Top Spiritual Practices the Modern Babe Should Get Behind

Over the last few years I've taken it upon myself to develop a spiritual practice.  It's been a priority of mine to dive deeper into my authenticity and outline exactly what I believe & why I believe it.  In fact, I used to not like the term spiritual or spirituality because it leaned too close to religious for my liking.  But as I've grown through a few things in the last year or so I've realized that personal development and spirituality have become almost synonymous for me.  My personal development has been enhanced by my understanding of many woo woo things.

Today I want to share with you three spiritual practices that the modern, self reflective babe should get behind, but I've also got something else to add:

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First things first - the idea of spirituality, witchcraft, crystals, yoga, chakras, herbs, etc is nothing new.  In fact a lot of the things we're doing belonged to people long before we got here, long before we discovered them, and long before we decided they were something to make money from.  So, while you're walking down your own spiritual path be sure that you're not taking other's practices as your own.  A lot of these things do not belong to us.  There is the quick assumption in the new age community that we are entitled to everything when in fact a lot of the practices we are embracing as our own come from groups of people punished for their beliefs, denied their ancestral heritage, and now monopolized on because it is 'cool'.  Witchcraft is cool is not the vibe we're going for here.  Honest personal development, education, reverence, and activism need to be a part of your spiritual path as well. Similar things we openly practice because they are hip now have been annihilated by colonialism. forced assimilation, and generations of practicing in the dark with sacred ritual dying with the last individual of a certain group. You can read a bit more on my thoughts here in my post titled Cultural Appropriation in my Communities.

With that being said, I still think if you're approaching these few things I list below with honesty, authenticity, reverence, and an open mind your life will be changed.  You can embrace mindfulness and enhance your overall wellness by practicing these things & focusing on your personal development.  So, let's get into it....

Diffusing Essential Oils

Essential oils have the power to enhance our overall well being through the way not only scent interacts with our limbic system, but also how their chemical properties can affect our surroundings.  Scent is one of our most powerful senses and working with essential oils can allow us to enhance our emotional balance.  DoTERRA has a whole Emotional Aromatherapy line to start with but I started with the Balance blend to help me feel grounded and focused during meditation.  

Certain essential oils can help us bring in emotions we'd like to feel & counteract emotions we don't want to feel.  Developing this connection can help us to feel more emotionally balanced as we move through our days.  Read more about creating your own diffuser blends in this post.

Reading Tarot for Personal Guidance

My relationship with the Tarot is that the cards are a mirror.  Reading Tarot, for me, doesn't involve any psychic abilities....it is merely a tool to reflect back to me what I may already know and dive deeper into the solutions.  Reading Tarot for yourself can be a way to understand yourself, situations, and your actions regarding those situations.  I think the Tarot and other oracle or affirmation cards (here are some of my favorite decks) can reveal to us what we may not consciously know or confront us with the things we do know but that we have chosen to ignore.

I talk here about how to combine tarot, oracle, and affirmation cards in a reading to get a well rounded message.  You can download a free set of affirmation cards here!

Meditating with Crystals

Just like essential oils certain crystals have certain attributes that can help us with our well being.  Choosing a crystal (much like choosing and essential oil) that fits the emotions you'd like to bring in or the emotions you'd like to counteract can enhance our meditation.  There are also certain crystal journeying meditations that I love to do to explore not only the depths of my mind & imagination but to tap into the meaning of the crystal.  Angel aura quartz is one of the most fascinating crystals for me to meditate with!

This is another way to develop not only your intuition but your visual and emotional libraries.  You'll know which crystals and attributes you connect with and which ones that may be too much for you.  Carnelian is a crystal that I can't connect with in a way that is positive.  It makes me fiery, feisty, and angry....not what I'm going for in my daily life!

If you're a modern babe who'd like to learn more about herself & her spiritually, these three things can really get you started on the right track.  Personal development is something only you can be responsible for so make sure you're doing it responsibly by honoring where certain acts, practices, and rituals come from.

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If you'd like to know more about using essential oils both practically & spiritually, download the free ebook by signing up for the email list above.  You'll get a few emails regarding using essential oils & other woo woo stuff, too.  If you'd like to join others in support of your spiritual journey check out the Live & Create Facebook group here.

How do you honor yourself & your practices?  In what way do you connect with your spirituality?

xoxo, Moe

Three Ways to Cleanse your Sacred Space

Creating a safe and sacred space for yourself is one of the key parts in mediation.  You don't need to dedicate a whole entire room or do anything elaborate - you just need to create a safe space for yourself where you feel comfortable and calm.

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As we go through our lives, emotions & energies can become attached to us.  These emotions and energies can also become trapped in our homes, bedrooms, & work spaces.  Any place we inhabit (especially with others) can build up stagnant or not so nice energies.  If you've ever come home from a long day of work and just can't shake the stress or have had a fight with a friend or companion and just cant get rid of the emotions you've experienced - this is energy attachment.  Sometimes it's not bothersome to us but sometimes it weighs us down.  Cleansing yourself & your space of these energies can often lift this weight from you and bring a sense of calm or freshness to your space.

You can find many clearing rituals online or you can create your own.  Often the best way to get started is to find a ritual that you resonate with and adapt it to your own lifestyle.  As you go through the cleansing a few times you may find yourself adding or subtracting parts as it suits you.

Since starting my meditation practice, I've found that doing a little energy clearing ritual prior to my sessions gets me in the right head space for what I plan to be doing.  Animals - and we are animals -are very sensitive to smell & to habit.  Think of Pavlov's dogs - when they were fed a bell rang.  Eventually the dogs associated the ringing of the bell with food and began to salivate at the sound of it.  This is how ritual can begin to affect us.  Our clearing rituals will begin to trigger in us an emotional shift getting us ready for the next task at hand.  As humans, we have a more complex understanding of our emotions and thus can begin to use the habit-turned-ritual process to tap into our higher selves and create a more mindful & spiritual bond with our actions & surroundings.

How to Cleanse your Space

There are three common ways to cleans your space but if you find that something else works for you entirely, then go for that.  There are no wrong answers when it comes to creating a safe and loving space from which to work.

Smoke

Most commonly you'll find references to Smudging.  Smudging has been misappropriated by those involved in New Age and NeoPagan circles.  Often those insisting on smudging are imitating what they believe to be sacred ceremonies from various First Nations and Native American cultures.  It is common to see 'smudge sticks' sold commercially in new age shops around the country.  These ceremonies differ vastly between First Nations communities and the 'simple' energy clearing or blessing rituals seen as outsiders can not be replicated with in the homes and spaces of those not involved in these communities nor by those who have not been religiously trained.  Smudging and 'ritually cleansing a space or person with smoke' are at the core, not synonymous. (Read more about the misappropriation of smudging here.)

However, one can use smoke as a way to cleanse your space if done respectably. Using smoke in ritual and religious practice isn't limited only to First Nation & Native American traditions as cultures and communities across the globe use smoke & the burning of herbs in ritualistic practices.  Inherently, the use of fire (and thus smoke) is ingrained in us as our primal ancestors first saw into the darkness.  Smoke is mystical and smoke is magical simply because of the way it floats.

Using smoke to cleanse your home - specifically the burning of certain herbs - can be done by choosing herbs in correspondence with either the energy you'd like to banish and/or the energy you'd like to bring in.  Energetically something like Palo Santo smoke can be used for neutralizing a space.  The smoke of this wood is thought to simultaneously clear negative energies while creating a space of calm for mediation practice.  You can also choose to burn something like lavender to bring in good energies of communication or frankincense to bring in energies of abundance.

Sound

Again, most commonly you'll find references to Tibetan Singing Bowls in many new age shops.  From my personal research I can not find any one specific people, religion, etc that exclusively uses this object but approaching these singing bowls with respect is the key here.  The over all theme of this post is to encourage you not to imitate what you see but to interact with your own spirituality.  Using a singing bowl to clear energy is a very rhythmic way to connect in with your space.

Generically referred to as a standing bell or singing bowl. these metal (or crystal) objects resemble upturned cups and can be played either by striking the side with a mallet or by running the mallet along the rim.  The even tone created by these bowls is inspiring & grounding.  The benefit from these singing bowls comes from the vibration emitted.  Using these in your sacred space can create a place of calm & tranquility.

Another way to use sound that is easily available is clapping or banging.  While not a great way to create a tranquil space, you can pair clapping or banging (like with a spoon onto a pot) with your smoke cleansing or visualization.  By becoming more energetic and sending these sharp vibrations into your space you can 'break up' stagnant energy or a stagnant feeling and push it out of the space easier. This might be better for doing a full house cleansing rather than a preparation for meditation.

Visualization

Visualization is the perfect way to cleanse a space of energies because you're relying on yourself and your personal power.  And you don't have to spend any money to utilize this tool.  This is a tool that is also personal to you - you can develop your own colors, visions, etc - so I'm going to share how I use visualization.

To cleanse my space I usually start by visualizing a ball of white light around me like a bubble.  I fill this bubble with love, positivity, happiness, calm, etc then I send it out in pulses around me getting bigger & bigger.  Sometimes I'll use this to cleanse an object and thus only need  small bubble.  Most of the time though I'll do this around a room - like my meditation space - to prepare for card reading or meditation.  This is an especially helpful tool when you're somewhere that you can't burn or spray funny things.

When it comes to cleansing energy I've only stuck with white light to drive out what I don't want.  You can, however, start to develop a way to bring in energies you do want.  One of the ways to do this is to work with the Chakras, or energy centers, of your body.  While the idea of the Chakra system & energy body heavily resonates with me, I also acknowledge that it is not my word or system to use or appropriate.  These Chakras or Wheels of Energy correspond to different colors and I've been playing around with making my own color library to bring in certain energies I want in mys space.  For example the color correspondence for the Root Chakra is red and if I'd like to bring in stability energy perhaps I could envision red filling the space.

Since visualization is a technique that is unique to each person, creating your own library is important.  The power of visualization comes from with in you.  If you feel that you can't hold the image in your mind well at first, pair this technique with your use of smoke or sound or even your practice with essential oils so that you can begin to bring this as your backbone into your visualization.  I have a whole post on getting started with visualization right here.

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Now that your space is cleared you can begin your meditation practice or just continue you life with a little peace of mind that your space is safe for you.  As I mentioned above, the intention of this post is to help you to develop your own rituals and your own practices so that you feel most connected to your higher or best self.  We are creatures of habit and we are creatures of ease.  It is easy to sink into the belief that a certain ritual is the only way and thus we continue to imitate it.  It is also easy for us to say 'hey I like that, I'm going to do that'.  But we need to understand boundaries and the sacred space of ancient traditions that may not be our own.

I hope this post was a little bit helpful for you and that you learned a bit when it comes to cleansing your space & being respectful.  You can read more about my mindfulness journey here.

How do you cleanse your space? What rituals have worked for you?

xoxo, Moe

Four Tips to get Started with Visualization in Mediation

Day dreaming is something that I think nearly all human beings do.  We often think of something better we could be doing while typing up a long email or zone out on a thought while making our morning cup of coffee.  Raise your hand if you've ever been doing something and suddenly zoned out only to realize you've been unintentionally staring over the shoulder of someone in your office and therefore freaking them out a bit.  What if we could tap into this tendency to day dream and turn it into something productive?  Spoilers - we can.

Let's talk about visualization.  Whenever we think of an idea - what to eat, what to create, what to wear - we often visualize it first.  We pass a few images through our heads to find what entices us the most.  This imagery helps us to decipher our true feelings - do we want Italian or Thai food? - and helps us feel confident in an out come - how will I look in this dress versus this pair of jeans?  But there is a way to tap into visualization to make it a powerful energetic tool to help us align our actions and become the best version of ourselves.

Visualization can help us bring certain feelings, actions, or outcomes into our awareness.  I honestly like to think of it as playing pretend, but for big kids with big kid results.  I use visualization in nearly all of my routines.  It helps us to feel our goals & sink into a certain emotional head space.  It helps us to see the benefit of small actions.  It helps us to believe we can live our best life.  Here are some of my daily visualizations :

• When meditating I visualize myself sitting on a big rock on the bank of a large lake in the midst of many trees.  When I inhale, the lake is still.  When I exhale, ripples form across the lake.  This visualization helps me to focus on my breath and focus on the present moment. 

• When I've had an extremely hard day and I end up taking a long shower, I imagine the water washing away the stress and baggage of the day.  When I take a warm bath I often use a bath bomb, essential oils, and/or crystals and imagine that I am soaking in all the good feels I want to absorb.  That way, when I step out of the bathroom I'm restored and ready to face the next task.

• When I need a boost of a little something, I often choose an oil or crystal to work with & imagine its properties - grounding, uplifting, calming, opening - hitting me where I need them.  This is especially powerful when it comes to working with my chakras.  If I want to communicate better I imagine an oil like peppermint opening my air ways and a stone like sodalite supporting the message I'd like to convey.  Affirmations can help with visualization as well to encourage you to believe in yourself.

• The first ever example of my own visualization was when I was younger and I was told to clear my mind.  I used to (well I still do) love magic tricks, mind reading tricks, etc so the guy would say 'clear your mind....so I may tap into your unconscious. wooooooo.'  You know the drill.  So I'd imagine my mind as a giant attic with hardwood floors, white walls, and one round window.  It was a huge attic with all my thoughts stored up in it....so I would imagine all the boxes & junk being pushed aside so that there is a clear space to work.  I also used to do this when I couldn't sleep.  It seems kind of silly but it's a visualization that has helped me.

Visualization is big kid pretend with

amazing, positive results.

Here's the thing though, you've got to be open to it.  It's kinda woo-woo.  It's kinda weird.  But there is one question you have to ask yourself when it comes to this stuff: if it works for you, why would you stop doing it?  You never know until you try something.  As we grow out of childhood, logic  starts to take over.  Eventually we block out all of our connection to our highest and best self.  It is only through self healing practices - like mediation - that we can find our way back to our true selves.  So let loose and let your inner child allow yourself to believe in yourself again.

Here are three tips for a beginner when it comes to using visualization

Choose a specific space to which you feel comfortable and connected

This may be your bedroom, your craft room, your sun room, or the bath tub.  Choose any place where you feel you can be completely and utterly yourself.  There is no room for judgment or embarrassment when it comes to meditation and visualization.  For me, the best place for this is our downstairs spare room.  I've sort of turned that into my self care oasis. This is separate from our bedroom which is a space I share with someone else.  But I also find that my tub during a bath is a perfect place as well.

You need a place with out distractions where you're allowed to be you with out any judgement.  Setting the mood could mean burning your favorite candle, diffusing your favorite essential oil blend, or burning incense.  You can also choose some calming music with nature sounds or singing bowls or flutes.  Dim the lights, sit comfortably.  It is easier to get in the head space for meditation & visualization when you've made a specific time and space for it.  Eventually you'll be able to slip into this head space in your car on your lunch break.  But you've got to get over yourself first.

Don't believe yourself when you tell yourself it's silly

Speaking of getting over yourself....you're gonna sit down and you're gonna get ready to visualize, and you're gonna picture something - how it feels, how it looks, how it sounds - and you're gonna suddenly feel like a noodle for being a grown ass adult pretending to be on a rock in front of a big lake.  You're going to tell yourself that this whole thing is silly.  And your going to want to believe it.  But don't.

So here's my example, it has to do with Santa Clause.  If you've ever believed in Santa you've probably felt the magic & excitement of the holidays.  The sparkle and mystery in all the Christmas movies, decorations, stories, etc.  And as you grow up you realize that there is no Santa & that the magic and sparkle lives in all of us when we come together to give, celebrate, and love.  That the spirit of Christmas isn't in this jolly character but in the hearts of us all.  If you've ever believed in the magic of anything you've got to get that innocent feeling back.  It will take practice and you've got to keep at it.  But if you believe what you're visualizing and go through your day with that belief you'll start to notice how visualization will help you keep a positive attitude, allow you to communicate or listen better, or enable you to do what ever you visualized yourself doing.  

Start with baby steps

While you can go ahead and visualize yourself on the beach sipping Mai Thais, that may not help you in your day to day existence.  I'd qualify that as daydreaming unless your visualizing the steps you need to take in order to create a life where you lay on the beach and sip Mai Thais.  So, start small.  Visualize something that will have a direct effect that day.  Start with something like envisioning yourself on a rock to calm your mind.  Once you can hold that image and hold yourself in that space, begin to visualize small actions you can take to improve your life.

You can, of course, visualize the outcome but more importantly you need to visualize yourself working through the process.  Break down the thing you'd like to improve on into smaller steps so that you can see yourself making action on them each day.  Visualization isn't magic.  You're not instantly going to get what your wishing for.  Just like affirmations, visualization is a tool to give you confidence that you can take action and make movement towards what you'd like to improve. 

Try something tangible, like a vision board

If you're not too fond of hanging out in your head, then try something more tangible like a journal or a vision board.  Making a plan is a great way to visualize an outcome.  You can layout the whole process and follow it.  You can also physically see it and edit it when needed.  If you find your imagination is lacking, find images you'd like to embody online or in magazines.  Then you can set your mood, dedicate your time, and imagine yourself in the image.

This is one reason why I use a vision planner.  I can't keep track of all the things I want to be in my life or bring into my life so a book of all of this stuff is extremely helpful to remind me of exactly what I'm aiming for.  Breaking your life into areas you'd like to improve - like in the January Journaling Jump Start - can help you create a visual plan of action.  The more these things are in front of you the more likely you'll be able to make small actions.

Visualization is a bit woo woo, but it can also be a fun tool.  It can be a serious way to help you unwind, visualize a process, or see how something new might make you feel.  There is magic when we believe in the power of ourselves!  It is a way to encourage us to respond differently to certain emotional stimuli, help us align our actions with our desires, and help us fell confident our in our abilities.  

This tool has helped me to pull out the best in myself so I can show up authentically and compassionately for myself and for others.  I struggled previously with being self depreciating and this visualization process as well as working with the emotional balancing properties of essential oils has given me the ability to respond better under stress.  It has also given me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone, sometimes, to take a chance ... and to remember how that chance feels!

Do you use visualization for self development?  How has it helped you respond better or take action in your daily life?

xoxo, Moe

Make it Monday // How to Make & Use a Mala Neckalce for Mindfulness

A big part of my personal mediation practice is to use a Mala necklace, or mediation beads, to help reinforce the mantras & vision I've chosen for myself.  Using meditation beads is a great habit to get into especially if you find your mind wanders quite a lot during mediation.  You may find having a manual way to focus your thoughts will help center you better.

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While meditation isn't about the absence of thought, sometimes when I find I am very, very busy my mind seriously wants to think about every single thing I need to do.  Counting the beads & repeating a mantra keeps my intentions in line.  You can buy a Mala aligned with your intentions, I have quite a few (because they are both helpful and pretty) or you can take it to the next step and make your own.

What is a Mala?

A Mala is a string of 108 beads + one guru bead (or a fraction of this number). Usually strung into a certain pattern, the Mala is used to pace & count off the recitation of a mantra during mediation.  They can be made for specific intentions - Rose Quartz beads for love, Howlite for calming & awareness, etc - or can be made & programmed for your own intentions.  Most often there is a knot between each bead so if the Mala breaks beads don't scatter.  It's also a good sign if your Mala breaks.  You've made a breakthrough & have been seeing through your intention.

How to make a Mala

In this case we won't be tying a knot between each bead.  This Mala DIY is made to be simple yet elegant to get you into reciting and working towards your intentions.  I plan on sharing a more focused DIY Mala in the future.  But the whole point here is that you don't have to do these long drawn out things to start with your spiritual & mindful practice.

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supplies // 2 skeins embroidery thread, 104 wooden beads, 4 glass beads, 1 large wooden bead, scissors, needle

Cut a length of the embroidery thread about 36 inches long, thread the needle and double over the entire length of the string.  Leaving about a 4 inch section empty, begin threading the beads onto the string in the following pattern:

6 wooden beads, 1 glass bead, 20 wooden beads, 1 glass bead, 52 wooden beads, 1 glass bead, 20 wooden beads, 1 glass bead, 6 wooden beads

Thread the larger bead on both ends of the string and tie an overhand knot.  Depending on the opening on the larger bead you may need to tie a few knots.

Take the other skein of embroidery thread and fold it over on itself to create a tassel.  Tie the middle of the loop to the end of the larger bead using the two strands hanging from the bead.  Wrap the two long strands around the tassel to gather it together.  Using the needle. thread the end behind the wrapped string leaving a small loop.  Pass the needle through the loop to secure.  Tie a not to ensure it does not unravel.

How to Program & Use your Mala

To cleanse your Mala, you can start off with the same idea behind the Energy Clearing kit.  Choose the intention you'd like to set - this can be different for each time you meditate if you wish.  Again, this ritual can be as involved or as simple as you'd like.

You don't need anything special to do this. In fact, the ritual should be unique to you and be what you feel most connected to.  Here is my simple ritual -

Cup the Mala in your hands as if you are praying & hold it up as if you are offering it.  I tend to bow my head and place the thumbs of my folded hands against my crown chakra.  Imagine a white light enveloping the beads, cleansing them of past energies and aligning them for your highest good.  Take a few deep breaths during this process.  Recite aloud or in your mind an intention you'd like to work towards for your highest good.  As an example:

I cleanse this Mala to use for my highest good as I work towards self love.

Substitute self love for any intention - I wish to be open to abundance, I wish to express my authentic self, etc.  As you pass your folded hands from your Crown Chakra to your Heart Chakra breath out and across your beads.  Sweeping away the negative energy.  Pull your folded hands towards your chest and lift your head towards the sky to be open to receive the guidance you wish for.

I find that I do this often with crystals as well...and it's something I just fell into once during a crystal meditation.  I hadn't brought any of my crystals to this class (silly me!) so I was able to work with a beautiful Aqua Aura Quartz that belonged to the teacher.  After I picked it up I just imagined clearing it that way....and that's what I did.  Clearing & connecting with your spiritual tools is a personal journey.  There's no right or wrong way to work with what you feel drawn to.

So, now during your meditation you can pick up your Mala and count off your recitations.  Hold the Mala in the hand your feel comfortable and as you recite your mantra (aloud or in your mind) pass a bead between your fingers.  I usually hold the remaining beads in the hand that isn't counting so they don't rattle, fall, or get tangled. If you're not sure of a mantra to use consider printing out the Positive Affirmation Deck for free on the blog or you can even purchase my new Chakra Affirmation deck here!

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Your meditation practice should be unique to you.  I chose to create this Mala DIY with wooden beads as they can be the most receptive to your intentions.  If you choose to work with a certain crystal or even a certain color tassel to align with your Chakras, that is completely up to you!  I also use essential oils when I'm meditating.  There are certain oils that correspond to our Chakras but there is also some intuitive work that can be done.  Check out the free getting started guide above to learn how to use Essential Oils Spiritually.

Making this little guy should be a mindful and exciting experience.  If you'd like to diffuse some Essential Oils while you're reciting your mantras - maybe your on the go and have just sneaked off for a little me time - make this diffuser bracelet with Howlite and Lava beads!  Find some inspirational blends here & don't forget to join the Five Sixteenths Blog | Live Creatively Facebook group for more positive inspiration!

How do you practice mindfulness and self improvement?

xoxo, Moe

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