Meditation- It's Not Just Sitting

Meditation is a useful tool for so many reasons!  The stillness sitting and centering yourself brings is something, with practice, you can learn to harness during your day to day life.  You learn to cultivate this peaceful state, and can access it during moments of stress by simply breathing in deeply, and exhaling those anxious feelings.  Breathing techniques, alone, go a long way.

But more than this, meditation offers us the opportunity to go within ourselves.  From this vantage point, we can check in with the health of our spirit; our soul; our higher selves.  From here, we can check ourselves, and make real progress moving forward on our personal paths.

For those who are just getting started, I highly recommend spending a week or two with simply stilling your mind and breathing deep.  There are smartphone apps that help with the stillness type of meditation, the "clear your mind" type.  To me, this is simply a beginning point, but it is a necessary first step.  Master this before you move on.

Headspace is an app or a website, it's free to use, and it allows you to set a short time to sit and focus.  3, 5, or 10 minute sessions are available.  There is a guide that helps remind you to focus, but beginners need this.  There are paid options if you like this guide, but you do not have to use them.  As always, follow your heart/gut/guides.

Once you are comfortable and can ease yourself into the proper mindset, and can sit for a few minutes at a time, then move on to the journeying style.

Journeying meditation is a Shamanic practice, where you go to an inner plane and do work there.  Think of it like a dream state, almost.  You will be able to go places and do things, see trees, fly through the air on newly discovered wings...  all sorts of things.  Its a place, but it's inside you.

This type of  meditation is very powerful, and I usually suggest people be choosy with their teachers.  If you dislike the guide I post here, by all means, find one that resonates with you. 

I chose Dakota  Earth Cloud Walker to share because she has pure intent, is a good guide who uses a soothing voice that adds to your experience rather than distracting from it, and she gives you time to do what she tells you to do.

I highly suggest by starting with Meeting Your Spirit Guides.  We each have 3 that are with us always, and others that may come and go.  Dakota's session here introduces you to the 3 main guides that are always with you. 

They each will serve a different purpose, and this session gives you the chance to talk with them.  They will show you what they're here to teach you, how they help you.  They will also show you how they appear in your day to day lives.  In all other sessions I've done with Dakota, she always has you call out to your guides to join you and help in the work you're doing today, so again, it's a great place to start.

After this, I really love the Sacred Soul Garden session.  You take a private path off the main forest path, and find your way to your special personal garden.

It's a place you can use to check in with yourself and see how you're doing, and Dakota shows you the path continues off the back edge of your garden.

I saw two destinations from there, to visit another time, before heading back.  This session can be done as often as you like, and you will marvel at how your garden changes when things are going on in your life!  When you're ready to branch out and take one of those paths leading off the back of your garden, go for it!

These two sessions are a great starting point, for beginners, and you can always branch out from there.  If you find a guide you really love, feel free to share in the comments below!

And a final recommendation!  Journal your experiences.  Map out how you went in, how you got out.  Did you talk to anyone?  What did they say?  Write it down.  It may be important later, and you may want to reference back!   You'll also be surprised how much you've forgotten, when you go back to review.  Anyway!  That's my two cents on that!

Happy exploring!

Green Witchcraft, Altar Basics

In the last installment on Green Witchcraft, I mentioned the Code of Conduct briefly, and compared it to the Wiccan Rede. Here we will get into that a little deeper, and explain what each piece of the Code means.

The most basic version of all of this can be boiled down into the Witch's Rede, which is largely agreed upon, despite paths: "If it harms none, do what you will." This is a basic tenant of the practice of the craft.

It is not to say you should let people walk all over you, it's a caution to take care with your workings. Don't act hastily without thinking through what you are after, and be sure your intent is pure. Intent is key, as always.

The Code of Conduct, in depth:

• Be careful what you do.

Think it through so everything works out as intended. Don’t impinge on someone’s freedom or individuality. Have permission to work magic for them or wait for them to ask for your help. But if you sense danger, use your best judgement, and act accordingly.

• Be careful who you trust.

While people like to believe they’re open-minded about this stuff, not much 
has really changed since Salem. Don’t let people use this against you.  Keep 
your Working Name secret, etc.

• Do not use The Power to hurt another, because what is sent comes back

Energies travel full circle. Find other ways to deal with day-to-day stuff.  
This is not to be used lightly, and negative energy sent out will attract 
more like itself.  Send light to receive light.

• Never use The Power against someone else who has The Power

...for you draw from the same well. We who practice are kin, brothers and sisters,

and no matter how we interact on a personal basis, we are still kin. Kin does not harm kin.

• To use The Power you must feel it in your heart and know it in your mind.

Magic is something that must be kenned. When you ken something, you know it to be true, because you feel it to be so. There is no doubt. This sensation is something you’ll always recognize once you’ve felt it once. You just know something will happen, and accept it. If/when you connect to the Divine and the Elementals, the feeling of The Power is frequent, and uplifting.

As always, listen to your intuition. As for that "keep your Working Name secret" line, there are different names that a witch may use, aside from given/chosen name or nickname used in everyday life:

• Craft Name: The name you use in front of others of like-mind. The name you may use in a coven setting, for example.
• Working Name: Purely secret. If you dedicate yourself to a Lord and Lady, they will give you your Working Name. If you do not work with deities, you may choose or create your own second name. This name is meant to define who you are, and the secrecy adds to the energizing power of your magic.

If you don't want to choose something immediately, that is just fine. You could go with a placeholder, use your given name, use your Craft Name as your Working Name until you choose yours, etc. Again, follow your intuition, and do what feels right.

Basic Tools/Equipment for the Craft

As I said in the previous Green Witchcraft post, you don't NEED to buy anything to practice.  These are suggested tools for your working, and for your altar, with the nature-based options listed beneath each item. These are Ann's suggestions, from the Green Witchcraft book series, taken from my class notes.

Besom: traditional witch’s broom. Pronounced “bee’zum”. Can be any type of broom, but whatever style you choose, keep the besom for the singular purpose of cleaning the circle/sacred space prior to circle/ceremony/ritual time. Anything can be used:

• The type found around Halloween meant for decoration
• Round (as shown above) is preferred, where possible.  
• Cutting of decorative long grass, bound with string or yarn to make a handle
• Craft store decorative brooms: plain broom or one accented with flowers and ribbons
• find what you need in nature: branches with leaves, branch with pine nettles. If you find one in nature, acknowledge it as a perfect besom, use it, then leave it behind in a decorative way, to show respect for the ritual tool
  

Athame*: ritual knife. Pronounced a-thau’may or a’thamay. Used to draw energy into your working, create the circle, & perform magical ceremonies. Not for cutting, or using to create objects used in spellwork. This knife should be a 3-edged blade, double sided, ideally with a black handle. Black is protective, wards negativity, and draws power.

*May use pointer finger on power hand (dominant hand), or wand in place of a knife.

Wand*: Tool used to direct energy and energize objects, greets and farewells Elementals. If you prefer, you can use the wand as an athame as well, it’s a matter of preference. Several wands are used for different purposes, so you may want more than one. Different wood materials matter! (more tree/wood info Green Witchcraft I, pg 59.)

The wand should be the length of the forearm, from the crook of the elbow to the tip of the forefinger.

 *May use pointer finger on power hand (dominant hand), or piece of selenite crystal

Rule of thumb for taking a wand, etc: To get a gift, you must give a gift, to express appreciation for the item and to offer compensation. To give back, you may pour milk over the roots of the tree, leave at the base of the tree, tie ribbon to a branch, or simply state appreciation or offer your blessing to flower petals scattered at the base of the tree, arrange pebbles/pine cones/shells/twigs as a pentacle the tree. Just don’t take the tree for granted. It’s a living entity and as such, has an anima, or soul.

Choosing trees/wands:

• Oak is God-power
• Willow is Goddess-power
• Hazel is dual Deity power/witch’s tree, duality in union
• Alder/Hawthorn is best for Fairy/Faerie magics
• Elder harnesses the power of the Crone
• Fairy gift wands: If you come across an energized stick, it may be a fairy gift to you, and you may use it. Leave something behind, as always.

Bolline/Boline*: working/herbal knife. Pronounced bow-line’. This knife is used for cutting herbs, inscribing candles, etc. Keep a kitchen one for chopping foods for ritual cooking (ritual foods, like nuts/fruits for ritual fruitcake) The bolline should be a 3-edged blade, double sided, ideally with a white handle. White is for purity, protection, truth, meditation, peace, sincerity, justice, and warding of doubts and fears. These knives orient themselves to the jobs they’re used for, simply with continued dedicated use.

*You can use a kitchen knife that you place your blessing on.  It's best if you can set aside a knife for this purpose, but anything will do in a pinch.

Cauldron*: These can vary greatly in size, material, and function. Most witches end up with a selection, in the end. They may have feet or not, be made of iron, amalgamated metals, ceramic, or clay pottery. Keep foods separated from magical stuffs.

*May use a fireproof bowl, small cast iron pan, or votive holder (think fire safety!)

Altars/Stangs: Altars can be a shelf, tabletop, bureau top, or you can use a stang, a plain or forked staff set upright (in a floor stand). In the wild, you may use a stang, perhaps decorating it with items from nature, returning them to nature with gratitude when finished. A permanent stang can have the natural items adorning it, to personal taste. They may have their bark removed, it may have runes engraved, be draped with wreaths, wrapped in vines, or have other decorations as you are led.

Altar extras:

• Cups: Used for ritual beverages, libations (offerings) to the Divine, and magic ceremonies. May be metal, wood, pottery, glass, coconut shell, whatever!
• Bowls: For offerings, water, salt, herbs. May be made of pottery, brass, ceramic, or natural items like shells
• Incense holders/Incense
• Candles/holders/snuffer
• Pentacle: Made of wood, brass, ceramic, or simply drawn on paper. Represents the 4 Elementals, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit together, which represents humanity.
• Figures of Deities: If desired. Horned deer-head or wheat for God, Mother & Child or Conch shell for Goddess,
• Bell: To signal portions of the ritual. May be large or small, or you may clap hands instead of ringing a bell if you prefer
• Represent all Elementals: fossil = earth, crystal = air, lava stone = fire, amethyst = water

There are special ways to arrange the altars, if you don't feel drawn to place things in a certain way yourself. Ann shows both deity or non-deity versions, as you prefer. If there’s room in altar room, place candles for each direction, maybe in special candle dishes with an element symbol of your choosing on them:

• North: Earth, Green
• East: Air, Yellow
• South: Fire, Red
• West: Water, Blue

Arranging Deity-oriented Altar:

• Altar is split into three sections: Left is Goddess, Right is God, Center is both.
• Left: Goddess representation, water bowl, wine/juice goblet, wand, bell, herbal & oil supplies
• Right: God representation, salt bowl, incense, athame, boline, matches, candles
• Middle: snuffer, censer, pentacle, cauldron, offering dish, libation bowl, book of rituals/spells, spell materials
• If using cake/bread for ceremony, place on front right of altar.

Arranging Non-Deity-oriented Altar (Working Area):

• Be as fancy or as plain as your needs/inclination allow
• Symmetrically lay out tools, with a single candle in the back center for focus. Or if using 2 candles, separate them right and left.
• Pentacle goes in the center, forward a bit
• Cauldron on top of Pentacle
• Knives to the right
• Wand to the left
• Spell book/paper forward center
• Herbs, oil, cloth, string, feathers, stones etc (things you’ll use) go on the left

So if you are new and have not done so yet, start gathering items as directed here! If you have questions, feel free to ask!

Blessed be!

Green Witchcraft, Finding my Path

When I was first pointed down the path of witch-related things, I joined a few groups online, to figure out where to even begin!  There are so many different ideas out there, so many different veins of thinking, so many focuses...  But which one is the right one for me? 

So, true to the internet these days, OF COURSE I took some quizzes that were supposed to help me decide what was what.  And the very first thing that was apparent was that I'm very much drawn to all things nature-based, and I definitely prefer to aim for balance, just as nature does. 

Nature is cruel as it is kind-  the gosling stolen from his mother's nest is surely missed, but without his loss, the fox's kits will starve.  It is not wrong for the fox to take the gosling, nor is it wrong for the goose to fight to keep the fox away.  Nature finds balance between the two, all by itself, as can we. 

So the idea of White Magic (only light/good), while it sounds nice at first, doesn't quite fit what I'm going for here.  Nor does the idea of Black Magic (only dark/bad).  The idea of polarizing something so natural just didn't fit. I'd much prefer to be like the Yin & Yang- the two, together in equal balance.

So with this realization came 2 rough Witchcraft options for me:  Grey (A mixture of White/Black Magics), or Green, (Balance-based and Nature-Based).  Of the two, Green just jumped out at me as the right option for me.  And since then, everything I've been drawn to fits within this vein of magic.

Green Witchcraft works within nature, and *requires* nothing but the practitioner and what can be found in nature.  You may choose to work with purchased tools, but if you can't afford any, you really don't need them.

For circle casting, you can use a wand found in nature that you craft yourself, your pointer finger on your Power hand (dominant hand), or an athame (black handled ritual knife used for directing energy).  For herb cutting, you can use a Boline (white handled ritual working knife, used for any cutting needed for magical purposes), or a regular kitchen knife you already have.  Herbs can be kitchen spices if that's all you have access to, you can grow your own, or buy them in a magical supply shop.  Candles don't have to be special spell candles, or they can be, whatever you have access to is totally fine.  And if you cannot burn candles, there are ways around that where you can certainly still do spellwork without them.

As it turns out, for magical workings, intent is the part that matters the most.  A circle is cast to create a place to build and direct that energy for your working, and all the other tools are simply used to help raise and guide that energy.  Without it, the magic all comes through you, the practitioner.  And Green Witchcraft is an energy-based system, drawing the necessary energy needed for magical workings from nature, herbs, the earth below and the moon and sun (Universe, or Source) above. 

All this made perfect sense to me, and I grabbed the first set of books on the subject that jumped out at me.  It turned out I made a great choice, in the Green Witchcraft series by Ann Moura.  There are 3 books total, book 3 is a teacher's manual or book class to follow, and uses book 1 as a textbook.  Book 2 is a supplemental text, getting into that balance between light and shadow that was so concerning to me, above.  So far I've been working with 1 & 3.

 In the weeks and months since then, I've been using these books as a study guide, and they've explained quite a lot about how the Green level Witchcraft fits in with the other magical sects. It is certainly a pagan religion, and is somewhat related to Wicca, but not necessarily tied together.  Wicca is an organized religion with a set of rules that differ slightly from those of base level Green Witchcraft.

First of all, Wicca usually involves the practice with a God and a Goddess of some form or other, from whatever pantheon the practitioner subscribes to.  And while Green Witchcraft may do the same for some, it is not a requirement to work with deities.

Some Green witches work only with the fae folk and elementals, leaving out the worship of a specific pairing of deities. Ann encourages her readers to listen to their inner voice and do what feels right to them. I'm a big fan of that.

Something else that separates Wicca from Green Witchcraft is the code of conduct for Green vs the Wiccan Rede. They're actually quite similar, but the differences do matter.

Here they are, together, for comparison:

The Wiccan Rede  

Bide the Witch’s law ye must,  

In perfect love, in perfect trust 

Eight Words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:  

An ye harm none, do what ye will. 

What ye send forth comes back to thee,  

so ever mind the Rule of Three. 

Follow this with mind and heart,  

And merry ye meet, and merry ye part.

Code of Conduct (Green Witchcraft code)

Be careful what you do.  (bide the law) 

Be careful who you trust.  (perfect love/trust) 

Don’t use the power to hurt someone, (harm none) 

Because what is sent comes back.  (no rule of three, roughly equal sending and returning) 

To use the power, you must feel it in your heart and know it in your mind.  (follow with mind/heart) 

Never use the power against someone else who has the power (admonition instead of merry meet/part)

Ann specifically dislikes the Rule of Three, because it sounds like a threat; severe retribution from the unapproachable God, should the faithful deviate from the laws of the clergy.  I'll get into the details of the code and what each piece means in the next Green Witchcraft post, along with the items Ann suggests having for your altar, and other beginner basics.  

For me, the Code of Conduct feels less restrictive, and makes a lot more sense to me overall.  And I've always preferred free verse poetry over rhyming, perhaps that has something to do with it.  In any case, once again, I'm in the Green Witchcraft zone rather than the Wiccan one.  And that suits me just fine! 

Someday I may branch out and add in deities to my working, but for now I am just fine running with the fae folk and elementals, Source above and Earth below.  If a pairing of deities calls to me later, I will listen.  But no one has called to me thus far.  

So here I stay in my Green Witchcraft zone, soaking up as much information as I can now that I finally found my true path, and I'll happily pass what I learn along to you!  But if this path also speaks to you, I HIGHLY recommend picking up Ann's books I showed above.  They've been a light of clarity in the darkness.

Anyway!  I have other things that are pressing, so I must run.

Have a lovely day everyone-  Blessed be.  

Empath Helper: Psychic Shielding

In the last Empath post, I mentioned sharing how I shield myself, beyond my stones I carry every day.  This sounds confusing and hard to do, but honestly it's not too difficult.

First, why would you want to shield yourself?  Isn't feeling things the whole point of being an empath?  Well, yes, but it can also be overwhelming.  I tend to hermit myself away and hide because it can be too much to be out in public, at a party, etc, but learning how to properly shield myself helps so much!  Now that I know how to create a shield, I can prepare myself before going into public, and keep myself where I need to be.  I no longer allow the energies of others to drag me down, I guess.

Since I'm a yoga-loving hippie, I use yoga flows to put my shield up, though you can do whatever works for you!  If you find another way, please share in the comments below!  Every way to do this is valid.  It's perfectly fine for your method to differ from mine.  The intent you create is the thing that matters most, so put your energy into that, and you're good!

I begin by standing, typically, though seated is fine!  I hold my hands in namaste (prayer hands, as seen below), held at the heart center/chakra.  I stand like this and breathe in deeply, center myself, and then I'm ready to begin.

I draw up energy in the form of a light, up through my feet, breathing it in and up as I draw in the breath.  When I need to breathe out, I pause my collection of energy where it is, and draw more in with the next inhalation.  I allow this energy to fill me up, one breath at a time, and when I feel I've built up enough, I send that energy, that light, to the space between my hands.

Once the energy is in the hands, I push them up over my head, keeping my hands together as much as possible.  On an out-breath, I separate the hands, as well as the light/energy, sweep my hands down to the ground, and use the edges of my fingertips to draw out a line with that light as I do so.  When I reach the floor, I envision the protective bubble extending through the floor or earth beneath me, surrounding me.  And I allow the bubble to stay there as I stand back up again.

But I'm not done quite yet.  Drawing the bubble/shield is one thing.  Setting its intention is the most important part.  So what do I need the bubble to do today?  I consider my needs, and send that intention out into the shield.

Some days I make it a mirror so people see their own attitudes reflected back at them.  Some days I make it a white light that only allows positive things through.  Some days it's a blue light and I use it to heal.  I can prevent negative emotions from getting through to affect me, though I'll still sense it off the people creating those emotions.  It can remove me from those emotions a bit so I can examine them without allowing them to poison me and my good mood. 

Whatever I do want, I state that intention in my mind on an in-breath, and send it out into the shield on an out-breath, one piece at a time, then tell it to hold until I pull it down again.

Once I've set my intention for the shield, I let go of the energy I drew in, and allow the shield to do its job.  If my hands are still buzzing with excess energy, I place them on the floor and send that excess energy down down down until I feel even again.  I think of this as a form of grounding.  If I cannot put my hands on the floor, I send the energy back out through my feet instead.

To pull the shield down, when I'm home in my safe place again, I do the opposite motions from how I put it up:  Start at the floor, sweep hands up and energy with it, gathering it back into the hands, collecting it at the top where the hands meet, then I keep my hands together as I pull them back to my heart center/chakra.  Once there, I breathe in that energy, back into my core, and disperse it if needed, just like I disperse the excess energy from its creation.

So that's how I do mine.  I know people who like to make theirs up to look like armor, others who use something like my bubble but put it up in a different way, etc.  It's all fine, again, just remember to focus on your intention above all else, and try to visualize that bubble (etc) as clearly as you can.  The more real you can make it for yourself, the better it will work!

Happy Shielding!

Awakening & Death of a Dark Force Attachment

I said I finally started opening my eyes to new things, in my intro post. And by that, I mean I truly (finally) began my Spiritual Awakening. Figuring out who am I in this world, what can I do, why am I here, all the great existential questions. And for me, because of who I am, it was rather an intense experience.

It started, as I said before, with me opening my mind to ideas I'd dismissed or suppressed for ages, and then it was like I fell off the cliff of my life's experience and into an entire ocean of information that has just been waiting for me. Perhaps I dove. But I'm certainly no longer on that cliff anymore, looking down into this world. Now I swim about, surrounded by all these wondrous things, and they call to me...

 Anyway, so at first, my senses were very much heightened as I started really listening to them. I remember having lunch with a friend, and there was a serious connection of some kind with the server. She radiated a bright happy yellow light, and it was like our souls recognized each other. We both felt it, but neither of us said anything. That, by itself (knowing/feeling her reaction strongly) was a shock to me. I'd never had that kind of first-meeting reaction with anyone before. Then the friend and I went shopping, at her favorite local metaphysical shop. The person behind the register seemed surprised by us when we came in, or maybe was surprised by the entourage I carry with me.




By this point, I'd had several people tell me I'm very very VERY spiritually active. And then, when both a medium friend and a strong reader friend both tell you you're the most active person they've seen, you take note!  And I was noticing things all over the place, including people noticing MY things!  I seemed to be even more active in my friend's presence.  We'd been chatting Empath stuff for a few weeks already.

Anyway, the shop was lovely and the whole store wanted to come home with me. It was my birthday, so I splurged, buying myself several books and some stones and incense.

When we got back to her place, my friend (who is very strong in her own spiritual path) offered to read me, and when I consented, she was instantly harassed by my entourage, who wanted to talk to her for me. They all started talking at once, and it took a while to get the message out.

I've got a good team around me, in 3 spirit guides, and a possible spirit animal. I'm a very old soul, old enough my friend couldn't pinpoint my age or how many times I've been reborn, how many lives I've lived. I've always felt older than I was, and this resonated with me. Goosebumps.

And the soul age thing she elaborated on, by telling me I'm bigger, older, and stronger than I think I am. As active as I am, I don't have anything bad around me, which means I'm strong enough to get rid of any bad things on my own without really trying.

In that moment, I didn't really believe it. Yes, I felt like I can handle myself, but I also felt like a lost little kid, running around, trying to figure the whole world out, terrified I'll take a wrong turn. But this comment from her definitely resonated, and my guides echoed her sentiment. More goosebumps.

While I'm definitely surrounded by good beings, part of the reason is because there was something dark, of my own making, that had been with me since childhood, and it haunted me still. I'd reduced it to something small and caged, but it wasn't gone.

I thought I'd handled it, but my friend said I still needed to deal with it.  The good beings have surrounded me to protect me from the caged thing, to keep it from hurting me anymore. My whole body lit up with goosebumps at this. My guides all said, "YES!!!" to this.




My friend said she saw a book that needed to be destroyed, and an old diary of mine instantly came to mind. There has been some serious abuse in my past, and I had regurgitated memories of that abuse and dumped feelings into that old diary. And I'd also felt like I needed to keep it around, but my friend said that was the book talking, and it was lying to me. It was feeding my rage and hatred about the events of my past, and how they have always affected me- and the book definitely wasn't helping.

I saw the book being destroyed by fire, and I saw it being buried, sealed away within a metal box.  And I needed to deal with it before I opened myself up too much more to spiritual stuff, before I allowed myself to "see".  The overwhelming feeling I got was, "You don't need to see that." My friend agreed, and approved of my disposal plan, then we wrapped up our reading for the night.

When I got home, I looked up creatures created through powerful emotion, and quickly discovered what I'd made: A dark force attachment. My guides were all screaming in agreement as I read the article: This is what I was dealing with, absolutely, without a doubt. And my plan to destroy the object I'd used in its accidental creation was exactly right.




Over the next few days and weeks I gathered my materials I needed to properly destroy and dispose of the diary. When it was time, and I picked up the diary to carry it to the car, even TOUCHING it made my skin crawl. It roiled with hatred. I was very serious, wracked with nerves, as I drove far away from home to burn it in a place where it couldn't find its way back to me if it somehow survived.  

As the book burned (safely, in a fire-proof bucket, over gravel, in a place with no fire restrictions!), I also burned sage and some incense. The smoke from the sage wafted over the book as I sat there.  The book screamed as the flames licked the pages.  I sat trembling, holding my chevron amethyst in hand for protection, as I watched it die. I took photos of the burning book to remind myself, (later, in an expected moment of weakness) that it was gone.

As I scrolled through the images, looking for one where the smoke was swirling in a cool way, to send my friend as proof that I was doing as we planned... I realized there were SKULLS within the smoke. Several of them. The biggest wave of absolute relief washed over me, and I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it was dying. My plan was working. Head to toe goosebumps. Singing ones.

These are the best 2 of the skull shots. The top one is near the binding, facing to the right. The bottom one is near the seam in the burning bucket, facing forward.





When it was all over, the ashes from the book went into a metal container. I sealed that up and wrote all over the box, "WARNING! Dark Force Attachment remnants within! Do not open!" The container was buried away safely, and finally, at last, I made my way home, saged myself and my car, and did some meditation work to try and get rid of the jittery nervous feeling I'd had all afternoon.

I was putting on a brave face while I dealt with my personal demon, and needed to decompress and let it go. It was much easier said than done. But I held those skull-in-the-smoke photos close as I processed everything, and reminded myself I DID kill that Dark Force Attachment. And I did it all by myself. 

Maybe my friend was right, and I really am bigger, stronger, and older than I know. That was the moment when I started to truly believe it. And everything else began to fall into place, a little at a time.

Basics of Sage Smudging

If you ask a question about how to cleanse and protect, with regards to spiritual stuff, you'll have people answering "sage" or "sage smudge," which is helpful if you know what that means...  but less helpful if you don't.  So let's explain it!

Sage is a sacred herb that is frequently burned for protection and cleansing.  As you can see above, the tip of the stick has been lit, like incense, and is burning slowly-

Sage can be any type of sage, blue, white, etc.  You can burn dried kitchen spice sage if that's all you have, as well!  The intent is what matters the most, as with all magical working.

With smudging (any herb!) the smoke is what you're after.  Waft that smoke around however you can- wave the sage stick, use a feather or feather fan, it's all good.  You want to use the smoke to cleanse, and there are different methods based on what or who you are cleansing.

First, no matter your need, set your intention:  Cleanse, protect. 

You can simply focus on this for a moment before beginning and hold that intention as you work, or if you want/need, you can chant the words aloud or in your mind as you work.  Do it in the way that feels right to you, and you won't go wrong.

For people:  Standing with arms outstretched, if possible, wave sage smoke under the feet, then up the front of the body.  Under, in front, and above each arm, heart chakra, third eye/face, and above the head.  Then same deal, but back side of the body to finish.  Feet to arms, back of arms, below and above each arm, back and sides of head, and top of head.  If possible, have someone else sage you, but if you must sage yourself that works fine as well.

For rooms/houses:  Walk around the outside of each room, along each wall, waving from the ceiling to the floor, focusing especially strongly in the corners of the rooms-  spirits like to hang out in the upper corners of rooms.  I also make sure to get all windows, doors, and reflective surfaces-  Any means of entry into my space is covered.  If you are getting the whole house, start in the basement and work up to the top floor, room by room, until the house is done.

For objects, like a new deck of tarot cards, jewelry, stones, sacred items:  Wave the item through the smoke, covering it well.

You can smudge using other herbs if that's all you have, but I suggest looking up the intent and herbs before use, so you can find what you have that fits your needs the best.  I've smudged with incense smoke, dried herbs, sage sticks...  they all work, they just each do a slightly different job.

Also!  If you are a person who cannot inhale smokes or are sensitive with the lungs, in general, there are sprays that have been infused with the herbal properties and will work just fine too.  Most metaphysical shops will have some options or know where to send you if they don't have what you need.  Of course you can always order sage spray online!  There are lots of types of sprays, so poke around and be sure you've got the one you want before you run to the register!

So!  Off you go!  Cleanse and protect yourself, your family, and your space!

Blessed be.

I am an Empath. You might be too.

As part of my (re)introduction to all of this spiritual stuff, I started to embrace my empathic side. I've always had very strong intuition about people, whether they could be trusted, etc. I've always been sensitive to people's feelings and the overall feeling in a room when I walk in. And I started to realize it's more than just sensitivity. I'm an Empath.

If you're not familiar with what an empath is, let's start with a quiz. Just tally up as you go, and find your rating score at the bottom, and see if this fits you too. I'm willing to bet it does, at least a little bit, if you are here and reading this post.



So on this test, I score a 71. I have 4 2's and the rest are all 3's. So I'm very strong, what these results would call an "extreme empath." I don't really *feel* extreme, but I guess I can see what they mean. I'm a very strong empath, I sense things constantly. I realized that's what it was, that it wasn't my own emotions I was feeling a lot of the time.

Being an empath is more than being empathetic toward someone's pain. It's more than feeling WITH someone. You're feeling THEIR sadness. Have you watched movies or been around people and become overcome with emotions that aren't yours, like tears streaming down your face but you don't *feel* sad yourself? That was one of my eye-openers. Like, dude, I'm not upset, why am I crying?

Sometimes the emotions of other people around me would even influence my own emotions if they were strong enough. And when that happens again and again all day long it can make you feel exhausted just from being in public all day.

But what can we do? Are we lost in the flow of emotions forever? That doesn't sound fun! That sounds exhausting! Thankfully, we do have options. We can find balance, can turn noise volumes down, send emotions away, and create a safe space for ourselves at home.

Not every empath wants to do more than learn to control the noise, though, and that's okay. Either way, first, we must hone these base level emotion-reading-and-skills.  And learn to control the emotions/energies we work with.  (Emotions are a form of energy.)

I recommend this method, as it is what works for me. If you find a different way to do a similar thing, great!  Share in the comments! 

With each emotion I encounter every day, I hold it in front of me in my mind, like a ball of light/energy.  And I ask myself a few questions about it, then decide what to do with it:

• What emotion is this? Don't judge it as good or bad, just... anger, resentment, jealousy, love, joy, confusion... Name it. 
• If you can see it, what color is it? (You'll begin to notice different colors have different meanings) Take note of anything special you see/feel. 
• Next, ask, "Is this mine?" 
• If it's yours, do you like it? If so, soak it up, breathe it in, and envision the ball of energy joining with your heart chakra (or third eye, wherever feels right).   If it's yours but it does not serve you today (outrage at work that isn't helping), thank it for coming, and push it away from yourself. Envision the ball of energy floating away from you, and down into the ground, or off into the sky/air/universe. 
• If it's not yours, thank it for coming, and push it away from yourself. Envision the ball of energy floating away from you, and off to wherever it came from. Return to sender. Or you can send it into the earth, or sky/air/universe.

Practice that for a while and see how that works for you. It's a great first step for an empath. You will learn control before you know it.  I do this quickly now when I realize it's not something of mine and it's not serving me in the moment.  I can't get carried away with the angry/upset people I'm helping every day, etc.  It gets easier and easier to do, I promise, just keep at it!

Beyond this, you may wish to look into some crystals/stones to help with easing the psychic noise. As you improve things, you may find the volume on your psychic skills turns up. For me it was like the lights were suddenly turned on, and the radio was blaring. It was hard to manage at first.

These are the stones that help me, and I carry them every day:

• Hematite- It transforms negativity to positivity. If you have to choose, get a stone over a ring, it will last longer. The rings can be fragile and shatter if the vibrations get to be too much. I draw a lot of energy and mine break fast if used alone.  I carry stones now too, and my ring survives! 
• Selenite - This one is for cleansing and protection.
• Amethyst is helpful for protection, especially against psychic attack.
• Tiger's eye- Protection and good luck. 
• Garnet- healer, chakra balancer 
• Crackle quartz is a power stone, amplifying whatever it's with.

Stones/things for protecting my home:

• Selenite- I have big pieces for protection of the house, as well as for recharging my other stones overnight 
• Black Tourmaline - A piece over/on the front door, and in each window.  This helps keep out unwanted entities/spirits
• Black Salt - You can create a line across a doorway or windowsill with this.  I like placing it in the area where the window closes, so it's in place (can't blow away) but is hidden.  
• Amethyst- protection/cleansing
• Quartz- This is another protection/cleansing one.  I have these in my yard.  I collected them from a crystal vein up in the hills in the mountains, blessed them, and they watch over my home.  

We'll leave it there for now. Next Empath post, we'll get into shielding, how to create for yourself a bubble of protection. Stay tuned! 

 
Blessed be!

Hey all, nice to meet you, I'm Sarah

Hey guys, I'm sure this readership will be very light at first, and that's totally okay!  I'm doing this to kind of explore my path a little more publicly so you can join me as I wander if you like.

So I'm Sarah, I'm in my mid-30's, and I live in the mountains with my family (husband, 2 teenagers, 2 dogs, and 1 cat).  I've recently caved to feelings and instincts I've had all my life.  I've always felt a little different but didn't really have the words to explain it at the time.  And I'd like to document my journey, as I know there are many people out there who are seeking answers.  May this be of help to some of you.

I vividly remember as a small child, trying to levitate objects and being seriously confused as to why it wasn't working.  I remember casting circles and conjuring things on the playground at school with a small group of friends who were also a little different.  And then I got in trouble for reading books about Ouija boards, even though they were religious books trying to scare people off from them.  I was not scared.  I was fascinated.

As a teenager with babysitting money and access to shopping without my religious parents, I frequented the occult shops in town and bought books and candles, but had to read the books in hiding, and that was difficult.  I did some very instinctive spellwork to help friends with insomnia, etc, but got distracted with other things in life for a while.

In an apartment I shared with friends, we had spirit activity that got big and scary, and we had to have my father (ordained minister) come over and pray throughout the apartment and cast out whatever spirit was there and bothering us.  The cat freaked out and watched the spirit we couldn't see as it flew out the window and away.  But the overall feeling I got from all that was that we'd been too casual with the ghost situation at first, and these things are not meant to be played with.  So I kinda backed off and didn't actively do anything for many years.

So I left things alone for a very long time, on an intentional level.  But I've always been something of a kitchen witch, cooking with love.  I've done energy flows for years, in yoga practice, sending the breath to an aching area, telling the area to release, etc.  I've done healing for years without realizing it, the big deep hugs you can fall into and stay forever...  yeah those have healing power and I was channeling it without knowing it.  And I've always been able to sense the emotions and energies of people around me, even if I didn't understand exactly what it was-  I could tell you if someone is worthy of trust or not, etc.

And recently, I've opened my eyes to what has been going on.  I'm an empath.  I'm a witch.  My dreams can tell the future.  My gut feelings are never wrong, and it's time to trust them.  And it's time to study up and learn what else I can do, time to hone my skills.  So that's what we're going to do here.  Buckle up!  It is going to be a fun ride!

Blessed be!