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

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

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

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

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

Grounding

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

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

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

Drink an Herbal Tea

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

Incorporate Oils

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

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

Set Out or Wear Your Crystals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Roll Out Your Mat

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

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

Sukasana, Easy Pose

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

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

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

Virabhadrasana II, Warrior 2

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

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

Utkata Konasana, Goddess Pose

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

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

Vrikshasana, Tree Pose

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

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

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

Malasana, Yogi Squat

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

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

Adho Mukha Svanasana, Downward Facing Dog

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

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

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

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

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

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

Namaste.

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

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

What is Quartz?

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

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

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

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

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

• Best stone for programming

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

• Master healer

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

• Contains the entire color spectrum

• Meets you where you are energetically

• Protects from negative energy

Quartz Uses & Rituals

Amplifying

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

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

Connecting with the Spirit Realm

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

Programming for Manifesting

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

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

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

2. Clear your mind.

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

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

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

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

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

Protection

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

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

The Perfect Stone for All Levels

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

Balancing & Healing

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

Energizing Other Crystals & Objects

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

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

• Amethyst

• Aventurine

• Citrine

• Smoky quartz

• Tiger eye

• Rose quartz

• Agate

• Carnelian

• Onyx

• Jasper

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

How to Open Your Third Eye & Know When It’s Blocked

When was the last time you had a sense that you needed to check in with someone, leave a space, or had a flash of insight, and all at once something made perfect sense? These little intuitive moments are your third eye chakra at its best.

When your third eye chakra is balanced you do not only see but you understand. That inner knowing can be felt throughout your entire body, in every cell. Sounds nice, right?

If your third eye chakra is not balanced you’ll have a whole other set of manifestations that aren’t quite as favorable, which I’ll outline later.

The third eye chakra is located in the center of your brow bone. In Sanskrit, this chakra is called Ajna and translates to “to command” or “to perceive.” It is responsible for your intuition, imagination, and is your connection to having a deep understanding of the physical realm and the spiritual realm.

Before I dive into how to open your third eye, I want to give you some tips for recognizing when it’s blocked.

Is your third eye chakra blocked?

• Trouble sleeping or insomnia

• Confusion or anxiety about decisions you need to make

• Frequent headaches

• Lack of imagination

• Unsure of what to do with your life

• Poor memory

• Feel pulled to meditate, be in silence, and do restorative activities

How to Open Your Third Eye Chakra

Third Eye Meditation

Meditation is the quintessential method for tapping into the power of your third eye chakra. This can be as simple as sitting quietly for 5 minutes each morning. Whenever I get out of my meditation practice, I’m always shocked by how much of a difference 5 minutes of meditation affects my day. Check out this previous blog post for 8 Simple Ways to Be Here Now to help you bring more mindfulness into your day.

Here’s a meditation to try specifically for balancing and opening your third eye chakra:

• Clear 5-20 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time for yourself;

• Sit cross-legged on the floor or seated on a chair;

• Straighten your spine, lift your shoulders up and back and close your eyes;

• With your eyes closed, point them both towards the center of your brow bone at your third eye chakra;

• Focus on the inhale and the exhale of your breath;

• With each inhale imagine a deep purple glowing light expanding around your third eye center. As you exhale it decreases and then grows bigger and brighter with each inhale.

• Once you settle into a rhythm, repeat this mantra: I am connected to my higher self. I know that I am always guided. I make decisions with ease and grace. I accept and trust the path I am on. My intuition is my guide. OM. (OM is the bija mantra for the third eye chakra, so feel free to chant it more than once and really draw it out!)

• Repeat the mantra as often as you want.

• Once you’re ready to finish release your eyes, release any control over your breath, stop the mantra, and rest for a few moments.

If you love guided meditations you can also get my Chakra balancing meditation here.

Crystals & Symbols

The most potent crystals for your third eye chakra are amethyst, lepidolite, celestite, and azurite.

Crystal guru, Judy Hall, explains the benefits of azurite, “Azurite guides psychic and intuitive development. It urges the soul toward enlightenment. It cleanses and stimulates the third eye chakra and attunes to spiritual guidance.”

Wear any of these crystals or a symbol of the third eye as a reminder of your goal to stay connected to your intuition. You can also rest any of these stones on your third eye for added benefit.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Caring for your Pineal Gland

Physically speaking, your third eye chakra directly relates to your pineal gland. Your pineal gland is a tiny, rice-sized gland tucked inside of your brain. It is part of your endocrine system, it releases melatonin and is responsible for maintaining your circadian rhythm. Research was done on the correlation between meditation and the pineal gland has shown increased activity and melatonin production in the pineal gland during meditation.

There are many foods and environmental factors that can affect it both negatively and positively. Fluoride can take a toll on your pineal gland. Excess fluoride can build up in your pineal gland and cause it to become calcified, lessening the efficacy of your third eye.

To care for your pineal gland, try to cut fluoride out of your diet as much as you can. Here are some foods that can help aid in removing excess fluoride from your body and help decalcify your pineal gland:

• Eat more iodine-rich foods like broccoli, spinach, and seaweed. Iodine-rich foods are helpful for many reasons but can also help cleanse fluoride from your body.

• Add more raw apple cider vinegar to your diet, in salad dressings, or simply in a mixture of water and honey. Raw apple cider vinegar has a high content of malic acid which is helpful for detoxifying the whole body.

• Have a cup of chamomile tea. Chamomile is a calming tea that can help soothe an overactive pineal gland.

Darkness & Light (Maybe)

Try minimizing light pollution in your room at night. Your pineal gland controls your circadian rhythm so it can be beneficial to give yourself time in the real dark. Try shutting out all light from the outdoors, and any inside lights to give you some pre-sleep time in a light-free space.

Alternatively, some ancient beliefs (that are still practiced today) suggest sun-gazing to invigorate your pineal gland and third eye chakra. I don’t really feel comfortable telling you to go stare at the sun because I’ve never tried this before and am not really sure that I feel comfortable doing it either! There are lots to read about it though, so if you’re interested in it I suggest doing your own research on it.

Scents

Meditative scents like sandalwood, frankincense, myrrh, and chamomile will help open and activate your third eye. Use scents in a diffuser or on pressure points on your body during meditation or as a reminder throughout your day.

I hope you take advantage of this amazing gift that lies within you! When your third eye chakra is balanced you not only see but you understand, so go get connected.

Set Your Intentions with DIY Spell Bottles

Looking for a powerful and portable way to bring your intentions to life? Spell bottles offer the perfect solution to having all of your favorite intention-setting tools in one attractive and portable place. I also love that, unlike charm bags, you can add liquids to your spell bottle much easier and they’re pretty to look at!

What is a Spell Bottle?

Spell bottles are simply a spell that has all of its contents enclosed in a bottle. I like to think of them as little portable altars! You can add energetic materials into a vial or a bottle that relate to the intention you’re working on and have a reminder in your purse, your car, your desk, or wherever you want.

Today, I’m going to give you three recipes to create your own spell bottles and all of the tools you’ll need to create your own recipes!

Here are the basics to getting started with spell bottles. Read on to see my recipes for spell bottles to help with intuition, abundance, and deflecting negative energy.

What you’ll need to create your own spell bottle:

• Glass bottle or vial with a lid or cork, can be small or large.

• Piece of paper and pen

• Herbs, crystal in a size that will fit in your bottle or vial, essential oils, symbols (optional), and anything else you feel moved to add to it.

Creating your spell bottle:

1. Gather any herbs, crystals, essential oils, symbols, or other items that will align with and attract your intention.

2. Cleanse your materials by the light of the moon, the sun, or with crystals used for cleansing.

3. Write your intention on a paper.

4. Meditate on your intention for a few moments.

5. As you add your materials to your spell bottle speak your intention allowed.

6. Close your spell bottle.

Once your spell bottle is closed, don’t open it again until your intention has come to fruition. Place your spell bottle where it makes the most sense to you. If it’s a spell bottle for deflecting negative energy at work, place it in your workspace. Once your intention has been fulfilled, you can read this blog post for some ideas of what to do when your spell is over.

Spell Bottle Recipes

You can use as much or as little of each of the ingredients as you’d like, it’s just important that they’re each represented. If I list more than one herb, crystal, or symbol you don’t have to use each one, but they do each serve a specific purpose. The intention written on the paper can be changed based on your specific needs, so feel free to change it.

Spell Bottle Charms

Improve Your Intuition Spell Bottle

• Herbs: Bay leaf and star anise

• Crystal:Amethyst

• Essential Oil: Frankincense

• Symbols:Third eye symbol

• Intention:Intuitive

Full Moon Energy Spell Bottle

• Herbs: Cinnamon and lavender

• Crystals:Moonstone, peridot, and citrine

• Essential Oil: Myrrh

• Symbols:Moon or Goddess symbol

• Intention:Abundant

Negative Energy Deflection Spell Bottle

• Herbs: Dill

• Crystals: Obsidian and hematite

• Essential Oil: Rose and lavender

• Symbols:Hamsa with evil eye

• Intention:Protected

6 Signs You’re Not Grounded + How to Get Grounded

When was the last time you noticed that you were completely untethered from reality and ungrounded? Between the glorification of being busy and constant social media at your fingertips, becoming ungrounded might be happening more often than you think!

What does it mean to be “grounded”?

If you’re energetically grounded it means that your root chakra is balanced and healthy. You’ll feel strongly connected to the Earth, stable, and at ease. Fears and worries you have will fade away quickly. You’ll feel safe, protected, and have an inner knowing that you’ll be taken care of.

The most important part of being grounded is realizing when you’re not. Check out these 6 signs that you could use some more grounding energy. Does anything from this list ring true for you?

6 Signs You Could Use Some Grounding

1. Can’t finish projects or focus

2. Feel like your nerves are fried or are spacey

3. Questioning things more than usual

4. Difficulty with communication

5. Impulse to hoard things and money

6. Strong urge to be physical or go outside

The good news is that there are several ways to get grounded quickly, and one tip even involves chocolate! As someone who’s struggled with anxiety (aka the opposite of being grounded) for much of her life, I’ve used each one of these tips and find them all highly effective on their own and combined.

9 Tips to Get Grounded

Connect with Nature

Lay on the ground, go for a walk outside or rest your body on a tree. This one is a big one for me. A couple of years ago I was going through an extra anxious time and I kept having a strong pull to lay on trees! It was the strangest thing, but eventually, I went for it and started to feel better. My neighbors might think I’m a weirdo, but I don’t really care. Now when I feel the pull to be in nature, I listen.

Earthy Teas

Sip on some earthy herbal teas and definitely skip the caffeine. Dandelion root tea, hibiscus tea (red for the root chakra!), rose tea, and valerian root tea are all perfect for feeling more grounded. I suggest saving valerian root tea for nighttime, it is very calming and can make you sleepy.

Yoga pose

Nothing fancy here--a simple mountain pose, tree pose, or sukhasana work perfectly to tap into your grounding energy. Each of these poses offers you the opportunity to stand firmly on the ground and connect to the Earth.

Stones & Symbols

This tip is exceptionally important for feeling grounded. When you’re not grounded you’ll feel like you need more protection to feel safe. Wearing stones and symbols can be a great reminder to connect with your root chakra energy and feel protected. Obsidian, red garnet, and any earthy colors from the jasper family work great for protection and grounding.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Eat

A mindful snack can go a long way, your body might be craving certain foods to feel more grounded too. Ditch the refined carbs and processed foods for a day or two and try adding some pink salt, root vegetables, nuts, beans, and even some chocolate to your diet. The darker the chocolate the more grounding it will be.

Get Physical

You know the feeling when you just need to get moving. Honor it! Go for a walk, head to the gym, a yoga class, or out for a run. Allow yourself time and space to connect with your body and give it what it needs.

Grounding Meditation

Another one of my favorites! Grant yourself 5 minutes of quiet meditation. As you meditate imagine roots growing out of you and into the Earth. Call upon the energy of the Earth to help you feel more grounded. You can envision your “roots” growing all the way into the center of the Earth. You can also try speaking this affirmation during your meditation.

If you love guided meditations, you can purchase my meditation bundle where you can find a grounding meditation practice. 

Muladhara

Muladhara is the root chakra which is located at the base of your seat. The color of this chakra is red. Another favorite grounding tool of mine is to imagine a red sphere in this area glowing a deep beautiful red color. Imagine the red energy around your chakra spinning and growing red around your pelvic floor. As mentioned above wearing a symbol of the root chakra or simply the color red will also be beneficial.

Scents

Anything earthy here will work wonderfully! Some of the most potent grounding scents are palo santo (be sure that comes from a sustainable source) frankincense, pine, and chamomile. I recently discovered palo santo essential oil and am in love with it!

One of my favorite things about all of these tips is that they’re all so simple. I hope you found some grounding gems here and if you know a soul sister who could use some extra grounding, please share this post with them.

The Ultimate Guide to Caring for Your Tarot & Oracle Cards

Now that you have your magical Moon Phase Ritual Cards from last week's post, I thought it would be a perfect time to give you an ultimate guide for taking care of your tarot and oracle cards!

Have a growing collection of oracle and tarot cards that you’re always adding to? If you’ve got a growing collection, you probably don’t use all of those cards every day. You most likely have your favorite decks that you gravitate towards, decks you use rarely, and decks that you let other people use.

Your oracle and tarot cards can pick up vibes from other people, yourself, and accumulate stagnant energy. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to keep your decks energetically fresh so you receive and give the best readings.

These tips will work for tarot and oracle alike, they will also work for our free printable decks like our Zenned Out Mini Oracle Cards and our Moon Phase Ritual Cards. Here’s my ultimate list for taking care of your favorite decks!

Listen to Your Cards

Use your intuition. Ask your tarot and oracle cards what they need, and go with your gut. Have a deck that feels like it wants to be kept separate from your other decks, give it a special space of its own. Have a deck that you feel is pining for some grounding energy, put a little smoky quartz near it.

If you decide to try something new with one of your decks, be extra aware of any energetic signals you may get from them on the new change. The best part is, if you’re using your oracle or tarot cards regularly you’re already honing your intuition, and this is another opportunity to refine your intuitive skills.

Spread Cloth

Create a sacred space for reading your cards with a spread cloth. Traditionally these have been used for tarot but will work just as well for oracle cards.

Energetically speaking, using a spread cloth gives you and your cards a sacred space for reading wherever you are. It adds another layer to the ritual of reading your cards. Bonus, if you read in other places, it will help keep your cards clean.

Deciding on a spread cloth can be simple and inexpensive. There are many are beautiful handmade options on Etsy but you might already have something perfect at home like a silk scarf. Color carries a lot of energetic weight, so I suggest doing some research on color meanings before deciding on your spread cloth.

Cleanse Often

If you’ve had some off readings that didn’t feel quite right it might be time to give your cards a good energetic cleanse. Another reason to cleanse your cards is if they’ve been sitting for a while and haven’t been used. Stagnant decks will pick up all sorts of vibes, so it’s a great time to cleanse them.

Here are three quick and easy ways to lift any bad vibes or stagnant energy from your oracle or tarot cards.

1. Salt Bath: No water needed for this bath, simply set your cards in a tray of sea salt or Himalayan pink salt and let the salt soak up any unwanted vibes.

2. Smoke cleanse: Light your favorite herb and let your cards be bathed in the smoke of it to cleanse them. I recommend exploring some plants that are related to your ancestral lineage, some options of herbs are lavender, mugwort, cedar, rosemary. If you want to add some extra fun you can use tools like cauldrons or smoke wands.

3. Full Moon: Lay your cards in the light of the moon for an energetic refresh. Of course, each moon phase will have its own effect. You can use our Moon Phase Ritual Cards to get an idea of what kind of energy each phase will imbue them with.

Protect Your Cards

You may not want to keep your cards in the box they came in. If you don’t, it’s important that they have a special place to live and have some protection.

Here are some options for protecting your oracle and tarot decks:

• Cloth bag: Similar to the spread cloth, the color of the bag you choose matters. Use your intuition and do some research on color meanings to determine the best color bag for your deck.

• Wooden box: This is perfect for a deck you feel is calling out for an earthy vessel. A box will also offer additional protection if you travel with them.

• Wrap them in your spread cloth: Your spread cloth can serve dual purposes and will work well as a protective cover for your cards

• Crystals: Place a crystal on top of your deck, in the bag, or in the box with your cards to offer a layer of energetic protection. You can never go wrong with clear quartz!

Connect with Your Cards

One of the most important things you can do to care for your cards is to connect with them. The more you connect with them the more you’ll know how to take care of them intuitively. Here are two of my favorite techniques for connecting with your tarot and oracle cards.Sleep with them under your pillow or on your nightstand. This tip comes from guest blog post writer Brittney Carmichael. She mentioned in a previous post,

“Sleep with one card under your pillow each night to allow your subconscious mind to create symbols and meanings for the cards. Your tarot cards are like personal love notes from your soul and will help to guide you along your spiritual path of awakening.”

Take time to look at each card. If you’re feeling disconnected from your deck, take a few quiet moments to sit down and look at each card. Similar to sleeping with a card under your pillow, this will give you an opportunity to connect with the symbolism of your cards and become attuned to their energy.

I recently cleansed all my decks and gave some of my favorite decks a special home or crystal. I was surprised by the change when I did this! I immediately felt more in tune with my cards and my readings have felt more on point. I hope you find the same is true for you and your cards!

DIY Crystal Powder Uses

Need a good excuse to fit in some self-care and buy crystals? First and most important, you don’t need an excuse for either. Second, I’m going to go ahead and give you 3 really good reasons to invest in some serious self-care time and my new favorite use for crystal, crystal powders.

Wearing crystals is always nice, and I’m usually wearing a point crystal necklace or a gemstone ring that has a meaning behind it. Crystal powders can expand your crystal benefits even more by using them in body care products.

These products can come for pretty steep prices, but I’ve got three recipes to get you started with crystal powder products that will leave you some cash to spare.

Garnet Love Oil

Connect to your earthy sensual side with this garnet love oil. Red garnet is a great stone for promoting loving relationships, and has even been used in the past as a stone to attract a lover! Rub the oil into your skin for a sensual glow and delicious scent or use it as a massage oil.

What you’ll need:

• 1 oz. garnet powder, finely ground.

• 3-4 oz. sweet almond oil

• 6-8 drops of essential oil. Any of these will work wonderfully: Plant Guru’s “Love Potion,” rose, sandalwood, ylang ylang, and/or jasmine. I used “Love Potion” with a couple drops of rose oil, which made a heavenly combination!

• Small funnel or folded card stock to get your crystal powder in your bottle mess-free

• 3-5 oz. glass bottle

• Garnet chunks (optional, but, again super cute)

• Craft labels (optional)

Directions:

• Combine all of your ingredients into your vessel and give it a good shake.

• Apply oil to your skin fresh out of the shower or anytime you’re wanting to feel extra sexy! This blend is also an ideal sensual massage oil.

Quartz Body Scrub

Need some balancing? This scrub is for you. Quartz is the ultimate balancing stone so I love it for the body scrub. Click here if you want to learn more about the ultimate crystal. Scrub with intention as you visualize your chakras while receiving the energetic balancing from the quartz crystal, and a nice glow from the exfoliation!

What you’ll need:

• 1-2 oz. quartz, medium ground

• 10-15 oz. of organic cane sugar (amount can vary depending on how much quartz you intend to purchase and the size of your vessel)

• Coconut oil, enough to cover your sugar and quartz sand

• Essential oil of your choice (optional). I used Plant Guru’s “New Beginnings” for an uplifting and invigorating blend. Quartz is a balancing stone so any scent you want will work well for this one!

• Large glass vessel, I used a 16 oz. amber jar

• Kraft labels (optional)

Directions:

• Combine sugar and quartz powder, give it a good shake.

• Poor enough coconut oil in to cover the sugar and quartz.

• Add your EO’s and stir it up.

• Keep this concoction in your shower for an exfoliating glow and energetic balancing.

• Store in an airtight container.

Amethyst Foot Soak

Already love amethyst? Prepare to become obsessed with it.  This mix has stolen my heart! There are SO many amazing benefits to this combo. If this is your first time hearing about this amazing stone, click here to learn more. Some believe that amethyst can actually help remove toxins from the body. In fact, you can even purchase detoxifying foot pads with amethyst in them. I say, save your $$$ and use this recipe for a more cost-effective amethyst detox!

What you’ll need:

• 1 oz. amethyst powder, finely ground

• 1-3 oz. Himalayan salt, small to medium ground

• Amethyst chunks (optional, but super cute)

• Essential oil of your choice, I used lavender for this soak

• 2-5 oz. metal or glass container

• Craft labels (optional)

Directions:

• Combine all of the dry ingredients into your vessel and give them a good shake.

• Put 5-6 drops of the EO of your choice in your mix and give it another good shake.

• Create a rad label (optional).

• Add half of your amethyst foot soak into a large bowl of warm water and soak your feet in it for a minimum of 30 minutes.

• When you’re done, pat your feet dry rather than wiping them off or cleaning them off. This will leave some of the salt and amethyst residue on your feet for continued benefits.

• This mix will be good for 2-3 foot soaks, depending on how much salt you end up using. Keep it sealed in an airtight container while not in use.

I hope you found these recipes as delicious and cleansing as I did! One final note, some gemstones, like lapis, are toxic and are not appropriate for body care products! None of the crystals used in these DIYs are, but be safe and do your research before creating your own concoctions.

3 Powerful Crystal Healing Techniques

Looking for some summer-friendly healing uses for your crystal collection? If you’re like me and have designated crystals for your purse, car, bed, and altar you’ll love these three healing techniques so you can put all of your favorite gemstones to work.
Even if your crystal collection is small, some of these techniques only require one stone, so you’ll find something in here for you.

Summertime is a perfect time to dive into these techniques! Grab your favorite crystals, a fellow goddess, a blanket, and find a park to soak up good vibes from your crystals and Gaia.

Body Crystal Grid

Having some discontent in your gut, or a busy mind? This technique is perfect for working on specific parts of your body. Similar to creating a crystal grid on your altar that has a specific purpose, you can create a crystal grid with stones specifically for an area of your body.

Once you’ve chosen your desired stones and purpose for a body grid, have your goddess friend place them on your body in a place that coordinates with their purpose.

You can follow the same steps for creating a crystal grid on your body or on your altar, to learn more about creating a crystal grid check out this post I shared last year by clicking here.

A serious side note: I love my crystals but won’t let them substitute for necessary medical needs! Body crystal grids are the perfect additional support to medical care, but shouldn’t substitute expert medical advice. Please, love yourself, and be sure to see a trained professional of your choosing for serious ailments.

Chakra Balancing on the Body or in Your Bed

Feeling like you need an energetic overhaul? This is the place to start and my personal favorite use of crystals. Here are a couple of uses for restoring and balancing the energy of your chakras with crystals:

Suggested Stones for Chakra Balancing with Crystals

• Root: garnet or red jasper

• Sacral: carnelian or tiger eye

• Solar Plexus: citrine or yellow jasper

• Heart: green aventurine or rose quartz

• Throat: sodalite or turquoise

• Third Eye: amethyst or labradorite

• Crown: quartz or rainbow moonstone

Chakra Crystal Alignment on Your Body

Place the stone for each chakra in its coordinating location on the body. Starting at the top of your head, imagine the color for each chakra lighting up around the stone. Spend 3-5 breaths on each chakra as you imagine the colored light around them glowing.

This is also a great time to scan the chakras to see if any of your chakras are especially deficient and need any extra attention. If you come across a chakra that feels deficient you can create a special body crystal grid just for that chakra or wear a stone or amulet to remind you to bring energy to that specific chakra.

Chakra Crystal Alignment in Your Bed

Looking for a more passive way to bring balance to your chakras? I love the simplicity of this tool. Place one of the stones listed above for each chakra in its coordinating location in between your mattress and box spring. As you sleep let the stones work their magic and wake up restored and balanced!

Wearing a Programmed Crystal

This healing crystal technique is perfect for long-term goals or deeply rooted shifts you’re working on. Wearing a programmed crystal will give you a moment-to-moment reminder of the shifts you’re trying to make, and the energy of the crystal will help you maintain your goals.

I like to use point crystal necklaces for this purpose. I like them for programming because of their size, it’s just right for holding it in your hand when you want to soak up some good vibes from your programmed point crystal. I’ve been wearing a grounding green jasper with the programmed message to stay rooted and calm.

The point crystal in this picture is of an amethyst and would be perfect for programming anything that has to do with your third eye or honing psychic abilities.

To program a crystal follow these steps:

1. Cleanse your crystal (read more about cleansing and charging your crystals here)

2. Clear your mind.

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

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

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

There’s more than one way to program a crystal, so if you’d like to change these steps, do it!

I hope you found some healing ideas you’re excited to try out! These techniques are the perfect excuse to grab your favorite soul sister and get out for a picnic with a side of crystal healing.