Shamanism
The Psychic Power Of Crystals
I’ve been surrounded by crystals, both in my personal healing and psychic work, since I can remember. I wouldn’t call myself an expert on the subject, but I do know that these beautiful stones are aesthetically pleasing, and powerful to have around.
Many crystals have been given to me as gifts, and it’s as if the giver always knows exactly what I need in terms of what the gemstones or crystals can help me with.
When choosing crystals and stones for psychic work or energy healing, I simply allow them to ‘speak’ to me. The vibration of the ideal ones for every purpose always resonates with me. I simply allow them to ‘speak’ to me, trusting that their vibrations will call me. The actual color of the crystal or stone can have quite a profound effect on the mind. For example, medical patients are known to respond to the color blue, when it is used decoratively in a recuperative environment, and criminals are known to be calmer in a cell painted in very pale pink.
I also own a small collection of crystal balls, and it’s as if an image materializes in my mind when gazing into my crystal ball, as opposed to what I see in the actual crystal itself. You might say it is a third eye opener!
I surround myself with amethyst for the calm it brings, rose quartz to bring in loving energy, pyrite for psychic protection and various quartz crystals to assist me energetically, and just because I find them beautiful to behold.
My bone-throwing divination kit consists of a large collection of stones, each representing a token or a symbol. Each stone has its own story and can represent a significant meaning, person, animal or place to me.
A Rainbow Of Crystals
Few metaphysical tools are as universal as crystals and stones, which are used in cultures all over the world. The color of each stone also carries certain traditional meanings and universal symbolism.
Red is a powerful shade with associations of love, war, fire, sex appeal, and blood. It is also a masculine color. Use stones such as ruby, red jasper, or garnet when you need extra protection or energy.
Orange is also linked to warmth and is thought to increase appetite and vitality. Try orange gems for self-esteem and creativity. Carnelian and calcite are both orange shades.
Yellow is almost always a symbol of happiness, optimism, and intellect. If you need clarity and relief from burnout, pick up a yellow stone like amber, citrine or lemon quartz.
Green, not surprisingly, is the color of nature, growth, and rebirth. It is perhaps the best all-purpose magical color. It can also be used to attract abundance or wealth. There are many popular green stones, among them jade, agate, and peridot.
Blue, the most calming color, was revered in many ancient cultures. Today it is connected to artistic and psychic talents. Use stones such as lapis lazuli or aventurine if you’re in need of some inner peace, or sleep.
Purple was once associated with royalty; it is now a color of spiritual fulfillment and magic. Use it to stimulate your creativity or remove impediments. Amethyst is a popular and widely available purple stone.
Seeing Spirit Signs In Ordinary Things
Seeing see spirit signs and meaningful symbols in ordinary things is a common phenomenon among the spiritually aware. One way that many of us see such signs is by observing meaningful shapes or patterns in ordinary things.
As a child, while having breakfast, I would often see faces or animals in my eggs or oatmeal. I never gave it a second thought that other kids might not see what I did. It even became a game for me to count how many things I could see. And to this day, my morning cup of coffee or tea with cream often produces all sorts of wonderful shapes for my amusement.
In the fourth grade, while eating lunch at school one day, I asked the kids around me if anyone else also saw faces in their food. Two kids said yes, but most said they did not. The three of us who did see faces agreed to see how many more things we could see in this way, and report back our discoveries to each other. It created a special bond between us that lasted throughout our school years. To this day we still sometimes compare notes.
My sister and I also created a game of face counting while taking long car rides with our parents. We were only allowed to count the faces and animals we spotted on our side of the car. Once we reached our destination, the one with the highest count received a prize, which was usually a small trinket from the local department store.
Even my older sister, who does not believe in much that cannot be scientifically verified, sees chariots in the sky. To this day, at age 78, she will say, “Look! Do you see the chariots and horses in the clouds?’ Much to my chagrin, I have never been able to see it myself.
Growing Your Spiritual Garden
Many people ask how it is possible to remain positive, fulfilled, and have our needs met during times of crisis, despair, and uneasiness. The answer lies in meditation, creative visualization, belief and the realization that each of us holds the power in our inner being to achieve whatever we set out to do.
Our lives are not only physical, and emotional, but each of us has a spirit within that can do so much if we allow it to be set free. Sometimes that is not always easy. We, as people, would like to be logical, scientific, have some proof, or have the outcome right away. It is only natural. We are not only brought up this way, taught this way, but also have the brain power to feel a need for logic.
The answer is to let our spiritual beingness loose, to let our inner guidance start working, to start flying over and above the reasonable. Think about your dreams, your ideas, your needs, your hopes as a flower bulb you planted last September. You saw no growth, no movement, no flower, until this month, when the beautiful tulips, hyacinths, lilacs have finally bloomed. This is true belief.
We have no logic to believe a flower will grow from a mere bulb, but it does. That little tomato seed planted in late March is now a leafy green plant, but by late May it should also have some big ripe red tomato fruit on it! Wow, what little miracles we see that have no logic, no reason – they just are.
Today I looked out into a garden where every plant, flower, vegetable I planted was there. Not one did not grow, but they only now started to show up with hope.
Receiving Spiritual Guidance From Your Ancestors
The ancient tradition of ancestor worship is a powerful, yet often misunderstood spiritual practice. It is typically viewed as a form of idolatry, mainly because of the inaccurate use of the term ‘worship.’
In truth most cultures practicing such rites do not refer to it as ‘ancestor worship.’ The more appropriate terms to use is ‘ancestor reverence’ or ‘ancestor veneration,’ because it is about living descendants paying respect to and seeking the guidance of their loved ones in spirit.
It is a common practice among indigenous people and an integral component of most shamanic traditions. It is not the same as the worship of gods or deities.
In fact, as a spiritual practice it is not much different from looking at old pictures of departed loved ones and rememembering them fondly. We might even tell them how we miss them or share our problems with them. Some of us have even asked them to help us find solutions to problems, or pull a few strings on our behalf from the Other Side.
Although I cannot say I have any special reverence for my ancestors, I do respect them for all the trials and tribulations they experienced while they were in this life. In my ancestral lineage there were courageous prisoner-of-war experiences, the conquering of grievous setbacks and material harships, and even suicides, to mention but a few. Several of my predecessors had truly unique, and even exceptional life stories that still dwell in my cellular memories.
The ancestral technique I use in my spiritual practice is similar to that of the Yoruba people of West Africa. My greatest connection is with my father, and he is the one I communicate with daily in the Yoruba fashion. You can create an altar or sacred space in your home for this purpose.
Modern Misunderstanding Of The Occult
I recently had an interesting conversation with a casual acquaintance about spirituality and the occult. She is new to metaphysics and mysticism, but since these topics are of great interest and intrigue to me, I needed no convincing to dive into it with her.
It soon became obvious that she had some misunderstandings, and even a few misgivings regarding these matters. For example, she believes a ‘spiritual person’ is someone who engages in some form of religion or spiritual practice, such as meditation or prayer. She also believes spirituality is the exclusive domain of humans, as animals do not practice any religion or spirituality – they merely exist in nature.
Many people confuse ‘being religious’ with ‘being spiritual’ – one does not necessarily imply the other. Living a spiritually aware or conscious life simply means ‘living in the truth’ of who you are – a spirit being in human form. One can be religious, but it is not a prerequisite to living your true spiritual identity.
I also explained to her that the creatures of this earth may appear to be ‘soulless,’ but all living, sentient beings, as well as nature at large, are all expression of Spirit, God, Source, Universe, the Divine. How the animals operate and survive in this world is what is inherently true of the inner being of who they truly are. The entire universe is an expression of its sacred origins. In fact, in my opinion animals live with much greater alignment to higher consciousness than most modern humans do!
It took her some time to evaluate these concepts, but she did eventually come to a conclusion that there must be some truth to it. However, the real fun began when I mentioned my life-long interest in the occult. She vehemently protested that everything relating to the occult is “evil and demonic.” I asked her what facts or personal experience she based this opinion on, but her only justification was that this is “what most people believe.”
The Good Old Days Of Tribal Service
Someone once asked me the question: why do you do what you do? Most psychics might say that they do it because they love helping people. I gave it careful some thought and realized my answer would be the same, but under different terms. That isn’t to say that I don’t love helping others, but there would be different boundaries, if I was free to choose.
I work in the New Age ways, as well as in the indigenous traditions, and I pride myself on the knowledge I have gained in order to truly blend the East with the West. If I had a choice, I would work in the indigenous tradition of my ancestors, especially regarding how one is remunerated for your service.
In the indigenous way, each village had a spiritual person that they called by various names, including Medicine Man, Shaman, Healer, Guru, Oracle, Soothsayer. It was the way in those cultures to take care of the spiritual leaders of the tribe, in terms of their material needs. They shared equally whatever they had with their spiritual leader.
As a result, the spiritual leader didn’t have to focus any of his time on meeting his material needs, such as keeping a roof over his head, or thinking in terms of where his next meal would come from. Instead, he could devote all of his time and energy to spiritual matters.
His payment for his gifts didn’t include whatever the tribe used for money or barter, or if it did, it was not thought of in the same context. In other words, anyone in his tribe could come to him at anytime, with any kind of spiritual issue, and he could address it however he deemed necessary, according to his own sense of direction and spirit guidance. He didn’t have to consider time, energy, and money. He didn’t have to require payment in terms of the time he spent or what was required, because he was so esteemed by his people that they took care of his worldly needs, so he could devote himself to their spiritual needs completely. What a concept! Right?