Stone of Self-Belief: Hematite Vanquishes Anxiety

Hematite shores up self-image and self-belief. It also transforms negative energy into positive. Hematite is considered to be yang, a more male energy. My favorite aspect of this shiny wonder is that it assists with both legal problems and astral projection. Hematite is a creativity crystal and a marvelous mental enhancer, increasing the ability to focus, concentrate, think with logic, and remember more clearly and completely. Hematite draws anxiety out of the body and creates calm. In addition to all of these aspects that project outward, hematite contributes to inner work: self-knowledge, deeper consciousness, and wisdom. Like the iron in the earth from which it is formed, hematite grounds. If you feel spacey or disconnected, you should wear hematite.

Aromatherapy for Anxiety: The Scent of Serenity

Rose essential oil is extracted from the flower’s petals and has an exquisite perfume. Rose is also highly prized for how it relaxes and stimulates the senses and memory.

Lavender is one of the most beloved of all aromatherapy oils, not just for its singular scent; it has been proven to relieve tension by the reaction of the limbic system in the brain that controls our emotions.

Jasmine essential oil has an arresting floral scent which can cause an increased sense of well-being. Jasmine calms the nervous system without causing sleepiness.

Vetiver oil is derived from the vetiver plant, a grassy native of India. It has a sweet, earthy scent and is used to attain a meditative state and is a marvelous anti-anxiety remedy as well.

Basil essential oil comes from the same herb that you use in cooking. In aromatherapy, it’s used to help calm the mind and alleviate stress.

Clary Sage is a woody essential oil that is valued for its antidepressant qualities. It has been proven to reduce the body’s production of the hormone cortisol, known as the “stress hormone.”

Bergamot comes from bergamot oranges and has a revitalizing citrusy scent. Bergamot is beloved for how it can uplift and improve mood.

Ylang-Ylang is highly floral and a great relaxant. It is also proven in scientific tests to lower tension, reduce blood pressure, and even out the heart rate.

Chamomile is pretty well-known for its relaxing and sedating properties and appealing scent; it can help overcome sleep disruptions and bring about a good, deep rest.

Frankincense oil is made from a tree resin and has been cherished for its sweetly musky yet purifying aroma, which is used to create a meditative state and ease anxiety.

Lemon Balm has a bracing and uplifting scent which is very soothing and restorative; it can also be a sleep aid.

Valerian: an herb that has been used since ancient times to promote sleep and calm nerves. It has a tranquilizing and sedative effect on the body.

Patchouli also has a musky woodsy scent and is used in ayurvedic medicine to relieve anxiety, stress, and depression.

Stone of Self-Belief: Hematite Vanquishes Anxiety

Hematite shores up self-image and self-belief. It also transforms negative energy into positive. Hematite is considered to be yang, a more male energy. My favorite aspect of this shiny wonder is that it assists with both legal problems and astral projection. Hematite is a creativity crystal and a marvelous mental enhancer, increasing the ability to focus, concentrate, think with logic, and remember more clearly and completely. Hematite draws anxiety out of the body and creates calm. In addition to all of these aspects that project outward, hematite contributes to inner work: self-knowledge, deeper consciousness, and wisdom. Like the iron in the earth from which it is formed, hematite grounds. If you feel spacey or disconnected, you should wear hematite.

Dis-Spelling All Fear: Full Moon Rite

For overcoming panic, anxiety or your innermost fears, you can turn to your banishing block touchstone. You probably already have a crystal you turn to, but if not, allow me to recommend the rose-red marvel known as Rhodochrosite. This striking stone is also invaluable for overcoming fear and paranoia (mental unease). Rhodochrosite abets a more positive worldview. One of the simplest and best aspects of this crystal is that it will help you to sleep more peacefully, shoving apprehension, worry, and woe out of your mind so you can heal body and soul. Your dreams will be positive, too. This is a remarkable stone for affirming the self, allowing for absolute self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. Rhodochrosite brings together the spiritual plane and the material place. This crystal is important because it permits the heart to feel hurt and pain deeply, and this processing of emotions nurtures growth.

Sit on the floor, legs crossed, and breathe deeply nine times. Take the touchstone into your hands and chant:

That which came from the sky, enter into me. 
As was the moon full, so am I now.
And so I go, with this light, full and bright. 
So mote it be.

Repeat this at least six times, until you feel the energy of the stone passing into you. Now, go conquer!

Flower Remedy Ritual

Flower essences restore emotional balance and aid physical harmony. Naturopathic doctors and healers recommend using Dr. Bach’s flower remedies, which were originally created from the morning dew found on flower petals. These subtle medicines are available in most health food and metaphysical stores. To know which essences are right for you, take a pendulum and write the essence names on paper in a wheel formation. Holding the pendulum in the middle, wait for it to select one name while chanting:

Spirit of the flower, help me this dayTo keep disease and depression far at bay. Blessed be.

To prepare the following remedies, mix two drops of flower essence in 30 milliliters of distilled water. Take four drops of the remedy daily until your health is restored. You can also apply the remedy to your pulse points: wrists, temples, behind the ears, back of knees. You can also add it to your bath, or spray it into the air. Following is a guide to healing flower remedies:

Addiction: skullcap, oregano 
Anger: nettle, blue flag, chamomile
Anxiety: garlic, rosemary, aspen, periwinkle, lemon balm, white chestnut, gentian
Bereavement: honeysuckle
Depression: borage, sunflower, larch, chamomile, geranium, yerba santa, black cohosh, lavender, mustard
Exhaustion: aloe, yarrow, olive, sweet chestnut
Fear: poppy, mallow, ginger, peony, water lily, basil, datura 
Heartbreak: heartsease, hawthorn, borage
Lethargy: aloe, thyme, peppermint

Stress: dill, Echinacea, thyme, mistletoe, lemon balm 
Spiritual blocks: oak, ginseng, lady’s slipper

Hope and Healing Candle Consecration

Recently, I have been wishing and hoping for peace in this world of ours, as have most of us. I have been making, burning, and giving away candles with the word “peace” written with crystals embedded in the soft candle wax.

If possible, perform this spell during a full moon night for the greatest effect. Place your stained-glass peace candle on your altar and light rose incense, which represents love and unity. Light the candle and chant:

I light this candle for hope,
I light this candle for love,
I light this candle for unity,
I light this candle for the good of all the world 
That we should live in peace. And so it shall be.

Sit in front of your altar and meditate, eyes closed, for a few minutes while visualizing peace in the world. Let the candle burn completely for full charging. Whenever the world around you feels chaotic, light this candle and meditate on a sense of peace enveloping you. And it will.

Dis-Spelling All Fear: Full Moon Rite

For overcoming panic, anxiety or your innermost fears, you can turn to your banishing block touchstone. You probably already have a crystal you turn to, but if not, allow me to recommend the rose-red marvel known as Rhodochrosite. This striking stone is also invaluable for overcoming fear and paranoia (mental unease). Rhodochrosite abets a more positive worldview. One of the simplest and best aspects of this crystal is that it will help you to sleep more peacefully, shoving apprehension, worry, and woe out of your mind so you can heal body and soul. Your dreams will be positive, too. This is a remarkable stone for affirming the self, allowing for absolute self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. Rhodochrosite brings together the spiritual plane and the material place. This crystal is important because it permits the heart to feel hurt and pain deeply, and this processing of emotions nurtures growth.

Sit on the floor, legs crossed, and breathe deeply nine times. Take the touchstone into your hands and chant:

That which came from the sky, enter into me.
As was the moon full, so am I now.
And so I go, with this light, full and bright.
So mote it be.

Repeat this at least six times, until you feel the energy of the stone passing into you. Now, go conquer!

Floral Healing Remedies

Flower essences mixed with 30 milliliters distilled water water can also be used as the following remedies:

• Addiction: skullcap, agrimony

• Anger: nettle, blue flag, chamomile

• Anxiety: garlic, rosemary, aspen, periwinkle, lemon balm, white chestnut, gentian

• Bereavement: honeysuckle

• Depression: borage, sunflower, larch, chamomile, geranium, yerba santa, black cohosh, lavender, mustard

• Exhaustion: aloe, yarrow, olive, sweet chestnut

• Fear: poppy, mallow, ginger, peony, water lily, basil, datura

•  Heartbreak: heartsease, hawthorn, borage

• Lethargy: aloe, thyme, peppermint

• Stress: dill, echinacea, thyme, mistletoe, lemon balm

• Spiritual Blocks: oak, ginseng, lady's slipper

Stress-reducing Stones: Calming Coral

Coral is another stone formed from organic material. 

In this case, it is the skeletons of many sea creatures. Coral can be found all around the world in our oceans. Ancient cultures revered coral for its medical benefits and its beauty. The ancients attributed much religious significance to coral as well. Coral comes in a nearly infinite number of shapes, and the colors range almost as widely—from white to black. The different colors of coral have different properties:

-pink is comforting;

-red is invigorating;

-gray brings accord;

-black absorbs energy;

-white brings constancy.

Coral abets the bones and the blood and is a cleanser, good for inner organs and mental processes. Edgar Cayce used it to pacify and soothe. Since coral is made up of many generations of organisms, it is a gateway to the past. Because it was so readily available—by washing up on shore and being easily harvested from the seas—ancient man believed sailors could calm the waters with it. It was commonly worn as an amulet or pendant, with the most powerful coral having been freshly taken from the ocean unbroken. The ancients believed the living being remained inside the coral until it was broken, giving it enormous power. Moonlight is supposed to intensify the healing power of coral. Use the color guidelines above to help you choose the coral you need at any given time. You should provide yourself with an entire wardrobe of corals in all shades. Wear a red coral necklace to rid yourself of a chest cold; wear gray if you are squabbling with your mate. Wear white if you need more “Zen” in your world.

Renewing Ritual: Calming Breath Meditation

Murcha in Sanskrit means “to retain,” so murcha is the “retaining breath.”

Murcha will help you hold on to some of your natural energy that business drains away. Restore yourself through this ritual. Pranayama is the fine art of breathing and controlling the flow of oxygen in and out of the lungs. Conscious breathing can vastly improve your health and make you more alert. This is a yoga exercise for achieving a state of ecstasy through pranayama. Done properly, murcha will enhance your mental capacity, center you, and create a sense of euphoria.

Sit down on the floor or a mat and make yourself as comfortable as possible. Now close your eyes and calm yourself completely. Begin the process of murcha by taking a few mindful breaths. Breathe through your nose. Don’t hold your breath; just breathe in and out in a natural manner, but remain aware of your breathing.

When you are ready, take a deeper breath through your nose and visualize the new air and oxygen traveling throughout your body, cleansing and relaxing you. Hold that deeper breath, bend your neck, and bring your chin as close to your lungs and chest as possible. Keep this position as long as you can do so comfortably. When you need to, raise your head again and slowly exhale through your nose. When your lungs are empty, repeat the murcha breath. Repeat this cycle of breathing five times only. After the fifth breath, notice how you feel and be “in the moment.” Like most breathing meditations, you will experience a subtle sort of ecstasy with raised energy and a sense of bliss.

In pranayama, it is important to remember not to place any stress on your body. Don’t hold your breath beyond your comfort level. To do so would be to go against the grain of the technique and teachings of pranayama.

With practice, you will notice you can hold your breath naturally and comfortably just a little bit longer each time. As with all things, pranayama yoga breathing gets better with practice. The beginning breath cleanses the pulmonary system and raises your energy level.

Healng Crystals For When You are Freaking Out From Stress

 I don’t know about you, dear ones, but many of my friends, family, coworkers and I are experiencing extremely high stress.  Even my Facebook friends are feeling the strrain. 

Therefore, I feel called to offer what small wisdom I have for what you can do to counteract this lack of balance in your environment and our world.  As you may know, I am a strong believer in the calming and healing power of crystals. When people ask me, “How the heck could a piece of rock help heal my body?, I will point them to the wisdom of the chakra system.

It is becoming widely known that crystals can be curative for the emotional body, the spiritual body, and the physical body. And, we have learned that crystals can interact electromagnetically with people. The prehistoric medicine man and shamans knew instinctively how to harness this stone power and use it to enhance or stimulate energy; they never doubted the power of the unseen. Modern shamans talk about the body in a different way; they are in tune with and are working with the etheric body, the subtle life force that sustains the physical body and serves as the matrix for the metabolic functions. They work with the system of chakras (points of energy in the astral body that are associated with various parts of the physical body) and endeavor to make sure everything is in proper alignment. Illness beginning with misalignment of either the etheric body or physical body can result in a domino effect of maladies. Imbalance in the etheric body can cause low energy; depression; stress-related diseases such as shingles, ulcers, and migraines; and any number of other serious physical issues

Stress-reducing stones for you to try:

Alexandrite will bring lots of zest. Feeling depressed, worried and  blue? Citrine or jet can banish dark days. Stressed out? Rhyolite races to the rescue, as well.

Certain green stones, such as chrysocolla and malachite, calm the mind, and green-flecked bloodstone is a stress buffer.

If you want to be uplifted, try jade. To become wiser, pick sapphire. To stay safe while traveling, pick dendritic agate.

 To remain calm and overcome stress, choose blue lace agate. For more mental clarity, choose malachite. For a self-esteem boost, try rhodonite.

Herkimer diamonds are power tones, bringing great vitality and exuberance into your life. They can redirect stress away from you with their absorptive abilities. Placing these rocks in your bedroom will cause the stress to melt away and help you relax and feel safe.

Dioptase is a gorgeous gemstone that is nearly the color of emerald but lacks the hardness, thus lowering its marketplace value. It can be found in Peru, Chile, Russia, Iran, and some sites in Africa. The true value of dioptase lies in its ability to help anyone experiencing mental stress. It lends balance to male and female energies and acts as a stabilizer. As an energy stone, dioptase can activate and awaken every chakra, invigorating the mind, body, and spirit. If you want to be really different, wear dioptase, and you will fascinate admirers with this beautiful stone and find peace of mind in the process.

Any fluorite reduces electromagnetic pollutants and cleanses the aura. Get a big chunk of fluorite at your favorite metaphysical five-and-dime and put it right beside your computer to decrease stress. Those long hours of staring at the screen will cease to sap your energy. Look at your fluorite at least once an hour to reduce eye and brain strain, too.

I wish you much wellness and would love to hear from you about which crystals work for you xo

Calm Emotion Potion: Spell for Serenity and Strength

This remedy is an excellent way to recharge  and refresh  after a hectic week. This tincture is most potent right after the sun sets, by the light of the moon.

In a small ceramic or glass bowl, gently mix together the following essential oils with a small amount of base carrier oil:

2 drops bergamot

4 drops carrier oil (apricot or sesame, ideally) 

2 drops  vanilla

1 drop amber

2 drops lavender

Take off your shoes so you can be more grounded. Walk outside, stand on your deck or by an open window. Now, close your eyes, lift your head to the moon, and recite aloud:

Bright moon goddess,  eternal and wise, give your strength to me now.

As I breathe, you are alive in me for this night.

Health to all, calm  to me.

So mote it be. 

Gently rub one drop of Calm Emotion Potion on each pulse point: on both wrists, behind your ear lobes, on the base of your neck, and behind your knees. As the oil surround you with its warm scent, you will be filled with a quiet strength.

Feng Shui Secrets for Peace of Mind

Stones placed in strategic places around your home can help accelerate the change you are desiring in your home.  Using what I call “crystal feng shui,” you can place a crystal or a geode in the appropriate position of your home to facilitate specific results. For example, amethyst will promote healing and release any negative energy that is clinging. Clusters of jade or yellow “lemon quartz” will activate vibrations of abundance and creativity.

If you want to bring more money into your home or office, place a big chunk of citrine on the left side of your desk, and the money will begin to flow! If you have a dark hallway that feels spooky or an area in your home or office in which the energy feels very static or low, place an obsidian ball there, perhaps in a pedestal, to absorb this negative energy. If you want to have your bedroom be a place of bliss and unconditional love, rose quartz will create this all-important atmosphere.  Not only will these tips add to the buoyancy and joy of your home, it will also make it more striking and serene.

Crystal Power:

Citrine for a better ability to communicate

Lace agate for happiness with your job

Lapis lazuli for mental brilliance

Moonstone for self-love and self-expression

Red coral for good health and physical strength

Rose quartz or opal to make you appealing to others

Turquoise for calmness and protection from the earth

Anxiety Reduction Spell: Ocean of Calm Essential Oil Blend

No doubt about it, we live in anxious times. Here's something you can do about it. Pour 4 ounces of  almond, sesame ir any unscented base oil into a blue bottle. Now add two drops each of neroli, chamomile, and rose, preferably Turkish rose. Shake together. Take an orange and place it beside a lit lavender candle you have anointed with the potion. Chant aloud:

By my own hand, I made this balm.

This divine essence contains my calm.

By my own will, I made tis charm;

This precious potion protects from all harm.

With harm to none and health to all.

Blessed be.

Anoint your pulse points –your wrists, throat, and heart, behind the ear lobes and behind the knees – with the unguent and bask in a sea of calm.

For reducing anxiety, or if you need a quick pick-me-up, these essential oils are excellent:

Frankincense-marjoram-hyssop

Neroli (Orange Blosson) – Jasmine- nutmeg

Lemon-rose-lime—valerian

Mandarin-ylang-ylang