Lucid Dreaming vs Out of Body Experiences (OBE's)

 
Out of body experiences and lucid dreaming is something I have had a deep interest in for numerous years. It was triggered in my early teens after I was left feeling complete amazement and excitement after  believing that I had felt myself 'float' out of my own body and then fly from my bedroom window. Initially I thought it was just the most realistic dream I had ever experienced, one that gave me a true sense of freedom. I couldn't stop thinking about the 'dream' and hoped every night to have another.

This prompted my research into the possibility that it could have been more than just a dream. Since my early teens I have had numerous of these experiences; initially I feel myself  'rise' out of my physical body (sometimes this is just the feeling of floating up towards the ceiling, but more recently I feel myself 'roll' out of my physical body- as if rolling over in bed.) At times I have turned around to see my own sleeping self below me. I then float towards my window and jump from my window ledge- at this point I am terrified that someone will see me and ask what on earth I am doing- but I know I am safe- I know I will not hit the ground.... I know that I can fly. I fly like a bird across the world, I stand on rooftops, I soar above the trees and fields, I feel true freedom like never imagined. The feelings are real true feelings- but is the experience all in  my mind? Has my inner self really left my physical body behind? These are all still questions I do not have the answers to. Are these experiences Lucid dreams or actual out of body experiences? or something in between perhaps.

Research has distinguished numerous differences between lucid dreams and out of body experiences. Lucid dreaming is a term used to describe a dream in which you are aware that you are dreaming. These dreams are usually very vivid and detailed. Once the dreamer has realised that he/she is dreaming then the possibilities are endless- dream control!! With practice the dreamer can change the scene and content of the dream to whatever fantasy they wish. It is said that with lucid dreaming usually the persons physical body is present in the dream itself. WIth lucid dreaming, although an amazing phomomonom it is still a dream- the dreamer is tucked up safely in bed the whole time with no fear of harm to the physical self. 

An OBE is used to describe the occurrence when your astral body leaves the physical body. People who have experience an OBE all seem to feel the same sensation of their astral body leaving their physical body, almost 'like a ghost'. It is said that with OBE's- the astral body is more of an 'observer' than a 'participant' in the experience.

 
I feel that the experiences I have are a combination of the two- I always have the sensation of leaving my body and I can sometimes see my physical body below me. (This being very typical of an OBE) Whilst in this 'state' I usually have interaction with other people and the 'dreams' are extremely vivid and detailed- after I have woken I remember the details of peoples faces and clothing. (this is very typical of lucid dreaming). My experiences occur as I am falling asleep or have not long entered a sleep (research has suggested this is the case when experiencing an OBE) Lucid dreams are more common when the person has entered REM sleep. The very interesting things with my experiences are that they ALL ocured during daytime sleep. Never have I had a 'lucid drem/OBE' during the night. 

I do not know what category my personal experiences fall into- but I do know that I am truly fascinated by this phenomenon and really enjoy the 'dreams' when I am lucky enough to experience them. I would love to hear from any of you that have had similar experiences or anyone who can shed some light on my own experiences or offer me any further information. 

A Samhain Poem

Samhain

The wheel has turned
The veil is thin
The candles are glowing
The light remains dim

Our alter stands 

Wearing robes of black
We close our eyes
And help guide them back

The pumpkin grins 

And shines the way

To guide them home 

And keep them safe

With memories ripe
Our loved ones are here
We feel so blessed
To have them so near

They always live on
In what they have taught
In words they have spoken

And thoughts they have thought

An energy remains
Even after they move on
Part of them stays
And always lives strong

The cycle of life
A mystery to us all
We stand strong together
Never to fall

Death is the beginning

 Of new life to come

 Of many more lessons;
Joy, love and fun.

Life is a mystery
Death is a certainty
Love is a blessing....

                                                                                  Amber-Rose (2013)

                                                                                          

Samhain

Samhain is a celebrated on October 31st and has been taken on by millions around the world over recent years (ok it has been commercialized and has had the meaning completely altered) ...but even so, almost every non-pagan will recognize this celebration as 'Halloween'. Although Halloween is  known for being a fun and light hearted celebration , for people of the pagan path however, this is also a very serious and important time of year. (don't get my wrong, we all- pagan and non-pagan alike- enjoy having a good laugh at this time of year) we just also celebrate the root meaning of this festival- a time for appreciating our loved ones who have passed on, giving thanks to them, along with our ancestors, for all that they have given to us. As with most of the Sabats, pronunciation does differ from person to person- I have always pronounced this festival 'Sow-en'.

Samhain is a time for remembering our loved ones that have passed on to the summer-lands, a time for giving thanks to them and for letting them know how much we love them and care about them. It is a time for looking into the past, for learning from our ancestors and listening to what they have taught us.

Samhain is the perfect time for divination, scrying and Tarot. You may hear many describe it as the time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest- the time when we have the greatest chance of communication with the other side- with spirit.

As the wheel of the year demonstrates, along with all of natures cycles- although this is a time of year representing death- with death comes new life...with death comes rebirth. This is often celebrated as 'New year' in many pagan traditions- following death a new life starts and with it- a new year. 

Colours of Samhain

 Golds, bronzes, browns, Oranges, Black- any colours assosiated with autumn.

 Herbs/incense

 Allspice, sage, catnip, basil, clove, camphor, apple, Myrrh.

Crystals

 Obsidian, Carnelian, onyx, Amber, Jet.

Animals

Cat, bat, owl, Crow.

Things to do at Samhain

• Make a list of all the things you wish to achieve in the next year (and review last years list- have you achieved everything you set out to achieve? if not- add it to this years list!!)

• Dig out pictures of relatives that have passed on and pop them on your alter- pay them a little respect and spend a while with them at the center of your thoughts.

• Make photo albums, photobooks, collages- all of your loved ones- and treasure them!

• Scrying- this can be both fun and informative (I will be covering scrying in more detail in a future post)
  

Spirit work- working directly with spirit and contacting our loved ones directly is not for everyone- many people have very mixed opinions about this and it is often a subject up for debate. My personal thoughts are that as long as you are not hurting anyone, you are respectful to spirit and you have good intent - then it may be something you wish to try. I have had some incredibly amazing messages through spirit board work. I would suggest that if it is something that you are new to, then make sure you have some experienced friends with you to guide you- you may have the best intent at heart- but you cannot always choose the spirit that comes through- and they sometimes like to play with your mind a little believe me! It not only your loved ones you can connect with in this way- your spirit guides, totem animals- you never know perhaps even your goddess or god may come through- its a whole world of mystery!!

• A samhain feast is a great idea- this way you can include all of your family without 'weirding them out' too much if they are not pagan. Invite the fam over for dinner in memory of your late loved ones. Get everyone to bring old photos, old photos hold
  
  more energy than imaginable!
• Carve pumpkins... this isnt just a commercial thing either- history tells that a  candle lit inside the pumpkin left on the window ledge on Samhain night guides the spirits of our loved ones back home to us!

Dress up!! Have fun!! Just because we celebrate the core reason of samhain, it dosnt meen we cant participate in the 'Haloween' that society has created- in a way its kind of refreshing that a pagan festival has become one of the years most exciting and looked forward to days- especially for the children!!  Plus its the one day we can wander around wearing our favourite cloaks and dress 'normally' and no-one would bat an eyelid! We can even take our brooms for a spin and save on the petrol!!

For me personally, if I had no time to do an of the above- the core of this celebration for me is to say thank you to my family that have passed on, to let them know that I still think of them ,that I still appreciate their presence, and most of all...that I still love them!!

Wishing you all the brightest blessings this Samhain!

Herbology

I am going to include a list of the herbs I am most familiar with and include both the magical and medicinal benefits where appropriate. 

 

Acorns- Prosperity

Amber- Happiness, Reassurance

Allspice- Lust, Diabetes, Stomach aches

Bay leaves- Psychic-abilities, Divination, Money, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Anti-viral

Basil- Protection of the home, Divination, Anti-inflammatory, Reduces high blood-pressure, Reduces high blood sugar, Oily skin.

Benzoin- Astral travel 

Bergamot- Fertility, Prosperity,  Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Hayfever, Nasal-Congestion

Black Pepper-  Banishing negativity, Antispasmodic, Anti-oxidant, Stimulant

Chamomile- Sleep, Relaxation, Aching muscles, Acne, Asthma, Hayfever, Morning sickness

Cloves- Visions, Bereavement, Wealth, Pain Killer

Chives- Weight-loss, Aneamia, Colds, Digestion 

Dandelion- Contacting the spirit world

Dragons blood- Protection

Echinacea- Healing, Flu, Colds, Allergies, Anti-inflammatory, Antiviral, Asthma, Earache

Eucalyptus- Healing, Decongestant, Mosquito-repellant

Frankincense- Healing, Cleansing, Protection 

Garlic- Home Blessing, Protection, Antioxidants, Reduces Blood pressure, Cholesterol

Hawthorn- Fertility

Hemp- Meditation

Hibiscus- Love, Divination, Blood pressure, Cholesterol, High in vitamin C

Holly- Luck and protection

Jasmine- Love, Money, Spiritual growth, Anti- depressant, Dry skin 

Lavender- Happiness, peace, relaxation, Depression, Anxiety, Pain killer, Anti-bacterial, Anti-depressant, Antiseptic, Bruises 

Lemon- Friendship,  Anti-inflammatory, Anti- oxidant, Antiseptic, High blood pressure

Mistletoe- Youth, Beauty

Myrrh- Fertility, Youth, Use as a mouthwash to fight bacteria

Nettle- Protection, Exorcism, Diuretic, Aneamia, Arthritis, Exzema, Urinary-problems

Oak- Fertility, Health

 Orris- Love

Patchouli- To break or remove a spell 

Pine- Fertility, Money

 Rosemary- Beauty, Colds, Immunity, Alzheimers, Anti-depressant, Antiseptic

Rose buds- Passion, Love

Rose hips- Luck, Anti-depressant, Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Antiviral

Rowan- Psychic-awareness, Success

Sage- Cleansing, Wishes, Wisdom, Protection, Hot flushes, Menopause, Mouth ulcers

Sandlewood- Removes negative energies 

Thistle- Strength

Turmeric- Purification, Alzheimers, Depression, Weight-management, Liver Deoxifier

Valerian- Relaxation, Sleep, Sedative

Vervain- Love, Peace, Protection, Money, Healing, Youth 

Willow- Divination

White willow bark- Protection, Love, Healing, Divination, Pain Killer

Yarrow- Courage, Menstruation, Varicous veins, Wound healing

Ylang Ylang- Inner calm, peace.

The content of this post is not intended as medical advice- it is for magikal reference only. please seek advice from your medical practitioner before using any of the above (especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding) as there are certain contraindications for each herb.

Mabon/ The Autumn Equinox

Mabon is a celebration of the second harvest and a time to give thanks for the food and crops the earth has provided for us. It is a time to start preparing for the darker and colder months ahead of us- from this day onwards the dark will be taking over the light, the days become shorter and the nights become longer. It is named after a welsh god Mabon ap Modron (the son of Modron). The term Mabon is a neo-pagan term that was created in the 1970's, but the celebration of the festival dates back to 3000 B.C. The Druids call this celebration Mea'n Fo'mhair.

The timing of Mabon varies slightly each year. Astrologer David Rowan helped me to understand this better ''This year's Solar Ingress to Libra (Autumn Equinox) is at 20:44 BST on the 22nd of September 2013.  The word 'Ingress' describes the moment when a planet changes Sign'' (David Rowan, 2013).

''The stations of the Sun, Solsticial and Equinoxical moments, occur when the Sun Ingresses into each of the 4 Cardinal Signs of the Tropical Zodiac:
Capricorn = Yule, or mid-winter
Aries = Spring Equinox
Cancer = Summer Solstice
Libra = Autumn Equinox'' (David Rowan, 2013)

''The dates vary each year because our calendar counting system is not calculated to follow the celestial sphere properly, hence the 'one day adjustment' every 4 years (leap year) '' (David Rowan 2013)

For those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of astrology I will link David Rowans website at the bottom of this post.

 Mabon Insence

 (recipe by Scott Cunningham)

• 2 parts Frankinsense
• 1 Part Sandlewood
• 1 Part Cypress
• 1 Part Juniper
• 1 Part Pine
• 1/2 Part Oakmoss
• 1 pinch of pulverized Oak Leaf

Astrological sign 

 1 degree Libra

Mabon strones 

 yellow agates, carnelian, lapis lazuli.

Colours

  Reds, browns, yellows, maroons, golds.

Herbs

Acrons, myrhh, seeds, tobacco, ferns, marigolds.

 

 

Activities 

 Long walks in the woods, scattering offerings in nature, making wines, making corn dollies,

making of talismans and amulets, dip leaves in paraffin wax and bless them (they make perfect little gifts).

Mabon

(by Ezzy Violet)

The Time of Change is upon us again -
the Equinox comes, the Wheel turns...

The Goddess and the God prepare for
Their journey to the Otherworld,
as the Earth and all of Her children
prepare for the Time of Quiet and
Reflection that lies ahead...

May we use this Autumnal period to seek for the strength and power within
to assist us on our own quests for
vision, feeling, and peace...

May we see and feel the presence of

the Goddess and the God within, though
without, the Earth begins Her slumber...

Keep us in Your light...

 

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a Blessed Mabon! 

http://www.davidrowan.co.uk/solar/introducing_astrology.html 

http://www.davidrowan.co.uk/solar/astrology_online_teaching.html

Making your everyday life Magikal...

Magik is all around us, it surrounds everything and everyone- all we have to do is become tuned in to it to feel the great effects it can have on our every day life. Magik isn't just present in our rituals or within our sacred circles- its absolutely everywhere!! 

Sometimes in our hectic busy life schedules its very hard to find the time to put aside to practise Magik- casting a circle with all the tools and props can take alot of preparation and in turn be quite time consuming. It took me a while to realise this wasn't all necessary to bring magik into our lives on a daily basis- there are so many very simple yet effective ways you can lead a magical life with hardly any preparation at all... I would love to share a few of my ideas with you all. 

Divine Dialogue

For those of you who have never heard of Charming Pixie Flora- I would strongly suggest you check out her youtube videos- she helped me so much when I first started on my pagan path, she has such a positive energy about her and her videos are really inspiring. In one of her videos she talks about daily divine dialogue. Its all about talking to not only the goddess and god but to our spirit guides, our animal guides, the elementals, the Fae.. and so on. Communication is essential- and we can all do this on a daily basis but just talking to them. I usually do this in my car- Ill chat away to the Goddess giving my thanks and asking for anything I require at the time. If we don't ask we don't get- it really is that simple. Ill link Charming Pixie Floras video below (I promise all of her videos are worth a watch!!) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJXeDPaA6QY

5 Minute Morning Affirmations 

Every morning spend 5 minutes making daily affirmations, and instead of saying to yourself 'I am going to have a great day today' change it round and say 'I am having a great day today', 'I am making a difference to someones life today for the better' 'I am confident' 'I am beautiful', 'I am happy' 'I am feeling great' (and so on) It works- I promise!! If you start the day by rolling out of bed and thinking 'oh I hate work im dreading it', 'I feel exhausted and have no energy' .. guess what- that's exactly how you will feel- its all magik! You create your own reality. You attract if your day is going to be positive and productive and enjoyable. So take a few minutes each day to focus on how you want your day to be- and believe it!

 Crystal Baths/Showers

We all shower or bath on a regular basis (id like to hope :p)- so make it magikal by adding crystals! Pop your favourite crystals into your bath and their energies with radiate through the water and our bodies are literally bathing in this energy- a great way to start the day!

If only we all had a bath made out of crystal-  I can always hope!

Adding Magikal Intention Into Your Cooking

Food...we all love our food don't we- food is our fuel, its how our bodies run- so lets add magikal intent into our food when cooking. When preparing meals really focus on positive energy, healing energy, and love energies all going into what you are making. When we eat we absorb this energy into our bodies- if food is made in a rush with anger and frustration- its likely we may absorb these feeling when we eat the food. When making a cup of tea I usually start by stirring anti-clockwise and imagine all negativity disappearing, I banish all bad thoughts. I then stir clockwise imagining positive energy being infused into the drink- love, healing, prosperity.... its so easy and effective.

Don't just look- see!

We all look around at nature, as we drive to work, as we walk in the park and we stare out of our windows- but looking isn't always enough- really see what you are looking at, take a  minute to appreciate it. Once you start taking that extra second to really see a whole new world opens up. Look at the birds in the trees, look at the flowers in the garden, look at the wildlife, and the trees and the rocks.... That's when you start to get messages from nature. 

Music

Music has such an incredible affect on us- its truly incredible. It can completely change the way we feel instantly... now that's powerful!! If you listen to gentle meditation music its likely you will feel relaxed and calm, if you listen to shamanic drumming you may feel the energy building up inside you until you feel you need to dance or sway or express yourself in some way. Its magikal. Pop a CD on on the way to work in your car- start the day with some gentle soft music, or songs you love. A CD with chants is also a good idea- I love to sing along to the chants whilst driving along- its fun, relaxing, connects you to the Goddess and raises energy at the same time- its a win win!!

You can add intent and magick into pretty much everything you do in your daily life- weather it be a hobby such as knitting or gardening, having a cup of tea or getting ready for work. Getting in these little habits will actually make a difference to your life- its worth giving it a go and see the results for yourself.  

Making Magik with Gaia

I have just returned from a glorious week away in the beautiful Alcudia, and whilst I was away soaking up the sun on the white gold sandy beaches,

I had the pleasure of reading 'Making Magik with Gaia' by Francesca Ciancimino Howell. I thought I would share this book with you all as it really made me take a huge step back and re-evaluate myself and my own life. It focuses on how as individuals and as a society we (often unknowingly) have such a negative and harmful impact on the environment and our mother earth. I put my hands up and admit that I for one am guilty of buying many materialistic items that I do not necessarily 'need', wasting too much water on baths/showers, using our planets resources without a second thought... and until reading this book had not even considered how certain things really impact the natural world around us. The book was very refreshing and has encouraged me to make certain day to day changes and break bad habits and replacing them with newer ones that will have a more beneficial impact on our mother earth. 

Within each chapter these are numerous exercises to help us heal our planet on a physical and spiritual level- and in return receive healing ourselves. There are so many signs our planet is sick and needs our collective help to re-gain her strength. This book is not only aimed at pagan or even spiritual individuals- it can be enjoyed and be of value to anyone who takes an interest in protecting our earth- our mother Gaia. 

 Whilst I was away I discovered a gorgeous crystal shop with hundreds of the most spectacular crystals I have ever seen- I was in heaven! (my family knew they were in for an even longer than usual wait outside of this shop!!) They had every crystal I can think of- and some extortionately priced ones too- but as we all know its not always the expensive immaculate polished crystals that catch our eye- its the ones we really need in our lives that draw us to them!
 

 


The first one to jump out at me was this gem to the right- and after reading Making Magik with Gaia I had decided I needed a crystal to represent our  mother earth when directing healing- and this one is perfect! 

 

The next one is the tiniest little Citrine cluster- (its so very cute!) Citrine is one of my favorites- a great crystal for prosperity- and im sure none of us would turn a little prosperity away one in a while!

 

The next one to jump out at me was this clear quartz point- it was sitting at the back amongst about 30 others- but Im sure we all know that familiar feeling when we just get drawn to one particular crystal and we know that's the one that's coming home with us.. I find clear quartz is such a great all-rounder and can be easily programmed to have almost any property you desire. 

 


 

My favorite of all is this Agate Crystal...with what looks like an evil eye on the surface.... I was very excited when I found this little gem. For those of you not familiar with the evil eye- it is a symbol well known in many cultures to ward off evil and protect the person to carry it or wear it- a little lucky charm!

Animal Spirit Guides

I have always been an animal lover and am overwhelmed by the connection we can build with them on a personal and also spiritual level. Animal spirit guides or 'totem animals' as some prefer relate to a particular animal that comes into your life to offer you guidance at that particular time.

 Some animal guides are at our sides for life and others come and go as you need them. Have you ever seen an animal in a strange place or one that particularly stood out to you for no reason? These are messenger guides that come into your life in order to give you a message or guidance, and once you have understood and interpreted this- they leave until you need them again. A few months back I saw 3 foxes on the way to work- I hadn't previously seen a fox in months perhaps even years. This was my fox guides way of getting my attention at that particular time in my life.




The next type of animal guides are 'Life animal guides'. From the earliest age I can remember I had a fascination with Grizzly bears, I watched films, documentaries, had bear t-shirts, mugs, I was so intrigued by their immense power and beauty. I had a deep spiritual respect for them. The grizzly bear is my Life animal spirit guide, and in times of need I will often seek guidance through meditation.
Did you ever have a favourite animal as a child? Children are so much more receptive to animal spirit guides, try to remember back to your childhood, perhaps this could be one of your animal spirit guides?




Other spirit guides may grab your attention by causing fear. Fear is one of the strongest emotions, and if animal causes you sudden unexpected fear then pay attention to it. It is creating this fear as a warning to you. It may bot necessarily be a real life encounter with this animal- often these spirit guides will come to you in a dream. I went through a phase of having a recurring dream about cows- not very scary I hear you thinking- but In the dream I was terrified. To be fearful of something you would not normally be afraid of is of even more significance. 

 So our guides have grabbed our attention- what next?

This is what I used to struggle with- I would notice a guide but then be a little confused where to go from there... if only animals could talk! 

Books

 
I purchased a lovely little book by Ted Andrews, called Animal-Speak Pocket Guide.

It is a fabulous pocket size book that gives a summary of what each spirit animal may represent or be trying to tell you. This is a great way of beggining to interpret your little friends messages.

 Meditation

 Next you could try meditation to search a little deeper into the message- there are numerous guided 'spirit guide meditations' available for free on youtube and I have found these to be very helpful.

 Oracle Cards

Oracle cards are another way of getting that all important message across, I have the 'Messages From your Animal Spirit Guides' deck as pictured to the right. 
It is a beautiful deck that comes with a little book explaining the meaning of each card. I tend to just pick one card per reading although im sure there are more fancy and complex ways of getting more details messages with different spreads.








There are many other ways of getting in touch and interpreting your guides messages but these are the ones I use myself and find work wonderfully. Animals are such beautifully intelligent creatures and we as human beings often underestimate their power, if we just take the time to step back and pay attention to them then they really can make a difference to our lives.

Mini Alters

Mini alters are such a great idea- I carry my Mini Alter in a little pouch wherever I go- its the perfect size to pop into my handbag. Mini Alters are also a great idea if you don't have space in your house for a full sized alter, if you don't have a permanent fixed alter or even for those who arn't so open with their path and wish to keep it more discreet.

My mini Alter

Mini alters consist of most of the things a full size alter would consist of- but in miniature. Its that simple. In my Mini Alter I have:

• A mini Athame
  
•  A mini Candle I made at candlemas to represent fire
• A little pot of sage (not pictured)
•  A mini chakra crystal set (also represents earth)
• A mini container of water cleansed by the full moon (not pictured as it outside at present)
• A mini incense stick to represent air
• My representations of the goddess and god in the form of painted agate slices (I got these off Ebay and absolutely adore them),
• There is also a white crystal and a black crystal to represent balance
•  An evil eye bead for protection
• A little Faerie
• A silver pentacle (actually a pendant)
• A small pewter bear (my familiar animal)
• 2 wooden goddess figurines 
• A piece of Amber  

There are still a few other pieces I would like to add such as a mini wand- but its in development :)

I would love to know if any of you have mini alters and what you like to carry around with you.

Crystals- Cleansing and Charging

Crystals have been one of my passions since I was a young child. What started as an attraction to their beauty developed into an appreciated for their great energies and properties. When I say beauty I don't necessarily mean the perfect polished crystal that has the least imperfections- what I mean is the ones that stand out for their natural beauty. I personally prefer rough natural crystals to polished ones as I can really feel their natural properties coming through.  Crystals can come in all shapes, sizes.... and prices!! But again its not always the most expensive that are the most effective. 

 Cleansing Crystals

The first thing to do when you get a crystal is to cleanse it. The crystal will have absorbed energies from anyone that has picked it up, it will then be stored inside the crystal- and these energies arn't always good ones! There are a number of ways to cleanse a crystal, but these are my preferred methods:

• Place it under running water- ideally a natural source of running water such as a stream, but under a tap can work just fine. 
• Pass it through incense- I usually place a row of crystals on top of my incense burner and as the incense stick burns down the crystals in turn get cleansed.
• Place them under the moonlight- ideally on the full moon, they will become energized as well as cleansed.
• Place them outside in the rain- during a thunder storm is ever better- I love this method!!

(Be careful with crystals like selenite when using any water method- as they don't like the water one bit, it breaks them down)

 Charging Crystals 

Next you can charge your crystals- different crystals have many associated properties, but a crystal can actually be programmed to your exact needs. For example, if you have a headache you can hold the crystal and empower it to help relieve headaches, visualise the crystal taking away the headache, tell the crystal it needs to relieve headaches, spend a little time focusing on this whilst holding the crystal...then sit back and watch it do its magik- place it on your forehead and away you go. Crystals that already have properties known to help relieve headaches (such as amethyst) will work even better. (that combined with your empowerment of the crystal= no need to drive to the shop for paracetamol...great stuff!) Crystals can be charged and empowered to do almost anything you wish- give it a try!

Crystals  come in all sorts of presentations- you can get rough pieces of Crystal, geode formations, crystal wands and crystal Jewellery (amongst many others). Crystal Jewellery is a great way to keep your crystal close throughout the day, point pendants are my favourite way to wear them. Below is my collection of crystal point pendants. (Top left-right) we have amethyst, aqua aura, a small fluorite and rose quartz. (bottom left-right)  moonstone, smokey quartz and an unknown black crystal- possibly jet or obsidian.

My crystal point pendants

Amethyst- this is a good all rounder. It is known to help addictions and sobriety as well as relieve headaches, stress and depression.

Aqua Aura- this is created by fusing together quartz and gold at very high heat and the combination of the two is very powerful. It works well with the throat chakra and aids speech and communication as well as being a very protective crystal.

Fluorite- is a really beautiful crystal with stunning colours of purple and green. It is a very balancing crystal and helps stabilise the aura. It helps us with decision making and helps boost the immune system. 

Rose quartz- is a very well known crystal and promotes love- in particular self love. Wear this to attract love, maintain love and appreciate love. Its one to always have close by.

Moonstone- is great for pregnancy and child birth- this pendant was actually worn by my sister when she gave birth to my nephew- who I proudly delivered! the labour went very smoothly indeed (thanks to the moonstone and the great midwife im sure ...and a little due to the hard work and bravery of my sister too :p) Being a midwife this is a great one for me to wear to work- if even a little of its energy reaches my patients then that's a bonus! 

Smokey quartz- was my very first crystal pendant and its extremely grounding. It also helps transform negative energies into positive ones. It is a stone of serenity and can leave a very calming and relaxed effect on the wearer. 

The last crystal I have is the little black unknown one. Black crystals are fantastic at absorbing negative feelings and emotions, they are usually very powerful crystals that have to be handled with care and cleansed very often due to the amount of negativity they absorb. 

 When I first started with crystals one of the methods I used (and still use) when I purchased new crystals it to close my eyes and select one, hold it and see how it makes me feel. This way you are not influenced by the look or colour of the crystal or what you perhaps have already read about what the properties of that particular crystal should be. Write them down and keep your own record- how a crystal works for one person may not necessarily be the same for another, so go with your own instincts. 

Often you are drawn to particular crystals that you need in your life at that present time- so take note, they might just be telling you something about yourself you didn't even realize.

Storing crystals

• Its always worth having an amethyst cluster stored with your crystals as this naturally cleanses crystals around it.
• Don't store them in direct sunlight- some crystals don't like this and can become very discolored.
• don't hide them away in a dark drawer where you cant benefit from their energies- have them close by!

I could write for hours upon end about crystals but I would like to go into more detail on my individual crystals and their uses in future posts, so for now ill leave it at the crystal basics and hopefully it may have helped one or two of you who are new to crystals and crystal healing.