incense
The Mystical Properties Of Ancient Amber
Crystals, gemstones, and incense have been widely used in spiritual, esoteric, and healing practices throughout the ages and continue to be popular today.
But there is another type of natural material that does not enjoy the same level of widespread recognition and popularity, despite its unique metaphysical properties and significance in various cultures and mystical traditions.
Resins are less well known and used by modern practitioners. I find that many people are unfamiliar with the various types of resins available and their metaphysical properties.
Compared to crystals, gemstones, and incense, which have gained widespread popularity in recent years, especially through social media and the Internet, resins have received less attention and exposure.
As a result, people may be less likely to encounter resins in their exploration of metaphysical tools and practices.
I also find that people who are at least somewhat familiar with resins tend to associate them with their use as incense. Resins such as frankincense, myrrh, copal, and others are often burned as incense to purify spaces, objects, and individuals. The smoke cleanses negative energies, purifies the aura, and creates a sacred atmosphere for rituals and ceremonies. Continue reading
Full Moon Release Ritual
Tomorrow’s Gemini Full Moon will be the last full moon before the winter solstice. Traditionally also known as the Beaver Moon, Frost Moon, or Mourning Moon, this full moon is a perfect time for introspection, spiritual contemplation and inner transformation.
The November Full Moon invites us to gather our resources, release what no longer serves us, and embrace the transformative power of the changing seasons.
As we prepare for winter within and without, we can cultivate the resilience and wisdom necessary to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. The ideal way to do this is through a full moon ritual.
Full moon release rituals have been practiced for centuries in various cultures and spiritual traditions. The goal of these rituals is to create space for growth, transformation, and new beginnings. The phases of the moon are traditionally associated with cycles of growth, decline, and renewal, making the full moon a particularly powerful time to release negative energies, unwanted patterns, and emotions that no longer serve us.
The ancient Egyptians worshipped the moon goddess Isis, who symbolized fertility, magic, and transformation. They believed that the full moon had the power to cleanse and purify.
How To Do A Tea-Leaf Reading
When I do a teacup reading, I let my mind to run free as I interpret the symbols in the tea leaves for the client. There are standard traditional guidelines as to what different shapes may symbolize, but I prefer to let my intuition do the talking.
Interpretation of the tea leaves is subjective, and there is no one right way to do it. Different readers will interpret the same patterns differently.
However, there are some common symbols one will often find in the bottom of the cup include animals, human faces, and all kinds of everyday objects. Symbols grouped together can create a theme, and sometimes the tea leaves spell out letters of the alphabet or numbers.
Tea-leaf reading is also known as tasseography, tasseomancy or tassology. Tasseography is also done by reading wine sediments and coffee grounds. This divination practice possibly originated in China, where tea was first cultivated, and may have evolved from the Chinese traditions of divining the patterns left by the dregs of wine in a cup, as well as the patterns created by the smoke from incense sticks.
Tea itself was first introduced to Europe in the 17th century and thus tea-leaf reading spread to other parts of the world. Among the first Europeans to embrace the practice were the traveling Romani people, who sometimes offered is as a door-to-door service. Tea-leaf reading also became popular in Victorian times as a parlor game.
Like Tarot reading or scrying a crystal ball, tea-leaf reading is a divination method for accessing the universal consciousness via the subconscious mind. Slowing down the rational, analytical mind allows us to focus on our intuition to receive divine guidance.
The Sacred Tradition Of Smoke Cleansing
Smoke cleansing is an ancient spiritual practice found in many faiths, cultures, and wisdom traditions all over the world. These age-old rituals, ceremonies and healing practices involve the burning of various aromatic plants, resins, and woods and have been practiced since humans first discovered fire. Traditionally ceremonies and rituals involving smoke are mostly used for energy cleansings and spiritual blessings, but the purposes, techniques and materials used vary widely among belief systems, tribes, nations, and cultures.
The burning of incense, for example, was a revered practice in ancient Egypt as part of religious ceremonies. This practice continues today in the Roman Catholic church, with the burning of incense to amplify prayers and intentions.
In both Hinduism and Buddhism, incense is burnt for ritual offerings and rites, while in ancient China incense was burned during festivals and processions to honor ancestors and household gods, and in Japan it is part of the Shintō purification ritual.
In ancient Rome cinnamon was burnt during funerals. The Assyrians burned various aromatic woods in their homes, temples, and places of healing. In traditional Chinese medicine, the burning of agarwood and sandalwood is done to promote emotional wellness and physical healing.
One of the most well-known smoke cleansing traditions, especially in the United States, is known as smudging. To ‘smudge’ means ‘to make a smoky fire’ or ‘to emit a dense smoke.’ Smudging involves various purification and healing ceremonies originally practiced by the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Certain sacred herbs are traditionally used in smudging to purify and bless people and places, of which the most commonly used today is white sage or salvia apiana, also known as bee sage or sacred sage. It is an evergreen perennial shrub native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
Developing Your Herbal Intuition
Herbal medicine is becoming increasingly popular, and many people are increasingly turning to herbalism as a healthcare supplement, or even a substitute to conventional pharmaceutical medicine. Plants, flowers, and herbs all have unique energetic qualities that make them suitable for various purposes. They are alive and respond to their environment and how they are treated in the same way humans do.
When we think of herbs, we tend to narrowly categorize them according to the medical conditions they can be used for, or what aspect of our health and wellness they can improve. However, like people, herbs are much more complex and multi-faceted, and have many uses and applications, alone or in combination with other herbs.
To obtain the most benefit from any herb, we need to take the time and have patience to truly get to know the herb. When you meet someone for the first time at a social event, would you diminish the other person’s true worth by instantly deciding they have only one useful trait or redeeming quality, and leave it at that? Taking the time to get acquainted with a particular herb is much like getting to know someone in an intimate friendship.
Selecting herbs to work with or draw upon for healing is a highly intuitive process. The appearance, aroma, taste, texture, and energy vibration of the ideal herb for a specific purpose must speak to us mind, body, and soul. They convey a distinct energy signature and frequency of healing that the intuitively aware user will innately know is best to use at that time.