Metaphysics
Navigating Energy Challenges – Manual Versus Automatic
I had always been fascinated with driving a stick shift car, as my dad drove several such vehicles in my childhood years. On our third date, my ex-husband took me to an empty parking lot and showed me the ropes on how to drive a stick shift. However, despite his valiant attempt to teach me, I failed miserably.
I reflected on this experience recently, synthesizing an analogy to what I had experienced twenty-five years ago, and found an interesting correlation with my chakra recovery journey.
Also known as Kundalini awakening, the chakra recovery process has not been an easy one for me. I literally felt like I was going to die on many occasions. Six years into this journey, I still incorporate daily energy self-care in the form of meditation, visualization, Epsom salt baths, aromatherapy, and other spiritual practices.
But I have noticed progress! My mind is so much clearer these days, and my sleep more efficient. Most of all, I radiate more kindness, truth, and an open mind of late. And I do believe the best is yet to come!
This reminded me of the ease with which one usually drives an automatic transmission vehicle. To me this is analogous to the ultimate goal of spiritual self-care: to be able to harness the energy of a fully-tuned, balanced chakra system and apply it to everyday life. A person naturally flowing with energy is able to handle more challenging situations with greater ease. Once the crown chakra starts to open, this is when innovative, eternal wisdom flows through. Then we can begin to grasp the rhythm and precision necessary to operate our energy more fluidly and automatically, instead of like a ‘stick shift.’
Astrology Forecast May 30 – June 5, 2022
With a Gemini New Moon in the heavens today, we can make a wish and start formulating a plan for the future. The Gemini Moon will likely have us doing more socializing than working today and tomorrow, as our quest for new and shared information prevails.
The Gemini Moon square Neptune in Pisces tomorrow afternoon will set the scene for a fickle, emotional mid-week by causing us to be passive, unrealistic, and indulging in wishful thinking.
This will be followed by a moody, even gloomy energy that will hang over us on Wednesday and Thursday, as the Moon drifts through emotional Cancer, and we’ll have to watch out for sensitivity or depression, which meditation and spiritual practices can help alleviate. Keep things simple, attend household obligations and avoid making any dyed-in-the-wool decisions.
The mood will rapidly begin to improve early on Friday morning with the Cancer Moon sextile Mercury in Taurus with an increased sense of clarity and more sound judgment. Friday afternoon the Moon will move firmly into Leo and provide us with a more confident outlook for the weekend, reminding us to practice self-love and to be generous with others in all our interactions.
Mercury will thankfully turn direct on Friday, but do allow a week or two after for the retrograde glitches to clear entirely.
Saturday, Saturn will turn retrograde and remain that way until late October. When Saturn is retrograde, it gives us a few months to move without the regular restrictions and disciplines this planet is famous for, allowing us to explore new schedules and ways of being that might serve us better in the future.
Two Pitfalls To Manifesting Healing
I have been doing energy healing work in many capacities for several years now. If you are reading this it is likely that you have manifested on this Earth to bring healing energy to many situations.
From what I have seen most people have a natural desire to bring healing and restoration though many different mediums. But there are two specific pitfalls that keep individuals from fully manifesting their healing gift. The first is a need for perfection before manifestation, and the second is elitism. My mentor once said that we are all wounded healers. I have yet to meet a master or student who has reached the pinnacle of intuitive insight and energy flow. This does not make us broken and should certainly not keep us from fulfilling our destinies as healers and intuitives.
If I met someone who claims to have achieved full enlightenment, I would steer clear of that person. When we are not living in a flow of personal insight and development we become stagnant. When water lacks movement or flow it loses its vital energy. Our vital energy or personal rei-ki comes from the ebbs and flows of our personal human experience.
Rei (divine love and wisdom) Ki (vital energy) comes from two sources. This flow can be attained through both attunements. The second source is the energy flow that is channeled through our journey and experience. It is important to remember that even Usui Reiki had a source and was channeled in a time and place of great need. This is also why Reiki cannot be contained in a single tradition. There is Vedic Karuna Reiki, Kagami Reiki, and Egyptian Seichim Reiki, as well as your reiki, my reiki, and on and on. It can be expressed and experienced in symbols, words, pictures, archetypes, and so forth. True mastery is achieved by understanding that Spirit is not limited, and by entering into the limitless possibilities of love.
Astrology Forecast May 23 – 29, 2022
The Moon will travel through Pisces today and tomorrow, making it difficult to get anything tangible done, so if you find yourself fighting windmills and nothing seems to move, just bide your time until Wednesday.
Today and tomorrow’s Gemini Sun sextile Jupiter in Aries is an ideal aspect to ensure our week gets off to a fantastic start with a sense of vigor and vitality, and heightened success and luck in professional and social matters. The Pisces Moon sextile Uranus in Taurus this afternoon will further enhance these energies by increasing our levels of attention, determination and persuasiveness and our ability to be inventive.
Mars and Venus make sign changes this week, both moving into signs they rule, Aries and Taurus respectively.
Mars will move into Aries tomorrow, pulling out of ethereal Pisces and into high energy and action mode. For the next six weeks, we’ll have the power to make things happen! This assertive planet and creative sign combination will allow us to move confidently into new adventures and enterprises.
Venus will move into Taurus on Saturday, casting a more comfortable and joyful tone around our movements and perspectives for the next four weeks.
Once the Moon goes into Aries on Wednesday and Thursday and then moves into Taurus Friday and Saturday, we’ll be able to accomplish twice what’s on our lists and experience tangible progress.
Sunday’s Gemini Moon will bring out our social sides, whether we’re immersed in social media activities or out meeting friends for a long-overdue visit.
Find Your Calm In Crystals
It’s been a stressful couple of years for everyone, and stress-relief can be hard to accomplish. Stress, if untreated, can lead to a host of physical and emotional symptoms. But dealing with the stress of everyday life can be made easier with the right crystals in your spiritual practice.
When starting to work with these amazing crystals and stones, consider this: what causes stress in your life in the first place? Usually, it happens when we feel out of control and our energies aren’t properly centered and grounded. Earth-toned crystals such as smoke quartz (associated with the Earth element for stability) and tourmaline (release of negative energies) bring us to a baseline of positive energies to de-stress.
Soothing colored colors like blue (chrysocolla, aquamarine, lapis lazuli, larimar), violet (rhodonite, amethyst, tanzberry quartz, lepidolite), and white and grey (scolecite, howlite, agate) are traditionally associated with tranquillity and serenity. The cooler hues reflect the elements of water, or emotions, and air, our thoughts.
If you use some of these stress-relieving crystals in your meditations, imagine them help tame the runaway thoughts or feelings which cause so much turmoil. In the chakras, these are the Crown Chakra (thoughts) and Third Eye Chakra (emotions, psychic intuition), which are also represented by blues and purples.
Sometimes stress is less generalized and more related to one specific area in life. Which area is this for you? Knowing will help select the best crystal for your needs. If you’re overcome with panic attacks, amethyst (a well-known stress reliever) or blue sodalite (the Stone of Peace) are good choices.
Perhaps you’re having difficulty with communication at work or in a relationship, so blue lace agate (opening channels) or lapis lazuli (confidence) will work better for you. The possibilities for your crystals are endless: you might want to keep them with you in your pocket, in a necklace or bracelet, or create a special arrangement in your home or office.
Astrology Forecast May 16 – 22, 2022
The week flows along relatively smoothly (not counting any Mercury retrograde glitches!) as we prepare to welcome the Sun’s entry into Gemini on Friday.
We’ll keep a light-hearted focus as the Moon moves through Sagittarius today and tomorrow. This morning’s Sagittarius Moon trine Jupiter in Aries is an ideal constellation to start a week, as it is associated with both financial gains and social prowess. But be careful not to let this afternoon’s Sagittarius Moon opposition to Mercury in Gemini undo all your earlier optimism and hard work with fickle, erratic thinking and hasty actions.
When the Moon moves through Capricorn on Wednesday and Thursday, it’s all work and no play, so we’ll have to put our noses to the grindstone and take care of business! Once completed though, we’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment, which will leave us free to embrace a weekend of social activities and intellectual pursuits.
The Moon will move into Aquarius on Friday, and combined with the Sun’s entry into Gemini, fill us with ideas, inspiration, and innovation! This is the time to start brainstorming for new ideas or searching for the answers to long-standing mysteries.
With the Sun in Gemini for the next four weeks, it’s also a great time to reconnect with long-lost friends or go in search of our soulmates.
Make it a point to take things easy on Sunday as the Moon dances through spiritual Pisces, focusing on pursuits that feed your soul.
Using Crystals To Reduce Stress And Anxiety
We all live with various amounts of stress in our daily life, and the last few years have been especially trying. But stress doesn’t have to be overwhelming for the spiritually conscious person. Apart from meditation and similar spiritual practices, an especially powerful ally can also be found in the use of various types of crystals. Whether you choose to keep them in your pocket, wear them as jewelry, or use them in your energy work, there is a crystal for everyone based on your own needs and affinities.
Among the most popular stones for crystal therapy and relieving stress is quartz. It’s easy to obtain and comes in different types. Clear quartz (what many people might think of when they visualize a crystal) offers clarity and vision when things seem muddled. Like a prism, it also brings out the hidden qualities of other crystals.
But quartz is also available in other colors to support us with life’s many challenges, such as rose (pink) to settle turbulent emotions and find solace when broken-hearted, and smoky (grey) to bolster our courage.
Another popular clear stone is citrine. As its name suggests, it is orange or yellow in color. Carrying a citrine stone is like having a drop of sunlight in your pocket; it wards off the gloom on even the worst ‘rainy,’ stressful day.
Blue agate (available in different shades) is useful when clearing up stress related to miscommunication. It is a recommended to keep one at the office or take it with you to school.
Almost as popular as quartz, amethyst (opaque purple) is a go-to if you tend to suffer from nervousness, anxiety, or panic attacks. It can be used while reciting mantras to invoke deeper serenity and calm.