spiritual practice
The Mystical Year Of The Yin Wood Snake
As we settle into 2025, the energy of the Yin Wood Snake begins to take shape, revealing its unique rhythm and influence.
While the excitement of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations may have faded, the true essence of the year is beginning to unfold.
Now is the perfect time to align with the energies of the Wood Snake, harness its mystical power, and set a clear, intentional path for the months ahead.
The Year of the Wood Snake brings a harmonious fusion of intuition, mystery and steady growth.
The Snake, known for its wisdom and transformation, merges with the nurturing and grounding essence of the Wood element this year, fostering patience, adaptability, and a deep connection to our spiritual and emotional roots.
Unlike the impulsive Fire Snake or the analytical Metal Snake, the Wood Snake encourages thoughtful progress and long-term vision, making 2025 an ideal year for meaningful evolution.
In many cultures, the Snake symbolizes rebirth, wisdom and mystery. Its ability to shed its skin represents the release of outdated beliefs, limitations, and habits, clearing the way for renewal. This year invites you to embrace transformation, trust your intuition, and align with the subtle yet powerful energy of the Snake as you enter a year of profound personal and spiritual growth.
What To Do When A Lost Love Lingers
Many of the readings I do are about love and relationships, and a good percentage of them are about past relationships that continue to linger in the hearts and minds of some callers.
For some people there are often constant, even obsessive thoughts about a former partner, a longing for a second chance, or bitterness and regret for time and energy that now seems wasted. The longer and more intense the relationship, the more battle scars and wounds there often are.
If it was a soulmate or twinflame connection, the aftermath can be especially devastating. The relationship has ended and the connection has been severed in this lifetime. This can be very painful. You know you gave it your all. You hung in there for years, or you made heroic efforts to ensure the survival of the relationship, but it did not work out as you had hoped.
If you are highly sensitive and intuitively aware, you may still be picking up the energy of your former partner, which can be very painful, disturbing and disruptive. Unresolved energetic connections can keep you stuck in a repetitive cycle of repeating the same pattern with that person, or put you on hold, unable to move forward in peace and confidence.
I am often asked, “Is it really over?” or “Does he still have feelings for me?” Of course, the answer depends on the unique circumstances.
How To Counteract Toxic Technology
The other day I was sitting at a traffic light waiting for the light to turn green, when I noticed something odd. Everyone around me was bowing their heads. For a split second, I thought I was witnessing some kind of miracle. Were they all having a quiet moment of prayer together?
But, of course, no one was praying. They were all glued to their cell phones!
At first I laughed at myself for jumping to such a naive spiritual conclusion. But then it hit me: this tiny snapshot of life says so much about the world we live in today.
We’ve all heard the wild rumors over the years about microchips being implanted in people’s hands, arms, or foreheads. Conspiracy theories and fear-mongering about futuristic technology have kept these ideas on the fringes of our culture and in the back of our minds for decades.
There was a time not so long ago when it still sounded like something out of a science fiction movie, right? But look at us today. We’ve been chipping our pets since the late ’80s. So, is the leap to humans really that far-fetched? Probably not.
And let’s not forget the biblical prophecy of the “mark of the beast” mentioned in the Book of Revelation. What if this predicted dystopia is unfolding right under our noses – but in a much less dramatic way?
Who needs implanted microchips when we are all clutching our smartphones 24/7? That beastly microchip doesn’t need to be under our skin; maybe it’s already permanently in our hands! And it has our full, undivided attention all day long.
Embrace The Wisdom Of Your Inner Crone
The archetypes of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone are central figures in various spiritual and mythological traditions, especially in Paganism and Wicca, where they represent the Triple Goddess. They symbolize the three primary phases of a woman’s life and the cycles of nature, and are associated with the phases of the moon — waxing, full, and waning.
The Maiden is associated with the waxing moon, representing youth, new beginnings, potential, and innocence; the Mother aligns with the full moon, embodying creation, fertility, abundance, and maturity; and the Crone is associated with the waning moon, symbolizing wisdom, life experience, reflection, and endings that lead to new beginnings.
In Greek mythology, these archetypes are seen in the Moirai or Fates: Clotho (the spinner of the thread of life), Lachesis (the measurer), and Atropos (the cutter). Similarly, in Hinduism, the goddess Kali represents the transformative power of the Crone, who presides over destruction and rebirth. They remind us of the cyclical nature of existence and the interconnectedness of the stages of life.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, embodies the essence of the Crone within the Christian tradition. As Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother), she is revered as a figure of profound strength and resilience, having witnessed the suffering and death of her Son. Her wisdom, born of enduring immense grief and unwavering faith, serves as a beacon of strength and compassion for the faithful. She is seen as a compassionate and empathetic figure who understands human suffering and intercedes for believers with her love and wisdom.
Prayer Is A Refuge From The Noise And Chaos
It is easy to feel overwhelmed these days. Modern life presents many challenges, from personal struggles to global issues.
We live in a world increasingly dominated by negativity, division and fear, where cruelty and hatred are not only considered acceptable, but even celebrated.
It’s really no secret to the spiritually aware person that there is an increasing battle between good and evil. Negative influences often masquerade as appealing or trendy, making it even more important to stay connected to your inner truth and divine guidance.
I often have to turn off my cell phone and television these days as I see the forces of evil growing stronger than ever. It can be hard to stay grounded in hope and clarity.
Fortunately, we have access to a variety of spiritual practices to help us stay grounded, find clarity, and maintain our inner balance. My favorite is a powerful, time-honored tradition: prayer.
While prayer is practiced in many religions and spiritual traditions, it is universal and can be embraced by anyone, regardless of their belief system. It transcends cultural and religious boundaries and is not tied to any dogma or required ritual.
Traditionally, religious prayer follows specific doctrines, but prayer is an open practice available to anyone to contemplate and express their deepest thoughts, feelings, and desires in a mindful, empowering way.
Realigning With Your Higher Self
In my readings, I often feel that people’s energy is fragmented — like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. This fragmentation reflects a general disconnection from the core essence of their being: the higher self.
It’s no surprise that modern life pulls us in countless directions, leaving us feeling stretched, overwhelmed, and out of balance. Between the demands of work, family, and personal goals, the balance of work, rest, play, sleep, and spirit seems to have slipped through our fingers.
Compounding this imbalance is our growing impatience and intolerance. We bristle at delays, resist restrictions, and struggle when life deviates from our carefully laid plans.
Yet frustration and impatience only hinder the natural unfolding of our highest good. The person we are waiting to meet or the opportunity we are longing for may not be ready to enter our lives — or, more likely, we may not be ready to welcome it.
When we feel lost, stuck, confused, or fearful, these are signs of misalignment or disconnection from our higher self. This distortion cuts us off from clear inner guidance and spiritual awareness, leaving us adrift in a sea of doubt, fear, and negativity.
Realigning with our higher essence restores the natural flow of energy, inner wisdom, and divine guidance. We rediscover our wise inner genius, the calm confidence that resides within, and the power to live in harmony with our true essence and fulfill our soul plan.
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.