Understanding the Energy of Cancer Season
Welcome to Cancer season! Our cardinal water sign, this archetype is here to help us tap into our inner world of emotions, heal our ancestry, and connect with the themes of home, family, and mother.Whether you have Cancer placements in your birth chart or not, we’re all feeling into this energy during this season. In this blog, I’ll be sharing what Cancer is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Cancer, and how to understand Cancer in your chart.
Welcome to Cancer season! Our cardinal water sign, this archetype is here to help us tap into our inner world of emotions, heal our ancestry, and connect with the themes of home, family, and mother.
Whether you have Cancer placements in your birth chart or not, we’re all feeling into this energy during this season. In this blog, I’ll be sharing what Cancer is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Cancer, and how to understand Cancer in your chart.
CANCER ENERGY
As a cardinal sign, dynamic Cancer initiates us into the swirling, watery, fiery container that is summer. Ruled by the moon in western astrology, this archetype connects us to the inner world, to the chaotic nonlinear world of feeling.
If you feel grief coming up during Cancer season, rest assured - that’s normal. If you feel deep swells of feeling, rest assured - that’s normal, too. As many have said, we are bodies of water on the planet of water and so, of course, our emotions flow with the moon. When the sun is in Cancer, we all feel the movement of the moon through its phases and cycles more acutely. We can feel its pull on our hearts, our intuition, our bodies.
Featured deck is The Ritual Deck.
There’s an inherent vulnerability to Cancer season, and the protective urge that comes with it as well. Picture the crab shell that represents Cancer: the crab makes its body a home and is protected within it. We can learn from Cancer how to protect ourselves and others, and we can also learn how to distinguish between what is protection and what is hiding from ourselves, our lives, our feelings.
This archetype’s association with family and the archetype of the mother connects us not only to our relationships with our families and the ways we mother ourselves but to our ancestors as well. Cancer season can be a time of deep ancestral healing, waking us up to patterns, traumas, and wounds in our lineage that we are invited to heal.
All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow Cancer can be reactive, overprotective, and overcautious. There is a tendency for Cancer to hold things in, and a danger in holding them in for too long. When balanced with its polar energy of earthy, structured, Capricorn, Cancer’s watery energy is free to flow within a safe and boundaried container.
Watch more in this video from Eryn.
THE PLANETS
As I mentioned above, Cancer is ruled by the moon in western astrology. In esoteric astrology, Cancer is ruled by Neptune.
The Roman sea god, Neptune is associated with water, sensitivity, imagination, and the dream world. According to astrologer Heidi Rose Robbins, Cancer at its highest Neptunian level is all about being a great mother for the world, wrapping humanity in its arms, and nourishing us all.
CANCER IN THE TAROT
In the tarot, Cancer is associated with the Chariot, the High Priestess, and the Knight of Cups.
Featured deck is The Starchild Tarot.
The Chariot, the seventh card in the major arcana, teaches us how to move from the heart and tap into a deeper kind of knowing to guide us on our path. This card speaks to the balance between holding boundaries to protect ourselves and still allowing our water to flow. The High Priestess shows us how to descend into our own underworld (where there are no gurus, no masters other than ourselves over our own energies and lives) to gather the knowledge we seek of our own mysteries. Lastly, the Knight of Cups, the initiator of water, invites us to embody love and compassion.
CANCER IN YOUR CHART
To understand Cancer in your chart, you’ll want to look at a couple of pieces:
Any planets in Cancer
The house that Cancer rules in your chart. Whatever house Cancer rules indicate the area of life where you are meant to let water lead.
Your 4th house. The 4th house is the Cancer house. The sign that rules your 4th house can add another layer indicating how Cancer themes show up in your life.
Another way to understand Cancer energy in your life could be to ask your oracle or tarot deck: how is Cancer energy showing up in my life right now?
Want to connect more deeply with Cancer energy? Work with moonstone to tap into the power of the moon, green aventurine for emotional clarity, or rose quartz for heart healing.
A Card Spread for Eclipse Season
Eclipses can seem scary, and they are certainly a powerful energy! Generally, eclipses are thought to be wild cards, magnifying the energy of a new moon (for a solar eclipse) or a full moon (for a lunar eclipse). I like to think of eclipses as portals for endings and beginnings —things may be “eclipsed out” or “eclipsed in.” It’s common for births, moves, engagements, new jobs, break-ups, new relationships, and more to happen around eclipses and during eclipse season.Eclipses can also be powerful illuminators, bringing hidden truths and feelings to the light for us to work with and heal through.
Eclipses can seem scary, and they are certainly a powerful energy! Generally, eclipses are thought to be wild cards, magnifying the energy of a new moon (for a solar eclipse) or a full moon (for a lunar eclipse). I like to think of eclipses as portals for endings and beginnings —things may be “eclipsed out” or “eclipsed in.” It’s common for births, moves, engagements, new jobs, break-ups, new relationships, and more to happen around eclipses and during eclipse season.
Eclipses can also be powerful illuminators, bringing hidden truths and feelings to the light for us to work with and heal through. They’re an important time to carve out space for listening, noticing, and receiving information. You can learn more about eclipses and how they interact with your specific birth chart in this blog post.
With these current (Summer of 2020) eclipses taking place during Gemini and Cancer season, themes you might expect to come up in your life are around communication, being seen, home and family, and ancestral healing. Litha, or the summer solstice, also takes place during this eclipse season, highlighting themes of joy, vitality, abundance, and growth.
Tip: If you’re reading this post later than the Summer of 2020, the card spreads are valid for any eclipse season!
Working with tarot or oracle cards can be powerful anytime, but especially during eclipse season. You can use the card spread below to more clearly understand the invitations, challenges, and opportunities of eclipse season for yourself.
A CARD SPREAD FOR ECLIPSE SEASON
Before drawing your cards, take a moment to ground and center yourself. This might look like just taking a few deep breaths, or laying on the ground and feeling all the points of contact your body is making with the Earth.
When you feel ready, set an intention for your spread. You might ask your higher self, your spirit guides, your intuition, or another helpful energy you’re familiar with to communicate with you through the cards. Shuffle your deck, and pull a card for each of the questions below:
What (pattern, limiting belief, structure, relationship, etc.) is eclipsing out?
Who am I right now?
Challenge of this eclipse season
What am I not seeing clearly?
What healing do I need through this season?
What (pattern, limiting belief, structure, relationship, etc.) is eclipsing in?
How am I ready to evolve?
Who will I be emerging from this eclipse season?
Take some time after pulling your cards to meditate and/or journal with them. This can really help you process and integrate their meanings!If you use this spread, feel free to share your cards over on Instagram and tag us at @cassieuhl! We would love to hear your interpretations of your cards.
Conjuring Strength & Healing with Creosote
Arizona is known for its deserts, creepy crawlies, and massive Saguaros, but the creosote bush is a powerful desert plant that might be new to you! Creosote is the most drought-tolerant plant in North America. Found throughout the southwestern deserts of Arizona, Texas, and Chihuahua, it can live for at least two years with no water at all, *GASP* retaining any amounts it gets in its vast root system. It helps itself by shedding its leaves or branches but is usually an evergreen bush! How amazing, to be just like the creosote bush- evergreen all year long no matter the weather. Creosote, not surprisingly, comes with a host of medicinal and energetic properties too. Keep scrolling for five ways to incorporate this magical plant into your practice.
Arizona is known for its deserts, creepy crawlies, and massive Saguaros, but the creosote bush is a powerful desert plant that might be new to you! Creosote is the most drought-tolerant plant in North America. Found throughout the southwestern deserts of Arizona, Texas, and Chihuahua, it can live for at least two years with no water at all, *GASP* retaining any amounts it gets in its vast root system. It helps itself by shedding its leaves or branches but is usually an evergreen bush!
How amazing, to be just like the creosote bush- evergreen all year long no matter the weather.
Creosote, not surprisingly, comes with a host of medicinal and energetic properties too. Keep scrolling for five ways to incorporate this magical plant into your practice.
Energetic Properties
Place creosote on your altar or in a sacred space to represent:
Perseverance
Strength
Optimism
Determination
The most researched creosote bush is called "King Clone" located near Victorville, California. It is estimated at 11,700 years old, and some scientists consider this to be the oldest living thing on earth!
Medicinal Properties & Practices
Indigenous people used creosote bush for fixing arrow points and mending pottery, as well as for ancestral rituals and connections. Ethnobotanist Gary Nabhan wrote the book Gathering the Desert. He describes creosote bush as nature's drugstore. In his research, Nabhan found that indigenous people have also used creosote bush for the treatment of many conditions and diseases:
colds & postnatal drips
chest infections or lung congestion
indigestion
PMS cramps
cancer
nausea
wounds
poisons
swollen limbs due to poor circulation
dandruff & body odor
distemper
acne
Can you think of a more powerful plant? Talk about magical herbalism!
DIY Healing Salve
Creosote has incredible properties that make it wonderful to use for skin support and other areas of the body. It can be used both internally and topically. When used as a salve applied directly to the skin, it can help heal cuts, burns, scrapes, and even dry or eczema-prone areas.
Antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory
Used as an anti-viral medicine
Native Americans used it to treat cancer for containing a potent anti-tumor agent called NDGA. Recent studies around this are encouraging, but not entirely conclusive.
For the salve you'll need:
1 cup of dry creosote leaves
1.5 cups of olive oil (or any carrier oil)
Crockpot
Small glass jar with lid
Add 1 cup of dry leaves to a mason jar and top with 1.5 cups of olive oil. Place inside crockpot, adding enough water to come within 2 inches of the top of the jar. Set on low for 8-10 hours checking frequently. When it is done, you can take a tea strainer or cheesecloth to drain all the oil from the leaves into a new (and smaller) glass jar. Let it cool on your counter for a few hours and refrigerate afterward. You can dip your fingers or take a small spoon to scoop up some oil for your needs. Your salve is ready for immediate use!
To Cleanse With The Desert
Cleansing with creosote is all about intention. You can easily incorporate it into your life for energy cleansing, spell work, and rituals. It is also a great substitute for palo santo or white sage- plants that are more and more controversial in terms of ethical sourcing as their popularity grows.
Experimenting with different plants like creosote will open your perspective towards other realms of herbs and cleansing work.
You do not have to burn it to indulge in its benefits; you can hang it in your shower for the most amazing scent- petrichor! Okay, that's just a fancy word for the smell of rain. Still, if you've never been to southern Arizona during monsoon season, you have not smelled the most amazing and positively intoxicating scent of desert rain. Bring it to your home with creosote!
And while you're at it, if you decide to cleanse with it, get rid of those mosquitos as another of creosote's uses are for repelling bugs.
COMBINING HERBS
Creating different combinations of herbs will add power to your cleansing efforts. For example, adding lavender to creosote creates a harmonious partnership of optimism and peace. It can be done with roses to add self-esteem, love, and healing. The possibilities are vast with the world of herbs, don't be afraid to experiment and find what you love best and what resonates with your energy. Trust your intuition!
As always, with coming across new herbs, be sure you are doing a patch test in case any reactions occur and discontinue burning if you experience any undesirable effects. You can hang your creosote wand in your bathroom or use it as an altar tool instead. Learn more about Lulu and her business here.
Understanding the Energy of Gemini Season
Welcome to Gemini season! Our mutable air sign, this archetype is here to help us open our minds, connect to each other, and communicate our truth. Whether you have Gemini placements in your birth chart or not, we’re all feeling into this energy during this season. In this blog, I’ll be sharing what Gemini is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Gemini, and how to understand Gemini in your chart.
Understanding Gemini
Welcome to Gemini season! Our mutable air sign, this archetype is here to help us open our minds, connect to each other, and communicate our truth.
Whether you have Gemini placements in your birth chart or not, we’re all feeling into this energy during this season. In this blog, I’ll be sharing what Gemini is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Gemini, and how to understand Gemini in your chart.
Tarot cards featured are The Starchild Tarot.
GEMINI ENERGY
Ruled by the messenger planet, Gemini is a sign that’s about exchange, communication, connection, and relating. It’s a mutable sign, transitioning us from the spring season into summer.
At its most soul-centered level, Gemini energy helps us bring together people and ideas, share our message and our voice, create love through connection and communication, and find the magic right here at home in our neighborhoods.
As an air sign, Gemini connects us to the mind. Mercury brings a lightness, a sharpness, a witness to this sign. Its mutability brings a capacity to change, shift, and morph. Exchange is critical for Gemini, which teaches us how to build bridges, share ideas, and bring communities, individuals, and ideas together.
All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow, Gemini can stay at a shallow, surface-level and fear going deep. It can bring scattered quality and anxious energy. Sagittarius is Gemini’s polar sign, and this axis is all about the mind. Where Gemini taps us into the concrete mind of facts and knowledge, Sagittarius connects us to the more visionary, abstract mind. These polar signs teach us that we need a balance of both!
Keep scrolling to read more, or check out this video with Eryn to learn more about the energy of Gemini season.
THE PLANETS
In Western astrology, Gemini is ruled by Mercury. Known as the messenger planet, Mercury brings us into the realm of language, thought, and information. Mercury rules not only how we communicate but how we receive communication and process information. Its rulership focuses Gemini on relationships and self-expression.
In esoteric astrology, Gemini is ruled by Venus. Esoteric astrologer Heidi Rose Robbins says Venus rules Gemini at the esoteric level because Venus is interested in fusing things, in weaving a fabric of love together that underlies everything.
GEMINI IN THE TAROT
In the tarot, Gemini is associated with the Lovers, the Magician, and the Knight of Swords.
The Lovers is ruled by Gemini, the Magician is ruled by Mercury, and the Knight of Swords is mutable air in the court cards in my tarot practice.
In the Lovers, we see ourselves reflected in the other. Other becomes a mirror for self, and vice versa. Of course, there is a connection and weaving together here, of hearts, energies, and perhaps lives, which to me speaks very much to the esoteric Venus ruler of Gemini!
The Magician shows us how Gemini energy helps us translate our ideas and visions into the physical world. The esoteric becomes the tangible, formless becomes concrete. The Magician is a helpful aid that we need if we want to use our creativity and ideas to create actual change.
The Knight of Swords connects us to the mutable texture of Gemini. The airiest card in the tarot (double air!), movement is key here. Movement creates clarity, joy, and the change we seek. Air is also associated with the mind and the voice, which connects us to Gemini’s mercurial side.
UNDERSTANDING GEMINI IN YOUR CHART
To understand Gemini in your chart, you’ll want to look at a couple of pieces:
Any planets in Gemini
The house that Gemini rules in your chart. Whatever house Gemini rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to express, share your voice, and build bridges.
Your 3rd house. The 3rd house is the Gemini house. The sign that rules your 3rd house can add another layer indicating how Gemini themes show up in your life.
CONNECTING WITH GEMINI ENERGY WITH CRYSTALS AND ORACLE
Another way to understand Gemini energy in your life could be to ask your oracle or tarot deck: how is Gemini energy showing up in my life right now?
Want to connect more deeply with Gemini energy? You might like to connect with some crystals for Gemini season. Try apatite for clear communication and focusing your mind, howlite for calming anxiety, or celestite for throat chakra opening. Black tourmaline can help you ground the heady energy if it feels like a lot for you!
How to Cast a Circle and Why You Want To
Casting a circle is a foundational, powerful practice when it comes to ritual. It creates an energetic and psychic container - a safe, protected space - for magic and healing to take place. When you cast a circle, you are said to be in a space between worlds - void space, magic space, spiral space beyond linear time.
Casting a circle is a foundational, powerful practice when it comes to ritual. It creates an energetic and psychic container - a safe, protected space - for magic and healing to take place. When you cast a circle, you are said to be in a space between worlds - void space, magic space, spiral space beyond linear time.
Why would you want to cast a circle? Casting a circle has many purposes. Keep scrolling to read and watch more.
Featured deck is The Ritual Deck
CREATE INTENTIONAL SPACE
Part of casting a circle is about mindset. It allows us to shift out of the mundane world and into the sacred. As you get used to casting a circle, it will start to signal to your body and brain that you’re entering into a ritual space, and your energy will likely begin to shift automatically.
Learn more in this video from Eryn J.
PSYCHIC PROTECTION
When you open yourself up to working with energy, it’s important to protect yourself from unwanted energies. Working with magick and ritual, especially trance, can leave us vulnerable to unwanted energies coming in. When you cast a circle, you’re weaving a spell of protection to keep unwanted energies out. We have a whole blog post about psychic protection here if you’d like to read more about other ways to protect yourself!
FOCUS THE ENERGY OF YOUR SPELL OR RITUAL
Casting a circle isn’t just about keeping unwanted energy out; it’s also about keeping the desired energy in. Our magick is more powerful when we can focus it in a specific direction, rather than let it scatter and diffuse. An energetic circle helps us gather and concentrate more energy to support the purpose of our magical workings!
You don’t need to cast a circle every time you meditate or do ritual. But when you feel like you need extra focus or protection, or intuitively feel like a circle would support your workings, it’s a great tool to use.
HOW TO CAST A CIRCLE
There are so many ways to cast a circle. It’s my belief that magical practice is always more powerful when it’s intuitive, so take what you’d like from what I share below and let your intuition guide you to the unique method that’s right for you.
However you choose to cast your circle, you’ll work with visualization and the four directions (which are associated with the four elements). Here is an example of how to cast a circle:
Center yourself with a few deep, grounding breaths.
Let your eyes close and start to call on the elements.
Starting in the East, with the element of Air, speak aloud to invite the energy of Air, of breath, of voice, of mind, to hold the circle.
Then turn your focus to the South, the element of Fire, and speak aloud to invite the energy of Fire, of transformation, of passion, of the sun, to hold the circle.
Turn your focus again to the West, the element of Water, and speak aloud to invite the energy of Water, of feeling, of surrender, of the ocean, to hold the circle with you.
Lastly, turn your focus to the North, to the element of Earth, and speak aloud to invite the energy of Earth, of holding, of soil, of forests, to hold the circle.
Feel the shift in your body and your space as the circle forms. Visualize a golden circle of light around you, supported by the powerful energy of each of the elements, holding a sacred and safe container for you.
When you feel ready, say out loud: “The circle is now cast.”
OTHER WAYS TO CAST A CIRCLE
You can make casting a circle as simple or as complex as you’d like! Here are some other ways to cast a circle, remembering that the most essential thing is visualizing and feeling the energy. You can substitute the suggestions below for the beginning of the example I gave, knowing that you’ll still want to take time to feel the shift in your body and visualize the circle around you:
Place your Ritual Deck element or direction cards around you in each of the corresponding directions.
Place physical items representing each of the elements around in you the corresponding directions. Learn more about how to represent each of the elements here.
Place four crystals around you in each of the corresponding directions. Hematite or snowflake obsidian work well for Earth/North, amethyst or kyanite for Air/East, citrine or pyrite for Fire/South, and moonstone or carnelian for Water/West.
Place four lighted candles around you in each of the corresponding directions. A black or brown candle for Earth/North, a yellow or purple candle for Air/East, a red or orange candle for Fire/South, and a blue silver candle for Water/East.
Walk the circumference of the circle.
Use a wand or athame (ritual knife) to draw the circle around you.
I hope this supports you in casting circles of your own.
Healing with Kunzite // 4 Ways to Work With Kunzite
Feeling like you need a little emotional protection these days? Kunzite is a lesser-known crystal that comes with a variety of benefits for your mind and heart. The high vibrational energy of kunzite invites you to let go of fear and sorrow so you can move through life with a protected, but open heart.Let's dive deeper into the healing properties of this beautiful crystal and how to benefit from all it has to offer! Here's an overview of this potent healing gem. Keep scrolling for 5 ways to put this stone to use in your spiritual practice.
Feeling like you need a little emotional protection these days? Kunzite is a lesser-known crystal that comes with a variety of benefits for your mind and heart. The high vibrational energy of kunzite invites you to let go of fear and sorrow so you can move through life with a protected, but open heart.
Let's dive deeper into the healing properties of this beautiful crystal and how to benefit from all it has to offer! Here's an overview of this potent healing gem. Keep scrolling for 5 ways to put this stone to use in your spiritual practice.
What is Kunzite?
Kunzite ranges in color from the palest pink, light violet, green, or even white. It can vary from glass-like transparency to opaque, often with vertical striations. The soft pink hues of this stone along can bring feelings of comfort.
On an energetic level, kunzite aids in freedom of expression. It does this by opening the heart enough for you to follow your desires but subtly protects as well. Kunzite is a beautiful stone for those looking for emotional protection without closing themselves off from life or others.
Kunzite can help align you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This stone can bring light and comfort into your everyday life. It is gentle enough to work with daily in meditation or ritual.
Kunzite Healing Properties
When carried, kunzite can aid in calming anxiety and panic attacks.
Wearing kunzite inspires us to be fully present in the moments.
Though kunzite primarily corresponds with the heart and upper chakras, it has the power to clear, activate, and open all chakras.
It helps to heal your inner child or emotional blockages from the past.
It can open your heart to receive spiritual and physical love.
Meditation with Kunzite
You will feel a powerful sense of peace and comfort when meditating with kunzite. This spiritual stone clears and declutters the mind, which can open you up to receiving blocked memories. Kunzite reduces stress brought on by anxiety, making it the perfect stone for meditation. Have your kunzite near while meditating, or wear it on your body for a strong, energetic connection.
Create a Crystal Grids with Kunzite
Kunzite is an excellent addition to your crystal grid. Use kunzite in grids for self-love, expression, working through trauma, peace, and healing. This powerful stone combines well with rose quartz, black tourmaline, malachite, and hematite, to name a few.
Kunzite can be harder to come by and more expensive, so I suggest using it as a center stone. Learn how to make a crystal grid here.
Heal Your Chakras with Kunzite
As a stone that represents unconditional love and compassion, kunzite aligns best with the heart chakra. It can help to open your spiritual and emotional heart and bring healing to past trauma.
Kunzite not only activates the Heart Chakra but aligns with all of the upper chakras (throat, third eye, and crown), triggering a harmony of transformative energy. To work with kunzite for chakra healing, place a piece on your heart chakra and visualize in creating a field of soft pink energy around your body. Learn more about chakras here.
Cleanse and Strengthen Your Aura with Kunzite
This delicate stone allows us to embrace kindness and joy while connecting to a higher power. If you've built walls around your heart over time, kunzite can help. The calming energy of kunzite will cleanse any negative auric shadows that may have accumulated. Cleansing with kunzite encourages us to breakdown barriers to make room for unconditional and abundant love. Kunzite will also strengthen your aura.
To work with kunzite to heal and strengthen your aura, hold a piece of kunzite about 6 inches away from your body and use your intuition to guide it through your aura, clearing away any negative energy. Performing suggestion number 3 will also similarly affect your aura. Learn more about auras here.
Walking the Path of Infertility & 5 Spiritual Tools to Help
Walking the path of infertility was one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced during this lifetime. If you’re walking this path, I see you, and I send you my love and encouragement because I know how hard it is. For four years, I was unable to conceive naturally, and I tried all the things. Eventually, after four years of walking the infertility path, I became pregnant and birthed my sweet twins, Ellis Andrew and Lillian Hart. Here I’m sharing some of the tools that helped me through this journey.Let me preface this post with a gentle reminder that your experience is unique, and so was mine. Please, take what you like and leave the rest. My suggestions are based on my individual experience and may or may not work for you. I’d want to be extremely transparent about all of the tools that I relied upon throughout my infertility journey. I am a huge advocate for therapy and found a therapist that specialized in working with women who were struggling with infertility (she actually went through IVF herself!).
Walking the path of infertility was one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced during this lifetime. If you’re walking this path, I see you, and I send you my love and encouragement because I know how hard it is. For four years, I was unable to conceive naturally, and I tried all the things. Eventually, after four years of walking the infertility path, I became pregnant and birthed my sweet twins, Ellis Andrew and Lillian Hart. Here I’m sharing some of the tools that helped me through this journey.
Let me preface this post with a gentle reminder that your experience is unique, and so was mine. Please, take what you like and leave the rest. My suggestions are based on my individual experience and may or may not work for you.
I’d want to be extremely transparent about all of the tools that I relied upon throughout my infertility journey. I am a huge advocate for therapy and found a therapist that specialized in working with women who were struggling with infertility (she actually went through IVF herself!). If you live in Arizona and want her contact info, please send me a note here. I also used a variety of holistic and modern Western medical interventions, including acupuncture, massage, herbs, IUI, and ultimately, IVF. IUI and IVF are not for everyone, and certainly has its many downfalls, but it was the path I chose.
The suggestions I offer you here have less to do with becoming pregnant and more to do with loving yourself where you’re at. I believe, for me, that the acceptance and peace I found around this issue is what ultimately lead me to conception. This isn’t the case for everyone, and as I said, this is a deeply personal path that is unique to each individual. Be open, but, if something doesn’t feel like a good fit, that’s okay!
Berkano card featured from The Ritual Deck.
CREATE AN ALTAR
Having an altar gives you an area to hold space for all of the big emotions that go along with infertility. Early in my infertility journey, I made an altar for my unborn child. If you’re feeling this, go for it, but I’ll be honest and tell you that I took it apart in a fit of rage and rebuilt an altar for myself. I was so glad I did, and here’s why.
For me, so much of the infertility journey was me constantly doing and trying new things, often with little regard for my body and energy. I can’t tell you how many times Dr’s would say, “This procedure is perfectly harmless and painless!” only to discover that it was indeed painful and very emotionally taxing. I felt like a human pin cushion on an emotional rollercoaster. I needed a space for myself more than anything, not for my unborn child! My unborn children were totally fine; I was the one who was struggling.
So, my recommendation is to focus on you and honor your feelings as much as you can throughout the process. One powerful way to do this is to dedicate a space to yourself and your feelings with an altar. Think of your altar as a container for all of the big things you’re not ready to face or need a break from. I would even visualize placing my big emotions in a safe little container stored on my altar until I was prepared to confront them.
Check out the video below to learn more about creating an altar, embodying the mother archetype, and leaning into shadow for infertility.
Altars work well for grief and hardships of all kinds! Click here to check out a post I shared a while ago about how to create an altar.
EMBODYING THE MOTHER ARCHETYPE WITH BERKANO AND THE TRIPLE GODDESS
You do not need to bear children to be a mother. This was huge for me in my journey. In fact, I even tattooed the Rune Berkano on my finger as a reminder. I decided to have Berkano tattooed on my finger after I came to a place of acceptance about possibly not being able to have my own children. I wanted it as a reminder that I could be a mother in a variety of different ways. Berkano is a Rune that represents creation, birth, and fulfillment. It is often associated with fertility and motherhood.
The Triple Goddess symbol is another symbol I used to tap into the energy of motherhood. The Triple Goddess symbol consists of the waxing moon, full moon, and waning moon representing the maiden, the mother, and the crone. This lunar reminder suggests that we can embody all aspects of the Triple Goddess at different times in our life. You don’t need to be young to act like the maiden, and you do not need to have children to embody the mother. Beyond the archetypes associated with the Triple Goddess, the moon phases also point to a reminder that everything is a phase and nothing is forever, just like the infertility journey. Read more about the Triple Goddess in a post I wrote here.
You don’t have to have these special symbols tattooed on your body to work with them! But if you want to, by all means ;) You can add these symbols to your altar, meditate on them, create art with them, and wear them.
MEDITATION
There are SO MANY choices to be made along the infertility journey, believe me, I know. Here are just a few, “Should I try IUI or IVF?” “Should I adopt?” “Should I stop trying altogether?” “Why do I think I don’t deserve to have children?” “Should I switch to a new Dr.?”, “Should I go the holistic route first?”, “What are my limits with this process?”. These are just a few examples of some of the big questions that went through my mind during my infertility journey.
When life hands you any difficult situation, meditation is a powerful tool for a variety of reasons. Meditation will help soothe your possibly stressed nervous system to give you the space to feel and process some of the big emotions and questions connected to infertility. Once you’ve gotten to a place where you’ve experienced some of your emotions, meditation can help again by giving you clarity around any questions or confusion you may have about your path.
If you’re new to meditation, I suggest trying a 5-minute meditation every day and then bump it up to 10 minutes a day when you feel ready. Click here to read a great blog post about meditation and how to start and stick with a meditation practice.
My final IVF attempt that resulted in the viable pregnancy of my twin babes happened when my meditation practice was the strongest. I was actually hosting a two-week meditation challenge on Instagram at the time. I was the most at peace I’d been throughout my entire infertility journey and can say, honestly, that I knew I’d be okay whether or not my final IVF resulted in pregnancy. Now, I don’t think it was only my solid meditation practice that made this IVF attempt stick, it was a culmination of several things, but I know that it certainly helped!
CRYSTALS ALLIES
I saved this tool for the end because, though I do believe crystals are mega-powerful, I also think they can be a crutch. I like to use crystals in tandem with other tools, like the ones I mentioned above, not as a solo tool. Personally, I think crystals work best when their energy can be layered with other actionable steps.
Here’s my list of crystals to help with infertility, bonus they’re all also great for pregnancy and connecting with Goddess energy!
Card featured from The Ritual Deck.
Moonstone- Moonstone, in all of its varieties, corresponds to femininity, the Triple Goddess, the element of water, and cycles. Working with moonstone can serve as a potent reminder that everything you experience is a phase. On a physical level, moonstone is said to help regulate cycles within the body. Moonstone is a gentle enough stone to keep in the bedroom on your nightstand or under your bed.
Carnelian- There’s nothing like scheduled sex that will take the passion out of your sex life! Carnelian connects with both the root and the sacral chakra, making it ideal for connecting with your passion. It is also another stone that can help heal the reproductive organs.
Rhodonite- If you’re in the trenches of infertility, you’re going to need a lot of self-love and self-acceptance. Rhodonite is here to help. Rhodonite is also said to help with fertility directly, but I relied on it more for its emotional balancing. When I was TTC and struggling, I had a rhodonite mala necklace created for me and used it often during meditation.
Smokey Quartz- If you’ve been at this long, then you probably already know that that 2ww (two-week wait) is one of the most anxiety-provoking times of the month! Not to mention your hormones are at their peak! Smokey quartz can be your grounding and anxiety soothing bestie during this time.
LOOK FOR THE SOUL LESSON AND DIVE DEEP INTO SHADOW
My last suggestion, and it’s a pretty esoteric one, is to look for the soul lessons in your infertility journey. I believe, before we are born, our souls decide what lessons we need to learn while in human form to help us progress. For me, this is where therapy and meditation really helped. It became evident to me throughout my process that I had a deep belief that I did not deserve to have children and that to be happy, I had to struggle.
Much of my infertility journey involved getting nice and cozy with my shadow side (learn more about shadow work here) and negative the storylines I was choosing to live in. In therapy, I explored my beliefs about being undeserving and where they stemmed from through EMDR therapy. EMDR therapy gave me the tools I needed to explore these darker aspects of my life and ultimately heal them.
My meditation practice helped me become more aware of when these stories would come to mind, so I could look at them with clarity and not attach to them. For me, this step was not the sort of thing I did in a day or even a week; it was a long process.
I could obviously write about this for an entire book worth of writing! If you’re walking the infertility path and have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to reach out to me here. Remember, there’s a lesson in everything, even when it’s hard. Nothing lasts forever, and you are always supported!
I hope these tools offer you some peace and healing. I’m sending you so much love, hope, and strength for your journey, wherever it leads you.
Three Rituals for Beltane
Beltane is a cross-quarter holiday on the Wheel of the Year that honors the return of summer, the return of the fertility of the Earth, and the element of fire. It’s a nature-based holiday that many of our ancestors celebrated for a long time, and now we get to carry that tradition forward. Like Samhain, Beltane is a time when the veil is thin. This holiday is a particularly beautiful time to connect with nature spirits, as well as any other beings you’re wanting to create a connection with. At Beltane, we honor the goddess as part of us. We honor the body, pleasure, sensuality, and sexuality. We bask in the fiery energy of the sun and the fertile energy that’s present. In this blog, I'm sharing three rituals and suggested tools for Beltane that you can work with to honor this sacred holiday.
Beltane is a cross-quarter holiday on the Wheel of the Year that honors the return of summer, the return of the fertility of the Earth, and the element of fire. It’s a nature-based holiday that many of our ancestors celebrated for a long time, and now we get to carry that tradition forward.
Like Samhain, Beltane is a time when the veil is thin. This holiday is a particularly beautiful time to connect with nature spirits, as well as any other beings you’re wanting to create a connection with.
At Beltane, we honor the goddess as part of us. We honor the body, pleasure, sensuality, and sexuality. We bask in the fiery energy of the sun and the fertile energy that’s present.
In this blog, I'm sharing three rituals and suggested tools for Beltane that you can work with to honor this sacred holiday. Keep scrolling to watch a video and read more!
Page featured from the Goddess Discovery Book V2
OPTIONAL RITUAL TOOLS FOR BELTANE
Feel free to add any of the symbols and tools outlined below to your Beltane rituals or altar. They each correspond with the energy of Beltane. They are not necessary and should be viewed as optional layered energy in your rituals.
Cards featured from The Ritual Deck.
Crystals: Rose quartz, garnet, pink tourmaline, rhodochrosite, emerald, malachite, and moonstone
Scents and plants: Sandalwood, ylang-ylang, lilac, angelica, jasmine, and rose
Candle colors: Pink, orange, and red
Element: Fire
Tarot: Empress
Rune: Berakno
Goddess: Venus/Freya
Tools and Symbols: Cowry shell, flowers, and anything that represents pleasure and creativity to you
Learn more about these rituals for Beltane with Eryn by clicking the video below.
PLEASURE RITUAL FOR BELTANE
This is one of my favorite pleasure-based rituals, and there’s no time like Beltane for it! You’ll need:
An oil that you’re comfortable using on your skin, like coconut oil or sunflower seed oil (feel free to mix in any essential oils that intuitively feel good to you as well! Ylang Ylang, rose, and sandalwood are great options.)
Music (optional)
A journal (optional)
If you’re using music, take some time to create an intentional, sensual playlist. What songs make you feel really juicy and embodied?
When you’re ready, get yourself into a cozy space, turn your music on if you’re using it, and start to anoint yourself with the oil. Take your time to gently massage the oil into your skin. Keep your breath deep and full, giving yourself sensual touch and really letting yourself receive it.
As you breathe and anoint yourself with the oil, really tune in to the sensation of this touch. Try to stay present and tap into feeling good. We are generally so touch-starved in our lives, and giving ourselves loving touch can be really special.
At some point, this ritual might move into some organic, embodied movement. Or it may not! Feel free to follow whatever feels right here, but keep tuning into your senses and breathing deeply. Some mantras or affirmations might arise organically that you’d like to offer yourself, or perhaps you start to just rest with your hands on your belly and heart.
Close this ritual with a few loving breaths, reach for your journal and hold some space for yourself to process your experience and think about your relationship with pleasure.
SELF-LOVE RITUAL FOR BELTANE
Traditionally, folks would jump over fires at Beltane to strengthen a bond, increase fertility, and/or attract a partner. Any and all of those intentions are beautiful, but I’m most interested in connecting with our own love for ourselves at this time. For this ritual, you’ll need:
A mirror
A candle with a very stable base (rather than a traditional spell candle, try to use a votive or a short candle in a glass container. You’ll understand why as you keep reading!)
When you’re ready, soften into a cozy, ritual space. Place your hands somewhere on your body to ground and open your circle, and find your breath. Drop into meditation, and start to breathe into a simple phrase: “I love you.”
Notice what starts to happen in your body as you keep telling yourself this (silently or out loud). You may find yourself entering a trance. You may feel a rush of loving energy, a flood of shame, feelings of inauthenticity, or something completely different. Just notice, with compassion, how your internal world shifts as you continue to meditate on this phrase. If another phrase around love comes up for you, you can start to work with that as well.
Follow your intuition and follow the threads. Perhaps a specific version of you or a part of yourself you feel ashamed of arises to the surface. Can you give that part of your self love, too? Perhaps a critical voice comes up, judging you and your practice. Can you be with that part of yourself, too, and give it love?
Stay with yourself, breathing into love, until at some point you feel ready to open your eyes and gaze into your mirror. Look into your own eyes. Drink yourself in. Tell yourself what you need to hear, what whichever parts of your shadow and self have come up during this ritual need to hear - that you love them regardless. That they could never do anything to lose your love. That you’ll never abandon yourself. Speak the words out loud and feel their power.
When you feel complete, close your ritual by lighting your candle and taking a sacred moment to jump over it (staying safe, of course! If you don’t have a safe candle to do this with, you can place something else there like a candle oracle card from the Ritual Deck and jump over that). As you jump, feel these promises of love solidified. Feel more love move into your body. Feel your declarations of love rise into the Universe.
And so it is.
EMPRESS RITUAL FOR BELTANE
The Empress, ruled by Venus, is an archetype of love, creativity, pleasure, and receptivity. This card speaks to the fertility aspect of this holiday, reminding us of our capacity to birth - whether that’s babies, a new world, art, a creative project, purposeful work in the world, or something else. Birth can be so many things beyond and outside of the birthing of humans, although of course, you can work with that here as well!
For this ritual, you’ll connect with your inner Empress and embody her energetically. All you will need is your Empress tarot card and your journal! If you’d like to add any crystal allies to this practice rose quartz, emerald, moonstone, or rhodochrosite.
Empress Card from The Starchild Tarot
Create a soft and cozy ritual space for yourself. Spend some time gazing upon your Empress card. Take this archetype in. How does it land in your heart, your body? Notice how you feel and any thoughts, ideas, or associations that come up (feel free to jot these down in your journal if that feels good). What is your unique connection to the Empress?
When you feel complete, close your eyes and enter into meditation. Invite in the version of you that is the Empress. See them appear in front of you in your mind’s eye as the most embodied, Venusian version of you.
Take this version of you in and ask them any questions you have for them. You might ask them what you’re ready to birth at this time, what you need to release to step into this version of you or anything else that lands on your heart. Take your time and be in connection with the Empress - which is already inside of you.
As you feel complete, thank this version of you and close with a few deep breaths. Open your eyes, and take some time to process your experience in your journal. What will you take away from this ritual? What are you going to change, release, embody, step into? Write it all down!
Which ritual will you be working with for Beltane this year? Let us know over on Instagram! Check out the Wheel of The Year Guided Meditation Bundle here and more rituals for Beltane here.
Understanding the Energy of Taurus Season
Welcome to Taurus season! Our fixed earth sign, this archetype is here to ground us in our bodies, teach us about beauty, and help us tap into the tactile pleasures of being alive. In honor of Taurus season starting on April 20th, I’ll be diving into Taurus energy in this blog. I’ll be sharing what Taurus energy is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Taurus, and how to understand Taurus in your chart.
Welcome to Taurus season! Our fixed earth sign, this archetype is here to ground us in our bodies, teach us about beauty, and help us tap into the tactile pleasures of being alive.
In honor of Taurus season starting on April 20th, I’ll be diving into Taurus energy in this blog. I’ll be sharing what Taurus energy is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Taurus, and how to understand Taurus in your chart.
Featured cards from The Starchild Tarot.
TAURUS ENERGY
Grounded and rooted, the earth sign aspect of Taurus offers practicality and steadfastness to this sign. It connects us to the physical, tactile world through the pleasure that’s available to us through the body and each of our senses. Think of really tasting a delicious meal, smelling the flowers, feeling the warm sun on your skin, touching soft silks, and immersing yourself in a painting. Now you know Taurus energy!
Card featured from The Ritual Deck.
Taurus has a beautiful capacity to see beauty and manifest beauty. It’s also a sign associated with value, the material world, and money. Taurus has lessons to teach us all about self-worth, what we really value, and how we value ourselves.
At its most soul-centered level, Taurus can see the beauty and light in all things, and knows the inherent worth in us all.
All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow Taurus can be stubborn, immovable, and resistant to change. The polar sign to Scorpio, a sign of transformation, Taurus can get stuck in its ways, resenting movement and change. This sign can also get trapped in the physical world, only following desire and forgetting spirituality and higher purpose.
THE PLANETS
In Western astrology, Taurus is ruled by Venus. Venus is the planet of love, beauty, and pleasure. It’s an archetype that helps us find soul fulfillment and teaches us how to love unconditionally. This planet lends Taurus its appreciation for beauty, its connection to sensuality and pleasure, and its association with divine feminine energy.
TAURUS IN THE TAROT
In the tarot, Taurus is associated with the Empress, the Hierophant, and the King of Pentacles.
The Empress is ruled by Venus, the Hierophant is ruled by Taurus, and the King of Pentacles is fixed Earth in the court cards in my tarot practice.
The Empress is an archetype of unconditional love (Venus!) who teaches us how to receive. Creativity and love flow through the Empress, without forcing or pushing. Nothing could be more Taurean than the Empress herself as depicted in the Pamela Colman Smith Rider Waite tarot deck! The Empress is lush, present, and embodied and she teaches us how to tap into those parts of ourselves, too.
The Hierophant speaks to Taurus’ Earthy side. This archetype understands how to communicate esoteric truths so that they are understood by all. The Hierophant is able to pull spiritual knowledge out of the ether into the physical plane, making spirituality practical and part of the material world.
The King of Pentacles, the master of the suit associated with purpose, work, and the material world, teaches us what it means to live your purpose in the world and feel abundant in doing so. This archetype speaks to Taurus’ connection to self-worth, money, manifestation, and finances, reminding us what is possible when we tap into our inner abundance.
UNDERSTANDING TAURUS IN YOUR CHART
To understand Taurus in your chart, you’ll want to look at a couple of pieces:
Any planets in Taurus
The house that Taurus rules in your chart. Whatever house Taurus rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to ground, manifest, and pour love.
Your 2nd house. The 2nd house is the Taurus house. The sign that rules your 2nd house can add another layer indicating how Taurus themes show up in your life.
Another way to understand Taurus energy in your life could be to ask your oracle or tarot deck: how is Taurus energy showing up in my life right now?
Want to connect more deeply with Taurus energy? You might like to connect with some crystals for Taurus season. Try rose quartz or emerald for unconditional love and stability, red jasper for connecting with your physical body, black tourmaline for grounding, or carnelian for pleasure.
Meditations for Each Moon Phase + Free Guided Meditation
There are so many ways to tune into Mother Moon. But did you know, there’s a powerful tool you can use to align yourself with lunar energy that requires nothing more than your mind? Meditation is the ultimate tool to tap into the cycles and energy of the moon. Meditation grants you the opportunity to shift your energy on a deep level. During meditation, you can visualize and experience your desires on a physical and energetic level in a way that produces real change. Now, line these powerful energetic shifts up with Mama Moon, and you’ve got some real magick.
There are so many ways to tune into Mother Moon. But did you know, there’s a powerful tool you can use to align yourself with lunar energy that requires nothing more than your mind?
Meditation is the ultimate tool to tap into the cycles and energy of the moon.
Meditation grants you the opportunity to shift your energy on a deep level. During meditation, you can visualize and experience your desires on a physical and energetic level in a way that produces real change. Now, line these powerful energetic shifts up with Mama Moon, and you’ve got some real magick.
In this post, I’m going to breakdown meditation techniques for the five primary moon phases, including the new moon, waxing moon, full moon, waning moon, and dark moon.
I include a free guided meditation for the waning moon that you can get access to here. To purchase guided meditations for all five moon phases, click here.
For each moon meditation, I offer you a meditation script, a suggested mantra, and a list of optional tools. Please, don’t feel like you can’t perform these meditations without the optional tools! Your mind is incredibly powerful, and the meditations alone will have a powerful effect on your energy and intentions.
Keep in mind; you don’t have to perform these meditations at night, when the moon is out. Feel free to perform your moon meditations any time of the day during the moon phase. Just like the stars in astrology, the effects of the moon can be felt even when it’s not visible. As above, so below.
New Moon Meditation
The new moon is a time to cleanse, prepare, have hope, and be open. The new moon invites you to welcome fresh energy and be aware of guidance and direction. One of the best ways to tune into the energy of the new moon is, you guessed it, meditation. When you quiet your mind, you enable yourself to tune into the flow of information from your guides, higher self, and the universe. It’s within the realm of spirit that you can receive guidance.
New moon card featured from The Ritual Deck
The meditation for the new moon is all about cleansing your energy and allowing yourself to receive guidance from spirit. The new moon is less about taking action and more about tuning into your highest truth and receiving guidance.
New Moon Mantra: My energy is clear, and I am open to receiving guidance.
New Moon Optional Tools: Selenite wand, white candle, cleansing herbs like cedar or rosemary.
New Moon Meditation:
Sit in a chair or on the ground with your spine upright.
Say aloud: New moon, I ask you to help cleanse and clear away any energy no longer serving me.
Quiet your mind, and become aware of your breath.
Start sending each inhale deep into your belly.
Begin extending your inhales, and your exhales.
Visualize white cleansing light coming from the new moon softly surrounding your body.
Imagine that this white cleansing energy is gently clearing away energy no longer serving you.
Continue to focus on your breath and imagine the cleansing energy cleansing your aura for a few minutes.
When you feel that your energy has been cleansed, thank the new moon.
Say aloud: New moon, I ask that you and my guides share guidance with me about what I should focus on this lunar cycle.
Continue to focus on your breath.
Be open and receptive to information that may come to you.
Trust any sensations you experience as truth.
Continue to focus on your breath.
Stay in this receptive space for as long as you’d like.
Thank the moon and your guides for any information they shared with you.
Release any control of your breath.
Open your eyes, connect with your body, and jot down any information you received.
Waxing Moon Meditation
The waxing moon invites you to grow and take action. While the new moon is focused on receiving guidance, this phase beckons you to act on the information you received during the new moon phase. The lively energy of the waxing moon intensifies as it nears closer to the full moon. The waxing moon phase includes the waxing crescent, the first quarter moon, and the waxing gibbous moon phases.
Moon cards featured from The Ritual Deck.
The meditation for the waxing moon focuses on activating your energy center and solar plexus chakra. This is a great time to focus on completing tasks you’ve been putting off or finishing a difficult project. With the combination of the wave of energy from the waxing moon and your internal energy, you will be unstoppable at accomplishing your goals.
Waxing Moon Mantra: I have everything I need to accomplish my desires.
Waxing Moon Optional Tools: Tiger’s eye, sunstone, or citrine, a yellow candle, and a spicy cup of tea (chai is a great option).
Waxing Moon Meditation:
Sit in a chair or on the ground with your spine upright.
Say aloud: Growing moon, I ask you to spark a fire within me to give me all of the energy and wisdom I need to accomplish my goals.
Quiet your mind, and become aware of your breath.
Start sending each inhale deep into your belly.
Begin extending your inhales, and your exhales.
Visualize a golden yellow light coming from the moon and connecting with your solar plexus region (below your sternum and above your belly button). Visualize this light sparking a fire within your solar plexus area. With every inhale, the fire and the golden light grow bigger and brighter.
Begin the breath of fire to move this energy throughout your body. The breath of fire is conducted by taking a sharp and fast inhale followed by a quick and forceful exhale. You should see your low belly moving up and down for this breath. If you feel lightheaded at any point, stop the breath of fire.
As you breathe, visualize the golden yellow energy flowing throughout your body.
Complete three rounds of 30-60 breaths of fire
Release all control over your breath and allow your breath to return to its normal state.
Say aloud: Growing moon, I ask that you give my signs over the coming days to indicate that I am taking the right action.
Continue to focus on your breath.
Be open and receptive to information that may come to you.
Trust any sensations you experience as truth.
Continue to focus on your breath.
Stay in this receptive space for as long as you’d like.
Thank the moon for its energy.
Release any control of your breath.
Open your eyes, connect with your body, and jot down any information you received.
Full Moon Meditation
The full moon is a time of celebration, fulfillment, and gratitude. Even if you haven’t reached your goals, the full moon invites you to pause and celebrate all of the abundance you do have in your life. The full moon is also an ideal time to perform magick work of all kinds as it is the most potent moon phase and affects us the most.
The full moon card is featured from The Ritual Deck
The moon is completely full for about a minute. Aside from this one minute of total fullness, the moon is either at its peak waxing or waning phase. These peak phases are the most potent times for action or release. You can read more about waxing vs. waning lunar energy here. This is something to keep in mind during this meditation, as it may change the time and purpose you decide to use this meditation for.
Full Moon Mantra: I am grateful for all that has come, and all that is still coming to me.
Full Moon Optional Tools: Rainbow, white, or peach moonstone, purple candle, dried mugwort.
Full Moon Meditation:
Sit in a chair or on the ground with your spine upright.
Say aloud: Full moon, I ask you to fill me with gratitude and reveal the magick all around me.
Quiet your mind, and become aware of your breath.
Start sending each inhale deep into your belly.
Begin extending your inhales, and your exhales.
Visualize the bright white light of the full moon bathing you in sparkling white light.
Bring something to mind that you’re grateful for. Allow yourself to experience your gratitude fully. Continue bringing things to mind that you are grateful for.
Sit in this place of gratitude for as long as you’d like and continue to focus on your breath and the sparkling light of the full moon.
You can stay in this place of gratitude for the remainder of the meditation or continue and connect with spirit.
Say aloud: Full moon, I ask that you help me open up to the spirit realm.
Continue to focus on your breath.
Be open and receptive to information that may come to you.
Trust any sensations you experience as truth.
Continue to focus on your breath.
Stay in this receptive space for as long as you’d like.
Thank the moon and any spirit guides for any information they shared with you.
Release any control of your breath.
Open your eyes, connect with your body, and jot down any information you received.
Waning Moon Meditation
The waning moon invites you to release anything that’s no longer serving you and accept your current situation as is. This energy may also require you to reevaluate your previous desire and let go of any expectations you might have or control of your current situation. Download my free waning moon meditation here.
Last quarter moon card featured from The Ritual Deck.
The waning moon is a potent reminder that The Universe doesn’t always work on our timeline. Things might look or feel out of control, but it all has a purpose. Beyond the harsher side of letting go, the waxing moon has a soft side of acceptance of what is. Though this phase might seem quite active, it is actually more passive. I invite you to imagine waves gently removing what needs to go. Love and accept everything that remains.
Waning Moon Mantra: I release what no longer serves me and accept myself as I am.
Waning Moon Optional Tools: Obsidian, rose quartz, black candle, and cedar.
Waning Moon Meditation:
Sit in a chair or on the ground with your spine upright.
Say aloud: Waning moon, I ask you to show me what needs to go and what needs to stay.
Quiet your mind, and become aware of your breath.
Start sending each inhale deep into your belly.
Begin extending your inhales, and your exhales.
Visualize a soft pink light coming down from the waning moon and weaving all around you. Imagine that this soft pink light is whisking away any stagnant energy, old beliefs, or cords connected to other people that are no longer serving you. Imagine it’s sending anything it takes from you down into the Earth to be transformed into useful energy for someone else.
Some things might stay that you want to go and that’s ok.
Imagine this soft pink light is now surrounding you like a soft cloud of love.
Say aloud: Waning moon, I ask you to help me love and accept myself where I am right now.
Continue to focus on your breath.
Be open and receptive to receiving love and acceptance.
Trust any sensations you experience as truth.
Continue to focus on your breath.
Stay in this loving space for as long as you’d like.
Thank the moon for the release and love that it shared with you.
Release any control of your breath.
Open your eyes, connect with your body, and jot down any information you received.
Dark Moon Meditation
The dark moon is a time of rest, integration, and restoration. This moon phase beckons you to do very little. This is a time to reflect on everything that transpired during this moon cycle so you can integrate it into your being. Without proper integration, cycles will continue to be repeated.
Dark moon cared featured from The Ritual Deck.
The dark moon phase happens right before the new moon when the moon isn’t visible in the night sky. You can learn more about the difference between the dark moon and the new moon here.
Dark Moon Mantra: I am allowed to rest. Rest is necessary for growth.
Dark Moon Optional Tools: black tourmaline, blue or black candle, dried lavender.
Dark Moon Meditation:
Sit in a chair or on the ground with your spine upright.
Say aloud: Dark Moon, I ask you to guide me to deep rest so that I can integrate everything that has happened.
Quiet your mind, and become aware of your breath.
Start sending each inhale deep into your belly.
Begin extending your inhales, and your exhales.
Visualize a dark blue sparkling light coming from the dark moon and meeting you at the top of your head. Imagine that this blue energy is warm and heavy. Visualize the energy gently touch each part of your body, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes, covering you like a warm blanket.
Notice thoughts that come up and ask if they need anything to be resolved. You may have thoughts and feelings that come up that will require you to purge emotions. Let your emotions come and go as they need.
Say aloud: Dark Moon, I ask that you help me experience the light and shadow of any emotions that come up.
Continue to focus on the breath and the warm blanket of energy from the moon.
Stay in this receptive space for as long as you’d like.
Thank the moon for its comfort and restoration.
Release any control of your breath.
Open your eyes, connect with your body, and jot down any information you received.
The phases of the moon can be used as a guide to manifest, trust, release, connect, and rest. Each phase offers you a reminder to tune into different kinds of energy and different aspects of your life. Meditation is a powerful way to put this energy into practice.
If you’d like to learn more about working with lunar energy, you can check out lots of free content from our blog here or purchase my Meditate with the Moon bundle of guided meditations here.
Understanding the Energy of Aries Season
Welcome to Aries season! Dynamic and fiery, this warrior archetype is here to bring us a fresh start. In honor of Aries season starting on March 19th, I’ll be diving into Aries energy in this blog. I’ll be sharing what Aries energy is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Aries, and how to understand Aries in your chart. Keep scrolling for more tips and a video where I dive deeper into Aries energy.
Welcome to Aries season! Dynamic and fiery, this warrior archetype is here to bring us a fresh start.
In honor of Aries season starting on March 19th, I’ll be diving into Aries energy in this blog. I’ll be sharing what Aries energy is all about, the planetary and tarot associations of Aries, and how to understand Aries in your chart. Keep scrolling for more tips and a video where I dive deeper into Aries energy.
Cards featured are The Ritual Deck and The Starchild Tarot.
ARIES ENERGY
Aries is our cardinal fire sign and as the first sign of the zodiac, it begins the astrological wheel of the year. The first day of Aries season is always the spring equinox, ushering us into spring with the spark of life!
Aries energy is like a match being lit. It brings with it fire, passion, and creativity. Aries is a warrior and a pioneer, and the question is: what will you be a warrior for? Where are you ready to be a pioneer in your own life, leading the way for us all?
This sign invites us to tap into our bravery and courage, to go it alone, and go forward in the direction of the life that is calling us. Independent and impulsive, Aries can take you places you never thought you could go (or that you thought would take a lot longer to get to!). During Aries season, we are all asked to channel our passions and creativity in healthy ways, to tap into our inner fire, and to burst through self-imposed limitations to step into the new.
All signs have a shadow energy and expression, and in its shadow, Aries can be aggressive, domineering, and even violent. If you can learn to work with Aries in its highest expression, it can teach you a lot about working with anger and frustration in healthy ways, finding balance between leading and following, and being an autonomous individual in relationships with others.
Learn more about Aries season from Eryn Johnson in this video.
THE PLANETS
In Western astrology, Aries is ruled by Mars. In esoteric astrology, Aries is ruled by Mercury. Mars tells us how we work with Aries in a day to day way, and Mercury tells us what’s possible to embody when we work with Aries from a soul-centered level.
Mars is the planet of drive, assertion, and aspiration. You can think of it as the gas pedal of your birth chart: it’s what moves you forward. Fiery Mars lends Aries the energy of the warrior, it’s what drives Aries to burst through.
Mercury, on the other hand, as the esoteric ruler of Aries speaks to what’s possible when working with Aries at a soul-entered level. Mercury is an air planet very much associated with the mind (and the Magician card in the tarot!), so the creativity of Aries becomes new, exciting, even bold ideas put forth into the world.
ARIES IN THE TAROT
In the tarot, Aries is associated with the Emperor, the Tower, and the Knight of Wands.
The Emperor is ruled by Aries, Mars rules the Tower, and the Knight of Wands is cardinal fire in the court cards in my tarot practice.
The Emperor is a leader, here to pioneer a new world. This card speaks to structures and systems, at a micro-level in our personal lives and at a macro level in the collective, that make up the world and asks us to create truly collaborative systems that serve the good of all. Associated with power, this archetype also asks us to reflect on our own relationship with power and step into a space of power with rather than power over.
You only need to take a look at the Tower card to understand what it’s all about! The Tower represents a lightning strike, a clearing that causes a crumbling to the ground. Foundations may be shaken and things will not be the same afterward - but it’s very much the spark kind of energy that Aries has to offer us. The clearing that takes place in the Tower only ever clears away what doesn’t serve us.
The Knight of Wands teaches us how to let our fire move us. When we take action in our lives, we’re always taking it from a specific place. We can take action from love, from fear, from desire, from many things - but the Knight of Wands asks us to let our passion, our creativity, our innate sense of our own power, to guide us in moving through the world.
UNDERSTANDING ARIES IN YOUR CHART
To understand Aries in your chart, you’ll want to look at a couple of pieces:
Any planets in Aries
The house that Aries rules in your chart. Whatever house Aries rules indicates the area of life where you are meant to burst through, create something new, live boldly, and fight for something.
Your 1st house. The 1st house is the Aries house. The sign that rules your 1st house can add another layer indicating how Aries themes show up in your life.
Another way to understand Aries energy in your life could be to ask your oracle or tarot deck: how is Aries energy showing up in my life right now?
Want to connect more deeply with Aries energy? You might like to connect with some crystals for Aries season. Try carnelian for creativity and courage, sunstone for independence, or red jasper for energy and vitality.
Three Rituals for Ostara
The spring equinox, also called Ostara, takes place around March 20th each year. This sabbat marks the day when dark and light are in equal balance. After Ostara, we have more light each day and less darkness as we build up to the peak of the sun at the summer solstice. These rituals are great to perform anytime between the Ostara and Beltane.
The spring equinox, also called Ostara, takes place around March 20th each year. This sabbat marks the day when dark and light are in equal balance. After Ostara, we have more light each day and less darkness as we build up to the peak of the sun at the summer solstice. These rituals are great to perform anytime between the Ostara and Beltane.
The Earth is beginning to get warmer and more fertile each day. Associated with the maiden aspect of the triple goddess, Ostara is a time of new life, fertility, balance and harmony, birth, manifestation, and innocent, child-like wonder.
In this post, I’ll be sharing 3 rituals for Ostara. Keep scrolling for all three rituals and check out the video below.
CREATE AN OSTARA ALTAR
Creating an altar is a beautiful way to honor any nature-based holiday. I’m a huge fan of letting altar creation be intuitive - what does Ostara mean to you, and what symbols can you place on your altar to represent that personal meaning? Learn more about altars here.
With that being said, here are some altar item suggestions to inspire your creativity:
Fresh flowers
Eggs
Pastel-colored candles
Fertility goddess drawings or photos (remember, fertility isn’t just about birthing babies but about the energy of creation - which we can channel into so many different creations!)
A photo of your child self
Sprouts
Images of rabbits
The Sun card, Lovers card, or other tarot cards you associate with this time
Crystals associated with fertility, renewal, or balance like sunstone, green aventurine, moss agate, or peach moonstone
You can ritualize your altar creation by gathering your items mindfully and taking some time to meditate before putting your altar together. As you place each item on your altar, feel the energy of Ostara moving through your body and your space, bringing you renewal, fertility, and harmony.
CHILDLIKE WONDER RITUAL
One of my favorite rituals for Ostara is simply doing an activity you loved as a child. Maybe you loved to play in the forest, paint with your hands, swim in the ocean, or sing. Carve out intentional time to do that activity again today, and notice how your inner child responds. My guess is that she’ll love it!
As you play, see if you can suspend any skeptical or critical voices that may pop up inside, saying that what you’re doing is silly or stupid or doesn’t matter. Can you access the sense of pure wonder, curiosity, and play you once felt every day?
Spend some time journaling afterward to process your experience and dig into the ways you’d like to bring more childlike wonder into your daily life.
BALANCE RITUAL
For this ritual, you’ll need:
2 spell candles of different colors
Moss agate (optional)
This ritual connects to the balance aspect of this holiday. Remember, on any equinox (spring or fall), light and darkness come into balance. It’s a powerful time to find more balance in our lives, too.
Start by grounding yourself with a few deep breaths or using another grounding practice you enjoy. Take some time to get clear on where you need more balance in your life. If you’re using moss agate, a naturally balancing crystal, you could hold it at this time. You might like to meditate, do breathwork, free write, or pull cards to get clarity on the balance your heart is craving.
Once you feel clear, take a few deep breaths to return to center and speak aloud where you are craving more balance in your life. Light your candles as you say, “As I light these candles, I call in more balance between ______.”
As your candles burn, visualize yourself having this balance in your life. How does it feel? Who do you become? Really take your time to luxuriate in this energy as you let your candles burn all the way down.
Take a moment to ground yourself again, and close your ritual with a moment of gratitude.
Which ritual will you be doing for Ostara? We’d love to hear on Instagram! You can find more rituals for Ostara here and meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.
Energy Clearing 101 // For You & Your Home
At the smallest level, we are beings of energy. Your aura can radiate several inches out from your body and can pick up energy from people you don’t even know. If you consider yourself an empath, it’s even more likely that you’re picking up energy that doesn’t belong to you.Stuck inside your home for weeks on end, you say, due to a virus? You’re in the right place! I’m going to share best practices for cleansing the energy of yourself, your space, and a variety of energy cleansing tools. Use all of them, one of them, or any combination. They’re all useful, and many of the tools suggested you might already have in your home. Tip: you don’t need to be a trained Reiki master to cleanse the energy of yourself and your space! These tools are great for the novice and expert alike.
At the smallest level, we are beings of energy. Your aura can radiate several inches out from your body and can pick up energy from people you don’t even know. If you consider yourself an empath, it’s even more likely that you’re picking up energy that doesn’t belong to you.
Stuck inside your home for weeks on end, you say, due to a virus? You’re in the right place! I’m going to share best practices for cleansing the energy of yourself, your space, and a variety of energy cleansing tools. Use all of them, one of them, or any combination. They’re all useful, and many of the tools suggested you might already have in your home.
Tip: you don’t need to be a trained Reiki master to cleanse the energy of yourself and your space! These tools are great for the novice and expert alike.
Why is Energy Clearing Important?
Your subtle body (energy body) is connected to your physical body. This is reflected in the phrase, “as above so below.” What this common phrase points to is that if the energy of yourself and your space goes untended, it will no doubt begin to manifest in your physical body and your actions, and vice versa. If left untended, this bubble of energy swirling around your physical body will begin to muddy up your home as well.
Cleansing your energy and the energy of your home is one of the fastest ways to lift your spirits. It also makes for good energy hygiene! I’m sure you’ve had the experience of going over to someone’s house, and the energy just felt heavy, or like it stuck to you even after you left? When you let the energy of yourself or your living space stagnate or pile up, it can begin to affect other areas of your life.
Energy Cleansing Process
Before we dive into my suggestions for cleansing tools, let’s explore a few best practices for the energy cleansing process.
Dedicate time, 15-30 minutes, to the sacred practice of energy cleansing. Maybe even consider setting a weekly time to cleanse yourself and your space. Turning it into a regular ritual will mean you’re more likely to do it every week, and you’ll probably start to really look forward to it. I know I do. You’ll also probably start to become more aware of the energy building up in your space and how it affects you.
Clean and declutter physically first. This will get you into the right state of mind to clean the energy of your space. This doesn’t have to be a thorough deep clean, but get your space clean enough that you’re not going to be distracted by any messes.
Get your energy flowing. I like to dance, do some yoga, meditate, or do some breathwork before I begin my cleansing process. Anything to get your energy going and raise your vibration a bit helps! This isn’t mandatory, but it will help get your prana (life force) moving and your energy flowing. This will make it easier for you to clear away stagnant energy in your aura.
Know what kind of energy you want to bring into your energy field after you cleanse. Anytime you clear out stagnant or unwanted energy, it’s important to bring in the energy you want to fill up all of that extra space. If you skip this step, all of that cleared energy will likely just fill back up with all of the same stuff you cleared out. Some of the tools used for cleansing that I share below can also be used for bringing in some good energy. I like to use my energy, the energy of a higher power, candles, and selenite to bring positive energy, and I dive deeper into each of these below.
Salt
Salt has been used as a purification tool since ancient times. From witches to ancient cultures, salt acts as a tool to banish all kinds of unwanted energy. My favorite thing about salt is how versatile it is! Here are three ways to use salt for energy clearing.
Take a salt bath
Sprinkle dry salt around the edges of your house
Make or purchase a salt spray by mixing salt and water. Spray it around yourself and your house.
Card featured from the Ritual Deck
Smoke & Herbs
Like salt, smoke cleansing dates back to the ancients. A variety of plants have been prized for their energetic clearing throughout history and are still used to this day. You probably have some of these dried herbs in your spice cabinet!
I suggest exploring the plants used in your ancestral lineage for space cleansing first. If you want to rely on popular favorites like white sage and palo santo, be sure to do your research and ensure that you’re purchasing from a company that’s harvesting the plants ethically.
Herbs and resin for energy clearing:
Rosemary
Thyme
Peppermint
Sage- garden sage, desert sage, and blue sage are some great alternatives to white sage.
Frankincense resin
Copal resin
You can burn sprigs of loose herbs, wrap them in a bundle for a smoke wand (learn how to make your own here), diffuse essential oils, or if you have fresh versions, you can simply hang them in your space for the aroma.
Candles
Candles can be used for a multitude of purposes, including energy clearing. Candles are also a great tool for bringing in the kind of energy you want after you cleanse unwanted energy. To cleanse your space, I suggest a white candle. Light the white candle and walk around your space while visualizing a white cleansing light, clearing out negativity. Next, you can light a candle color associated with the energy you want to bring into your space. Learn more about candle magick here.
Crystals
When it comes to energy cleansing, selenite is my favorite! Selenite is a high vibrational crystal that is queen when it comes to cleansing away unwanted energy. Selenite is often sold in wands and plates, which are ideal for energy cleansing. You can use a wand to comb through your aura or a plate to rest objects on that you’d like to cleanse. Check out the video below to watch a video of my cleansing the energy of my shop and using a selenite wand to cleanse my aura.
Some other great options are clear quartz, amethyst, and black tourmaline. Crystals are another tool that can be used to bring in the desired energy after cleansing. To do this, place some crystals out that represent the kind of energy you want to bring in.
Crystal tip: Supercharge the cleansing power of your crystals by creating a crystal grid for cleansing. Learn more about creating a crystal grid here.
Sound
Sounds are an incredibly powerful and often undervalued cleansing tool. Sound occurs from vibration; the vibration causes the air molecule around the source of the vibration to vibrate. The vibrating air molecules affect more than just your eardrums, which turn the vibrations into the sound you hear, but will match everything around it to its vibration as well. This process is called entrainment.
Use sound to cleanse yourself, your crystals, and your home. You don’t have to have expensive singing bowls to cleanse with sound either. There are a variety of sound healing tools available. Here are some of my favorites.
Tuning forks
Gongs
Chimes
Chanting
Singing bowls
Online frequencies (free and paid versions are available)
Learn more about sound healing here.
Your Energy and Energy from a Higher Power
Using your energy or that of a power greater than yourself (Goddess, God, Angels, spirit guides, Source Energy, Universe, loved ones passed on, etc.) can be used for both energy clearing and bringing in the kind of energy you want. I like to use this technique in tandem with other tools. For example, if I’m using a white candle to cleanse my space, I will ask Source Energy to help remove stagnant and negative energy. After cleansing, I will call on ancestors and guides to bring in good vibes and inspiration.
You can work with this kind of energy through visualization, asking for the presence of your higher power of choice, and by placing physical reminders such as pictures or amulets of your higher power of choice.
Energy hygiene will have a ripple effect on your life. Remember, as above so below, as within so without. Whatever is going on inside will reflect what’s going on inside. I hope these tips help to keep your energy clear and flowing, sweet soul!
3 Herbal Recipes to Enhance Your Intuition
With so many herbs available to enhance your intuition, I wanted to share a few quick DIY recipes so you can put them to use! This is my last post in a more extended series about the intuition if you missed any of the previous posts and want to check them out first, click here.Our ancestors have used herbs for more than just healing; a variety of plants have been used to connect with the psychic realm and experience spiritual awakenings since the beginning of time. The herbs suggested in this post are of the gentler variety, no peyote today! As with any herb you choose to ingest, do your research, and consider consulting your health care provider first.
With so many herbs available to enhance your intuition, I wanted to share a few quick DIY recipes so you can put them to use! This is my last post in a more extended series about the intuition if you missed any of the previous posts and want to check them out first, click here.
Our ancestors have used herbs for more than just healing; a variety of plants have been used to connect with the psychic realm and experience spiritual awakenings since the beginning of time. The herbs suggested in this post are of the gentler variety, no peyote today!
As with any herb you choose to ingest, do your research, and consider consulting your health care provider first.
Cards are featured from The Ritual Deck
Let’s take a closer look at each of the herbs I’m going to suggest for these recipes or keep scrolling to go straight to the recipes.
Lavender and Chamomile: Both of these plants are nervines and antispasmodics, which means they can calm both the nervous and muscular systems. You’ll be better able to access intuitive messages when your mind and body are calm.
Blue Lotus: Blue lotus was prized by ancient Egyptians and Mayan people for its beauty and medicinal effects. Similar to lavender and chamomile, blue lotus is a nervine and antispasmodic, which will help calm you. It also contains alkaloids that have a subtle psychoactive effect, which the ancients no doubt were aware of as well!
Mugwort: Mugwort is associated with the Goddess Artemis (the Latin name for this plant is Artemesia Vulgaris!) and the moon. These lunar ties give mugwort a strong connection to femininity, psychic work, and all things sleep-related. Mugwort is also extremely protective, making it an ideal herb to protect you while you’re opening up to the psychic world. Mugwort is not safe for pregnant or lactating women. Learn more about mugwort here.
Frankincense: Frankincense has long been associated with accessing meditation, focus, and cleansing negative energy. Often found in resin or essential oil, frankincense can be burned or diffused to clear your mind and your space for optimal intuitive connections.
Rosemary: Rosemary is one of those herbs that comes with a host of valuable benefits, including amplifying your intuition. Rosemary correlates strongly to the area of the head and will help clear out thoughts related to any worldly woes. Use rosemary to help cleanse your mind and focus on your spiritual connection. Rosemary is also helpful for clearing negative energy.
Peppermint: Peppermint is a common herb that can help you access your psychic gifts. Peppermint, similar to rosemary, is extremely uplifting and clearing for the mind. It can also help to bring you some inspiration. Peppermint is especially helpful if you’re feeling a little sluggish or having trouble focusing on your intuition.
Cedarwood: Let us not forget the necessity to stay grounded while practicing psychic work! Anytime you’re accessing higher states of consciousness or your intuition, it’s imperative to stay grounded, and cedarwood can help you do this. Cedarwood also helps to soothe and relax the third eye area. Similar to peppermint and rosemary, cedarwood will also help you clear your mind, but more soothingly because it is also antispasmodic (like lavender and chamomile).
These recipes can be used together or separately. If you feel called to one, in particular, go with that. If you want to go for a trifecta of intuitive herbal magic, try all three! Don’t be deterred if you’re missing a specific herb, and feel free to modify. Many of the herbs suggested are powerhouses all on their own.
Intuition Tea
Try this tea recipe in a warm mug or your next bath. One of my favorite ways to enjoy herbs is through a tea bath. Your skin is super absorbent; placing your herbs directly into your bath is a wonderful way to soak them up.
Anytime you’re using dried herbs for teas, you want to ensure that they’re food-grade and preferably organic. Lavender and chamomile are easy to come by at most grocery stores in tea bags, blue lotus flower, on the other hand, will likely need to be purchased online. I love everything from Anima Mundi, and they offer blue lotus flowers here.
This tea is seriously calming! I suggest drinking a cup of it before practicing psychic or intuitive work in the evening when you don’t have to go anywhere.
To make your intuition tea you’ll need:
1t. Dried Blue Lotus Flower
1t. Dried Lavender Buds
1t. Dried Chamomile flowers
Pour boiling water over your dried herbs.
Cover the mug as it steeps (this helps to keep the benefits of these plants in your tea rather than evaporating out).
Steep for 3-5 minutes.
Cool and enjoy!
Intuition Smoke Blend
This smoke blend can be used to help center your mind and create a protective forcefield around you while you practice your intuition. This smoke blend is to be used to waft around yourself and your environment before psychic or intuitive work.
I like to use an abalone shell for burning herbs, but any fire-proof dish will work. Many use a shell for burning herbs because it represents the water element. With the addition of the water element, all four elements are represented in the herb burning process (smoke- air, herbs- earth, and fire- well, from the fire). Iron cauldrons are another tool that is often used for herb burning that works well too.
Please, use caution when working with herb burning. Never leave your herbal smoke burning without supervision, always use fire-proof dishes for burning, and ensure you have proper ventilation.
To make your herbal smoke, you’ll need:
About a 1t. Dried Mugwort
About a 1t. Dried Lavender
5-10 pieces of Frankincense resin
Charcoal tablet
Sand
Fire-proof dish
Match or lighter
Place sand in your herb-burning dish; this helps to insulate the charcoal tablet and disperse the heat.
Light your charcoal and place it in the sand. You’ll know it’s lit when it starts sparking,
Place your dried herbs onto the charcoal tablet. This method of herb burning creates a substantial amount of smoke, so start with just a pinch of each herb.
Waft the smoke around yourself and your space.
Check out this video to see how it’s done.
Intuition Spray
This recipe is similar to the High Priestess Mist that Eryn shared on the blog a while ago, with a few modifications. Rosemary and peppermint are often-overlooked herbs that are quite effective at working with the third eye chakra because they help to clear the whole head area. Cedar has a similar effect but is also soothing and grounding.
I love to use this spray when I’m feeling a little lethargic or have some thoughts whirling around my mind that could impede my intuition. Spritz some of this around yourself and your space before practicing intuitive work for an uplifting and inspiring psychic aid.
To make the intuition spray, you’ll need:
Glass spray bottle
5 drops of Rosemary essential oil
3 drops of Peppermint essential oil
5 drops of Cedarwood essential oil
Enough witch hazel to fill ½ of your glass bottle
Enough high vibe-water of your choice to fill the remainder of your bottle. High-vibe water could be moon water, natural spring water, vortexed water, energy-infused water, or any combination.
Optional, amethyst, moonstone, or quartz crystals
Optional, dried blue lotus flower and lavender buds
Combine all of your liquid ingredients into your bottle.
Add any optional dried herbs or crystals.
Shake, spray, enjoy!
I hope you enjoy these recipes! Be sure to tag @cassieuhl if you make them; I’d love to see your creations. Learn more about honing your intuition in these past blog posts.
Unlocking the Power of your Pineal Gland // 8 Tips
If you're interested in opening your third eye chakra and expanding your psychic abilities, understanding the pineal gland is essential. Ancient cultures were well aware of the power of the pineal gland. It's referenced and depicted in a variety of texts and artwork around the world. Furthermore, a variety of breathing techniques, chants, and exercises from ancient cultures are dedicated to activating this tiny gland inside your brain.
Somewhere in our evolutionary process, we've forgotten about the power of this pea-sized intuitive aid. For many of us, our pineal gland has gone unused and become calcified. Don't worry, there's hope! Science is slowly catching on to this forgotten gland, and there are so many tools (both ancient and modern) to help you activate your mighty pineal gland. Bonus, the tips I'm sharing don't all involve eating copious amounts of seaweed and green leafy vegetables.
In this post, I will cover what the pineal gland is, how it functions in our body physically and energetically, and tips for decalcifying the pineal gland for optimal psychic sight and third eye activation. I’ve linked several studies and resources in this post to help you out along the way! Keep scrolling for a video and more tips.
Science is slowly learning more about the pineal gland. However, many doctors and scientists still dismiss it as a useless gland after sexual maturation. New studies are starting to pique the interest of the scientific community and are shedding light on what many ancient cultures and spiritual communities already know to be true. For starters, did you know that microscopic calcite crystals were recently discovered inside of the pineal gland? I’ll dive into this a bit deeper later in the blog post.
The study of the pineal gland from a scientific and spiritual perspective is deep and complex. I’ve covered as much as I can in this post in a digestible format. However, if you feel called to research further, I encourage you to do so because there is much, both recent and ancient, to be learned about this topic.
What is the Pineal Gland?
The pineal gland is a tiny cone-shaped gland in the center of your brain. It’s about the size of a grain of rice, when not fully utilized but can grow in size when used properly. Its location inside of the brain lines up with the area of the third eye chakra, in the center of the brow bone.
At a quick glance, the pineal gland is responsible for regulating melatonin, circadian rhythms, and spurring sexual maturation. It actually has light receptors in it that function much like an eye, which enables the pineal gland to keep your circadian rhythms in check.
Recent Discoveries About the Pineal Gland
Here’s where things start to get a bit more woo-woo and compelling...
A recent study indicates that DMT, a psychoactive, may be produced in the pineal gland. Though the jury is still out on whether or not DMT is produced in the pineal gland, the implications are intriguing. Many describe the effects of DMT as feeling like an out-of-body experience or a feeling of being connected to all things. Both of these descriptions sound quite similar to being in deep states of meditation.
Another recent study found tiny calcite crystals inside the pineal gland! They are tiny and can only be seen with a microscope. That said, it is one of only two places where natural crystals are found inside the human body, the other being the inner ear. The calcite crystals in your pineal gland are piezoelectric (conduct electricity) when they vibrate. Yes, you read that correctly, there are tiny crystals in your pineal gland that can create energy when they vibrate. Because these crystals are so small, it doesn’t take much to make them vibrate.
Your pineal gland is not protected by the blood-brain barrier and unlike most of your brain and has frequent contact with your blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In fact, the blood supply to your pineal gland is higher than almost any part of your body! Your cerebrospinal fluid is highly structured water (extremely pure and energized water), which you can learn more about in this wonderful blog post by Jen Isabel Friend here.
These three facts indicate that the pineal gland is an incredibly important point in your brain. The fact that it aligns perfectly with several ancient descriptions of the third eye or spiritual eye is not a coincidence.
Ancient cultures clearly understood the importance of the pineal gland, which is evident by the frequent depictions of third eyes, single eyes, and references to a singular eye in ancient texts. Many ancient pranayama techniques and chants are intended to push your cerebrospinal fluid up to your pineal gland and vibrate the tiny calcite crystals inside. If you’d like to learn more about third eye references in history, I suggest this digital short read by Manly P. Hall.
Based on these few facts, it sounds like we have an energized antennae in our brain. The more important question is, is your pineal antennae working?
Calcification of the Pineal Gland
Now for the downside. It’s estimated that 40% of American’s pineal glands are calcified (this percentage varies from country to country). Calcification of the pineal gland has been seen at ages as young as two! To a certain extent, the calcification of the pineal gland is natural over time, many parts of our body calcify as we age. However, the extent to which our pineal glands are calcifying is likely much greater than what nature intended and certainly makes it harder for us to utilize the full potential of this gland.
Several outside factors can cause the pineal gland to calcify. The top offender is fluoride intake. Most countries add fluoride to their water, with claims of helping tooth decay. Fluoride can aid in cavity prevention, when used topically, but does not appear to add any benefit when ingested and is actually toxic. Read more about this here. Beyond fluoride consumption, processed foods and age also play a role in the calcification of the pineal gland.
Tips for Decalcifying and Activating the Pineal Gland
You can find a host of suggestions online for decalcifying the pineal gland. Many of them may require huge lifestyle changes, which I also share here. I would also like to offer some more realistic suggestions, that, I believe, are just as valuable.
These suggestions work best when they’re combined. Taking a supplement and ignoring the rest of the tips may not yield the results you’re hoping for. Start small and do what you can. I’ve placed the suggestions at the top that I find to be the easiest (and most cost-effective)
.1. Hydrate with High-quality Water
Remember how I said your pineal gland is bathed in cerebrospinal fluid daily? Well, this can’t happen if you’re dehydrated, which most of us are. Try drinking naturally structured spring water or learn techniques for creating your own structured water. Structured water, among other things, does a much better job of hydrating us. Learn more about structured water from my favorite water guru, Jen Isabel Friend, here.
2. Practice Conscious Breathing Techniques
Conscious breathing and pranayama exercises are the simplest and cheapest way to cleanse and activate your pineal gland. Breathing consciously, especially sending the breath deep into your belly, helps push CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) up your spine and up to your brain, bathing your pineal gland in highly charged and clean water.
Three-part breath and the breath of fire are two great options to get started. If you’re not familiar with them, you can find a plethora of videos with instructions with a quick internet search. If you’d like some more advanced suggestions beginning to work with the bandhas (pranic locks) as you practice your breathwork can be helpful. Dr. Joe Dispenza also offers a variety of meditations with breathing designed to push CSF up the spine (I’ve been using the Break the Habit of Being Yourself meditations and enjoying them).
3. Meditate Regularly
Before you run off and say you don’t have time to meditate daily, I want you to know that even ten minutes a day will have a big impact. I also want to emphasize the daily aspect of this step. Regular, consistent meditation will help you access and activate the pineal gland. Learn more about how to start and stick to that meditation practice here. If guided meditations resonate with you, check out my guided meditations here.
4. Add Some Chanting to Your Meditation Practice
Chanting can help vibrate those tiny calcite crystals inside of your pineal gland and wake them up a bit. This is best used once you’ve started the process of decalcifying your pineal gland. Once you’re in a good groove of giving your pineal gland some love, add in some chanting and see if you notice a difference. My favorite meditation to use this “AHHH” meditation by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I always feel AMAZING after completing this meditation!
5. Reduce Fluoride Intake
I’m not saying you have to stop going to your dentist and stop brushing your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste. I am saying to be aware of how much fluoride you’re consuming. Using it topically is one thing, but ingesting it from tap water on a daily basis is something else entirely. Do your research and find out how much fluoride is being added to your local water supply.
Here are a couple of companies that offer great fluoride filtration systems, including fluoride removing straws and water bottles. Check out PWF here for fluoride removing straws and Clearly Filtered here for a variety of fluoride filters, including fluoride removing water bottles. I’ve used PWF’s filters and can attest to their quality. Again, these aren’t sponsored, simply products I’ve used or that look helpful.
6. Eat Mindfully
As I mentioned above, processed foods are another calcifying culprit for the pineal gland. In a fast-paced world, it can be tough to limit all processed foods. I’m just as guilty of relying on easy-to-make processed foods to get me through the day. I invite you to simply become more aware of what you’re putting into your body and how it makes you feel. Opting for whole foods and less processed foods will have a cleansing effect on not only your pineal gland but your entire body.
7. Dark and light
Try minimizing light pollution in your room at night. Your pineal gland controls your circadian rhythm. Consider dimming lights and avoiding screens after sunset, and give yourself time in total darkness before bed. Both of these things will give your pineal gland cues that it’s nighttime and help it maintain normal function.
Alternatively, some ancient practices (that are still practiced today by some) suggest sun-gazing to invigorate your pineal gland and third eye chakra. It’s advised to gaze at the less intense light of the rising or setting sun and not the bright midday sun. Of course, please do your research on this and practice caution. Some also suggest candle gazing as an alternative.
8. Suggested Supplements and Foods
There’s a slew of supplements that can be used to help decalcify the pineal gland. Bonus, they’re also pretty great for your entire body! As with any supplement suggestion, be sure to run it by your healthcare provider and do your research before consuming any supplements.
Here’s a list of supplements to help in combination with the other steps outlined above. Many of these will cause your body to detoxify, please take these with caution and start with just one. I don’t recommend taking all of these at once, as it could leave you feeling pretty awful.
Spirulina
Chlorella
Green leafy vegetables
Turmeric
Apple cider vinegar
Iodine supplements and iodine-rich foods. (Iodine can significantly affect the thyroid. Please, exercise caution and discuss with your healthcare provider before taking iodine supplements.)
There are some great supplement options created by trusted natural herbalists. One product that I’ve been using and enjoy for the purpose of decalcifying my pineal gland is this blend by Anima Mundi Apothecary. This isn’t a sponsored ad, I just really love all of their products!
As I said, doing all of these things at once could be completely overwhelming and unnecessary. Start small and be kind to yourself. Bonus, all of these suggestions are pretty great for your entire body ;)
Want to learn more about the third eye chakra? Check out this previous blog post all about opening the third eye chakra.
