spiritual practice
The Ancient Spiritual Tradition Of Smudging
Just as our physical environment can become cluttered and unclean, our aura or energy field also accumulates stagnant and negative energy.
Regularly cleaning our homes and workplaces promotes health, hygiene and optimal function — and the same principle applies to our personal and spiritual energy. Clearing our energy field and environment helps to release negativity and toxic emotions, stress and anxiety, and promotes a sense of calm, clarity and balance.
Energy cleansing is essential for removing blockages that may be hindering personal and spiritual growth or disrupting your connection to spirit and the divine. Over time, lingering negative or toxic energy can even manifest as mental health issues, spiritual disconnection and even physical ailments.
By maintaining a regular practice of energy cleansing, you create a positive, harmonious flow of energy that supports overall health and well-being. In addition, a clear energy field sharpens your intuition and inner guidance, making it easier to align with your higher self and make decisions that are aligned with your greatest good.
Smudging is also a powerful way to clear negative energy attachments and banish malevolent spirit entities.
One of the most time-tested and effective methods of clearing unwanted energy is smudging, or smoke cleansing — an ancient purification ritual steeped in history and practiced by various cultures, religions, and spiritual traditions around the world.
How To ‘Face Everything And Rise’ (F.E.A.R.)
It’s okay to feel afraid sometimes – some fear responses are a natural and vital part of our built-in self-protection system. Rooted in our primal survival instincts, fear helps us identify and respond to real threats, such as a raging fire or a dangerous wild animal.
Survival fear arises in response to immediate, tangible threats to our safety or well-being. It’s a necessary, life-preserving mechanism based on objective, real-world risks that ensure our survival. By activating the body’s fight-or-flight response, it enables us to act quickly and stay safe.
But not all fears are instinctual, nor do they serve our highest good. Irrational fears arise from societal conditioning, cultural expectations, false beliefs, past traumas, or imagined scenarios. These fears are learned or imagined, not instinctual.
Unlike survival fear, irrational fears reflect internalized doubts, imaginery threats and false narratives that serve no protective function at all. Instead, they just interfere with our personal growth, decision-making, and well-being.
Conditioned fears are typically exaggerated or irrational, existing more in the mind than in reality. Examples include fear of failure, fear of rejection, or fear of not living up to social standards. Self-limiting fears can trap us in cycles of self-doubt and hesitation, limiting our ability to take risks, grow, and live wholeheartedly.
To live our best lives, we must learn to recognize these irrational fears, challenge their validity, and prevent them from taking control of our life and well-being. By stepping back and evaluating the source of our fears, we can release what no longer serves us, reclaim our joy, and unlock our full potential.
Is It Time To Reset Your Life?
As the festivities fade and the hype of new year’s resolutions subsides, it’s natural to pause and truly reflect on the direction of your life.
Often idealized as a time of joy and connection, the holidays rarely leave room for true introspection. Instead, they bring a whirlwind of obligations — shopping, entertaining, traveling, and endless social engagements. In the rush to meet expectations, both our own and those of others, the peace and reflection we crave are often drowned out by the festive chaos.
But as the holidays end and life returns to its normal routine, many feel a spontaneous urge to make an honest assessment of where they are in life. What’s working? What isn’t? Where do adjustments need to be made?
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s easy to lose sight of our true passions and purpose. Often we carry unnecessary burdens, cling to outdated habits, or stay in situations that no longer align with our higher selves.
Now is often the time of the year when your intuition may be whispering — or even screaming — that something needs to change. This inner knowing often manifests as dissatisfaction, a longing for something more, or a deep sense that you’re meant for greater things.
Recognizing the need to reset your life can be one of the most empowering decisions you’ll ever make. Letting go of what no longer serves you is not only a courageous act, but also a fundamental aspect of personal and spiritual growth.
Shield Your Dreams From The Naysayers
I’m in the midst of a major shift in my life – a bold leap forward that promises transformative and exciting changes for me and my family.
It is taking a lot of my time and requires a lot of work and personal sacrifice, as there are many moving parts that need to align to make it all happen. However, I know it will work and I trust in spirit’s guidance and divine timing. I’ve successfully navigated similar situations before in my life, so I’m confident it can be done.
As is often the case in these situations, I find myself surrounded by people who are projecting their fears and limitations onto me and my goals. Based on conversations with friends and clients who are supportive and encouraging, this seems to be a common pattern. What is clear to me is that these are people who have chosen to live very different lives from mine.
For example, I have a relative who has always lived in fear and has repeatedly tried to discourage me from every endeavor I’ve ever pursued — almost all of which have been successful. The few that have not worked out for the best I consider valuable life lessons.
I started my first business when I was 26 years old. This family member scoffed at me, saying it was too risky and that I was wasting my time and money. Well, that business ended up paying more than just my bills for over a decade, while many of my peers spent the best years of their lives in soul-destroying dead-end jobs. It allowed me, for example, to buy two houses and several new cars, and best of all, I loved what I was doing!
Abundance Rituals For A Prosperous 2025
The universal energy of renewal and infinite possibility beckons as we enter the year 2025. The beginning of a new year is a great time to release old energies that no longer serve us and to invite a new wave of abundance, prosperity and fulfillment into our lives.
New Year’s manifestation practices not only clarify and align our intentions from the start, but also release energetic blockages, allowing prosperity and well-being to flourish. Releasing the old creates space for new possibilities and opportunities to flow into our lives.
The modern idea of setting intentions or “New Year’s resolutions” has its roots in various traditions. For centuries, cultures around the world have marked the transition to a new year with spiritual, esoteric, and religious practices and ceremonies.
In Mesopotamia, for example, the Akitu festival celebrated the Spring Equinox as the beginning of a new year and included rituals to honor the gods and ensure a bountiful harvest.
In Babylonia, at the beginning of each year, people made promises to their deities to return borrowed items and pay their debts. These promises were a way to start the year fresh and in good standing with the higher realms.
The ancient Romans perpetuated the tradition by dedicating the month of January to Janus, the two-faced god who looked both backward and forward to symbolize “looking back” on the past year and “looking forward” to the New Year, making it a time for personal reflection and new beginnings.