New Moon in Libra Ritual: Sacred Connection

The new moon in Libra offers you an invitation to be open to bringing more beauty and connection into your world. 

New moons are always a time for being open to new ideas and ways of being in the world, our cosmic clean slate if you will. As a cardinal air sign, Libra energy is one of balance and initiation. The planetary rulership of this sign is Venus, bringing in the energy of love and beauty. Learn more about Libra energy here. 

The energy of Libra within a new moon calls you to explore themes of beauty, reciprocity, and connection. Here are some questions to focus on for this new moon. What areas of your life are calling out for more beauty? How can you allow in more beauty? In what ways can you be in more sacred and aligned reciprocity with yourself, those around you, and the world at large? 

Themes for the New Moon Libra

Themes: Justice, balance, beauty, love, connection, and reciprocity

Elements: air and water

Planet: Venus

New Moon in Libra Ritual for Sacred Connection

The best time to perform this ritual with the new moon in Libra is the day of or the two days after the new moon.

You’ll need: 

• 15-30 minutes of quiet and uninterrupted time

• Piece of rose quartz

• Optional: rose scent (incense, dried rose, etc.), guided meditation to connect with your guides (free for newsletter subscribers, click here to receive).

1. Ensure that you have 15-30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time. Create a sacred space in a way that feels good to you, for example, burning incense or herbs mentioned above, calling in the four directions, or casting a circle. Root into the space by connecting with your breath and body. Notice your body and how it feels. Begin to breathe more intentionally, sending your breath deep into your low belly.

2. Bring an area of your life to your mind that you feel needs more love and beauty. Holding your rose quartz in your hands, close your eyes, and visualize that area of your life being filled with love and beauty. Continue to hold your rose quartz as you meditate.

3. Close your eyes and prepare to journey to meet one of your guides to help you bring more love and beauty into this area of your life. State aloud or in your mind, “I’m ready to receive guidance around __________ and be in sacred reciprocity with a guide, please, make yourself known to me.” Click here to be taken to a free guided meditation to connect with your guides.

4. As you meditate, focus on your breath and your body. If you can visualize a beautiful location in your mind, do this now, as this can create a space to commune with a guide.

5. Be open to guidance, suggestions, and wisdom from spirit. Trust what comes to you.

6. If a spirit guide presents itself to you and offers guidance, ask what you can do to reciprocate the information shared with you.

7. Close your meditation by thanking any guides who came through. Consider writing down anything that came through to help process and remember.

8. If your guide made a request for reciprocity, be sure to act on it. If they did not, consider creating an offering on your altar to show your gratitude for the connection and wisdom shared.

9. Leave your rose quartz out the night of the new moon to carry with you afterward as a reminder of how to bring more love and beauty into your life.

If you enjoyed this ritual, please consider sharing it with someone else who may enjoy it too. New moon blessings! 

Card Spread and Self-love Ritual for Libra Season

Libra, our cardinal air sign, invites you to focus on creating right relationships, initiating connection, finding soul fulfillment through the sign’s Venus rulership, and learning to communicate truth, love, and beauty.

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing a card spread and a ritual for Libra season. Check out our Understanding the Energy of Libra Season blog post to learn more about Libra energy and your personal birth chart’s connection to Libra

.Card Spread for Libra Season

We’ll use this card spread to explore the invitations and lessons Libra has to teach you this season. Feel free to use a tarot deck or an oracle deck (like the Journey Tarot!) for this spread - whichever resonates with you. 

I invite you to create a ritual space for you and your deck to communicate by taking a moment to ground and center yourself however feels good to you. In the spirit of Libra season and air energy, you might like to ground and center by taking a few deep breaths or shaking your whole body.

 When you feel grounded and ready, shuffle your deck and draw a card for each of the following questions:

• What is Libra season here to teach me?

• How can I move towards right relationship this season?

• What step can I take towards soul fulfillment this season?

• What possibilities are Libra season opening up for me?

After you pull your cards, sit with them. Try to take some time to journal or meditate with them to really connect with the full meaning they have to offer you. At the end of Libra season, you might like to revisit your cards and reflect on how they unfolded throughout the season. How did they show up? What did you learn about yourself and about the cards through the way they manifested this season?

Libra Season Ritual for a More Loving Relationship with Yourself 

Libra sign points us towards relationships, and one of the most important relationships we have is the one we have with ourselves. This ritual is intended to support you in creating a more loving relationship with yourself.

You’ll need:

• Leaves

• A marker or pen to write on the leaves 

Once you feel grounded, centered, and open, enter into meditation. Meditate on your relationship with yourself — what feels really good in this relationship, and what feels unsupportive? What would you like to change? What’s your vision for a more loving relationship with yourself? How would you like it to feel? Notice how all of these things feel in your body, and breathe into them.

When you feel clear on what you want to release as well as intentions for your relationship with yourself, write them down on your leaves. Then, take a walk through nature and let the wind carry and scatter the leaves. Trust that as the wind and the Earth take them, your intentions for release and growth are being amplified and offered up to the Universe.

Happy Libra season! I hope you find some beautiful support in this card spread and ritual for this season. 

The Second Harvest // Honoring the Autumn Equinox with Apples

We started our triplicity of harvests with Lughnasadh, and the harvest season continues with the Autumn Equinox. The Autumn Equinox is our sacred portal into the darker half of the year. The amount of sunlight and night we experience will be in equilibrium for a moment before darkness begins to rule each day and call us more deeply inward.

In this share, we'll discuss the layered energies of the Autumn Equinox, a few ways to tune into and honor its energy, and some sacred correspondences, specifically apples. I'd also like to discuss the name Mabon often associated with this season. Listen to this post on my podcast, Rooting into Wholeness, below.

Mabon is a common name associated with this season, and though there's nothing wrong with referring to this season as Mabon, which is one of the more manufactured names on the Wheel of the Year. Names that don't quite make sense on the Wheel of the Year aren't something new and are something I discuss in my new book, Understanding The Wheel of The Year, shop it here. 

The Wheel of the Year itself, as a unified construct of seasonal celebrations, is a relatively modern compilation of celebrations from various people, not one specific culture. The name Mabon was assigned by Aiden Kelly, one of the collaborators of the modern construct of the Wheel of the Year. Mabon was a Welsh mythological figure who doesn't appear to have any real connection to the Autumn Equinox. Some believe Aiden simply wanted another short name to associate with this season and, Mabon was the best he could come up with. We may never know! That said, Mabon is a common name associated with this season by many Wiccans. If it resonates with you, use it. If it doesn't, referring to this season as the Autumn Equinox is fine too. As with all of our seasonal celebrations, this is a time to honor and connect with the earth, not quibble over names. 

A Balance of Light and Dark

There are so many beautiful energies layered into this season. This phase brings us more deeply into the waning side of the year by corresponding with the last quarter moon (a moon of equal light and dark, another visual of the balance this season brings about.) We also shift from Virgo to Libra season at this time. The sign of Libra, of course, being the scales mirroring this theme of balance again. 

Beyond the energetics, the equinoxes spur extreme physical changes as well. The sunlight no longer reigns supreme throughout our day. The plant and animal world take note, and things start to shift and change all around and within us. These physical changes can bring a heightened sense of balance and change for everyone. 

The full moon closest to the Equinox, which we experienced earlier this week, is the harvest moon. It wasn't uncommon for our ancestors to work all through the night in the fields harvesting crops in preparation for the winter ahead during the harvest moon. It's also fitting that our full harvest moon happened in the sign of Pisces (the end of the zodiac year) as we fully step into the darker half of the year. 

As with any harvest, themes of abundance and gratitude surface. What always comes up for me around these themes is the idea of equal reciprocity. Equal reciprocity is always important, but with this season being one of balance, it can be a healing theme to explore. So, as you assess the abundance in your life, can you make space also to explore equal reciprocity? If you have an abundance of food, can you find a way to give back to the earth or those who need more food? If you have an abundance of time, how could you use it to serve yourself and others best? Alternatively, if you find yourself lacking in a specific area, could you ask for more of what you need? These questions can be applied to all facets of your life. I'll touch on this more when we talk correspondences because I have a perfect tarot card for this season. 

A final theme that runs through this season is wholeness. Anytime we strive towards balance, we're moving into more wholeness. It's a time to take stock, shed what's no longer serving, and call in what you'd like to see more of in your life. We see this theme reflected perfectly in the apple, which brings me to our first ritual for this season. 

Apple Rituals for the Autumn Equinox

I will be focusing solely on apples for this ritual section! Why apples? Apples tend to ripen around this season and are a potent symbol of abundance, gratitude, and wholeness. Apples are associated with the underworld connecting them with moving into the darker part of the year. There's no shortage of myths and folklore from the Celts, Druids, and other Euro-pagans about apples, apple trees, and their spiritual significance. The island of Avalon translates to the "Island of Apples." Apples are viewed as sacred and magical fruits by many.

When cut horizontally, the apple reveals five seeds in the shape of a star. The five seeds represent the five elements and the four directions. The circle encompassing them (the outer skin of the apple) represents the wholeness these energies create when combined in equal balance. The apple is a sacred symbol of wholeness and the path to wholeness. 

Those are just a few reasons why apples are perfect for this season! There are many ways to work apples into your ritual practice this season, which is why I'm solely focusing on apples for these rituals. However, if you're looking for some other ways to tune into this season, click here or here for some past posts all about the Autumn Equinox. 

This ritual is adapted from my book, Understanding The Wheel of the Year (order it here!). 

Apple Ritual for Wholeness

You'll need: 

• One apple

• One brown candle and fireproof dish or candle base

• A piece of paper and pen or pencil

Steps: 

1. Gather your materials and ensure that you won't be disturbed for 20-30 minutes. 

2. Take 2-3 minutes to center and ground yourself. You can do this by tuning into your body or focusing on your breathing for a couple of minutes. 

3. Once you feel ready, bring an area of your life to mind that feels out of balance. Write this situation down on a piece of paper. 

4. Cut your apple across the middle, and then cut a slice from that. Your slice should have a five-pointed star on it representing the five elements. 

5. Place your paper on the bottom in a fireproof tray, bowl, or plate. Place your apple slice on the top. 

6. Hold your brown candle in your hand and ask for guidance around finding more balance and wholeness around the situation you wrote out. 

7. Place your candle on top of the apple. You'll be using the apple here as a vessel to inspire wholeness in this spell. 

8. Light your candle and say aloud to yourself, "I am whole and perfectly balanced. So it is." or something similar. Stay with the candle as it burns. 

Note: Always use proper fire safety and care when working with candles. Never leave your candle unattended. 

1. As your candle burns, gaze at the flame and tune into your breath and body. 

2. Call in each of the five elements one at a time (Earth, air, fire, water, and spirit) to restore you to wholeness and bring balance. 

3. Stay with your candle as it burns and feels the support of the five elements around you. 

4. Be open to any ideas that come to you to find more balance and wholeness in your life. 

5. Write down any ideas that came to mind to find balance and wholeness in your life. 

6. Finally, in the vein of equal reciprocity, I suggest giving an offering to the earth for any wisdom, insights, or balancing you found throughout this ritual. 

Watch the ritual in this Instagram reel I created below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Here are some other simple ways to weave apples into your ritual practice.

• Eat apples or drink. 

• Bake with apples (one of my favorites!) As you do, be mindful and aware of their sacred connection to wholeness and consider cutting your apples horizontal to reveal their inner star for your final product! I love a good old-fashioned apple pie or tart for this season. 

• Adorn your altar or home with apples. 

• Go apple picking if it's in season for you.  

• Learn more about myths and folklore about apples connected with your heritage. Many cultures have legends and mythology about apples.  

• Meditate while holding an apple, and ask the apple to share its wisdom with you. 

• Plant an apple tree

• Save apple seeds to use in other spellwork. They correspond with magic, psychic abilities, protection, rebirth, and death. They're an excellent option for protection rituals. 

• If you have apple trees where you live, work with the wood of the apple tree for ritual or spellwork. 

Fall Equinox and Mabon Correspondences

Correspondences are energies that play well together or match. Working with correspondences is a great way to better amplify your rituals, spells or connect with a specific energy. Placing some correspondences for this season can help bring the energy of the Fall Equinox into your space. Here are some of my favorite correspondences for this season, all from my new book, Understanding the Wheel of The Year. 

• Moon Phase: Last Quarter Moon

• Energy center: Sacral, heart

• Element: Water

• Crystals: Carnelian, snowflake obsidian, rhodonite, malachite, moonstone, yellow topaz

• Colors: maroon, orange, brown, tan

• Tools and special objects: fall leaves, corn dolly, guards 

• Plants and Scents: yarrow, sage, cinnamon, patchouli, frankincense, anise

• Foods: Apples, grains, guards, pumpkins, nuts, seeds, berries

• Runes: Gebo, Fehu, Mannaz, Sowilo

• Goddesses: Cailleach, Persephone, Inanna, the Morrigan, Modron

• Gods: Avalloc, Dionysus, Mabon

I also wanted to touch on some tarot cards for this season. When we discuss equal reciprocity, the card that comes up for me and makes me think of the Equinox and Libra season is the 6 of cups. 6's correspond with Venus, harmony, and balance. And the cups mirror the water element that corresponds with this season. The card itself speaks to a give and take between one's self or between you and others. It's a great card to meditate with or journal about for this season. 

As you can see, this is a rich and powerful season. Remember, each sabbat is a season, not a day. You can tune into its energy and honor it anytime until Samhain. 

If you enjoyed this share, please consider sharing it with someone who may enjoy it too—wishing you a beautiful second harvest season.

Love & Shadow xoxo, Cassie

Full Moon in Pisces: Waking the Subconscious

Our September full moon in Pisces offers an opportunity to explore our dreams, both here in physical and in more liminal spaces. The sign of Pisces calls you to explore your spirituality, dreams, subconscious, and your imagination. This ritual will walk you through a process to navigate your subconscious realms.

Themes For the Pisces Full Moon

Themes: Exploring your subconscious and imagination, connecting with your dreams, and feeling into your spiritual practices.

Element: Water

The ideal time to perform this ritual is anytime the day before, the day of, or the day after the full moon.

You’ll need: 

• 15-30 minutes of quiet and uninterrupted time

• 1 large jar of water 

• Pen or pencil and paper

• Optional: aquamarine or moonstone

1. Before you begin, ensure that your jar of water is close enough that you can pick it up. Optional: hold or place a piece of aquamarine or moonstone on your body as you begin to tune into this space.

2. Create a sacred space by grounding yourself into the present moment and connecting with your breath and body. Sit, and begin connecting with your breath. Allow your breath to flow in a way that feels natural and good to you.

3 As you tune in, ask your higher-self, guides, or Goddesses or Gods you work with aloud or in your mind, “Please, take me on a journey through my subconscious to explore my spiritual path.” (or anything similar that feels in alignment with your path.)

4. Be open and allow the moon’s energy to help deepen this journey. If nothing comes, continue to focus on your breath and how your body feels. Journey and breathe through this liminal space for as long as you’d like.

5. Pick up your jar of water. While holding it in your hands, infuse it with anything that came up for you during your meditation journey, including any feelings, visuals, words, or messages. Tip: The realm of your subconscious often speaks in imagery and illusions. It’s okay if what you experienced doesn’t make sense yet.

6. Take a drink of your water, feeling your experience permeate your body on a deeper level.

7. On your paper, write or draw anything meaningful that came to you. If nothing came to you, write or draw your personal dreams and spiritual desires on your paper.

8. Place the paper and your crystal, if you’re working with one, in your jar of water to leave out for one night under the moonlight. The moon has a special relationship with water and will help to expand your dreams.

9. As you come to a close with your ritual, be sure to thank any guides, Goddesses, Gods, or ancestors who came through to offer guidance.

10. Ritual follow-up suggestions: If you worked with a crystal, place it on your nightstand or under your pillow to help open you up to your dream world. Pour the water into a natural body of water or the earth, thanking it for its wisdom and power. Your paper can be placed on an altar as a reminder or buried in the ground to disperse its energy.

Optional ritual modification: If you have an active dream life, this ritual could be easily modified to occur over the course of the night in your dreams.This full moon ritual can be adapted or used for any full moon in Pisces. As always, take what you like and leave the rest. If you enjoyed this ritual, consider sharing it with someone else. Love & Shadow, Cassie

New Moon in Virgo: Aligning With Your Heart

The new moon in Virgo brings you an opportunity to connect with your heart space and find clarity around how you would like to be of service in this world. 

New moons are always a time for being open to new ideas and ways of being in the world, our cosmic clean slate, if you will. The energy of Virgo season is unique because it’s a beautiful blend of earth energy, as an earth sign, and air energy from its planetary rulership of Mercury. 

When earth and air combine, it yearns for a balance of spirit and physical in the heart space. 

Virgo energy brings a grounded approach to being of service and strives to be in flow with the current needs of the world. This energy also invites sensuous acts of devotion to both the world and the divine. Wrap all this up with the fresh energy of the new moon, and you have a delicious opportunity to gain insight into how best to devote yourself to being of service to yourself, the world, and all of its inhabitants. 

Themes for this new moon: Devotion, service, organization, groundedness, the heart space, balance between spirit and physical. 

Elements: earth and air

New Moon in Virgo Ritual

You’ll need: 

• 15-30 minutes of quiet and uninterrupted time

• Pen or pencil and paper

• Found pieces of plants or minerals like twigs, stones, leaves, or flowers (about 10-15 pieces.)

1. Take a few moments to prepare your items in front of you. Create a sacred space, ground into the moment by connecting with your breath and body. If your body allows for sitting, sit either in a chair or on the ground with a straight spine. Otherwise, lying down works fine too.

2. Tune into your breath, lengthening each of your inhales and exhales to be in equal balance. Visualize a golden cord coming up from the earth and connecting to the base of your spine, then visualize a golden cord coming down from the sky connecting to the crown of your head. 

3. Visualize these two golden cords slowing moving towards your heart space and eventually meeting in the heart space to form a brilliant ball of golden light. Imagine that with each inhale, this ball of light grows bigger and brighter until it eventually encompasses your entire body and fills the space of the room. 

4. In this space, ask aloud or in your mind, “What does my heart desire most for the lunar cycle ahead?” Continue to breathe and allow this question to marinate in your energy field. Notice if anything comes to mind. Next, ask yourself aloud or in your mind, “How can I move into greater alignment with my heart’s desires?” Continue to breathe, giving space and time for suggestions to come to mind. 

5. Stay in this space of golden light, continuing to focus on your breath for as long as you’d like. When you feel prepared to come back, slowly open your eyes. 

6. With the objects in front of you, take 5-10 devotional minutes to arrange your items from outside into a design or mandala. Focus on your gratitude for the earth, your body, and any ideas that came to you about being better aligned with your heart. 

7. When you complete your design, take a few moments to write down any messages or ideas you received about being in better alignment with your heart’s desires. 

8. Close your ritual by thanking any guides or ancestors who came through to offer guidance. 

9. Place your paper with any ideas somewhere you’ll see it daily for the next couple of weeks. Leave your devotional plant design out until the full moon. When you decide to disassemble it, dispose of it in a way that feels aligned to you. Some options are to burn, bury, or release it into a body of water. 

If you enjoyed this ritual, please consider sharing it with someone else who may as well. New moon blessings, Cassie. 

What is energy work and do you need it? + 5 common types of energy work

What is energy work? Is it real? Should you try it? I can’t tell you what’s best for you, but I can share detailed information about various energy work modalities and my personal experience with them to help you determine if and what’s right for you.

In this post, you'll learn a bit about what energy work is, if it's right for you, who can practice energy work, five common types of energy work, and experts in each field linked.

This is a big topic, friend! I invite you to cozy up with a cup of tea or to bookmark this read to refer back to later. Or, you can listen to the full episode here on my podcast, Rooting into Wholeness. 

My Experience With Energy Work

I experienced energy work for the first time at a very young age, 10 or 11 years old. I got my hands on some books from my grandmother about spirituality that explained how to feel the energy between my hands and over my body. I was easily able to feel my energy and was hooked. I continued meditating and working with my energy from that day in a variety of ways.

As an adult, I’ve tried various energy work methods both on myself and from others. I’ve also been practicing shamanic energy healing (in a Celtic lineage) for the last two years. Any of the methods I share here are methods I’ve experienced or administered firsthand. 

I will save my full story for another post that I’ll share soon.

What is Energy Work?

Energy work is the intentional effort to manipulate your or someone else's energy for spiritual, emotional, or physical healing. There are countless modalities of energy work practices in cultures around the world. You can perform energy work on yourself or seek it out from a professional. 

Energy work affects both the subtle body system (the energetic body) and the physical body in various ways. The subtle body system shows up differently across cultures. Here are some of the subtle body systems we see across the world: chakras and nadis (Hinduism), meridians (Chinese Medicine), the three cauldrons (Celtic), aura (cross-cultural), Ojos de luz (Incan energy system), and the list goes on. Most cultures around the world have some reference of an energy or subtle body system. 

Anything that affects the subtle body can also affect the physical body because they’re intertwined. It’s now commonly accepted that emotions can be stored in and affect the physical body. Many believe that energy can be manipulated to create changes in the subtle and the physical body in this same vein. As above so below, as within so without. 

Science now recognizes that everything is energy. When we zoom in on the physical world, really far, all we have is vibrating energy. There’s nothing solid about anything in the world we live in. It’s all energy. It can be hard to wrap the mind around physical objects not really being solid, but it’s what we know now to be true. This quote from the physicist Erwin Schrödinger illustrates this well in the quote below. 

“What we observe as material bodies and forces are nothing but shapes and variations in the structure of space. Particles are just schaumkommen (appearances).”- Erwin Schrödinger 

Aside from the quantum world, there’s also something to be said for unseen energies that we already know exist, like light waves, sound waves, electromagnetic energy, and heck, even wind. There’s an entire world of invisible energy that can affect us both positively and negatively. Though science has not completely caught up with the idea of humans having the potential to spark healing through touch and other psychic abilities, I believe it's something many ancient peoples have known all along. 

We spend so much time tending to and caring for our physical bodies, but what about our energy, our essence. 

Should You Try Energy Work?

If you feel called to try any kind of energy work, I suggest trying it. The bigger questions that you'll need to ask yourself are what kind of energy work you want to receive and who you want to work with. These are not questions that I can answer for you and will require some research and reflection.

As someone who's received a lot of different kinds of energy work, the best advice I can give you is that you'll know when you know. If you feel pulled to work with someone, honor that, and then do a bit of research about them, which I cover in the next section, to ensure that they're in alignment with your values and are working ethically. If you get any internal nudges that someone is or isn't a good fit, honor that.

Who Can Practice Energy Work and Can I Practice on Myself?

There are a lot of grey areas and different opinions within the answers to these questions. I will do my best in this short space, but please know that many feel differently and that this is a short answer to big questions.

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this post, it’s that you can perform energy work on yourself. It is not something you need to pay hundreds of dollars to receive. There are many great energy work tools that you can use on yourself, some of which I will share here. Personally, I think it can be extremely powerful and healing to learn different ways to manipulate and heal your own energy. I discuss some of this in my “Understanding Auras” and “Understanding Chakras” books, which are great places to start. 

Regarding who can practice on other people, here are some suggestions and questions I always ask myself.

What is their training? Notice I said training, not Certification. Certification is not always a necessity in the case of energy work. Sadly certifications can actually be quite misleading and are not equally accessible. In fact, certification processes often leave out the very people who have trained in indigenous cultures and lineages. 

Many certification processes end up being watered-down versions of traditional energy work methods. Furthermore, they could be actively causing harm to the indigenous peoples they came from. 

Certification is not always bad, but it’s important to ask some follow-up questions and use discernment when hiring someone with certifications in the energy work methods listed below, like, “Where did the certification come from?”, “Who did they train with for the certification?” and “Were the indigenous and cultural roots respected in the certification process?”. If these things aren’t stated on a person’s website who’s offering energy work, you have every right to ask, and I’d encourage you to do so. 

Benefits and Risks of Energy Work

The possible benefits of energy work are vast and will vary from method to method. I'll dive into specific benefits for each kind of energy work method I discuss in their respective sections. Here's a general list of benefits I've personally experienced from different kinds of energy work.

• can induce deep calmness and anxiety reduction

• can help you feel closer to the spirit realm and connected to All Life

• can aid in the balancing of the chakras and subtle body

• can spark physical healing (energy work should never replace the guidance of a medical professional)

• can bring messages from loved ones and spirits

• can help with the removal of unwanted or stagnant energy

• can be supportive in processing shadow work and trauma (energy work should never replace the guidance of a trained therapist)

• can offer a deep sense of feeling held

• can give greater perspective on life issues

• can help with decision making

• can bring about a general sense of peace and ease

Are there any risks to energy work. Yes and no. Some forms of energy work are riskier than others. The practitioner is actively engaging with your energy for energy work like Reiki, Shamanic healing, and intuitive healing. This is a very intimate and vulnerable act. If you are highly sensitive to energy, it will be of utmost importance for you to be clear about what you do and do not want to experience and make sure you're a good fit with the person you intend to work with.

This is why it's so important to do your due diligence about who you decide to receive energy work from. If you find someone you'd like to receive energy work from, I suggest going within and asking something like, "Is ____________'s medicine in alignment with my highest good?" Notice what comes up. Beyond this, always be sure to run anyone through the questions offered above about who can practice energy work.Another risk is having too high of expectations. Remember, you have autonomy over yourself and your energy. If you go into a session thinking that the practitioner will be able to fix all of your problems in one hour, you might leave pretty disappointed. Energy work is not meant as a cure-all (though in some rare cases, it can be) and is intended, in my opinion, to be a catalyst for healing. I view energy work as a tool to spark healing, soothe the energy body, and open the door to spirit, but oftentimes, it will require further work from you as well. Also, who among us is truly perfectly healed? Here in physical, we will always have something we're moving through.

The Fine Print

Before we dig in, I have a few important things. See, I told you this was a big topic!

1. Energy work should never take the place of a trained medical professional or therapist. Though energy work can affect the body, and physical healing can take place, it should never replace the work of a doctor. We are multifaceted beings who require multifaceted care. I love receiving energy work, but you better believe I’m going to the hospital if I break my arm.    

1. I am not trained in all of the energy work methods mentioned below. As I mentioned above, I have experienced or administered and have thoroughly researched all of the methods I share here. I will link experts trained in each energy work method so you can experience it or learn more about them.

1. This is a non-exhaustive list of energy work techniques. I simply did not have room to share more energy work methods and techniques here, but I will list some more at the end of this article. 

Ok, let’s dive in!

Reiki 

I think Reiki is what most people think of when they hear energy work, but energy work is quite a diverse practice, as you'll find from this post. Here’s one explanation of what Reiki is from a past blog post by Eryn Johnson. 

“Reiki is a specific kind of energy work. It’s an energy healing modality that was channeled by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan. The word Reiki itself means “Universal Energy.” It’s Universal energy, spiritual energy, the energy of oneness, that can be channeled from one human being to another to facilitate healing.

Reiki has its own intelligence. You don’t have to be special to give Reiki, which is one of the things I love about it. We all have this energy within us–it simply gets awakened through a process called a Reiki attunement.” - Eryn Johnson 

Nowadays, it’s relatively easy to become “Reiki certified” and be deemed a “Reiki Master.” This is where like I mentioned above, it’s important to do your research and have discernment when seeking a Reiki practitioner.

The most insightful information I’ve heard and read about traditional Reiki has come from Marika Clymer, trained in traditional Japanese Reiki. If you are interested in receiving or learning more about traditional Reiki, I highly suggest learning more about Marika’s work. Visit her website to learn more or book a session here. Listen to an interview with her on the Living Open podcast here, where she discusses traditional Reiki and decolonial energetic healing. 

My personal experiences with Reiki have been wonderful. In my experience, it’s a very gentle form of energy work that always leaves me feeling like I’m floating in the clouds. 

Crystal Healing

Working with crystals for energy healing is great because it’s so accessible. You do not have to have an innate psychic gift to perform it on yourself, there’s loads of information available about it, and a few basic crystals are really all you need. Some good old quartz is my favorite go-to!

Crystal healing is based on the belief that because crystals are perfect crystalline structures, they can stabilize or shift the energy of other things and people around them. To learn more about crystal healing, check out this blog or my book “Understanding Crystals.”

In my experience, I do think you need to be pretty sensitive to energy and patient to notice this kind of energy work as the shifts can be subtle and happen slowly over time. Although, this isn’t everyone’s experience! For this reason, you’ll often find that crystal healing is combined with other kinds of energy or bodywork. It can be a standalone form of energy work, but it also makes a great compliment to many practices.

I highly suggest my friend Ashely Leavy of the Love and Light School of Crystal Healing to learn more about crystal healing. If you’d like to receive crystal healing, Ashley has recommended two of her former students, Samady Medina of Crystal Gaia and Peyton Johnson of Sol Energy Healing.

The Energy Alignment Method (EAM), The Emotion Code, and Applied Kinesiology

I’ve lumped these three together because they’re all based on variations of muscle testing. However, they do vary and are practiced and taught in different ways. 

Applied Kinesiology (not the same as Kinesiology) was developed in the early 1900s by an orthopaedic surgeon named R.W. Lovett. He used it to help determine the effects of Polio on his patients. It’s since been used and further developed by a variety of medical and energy work practitioners. Applied Kinesiology is based on the idea that when there is dis-ease or blocked energy within the body, muscles will be weakened, and subsequent muscle testing will yield a different response from the body. 

I’m most familiar with The Energy Alignment Method (EAM) by Yvette Taylor and The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson, so that’s what I’ll focus on here. 

EAM uses a sway test (a form of muscle testing) to identify blocked or unhelpful energy patterns in the body. It then uses a series of unique steps to release the unwanted energy and ends by calling in the desired energy. The emotion code works similarly and uses muscle testing to find “trapped emotions” but uses a different method for releasing the trapped energy. 

I would probably tell you that this energy work modality was quackery if I hadn’t tried it myself because it almost seems too easy! Over the last year, I’ve worked with a wonderfully talented coach who uses EAM named Maria Saraphina. Not only could I feel the energy leaving my body when we did the EAM (I’m super sensitive to all things energy), but I also noticed marked differences around all of the issues we worked on. 

Personally, I prefer EAM to the Emotion Code and have benefited greatly from working with the EAM. I found the emotion code to be a bit harder to follow and appreciate that the EAM takes additional steps to call in desired energy. 

You certainly don’t need to hire a coach or practitioner who uses this method to benefit from it. It’s actually pretty straightforward to learn and try it out on your own. I suggest starting with Yvette Taylor’s book about EAM here or The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson here. My friend and coach Maria also offers a free instructional video about EAM that you can find here. 

Breathwork and Pranayama

This is another powerful healing method that’s been under some controversy in recent years. Depending on who you ask, breathwork is pranayama (the ancient yogic practice of breath control). Still, some believe breathwork is a practice of its own, rooted in various other ancient practices. I’m not here to tell you which is true, nor have I done the necessary research to offer you an answer. Wherever you land, I do think it’s important to offer credit where credit is due. 

Pranayama is an ancient yogic practice that is one of the eight limbs of yoga and translates to “breath control” or “control over the life-giving force.” Breathwork pulls from a variety of cultures and practices. Both use a series of breathing techniques to control and move the flow of energy within the body. The idea is similar for both that by controlling the breath, one can create shifts and healing in the physical, emotional, and energetic body. 

I can not speak highly enough of the benefit of practicing some kind of breathing technique, whether it be pranayama or breathwork. I find it helps to calm the nervous system, get into a deeper state of meditation, helps to release stored trauma, and can activate intuition. The benefits of practicing pranayama or breathwork are vast. 

Like many of the other methods I’ve mentioned here, breathing is certainly something you can do on your own. However, the results can be intense. Pranayama and breathwork are not practices, in my opinion, that will always leave you feeling like you’re floating in the clouds (though it can). It can be incredibly emotional and physically draining. If you do want to practice pranayama or breathwork but do not have any prior experience with it, I highly suggest seeking the assistance of a trained practitioner to assist you, whether it be online or in-person. There are many group and solo sessions available by countless practitioners. Here’s a list of some I recommend. 

For Pranayama, Susan Barkataki offers online and in-person yoga teacher training from a lens of respecting the cultural heritage of yoga. 

Eryn Johnson, who shares posts here, often offers breathwork sessions here. You can also read a previous blog post by Eryn that dives deeper into breathwork here. 

Chauna Bryant also offers breathwork sessions and coaching options here. 

Shamanic and Intuitive Healing

I saved this one for the end because it’s the energy work field I work in, so I knew it would be the longest section! In my experience and personal practice, I’ve found a lot of overlap between shamanic and intuitive healing, which is why I’ve put them together. Shamanic practitioners often offer a wider array of services aside from energy healing, but for the sake of this post, I’ll be focusing on it as an energetic healing modality. 

I’d also like to make it clear that I’m using the term shamanism as an umbrella term here, as the term itself is rooted in Siberian practices from the Tungus people. Shamanic-like practices have been found in cultures worldwide, similar to the Tungus people and often referred to as core shamanism. This is a much bigger topic that I will speak to another day! Intuitive and shamanic healing is based on the idea that energy can be accessed, manipulated, and healed by people with psychic and intuitive gifts that have been initiated or trained in this kind of energy healing. Traditional healing in this way can be found in nearly all indigenous practices. 

Healers working in these modalities can “see” (objectively or subjectively in the mind’s eye) or sense (clairsentience) misaligned energy, blocked energy, cords, and physical issues. These healers can then remove, balance, or heal the energy through in-person or distance sessions. The healer will often enter a trancelike state to perform this kind of work but not always. Similar to Reiki, proximity is not necessary as all energy is connected. This work often relies heavily on collaborations between spirit guides and helping spirits from both the practitioner and the client.

My introduction into this work began when I received my first shamanic healing session in 2013 from my now mentor Robin Afinowich. It was the most impactful healing session I’ve experienced, but I will save my story and initiation into this work for a later post. 

This is a healing modality that you won’t find many certifications for because people are often born or initiated into this work and taught through lineages of teachers that don’t always honor certification the way so many do in the West. 

Of course, as for recommendations, I suggest my teacher, Robin Afinowich, but she only offers local sessions in the greater Phoenix area and is generally booked out.

Another intuitive energy worker I deeply respect who I’ve heard speak about her practice often is Judea Star. She also co-hosts an amazing podcast called Spirit Speakers, which I highly recommend! You can learn more about her or book an intuitive healing session with her here. 

Other kinds of energy work

This is truly such a brief introduction to energy work! There are so many other powerful kinds of energy work that I didn’t have room to discuss here. Some of my personal favorites are sound healing, acupuncture, and reflexology. 

Phew, my friend! Did you make it to the end with me? If you did, I hope you enjoyed and learned something from all of this information. As always, if you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it with someone you think will enjoy it too. If you have a question feel free to comment on social media here or reach out via email here. 

Card Spread and Devotion Ritual for Virgo Season

Virgo, our mutable Earth sign, invites you to consider what you are in service to, to pour your gifts out for the world, to unite your body and mind, and to analyze, discern, and purify. It's a season to find clarity around what you feel called to devote yourself to. We'll be exploring themes of both nature and devotion throughout the following card spread and ritual.

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing a card spread and a ritual for Virgo season. Check out our Understanding the Energy of Virgo Season blog post to learn more about Virgo energy and your personal birth chart’s connection to Virgo.

Card Spread for Virgo Season

We’ll use this card spread to explore the invitations and lessons Virgo has to teach you this season. Feel free to use a tarot deck or an oracle deck for this spread - whichever resonates with you. 

I invite you to create a ritual space for you and your deck to communicate by taking a moment to ground and center yourself however feels good to you. In the spirit of Leo season and Earth energy, you might like to explore dropping a grounding cord into the earth or meditating with a plant.

When you feel grounded and ready, shuffle your deck and draw a card for each of the following questions:

• What is Virgo season here to teach me?

• What am I being called to devote myself to this season?

• What is no longer needed & can be released this season?

• What possibilities are Virgo season is opening up for me?

After you pull your cards, sit with them. Try to take some time to journal or meditate with them to really connect with the full meaning they have to offer you. At the end of Virgo season, you might like to revisit your cards and reflect on how they unfolded throughout the season. How did they show up? What did you learn about yourself and the cards through the way they manifested this season?

Virgo Season Ritual for Devotion 

For me, Virgo evokes a lush, nature-based beauty, so feel free to make your space beautiful for this ritual in whatever ways feel good to you and perhaps align with what you’re devoting yourself to. For example, if you’re devoting yourself to love, it could feel good to sprinkle yourself with jasmine oil and surround yourself with rose quartz and rose petals.

For this Virgo season ritual for devotion, you’ll need:

• A candle 

• Paper and pen 

• Any oils and/or herbs you’d like to roll your candle in 

• Something to carve your candle with, like a safety pin 

• Anything to make your space feel beautiful 

• A small bowl of water 

As always, follow your intuition! That’s what makes ritual the most powerful. Here are my suggested steps for this Virgo ritual.

1. Once your space is set in a way that feels good, take a moment to ground yourself and reflect on what you’d like to devote yourself to this season. 

2. If you did the tarot spread above, you could take that card that answered the question about devotion and meditate with it. Or, you might simply like to journal to the question: what do I desire to devote myself to this season? 

3. When you feel clear, gather your candle and any oils and herbs that go along with that intention. I wrote a whole blog post on oil and herb correspondences for candle magic that you can check out here!

4. Dress your candle by carving your intention into it, rolling it in oil, and rolling it in herbs.

5. Light your candle and take out your pen and paper. Take your time to write a poem, a letter, or any words that feel good to whatever it is you’re devoting yourself to: love, courage, trust, mystery, whatever it is for you. What do you want to say? What do you want to send out into the universe? What are the words and desires in your heart? Write them down! 

6. When you feel complete, read your words out loud to your candle as many times as you’d like. Let them wash over you, let them sink in, let the smoke from your candle carry them into the clouds. 

7. Then, take your water and anoint yourself with it by sprinkling it over your head, on your pulse points, or anywhere else that feels good. As you sprinkle it and let it soak into your skin, know that you are committing to this devotion and asking to co-create with this energy. 

8. Close your ritual by letting your candle burn down and returning the rest of the water to the Earth. 

Happy Virgo season! I hope this card spread and ritual support you this season. 

Full Moon in Aquarius: Honoring Your Magic for the Good of All

Our August full moon in Aquarius offers an opportunity to work magic for the good of the collective and all of Earth’s creatures. The sign of Aquarius calls you to explore humanitarian themes in new and radical ways, inviting each of us to create a more just and whole world. Learn more about the energy of Aquarius here.

Themes for this full moon: The good of the collective, radical transformations, rebelliousness, digital expression, and honoring one’s truth.

Element: Air

The ideal time to perform this ritual is the day before or the day of the full moon.

You’ll need:

• 15-30 minutes of quiet and uninterrupted time

• Pen, pencil, markers, or paint and paper

• Optional items: incense or herbs to burn and a piece of clear quartz. 

1. Create a sacred space. Connect with your breath and body. Root into the moment.

2. Optional: light incense or burn herbs to connect with the element of air through the smoke. Any scent you feel called to use will do, but light and floral scents match this moon best.

3. Sit and begin connecting with your breath. Elongate each inhale and exhale and try to make them equal in length.

4. Ask yourself (aloud or in your mind), “What would the world look and feel like if all life forms and resources were respected and cared for equally?”

5. After visualizing this version of our world, ask yourself (aloud or in your mind), “What actions can I take to help bring this version of the world forward?”

6. Continue to focus on your breath for another 5-10 minutes and allow any messages, sensations, or guidance to come to you.

7. Optional: Pull a tarot or oracle card for guidance around this question. Asking again, “What actions can I take to help bring this version of the world forward?”

8. Take some time to write, draw, or paint any visualizations about this world vision and actions you’re committed to taking to help it come to fruition.

9. Place your drawing/writing on an altar or a window sill under the full moon. Optional: place a piece of clear quartz on top of it to amplify its intention.

10. Take some time to return to your body and physical space. Thank any guides or ancestors that came through to offer guidance.

Ritual follow-up: Carve out time to take action on the list you created. Moving into the waning moon phase, seek acceptance around outcomes and people you cannot control regarding your actions. Trust that with your action and energy, the wheels are in motion for progress.

This full moon ritual can be adapted or used for any full moon or any full moon in Aquarius. As always, take what you like and leave the rest.