12 Mudras to Shift Your Energy

What are mudras and why are they powerful?

In Sanskrit, mudra means “seal” or “sign.” Mudras are hand gestures that act as energy “seals” and they also position your hands to symbolize different meanings.

The tips of your fingers, the crown of your head, and your feet are where energy leaves your body. You can practice mudras to take that energy back into your body and channel it instead of allowing it to leave through your fingertips.

The Elements of the Hand

The hand has three Gunas or qualities, and every finger has its own energy and its own elements.

In yogic philosophy the three Gunas, fundamental forces, are tamas, rajas, and sattva. They interact to create all of the known Universe (Prakriti) and can be increased or decreased by using mudras.

Sattva manifests as balance, inspiration, and knowledge of what is real. Tamas is a heavy, mindless energy that causes ignorance and inaction. Rajas is the energy of change, manifesting as passion, pain, desire, and effort, and it can lead you to sattva or tamas but is often characterized as an attachment to outcomes and unsteadiness.

Your hand has each of these three Gunas characteristics, and each finger within each Guna is associated with an element.

• Your thumb, associated with the fire or Agni element, is rajasic.

• Your index finger, associated with air, and your middle finger, associated with space, are tamasic.

• Your ring finger, associated with earth, and your pinky, associated with water, are satvic.

A Mudra for Everything

You can use mudras to increase or decrease the Gunas and specific elements. Whatever you need in your life, there is a mudra for it! The list below shares some great mudras to get started with, some of which you might already be familiar with, and many of which balance all five elements.

Jnana Mudra

Use this mudra to balance fire and air, connect to your higher self, clear stagnant energy, and create openness to receiving inner and divine guidance.

Rest your palms facing up on top of your thighs or knees and tuck the tip of your index finger under the tip of your thumb. Your middle, ring, and pinky fingers remain lightly extended.

Anjali Mudra

If you’ve ever been to a yoga class, you know this mudra. It is done by simply connecting your palms in prayer hands in front of your heart chakra.

Anjali mudra is commonly used to close and sometimes open a class because it is a gesture of offering from the heart. It’s a literal connection of your hands, symbolizing one of the key principles of yoga: union. It connects the right and left sides of your brain, and the right and left or feminine and masculine energies in your body.

Kashyapa Mudra

Do you ever spend time with a friend who has a bad attitude, and you feel yourself being lowered to her frequency? Do you ever feel yourself absorbing the energy of somebody else’s bad day?

This is the mudra you need to protect your energy. Kashyapa mudra balances and grounds you while creating a seal against negative energy.

To use this mudra, make a fist with the tip of your thumb between your middle and ring fingers.

Shankhavarta Mudra

Shankhavarta mudra is the mudra of inner wisdom. When you’re struggling to differentiate between the voices of your highest self and fear or ego, use this mudra to find clarity and connect with your inner guidance.

Start with your palms in Anjali mudra and, keeping your fingertips connected, press your palms away from each other to form a triangle with the base as your connected thumbs. Then release your right index finger and allow it to relax toward the center of the triangle your hands have formed.

Yoni Mudra

I like to think of yoni mudra as the goddess mudra. Use it to quiet your mind, connect to your divine feminine energy, and call on the energy of the goddesses.

Bring your palms together, fingers pointing down. Open your palms up into an upside-down triangle with your thumbs as the base. Then turn your pinky, ring, and middle fingers in so that the backs of the fingers are touching and thumbs are pointing slightly upward.

Shunya Mudra

Shunya means “empty.” This mudra balances fire and space to help you open and expand, to clear throat chakra blockages, and release the limiting beliefs of your ego.

Hold the palm of your hand open and bend your middle finger to gently press into the ball of your thumb. Bend your thumb so that it presses into your middle finger and extends your other fingers. Then try it with your other hand!

Use this mudra to clear away energetic blockages holding you back from abundance, and open yourself to receiving.

Padma Mudra

This mudra, also known as the lotus mudra, resembles a lotus flower blossoming open.

You know the phrase “no mud, no lotus.” The mudra reminds you that the lotus has moved through the mud and risen above it to blossom.

Start with your hands together at heart center in Anjali mudra. Keeping the base of your hands, pinky fingers, and thumbs together, allow the rest of your fingers to blossom open.

Use this mudra to balance fire and water, open your heart chakra to love, compassion, and gratitude, and remind you of the peace and wholeness you already possess within.

Buddhi Mudra

If you need help accessing your inner guidance and understanding intuitive messages, use Buddhi mudra to balance fire and water. Simply touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of your pinky finger while holding your other three fingers straight.

Samputa Mudra

Do you ever have those days where you just feel off? You don’t feel like yourself, and maybe your mind is spinning instead of being focused and calm. On those days, use Samputa mudra to find mental and emotional clarity, connect to your true self, and balance all five elements.

Bring your palms together at heart center. Hollow out a small space between your hands, keeping the tips of your fingers connected, and tuck your thumbs into that hollow space.

Garuda Mudra

If you need to be reminded of your personal power and strengthen your solar plexus chakra, Garuda mudra is the mudra for you. This mudra stimulates the fire element, the element of the solar plexus chakra, to energize you and stoke your inner fire.

Hold your hands in front of you with your palms facing your chest. Cross your left hand over right and interlock your thumbs, stretching all of your other fingers out as much as you can.

Ushas Mudra

The Ushas mudra is all about flow and creativity. When you’re stuck in a place of trying to force, push, and control where you aren’t allowing yourself to open, receive, and follow your inner guidance, use this mudra to get back into flow, connect with your feminine energy, and awaken your sacral chakra, your center of creativity and passion.

To do this mudra, clasp your hands together, interlacing your fingers with your left thumb resting on top.

Kubera Mudra

Kubera mudra, also known as the wealth mudra, is the mudra for attracting a regular flow of abundant energy and material well-being. This mudra balances fire, air, and space and reminds you that if you trust the Universe, you will always have enough and you will always be taken care of.

To use this mudra, touch the tips of your thumb, index, and middle fingers together, and tuck your ring and pinky fingers into the middle of your hand.

Try incorporating some of these mudras into your spiritual practice, whether it’s meditation, reiki, yoga, or breathwork, and see how they change your energy.

6 Herbal Bath Recipes for Winter Self-Care

Herbs have been used for centuries as magical tools for healing, meditating, and accessing the spirit realm. Whatever your need is, there’s definitely an herb for it!

They are said to be so powerful because they hold the energy of Mother Earth within them.

Using herbs in your bath is a great way to practice self-care, especially in the colder, cozier months. Unwinding and decompressing from the constant stimulation your senses face in the modern world is important for tuning back into yourself. Herbal baths can boost your mood and be incredibly relaxing and healing.

Science actually backs this up. A 2002 study found that a daily bath significantly improved the mood and optimism of the participants. Plus, hot baths can relieve muscle pain and improve your sleep.

Adding herbs to your bath brings this mind-body practice to the next level, positively affecting all aspects of your being, including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

I recommend filling a muslin bag with your herbs (if you’ve ordered jewelry from us before the muslin bag that comes with your order works perfectly!). The measurements don’t need to be exact, but I recommend using about a ¼-⅓ cup of dried herbs. Then loop the bundle onto the faucet and let your tub fill with steaming water as it runs through the bag. When the tub fills, drop your bag into the water. Let the water cool down for 20-30 minutes as it infuses with the herbs, and climb in!

For an extra dose of self-care, light candles and burn incense or diffuse essential oils as you soak. If you can’t find all of the herbs listed in the recipes below you can substitute with essential oil, leave it out completely, or substitute with a different herb.

Scroll down to check out six herbal bath recipes for those cozy nights when it’s way too cold to go outside.

Herbal Bath to Tap into the Divine Feminine

Dried violet, yarrow, calendula, and lavender

Tapping into the feminine, lunar energy within you is all about accessing the energy of being, manifesting, and opening yourself to your truth, creativity, and compassion.These herbs help you do exactly that. Dried violet leaves stimulate creativity and draw prophetic dreams and visions. Yarrow promotes psychic opening and love. Calendula brings healing and energetic protection, and lavender soothes and calms to promote the passive energy of being.

Bonus: Calendula also soothes the skin and promotes cell repair.

Optional: Add a moonstone crystal to your bath.

Herbal Bath to Attract Abundance

Chamomile, lemongrass, and patchouli

Chamomile relaxes you and opens you to receiving abundance (plus, it’s antioxidant-rich and soothes your skin). Lemongrass brings focus and clarity of purpose, and patchouli is a powerful herb for helping you attract and manifest your dreams. Patchouli also balances the sacral chakra, which governs emotions, sexuality, wealth, and prosperity.

Optional: Add a jade crystal to your bath.

Herbal Bath to Promote Self-Love

Rose-hips, lavender, elecampane, and balm of gilead

Rose-hips promote healing, compassion, and self-love. Lavender balances and calms while elecampane opens the heart chakra. Balm of gilead promotes love and helps you manifest your desires.Optional: Add a rose quartz crystal to your bath.

Herbal Bath for Amazing Sleep

Vetiver, chamomile, and passionflower

Vetiver’s soothing qualities create a state of tranquility. Chamomile relaxes the mind, and passionflower eases stress and calms the “monkey mind.” If you have trouble sleeping, try this bath!

Optional: Add a selenite crystal to your bath. Please note, selenite is very water-soluble! If you want to keep your selenite as-is, keep it on the edge of the tub. It’s safe to add it to your bath but may come out a little smaller ;)

Herbal Bath for Emotional Healing

Aloe, motherwort, and lemon balm

Aloe promotes inner healing and overcoming blockages, while motherwort soothes the nerves and emotions to bring rest to your mind. Lemon balm promotes healing and helps treat insomnia from heartbreak and stress (and it soothes and heals your skin while stimulating blood circulation).Optional: Add a rhodochrosite crystal to your bath.

Herbal Bath to Tap into Intuition

Rosemary, juniper, and honeysuckle

Juniper balances the third eye chakra, the center of intuition, inner vision, wisdom, and deep perception. Honeysuckle aids confidence and sharpens intuition, and rosemary clears unwanted thoughts and negative thought patterns.

Optional: Add an amethyst or sodalite crystal to your bath.

Which bath do you need today? Take a photo of your tub while it cools and tag us at @cassieuhl!

How to Balance your Solar Plexus Chakra

Do you feel worthy of love and comfortable setting boundaries? Do you feel a sense of peace and understanding in taking action on things you can control and allowing things you have no control over to happen?

When your solar plexus, or Manipura, chakra is open and balanced, you experience a strong sense of authentic power, and use that power to make a difference in the world. You fully understand your worth and have healthy self-esteem and self-confidence.

This chakra, located right above the navel, is also where the ego lives. It is the seat of fire in the body, overseeing your emotions, motivating you to achieve your goals, and governing your self-esteem and self-discipline.

But like any other chakra, this chakra can become unbalanced.

Signs that your solar plexus chakra is unbalanced:

1. You feel powerless or like a victim.

2. You often feel anxious and insecure.

3. You either feel the need to control and manipulate everything or you let others control you.

4. You experience frequent stomach or lower back pain.

5. You feel like you have to give your power away in order to keep the peace.

6. You have addictive tendencies and tend to form co-dependent relationships.

The good news is there are many simple ways to balance the solar plexus chakra. Use one tip or combine several, and find what works for you to get you back to a place of authentic power and control.

10 Ways to Open the Solar Plexus Chakra

Get Outside

The solar plexus chakra is associated with the color yellow and the element fire, so getting outside in the sun can be a big help. Try doing one of the tips below outside, like yoga or meditation, go rock climbing, go for a hike, or simply take a walk around the neighborhood.

Drink Tea

Ginger, chamomile, and mint all work well to open this chakra.

Yoga

Poses that light a fire in the belly— aka focus on the core— are perfect for balancing Manipura. Try Boat Pose, Warrior 2, or a series of Sun Salutations to light that Agni.

Pranayama

Speaking of fire, “breath of fire” or Agni Sara pranayama can help balance the solar plexus chakra. It is similar to kappalabhati breathing, but both inhales and exhales are forceful. The idea is to contract and release the core muscles.

Start in a standing position with the knees gently bent and the hands on the knees. As you inhale, press the stomach out. As you exhale, draw it in.

Affirmations & Mantras

Affirmations and mantras are all about becoming that which you wish to see. Try these mantras for balancing this chakra:

• The bija mantra Ram.

• I am worthy.

• I rule from a place of authentic control and power.

• I love and accept myself.

• I am open and free from the need to control everything.

• I use my power for the highest good.

• I release judgment of myself and others.

Scents

Citrusy oils like grapefruit, lemon, orange, and even peppermint are great for healing the solar plexus chakra because they aid digestion, a solar plexus issue. You can also try ginger, fennel, and ylang-ylang to clear negative energy and bring in positive energy.

Burn candles or incense with these scents, diffuse essential oils, or mix these oils with a carrier oil like sesame or coconut and massage them onto the body. It can be particularly powerful to rub them on the belly, the center of this chakra.

Crystals

There are many different crystals you can use to balance the solar plexus chakra. Yellow-hued stones tend to work best since yellow is the color of this chakra. Try citrine, yellow topaz, honey calcite, amber, yellow jasper, or tiger’s eye.

Incorporate them into your yoga practice, meditate with them, create a crystal grid on the ground or on the body over the navel area, or wear them.

To create a crystal grid, choose a few stones from the list above that resonate with you, plus clear quartz. Decide on your purpose for the grid, and write that intention down. It could be something like “I reclaim my personal power” or any of the affirmations and mantras above.

Then, cleanse your crystals (learn more about crystal cleansing here) and place them in a geometric pattern on the bare skin of your navel with the clear quartz in the center to amplify the energy of your grid.

Spend at least a few moments with the crystals on your skin, meditating on your intention.

Play with Color

Wearing yellow and eating yellow foods such as corn, bananas, yellow peppers, lemons, and sunflower seeds are easy ways to work on opening this chakra throughout the day.

Meditation

Try imagining a glowing golden ball of light, a burning flame, or a bright yellow flower opening over your navel to open Manipura. Try this guided chakra balancing meditation if you feel called to.

Switch It Up

Sometimes all it takes to balance the solar plexus chakra is a little change. Try switching up your routine, releasing anger by yelling as loudly as you can (in your home alone!), or attending a laughing circle.

These activities allow you to activate your personal power, release control, introduce a little joy, and create a positive flow of energy in the body.

Tap Into the Wisdom of Your Ancestors with Meditation and Breathwork

Samhain, the sacred festival of the dead, occurs on October 31st and the 1st of November. It marks the beginning of winter and the season of the crone. This holiday reconnects us to the cycle of death and rebirth.

It is believed that the veil between the spirit world and our world is thin during Samhain, making it easier to communicate with spirits. That’s why it is the best time to honor the wisdom of your ancestors during this time.

This meditation and breathwork will take you within, to honor the wisdom you possess inside and the wisdom from those whom you come from. 

1. Set the stage for your meditation with crystals and EO’s (optional)

There are many different crystals you can use to help you connect with your ancestors. Your energy is unique, so choose the crystals that have worked for you in the past or that you feel drawn to.

Here are 8 crystals that can help you connect to your inner wisdom and wisdom from your ancestors. Choose one or several of these stones to wear or place next to you for your meditation.

Lepidolite will help you get into a calm state and connect you to your third eye chakra, the center of intuition.

Celestite opens your energy to connect with the spiritual realm by helping you relax and transition into a dream state. Rose quartz a crystal of love, creates a safe and welcoming space for both you and the spirits. Amethyst helps to open your third eye chakra and can help you connect to your intuition.

Charoite will help you connect with your ancestors. It is another powerful stone for communicating with and channeling spirits. It helps you receive information from them using your intuition.

Blue Lace Agate raises your vibration to make a connection with the spirit world easier. It helps you connect with the spirits as it keeps you balanced, allowing you to receive messages without getting overwhelmed.

Selenite increases telepathy and opens the crown chakra, making it a great stone for spirit communication.

When using any of these crystals, make sure you also have obsidian, hematite, black kyanite, or black tourmaline for grounding and protection. These crystals will keep you safe and rooted to the Earth, leaving your mind and spirit free to wander.

You can also use essential oils in your meditation. Mix them with water for a mist to spritz around the area, dilute with a carrier oil such as coconut or olive oil, and massage into the skin, or even burn these scents as candles.

Here are a few essential oils to recruit for this meditation. Use one or all of them during your meditation.

Clary Sage for connection to the divine.

Rosemary for remembrance and love.

Cedarwood for purifying, grounding, and calming.

2. Start with the breath

Start with Nadi Sodhana, also called alternate nostril breathing, to balance the nadis, or energy channels, in the body. This breath brings you into the present moment, calms and centers the mind, and helps you release fear.

Sit in a comfortable seated position and place the left hand on the knee with the palm facing upward. This hand position creates an energy of receptivity. Place the index finger and middle finger of the right hand on the third eye center between the eyebrows, with the ring finger and pinky finger on the left nostril and thumb on the right nostril.

Throughout this breath, use the thumb to open and close the right nostril, and the ring finger and pinky finger for the left nostril. As you exhale, close the right nostril and breathe out of the left nostril. Inhale through the left nostril, and then close the left nostril to exhale through the right. Alternate breathing in this way for ten cycles of breath, holding your inhales and exhales steady and even.

3. Sink into Meditation.

Once you’re centered in a place of presence and balance, begin the meditation by taking a few deep, cleansing breaths. Follow these steps to tap into the wisdom of your ancestors for this meditation.

1. Visualize the support of the Earth underneath you, connecting you to the vast wisdom of Mother Nature. Feel her energy enter your body as you inhale, and run down the spine as you exhale.

2. Think about who you are and where you are in this moment. Remember that every part of you has been woven together by the fabric of your ancestors, the good and the bad. Their blood, their experiences, their pains, their joys all run through you and shape you.

3. Begin to visualize your family line, starting with a parent. Traditionally this is the father, but allow either parent to come to mind. Visualize them in front of you. As you inhale, they breathe the white-hot light of their wisdom within you. As you exhale, you breathe the white-hot light of your gratitude into them.

4. Ask if this spirit has anything they need to share with you.

5. Continue moving up your family line with this conversation, receiving knowledge, and offering gratitude by exchanging breath, taking as many breaths as you need with each spirit.  

6. When you reach the end of your family line as you know it, sit in silence as long as you like and allow the messages to come to you. These can come in the form of images or sounds in your head, a feeling, or even a smell.

7. End with this simple phrase: “I thank all those who have helped shape and create me. I honor your divine wisdom.” Take a few moments after your meditation to let out your thoughts and emotions in a journal. Release anything that came up for you onto the page, and continue to sit with your crystals for as long as you need.

You can find meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.

How to Perform a Samhain House Cleansing & Blessing

Around Samhain and Halloween is the most magical and powerful time to bless and cleanse your house. So, if you haven’t performed a house cleansing and blessing ceremony, now is the time to do it! If you’ve stumbled upon this blog during another month, don’t worry, you can still perform a purposeful house blessing and cleansing any time of the year. Just be sure to perform another one at the end of October for Samhain.

Why Cleanse & Bless for Samhain?

With winter slowly creeping in, it’s the perfect time to move out any stagnant, stale, or negative vibes before the cold sets in.

October 31st and November 1st, this year, ushers in the pagan celebration of Samhain pronounced Sow-win. Samhain is the birthplace of Halloween. Modern-day Halloween has taken a bit of a different turn with its kitschy decor. Samhain is still celebrated by many and is considered by most to be a more solemn time and reflective time, perfect for divination, cleansing, and blessing.

During Samhain, the veil between the spirit world and the physical world is at its thinnest, so it is believed that spirits and ancestors come back to visit during this time. Performing a house cleansing and blessings gives a welcome space for all of your ancestors. You want to come back and protective energy for any spirits you want to keep out.

How to Perform a House Blessing & Cleansing

This is a thorough house blessing and cleansing. Give yourself adequate time and space to fully devote yourself to this exercise. If you have a large house, you may want to chunk your house into floors or rooms to perform this spread out over a couple of days.

What You'll Need

• Cleaning supplies

• Cleansing herb of choice (frankincense, mugwort, lavender, or sagebrush make good options)

• Besom (optional)

• White candle for cleansing and a black candle for protection

• Saltwater in a spray bottle or a bowl

• Altar offerings

• Optional: protection symbols, crystals, cauldron, broom, herbs, etc.

Steps

1. Clean physically: First, you’ll want to clean your space physically. Remove things that are no longer serving you. Objects that don’t bring you joy anymore are most likely carrying old and stagnant energy that you don’t need cluttering up your energetic space. Try gifting, recycling, or finding a purposeful way to reuse these items.

2. Cleanse with smoke or incense: Use your preferred smoke cleansing tool for this step. I suggest using an herb or plant that's in alignment with your cultural heritage. If you're using something outside of your cultural heritage, like palo santo, I encourage you to ensure that it's sourced from an ethical supplier. I like to use mugwort, lavender, and frankincense.

With your cleansing smoke of choice, walk from room to room to let the smoke float through your space. As the smoke touches, each area of your house asks it to cleanse any energy that isn't aligned with your highest good or something similar.

3. Cleanse with a besom: A besom is a tool used by witches to cleanse a space's energy. You can make one yourself or purchase one around the season of Samhain (Trader Joe's always sells affordable cinnamon brooms!) For the practice of energy cleansing, you're not intended to use the broom as a physical tool, although you can if you'd like. Open a door and begin sweeping, holding your besom slightly above the floor. Visualize any negative energy not serving you being whisked out the door.

4. Cleanse and call in with candles: Using a white candle in a fireproof vessel, walk around your house, shining the light in each room. Imagine each room filling up with white. Ask the light to clear the space and bring in energy that serves your highest good. This is also a good time to call in any ancestors or loved ones who have crossed over into your space. Once you’re finished, place your candle on your stove to burn all the way through. The hearth (our modern-day stove area) is an important area of the home, which aids in transformation, so this is a great place to let your candle(s) burn as you complete your house cleansing blessing. If you'd like to call in a specific kind of energy, you can also light a candle for that as well. Black candles are ideal for this season and offer protection. 

5. Protect with salt water: Just like salt can protect your aura, it can also protect your space. Doors and windows are important areas to focus on with your saltwater because it’s where energy comes and goes in and out of your house. Spritz a bit of your saltwater in each room, focusing on windows and doors. As you do this, ask the salt to protect you and your space from unwanted energies. I like to visualize an energetic forcefield being enveloping my space during this step. 

6. Add symbolism for protection: If you’re looking for a fun and effective way to add an extra layer of protection, you can decorate with protective symbols. Runes, specifically the Algiz Rune or a protective charm bag, are potent options. Learn more about making a protective charm bag here.

7. Cleanse and consecrate tools: If you have tools you often use for rituals, this is an ideal time to cleanse them as well. You can take a few extra moments with your cleansing smoke, white candle, and saltwater to cleanse your tools. 

8. Create a welcoming altar for yourself and your ancestors: Once you’ve completed your house cleansing and blessing, prepare an altar space as a reminder and sacred container of the energy you shed and invited in. This altar will also serve as a welcome invitation to any ancestors or loved ones who have passed on. If you don’t have an altar space, you can also do this on or near your stove, which is our modern hearth. Here's a video of how I cleanse and prepare my altar for the season of Samhain.

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Place items on your altar that would attract ancestors that have passed on, like foods or drinks they liked. Light your remaining candle in the color of your choice. Adorn your altar with any crystals, jewelry, herbs, or symbols that you see fit. Here are some options:

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

• Candle Colors: Purple, black, orange, silver

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

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

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

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

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

9. Say a prayer or invocation: When your cleansing and blessing is complete, and your altar is set up. Grant yourself a few quiet moments at your altar to reflect on this experience. Offer a prayer to ancestors that have gone before you, an invocation to a deity that is important to you, or both.

Sleep soundly and perform your intuitive work confidently during this season, knowing that your house has been cleansed, blessed, and protected. Find meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.

Create Your Own Protection Rune Wall Hanging with Free Printable

With Samhain and Halloween around the corner, it is the ideal time to perform spells and divination of all kinds. The veil between the physical world and the spirit world is at its thinnest during this time.

It’s also a time that communication between you and the spirit realm will be the easiest, because of this some believe that it’s an important time to build in extra protection from unwanted spirits.

Using Runes can cover all of these magical bases! You can use them for spellwork, divination, and as a protective tool.

What are Runes?

I’m sure you’ve seen these interesting symbols before, maybe you even know what a few of them mean, but beyond wearing them you’re not really sure what to do with Runes. While wearing them is a great way to utilize their power, their uses go far beyond that.

Their roots can be found in Old Norse, and they make up an ancient runic alphabet containing 24 symbols. Rune symbols have been found to date back as far as 150 AD. They have been discovered on spearheads, charms, and even on headstones in the form of spells! It is said that the word “rune” has come to mean “secret, something hidden,” and many people believe the symbols were used as a form of divination. Some people continue this practice today.

How to Use Runes for Spellwork & Intention Setting

Simply carrying or wearing a Rune symbol can hold great meaning. Place your Runes together though, and you’ve got a powerful magical tool. Many wear talismans like this with Runes together, but for this time of year, a banner for the home can not only serve as a meaningful reminder and spell but also a timely decoration!

Rune symbols can be placed together in different orders to mean different things, create a spell, or set an intention. Placing Runes in a particular order for magical purposes is called a Runescript. They can serve as a powerful reminder of what you need help with the most.

To use a Runescript for creating a spell banner, you simply need a basic understanding of what some of the Runes represent, appropriate ordering of your Runes, and some time to get a little crafty. I have created a free printable of Rune images for you to use to create your very own Runescript wall hanging! Click here to grab yours now.

How to Make Your Wall Hanging

To create your wall hanging you’ll need:

• Printer or drawing tool

• Paper (white cardstock recommended)

• Scissors

• String

• Glue or tape

• Optional: salt, herb or smoke tool of your choice for cleansing, candle, water, stick, and protective crystal or stone

1. Print Your Runes

Click here to get your free printable Rune images to use for your Runescript. Alternatively, you can draw your own if you’d like. If you’re using our free printable I suggest printing them on white cardstock.

2. Gather Your Supplies & Prepare Your Workspace

If you want to keep this a simple crafty decoration you can leave out all of the optional tools listed above. If you want to bring more magical meaning and ritual to this project, I’ll outline how you can use the salt, herb or smoke tool for cleaning, candle, and water while you create your wall hanging to bring each of the earth elements in the next step.

3. Prepare the Four Elements

Place your bowl of salt North of your workspace, your herb or smoke tool East, your candle South, and the bowl of water West. Each element coordinates with a direction, and by placing each element in its cardinal direction you invoke their protective powers as you create your Runescript hanging.

4. Select Your Runes

The number of runes in your script should also be well thought out. Runescripts are usually made of 3, 5, 7, or 9 Runes, so if one of these numbers is particularly meaningful to you that would be a good number to go with.

Creating your Runescript is a very personal act. Though you can use a pre-made script they always hold more meaning and power when you create it on your own. Use the guide below to select the Runes that you feel you need most for the kind of protection you are seeking. You can learn more about the meaning of each Rune on the website www.RuneSecrets.com or in the book A Practical Guide to The Runes by Lisa Peschel. I reference the website and the book very often and find them to be helpful resources.

That being said, If you do want to borrow my Runescript shown in the pictures you’re welcome to!

5. Order Your Runes

According to Lisa Peschel, author of A Practical Guide to The Runes, your first and last Rune placed are the most important ones.

The first rune says “this is how I want the operation to start,” the final rune says “this is how I want things to end up.” The runes in between elaborate on the subject … [it] must start out right and end up right in order to be truly effective. Making a correct choice is not really something that can be taught in a fixed sense. It must be very a personal choice based on the needs and wants of the Individual.

6. Cut Out Your Runes for Your Desired Runescript

7. Place your Runes in Order on Your String, Spacing Them Out Evenly

Your Runescript can hang simply on your string or you can use a stick or dowel rod to wrap the string around. This makes it easier to hang and adds a nice earthy element.

8. Tape or Glue the String to the Back of Your Runes

9. Incorporate the Four Elements into Your Runescript

Once your Runescript hanging is complete sprinkle a bit of salt over it, waft the smoke of your herb over it, pick it up and pass it over the top of your candle taking care to not get it too close so it doesn’t catch fire, and sprinkle a few drops of water on it.

10. You’re Ready to Hang Your Runescript!

Your Runescript is now imbued with the power of the four elements and the combination of Runes. Place it in a prominent place in your house or room as a symbol of protection. Add some extra protection to your Runescript wall hanging with a protective stone like hematite, lava stone, or smoky quartz.

Love this craft and want to create more? You can use this same set of steps to create any kind of Runescript. And I would love to see your own Runescript wall hangings, so please tag @cassieuhl on Instagram!

The Divine Feminine & Cauldrons // 5 Uses & Meanings

What do you think of when you imagine a cauldron? Witches, Halloween, and deathly potions perhaps? Along with witches, cauldrons have been given a bad rap, but their mystical meanings and uses go way back and might have a more spiritual meaning than you originally thought!

If you’re always on the hunt for meaningful additions to your altar, search no more, the cauldron is a staple and I’m going to share 5 reasons why. First I want to share some history behind its use so you have a complete understanding of what it represents.

History of Cauldrons

Cauldrons of varying types can be traced back to a variety of cultures. In fact, one found in Denmark has been traced back to between 200 BC and 300 AD. So basically, they’ve been around for a long ass time.

No surprise, cauldrons started out as a cooking tool. Warm soups and stews were concocted in them to give nourishment to families. They were the heart of the home and life-giving in cold seasons. As cauldrons became more commonplace and important to families, mothers and grandmothers started using them for healing herbal blends and eventually potions.

Cauldrons & The Divine Feminine

After being used for centuries as a cooking and healing tool, cauldrons started to take on more sacred and magical meanings. The cauldron began to represent the Goddess, the Sacred Divine, and a vessel for transformation, healing, and abundance.

The timing of when cauldrons started to be viewed as magical tools is unknown but the reasons why are obvious. The cauldron symbolizes life and abundance through nourishment, transformation by turning herbs into healing concoctions, and the shape of the cauldron itself mimics that of an expectant mother. These reasons combined make the cauldron one of the most sacred tools you can add to your arsenal.

What Kind of Cauldron Should You Get?

Before you jump into the meanings and uses of a cauldron, let’s cover what kinds of cauldrons are best to purchase because there’s no shortage of options.

Hands down, the best cauldron to purchase (if you plan on using it for anything other than sitting on a shelf) is a cast-iron cauldron. Pass by anything that says it’s made out of anything other than cast iron or is plated because it won’t last. You can also purchase earth and wear pottery cauldrons that will work well too. If you go with a ceramic cauldron, ensure that it’s food safe before using it for anything you’ll be ingesting.

5 Cauldron Uses & Meanings

At a loss for what to use your life-giving, transformative, and holy cauldron for? Here are 5 ways to put your cauldron to work:

Looking for a way to represent the four elements on your altar? The cauldron has you covered. Placing a cauldron on your altar is an easy way to represent all four elements with one item.

Represent the Four Elements on Your Altar

• Earth: The iron the cauldron is made out of represents earth

• Water: The water used while cooking in a cauldron represents the water

• Fire: A cauldron would traditionally be heated from a fire underneath it which represents fire

• Air: The air around and blow on the soup or potion inside represents the air

The elements are purely symbolic for this use, no need to always have a fire burning underneath your cauldron! You can read more about the four elements here.

Incense, Herbs & Burning Rituals

There are several rituals that call for fire and burning. Whether it’s incense, candles, or burning a piece of paper, a cauldron will not only serve as a sacred tool but will also give you a safe tool for ritual fires. Here are a few ways to use your cauldron for any fire-related rituals.

• A safe and meaningful receptacle to burn incense, herbs, or a candle for rituals.

• Write a letter to your ancestors or lost loved ones and burn it in the altar for them to receive it.

• During the waning moon, write down a habit you’re trying to break or something you’re trying to release on a small piece of paper, then burn it in your cauldron.

• Create a small fire in your cauldron to represent light or a God or Goddess of light for a ritual.

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Transform with the Triple Goddess Cerridwen

Cerridwen is the Welsh Goddess that represents the triple Goddess or the mother, maiden, and crone. She reminds us that life is all about transitions and transformations. Cerridwen is often shown with a cauldron because she brews a magical potion that grants knowledge and inspiration using a cauldron.

Anytime you’re going through a difficult transition place a cauldron on your altar or in your sacred space as a reminder of Cerridwen. As you navigate through your transition take a few minutes daily in front of your cauldron to imagine Cerridwen taking your fears about your transition, putting them in her cauldron, and taking them out transformed into what you need most.

This excerpt from writer Judith Shaw outlines perfectly the magic Cerridwen wants to bring into your life: "When Cerridwen calls your name, know that the need for change is upon you; transformation is at hand. It is time to examine what circumstances in your life no longer serve you. Something must die so that something new and better can be born. Forging these fires of transformation will bring true inspiration into your life."

Divination

Cauldrons can also be used for a variety of divination purposes. The most common being scrying. To use your cauldron for scrying fill your cauldron with water, wait for the surface to become very still, and begin looking for symbolism. To learn more about scrying you can read this post all about scrying, it’s based on using a crystal ball but the techniques are the same as those used for water scrying.

Abundance Ritual

Because cauldrons have been used as life-giving and nourishing tools, they represent abundance and can be incorporated into any abundance rituals you do. The cauldron can represent abundance of all kinds: money, happiness, friends, etc.

If you’re trying to bring more abundance into your life, place your cauldron somewhere you’ll see it regularly. Let its presence serve as a reminder of your goal to bring more abundance into your life. You can incorporate stones, candle colors, or herbs by placing them in or around your cauldron to strengthen your desire for abundance.

Cauldrons are sacred tools that are often overlooked, but I hope the next time you see a kitschy cauldron decoration for Halloween you’ll smile because you have a greater appreciation for it.

Tea Leaf Reading // How to Do Your Own in 7 Steps

Looking for the perfect divination tool to get a glimpse of your future and entertain guests with for Samhain and Halloween? Tea leaf reading, or tasseography is the art of using tea leaves for divination purposes. Many cultures believe that around the end of October the veil between the physical world and the spirit world is thinned, so it’s the best time to perform divination of all kinds.

What is Tea Leaf Reading?

Doing a tea leaf reading involves you indulging in a delicious cup of tea and putting your sharp intuitive skills to work. After you enjoy your warm cup of loose leaf tea, you’ll leave the loose tea leaves at the bottom, where some of these leaves will form symbols, each having its own meaning. That’s where your keen intuitive abilities come in! Anyone can see a triangle at the bottom of a teacup, but your job is to intuit what it means for you or the person you’re reading for.

Where Did Tea Leaf Reading Come From?

You might be wondering where this unusual form of divination came from, so here’s a short history about tasseography. Shortly after tea was introduced to Europe, tea leaf reading, as it’s now recognized, was born. Similar divination tools had been used with an assortment of other materials, but tea leaves seemed to be the favorite! The art of tea leaf reading spread through Europe, especially in Gypsy cultures, and is now practiced throughout the world.

What You Need for a Tea Leaf Reading

• Tea cup with a wide brim that’s light enough to easily see your tea leaves. There are a variety of specialty tea leaf reading cups available, they are beautiful but unnecessary. I created mine at a local pottery painting studio. Keep it simple, buy your own, or get crafty with it, any option will work!

• Saucer

• Loose-leaf green or black tea, preferably organic.

• Napkins

• Pen and paper

• Water

• Enough time to savor a cup of tea and get lost in the maze of tea leaf symbols!

How to Perform a Tea Leaf Reading

1. Brew Your Tea

Gather all of your materials. Boil your water. Place about a teaspoon of loose tea in your cup. Pour your water in and steep tea to your preference.For the next 3 steps, if you’re doing a reading for someone else, have them do the following steps.

2. Sip & Swirl

Before you take your first sip, gently swirl the tea counterclockwise three times. Sip and enjoy your tea, but don’t drink it all! When there’s about 1 tablespoon of tea left in your cup, swirl it again 3 times counterclockwise and think about or speak your query aloud.

3. Create Your Tea Reading Canvas

Turn your cup upside down onto your saucer to remove the remaining water, allow it a minute or so to drain, then turn it back upright, and you’re ready for reading!

4. Look for Symbols

Look over your loose leaf tea pieces and see if any symbols or shapes jump out to you immediately. Don’t fret if you don’t see anything immediately, similar to scrying with a crystal ball, it can take some time for imagery to form for you. Try looking at the inside of the cup from different directions to see shapes. Keep in mind the images formed are formed from tea leaves, so you will really need to use your imagination!

5. Record & Decipher Your Findings

If you do start to see some shapes, begin writing them down on your piece of paper so you can decipher them later, note wherein the cup they are too. Now you’re ready to decipher your findings! Here’s a guide for the most common symbols found during tea leaf readings:

6. Understand the Timeline

Where your tea leaves are situated in your cup relate to when they will happen. This is why some of the tea leaf reading cups you find have circles inside of them. Timing is broken into thirds as follows:

• Bottom third: farthest away from happening, think 3-5 years out.

• Middle third: will happen in about a year from now.

• Top third: will be happening in the near future, think within the next few weeks.

7. Form Your Reading

Like most divination tools, a honed intuition is key for success, so be sure to lean on any gut instincts as you form the story for your reading. Once you understand the meaning behind the symbols it’s time to put all of the information into a story that makes sense for you or the person you’re doing a reading for.

This divination tool is so much fun to do with friends and family! Setting in on a fall evening with some loved ones and sip, laugh, enjoy, and maybe get a little glimpse at what’s to come.

Transitioning into the Darker Half of the Year with Yoga, Oils & Crystals

Since you started going to school at age 3 or 4, fall has always been a time of transition.

The transitions have changed over the years as you’ve changed. You’re no longer starting a new year of school, but the transitions have gotten bigger and, oftentimes, scarier.

A new apartment, a new job, a new partner, a new city, a plane ticket.

These tools and grounding yoga poses will remind you that no matter what’s going on in your life as we transition into the darker half of the year, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. You have roots. You are safe. You can withstand any storm.

Grounding

Grounding has two purposes. The first is to heal trauma, both physical and emotional, to allow you to release fear. The second purpose is to bring earthy energy into the system. For signs that you’re not grounded and how to fix that, check out this past blog post here.

These herbs, teas, oils, and yoga practice will serve both purposes. They will work to balance and cleanse the root chakra, which keeps us grounded and linked to the earth. When we lack sufficient root chakra energy we may feel ungrounded, question our value, feel scattered, or feel disconnected with ourselves and the Earth.

You can dive right into these poses, or you can incorporate grounding crystals, herbs, and oils into your practice. If you’re really feeling flighty, anxious, afraid, or scattered, I recommend taking extra time for yourself here for a full grounding practice.

Drink an Herbal Tea

Valerian, Lotus root, Hibiscus, and Hawthorn are all grounding roots. Besides their healing physical benefits, these herbs are known to release stress and calm anxiety. Try a tea blend with a few of these herbs or keep it simple with just one. Here are 3 healing DIY herbal tea blend recipes for you to try.

Incorporate Oils

Scent is a powerful way to introduce more grounding energy to the system. Lavender, rose, and chamomile are soothing oils that will help you heal trauma to release fear.  Sandalwood and patchouli will increase the flow of earthy energy.

There are many different ways to use your oils. For your yoga practice, you’ll want to either dilute the oils with water and create a mist or dilute them with a carrier oil (such as olive oil or coconut oil) and massage the oil into your skin. Massaging the feet as part of your yoga can be incredibly powerful, especially with these grounding oils. Here are a few essential oil blends I love to use in rollerballs.

Set Out or Wear Your Crystals

Hematite, smoky quartz, shungite, jasper, snowflake obsidian, and prasiolite all create grounding energy.

Hematite is a highly protective stone. It helps to open your root chakra, eliminate negative energy, and create a more balanced and centered mind.

Smoky quartz is a good choice for those who find hematite to be too intense or heavy. Smoky quartz grounds and stabilizes while balancing the root chakra, but in a much more subtle and uplifting way than hematite.

Shungite is another powerful stone for balancing the root chakra, helping to bring all your negative energy and toxic thoughts to the surface to release that which does not serve you.

Jasper brings a strong Earthy energy to your practice, deepening your connection with Mother Earth.

Prasiolite is another powerful healing stone that helps you ground yourself to the energy of the Earth, remove negative energy, and replace it with positive energy.

Snowflake obsidian is a grounding and protective stone. It brings balance in the midst of chaos and helps remove negative energy as it draws emotions and toxic thought patterns to the surface. It is also conducive to entering a deep meditative state. For extra grounding, try wearing snowflake obsidian jewelry during your practice.

Roll Out Your Mat

Ancient yogis divided the life force energy, prana, into 5 energetic components known as Vayus. The apana vayu is the energy of elimination that flows downward and out. When you bring awareness and focus to this energy, it will help ground you.

We often direct too much energy upwards, spending too much time thinking and creating imbalance, stress, and lack of emotional stability and mental clarity. These yoga poses will all refocus your energy downward, back to the body and our connection to our home: Mother Earth.

Sukasana, Easy Pose

Begin your practice comfortably seated in sukasana, easy pose. Become conscious of your sit bones pressing into the mat.

Start by meditating on the root chakra bija, or seed, mantra: LAM. As you meditate, visualize the breath beginning at the base of the spine. As you inhale, the breath travels up the spine to the crown of the head, the crown chakra. As you exhale, the breath travels down to the base of the spine, grounding you and growing roots into the Earth.

You can say the mantra out loud, or simply repeat it to yourself quietly.

Virabhadrasana II, Warrior 2

Warrior 2 is an incarnation of Shiva, the destroyer. This pose will remind you of your strength and stability.

Create a firm foundation for this pose by visualizing the feet connecting to the earth. Feel the mat or ground underneath you and strengthen through the legs to send your roots into the earth. Continue to focus your energy downward with the root chakra breath, imagining now that the exhale sends the breath all the way down through the legs into the Earth.

Utkata Konasana, Goddess Pose

Goddess Pose, as the name suggests, is another pose of fierce strength. The pose represents the feminine force that birthed the Universe. The same energy inside you is the energy that created the Universe, and it is the energy that will carry you through this transition into the darker half of the year.

Allow the strength of the pose and the feminine energy it cultivates to bring you back to your center. What are your fears in this time of change? This is the time to reflect on them, and then release them.

Vrikshasana, Tree Pose

This pose improves both physical and mental balance, increases your ability to concentrate, and reminds you that you can bring peace and focus to all situations.

As you enter the pose, firmly ground down with your left foot. Press into each individual toe and through the four corners of the foot. Firm through the left leg, and feel the support of every muscle as you bend and lift the right leg to enter into the pose.

Imagine that you are a tree. You have survived rain, fire, and storms of all kinds, yet still, you stand. Picture the roots that grow from deep within the earth and wrap around your legs.

Malasana, Yogi Squat

This pose helps create strength and calms the body, mind, and spirit. As you inhale, lengthen through the spine. As you exhale, feel the energy of the breath flow down the spine from the crown of the head to the tailbone.

The apana energy this pose cultivates helps you release fear as you root down close to the Earth.

Adho Mukha Svanasana, Downward Facing Dog

How much time do we spend mindlessly in a downward facing dog, letting our minds wander? This pose is often repeated during yoga classes, which makes it easy to space out and spend the pose waiting for the “next thing.”

In this sequence, I encourage you not to do this. Spread through each finger and press firmly into the palms of the hands. Straighten and strengthen through the legs to push the heels closer to the mat.

My yoga teacher actually refers to downward facing dog as a standing pose. That’s how strong your legs should be! On each inhale, visualize the roots of the earth pulling the heels closer to the ground. On each exhale, picture the white-hot energy of the breath flowing down the spine.

As you end your practice, return to sukhasana. Feel the support of the earth beneath you, closing with this mantra:

“All is well. Everything is working out for your highest good. Out of this situation, only good will come, and you are safe.” -Louise Hay

In this season, we move from light to dark together, with the support of the Earth and the support of our yoga practice.

Namaste.

Living Your Truth // 7 Ways to Connect with Your Spirit Guides

Ever wish you had a team of all-knowing and enlightened beings to help you make hard decisions and put you at ease about being on the right path? This connection is available to you right now, and I’m going to help you tap into this wealth of wisdom.

Spirit guides are referenced in cultures and spiritual practices around the world. In my practice, rooted in British shamanism, my guides are an integral part of my practice. I encourage anyone interested in learning more about their guides to explore their cultural heritage (if that information is available, otherwise trust your intuition) in addition to this post. The tips I offer here are a great starting point, but doing further research in a practice that aligns with your roots will open communication channels for you and your guides even more.

Why Your Guides Want to Help You Live Your Truth?

The singular purpose of your spirit guides is to help you live to your fullest potential while you’re visiting the “Earth school.”

Some of your guides have been with you from birth and will be with you until you transition off this plane. They’re always here for you, ready to help, and they want nothing more than for you to succeed at living your truth.

Just because you’re not aware of them doesn’t mean they’re not there, and I’m going to share some tips and tools for you to get in contact with them, but first, let’s cover what a spirit guide is.

What are Spirit Guides?

Spirit guides are spiritual beings assigned to you at different times in your life to offer guidance, protect you, and remind you why you're here. Guides are assigned to you based on your current needs. Most people usually have one or a few guides with them throughout their lives, and others come and go based on need.

Spirit guides come in ALL shapes and sizes! Your guides can present as humans, animals, energy fields, elements, aliens, or any other combination! It's helpful to keep an open mind when it comes to working with your guides. One of my favorite stories about spirit guides is from Rachel Dratch’s memoir Girl Walks into a Bar (yeah yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound woo woo, but it is and is a great read too!). In her book, Rachel shares a story about going to a retreat to find her spirit guides, and she’s shocked to find out that her spirit guide is a glowing blue dot. This is later confirmed by a psychic who was unaware of her previous experience at the retreat.

Blue dots, animals, angels, fairies, and ancestors, you name it, can be a spirit guide. So, if you get a sense that your spirit guide is something unfamiliar to this earthly plane, it doesn’t mean that you’re losing touch with reality.

How to Connect with Your Spirit Guides

Connecting with your guides can take very little work on your part because they want to help you! They might be giving you loads of signs already, but because you’re not looking for them, you’re not seeing them. Before jumping into any of the below steps, I suggest taking 5-10 minutes to quiet your mind and ground yourself. You could do this by focusing on your breath, meditating, dancing, or chanting. Here are 7 easy ways to start connecting with your spirit guides regularly (I also created an infographic with some of them which you can find below for those who love visuals).

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1. Use Oracle or Tarot Cards

Oracle and tarot cards are a simple tool for connecting with your spirit guides! If you have a favorite oracle or tarot card deck, any will do. However, if you have multiple decks, you'll likely find that your guides have specific decks that they prefer to communicate with you through. Before you begin, tap into your intuition to see if you receive any nudges about which deck to use.

First, sit quietly, focus on your breath, and ask your spirit guides to come to you. As I share above, begin by asking your guides which deck they’d like you to pull from (if you have multiple decks). Next, focus on the question you want to ask your guides as you shuffle your cards.

Ask your spirit guides your questions aloud or in your mind, ask them for their guidance and help. Be clear about what you want. Spread out your cards and choose the card(s) that you feel called to. Always thank your guides for helping you once you’re finished.

2. Ask for Their Names

A simple but powerful tool to connect with your guides is to ask for their names.  Answers can be shared with you in various ways, depending on how you sense extra-sensory (psychic) information. You may have an inner knowing, see a name in your mind, hear a name in your mind, or begin seeing or hearing the same name throughout your day. All are valid. Trust the information you receive.

I was shocked by how quickly one of the names of my guides came to me simply by asking. Knowing the name of your guide(s) will help strengthen your bond with them, and when you need help, you can call out them by name. Keep in mind, that the names you receive may be unfamiliar to you because your guides are not always earthly beings.

3. Ask for Signs

Usually, your guides are already doing this! By asking for signs, you make a declaration that you will try to be more present and aware of receiving them.

If you’re looking for proof of your guides being nearby you, ask them for signs. Be as specific as you’d like. You might be surprised by how spot-on your guides can be! One of the signs I use to know my ancestral guides are nearby is feathers, and I always see more of them when I ask for this sign.

You can also ask for signs about decisions or struggles you’re having. If you’re making some difficult decisions, ask for signs about how you should proceed. Be on the lookout for answers that might pop into your head or opportunities that seem to arise from out of nowhere. Be open to these signs being different or unexpected than what you imagined. Your guides have your highest good in mind, even if the signs they’re sending to you seem out of place.

4. Write a Letter

If you’re struggling to connect with your guides, writing them a letter can be a powerful tool. Allow yourself 20-30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time to write to them. Write out all of the questions you have for your guides, any struggles you’re having, and what kind of support you feel you need from them.

Once you’ve finished writing, allow yourself 5-10 minutes of quiet reflection. Check in and ask yourself how you feel, if you have any clarity around the things you need help with, or if you feel the presence of your spirit guides. You may find it helpful to place your letter next to your bed as you sleep to inspire messages from your guides while you dream, which brings me to my next suggestion.

5. Ask for a Dream or Meditation Visitation

If you’re a particularly visual person, you might want to see your spirit guides. Asking for a dream or meditation visitation can help with this and make them seem more real.

To request a dream visitation, before you go to bed, ask your guides to come to you in your dreams. To request a meditation visitation as your guides to come to you while in meditation. Journey meditations can be very beneficial for working with your guides in this way. You can find several free journey meditations online with a simple search or even find someone with a shamanic background to guide you through a journey to find your guides. Journey meditations are powerful and can be extremely transformative. Get a free Spirit Guides Meditation here.

Remember, the way that your guide asserts themselves could come through to you as an inner knowing, feeling, or visualization. Learn more about the different ways you can experience extrasensory information here.

6. Recruit the Use of a Pendulum

Pendulums are another powerful and simple tool for connecting with your guides. If you’re not familiar with pendulums, check out this post here to learn more about them and the basics of using one.

To use a pendulum to connect with your guides, start by quieting your mind, focus intently on requesting the presence of your guide(s), and then ask your question. Pendulums work best with “yes” or “no” answers, so be sure that you’re asking a question that can be answered with “yes” or “no.” Write “yes” and “no” on a paper, focus on your question, and hold your pendulum over each answer and note when your pendulum starts moving. This is just one method for using a pendulum. Check out my previous post about pendulums noted above or the Pendulums in Practice Workshop here.

7. Ask Them Questions Often

Talk to your guides and ask them questions often. Always be specific in your questions. It will be easier for them to answer you. Talk to them aloud or in your mind, as if they’re a dear friend. The more comfortable you become at relying on them for their assistance, the easier it will be for you to connect with them.

Your guides are always there waiting and wanting to help you! I hope you use these tools so you can take full advantage of the help of your spirit guides.

7 Tips on How to Protect Your Aura

Did you know that if your radiant and glowing aura is left unprotected, it can be sensitive to outside energies? Those unwanted energies affecting your aura also have an effect on your physical body because your physical body and energetic body are divinely intertwined, one always affects the other.

With so much negativity out in the world, what’s a goddess to do to protect her energetic signature? Furthermore, when you feel energetically attacked, it can feel difficult to live your truth and stand up for what you believe in.

In my last blog post, I talked about what is an aura and what yours mean. Today I'm going to go into a variety of powerful and simple ways to give your vibrant vibes a protective shield, so you can stay at your peak physically and energetically.

Visualization for Daily Protection

This may be the simplest way to offer your aura the protection it needs, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not powerful. Visualizing a protective field around your aura each morning will set you up with a negativity shield that will keep your love-filled aura glowing and radiant.

This is perfect to add to a morning meditation practice because it can be done in just a couple of minutes. If you don’t have a regular meditation practice yet or needed to skip it for the day, you can still squeeze this simple visualization in with just a few moments of quiet mindfulness.

To do an aura protection visualization:

1. Close your eyes and focus on your breath.

2. Imagine your aura filled with love, glowing bright, and extending with each breath.

3. Once you have a clear image of your aura in your mind's eye, imagine a bubble around it.

4. Spend as much time as you’d like visualizing yourself in your protective bubble. If you know you’ll be encountering a lot of people and a variety of energies, you can spend more time. If you know you’ll be in safe spaces all day, less visualization may be required.

5. Tap into this visualization anytime throughout your day that you feel you need additional protective support. Alternatively, if you’re in a safe space and want to freely give energy and experience others' energy, you can imagine your shield going away.

Crystals & Symbols for Daily to Strong Protection

Wearing protective stones and symbols can offer energetic protection from bad vibes that could affect your auric field as well as a physical and visual reminder to take other steps to protect your energy. This method works especially well when you know that you’ll be in large groups of people while going on a flight, to a concert, a festival, or if you simply live in a big city.

Anytime I fly I either wear a protective talisman like a Hamsa hand or the Algiz Rune, gemstones for grounding and protection, or all of these. Though there are many stones and symbols that can help shield your energy, these are the ones I find to be the most effective for aura protection:

• Labradorite: Great for physical, mental, and spiritual protection labradorite will shield you from unwanted energies and can also help with energy leaks in your aura.

• Smoky Quartz: One of the most powerful grounding stones, smoky quartz will help keep you anchored to the Earth and feeling safe and protected.

• Black Tourmaline: This stone is great to keep around during rituals and spell work. It will create a protective shield around you and your space while also clearing and balancing all of the chakras.

• Hematite: Will help to block negative energies from entering the aura and help to rid the aura of any current negative energy.

Learn more about symbols for protection by reading this blog post about protection during travel.

Healers for Strong Protection & Cleansing

If you’ve been out of the loop on auras and feel like your energy needs a serious overhaul, working with a trained healer is a great place to start. Get started by doing a search online for a Reiki or energy work practitioner in your area, then do your research. Seeing a healer on a regular basis for a few months will not only refresh, restore, and help protect your aura, but you’ll also feel amazing.

Did you know that most energy workers can work just as powerfully remotely? This really broadens the scope of who you can work with. Take your time when searching for an energy worker or reiki practitioner to find someone who's a good energetic match for you.

Salt for Moderate Protection

Looking for some aura protection in your workspace? Salts of all kinds absorb negative energy. This protective tool is a perfect passive aura protection method. Keep a cup or bowl of salt on your desk at work or at home to keep any bad vibes of anyone passing by out of your aura.

Salt also works well as an aura cleanser. If you feel like you’ve been exposed to some bad energy, taking a salt bath can help cleanse and restore your aura.

Shield Meditation for Strong Protection

Think back to the last time you had a really powerful meditation. Did you feel like you were walking on a cloud for the next 24 hours, like negativity couldn't touch you, and that you were better able to react to people with love?

If you already have a solid meditation practice in place, you may already be experiencing the benefits of this aura protection method!

Meditation will raise your vibration and intensify your aura. Doing a white light meditation is standard for a protective shield, though some healers suggest a clear or golden light meditation. Black energy is also powerful and can help banish unwanted spirits or forces. I suggest trying each out to see what works best for you.

To practice, start your meditation practice as usual. Once you’re settled, imagine white, clear, or golden light coming from the universe and surrounding you and your aura. This can be a powerful protective tool, use it as often as you need throughout your day.

Sound Healing for Moderate-Strong Protection & Cleansing

Escape to another plane and protect and revitalize your aura with this healing tool. If you’ve not yet experienced the healing powers of sound, put it at the top of your self-care to-do list! Sound healing is not only a powerful tool to keep your aura in peak condition, but it will also leave your whole body buzzing.

Here are a few methods to experience sound healing and protection:

• Singing bowls in a class or individual use.

• Chanting mantras. My favorite is this Kundalini yoga protection mantra: AAD GURAY NAMEH.

• Tuning forks treatments or individual use.

• Some instruments can help with this like gongs and didgeridoos.

• Audio tracks via download or CD.

Learn more about sound and vibrational healing here.

Get Grounded for Moderate Protection

Getting grounded is a great tool to use when you don’t feel like you’re protected. You might be trying out all of the methods listed above but still, feel like you’re not protected. Grounding will activate your root chakra and make you feel protected as well as protecting you with earth energy. You can read all about tips for getting grounded in this previous blog post here.

Live to your fullest potential, fearlessly, knowing that you’re protected and safe! Now you’ve got all of the tools you need to be protected mind, body, and spirit. Learn more about auras in the Understanding Auras Book!

What is an Aura & What Does Yours Mean?

Who was the last person you felt immediately drawn to as soon as you met them? Maybe a soul sister that you knew you were destined to be best friends moments after meeting. I’m sure you’ve had the opposite experience too, when you feel immediately repelled by someone’s energy. It’s just your intuition, right? Not entirely. Often times those feeling are you picking up on someone's auric field.

Learning more about our auric field can tell you about your personality, your health, and areas of your life that could be improved. Even if you can’t see auras, it doesn’t mean that you can’t use it as a healing tool!

I’m going to walk you through what auras are, techniques to see them and feel them, and how to interpret your own. You can also check out this blog post where I talk more about experiencing auras.

What is an Aura?

An aura is an energetic, electromagnetic field or atmosphere that surrounds every living being. This field appears as colored light radiating around the body. There are seven layers to an aura, but I’ll get into all of that in a future blog post.

Everyone’s aura is different in size, shape, and color, just like a fingerprint. Auras change colors often and quickly, like a chameleon, as well as from mood to mood. It’s not generally visible to the naked eye though you can learn techniques to see it, or intuitively understand it. (Non-woo-woo speaking, an aura is the vibe a person gives off.)

How Can You See Auras?

There are a variety of techniques available to learn how to see auras, including visual techniques to see it with your own eyes, aura photography, and your intuition.

Doing a quick search online will yield several techniques to teach you how to see auras. These techniques are certainly worth trying out, eventually, but a great place to start is sensing your aura with your intuition.

I’ll cover below how to intuit your auric field with actionable steps that will not only result in you having a better understanding of your aura but also a beautiful piece of artwork!

What is Aura Photography?

Aura photography is an interesting tool to explore too! The method of photography is called Kirlian photography, after its founder, Semyon Kirlian. Though there’s still debate around its validity, it is still being researched to this day to find out uses for it.

An aura camera reads your aura by placing your hand on a metal plate. The plate measures energy outputs from specific acupressure points on your hands and then converts different kinds of energy taken into specific coordinating colors. Check out mine by Radiant Human!

Understanding Your Aura & Aura Worksheet Guide

Here’s a fun and intuitive guide to help you learn more about what your aura colors are and what they mean: click here to download your free printable aura guide and coloring sheet.

This free printable download includes a checklist to help you discover what colors are in your aura, and a fun coloring sheet to intuitively color in your aura.

Here are some other fun tips for intuiting your aura:

• Your chakras directly affect your aura. Quietly connect with each chakra, which ones feel balanced and thriving, deficient, or overactive. The most active colors will show up more in your auric field.

• Chakra colors aren’t the only ones! There can be a variety of colors hiding out in the seven layers of your aura.

• Use your intuition, what colors do you feel are in your aura?

• Rub your hands together about one foot in front of you, and slowly pull your hands apart. Do you see a color or feel a color as you gaze at this empty space? Ask the color to appear, visually or in your mind's eye.

Aura Color Meanings

What Affects the Color of Your Aura?

Pretty much everything can affect your aura: your mood, your health, the food you eat, your environment, and the energy of other people. So what you’ve intuited for your aura today is certainly not how it will be forever! Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep your aura radiant, healthy, and protected. I’ll be going over techniques for protecting your aura in a future blog post.

The Power of Quartz // 6 Uses for the Ultimate Crystal

Are you looking for the ultimate crystal to do the work of an entire crystal collection? I won’t hold back on you, clear quartz is it. Want to learn how to put this workhorse of a crystal to use? I’ve got 6 simple rituals and uses for quartz to share with you, so you can get the most out of wearing and using quartz. First, let’s learn a bit more...

What is Quartz?

Quartz is comprised of silicon dioxide which is naturally occurring in the earth’s crust. It’s the most common and abundant crystal found on Earth.

These gems were so prized by ancient people that many believed that quartz crystals were alive, taking breaths once a year, or were incarnations of divine beings. Some still believe this to be true.

Quartz is the ultimate healer, balancer, manifestor, and energy amplifier. Judy Hall sums it up pretty well in this quote from her book The Crystal Bible.

If you’re not convinced that your quartz is breathing or the incarnation of an ancient Sumerian, don’t fret, because this beauty has a long list of powerful uses!

Here’s a short list of some of quartz crystals amazing qualities:

• Best stone for programming

• Ultimate balancing stone: balances chakra, immune system, mood, etc.

• Master healer

• Can create electricity!!! Quartz is piezoelectric, meaning if pressure is applied to it it will create electricity.

• Contains the entire color spectrum

• Meets you where you are energetically

• Protects from negative energy

Quartz Uses & Rituals

Amplifying

Because quartz is the ultimate amplifying stone, it’s perfectly suited for manifesting and spell work. Use quartz on a crystal grid to help amplify your intention for the grid. Learn more about making your own crystal grids here in this previous post.

Doing some spell work or magic? Be sure to add in a piece of quartz, its amplifying powers can give your spell a nice little boost!

Connecting with the Spirit Realm

Quartz can help you connect with spirit guides, the spirit realm, and be more in tune with your psychic abilities. Clear quartz strongly activates the upper chakras, which are responsible for your intuition and psychic abilities. Next time you sit down to meditate, try to connect with a spirit guide, or hone your intuition, place a piece of quartz in your hand to assist you. Having a quartz crystal ball in the same room that you’re meditating in will have a similar effect, you can read more about quartz crystal balls here.

Programming for Manifesting

Quartz is a powerful stone for storing information. In fact, scientists have discovered techniques to store up to 360 TB of information on pieces of quartz that can last billions of years. You don’t have to be a scientist to take advantage of this superpower of quartz, it can also store energetic information too.

Program a quartz crystal necklace or stone. Here’s a quick guide on how to program a crystal:

1. Cleanse your quartz crystal with a smoke wand or your favorite herb. You can read more about crystal cleansing here.

2. Clear your mind.

3. Hold your quartz in your dominant hand or in both of your hands.

4. Mentally and verbally repeat your goal or intention into the crystal.

5. Do this until you feel the stone is programmed with your intention.

6. Keep your programmed quartz nearby by wearing it or placing it somewhere you’ll see it daily.

7. Once your desire has manifested clear your quartz again for future programming. Because quartz is so good at storing information it can be powerful to use the same one for repeated programming as your successes and energy will build on each other.

Protection

The high vibration of clear quartz can also help protect your aura from unwanted energies. Wearing a point crystal necklace is perfect for this purpose. Patricia Mercier from The Chakra Bible explains:

When working with your higher chakras it is recommended that you wear a quartz point as a piece of jewelry hanging on your chest, with the point facing down toward the Earth. Place it in the position known to some Native American healers as “the spiritual grounding point”: right at the end of the breast bone between the heart chakra and the solar plexus chakra. Doing this will always keep you electromagnetic field or aura perfectly clear. Anything negative coming near you will be repelled by the light transmitted through the quartz. Always choose your crystal jewelry intuitively and don’t forget to cleanse it every night after you have worn it.

The Perfect Stone for All Levels

Quartz is special because it meets you where you are energetically. Just starting your woo-woo journey? Great, quartz can help! You’re a proficient healer, psychic, manifesting guru? Perfect, quartz can help you too! Simply keeping some quartz near you, at any stage of your spiritual journey, will be helpful.

Balancing & Healing

Clear quartz radiates white light, and white light contains all of the colors of the color spectrum in it. Because quartz carries with it all of the colors of the rainbow, it acts as a powerful balancing stone for all of the chakras. The balancing effect of quartz will go beyond your chakras and energize your entire aura, bringing greater health to your energetic and physical body. The clearer the quartz the better for balancing and healing.

Energizing Other Crystals & Objects

Use quartz to energize and elevate your other crystals or special objects. If you have multiple quartz crystals, you can place other crystals, jewelry, or other small objects in a dish with clear quartz to give them a nice charge. Quartz is also perfect for placing on oracle or tarot decks to keep them fresh.

Surprise surprise, many of your other favorite crystals are part of the quartz family! You might have more quartz hanging around your space than you even knew. Here are some other varieties of quartz:

• Amethyst

• Aventurine

• Citrine

• Smoky quartz

• Tiger eye

• Rose quartz

• Agate

• Carnelian

• Onyx

• Jasper

So, if anyone ever asks you, “If you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring one crystal with you, what would it be?”--now you know the answer! Quartz is where it’s at in the crystal world!

Magical Meanings & Uses for Triangles & Pyramids

Have you wondered what all the hype is about triangles and pyramids? They pop up in images, tattoos, jewelry, and ritual practices. What do these symbols and objects mean, and more importantly, how can you use them for magical and spiritual purposes?

Triangles and pyramids have a multitude of magical meanings and uses. I’m going to break down what these symbols mean and how you can use them to your benefit.

Triangles

The triangle shape has more mystical meaning than I’ll be able to cover in this blog alone, but I’m going to hit all the highlights to optimize your magical uses for them.

Triangles = Strength

Triangles are the strongest shape! Any weight placed on them is evenly distributed between all three sides. A triangle in any fashion can always represent strength. Place a triangle symbol on your altar or wear one as a reminder of how strong you are.

Triangles & The Elements

The four elements (earth, air, water, fire) are another common use for the triangle. Each element can be represented through the use of triangles and each element has its own meaning.

Here are the shapes for each element:

Here are some meanings for each element:

• Earth: Stability, grounding, and fertility

• Air: Intellect, communication, and imagination

• Water: Purification, healing, and peace

• Fire: Courage, strength, and passion

These symbols are perfect for use in rituals or magic when you need to represent a specific element. Check out this blog post to learn more about the four elements.

Triangles & The Number 3

Three is an auspicious number in numerology, and the triangle can be used as a way to depict the meaning of the number. Here are some of the meanings behind the number three.

• Luck! Have you ever used the term “third time's a charm”?

• Creativity and expression

• Inspiration and optimism

Triangles & Important Trinities

There are many meanings in history, different religions, and spirituality that reference trinities. Here are a few, but there are many others:

• Mind, body, spirit

• Past, present, future

• Maiden, mother, crone

• Father, Son, Holy Spirit

• Life, death, rebirth

• Three bodies of Buddhahood: Dharmakaya or "truth body,” Sambhogakaya or "bliss body," Nirmanakaya or "emanation body"

Triangles & the Sri Yantra Symbol

The sacred geometry symbol, Sri Yantra, is comprised of nine overlapping triangles that create a total of 43 smaller triangles. Sri Yantra can be traced back to Hinduism, and the pattern is said to be the visual expression of OM.

Meditate on this symbol to inspire enlightenment. The Sri Yantra has been referred to as “tuning fork” that can help connect you to the universe. It also correlates to the balance of feminine and negative energy, which I'll dive into more below. Wear a Sri Yantra charm necklace for wealth, strengthened relationships, peace, and alignment with the universe.

Triangles & Male/Female Energies

A downward pointed triangle represents feminine energy, as it mimics the triangle shape of a woman's sacral region. An upward-facing triangle is associated with more masculine energy and is sometimes referred to as a blade. Using triangles to represent male or female energy is another great use for representing specific energies for rituals or magical work.

Pyramids

Triangles are more about symbolism while pyramids are all about action! Sure, they are symbolic too, but the real magic is in using pyramids for charging, attracting, meditation, and healing.

Different levels of research have been conducted on the efficacy of pyramids and their energy. As with most topics in the metaphysical realm, not all things can be proven but are simply felt or known, though there are some interesting finds! I’m sharing what I found to be the most interesting uses, that being said the writing done on the power of pyramids goes deeeeeep. If you’re interested in this topic I encourage you to do more research of your own!

Charging & Cleanse with Pyramids

Small copper pyramids are perfect for cleansing and charging your crystals or any item with some positive and bright energy. Place crystals, jewelry, herbs, fruit, water, essential oils or pretty much anything you want to instill some higher vibes into under your pyramid for a night or day to rejuvenate them.

Attracting & Manifesting with Pyramids

Because pyramids amplify energy they can be powerful aids in manifesting and attracting. This can be done with a copper pyramid but will be easier with a small handheld pyramid. Follow these steps to use a pyramid for attracting and manifesting something you desire.

1. The new moon or waxing moon are ideal times to perform this ritual. Take a few quiet moments to reflect on what you’d like to manifest, so you are clear about what it is.

2. Write down what you’re trying to attract or manifest on a piece of paper.

3. As you write and then place your paper into your pyramid, visualize your end goal. Continue this as you hold the pyramid in your hand for a few moments and continue to visualize what you’d like to attract and manifest.

4. Place any additional herbs or crystals in your pyramid that you feel would amplify your desire.

5. After you’ve placed your paper and any other objects in the pyramid take a moment to thank the pyramid, the Universe, Goddess, or end with any closing sentiments that express gratitude.

6. Your altar will be a good resting place for your pyramid, but anywhere that you’ll see it regularly will work.

7. Make contact with your pyramid daily. Hold it, place your hand over it, or simply look at it at least once a day.

8. Keep your pyramid and its contents intact until your dreams are manifested or you feel it’s time to move on.

Pyramid Meditation

Many claim that meditating in a pyramid shape or with one on your head can have powerful effects on your mental state and psychic abilities. Full triangles to sit in can be rather costly, but smaller ones are much more affordable. If you already have a small pyramid, try placing it on your head for your next meditation and see for yourself!

Some people even sleep under a pyramid form, saying that it can help heal and optimize the body. Though there’s not hard scientific proof about this yet, I sure wouldn’t mind sleeping under one!

5 Quick Tips to Improve Your Intuition

Intuition goes by many names: sixth sense, inner knowing, gut feeling. I’m sure you’ve had at least one experience when you “JUST knew.” Maybe it was a safety concern, a work issue, or about a relationship.

If you look back you probably didn’t say, “hey intuition, can you please give me some information about…” Nope. The insight came in a flash and you knew exactly what to do.

What if you could call on that flash of knowing anytime you wanted? This post will help you do that with 5 simple tips on how to improve your intuition. If you want to learn 3 daily actions you can do to support your intuition, check out Cassie's post.

Acknowledge Intuition Exists

It’s innate in everyone, so even if you don’t feel like you have it, know you do. Make a declaration like, “I have a clear and strong intuition,” and observe how your body adjusts.

Clear Some Clutter

Getting rid of junk in your house and mind will create space for new information. Seem overwhelming? Start with just one small area of your house. Try to keep that area neat and tidy (maybe it’s your nightstand or corner of your desk).

Mental and emotional stuff got you weighed down? Dump all that stuff onto paper. No need to analyze or ponder, just freely write down what you are feeling and all the tasks you have to finish. You’ll be amazed at how light you will feel.

Know Your Colors

Here’s a quick exercise to help you connect with your inner knowing. Try this before you get out of bed in the morning. Ask your intuition to give you a color for “yes.” Stay away from the traditional stop light green. That’s too easy. Ask for your individual color for “yes.” Maybe it’s a light orange, or a deep purple. Then ask for your color for “no.” Again, watch for another color aside from red. Maybe it’s grey or bright pink.

Sit with this new information for a few quiet moments and be open for it to appear throughout your day.

Start Small

Now that you have your colors, let’s see how you can use them in everyday scenarios! Your intuition is like a muscle, it likes to be worked out, but you can’t start lifting 100 pounds right away. So start with asking about what shirt you should wear, or which road to take to work. Ask for your “yes” or “no” colors. Go with it!

Trust

Your intuition will get clearer with time and patience. One thing to keep in mind is following your intuition doesn’t mean that life will always go the way you want.

Your intuition is serving as your guide for a deeper purpose for reasons you might not see. Maybe that bad traffic your intuition lead you into was to keep you from something worse. Maybe those “yes” shoes you tripped in means you’ll get to tell a funny story to a new person!

The most important step is to have fun! Don’t worry about getting it right or wrong. Your intuitive power is supposed to bring you closer to who you are, not stress you out.

Developing your inner knowing just takes a few minutes a day. Clear some clutter, use your colors, and trust in your developing “muscle.” Your intuition is the inner gift that keeps on giving so have fun listening to what it has to say! If you are looking to play with your intuition some more, check out my funny and in-your-face oracle cards at www.rebeldeck.com.