Goodbye 2012-Good Riddance With Bad Rubbish!

I’m not gonna lie, 2012 was a tough year. By tough I mean downright awful. I can easily say it has been the hardest and most unpleasant year of my life. So far. I don’t want to jinx the coming years with these statements, so I guess I’ll just shut up now. What I’m trying to say is that for me and many others, it has been a time of challenges and struggles that, although unpleasant, have had a leading role in shaping us into the people we are today. Looking back I can see that I have grown a lot last year in all respects. I have learned things and gained wisdom that, before this year and it’s nightmares, I never had.

2012 did have it’s high points. I have traveled more this year than any other year of my life. I got to spend a day inside a genuine (non-man made/non hoax) crop circle in September, the first one I have ever been to in my entire life. Talk about a dream come true, especially since my “religion” is completely centered on the being responsible for these geometrical wonders. I started my Reiki training, and got fully trained in IET energy therapy in November. I found out where I am going to move to and officially start my adult life (I’m a bit late at 23 I know) and got to visit that area, Chillicothe, Ohio, three times last year. I made a lot of new, amazing friends down there during those visits, more than I have ever been able to make up North.

I got to spend Yule at the Serpent Mound and attend the lighting ceremony, it was my first holiday trip and it was so neat. The energy was so powerful there, as always. The whole Chillicothe/Bainbridge/Peebles area is full of the most powerful, wonderful energy, it’s part of the reason we are moving there. I have suffered terrible insomnia for years and when I stay at the place where we are going to live I can actually drift off to sleep without sleeping meds or struggle.

I learned a lot last year, about myself, others, reality, and basically life. The defining event of 2012, for me, that changed everything and forced me to really unlearn all I had ever learned, was when a medicine I had been on for a medical condition nearly destroyed my entire life. I won’t go into details but I will say it made me profoundly sick, I mean a type of sick that hits you so hard that it quite literally destroys your entire world view and forces you to go on an inner journey of discovery. It truly did shatter my world, and although I have learned a lot since than, there are still things it stole from me that I am trying to recover. The worse part of all is that I found out in November that I had been misdiagnosed with the condition the medicine was for, and that the devastation should have never took place to begin with. After what I went through with that medication, I will now say I am 100% completely against the drug companies and what they do to people with their pills. I have decided that I am going to go with an all natural route for treating my condition and that I will cut all medications of this type out of my life permanently.

I guess for my resolutions for 2013, I am going with the Thirteen Goals of a Witch. These goals basically sum up everything I want to work on, now and in the future. 2013 is the year of the snake, my Chinese zodiac animal, so I am hoping it means something special for me during the year. I could sure use it. I know this post has been rather depressing, but I think it’s good for all of us to get things off our chest and share stories. I promise future posts will be more entertaining and positive. So I say now, on New Year’s Day, with my favorite quote, “farewell 2012, and good riddance with bad rubbish!”

Good Times, Bad Times: Embracing the Struggles that Make Us Who We Are

Everything I’ve learned about life I can sum up in three words: It goes on. -Robert Frost

For many of us, it takes many years of grasping and holding onto things before we realize that to survive, we have to learn to let go. The task of letting go and just “being” can seem daunting when all our lives we are told who we need to be and what we need to do to make it in life. From early on, we are conformed to society’s standards. Anyone who marches to the beat of a different drum is considered radical or worse, insane, when in fact those few people who have the courage to stand against the norm  are the ones who will change the world. It has always been that way, it has always fallen to the unique and the visionaries to do what the majority says can’t be done. Anyone who ever did anything revolutionary was faced with and indeed met many obstacles and challenges. The characters with the most profound depth have been through pain, suffering, fear, and confusion so many times that those who have not truly lived may wonder how these characters survived.

That’s what life is though. As it is said in the Tao Te Ching, you cannot truly know happiness and beauty without first knowing pain and suffering. Anyone who has not experienced hardship cannot fully appreciate what it means to be alive and be happy. It is through times of suffering and fear that we develop our strength of character. These times show us our true nature, and often expose us to a realization of a strength we never knew we had. When we rise above the trials of life, we emerge with a new found strength and a deep understanding of the meaning of things. We begin to accept that life has its ups and downs, and that nothing lasts forever. When we realize this, we can finally begin to grow with a new found hope and outlook on life.

We are in this world to learn and grow. Every life we have lived here in the past served to teach us lessons our souls need to reach enlightenment. Through every hardship and struggle we have ever endured and ever will in the future we grow and gain wisdom about ourselves and the nature of existence. Everything happens for a reason, and that reason is always for our highest good, whether it seems that way or not. We attract into our lives the lessons we most need at every point in our time here. Nothing happens by accident, everything we go through is a chance to grow and gain wisdom and strength for the better. Our creators and our higher consciousness always know what we need, even if we don’t understand in our mundane consciousness.

“Whatever relationships you have attracted in your life at this moment, are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment. There is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning is serving your own evolution.”― Deepak Chopra

The point is, life has its ups and downs. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t get anywhere. If life was a utopia, we would never learn anything or gain strength of character. I am not speaking as somebody who just writes about hardships without ever having been through anything, just to act as a bystander “expert” on life. I am writing as someone who has endured real struggles, and who wants to tell others from experience that it will be ok. Sometimes the pain of life will seem unbearable, you will want to give up, you may even want to disappear. I want to tell you, don’t give up. Its not going to be easy, it was never suppose to be easy. But it will be worth it. Someday you will emerge from your struggles as a new person, stronger and brighter than ever before. There is nothing like real suffering and challenge to show us, when we overcome it, the true beauty of life. When you overcome your struggles and fear, you begin to see with brand new eyes. Suddenly you notice the beauty in the smallest, most “mundane” things in life. You develop a real compassion for everything and everyone around you. You see the divine in everything and find yourself filled with a deep respect and reverence for all things.

Life will go on, no matter how impossible that seems sometimes. Embrace the challenges, those times of hardship and fear are the times that develop our true strength and make us into amazing and profound characters. “Everything will be ok in the end, and if its not ok, its not the end.”-Unknown

Happy Holidays- Be Thankful Somebody Cares Enough to Wish You Well

Now that it’s December, most of us are thinking about our upcoming winter holiday, whatever that may be. There has been a huge dispute these last few years on what we should call the holiday season, most sides taking a rather hostile stance with their opinion. I guess maybe I’m the odd one out when I say, “Whats the big deal?” The point is, most everyone celebrates something during this time of year, why can’t we all just agree to respect that maybe it’s not the same thing as what we celebrate?

Of all these arguments, the most heated is between “Happy holidays” or “Merry Christmas”. Why? Because for many years here in America, most everybody that celebrated something probably celebrated Christmas. Now that we in America are beginning to become enlightened to other paths, it seems more appropriate, or *cough* “politically correct” to say “Happy holidays.” The fact that President Obama celebrated with a “Holiday tree” last year threw some people into hysterics. So I guess my question would be, “Why does it matter? The point is you don’t usually know a stranger’s particular path, so why not just wish them good tidings, whatever path they follow.” Seems pretty simple to me. I guess, though, it is a matter of life and death for some people who are so uncomfortable with their spirituality that they feel a compelling urge to hang at dawn anybody who does not believe what they believe.

It’s time to face the music, fellow Americans. Not everybody believes what you believe. Many of those who celebrate Christmas lay claim to the whole season, saying that their religion started the whole holiday. I’m not going to go into a long history of December holidays 101, but suffice it to say that with a little research, you will see that the ancient pagan holiday of Yule was the original December holiday.

I personally celebrate Yule and Christmas every year. I am pagan myself but I grew up celebrating Christmas with my family and it has always been a time of magic, love, and togetherness for us. These days everybody in my household, with the exception of my mom, is also pagan. Although my spirituality is nature based, I have no problem celebrating Christmas for what it means to me: love and togetherness. As a matter of fact, after celebrating Christmas my entire childhood, it would seem weird not to feel the magic of Christmas eve and morning. Does this mean I am not confident in my spirituality? No. It means that I am open minded enough to enjoy something of a different path for what its worth. Even most atheists buy each other a present and get together with family.

Yule is definitely the December holiday I get excited about. It is the one with the most personal meaning to me as an individual. But do I take offence when somebody wishes me a Merry Christmas or happy holiday? Of course not. I think it is important that we respect each other, no matter what our paths or beliefs. Nobody has the right to inflict their personal path on the entire nation, its a very small minded thing to do. I guess a good way to put it is, a person who celebrates Christmas would be very distraught if everybody HAD to say “blessed Yule” or “happy Kwanzaa.” Well that’s how we all feel. Its ok to give good tidings, but if somebody wishes you tidings of a different faith, don’t be a dick. You should be happy that they are wishing you peace, love, and blessings at all. This goes for any tidings of a different path, including “happy holidays.” People who wish you happy holidays aren’t doing it to be “politically correct”, they’re doing it because they’re open minded and respectful of all faiths. Even though I’m pagan, I still say “Merry Christmas” to everybody who wishes me a merry Christmas. If I’m not sure what they celebrate, I just say “happy holidays” or “blessed Yule.”

The point is, put it to bed. This is the 21st century. We have bigger problems than the way somebody chose to wish us holiday blessings. You know, like the irreversible climate situation, GMOs, rainforest exploitation, and the media. Time to wake up.

Samhain 2012

 

Samhain,  (pronounced SOW-in), is generally celebrated on October 31, although some celebrate on November 1. This holiday marks the final harvest and the beginning of the darkness of Winter. It is the Celtic new year and many great feasts take place on this day. During this time the veil between the worlds is the thinnest and the normal laws of space and time are suspended.

Samhain is a very good time to preform divinations of any sort. Whether you use oracle cards, scrying, pendulums, or some other form of divination, the answers will be clear on this day. Many people like celebrate with a feast by setting places at the table for deceased ancestors and family members. Apples are a common item left for those who have passed on as they are considered the food of the dead. This holiday is a great day to make magickal crafts such as a besoms, a book 0f shadows, or gifts and offerings to the dead. The dead can also be honored by lighting a candle for each person remembered and placing pictures of the deceased on your alter.

Magick is particularly potent on this day, as the veil between the worlds is now at its thinnest. Contact with the dead, guardians, or guides will be much easier during this time. Strange things may happen during the night of this celebration, as spirits now find it easier to reach us through the veil. It is a good time to share with friends and family around a bonfire, sharing stories of ancestors and experiences with the otherworld. A walk in the woods with those who are close to you at twilight on this day would be most magickal as well.

It is a good time to do meditations and journeys to the otherworld on this day. Travel between the worlds will be much easier at this time. A meditation or journey to ask for answers to questions or guidance from guides and ancestors would probably have the most success on this day. It is a good time to get in contact with native spirits of the land where you live as well. All land has guardians watching over it of some sort, whether it be the spirit of the land itself, tree, earth, and wind spirits, or the spirits of ancient peoples who have long lived on and protected the land as sacred. An outside meditation in the woods or in a field will bring much insight and connection with these spirits. You should leave an offering in a field or around the base of a tree where you meditated when you are finished, to show thanks for the guidance of the spirits, and to honor them.

It is a great feeling when you have established a real connection with the spirits of the land you live on. It is a feeling of mutual respect and love between you and the land, no matter where you go on your property, you feel as though you have friends watching over you. It is as though you begin to understand the feelings and thoughts of the land, and you become one with it.

What is Samhain not? It is not a holiday of death and darkness nor a time to celebrate evil. It is a time to honor the dead and to get in touch with guides and ancestors on the other side. It is a time of celebration of the wheel of the year and the old new year. It saddens me to see the extents some religious organizations will go to in order to make paganism look bad. In Poland, for example, an archbishop has been putting out “notice” of the “evils” of paganism and halloween, saying this is a holiday of darkness and death used to celebrate evil spirits. Nothing could be further from the truth. Paganism and Samhain are ancient, earth based religions and celebrations. Pagans are normal people, most that you meet you will find are very loving, caring, open minded humans who just want peace. Pagans have nothing to do with evil spirits of any sort and do not celebrate contact with them, as a matter of fact, we do not even acknowledge nor believe in the evils which mainstream religion so often accuses us of worshiping. The archbishop went on to say how halloween distracts people from celebrating all saints day. Perhaps his memory is lapsing, because all saints day was originally intended to make pagans celebrate and forget something other than what they believed, in other words, Samhain. Therefore, who is distracting being distracted by what?

I will be spending Samhaim at home this year with my family. I plan on lighting candles for my deceased loved ones, the witches who suffered during the days of the trials, and the native spirits of my land. We will probably have some sort of a special dinner and take a walk in our woods in the evening to experience the magickal energies of the holiday outside. It will probably be too wet to light a bonfire, due to the hurricane rains affecting my state. Later I will do a ritual to honor the spirits, a special meditation, and maybe some divination. After all that I plan on cuddling up with my blanket and my loved ones and enjoying the magick of the night.

I hope all of you have a blessed Samhain and enjoy the magick of the night!

Blessed be

Through the Looking Glass: Revealing Past Lives

Past lives affect us in many ways. They could affect us with phobias, habits, or soul contracts with those we knew in a previous time. Many of our personality traits and talents are the result of a past life where we were once good at something or did something often. Often our passions as well as our fears travel with us throughout lifetimes as we gather more of them to help our souls grow and learn.

Young children often tell remarkable stories of lives, places, and people that they could not possibly know of in their current life. There is growing research in this field of study, however many people do not take it serious unless they experience it first hand. Nearly every culture and religion in the world has at one point believed in reincarnation, including Hindus, Pagans, Buddhists, Egyptians, Native Americans and early Christians. Many of these cultures had no exposure to each other, yet they all adapted the belief of many lives nonetheless. As ancient and wide spread as the idea of reincarnation is, along with the growing scientific evidence, there are many reasons to believe it is a fact.

I personally have experienced memories of past lives, many of which took place for me at a very young age. At the time I didn’t realize what I was experiencing, but when I got older I was astounded at the implications of my early “day dreams”. I would often have visions of people and places that I had never been exposed to, along with obsessions over certain places and various things. The strongest memories for me were those of the American south west, a place I have never visited in my current life and which I became hypnotized by at a very early age.

This obsession over the south west has lasted my entire life. Along with the early visions and memories of these places came other insights, all of which have served to help me piece together my previous life. I have always felt a very strong calling to return there, sometimes it is almost too strong to resist. I feel that there is a great need for me to return in order to put together the missing pieces of my current life and to better understand my personal journey.

There are many ways to reconnect with previous lives, from meditation and hypnosis to oracle card readings and dream work. When working in meditation, get in touch with your higher consciousness or guides to help you find answers from previous lives. The answers usually will not come all at once as a full story, but instead as flashes or pieces that you will be able to use to better understand things as they are now. Ask your guides to show you the things from previous lives that are most important for understanding your personal journey, they will be more than happy to assist you. You can also work with past lives through dream work. With lucid dreaming you access your higher consciousness and are able to learn things which are normally hidden from your waking conscious.

There are many oracle card spreads available which you can use to gain insights into previous lives. You can use any type of deck along with any of the various spreads to gain valuable information about your soul record. When reading the cards, make sure to read them not only individually but as a collective group, in order to get the whole story. Remember that the cards carry many different meanings and that what matters most is what they mean to you personally. Below is a simple past life spread which may be helpful:

Card 1. You in your current life (personality and energies in your current life)

Card 2. Energies surrounding your birth into current life (Cosmic energies, conditions of birth, why your soul chose to be born into your current body)

Card 3. Conditions of your death in previous life (how you died in the last lifetime, feelings around the time of death in previous life)

Card 4. Soul journey (why you are here, what you are meant to do)

Card 5. Energies surrounding your previous life (personality and energies in the previous life)

Card 6. Strengths and weaknesses in current life

Card 7. Strengths and weaknesses in previous life

Card 8. What your higher consciousness needs you to know

Card 9. Soul contracts and connection to twin flames (soul mates, twin flames, and people to whom we are connected through various lives)

Living Happy: 10 Ways to Improve Your Life

Living during the shift can be tough. Many wonderful things are unfolding in our time, but along with them come questions, confusion, and difficulties with so many changes. Depression and anxiety are at an all time high in our world, coupled with the stress of everyday life and such radical changes, its hard to find the inner peace we hear so much about. Many of us may even be wondering if what we are going through is worth it, or if we will ever find true happiness. The truth is, its a process. I won’t lie and say that awakening will always be a happy go lucky, easy, or even fun process. Believe me, I’ve been going through it for a long time, just like you, and I admit it often is not a pleasurable experience, but it is definitely worth it. I want to share with you some of the things I have learned to do to cope with going through these difficult times of learning and awakening, or just to improve your life.

1. Take care of yourself.

It may seem self explanatory, but it is surprising how many of us fail to take the time to really focus on doing things to make ourselves happy. Treat yourself right, take a nice bath, go somewhere that brings you joy, or just relax, the possibilities are endless. The point is regularly doing something for yourself that makes you feel good. You deserve to enjoy the things that bring you happiness. Its ok to take time for yourself, in fact, if we do not first take care of ourselves, or care of others will suffer as well. By treating yourself right, you increase the amount of light you can put out there for others.

2. Try new things.

Trying new things is exciting, it opens up the possibilities in our lives and allows for new experiences we otherwise would have never been able to have. You don’t have to take risks, just be open to new experiences. Try a new food, go someplace you have never visited, or get involved with a new hobby. The mind is stimulated by new experiences, by opening ourselves to experiences we might never have tried before, we learn more and often create rewarding new aspects to our lives.

3. Meditate

The benefits of meditation are nearly endless. Even 10-15 minutes of meditation a day can be very rewarding when practiced regularly. It improves brain function and opens our minds to higher aspects of our consciousness. Meditation is great for creating peace and happiness in ourselves as well as getting in touch with guides and higher beings. You will find meditation brings many answers to all sorts of questions and difficulties in your life, and that those answers were inside you all along.

4. Think positive.

We are creators, our thoughts literally create reality. This has been proven in hundreds of experiments from water molecules to quantum physics and healing. If you are constantly thinking negative thoughts, you are sending out vibrations which basically say, yes, I WANT to experience negative things, whereas if you think positive, you send out vibrations which attract peace and happiness into your life. The Universe responds to the vibrations you put out there, why not make them as positive as possible? Using affirmations is a great way to program your mind into positive thinking, experiment with them to see the positive change they can make in your life!

5. Practice blessing and unconditional love and connect with others.

This may seem hard to do in our negative society. It seems so much easier to get angry and say or think negative things about people we encounter. Try it though, for a day, whenever you meet someone, bless them with love and light. If they are a negative person or someone you do not like, do it anyway, even if it seems difficult. Bless everyone and everything you encounter, and don’t forget yourself! At the end of the day the results will be amazing. You will feel lighter and happier, your heart may even have a warm, tingling feeling about it.

Connect with others, either people who are in your life, or meet new people. We humans are social creatures, we need the company of others to thrive and feel happy. Its true that everyone needs alone time, but we cannot spend life in isolation. When we isolate ourselves from others, we are trapped in our own minds, over thinking and creating problems that do not even exist. Healthy relationships do wonders to improve our lives, both parties benefit from them and together we do not have to face difficulties alone.

6. Let go.

Let go of your thoughts, your worries, everything that weighs you down. I know it may seem impossible, but it will make you feel like a new person. Even if you only let go of things for a few minutes a day, you will be doing yourself a favor. Just let yourself be at peace for even a little while, let go of all negativity for the time being. Worry does nothing to help us, the only purpose it serves is to ruin the present. Take time to be worry free and really enjoy life. Set aside a time when you will worry about whatever is bothering you, then during other times focus on the positive things in your life. When you experience a bothersome thought, acknowledge it, than tell yourself to let it go. You will be amazed how much better you feel when you do not dwell on things all day long.

7. Eat right and exercise.

Every self help site out there seems to tell you to eat right and exercise, and it’s for a good reason. When you eat right and exercise, you do so much good for your whole being. Exercise releases chemicals that make the brain happy and less stressed, as well as helping your body feel better. Eating the right food can also have an affect on your mood and brain function, as well as your overall health. Eating right and exercising can be tough at first, try a little at a time. Soon you will notice changes for the better in both your body and mind.

8. Question everything and open your mind.

Question everything you think you know, your beliefs, your opinions, and your place in the world. A mind closed by a limiting belief is the most dangerous thing there is. Really open yourself to new ideas and learning. Don’t just assume you know the truth about things because it is what you have been told all your life. Study different things, question what you have been taught, open your mind to the infinite possibilities that are out there waiting for you. The truth is, there are many truths and many paths to those truths, the only real lie is that which claims to be the only way or truth.

9. Be creative.

Express your creative side. Get involved with things that express your individual path and your passions. Create some type of art, write, get a hobby, improve your home. The possibilities for getting creative are limitless. By expressing your creative side you create joy in your life and learn more about yourself. Don’t tell yourself that you have no talent or that you are not creative, we are all creative in some way. Every one of us has special gifts, we just need to tap into them and show them to the world.

10. Clean up your mess.

I’m not saying your area is a disaster, but we all have things we could do to improve the areas we spend a lot of time in. Clutter and messes only serve to increase depression and block energy around us. Energy gets caught in places where there is a mess and becomes stagnant and unhealthy, therefore creating more unhappiness in our lives. Clean a little at a time, really do a good job and organize and get rid of junk you don’t need. After the area is clean you could create an alter, shrine, or sacred space in the room, this will really help to increase the flow of positive energy and raise the vibrations of the whole room. You can decorate it with sacred objects and pictures or things which make you feel good and light candles and incense (safely), to create a feeling of positivity and peace for everyone in the area.

I hope trying these things helps to uplift your mood and improve your life, they certainly have helped me through these new and challenging times!

Blessings!

My Favorite Poem

This is my absolute favorite poem of all time. It reminds me of my favorite thing in the world, crop circles <3

 

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace     By: Richard Brautigan  Photo Copyright: Steve Alexander

I like to think (and
the sooner the better!)
of a cybernetic meadow
where mammals and computers
live together in mutually
programming harmony
like pure water
touching clear sky.

I like to think
(right now, please!)
of a cybernetic forest
filled with pines and electronics
where deer stroll peacefully
past computers
as if they were flowers
with spinning blossoms.

I like to think
(it has to be!)
of a cybernetic ecology
where we are free of our labors
and joined back to nature,
returned to our mammal
brothers and sisters,
and all watched over
by machines of loving grace.

Earthing/ Grounding Benefits

In ancient and prehistoric times, our ancestors were very connected to the Earth. They walked barefoot, slept, and sat on the ground all the time. They hunted and gathered and made offerings to the Earth spirits, giving thanks and paying homage to the great planet which they called home. Most humans living now, in modern times, have lost this connection almost completely. People in industrialized, modernized countries have severed their sacred connection to our great Mother planet by neglect, littering, polluting, wasting, and stripping her of her natural resources and killing her children, our brothers and sisters in all kingdoms of life. People seem to have forgotten what is important, like walking barefoot in the grass, hugging a tree, or getting in touch with the land. Too many people live only in their heads, up in the clouds of the never ceasing thoughts and anxieties of the chattering mind instead of connecting to the Earth with strong roots to create a foundation. This is why grounding/earthing is important.

What are grounding and earthing you ask? This is actually very simple. Earthing is the name of a trend that has been going around which encourages people to reconnect with the Earth. It is nothing complicated, in fact, you can do this right now. Just go outside and sit, stand, lay, or walk barefoot on the Earth. Everything is energy, this is not new age talk, this is physics. Even the “solid” matter you see around you is not so solid, you see, matter is simply energy in a slower vibration. Solidity is an illusion, research has shown that even things that appear quite solid are mostly empty space. Pretty cool huh? Anyway, the Earth resonates with natural, soft, healing, primordial energies that really help people stabilize, relax, and de-stress. Those who practice earthing report less stress, faster recovery, and better sleep as well as a reduction in pain. It synchronizes the body overall and produces lasting effects when practiced regularly.

Grounding is similar to basically, but can be used for even better effects. Grounding is something which can benefit all who practice it. It should be used before and after meditation, magickal work, ritual, and whenever we feel that we just need to come back down to Earth.It is very important to ground any energy we raise in magick and meditation, I cannot stress this enough! If we do not ground the energies we raised during our work, we can suffer very negative effects of carrying around intense energies for prolonged periods of time. They can start to make us feel very disconnected from the world, moody, crabby, or worse. Grounding is great when we are worrying over something or feeling a lot of stress as well, grounding can literally drain our stress back into the planet, where it will safely merge with the positive energies of Gaia and be cleared of its negativity. Below is a simple gounding exercise. It should be practiced daily, more so if needed.

Sit, stand, or lay on the floor or the ground, if you cannot do this then at least try to have your feet against the floor, perhaps in a chair. Take a few deep, relaxing breaths to calm your thoughts. Now imagine energy “roots” coming from your body, places such as your hands, feet, and root chakra and journeying deep into the Earth. Feel them as they make their way through the dirt and rocks, deeper and deeper until you feel you have a very firm foundation of roots in the Earth. You may even want to go all the way to the Earth’s core. Continue taking deep, relaxing breaths. Now imagine your roots pulling up Earth energy from deep inside the planet and up into your body. You may feel the energies as they enter your body, I usually feel a very cool, Earthy, primordial, natural feeling. Continue this exercise until you start to feel really connected to the Earth.

Now imagine a white light going all the way through the center of your body from your head. See it go through all your major chakras and deep into the ground. As you focus on this light, drain every worry, fear, anger, sorrow, and negative thought and emotion into the Earth through this light. Really let go and let the Earth take your worries, don’t worry about harming her, the Earth will convert all these feelings back into clear energy. Allow the light and Earth energies to realign all your chakras until they are quite balanced. When you are finished, give thanks the Earth and go away feeling refreshed and energized.

You should practice these exercises often, they should leave you feeling much better, connected to the Earth, and not so spaced out in your head. I encourage you to experiment with grounding and earthing on your own and draw your own conclusions as to if you feel it helps you personally. Grounding is an essential part to practicing effective magick, I hope you find it quite beneficial in your life!

Blessed be!

-Sister Storm Skywalker

Magickal Stones: Jasper

Jasper is a variety of Chalcedony, a microcrystalline variety of Quartz. The typical colors of this stone are brown, red, orange, yellow, and green. It is ruled by the planet Mars and the element of fire.

Jasper is a stone of tranquility and relaxation. It is often called the nurturing stone, because of its nurturing and protective qualities. It enhances wholeness, comforting, healing, and gentleness while promoting an overall sense of well being. In the physical realm it is used for liver, gallbladder, and soothing stomachs. It re-energizes the body during prolonged illness and stimulates sexual pleasure.

In the psychic realm it is sometimes used as a safe aid for astral travel by being placed on the heart and solar plexus chakras before this. It helps stabilize the aura and is a great balancing stone, both for balancing and aligning the chakras and to balance the physical, intellectual and emotional bodies with their etheric energies. It is also used to achieve balance of an individual’s Yin-Yang properties. It is great for grounding purposes as well.

Intellectually it is great for aiding quick-thinking and promotes organisational abilities. Jasper helps a person to become honest and open with themselves while stimulating the imagination. It gives an individual courage and helps them establish personal independence. It is also good for shy or timid people who need the confidence to be themselves and open up around others. Jasper was considered, in times past, to be a warriors stone. It carries wisdom about inner strength, loyalty, honor, and standing up against injustice and wrong doings.

Black Jasper:

Sometimes called Blackstone, Black Jasper has very strong protective and healing qualities. It is said to bring luck in a fight and is also used for protection against lightning. Related to the Root Chakra, it is excellent for all types of grounding and reconnecting to the Earth Mother. It is helpful for “spacey” people who are too inside their heads and detached from the physical world. It is used for relieving pain, stomach issues, and foot problems.

Picture Jasper:

A great stone for emotional and psychological healing. Stimulates visualization and reveals hidden thoughts, hopes and fears. Picture Jasper helps treat skin and kidney disorders as well as stimulating the immune system.

Yellow Jasper:

Shields one from negativity and helps battle depression. Great for protection during any kind of travel. Yellow Jasper helps one remain balanced and healthy socially. Associated with the solar plexus chakra.

Brecciated Jasper: (Poppy Jasper)

A great grounding stone overall, it helps those who feel overwhelmed. This stone helps promote clear communication with animals. It brings a positive outlook on life and reduces stress of all kinds. Brecciated Jasper is associated with the root chakra and helps individuals with grounding. This stone is occasionally used to assist in dowsing. My personal experience with this stone is that it really helps to reduce anxiety, worry, and negative thoughts in general. I have three wands, a heart, and a small skull necklace made out of this stone, I have found it great for grounding and meditation as well, it really helps get one in tune with the Earth I must say.

Red Jasper:

Associated with the root chakra. Red Jasper cleans and stabilizes the aura. It is mildly stimulating and extremely protective. This stone is great for aiding in dream recall, place a piece of it under a pillow at night or sleep with a type of jewelry containing it to help with this matter. It calms the emotions and makes a great worry stone and helps with grounding in general. It is used to help with diabetes and helps a person move through all types of disorders and disease. Also used to control one’s passions. My experience with this stone is that it provides a very calming, serene feeling when used. I have found it great for grounding and often use it in my Earth meditations. I have a pyramid of Red Jasper which was bought and given to me by my lover when we visited the Serpent Mound. It is my favorite stone in my collection and really provides me with an overall beautiful, Earthy feeling.

The types of Jasper I have listed are not all the kinds there are. What I have provided here is a brief summery of some of the more well known varieties. I encourage readers to explore this stone in detail on their own and learn through personal experience. I wish you the best of fortune in all your explorations of these wonderful stones!

Blessed be!

-Sister Storm Skywalker

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