Energy
The Ideal Starting Crystals For Beginners
Crystals and gemstones are a popular resource in modern metaphysical practices, mysticism, and alternative spirituality. It can be used in various powerful ways, including healing, energy protection, meditation, prayer, manifesting, divination, psychic reading, and channeling.
Crystals are versatile and useful in enhancing one’s spiritual practice or energy work, but there are so many to choose from that it can difficult to know where to start.
Three of my favorite crystals that I recommend for beginners to get started with are amethyst, rose quartz and black tourmaline. These three crystals are affordable and easy to find, so they are ideal to start with if you wish to explore using crystals to expand your spiritual practice.
Amethyst
Amethyst is the ideal stone to start with because it has a gentle energy that almost anyone can tolerate without being overwhelmed by its influence. It is a fantastic stone to help you get in touch with your intuition and find your calm center. Amethyst’s calming energy especially enhances meditation and dreamwork.
Amethyst is associated with the crown chakra. It heightens our spiritual and personal awareness, which in turn helps us to self-reflect and evaluate more honestly where we need to make adjustments in our beliefs, behavior, and perspectives. Amethyst thus supports us in maintaining clarity in our self-reflection, which is a vital first step in a spiritual journey of higher consciousness and personal enlightenment.
Using The Four Elements In Your Spiritual Practice
Our ancestors worked with the elements in their metaphysical and spiritual practices. The four classic elements are found in many wisdom traditions, while some also employ additional elements such as metal, wood, and spirit.
The four primary elements can be a meaningful resource in one’s personal practice. It is powerful in prayer, meditation, manifesting rituals, energy healing, divination, psychic protection, and self-care. For example, I use all four elements in my New Moon and Full Moon ceremonies. Depending on what I am working on, I also create specific rituals throughout the year focusing on one metaphysical attribute of a particular element and call upon that energy to assist me in my own life.
Air Energy
The element of air represents consciousness, intuition, understanding, and the mind. I call upon this element when I am attempting to figure out something complex or when I need to make a decision about something important.
To work with this element, I light an incense stick. Since the movement of air is not something visible, the smoke from an incense stick is a symbolic way to represent it. I then focus on the smoke and use an invocation to call upon the element of air.
I call upon the element of air to provide me clarity and understanding.
I invoke the element of air to elevate my consciousness above this fear
People often assume that intuition is the innate ability to know absolutely everything, especially about the future. However, authentic intuition is about knowing what we need to know regarding a specific situation. The element of air can awaken what we need to know without providing too many spoilers along the way.
Astrology Forecast December 12 – 18, 2022
Things flow pretty smoothly this week as we finalize plans for the holidays and map out a plan for completing anything that needs to be finished up before the end of the year. The Leo Moon will shine brightly today and tomorrow, encouraging us to immerse ourselves in heartfelt conversations and passionate activities.
Don’t be surprised should your love life take a dramatic turn for the better today, so wear something alluring so that you are dressed for the part. The Sagittarius Sun sextile with Saturn in Aquarius inspires increased commitment in existing relationships, or finally meeting that love of your life. It is an ideal aspect for a marriage proposal or an unexpected invitation to go on a date.
So, if you are single, you may want to join your colleagues for lunch in the cafeteria today, or go out for a quick snack, as the stars are perfectly aligned around midday for meeting that someone special. Think romantic comedy moment with someone dreamy accidentally bumping into you with coffee!
Tending to those unfinished obligations is best done under Wednesday and Thursday’s Virgo Moon, as it grounds and directs us in the most efficient ways to complete tasks before next week’s holidays hit full swing.
A Gemini Moon takes us through the rest of the week, as we focus on communication, correspondence, and clearing a path to immerse ourselves into the holidays ahead.
Astrology Forecast December 5 – 11, 2022
Today’s Taurus Moon will prove most productive, as we plow through our obligations and free up the rest of the week for personal pursuits.
Take care however to maintain your mental equilibrium this afternoon under the Taurus Moon conjunction with Uranus in Taurus, as this transit is known for disrupting our reason and inner balance and cause us to act out of character. You may also get a surprise visit from a long-lost friend or estranged relative this afternoon, so keep your cool if someone shows up unannounced.
Your mood may be a bit down or sad this evening due to the Taurus Moon square with Saturn in Aquarius. Do not ‘self-medicate’ with rich, heavy foods or alcohol, as you will pay for it with indigestion that will only make matters worse! Do some light exercise instead by dancing in your living room or playing with your pets.
Mercury will move into enterprising Capricorn tomorrow, setting us on a course to gather more information and review current methods to see where change might be needed.
The Moon will wax full in Gemini on Wednesday, marking the start of a two-week period of reflection and reconnecting with those dearest to us over the holiday season.
Venus will move into Capricorn on Friday, adding a creative flair to all we do and reminding us to practice more authenticity and become more grounded in all we do.
The Cancer Moon on Friday and Saturday will turn our thoughts to home and family, as well as creating a sense of security and stability.
A Leo Moon on Sunday will cast a generous and heart-centered air around us, compelling us to take better care of ourselves and others.
Simple Energy Work To Balance The Elements
The ancients believed that the Universe is composed of five elements, namely Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit (Ether). These classical elements are an important theme in Ancient Greek, Indian and Japanese philosophy, Hermeticism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Medieval Alchemy and Western Astrology.
The elements are therefore also a key aspect of various ancient healing practices and metaphysical traditions. Traditional Chinese Medicine in particular stresses the important role of the elements in healing. Working with the elements is believed to create and maintain energetic harmony and balance which is essential to good health and holistic well-being.
The classical elements are also a key component in Neo-Pagan, Wiccan and Druid teachings and practices. When casting a protective circle in a ritual, for example, the practitioner traditionally calls the four cardinal directions or ‘the four corners’ (North, East, South and West), along with the corresponding elements for each.
The five elements are essentially energies. Energy can be experienced in different ways, however, when the elements are aligned within us, we tend to be able to better handle imbalance and adversity in the outer world.
The energetic harmony of the elements within us can easily get ‘out of whack’ and become imbalanced or blocked due to everyday life events and circumstances, but with increased self-awareness and a few simple self-care habits, you’d be surprised how easily your natural state of energy balance will come back into alignment.