Daily Devotional - A Small Rite

I don't usually light a candle when performing my morning and evening daily devotionals. I occasionally burn incense, though more frequently at night to remove any stray gunk that I have accumulated throughout the day.

I have a confession to make: I missed one of my devotionals yesterday. I felt like I needed a big gesture to get started back up again. It wasn't a requirement from Deity; it was my way of apologizing to God and Goddess for my lapse and returning to the process with renewed vigor. Now complete, I can easily say it was a good decision and that I'm glad I followed through with it.

I added the representations of the Elements this time around since I am beginning to approach them in Anni's Season of the Seeker program. A river rock for Earth, incense for Air, a tealight candle for Fire, and a container of Water - it needn't be more complicated than that. As a result of my adding these bits, the rite felt more complete and what I had previously viewed as a shrine had become a full-fledged altar.

Is it me or does my Lugh statuary seem extra happy today? He is holding a point of natural citrine and tumbled sunstone.

Even Danu seemed interested in the festivities this morning, as I could feel her presence. Here is Danu's statue, which many of you have likely seen on this blog before. Her offering bowl has a clear quartz point and a piece of tumbled moonstone.

If you're interested in starting a daily devotional practice, the easiest way to begin is to go before your altar and speak to Them. Heck, do it from your bed after you first wake up in the morning and prior to falling asleep - where doesn't matter so long as you get something out of the process (not material items but hopefully some form of spiritual growth).

Chakra Balancing

I knew it had been a while since I last worked on getting my chakras into alignment, but it turned out to have been even longer than I originally thought - almost an entire year! I began feeling like I needed a tune-up so I decided it was finally time (well, yeah...) to do something. I took the opportunity to do a layout on myself using these crystals.

red jasper, carnelian, citrine, green aventurine, blue lace agate, amethyst, and clear quartz.

I have found these seven crystals to be the best when working on my chakras, probably because they'll all members of the quartz family and tend to resonate and work well with one another. I can only speak from my own personal experiences, of course.

There are many crystal associations with each of the chakras, but my suggestion is to focus on color more than any of the other aspects of the crystal's energy. The frequency on the color spectrum will help your chakras reset and get back to working for you in no time. I spent all of ten minutes doing this process and I felt rejouvenated and calm for the remainder of the day.

I suggest you give it a try if you're feeling fatigued, anxious, agitated, or just because it's something new to try. And most importantly, let me know how it works for you.

If you're a little rusty on chakras or just want a refresher course, head on over to this link to get some information from Bernard Charles. He's one of my favorite people working with color - in fact, the best I've come across thus far in my journey.

-MR

Invoking Creativity

It's time to break out the citrine, folks.
We're about to get creative up in here!

Well, not really here, but you get my point. I wanted to give you all a little bit of information on inspiring creativity. Whether you write, paint, knit, play a musical instrument, some combination of the above, or are just handy with a pencil and a piece of paper, this post is just for you.

I just set up my watercolor palette with some tubes of paint that I purchased a month or so ago but have lazily been testing out. I also have an ample supply of crayons, oil pastels (they're cheap so they're basically just bonus crayons), gesso, acrylic paint, mod podge, color and watercolor pencils, pencils with graphite, and lots and lots of clippings from junk mail.

As I mentioned in "VR - Pagan Tag" video on youtube, I have been art journaling for a little over six months now. With more emphasis on the art and less on the journaling (writing) aspect since I have a different book for that sort of thing. To me, its all about getting creative and having fun doing it. Sometimes I am proud of the finished product and at other times I am appalled and thankful I can close the book and not have to think about it for a while.

As Pagans, creativity is something that many of us call upon for various purposes: spellwork, rituals, etc. My challenge to you is to do something creative today in whichever medium (fancy art word for material) you prefer. I hope you'll share the finished product with me, but don't worry about that if you're self-conscious. Just have fun with it and enjoy the meditation that school children everywhere participate in.

A Healing Crystal Grid

My mother is in need of a lot of healing. She recently had surgery for cancer and has been admitted and discharged to the hospital three times within a month as a result of non-life-threatening complications. The surgery resulted in a large wound. The wound is healing, slowly but surely. I was called to create this grid to help the process go along smoothly.

I utilized two natural citrines, clear quartz, rose quartz, and smoky quartz. I was originally called to use ametrine but my instincts told me to choose chrysacolla instead, so I did just that. I cleansed the grid with selenite and black tourmaline prior to activating it as a little boost, though I'm sure it wasn't really necessary. Any positive healing energies you are able to project would be greatly appreciated.

Day 5 - A Selection of Crystals and Gemstones

When contemplating which gemstones and crystals to use for yesterday's "Sorrow" card, I was confronted with the idea that its meaning could represent a variety of different things. It could suggest emotional conflict just as easily as it could represent the end of a business relationship. Therefore, I took a look at which crystals and gems are the most readily available and have the most ability to be used for multiple purposes. In fact, most crystals and gems have multiple uses which make it easy to begin collecting and using them in your daily life.

Copyright - Green Earth Stones

Amethyst - One of the most common specimens, Amethyst has been used since Ancient times as both a talisman and a sign of royalty. Amethyst has the ability to both calm and soothe while transforming murky energy into positive energy. It is usually associated with the Brow or Third Eye Chakra.

Copyright - Green Earth Stones

Rose Quartz - Typically associated with the Heart Chakra for its ability to purify. It helps us open to receiving love and heals our darker emotions that come about from anger, resentment, and hurt. Another readily available stone, you can wear it as jewelry or use it in a gem elixir.

Copyright - Green Earth Stones

Smoky Quartz - Neutralizes negative vibrations and helps to ground and center those who meditate with it. Smoky Quartz is a great addition to crystal grids because of its energetic properties. Resonates with the Base Chakra.

Copyright - Green Earth Stones

Selenite - One of my new personal favorites, Selenite carries a high vibration and powerfully disperses and stabilizes negative emotions. It is frequently purchased in wand form for cleaning the aura, though I have also seen it in pyramids and towers. It can be easily placed in a room or around the house.

Kathryn from Green Earth Stones, an online Etsy store, was kind enough to allow me to use the images above. All of the photos you see are from actual items she is selling in her store and clicking on them will take you to the listing for that item. Clicking on the banner above will take you to her main page. I will not receive any money or store credit for any sales that come about through my blog.

I have ordered from Kathryn and she sells high quality crystals at reasonable prices. I have never been disappointed with a product that I purchased from her and I recommend Green Earth Stones. Please let her know that I sent you. 

Business Success Crystal Grid

I finally established and energized my business crystal grid. My hope is that it will help inspire success for Miach Rhys and allow me to receive some of the abundant blessings the universe has to offer. I settled on Citrine, Carnelian, and Green Aventurine. There is also a little black tourmaline to remove any negativity from my path and all of this energy is coming together and being channeled through an Ametrine generator.

Please excuse the poor lighting. The grid is inside a cabinet to keep little hands away.

Besides having traces of Citrine to tie that element together, I also love Ametrie and felt that I should use it as a reflection of me and my business. It is featured in my Miach Rhys Banner, after all. Then I included one of my new business cards to help focus the energy of the grid further. I am so happy with it and will be spending some time each day feeding the grid by meditating on my desire. I am also going to amp up my marketing and product development to help out on the mundane front.

Do you have any experience with crystal grids? Leave a comment!