Your Spiritual Tool Box for Stress & Anxiety

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

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

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

1. Meditation & Mindfulness

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Body Awareness 

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

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

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

3. Breathwork

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

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

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

4. Accept the imperfectness 

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

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

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

5. Crystals 

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

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

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

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

Are you and Indigo? Probably, and here's why.

The term “Indigo child” is one of those buzz words in the spiritual community that you either love or hate. Some believe the label has genuinely caused harm, while for others it has been their saving grace. Doing an online search of the term reveals thousands of articles. With so much information out there about Indigos, it’s not a surprise that misinformation started spreading about them.

The truth is, most of us are Indigos, and the label might not be as mystical as you think.

Are Indigos essential to the growth of the human race? Yes, invaluable. Are all Indigos blue-eyed, psychic, empaths with magical powers? No.

The idea that all Indigos are highly spiritual beings is a misconception. Kathy Altarans and Nancy Tapp explain in Indigos: The Quiet Storm, “Are Indigos spiritual? Of course, but only in the sense that all humans are spiritual at some level.”

Let’s take a quick look at where the term originated before diving into who Indigos are.

The birth of Indigos

Nancy Tappe has a rare form of synesthesia that enables her to see a field of color around all living things. She spent most of her life learning and understanding the colors surrounding us, what they mean, and how they can benefit us.

In the late 1960’s she started to notice a new color emerge, Indigo. She saw the number of children born with the color indigo in their color field continued to increase every year. Before Nancy died in 2012, she estimated that 95% of all children born had Indigo in their color field. Even if you were born earlier than this time, you might have started to show some indigo in your auric field due to humanity shifting in this direction.

During Nancy’s time here on Earth, she dedicated much of her life to understanding Indigos and their purpose. She assessed that there are four primary categories of Indigos; artist, humanist, conceptualist, and catalyst. To assume that all Indigos are a bunch of fair-skinned, blue-eyed, empathic people goes against Nancy’s entire life’s work.

Why are Indigos here?

The goal of the Indigo is to connect the human race. The primary way that Indigos are doing this is through technology. Take a moment to think about how connected our species is due to technology. From Facebook (Nancy identified Mark Zuckerberg as an Indigo,) to texting, to the internet, the way that humans connect and interact has completely changed over the last century. Indigos are responsible for this change and continue to find new ways to connect the species daily.

Who are Indigos?

Like I mentioned above, most of us are Indigos, or at the very least have some indigo in our auric field. The simple definition of an Indigo is any person who has Indigo as the primary color in their aura. Going off a quiz or simple checklist to determine who is or isn’t an Indigo can be misleading. Indigos are all over the world and come from all different cultures, so the intricacies of the Indigo personality reflect the same vastness. The qualities of an Indigo from the 1960s compared to a young Indigo will vary as well.

A better question to start asking ourselves is, “What kind of Indigo am I?” Nancy identifies four different kinds of Indigos: artist, conceptualist, humanist, and catalyst. You can learn more about these categories here. Intrigued and would like to explore them deeper? Check out these books, Indigos: The Quiet Storm and Understanding Your Life Through Color.

What Are the Astrological Houses & How to Understand Them In Your Chart

So you’re learning astrology and understand the planets and the astrological signs in your birth chart or natal chart. Beautiful! Now you’re ready to mix in another piece of the puzzle: houses.

[To download your own free printable birth chart, click here.]

WHAT ARE THE ASTROLOGICAL HOUSES & HOW TO FIND THEM IN YOUR CHART

If you look at your birth chart, you’ll see that it’s divided up into 12 pie pieces. You should see a circle in the middle of the chart with some lines, and branching out from that circle are the pie pieces. Each of these pie pieces is a house.

Depending on the software you use, there may be little numbers at the top of the pie pieces, closest to the inner circle of the chart. If not, you can find the first house by thinking of your chart as a compass, with the line extending out of the top of the inner circle as north (your midheaven), the line to the bottom as south (your IC), the line to the right as east (your descendent) and the line to the left as west (your ascendant). You can learn more about understanding your birth chart here.

The pie piece that starts with your ascendant line, that line to the left, is the beginning of your first house. The houses continue to move counterclockwise around the circle- so starting with your first house, move right to find your second house.

These astrological houses show us where in our lives certain energy may show up. Each house has a specific meaning and is ruled by a particular sign, which I’ll get into below.

FIRST HOUSE

The first house is ruled by Aries. This is the realm of the self, identity, appearance, leadership, fresh starts, and beginnings. If you have a lot of planets in your first house, you may bring a lot of pioneering or initiating energy to your life.

SECOND HOUSE

The second house is ruled by Taurus. It represents income, money, self-esteem, and all things related to your material and physical world, like the senses. It’s said that if you have a lot of planets in your second house, you may manifest things easily in the physical realm.

THIRD HOUSE

The third house is ruled by Gemini. This house is the guardian of all forms of communication as well as siblings, neighborhoods, learning, local travel, community, and the giving and receiving of knowledge.

FOURTH HOUSE

The fourth house is ruled by Cancer. This house rules the foundation of all things and is the foundation, the very bottom, of your birth chart. Think of it as the root chakra for your chart! It covers the home, your basic security, your parents (especially your mother), and how you nurture yourself.

FIFTH HOUSE

The fifth house is ruled by Leo. This house is the guardian of creativity, play, self-expression, romance, fun, drama and attention.

SIXTH HOUSE

The sixth house is ruled by Virgo. This house governs health, service, and daily work. Think schedules, routines, organization, the health, and wellness of your physical body, and being of service to others.

SEVENTH HOUSE

The seventh house is ruled by Libra. This house governs relationships, including all kinds of intimate partnerships (business, romantic, best friends), as well as things associated with relationships such as marriage, contracts, and business deals. This house begins with your descendent, the part of your chart I mentioned above on the far right.

EIGHTH HOUSE

The eighth house is ruled by Scorpio. This house is the realm of birth, death, and rebirth. It covers sex, transformation, bonding and merging at the deepest levels, as well as taxes and other people’s property and money.

NINTH HOUSE

The ninth house is ruled by Sagittarius. This house covers expansion, philosophy, religion, long-distance travel, the higher mind, inspiration, optimism, publishing, broadcasting, higher education, and adventure.

TENTH HOUSE

The tenth house is ruled by Capricorn. This house is at the very top of your chart, beginning with the midheaven. It is the realm of structure, tradition, public appearance, rules, discipline, authority, and the father. With the border of this house as the midheaven, it can reveal truths about your career path.

ELEVENTH HOUSE

The eleventh house is ruled by Aquarius. It governs teams, friendships, groups of all kinds, society, humanitarian causes and social justice, technology, and the internet. It rules all things futuristic, original, eccentric, and surprising.

TWELFTH HOUSE

The twelfth and final house is ruled by Pisces. As the last house of the chart (which ends with your ascendent, bringing us back into the first house), it rules endings. It’s thought to be the most mysterious house, governing the afterlife and past lives, institutions, mysticism, the arts, imagination, the subconscious mind, surrender, hospitals, and jails.

THE HOUSES IN YOUR CHART

Each house has a traditional rulership, as you saw above. This gives us insight into the meaning of the house. But in your chart, the house will likely be ruled by a different sign, which all depends on your rising sign.

Your rising sign is the sign on the ascendant — you should see a little AC to the left of that line, but it’s the line on the far left side of your chart that I mentioned above. Your rising sign will rule the first house.

For example, I’m a Virgo rising. So my first house, which has Aries energy, is ruled by Virgo. My second house will be ruled by Libra, my third house by Scorpio, and we continue around the wheel.

Click here to download your free printable birth chart

HOW TO INTERPRET YOUR HOUSES

Now that you know what the houses mean, how do you interpret them with the other pieces of your chart: the signs and planets? (We won’t get into aspects in this post!)

You can weave these three aspects of your chart together by looking at planet + sign + house.

For example, my Venus is in Scorpio in the third house. So we can look at Venus + Scorpio + 3rd House.

Venus is the planet that shows us where we find great soul satisfaction. It shows us who, what, and how we love. Scorpio is an energy that is about transformation, deep bonding, mystery, and the occult. The third house, as we saw above, rules all things communication and community.

Astrology is an intuitive art, so use your intuition! I would say that this means there is great soul satisfaction for me in communicating about the occult, deep bonding, and transformation. It could also mean that I love to deeply bond with others through communication.

For another example, say you have your Mars in Leo in the 11th house. So we would look at Mars + Leo + 11th house.

Mars is the warrior in our chart, the planet of aspiration, drive, motivation, and willpower. Leo is a sign that loves to be seen, to express, to create, and to be an individual. The 11th house, as we saw above, is the realm of group energy, technology, innovation, humanity, and authenticity.

So one way to look at Mars in Leo in the 11th house is having a lot of drive and motivation to express yourself in a group setting, or to express yourself for the good of the collective - all of humanity.

Try this out with one placement at a time in your chart, and see what mysteries about yourself are revealed!

Want to explore more of your natal chart? Learn about your north node and how it can reveal your life purpose here.

Magical Moonstone Meanings & Uses

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

Moonstone Meaning

5 Moonstone Rituals

Moonstone Travel Ritual

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

Moonstone Bath Ritual

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

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

Moonstone Sleep Ritual

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

Divine Feminine & Sacral Chakra Moonstone Meditation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moonstone Intuition Ritual

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

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

Accessing Energy Through Metatron's Cube

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

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

Who is Metatron?

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

What is Metatron’s Cube?

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

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

How to Use Metatron’s Cube

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

Protection

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

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

Energy Clearing Grid

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

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

To create your grid collect the following stones.

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

• Selenite for cleansing and purifying, 1 large piece

• Amethyst for cleansing emotions, 1 or more pieces

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

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

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

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

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

Energizing Meditation

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

Follow this guide to perform this meditation.

• Find a comfortable sitting position.

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

• Close your eyes, breathe, center yourself.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Are they real?

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

How are they made?

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

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

Here are the metals used for different aura crystal varieties:

• Angel aura: silver and platinum

• Aqua aura: gold

• Opal aura: platinum

• Flame aura: titanium and niobium

• Rainbow aura or Titanium Rainbow aura: gold and titanium

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

Fake aura crystals?

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

• Look for brighter more fluorescent colors

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

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

• The coating might not cover the edges of the crystal

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

What are the healing properties of aura crystals?

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

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

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