much I needed to share it with others as part of my own journey toward wholeness and completion. I realized in that moment of sharing that it was not just me who was feeling disconnected from the natural world, from the seasonal cycles, and from my own power and energy. Many others I spoke with were feeling the same way. We have become so far removed from nature that we have forgotten how to live in harmony with the world around us. One of the easiest ways to repair this connection is to live in alignment with the energy of the moon—to let her guide our actions so that we may become aware of our place in this universe again. As part of my work with lunar energy, I began learning about the distinct energies of each monthly full moon, the lunar phases, and how the moon's influence changes as it moves through different constellations in the Zodiac. The night sky can be more or less divided into twelve sections, one relating to each constellation of the Zodiac. As the moon travels around the earth, it passes through the sections of the different Zodiac constellations. This is referred to as “entering”, or being “in”, a particular Zodiac sign. Since the moon makes its rotation around the earth pretty quickly,

Shungite is an amazing stone for healing and purification, but it's controversial due to some of the claims made about its use. I was recently interviewed for an article at mindbodygreen about the properties and benefits of Shungite.               After our conversation, and since I receive so many requests for information about this popular stone, I felt inspired to share more with you about this non-crystalline mineraloid. Before we dive into the healing properties of this stone and how to work with it, it's important to note that not all Shungite is created equally. The name Shungite was first used in 1879 to describe the high-carbon (98%+) mineraloids found in Russia near Shunga (in the Lake Onega area of Karelia). This high-Carbon variety of Shungite is the stone linked to claims of water purification and anti-bacterial properties. However, there are many other Shungite-containing minerals with much lower proportions of carbon. These vary greatly with the Carbon content ranging from less than 10% up to about 80%. The lower the percentage of Carbon, the lower the amount of fullerenes. Thus, the less likely the Shungite will live up to its reputation for healing and purification.     /* A Crystal Message about the Healing Properties of Shungite: "I cleanse myself of unwanted energy, I set healthy boundaries, and I am protected and shielded from that which is not for my highest good." Common Healing Properties of Shungite: Facilitates astral travel Aids you in feeling connected to all beings and promotes feelings of universal oneness Create a protective energetic shield around your energy body Defends against EMFs or psychic attack Brings light to dark times in your life Helps to regulate the temperature of the body during energy work Energizes your body, mind, and spirit Transmutes negative energy into positive energy Soothes tired eyes Energetically supports the reduction of pain and inflammation in the body   Colors: dark gray to black with a luster ranging from chalky matte to highly glossy Associated Chakras: 3rd (Solar Plexus), 6th (Third Eye), 7th (Crown) Zodiac Signs: Scorpio, Capricorn Elements: Earth Companion Flowers: Silver Sage (Salvia argentea) Companion Essential Oil: Siberian Fir Companion Stone: Malachite Common Origins: Russia, India, DR Congo, Austria, Kazakhstan Notes: The high-Carbon variety of Shungite is known as Noble Shungite or as Elite Shungite. Wanna’ Get Science-y? Click Here to get more information about this crystal! More About Shungite: Shungite is a black, glassy mineral from the Karelia region of Russia. It is composed of about 98% carbon, formed from the remains of algae that lived two billion years ago. The high-Carbon variety of Shungite (98%+ carbon) is also known as Noble Shungite or as Elite Shungite. The exciting thing about this is that some of this carbon comes in the form of fullerenes (aka “Buckyballs” - albeit in trace amounts of just 0.0001 < 0.001%). These fullerenes are similar in shape to a soccer ball, which have shown promise as a cornucopia of potential health benefits. Fullerenes appear to have antimicrobial properties, and possibly target such health risks as free radicals. They’re also useful as a purifying agent, especially of water. These recent findings line up nicely with the traditions surrounding shungite... In the Russian village of Shunga for which the mineral is named, people have long used Shungite as a folk remedy for purification, especially of water. For this reason, Peter the Great set up Russia’s first spa in Karelia to make use of this super mineral. In fact, Peter the Great even used Shungite to supply soldiers in the Russian army with purified water. With the high-Carbon content in Karelian Shungite, this wouldn't have been much different than using a Carbon filt...

A Crystal Message about the Healing Properties of Blue Lace Agate: "I surround myself with people that support my happiness and personal growth."                 Common Healing Properties of Blue Lace Agate: Promotes peace and calming Encourages you to speak your truth Encourages general plant health in the garden and is said to increase crop yields Instills joy Promotes forgiveness Encourages healthy friendships and relationships Supports personal growth Enhances empathy Shields your emotional body from negative energy Helps you to become grounded when you're feeling angry or frustrated Keeps you centered and balanced in mind, body, and spirit Removes energetic causes of acid reflux or heartburn Encourages truth in communication Promotes acceptance of things that cannot be changed Stimulates will power Energetically supports healing of the nervous system or circulation Facilitates communication with your totem animals, spirit guides, and angels Assists with emotional healing Blocks out negative energies associated with pollution or environmental stress Stabilizes the energy field     /*   Colors: Banded, pale blue with white “lace” Associated Chakras: 5th (Throat) Zodiac Signs: Pisces Elements: Air, Water Companion Flowers: Jacob's Ladder Companion Essential Oil: White Rose Companion Stone: Pink Calcite Common Origins: Kenya, Namibia Wanna’ Get Science-y? Click Here to get more information about this crystal! More About Blue Lace Agate: Blue Lace Agate is a translucent to opaque, massive mineral.  It is easily identified by its layers of pale, cornflower blue alternating with layers of white “lace.”  Blue Lace Agate is a banded form of Chalcedony. Because this is a cryptocrystalline stone, it displays no outward crystal structure, but it belongs to the trigonal crystal system.  Even though this stone is common in the market, it is only found in parts of Kenya and Namibia. Blue Lace Agate is a stone of forgiveness, helping you accept what has happened and release it.  It encourages you to heal your emotions and find balance.  Blue Lace Agate allows you to feel empathy and compassion for the person requiring your forgiveness and ensures that any energetic attachments are healed.  It is a stone of positive communication, promoting assertiveness and personal power. This lovely stone promotes hope and optimism. It opens the Throat Chakra and allows you to speak clearly and with purpose. It also enhances group harmony and cooperation, so it’s the perfect crystal to keep in your pocket or handbag for get-togethers with family and friends. It’s an excellent stone for building relationships, so don’t be shy about meeting new people and growing your network of friends and colleagues when you’re working with this crystal. Blue Lace Agate is a stone of hope and joy. Work with it to help you celebrate the small steps you’ve taken toward creating a happier life. This crystal reminds you to be present in the moment, releasing pain from the past or anxiety about the future, so that you’re able to enjoy the here and now. This is a stone of hope, but it also promotes spontaneity. Rather than going through the motions to achieve your goals and reach your dreams, allow spirit to guide you toward what you want from life. Blue Lace Agate reminds you that you just need to follow the path that spirit has placed before you, even if you’re still unsure where it leads. This crystal gives you courage to try new things and have new experiences, even when they challenge you. Blue Lace Agate Lore: This stone was discovered only recently, in the 1950’s, by George Swanson.  Although it has no historical lore, it has developed a reputation in modern-day as the “Stone of Ecology.”  In 1972, Mr.

Performing a crystal layout involves placing stones on and around your physical body to create a shift in your energy field.  Crystal layouts can follow geometric patterns or may be done intuitively. The overall purpose is to direct the flow of energy from the stones to shift the energy within your body, mind, spirit, and life.           Crystals can work wonders to help open you up to receiving intuitive guidance and messages from your spirit guides and angels.  This simple crystal layout for intuitive guidance can open your Third Eye and facilitate a connection with the divine.  These stones will help assist you in tapping into your psychic gifts. This will aid you in learning to trust your own intuitive guidance. The following crystal layout for intuitive guidance is an excellent starting point for your work.  However, there’s no substitute for following your own intuition and inner guidance when it comes to working with your stones.  It’s important that you trust your instincts and begin to develop your own style of healing with your crystals. You may feel called to change the order the stones are placed, make substitutes for the stones used, or move the placements of your crystals.  Over time, you’ll begin to feel more comfortable with these changes. You’ll learn to trust your inner guidance when it comes to your crystal healing work. /* Opening Your Third Eye Start by placing an Amethyst crystal over your brow at your Third Eye Chakra.  Amethyst opens you up to your inner guidance (especially if you’ve been closed off to your intuitive gifts or if you have trouble trusting your insights). Substitutes for Amethyst in this Layout: Charoite, Purple Opal, Ametrine. Next place a Herkimer Diamond (a special type of double-terminated Quartz crystal) above the Amethyst stone, near your hairline. Make sure that the points of the crystal are parallel with your spine. Substitutes for Herkimer Diamond in this Layout: Clear Quartz, Rainbow Moonstone, Clear Apophyllite Connecting with Your Guides and Angels Next, place a small Angelite stone over your Throat Chakra.  This crystal facilitates communication with your spirit guides and angels.  After placing the Angelite stone, you may invite your guides or angels into the space to share their wisdom and knowledge with you.  If you have a specific question to ask, you may ask it once you feel the presence of your guides in the space. Substitutes for Angelite in this Layout: Blue Lace Agate, Blue Calcite, Blue Chalcedony. Completing the Layout Process When you feel ready, take a few deep breaths, wiggle your fingers and toes, and come back to the present moment. Slowly remove the crystals in the opposite order they were placed. You may wish to take some time to journal about your experiences.         Are you interested in becoming a Certified Crystal Healer? Find out more about the CCH and Advanced Crystal Practitioner Program HERE!

A Crystal Message about the healing properties of Orange Calcite: "I embrace my motivation to walk my path and fulfil my soul purpose."                 Common Healing Properties of Orange Calcite: Energetically cleanses your physical body and your environment of negative energy Increases vitality Quickens your spiritual development Promotes happiness & joy Increases your awareness Helps you to discover and embrace your soul purpose Facilitates intuitive visions and enhances your psychic powers Aids in channeling Enhances creativity Increases motivation Removes mental "fuzz" and improves focus Dispels laziness & energizes you Stimulates the memory Energetically supports the healing of damaged tissues in the body Promotes resiliency Supports a healthy skin-care routine Banishes the energetic roots of depression Supports the energetic healing of the reproductive system     /*   Colors: Bright orange, semi-translucent to opaque (with occasional lighter orange banding) Associated Chakras: 2nd (Sacral) Zodiac Signs: Sagittarius, Gemini, Leo Elements: Earth, Fire Companion Flowers: Butterfly Weed Companion Essential Oil: Mandarin Orange Companion Stone: Blue Aragonite Common Origins: Mexico Notes: Wanna’ Get Science-y? Click Here to get more information about this crystal! More Information on the Healing Properties of Orange Calcite: This stone mimics the color that’s so often visible in the harvest moon when it sits just above the horizon. Orange Calcite warms the body, and the soul, preparing you to move into the cooler autumn months.   One Way to Work with Orange Calcite: Cleanse your space. Light a candle-- anoint it first with your favorite oil or herb if you feel called to. Grab an Orange Calcite crystal to help you feel motivated and at peace. Once you’re ready, take some deep breaths. Visualize yourself creating space and time for all the things you need to do in order to move more into alignment with your soul path. Imagine the joy you’ll feel as you do each one. Think about how each item on your to-do list makes you feel. What do you see when you think about that activity? What do you hear? Smell? Feel? Hold space for these things to unfold over the next few weeks and carry your Orange Calcite stone with you for the motivation you need to accomplish these tasks. More About Calcite: Four percent of the Earth’s crust is composed of calcite, making it a very common mineral. It’s a beautiful one though, coming in a rainbow of colors, all of which seem to glow with their own internal light (in fact, some specimens literally do glow in the dark). It forms in rhombohedrons—like cubes, only with odd angles—and usually feels silky or waxy to the touch. Metaphysical Uses of Calcite: Uses of calcite vary by color.  The purest form, clear calcite, promotes dreaming and astral travel.  It can intensify visual images, making it useful for scrying.  Orange calcite is a natural “detox” stone, which can help clear up the energy of both lingering physical complaints and mental fuzz.  Green calcite promotes vitality.  Blue is an excellent cooling stone, helping us find relief from physical inflammation and anger.  These only the most common varieties.  We have many others at the store, and as always will be happy to provide you with full information. Pin it!   Are you interested in becoming a Certified Crystal Healer? Find out more about the CCH and Advanced Crystal Practitioner Program HERE!

I’ve developed the Crystal Immersion Method ™ of teaching, specifically to help you deepen your crystal knowledge and spiritual development through 3 key pillars of training.                   I know from experience that developing these 3 key areas is important for all spiritual seekers. Intuition, Compassion, and confidence all play a role in creating a strong foundation for your work as a crystal healer. Each part of this Crystal Immersion Method focuses on one of these 3 pillars to help prepare you for your journey ahead. It’s my hope that by developing these pillars within yourself, you’ll be better able to connect with your crystals, develop your healing skills, and feel more comfortable and confident when working with your stones. Pillar #1: Intuition Developing your intuition is the first pillar you need to master in order to deepen your connection to your crystals and the world around you. When you’re tuned in intuitively, you receive the messages the universe has for you and can act upon that guidance. Learning to listen to your intuition is the first step to being a better healer. Remember, Your intuition is THE MOST important asset you have as a healer! As long as you’re listening to your inner guidance...you can’t go wrong. Crystals for Intuition: Amethyst Azurite Charoite Lapis Lazuli Sodalite Sugilite One way to work with these stones is to place one over your Third Eye Chakra for approximately 10-15 minutes to let it gently open this intuitive center. Pillar #2: Compassion Holding compassion for yourself and others is the second pillar in our Crystal Immersion Method. This is where you really step up your game as a healer by learning to truly be of service to others (while still taking good care of yourself!). This pillar is all about empowering others to take charge of their own healing and supporting them on their journey while opening your heart to the fullest. You can embrace compassion in your life by focusing on forgiveness and gratitude. Cultivating both of these is an important part of creating space in our lives for compassion to blossom and thrive. Focusing on forgiveness gratitude has a way of expanding our heart centers and helping us feel full and supported. Crystals for Compassion: Emerald Pink Calcite Pink Opal Rhodochrosite Rhodonite Rose Quartz One way to work with these stones is to wear a necklace made of one of these crystals on a long chain over your Heart Chakra so it fills this center with the energy of kindness and compassion all day long. Pillar #3: Confidence Building confidence in your healing skills is the third and final pillar. By developing your intuition, creating space to support others through compassion, and getting world-class crystal training, your confidence skyrockets like never before! This pillar is all about acknowledging your own gifts and letting your light shine out into the world because you’re finally aligned with your soul path. Building your confidence can help you overcome blocks that are holding you back from embracing your soul path and living your life to the fullest. Crystals for Confidence: Citrine Clear Quartz Golden Tiger’s Eye Pyrite Red Garnet Rutilated Quartz One way to work with these stones is to carry them in your purse or pocket and hold them in your hands for a moment any time you need a quick, supportive confidence boost! Are you interested in becoming a Certified Crystal Healer? Find out more about the CCH and Advanced Crystal Practitioner Program HERE!

The chakras are energy centers, found along the spine.  They act like power stations by picking up energetic messages from outside of the self and then beaming the information to the human energy field. Here, it is interpreted by the physical and subtle (mental, emotional, and spiritual) bodies.  They can be most likened to satellite dishes that send and receive information from the universe.   Since there’s a flood of energy constantly coming into the chakras, they can become imbalanced over time. Each chakra governs a different area of your life, such as your anatomy, your emotions, etc. Therefore, when a chakra becomes imbalanced, so does that corresponding area. This is when using crystals for the chakras can be so effective. The most common way to balance the human energy field is through chakra healing with stones.  By placing crystals on the chakra centers, the healing vibrations given off by the stone will correct any imbalances within the chakra.     Following are a few of my favorite crystals for the chakras for each major chakra center. These are most often related to the chakras based on their color vibration. Root Chakra (Black, Brown & Red Stones): Red Pyrope Garnet Black Tourmaline Smoky Quartz Red Jasper Dravite Tourmaline Black Obsidian Hematite Jet Petrified Wood Chiastolite (Cross Stone) Sacral Chakra (Orange, Peach, & Brown Stones): Carnelian Imperial Topaz Amber Copper Fire Opal Apricot Botswana Agate Spessartine Garnet Peach Moonstone Orange Calcite Peach Selenite Solar Plexus Chakra (Yellow, Gold, & Chartreuse Stones): Citrine Yellow Topaz Golden Calcite Golden Tiger’s Eye Pineapple Calcite Yellow Sapphire Golden Quartz Heliodor Pyrite Gold Heart Chakra (Green & Pink Stones): Green Aventurine Rose Quartz Emerald Peridot Malachite Rhodochrosite Pink Calcite Unakite Watermelon Tourmaline Rhodonite Throat Chakra (Light Blue, Blue, & Teal Stones): Aquamarine Celestite Angelite Blue Topaz Blue Lace Agate Ajoite Quartz Aqua Aura Quartz Turquoise Chrysocolla Blue Quartz Third Eye Chakra (Indigo & Violet Stones): Tanzanite Lapis Lazuli Sodalite Azurite Iolite Tanzan Aura Quartz Blue Tourmaline Shattuckite Blue Apatite Blue Kyanite Crown Chakra (Violet, Gold, & White/Clear Stones): Clear Quartz Amethyst Sugilite Clear Calcite Charoite Selenite Apophyllite Ametrine Spirit Quartz Stichtite   Are you interested in becoming a Certified Crystal Healer? Find out more about the CCH and Advanced Crystal Practitioner Program HERE!

In last week’s post, I shared a simple method for working with your crystals to uncover the deeper energies and meanings of the 22 Major Arcana cards in the Tarot. This week, we’ll be diving into the remaining 56 cards in the Tarot deck, known as the Minor Arcana. These Minor cards add perspective to what is happening in your everyday life.   The cards in the Minor Arcana are divided into four suits. Each suit represents a different aspect of your life and corresponds to one of the four elements: Water Element: Cups (also known as Chalices) Fire Element: Wands (also known as Rods, Staffs, or Staves) Air Element: Swords (also known as Daggers) Earth Element: Pentacles (also known as Coins or Discs) Each suit is then made up of numbered cards (Ace through Ten) and Court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, and King). Each number has its own meaning within the suits, giving you a deeper understanding of what the cards are telling you. In general, the Even numbers (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) reveal that there is balance and harmony in your life whereas odd numbers (1/Ace, 3, 5, 7, and 9) represent obstacles or challenges you may face (think of these as opportunities for growth). To dive deep into the Tarot Minor Arcana, you can work with your crystals to help you uncover even more about the meaning of each card. To do this, you’ll need a deck of tarot cards and a crystal to represent each element (that’s four crystals in total). I’ve listed some of my favorite elemental crystals here below. Earth: Petrified Wood, Anthracite, Malachite, Carnelian, Red Jasper, Emerald, Rainforest Jasper, Chrysocolla, Serpentine, Agate (all types), and Peridot Air: Celestite, Pumice, Azurite, Blue Apatite, Lepidolite, Turquoise, Blue Kyanite, Blue Sapphire, Angelite, and Mica Fire: Amber, Rhodochrosite, Ruby, Lava Rock, Fire Agate, Red Spinel, Citrine, Diamond, Heliodor, Obsidian, and Clear Quartz Water: Amethyst, Boulder Opal, Larimar, White Calcite, Pearl, Blue Lace Agate, Amazonite, Aquamarine, Moonstone, Selenite, and Blue Tourmaline   To begin this process, separate out the Major Arcana (0-21) cards from your Tarot deck and set them aside, leaving only the 56 Minor Arcana Cards. Choose just one of these Minor Arcana cards that you’d like to explore in-depth. Place it in front of you (on your altar, or on the floor or a table in your sacred space). Reach for your corresponding elemental crystal. For example, Aquamarine for Cups and the Water element or Malachite for Pentacles and the Earth element. You might also like to have other representations of these elements on your altar or in your sacred space for this process. Bringing the Elements Into Your Sacred Space: Earth: fresh flowers, a dish of sand or soil, crystals or fossils, wood carvings, fruit, seeds, an image or statue of a land animal. Air: feathers, incense, lace, athame (or small dagger), windchimes, bell, a hand fan, a flute, an image or statue of a bird. Fire: candles, a lantern, a cauldron, an image or statue of a dragon, salamander, or phoenix Water: a small dish of water, a fountain, seashells (especially an Abalone shell), a chalice or goblet, a mirror, an image or statue of a mermaid or dolphin.   Hold the stone in cupped hands above the Tarot card. Ask that the stone help provide you with more clarity about the meaning of this card. Close your eyes and breathe deeply while holding the stone in your hands. To truly embody the vibration of the card, take the number of breaths equal to the number of your card. For example, three deep breaths for the 3 of Wands, or six deep breaths for the 6 of Swords. Breathe in the elemental energy of the crystal in your hands as you do this. If you chose to work with a Court card, use your intuition to guide you on the correct number of breaths. After your final exhalation, open your eyes and immediately look at the card. Do this while still holding your stone.

Tarot cards are a popular method of divination used for receiving guidance and wisdom from the universe, but they can feel a little intimidating to a beginner (ok...let’s be real...they can feel a bit intimidating even to someone who’d been dabbling in Tarot for a while).   One of the biggest obstacles I hear about from my students when it comes to learning the Tarot is, “How will I ever learn the meaning of all those cards?”   Each tarot deck consists of a structured order of the Major & Minor arcanas, with seventy-eight cards in total. That’s right...seventy-eight cards. It seems daunting to think about having to memorize the meanings and symbolism of all those cards. In fact, it was this same sense of overwhelm that kept me from working with the Tarot for years (instead I just worked with Oracle Cards because they didn’t feel so intimidating). But learning the Major Arcana of the Tarot doesn’t have to be difficult.   Let’s start by breaking down the part of the deck a little. Twenty-two of the seventy-eight are referred to as the Major Arcana, and the remaining 56 cards are known as the Minor Arcana. We’ll take a look at the Minor Arcana in a later post, so for now, let’s focus on just the 22 Major Arcana cards. The Major Arcana, sometimes known as “trump cards” are often seen as “bigger than us”, representing an inner version of ourselves or a lesson we must learn. These cards carry the most weight of all the cards in the deck, as they can represent a change in the course of our path or help us make life-changing decisions. They are powerful cards that show us the archetypes we face in life. Crystals can be used to add more context to the cards in your Tarot readings and to discover more about the cards themselves.   One simple way to do this is to work with stones to clarify the meaning of a particular card. You can unlock the deeper wisdom of the Tarot in this way. To use this method, you’ll need a pouch of mixed stones and a tarot deck of your choice.   Separate out the Major Arcana (0-21) cards from your Tarot deck and choose just one that you’d like to explore in-depth.   Place it in front of you (on your altar, or on the floor or a table in your sacred space). Look at the card in detail and think about its symbolism and imagery. What thoughts enter your mind about the energy and meaning of this card?   Reach for your bag of mixed stones (you’ll probably want anywhere from 10-20 stones in your pouch to give some good variety).   Hold the bag in cupped hands above the Tarot card. Ask that the stones help provide you with more clarity about the meaning of this card. Pull three stones from the bag and place them beneath the card: left, then center, then right. When pulling the left (first) stone, ask “How does the archetypal energy of this card relate to my body and to the physical realm?” Look at the stone you’ve pulled, hold it in your hands, and think about how the stone relates to the meaning of this card. Additionally, you may wish to close your eyes and tune into the energy of the stone for additional support and guidance (in a sort of mini meditation). When pulling the center (second) stone, ask “How does the archetypal energy of this card relate to my mind/emotions and to the mental/emotional realm?” Look at the stone you’ve pulled, hold it in your hands, and think about how the stone relates to the meaning of this card. Additionally, you may wish to close your eyes and tune into the energy of the stone for additional support and guidance (in a sort of mini meditation). When pulling the right (third) stone, ask “How does the archetypal energy of this card relate to my soul path/spirit and to the spiritual realm?” Look at the stone you’ve pulled, hold it in your hands, and think about how the stone relates to the meaning of this card. Additionally, you may wish to close your eyes and tune into the energy of the stone for additional support and guidance (in ...

A Crystal Message about the Healing Properties of Orange Aventurine: "I take a sacred pause to release thoughts that weigh me down, making mental space for new clarity and inner guidance."               Common Healing Properties of Orange Aventurine: Helps you become present to your feelings and emotions Enhances feelings of happiness, joy, optimism, and contentment Promotes relaxation Allows you to discover the simple pleasures of life Energetically supports you while you're overcoming emotional traumas Creates moments for sacred pause and reflection Increases feelings of personal freedom and encourages exploration Aids you in decision making Helps you overcome blocks to your creativity and encourages you to tap into hidden talents Encourages you to enjoy the fruits of your labor Promotes celebration and appreciation of your relationships Helps you find the treasures, gifts, and lessons in difficult situations Encourages inner reflection and silences your inner critic Assists in shadow work Enhances your intellect and feelings of personal wisdom Allows you to discover and appreciate your personal strengths Helps to calm intense emotions Facilitates guided meditation journeys and visualizations Encourages you to speak your true feelings Increases physical and emotional vitality and resilience Enhances confidence and instills feelings of courage and bravery Helps you find inner stillness during meditation   /* Colors: Peach to pumpkin orange or burnt red-orange Associated Chakras: 1st (Root), 2nd (Sacral), 3rd (Solar Plexus) Zodiac Signs: Taurus, Virgo Elements: Earth Companion Flowers: Fritillaria Companion Essential Oil: Calendula Companion Stone: Blue Aventurine Common Origins: India, Chile Notes: Aventurine is more commonly found in colors like green and blue, but the color in Orange Aventurine is attributed to inclusions of Hematite or Goethite. Wanna’ Get Science-y? Click Here to get more information about this crystal!   One Way to Work with Orange Aventurine: If something is troubling you or weighing on your mind, hold your Orange Aventurine stone in your hands, take a few deep breaths, and allow any thoughts pertaining to the situation to flow through your mind. Let these thoughts flow for about 30-60 seconds and then write in your journal or on a scrap piece of paper all of the things that popped into your head. Let the energy of the Orange Aventurine support you as you clear out the mental clutter that may be preventing you from seeing clearly or determining the best way forward. After jotting down everything you can think of, take a few moments to hold your stone again and reflect on what you've written. Hold the intention to release the thoughts that are just mental clutter and gain insight about the way forward from the thoughts that remain. Pin it!     Are you interested in becoming a Certified Crystal Healer? Find out more about the CCH and Advanced Crystal Practitioner Program HERE!