Deepen Your Intuition by Building a Personal Intuitive Language

If you're reading this, you likely already have a relationship with your intuition, but what happens when you're ready to go past gut feelings? So much of what's available online and in books skim the surface of what it means to be in touch with your intuition. 

As global changes continue to stir and we move deeper into unknown times, having a robust relationship with your intuition will help you navigate these times. 

Knowing your gut feelings is essential, but it's just the tip of the iceberg when working with your intuition. Is it time to deepen your intuition into a full-fledged intuitive language? 

Working with an intuitive language is something many mediums rely on, but don't let this scare you away. You do not have to be a medium to utilize this essential intuitive skill. I've created a system to make crafting your intuitive language accessible, whether you're just getting started or already have a well-honed intuition. 

In this blog, you'll learn:

• What an intuitive language is 

• How building your own can help deepen your ability to navigate life and relationships with your guides and magical allies

• How to start creating your unique, intuitive language

• An example of what an intuitive language can look like in real life

Do you already know you want to go deeper and learn practices to create your intuitive language? Explore my in-depth workshop, Building an Intuitive Language in the Craft Your Own Magic Circle membership here to access the class, or grab a drop-in class pass to attend live and get the replay here. 

What is an Intuitive Language?

A personal, intuitive language lets you dialogue intuitively with your spirit (higher self, oversoul, whatever term you prefer), spirit guides, magical allies, ancestors, deities, etc. But keep your mind wide open. I'm using words like "language" and "dialogue" here as metaphors. Communicating with your intuitive language will differ from chatting with your bestie. 

Having an intuitive language is unlike learning French or Spanish; I can't just teach you my language. Building your intuitive language will be unique because we each receive and process intuitive information uniquely and have different associations with feelings and images. Sure, some people might have a similar language to you, but it's like a fingerprint; yours is unique. 

An intuitive language enables you to go beyond binary "yes" and "no" dialogue with your intuition. While establishing a “yes” and “no” communication is an integral part of the process I lay out for you here, adding additional vocabulary is also essential.

Having an intuitive language allows you to decipher the subtleties of intuitive communication more clearly and accurately. 

While building your intuitive language will help you navigate life, the goal isn't to utilize it as a spiritual vending machine. Having an intuitive language doesn't mean you'll suddenly know how to navigate every moment of life perfectly. Even with a robust, intuitive language, aspects of your life and this world will remain in flux in ways that won't allow you to gain definitive advice. Some details will always belong to the Great Mystery of life. 

I'll share an example of my intuitive language later in this post, but for it to make more sense first, let's cover why you'd want to do this and how to get started creating your intuitive language. 

Why Create an Intuitive Language? 

Creating your unique intuitive language isn't just about gaining insights about how to navigate your life. It's about knowing yourself better and understanding the depth of variety in which intuition can express itself (in yourself and others). But it goes beyond this. 

Creating a unique, intuitive language allows you to form genuine and reciprocal relationships with your closest magical and spiritual allies. 

Think about some of your closest relationships, friends, family, or animal beloveds. What's your communication like with them? You probably have a deep rapport with them, perhaps even unique ways you communicate that only happen between you and that beloved. 

When you focus on your ability to communicate with your spiritual and magical allies, your relationship naturally deepens. 

By learning how to communicate better via intuition, you create an environment that leads to deeper relationships, creating a cyclical loop of understanding and deepening. 

When you communicate intuitively regularly with your closest spiritual and magical allies, it will come naturally to you, and your ability to understand your intuition will happen more automatically. 

5 Steps to Build Your Unique Intuitive Language

When building your unique intuitive language, understanding how intuition manifests in your body (subtle and physical) and how it feels is key. You might already have a great foundation with this. If so, great, skip to step two! If not, start with step one below to learn more about the "clairs".

1. Understanding your dominant "clairs"

This will give you a place to focus when learning what intuition feels like in your body. Think clairsentience (clear feeling), clairvoyance (clear seeing), clairaudience (clear hearing), etc. Check out a past blog post where I break these down in greater detail here. While the clairs aren't the only way to understand how intuitive information lands in your body, it's a great starting point. 

2. Practice noticing how your intuition shows up and feels in your body 

Understanding your clairs points you toward where and what to pay attention to. Practicing listening, feeling, seeing, and knowing how your intuition shows up makes sensing it more automatic. Like learning any language, understanding how these sensations arrive in your body without spending a lot of time questioning is part of the process. Think of this step as an intuitive bootcamp. At this point, what's most important is recognizing how intuition feels in your body instead of focusing on how accurate you are. Building up your accuracy comes later. 

Here are some simple ways to start weaving intuitive practices into your day. Lean into your most dominant clair sense for each one. 

• Tune into your intuition each morning to ask for any insights or guidance for the day.

• The next time you need to make a decision that won't have a long-lasting or serious consequence (like deciding which direction to walk or what to have for dinner), check in with your intuition.

• Practice pulling tarot or oracle cards for yourself or others, and don't rely on the guidebook. 

• Tune into your intuition each night before bed to ask if there's anything you missed during your day that would be important to know.
  

3. Create a “yes” and “no” communication system

Once you understand what your intuition feels like in your body, start practicing a simple "yes"/"no communication system with your intuition to begin strengthening your communication muscles. I share some simple techniques for this in my book, Craft Your Own Magic, and will also share them in the Building an Intuitive Language workshop here. Essentially, you'll need to discern what an intuitive "yes" vs "no" is like in your body; again, this will be different for everyone. 

4. Form relationships with your guides, ancestors, or magical allies

To practice any language, having someone or something to communicate with will be helpful. Now, it's time to build a relationship with a spirit guide, magical ally (plant, tree, crystal, etc.), God, Goddess, or ancestor. If this sounds like a big leap from step three, grab my free guided journey to connect with a spirit guide here to get started. Start practicing your "yes" and "no" communication with a being of your choice and notice how it feels in your body.

5. Incorporate an inner circle of correspondences to form your intuitive vocabulary 

Moving your intuitive language beyond a "yes" and "no" system will require understanding what I call your "inner circle" of spiritual and magical allies. For some, myself included, these are the four elements and four cardinal directions. Feel free to borrow my inner circle if you're not sure what yours is yet, and don't worry; you can always change it later. 

Your inner circle is the birthplace of your intuitive vocabulary. Understanding how each energy in your inner circle appears in your body creates your intuitive vocabulary. For example, suppose you're getting to know a new plant, and you receive an intuitive insight that reminds you of something in your inner circle that aligns with themes of openness and curiosity. In that case, that plant is likely sharing that its energy is one of openness and curiosity.

Apply the same intuitive communication principles in the previous steps to incorporate your inner circle of correspondences into your intuitive language. 

Want more guidance? I share practices and a more in-depth look at this step in my workshop Building an Intuitive Language here, which you can also access in my membership here. 

Keep reading for an example of how I utilized my intuitive language in a recent experience. 

What an Intuitive Language Can Look Like in Action

Here's an example of how working with my intuitive language has been helpful recently. I sensed a need to build some quiet time to journey, a practice of spiritually traveling to different planes of existence and times. This initial nudge is what people often refer to as the gut feeling. My intuition got my attention. 

Here's where my unique intuitive language starts to come into play. Leaning on my intuitive language enabled me to discern what the journey was about, so I could decide if it was something I wanted to do. 

Based on the feelings in my body that I associate with the element of earth, I could tell the need to journey was rooted in something ancestral. In my practice, I associate the ancestral realms with the cardinal direction north and the earth element. 

I also saw pink roses in my mind, indicating that this ancestral journey pertained to my mother line because I associate pink roses with my mother line. 

I could also sense an intense fire energy around this invitation to connect with ancestors in my mother line. Coming up on a full moon in Leo, I knew fire would likely be very present, and the messages I needed to receive were likely quite intense. 

Journeying on the Leo full moon felt aligned. The ancestor in my mother line made herself known immediately. What came up was intense, but I was prepared. Our work together resulted in ancestral healing on my mother line, and I began noticing shifts and changes within myself and my family members within days. 

Start Building Your Intuitive Language

As the example above illustrates, building an intuitive language can make connecting with your intuition easier to understand and more approachable. Other benefits include connecting with plants and crystals, performing rituals or energy work, receiving insights from your guides, and more. 

While I have dedicated years to honing my intuitive language, I did much of it alone. I do this work to help you skip over some of the trial and error I went through. How different could this world be if more people could tune into their intuition from a deeply grounded and embodied place? The potential is incredible and positive. This is why I want to see you communicating intuitively with a well-honed and robust intuitive language. 

Did you find some new avenues to navigate building your intuitive language? I hope so. If you want to dig deeper, I'd love to see you in the Craft Your Own Magic Circle, where you can access this class or get the class on its own here.

Deep care,

Cassie

3 Daily Actions to Improve Your Intuition

You’ve probably heard the phrase that “intuition is a muscle.” If this phrase is new to you, guess what? Your intuition is a muscle that can be strengthened and honed! Some come into this world with extremely active intuitive gifts, just like some people come into this world with a knack for certain instruments or sports. But for most people, intuition is something that takes some practice.

So, if your intuition is a muscle, you might be wondering, “What should I be doing to take my intuition to the metaphorical gym?” As a naturally intuitive person, I’ve spent years working with and refining my intuition and psychic abilities (think of psychic abilities as a super fine-tuned intuition.) There are a few things that I’ve found are key in keeping my intuitive abilities strong and progressing my intuitive abilities into the psychic realm.  

Before we jump in, I’d like to point out that we all experience intuitive and psychic information differently. If you’re not familiar with all of the “clairs,” I’m going to break them down for you here quickly. If you’d like to dive deeper into learning about the clairs, check out this past post here. 

• Clairvoyant: Sees visions, spirits, auras, and energy in the mind's eye or physically. Even though being clairvoyant is the most commonly referenced clair, it is by no means the most common!

• Clairsentient: A common trait of empaths. Clairsentients can tap into people's energy fields, places, and things and sense information about them. 

• Clairaudient: May hear specific sounds for different kinds of energy or hear messages from spirit either aloud or within the mind. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

• Claircognizant: Intuition on hyperdrive! The claircognizant knows things without provocation. Claircognizant information may appear in dreams or as a sudden gut instinct. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

• Clairtangent: Another word used to explain this is psychometry, or the ability to know things by holding an object. However, clairtangency is not limited to holding inanimate objects and may receive information by placing their hands on people or animals.⠀⠀⠀⠀

Understanding the different ways intuitive information may come through will make understanding your intuition much easier. 

Here are 3 Daily Activities to Strengthen Your Intuition. I suggest practicing these in this order, every day for at least a week, to see results. 

1. Meditate Every Day For 10-20 Minutes

Regular meditation will get you in the habit of quieting your mind and tuning in to your intuition. Before you run off and say you don’t have time or can’t meditate, I want you to know that this doesn’t have to be 30-60 minutes of quiet meditation. My daily meditation practice usually ranges from 10-20 minutes, with rare longer meditations for special occasions. 

Even if you need to start at five minutes a day, you will notice a difference in your ability to tune into your intuition. Our modern world comes with many distractions, so it’s important to get in the habit of quieting your mind regularly. Learn more about creating a daily meditation practice in another post I shared here. 

If sitting in meditation doesn’t work for you, I invite you to try different forms of mindfulness, like walking meditation, breathwork, or even becoming more aware of the present moment while doing daily chores and tasks.

Check out guided meditations and journeys here. 

2. Select One Intuitive Tool to Work With Daily

Select one intuitive tool to work with daily. Yes, the same one. Working with the same tool consistently will take out some of the variables for strengthening your intuition and better learning how it presents. Spending daily time with a single intuitive tool will also help you gain confidence with that specific tool. This step is ideal to do right after your daily meditation. Try to work with your intuitive tool for 10-20 minutes.

Once you select your tool, you’ll want to develop a system to use daily that doesn’t take very long (unless you have the time, in which case, take as much time as you’d like!) I’ve found that it’s easier to stick with new practices if I make them short and easy to work into my routine. For example, if you’re working with tarot or oracle cards, ask for daily guidance and pull 1-3 cards. Alternatively, if you want to try a daily scrying practice, I suggest setting a timer for an amount of time you can commit to the practice daily.

Here’s a list of common tools. I’ve also linked them to previous blog posts if you’d like to learn more about them.

• Oracle cards (get a free printable mini oracle card deck) 

• Tarot cards

• Pendulum

• Scrying

• Tea leaf reading

• Runes (get a set of free printable rune tiles)

If there’s a different intuitive tool within your practice that isn’t listed here, that’s great too. Pick something that works for you and that you’ll be able to commit to using daily. 

3. Connect with Intuition in Your Body

Last, and in my opinion, most important, tune into your physical body often while doing your intuitive practice. This is where the real muscle toning comes in to build your intuition. Learning how to connect your intuition into your body is important for a couple of reasons. First, you must have the ability to root into the physical body to expand into the spirit realm. Second, intuition will always show up in the physical body somehow, subtly as it may be. Learning how to sense how and where your intuition presents in your physical body is where the fine-tuning comes in.

Your intuition may show up as a sensation in the gut (there’s a reason for the term “gut feeling”), a sense of lightness in your heart, a flash of insight in your mind, a ringing in your ear, or something else. Your daily work will be to look for patterns in how your intuition speaks to you. How you recognize your intuition in your body will likely be unique and may vary for “yes” and “no” answers and the kind of intuitive work you’re doing. 

To work this into your daily intuitive practice, check-in with your body often as you meditate and work with your intuitive tool of choice. Ask your body to show you where and how your intuitive voice speaks to you. The more you practice this, the more confident and familiar you’ll become with recognizing your intuition. 

You can benefit from these intuition-building tools for as little as twenty minutes a day. I think you’ll see benefits in as little as a week, but of course, like all muscles, the longer you practice, the stronger it will get! Learn more about getting grounded and working with intuition through the third eye chakra in my book, Understanding Chakras.

Seeing the unseen // Scrying 101

Scrying is an ancient divination practice where you connect with your intuition and work to make the unseen seen by gazing onto a reflective surface.

Scrying is a broad practice, therefore mentions of it pop up in a variety of places throughout history. Scrying is referenced in ancient Egypt, England, Greece, and Persia (to name a few.) Nostradamus reportedly relied on scrying for many of his predictions as well. 

The tools you can use for scrying are as vast as its history. You can use crystals, water, the moon, fire, smoke, a mirror, or really any reflective surface. 

Artwork copyright Cassie Uhl 2020-infinity, please credit if shared.

Though clear crystal balls work for scrying and are commonly shown as a scrying tool, it is not the only kind of crystal used for this practice. Black obsidian mirrors are commonly used for scrying, but really any crystal with a reflective surface will do. You may even decide that you'd like to use a specific crystal in alignment with your desires for a scrying session. Sphere, larger palm stones, and flat mirrors or slabs all work well for this practice. 

As varied as scrying is, the piece that remains consistent is the desire to reach an altered state to receive visions. The visions you receive from scrying could be from spirit or your subconscious. That’s for you to decide. 

I love scrying for its power and simplicity. In this post, I’ll be sharing how to scry! Keep reading for five steps to try scrying for yourself.

A note on working with the moon. The full moon and the dark moon are ideal times to try this practice. I like scrying with the full moon to help illuminate and the dark moon for going within and accessing intuition. Don’t let the phase of the moon stop you from trying this practice; these are just suggestions. 

Getting started with scrying:

1. To begin your scrying practice, create a ritual space for yourself, and gather your bowl and water. (As I walk you through scrying, I’ll be using the example of a bowl of water, but remember that there are many other ways to scry that I shared above.) 

2. You’ll want to be in a dark room with only one or two candles lit. 

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

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

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

When you feel like you’re done, you’re done! Spend some time journaling about what you felt and saw to help you answer the questions you came to receive answers for. 

Remember, the subconscious mind works with symbolism, so don’t discount anything that you see even if you’re not quite sure what it means at first! Think of the information you receive, like the symbolism in dreams: sometimes we are left with more questions than answers. Sometimes the questions are the answers. Sometimes a thread is what you are offered, and you can choose to follow it or not. Sometimes symbols may not mean anything at first but are asking to be engaged with over time. 

Let the process unfold, and see what comes up for you! 

5 Samhain Rituals + Samhain Correspondences & Card Spread

The ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain (pronounced sow-in), celebrated on October 31st and November 1st, marks the end of our seasonal cycle on the Wheel of the Year. This is why it's often referred to as the witch's New Year. Seasonally speaking, Samhain is the third and final harvest of the season or the last rally to store and prepare for the coming Winter season.

This sacred celebration reaches much farther than harvests and is also a time when the veil between the physical and spirit world is at its thinnest. The Celtic people believed that spirits walked among them during this time, so Samhain is accepted as an ideal time to communicate and connect with the spirit realm. Here's a fun drawing I created with ritual suggestions for Samhain. Keep scrolling to learn more about each one. 

Time to pull out all of your favorite intuitive and protective tools! Let's dig into four different ways to connect with this season through ritual. I'll also share correspondences for Samhain and a card spread to use with your favorite tarot or oracle card deck. 

1. Create a Samhain Altar + Samhain Correspondences 

Switching up your altar or sacred space for the seasons is an easy way to bring in each celebration's energy on the Wheel of The Year. Get a quick look at how I do this in this video I shared on Instagram for Mabon. 

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A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

When it comes to changing out your altar, understanding the correspondences (items that carry the similar energy) of Samhain will be helpful. Here's a list of tools and symbols that correspond with Samhain. 

Samhain Correspondences:

• Themes: Releasing, cleansing, divination, protection, the underworld, offerings for ancestors

• Moon Phase: Waning crescent moon

• Crystals: Labradorite, obsidian, onyx, garnet, hematite, amethyst

• Candle Colors: Purple, black, orange, silver

• Tools: Besom (broom), cauldron, any kind of divination tool

• Plants and Scents: Mugwort, cinnamon, clove, patchouli

• Foods: Apples, pomegranate, pumpkins, nuts, meat

• Runes: Algiz, Daggaz, Ansuz, Perthro, Othalo

• Gods and Goddesses: Persephone, all crone Goddesses, Callieach, Cerridwen, and Hecate

To create your altar, select items and symbols from the list above and anything else that personally connects you to this season. Clear and cleanse (both physically and energetically) your altar space, then place your altar items with care and intention. I like to end my altar creation by lighting a candle and saying a prayer for the altar's intention. It could be something like this, but feel free to tailor it to your liking. 

With this altar, I welcome the final harvest season and the thinning of the veil. I remember my loved ones crossed over and all ancestors before them and share this offering as a sign of my gratitude. Myself and my space are protected from any beings that do not have my highest good in mind. So it is. 

2. Sweep away negative energy with a besom

With the thinning of the veil between spirit and physical, it's essential to clear out and protect your space from unwanted energies. I shared a thorough post a few years ago with steps to perform a Samhain house cleansing and blessing; check it out here. Because I already wrote all about performing a house cleansing, I'd like to dive a little deeper into using a besom for Samhain. 

A besom, or broom, is a tool used by witches to cleanse a space energetically. Though your besom can clean physically, it doesn't touch the ground when used as an energy cleansing tool. Simply open a door in your house, sweep right above the floor, and visualize negative energy leaving your space. 

You can make your besom or find them for purchase at certain stores. I usually get mine from Trader Joe's and like to add my own decorations to it. 

3. Connect with your ancestors and give offerings to loved ones in spirit. 

There are cultures worldwide who believe that our loved ones come back at certain times to walk among us. We see this in the Dia de Los Muertos in Mexico, Hungry Ghosts day in China, and in Samhain (to name a few.) 

Samhain offers us a special time to connect with, honor, and remember all those who have come before us. You can do this in various ways, including by connecting with your ancestors for guidance through your intuition, remembering loved ones and ancestors passed on, or giving loved ones in spirit an offering. 

Your altar is a great place to give an offering to any loved ones who've crossed over. An offering to your ancestors could be pictures of them or favorite foods and drinks. You can also connect with ancestors in spirit through meditation and breathwork. Check out this past blog post for steps to work with your ancestors through meditation and breathwork.

Find a guided journey to your ancestors here.

4. Protect yourself!

The thinning veil is a double-edged sword for Samhain. Yes, it is lovely to connect with spirit so easily, but it also leaves you more susceptible to all energies, which may not have your highest good in mind. Because the veil is so thin during this time, take care to protect yourself and your space from any unwelcome energy. 

The featured oracle card deck is The Ritual Deck.

A protection tool that works exceptionally well during Samhain is burning dried mugwort. I shared all about this plant here. Some other favorites are salt for banishing, black candles, and the Rune Algiz. Find even more protection tools and rituals in a previous post here. 

5. Pull out your intuitive tools + Samhain Card Spread

If you want to connect with spirit, set the wheels in motion for a new desire, or want to learn more about yourself from a higher perspective, now's the time to pull out all the stops and dive deep into your intuitive practice. With the thinning veil between spirit and physical, the doors are wide open for profound intuitive growth, shadow work, and spiritual connections. 

Here's a suggested card spread to try out with your favorite tarot or oracle card deck. Samhain tarot or oracle card spread.

1. In what areas of my life do I need more protection?

2. What bonds do I need to break free of in my life?

3. What areas of my life are seeking renewal?

4. In what areas of my life do I need to allow grieving?

5. What messages do my ancestors have for me?

There are endless options for performing intuitive work, but some of my favorites for Samhain are candle spells, scrying, oracle and tarot card readings, and journey work.

Samhain is a truly magical time, and I hope you can feel how special it is with everything I've shared here. Remember, there's nothing to fear. At our core, we are spiritual beings too. This unique time offers us the opportunity to connect with a realm we already know so well, even if we've temporarily forgotten. Samhain blessings, dear one!

Unlocking the Power of your Pineal Gland // 8 Tips

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

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

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

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

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

What is the Pineal Gland? 

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

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

Recent Discoveries About the Pineal Gland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Calcification of the Pineal Gland

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

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

Tips for Decalcifying and Activating the Pineal Gland

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

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

.1. Hydrate with High-quality Water

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

2. Practice Conscious Breathing Techniques

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

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

3. Meditate Regularly

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

4. Add Some Chanting to Your Meditation Practice

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

5. Reduce Fluoride Intake

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

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

6. Eat Mindfully

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

7. Dark and light

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

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

8. Suggested Supplements and Foods

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

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

• Spirulina 

• Chlorella

• Green leafy vegetables

• Turmeric

• Apple cider vinegar 

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

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

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

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

Enhance Your Intuition DIY Spell Bottle

Spell bottles are a form of folk magic that can be used for many different purposes. In this post, I’ll be sharing how to make a spell bottle to deepen your connection to intuition. Keep scrolling for directions and a video.

Not sure if spellwork is for you? To me, spells are about directing energy in a specific direction. They’re about using magick, which Dion Fortune defines as “the art of changing consciousness at will,” for healing, manifestation, and connection. They can be simple, and all you really need is yourself and your energy - other items, like the ones we'll use in this spell, simply infuse some extra magick into the work. 

Keep scrolling to learn how to create an intuition spell bottle!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

For this spell, you’ll need:

• A glass bottle / jar of any size 

• Paint and brush (optional)

• A piece of paper and pen 

• Clary sage oil 

• Crystals for intuition (suggestions: amethyst, labradorite, lemurian quartz, moonstone)

• Herbs for intuition (suggestions: mugwort or yarrow)

• Any other representations of intuition for you 

THE SPELL

Like any spell, you’ll want to center and ground yourself before working the spell. You might spend a few minutes meditating or doing breathwork, or anything else that feels grounding to you.

When you feel ready, cleanse each of your items. You can use smoke, sound, salt, or another cleansing technique you align with. If you’d like, you can paint your bottle with symbols that represent intuition to you. You’ll also want to write your intention for the spell on the paper, to add into your bottle. 

After your bottle is ready, take your time to intentionally place each item inside your bottle. Raise energy as you do this, either with deep breaths or chanting. I recommend coming up with your own chant that focuses energy on connecting to your intuition and developing your intuitive abilities.

When you’re done filling your bottle, keep chanting or breathing as long as you’d like. Seal your bottle and spend time meditating on your intention. Connect with how it would feel to have clear access to your intuition, to receive and understand intuitive messages, and to have deeper intuitive abilities. Visualize yourself already having these desires, and feel this energy move through your body. 

Ground the energy after your meditation by placing your palms on the ground and returning any excess energy to the Earth. 

I recommend placing the bottle on your altar, keeping it at the forefront of your consciousness while it works its magic.

Want more spells? Check out these articles from Cassie Uhl Blog: 

• Four Candle Magick Spells [with Free Printable]

• The Only Three Love Spells You’ll Ever Need

• Three Dark Moon Rituals