DIY Herb Sticks + Herb Meanings and Uses

You can trace the ceremonial burning of herbs back to a variety of cultures. Though white sage is common and quite popular at the moment, there are far more herbs at your fingertips that can be just as powerful, more environmentally friendly, and related to your cultural heritage.

Every herb has a variety of meanings, uses, and correspondences. Herb sticks can be tailored to your every need. Even better, they’re easy to make, which I’ll outline below.

Before we go any further, I’d like to share a quick word on cultural appropriation. Notice I’m not using the term “smudge.” For many indigenous Americans smudging is a sacred practice, and many feel that the use of the word by non-indigenous Americans is not only misused but hurtful.

It’s easy to use other terms, so why not, if the alternative is causing harm? I try to stick to terms like “smoke cleansing,” “ceremonial herb burning,”  and “herb stick.” They make my point without the harm, it’s a win-win!

Before we jump into the steps for making DIY herb sticks, let’s take a quick look at what the benefits are of making and using your own herb sticks.

Why burn herbs and make your own herb sticks?

Most herb sticks that you buy at the store are made using white sage. Though white sage isn’t endangered (yet) it is being overharvested and due to a variety of reasons space for it to grow is being limited.

Beyond the environmental effects and cultural appropriation, using other herbs will give you more uses and scents. You may find that you like the smell of other herbs even more than sage!

The benefits of burning herbs are many but here are a few:

• Cleanse negative energy

• Add protection to your space

• Cleanse your aura

• Bring positive energy

• Balance the elements of your space

• Bring more masculine or feminine energy into your space

• Consecrate items or your space

• Simply for the delicious aroma!

How to make a DIY herb stick

1. Select your herbs. Reference the list below for different herb meanings and uses.

2. Dry your herbs before or after making your stick; it will take longer for them to dry if you dry them after you make them because they’re all smooshed together. If you opt to dry before, don’t let them dry out all the way. Otherwise, it’ll be too crumbly. I like to give my herbs a few days to dry out before I make the sticks, then let them dry the rest of the way for another few days.

3. Arrange all of your items nearby.

• Cotton or hemp string

• Scissors

• Your herbs and flowers, if you’re using them

• A mat or bag to put everything on to make clean-up easier (optional).

4. Cut your herbs to a similar length or tapered, depending on your desired end design.

5. Bundle all of the herbs together. If you’re using bigger leaves or flowers, you can wrap them around the bundle or place them in different areas. You may have to replace them as you tie.

6. Tie a knot at the bottom of your bundle.

7. Wrap string up and around your bundle so anything sticking out is held in place.

8. Tie a knot at the top.

9. Let the herbs dry the rest of the way, about two weeks.

Herb meanings and uses

• Sagebrush: Clear negative energy, soothe headaches, brings air element and feminine energy.

• Lavender: Soothing, calming, balancing, brings air element and masculine energy.

• Basil: Balancing, joyful, positive energy, brings fire element and masculine energy.

• Rosemary: Purify, seal or bond relationships, brings fire element and masculine energy.

• Rose: Love, affection, brings water element and feminine energy.

• Lemongrass: Clears obstacles, brings air element and masculine energy.

• Mugwort: Enlightenment, magic, intuition, brings air and earth element and feminine energy.

• Mint: Awareness, concentration, brings fire element and masculine energy.

• Spruce: Grounding, clarity, calmness, brings earth element and feminine energy.

How to use your new herb stick

Safety first! Before you light anything, ensure that you have a safe place to put your burning herb stick in between wafting and so you have a place to put it when you finish up. You can use an ethically sourced abalone shell for this or any right-sized fireproof dish.

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Decide what your purpose is for burning your herbs before you start, so you have the appropriate mindset. Carefully light your herb stick and either place it in your fireproof dish or hold it over the dish while you smoke your space. A large feather can be helpful for wafting the smoke, but your hand will work too.

You can let your stick burn out in the fireproof dish in its own time if you are near it the entire time. If you need to step away from the burning herb stick, extinguish it in water to make sure there are no burning pieces left.

You may find that some herbs burn faster than others as you experiment with them, you can keep this in mind for how you construct them and where you light them in the future.

These DIY herb sticks have become a new obsession for me. I love having the smells of the herbs in the house and seeing them out while drying. I think you’ll find that this is a fun alternative to purchasing white sage!

DIY Essential Oil Cleansing Blends

If you’re reading this blog, you probably already know that essential oils are amazing plant-based magic from this beautiful planet.

They have so many incredible magickal and practical uses, and today we’re talking mainly about their practical uses! To read a previous blog post with some rollerball blends for daily use click here.

You’re probably conscious of the foods you put in the body and the products you use on your skin. But do you ever think about the products you use to clean your clothes and home? These products can be laden with chemicals and toxins that you would never want in or on your body, but many of us use them on our clothing and in our sacred living spaces without even thinking about it.

It’s almost spring, so now is the perfect time to start brewing and mixing up some natural, essential-oil-based cleansing products to make your space as fresh and magical as you are.

Best Essential Oils for Cleansing

In general, some great essential oils for cleansing are:

• Lemon

• Lime

• Wild orange

• Thyme

• Pine

• Peppermint

• Lavender

• Eucalyptus

• Tea tree

• Rosemary

• Cinnamon

• Clove

• Lavender

• Sandalwood

• Oregano

These oils have natural antibacterial, antiviral, and/or antiseptic properties— and they smell amazing, too!

RECIPES & USES

All-purpose cleaning spray

This is your new go-to, all-purpose cleaner. You’ll need:

• 2 cups of white vinegar

• 1 teaspoon of natural dish soap (not castile soap!)

• 2 cups of water

• 15 drops lemon essential oil

• 15 drops peppermint essential oil

• 20 drops tea tree oil

Mix all the ingredients, pour into a glass spray bottle, and use everywhere, like your tables and kitchen counters!

You’ll want to use glass bottles for all of these recipes, because although they are highly diluted, it’s always recommended to store oils only in glass (plus, let’s save the environment!).

Trash can freshener

Three days until trash day and your trash is smelling up your kitchen? Put 2 drops of lemon oil and 2 drops of tea tree oil on 2 or 3 cotton balls and place them in the bottom of your trash can under your trash bag to freshen it up.

Air freshener

There are so many options for air fresheners! Choose from the combinations below or make your own, and spray throughout your space (or car, if you have one) whenever it needs a fresh boost.

Simple peppermint spray

• 1 cup of water

• 10-15 drops of peppermint oil

Tea tree, eucalyptus & lemon spray

• 1 cup of water

• 7 drops of tea tree oil

• 7 drops of eucalyptus oil

• 7 drops of lemon oil

Wild orange, sandalwood & cinnamon spray

• 1 cup of water

• 7 drops of wild orange oil

• 7 drops of sandalwood oil

• 7 drops of cinnamon oil

The combinations are endless! Get creative and try mixing and matching from the list of cleansing oils above to hit on a combination you love.

Dish soap

You’ll need:

• 1/2 cup of water

• 1/2 cup of liquid Castile soap, like Dr. Bronner’s

• 2 teaspoons of baking soda

• 10 drops of lemon essential oil

• 5 drops of rosemary essential oil

• 5 drops of thyme essential oil

If you’re dealing with more grease, use extra lemon oil or add some wild orange oil.

Furniture polish

Polish your chairs, bookcases, desks, and any other wooden furniture with this super easy furniture polish.You’ll need:

• 6-8 drops lemon essential oil

• 1 cup olive oil

Add to a spray bottle, and spray on any wooden surfaces to clean, polish, and protect them.

Carpet cleaner

Use this cleaner to freshen up carpet, couches, and rugs in your home. Combine:

• 1 cup of baking soda

• 30 drops of lemon essential oil

and cover in a container with a lid. Shake well and sprinkle on your carpet, couches, or rugs. Let it sit overnight and vacuum it up in the morning!

Laundry detergent

This will get your clothes clean and make them smell amazing. If you’re new to essential oils, I would recommend trying one of the easier recipes above before you give this one a go.

• 2 cups washing soda (a simple, natural detergent booster you should be able to find in your health food store or online— it looks like this)

• 1 cup simple Castile soap like Dr. Bronner’s

• 1 cup of baking soda

• 15 drops lavender essential oil

• 8 drops eucalyptus essential oil

• 8 drops peppermint oil

Use about 1/4th of a cup for a large load, and as little as 1/8th of a cup for a smaller load.

Natural linen spray

This linen spray works perfectly for sheets, curtains, pillowcases, pillows, and any other fabric things you can think of. You’ll need:

• 1/4th cup of water

• 3 tablespoons vodka, rubbing alcohol, or witch hazel

• 15 drops of lavender essential oil

• 10 drops of frankincense essential oil

• 5 drops lemon essential oil

Clear negative energy

Of course, no cleansing is complete without an energetic cleansing. To clear negative energy from your space, diffuse 1 drop of frankincense oil, 2 drops of yarrow oil, 1 drop of juniper oil, and 1 drop of clary sage oil.

Frankincense raises the vibration of your space, yarrow provides psychic protection, juniper brings in positive energy, and of course, clary sage cleanses and purifies.

After you clean your space physically and energetically, it’s always great to place a few crystals around your home to bring in the energy you do want.

6 Herbal Bath Recipes for Winter Self-Care

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Herbal Bath to Tap into the Divine Feminine

Dried violet, yarrow, calendula, and lavender

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

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

Optional: Add a moonstone crystal to your bath.

Herbal Bath to Attract Abundance

Chamomile, lemongrass, and patchouli

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

Optional: Add a jade crystal to your bath.

Herbal Bath to Promote Self-Love

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

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

Herbal Bath for Amazing Sleep

Vetiver, chamomile, and passionflower

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

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

Herbal Bath for Emotional Healing

Aloe, motherwort, and lemon balm

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

Herbal Bath to Tap into Intuition

Rosemary, juniper, and honeysuckle

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

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

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

How to Perform a Samhain House Cleansing & Blessing

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

Why Cleanse & Bless for Samhain?

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

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

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

How to Perform a House Blessing & Cleansing

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

What You'll Need

• Cleaning supplies

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

• Besom (optional)

• White candle for cleansing and a black candle for protection

• Saltwater in a spray bottle or a bowl

• Altar offerings

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

Steps

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Candle Colors: Purple, black, orange, silver

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Divine Feminine & Cauldrons // 5 Uses & Meanings

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

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

History of Cauldrons

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

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

Cauldrons & The Divine Feminine

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

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

What Kind of Cauldron Should You Get?

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

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

5 Cauldron Uses & Meanings

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

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

Represent the Four Elements on Your Altar

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

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

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

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

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

Incense, Herbs & Burning Rituals

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

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

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

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

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

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Transform with the Triple Goddess Cerridwen

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

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

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

Divination

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

Abundance Ritual

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

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

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

7 Tips on How to Protect Your Aura

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

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

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

Visualization for Daily Protection

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

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

To do an aura protection visualization:

1. Close your eyes and focus on your breath.

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

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

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

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

Crystals & Symbols for Daily to Strong Protection

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Healers for Strong Protection & Cleansing

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

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

Salt for Moderate Protection

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

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

Shield Meditation for Strong Protection

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

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

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

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

Sound Healing for Moderate-Strong Protection & Cleansing

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

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

• Singing bowls in a class or individual use.

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

• Tuning forks treatments or individual use.

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

• Audio tracks via download or CD.

Learn more about sound and vibrational healing here.

Get Grounded for Moderate Protection

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

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