Workforce; I salute you!

As you will know, I have been interested in self development for quite some years and I have watched the fashions come and go; TM, yoga, vegan raw diets, pilates, and mindfulness have all been flavour of the month at some point or another.  I have to say though that the latest one has started to leave a very bitter taste in my mouth - entrepreneurship.

Now, I am fully aware that the fact that I have this reaction to this shows that there is work I need to do on myself.  It is clearly pushing buttons in me that need to be addressed, and this blog is me attempting to address one of them.

I believe the love of entrepreneurship started with the "do what you love" movement.  The message came through that you couldn't be happy unless you were doing exactly what you wanted to do.  From there people realised they didn't want to be working for the man but wanted to follow their own paths and make a living doing what they wanted.  Fuelled by the global crash where millions of people lost their jobs the fascination with being self employed began.

At this stage I thought it was wonderful.  So many people were following their dreams and creating new things and earning a living doing it.  Of course, as is often the case, it went too far.

Yesterday I watched a Youtube titled How to build self esteem - The six pillars of self esteem and it was all going really well until it got to number 5.  This pillar is about living purposefully; a noble trait and one we can all learn, however, it appears that the only way to live purposefully is to be an entrepreneur.

Here we find the nub of my problem.  It seems there is a growing subtle message throughout the wellbeing and self development communities that if you are not an entrepreneur you are somehow failing yourself.  That somehow you are not following your dream or living purposefully.

So, I wanted to write this blog to personally thank and salute those of us who get up every morning and do the things that need to be done.  I look through my friends and I see nurses, lorry drivers, steel erectors, train engineers, packaging designers, social workers, teachers, bin lorry drivers, window fitters, need I go on?  People who keep the world running.  People who you don't see making a fuss, they just get up every morning and go and do what they do.  What if they all decided to be yoga teachers?*

Do you think these people are living without purpose simply because they are employed rather than self employed?  Is it not possible to have a sense of purpose and be employed, either from the thing you do to pay the bills or what you do outside of work?

In one of my favourite books, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, a whole planet decided to take all the people they didn't really value and put them on a space ship that is set to crash land elsewhere.  At the end of that part of the story the original population die out because they got rid of all the telephone sanitisers.  Do we really want to make the people we need feel so unloved that no-one wants to do the job?  Just how much will we suffer if we do that?
  
I for one would like to say thank you, I appreciate the work you do!

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

http://www.crystaloaktherapies.co.uk/

*And just in case you think I am being hypocritical because surely I am self employed being a complementary therapist.. actually no, in my day job I am a bookkeeper for a bearing company.  I keep the company that fixes the machines that makes your breakfast cereal running.  Healing is my passion, but I know I need a full time job.  My reasons for this are another blog yet to be written.

How long will your New Year's resolution last?

Now that all the Christmas festivities are over we hear the common phrase; "What new year
resolutions will you be making?" and we tend to roll out the same old thing, eat less, exercise more, read more, facebook less, but in reality we know by the middle of January we will be making the same calls to the chinese while sitting staring at facebook when we should be at the gym.

So why does this happen, why do we get so disillusioned so quickly?

Personally I think we expect too much too quickly.  Living in this fast paced world we expect instant results and when we don't see them we give up.  I know I am guilty of this at times.  This is where I like to look to Pagan beliefs and apply them to the concept of new year's resolutions.

Many Pagans follow the cycle of the seasons as part of their spirituality, and with this comes the concept of there being a time for everything.  This can easily be connected to these promises we make to ourselves.

If we cast back thousands of years to a time when our lives were governed more by the growing season we can see where the concept of a yearly new start may have begun.
 

The time of new beginnings starts with the darkest time of the year; the longest night or Winter Solstice on or around December 21st. Metaphorically this can be seen as an end, the darkest time for the soul where only faith says that the light will return.  As the dawn breaks on the morning after the long night we are reborn into a new year.  At this time slates are wiped clean and we start afresh.  This is the time to make plans for the coming year.

However, anyone who has tried to grow anything in the depths of winter will know, now is not the time to be sowing seeds.

In the winter farmers are looking to prepare the land.  They may be growing a green manure crop; plants that will simply be ploughed back into the land to fertilise it, or they may be ploughing and leaving the ground bare for the frosts to turn large hard lumps into a fine tilth.  

It is not until the earth starts to warm weeks later that seeds are even sown.  The surface of the soil is turned over and the seeds are lost into the darkness; only faith and experience tell that they will grow.  From there there is much waiting before the tiny signs of growth appear around March when we reach the equinox.  These are still only the smallest of frail shoots that could be knocked back or killed by a late frost.  Gentle nurturing, fair weather and the winter's preparation all add to the chances of the seeds growing into strong plants.  

Once there are signs of growth watering and weeding is needed to ensure that by the time we get to midsummer the plants are strong and vital.   However, it is not until after the summer solstice in June that finally the fruits of all this work can be harvested.

Looking at this as a metaphor we can see why New Year's resolutions so easily fail.  Where is the preparation and the patience?  The nurturing and care?

So when New Year arrives in the next few days, think about how you can make your new plans more sustainable.  Rather than signing up for the gym now how about starting with going for a walk and work your way up to being able to make good use of gym membership.  Rather than going on a crash diet that you can't maintain; start looking at where gentle changes can be made that will add up to better lifestyle choices.  If you want to learn a new craft spend the start of the year learning about what you plan to do, which equipment is best and who is the best teacher.

Now is a time to prepare the ground, seeds sown now may never grow.  Give yourself the best chance.

Happy new year everyone!

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

http://www.crystaloak.moonfruit.co.uk/

Surviving Christmas day with Bach Remedies

We all hope for a joyous Christmas filled with magic and laughter but sadly for some it never quite meets expectations or hopes.  For those times, as always, there are Bach Remedies that can help with every situation.

Elm - Do you find that the cooking, presents, noise, and people just a little too much to deal with?  Elm is the remedy for being overwhelmed, helping us focus on the task at hand with a gentle knowledge that we can cope with whatever happens.

Rock Water - If your dinner isn't cooked to perfection or the gift wrapping isn't just right Rock Water can help calm the inner perfectionist allowing things to be as they are, perfect in their imperfection.

Holly - Often you hear about feuds and disagreements that come to the fore when the family is crowded together in one place.  Holly helps us put aside resentment or jealousy and begin to build bridges.

Beech - Is there one family member that just annoys you?  Not in any major way, they just rub you up the wrong way.  Beech helps us be more tolerant of differences and allows us to accept people as they are.

Centaury - Are you always the one that does the cooking?  Or maybe you always seem to end up the designated driver when really it would be nice to let your hair down and have a drink.  Centaury can help you stand firm and ask for what you need without causing conflict.

Heather or Water Violet - For some Christmas is a lonely time and these two remedies can help us reach out in a healthy way and come together with other people.

Sweet Chestnut - We don't like to think of people in deep despair at a time when there is so much laughter and fun, but for some this is a reality.  The festive season can be a dark and depressing time when we look ahead in our lives and see nothing but darkness.  Sweet Chestnut holds a light in that darkness allowing us to see that we are able to carry on and better times will come.

Christmas doesn't have to be a difficult time and the remedies are here to hold your hand as you navigate the pitfalls.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas and a peaceful New Year from all at Crystaloak.

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

http://www.crystaloak.moonfruit.co.uk/

Elm - A remedy for the season

Are Christmas preparations getting too much?  Do you feel that you have taken too much on once again?  Is it possible that if there was less to do you would be able to handle each of the tasks well?

This is where the remedy Elm is helpful.

The Bach Centre say about this remedy; "[Elm]...is the remedy for people suffering a temporary loss of confidence
due to the overwhelming amount of responsibility they have taken on."

When you are struggling with the number of things you have to get done and that fear is stopping you getting anything done a few drops on your tongue could make all the difference.

Bach remedies are safe to take with medication and have no negative side effects.

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

http://www.crystaloak.moonfruit.co.uk/

We can all do something, no matter what we are told

I saw this meme today and, although I have no idea whether the beloved Jim Henson said this it got me thinking...

We live in a time when we are bombarded with the woes of the world.  Whether it is the horrific acts of Daesh, the ever present threat of global warming, or problems closer to home in our own country with financial and housing problems.  Our news feeds are filled with big problems and it can become overwhelming.  We fall into "what can I do?  It's all too much" and because of that we are paralysed from doing anything.

Me being a lover of food I tend to think of these issues as being like a burger (veggie in my case) that is just too big to get into your mouth.  It's full of lovely things that you would love to get to but there is just no way.  What do we tend to do in these situations?  Well, you could get a knife and fork but, for some reasons, burgers just don't taste the same that way.  No, we start to take it apart and we eat smaller pieces.  Maybe a bit of the burger with some bread.  Then we have some of the pickle (yes, I am one of those that likes the pickle) with a bit of lettuce and slowly but surely you are able to eat the delicious meal.

We can do this with the world too.  Of course we can't solve the refugee crisis, of course we can't fight Daesh or change the tax evaders, but we can do something small.  At the very very least we can smile at a passer by, we can donate just a pound or two to a charity, we can volunteer with charities or we can make sure that every message we give out over social media is one of hope.

One small ant can't make much of a difference... but how much do we fear a swarm of ants entering our home...

Visit my website to learn more about my healing practice  

www.CrystaloakTherapies.co.uk/

 

Accepting our reality - we are here, we need to accept it

When I first started on this spiritual path and learnt about being a lightworker I became aware of a deep and desperate need to "go home"; to return to Spirit.  I found the place I connected to in meditation and when I was doing healing work was so blissful and held so much love for me at a time when I was surrounded by toxic people and a world intent on destroying itself.  Why wouldn't I prefer to be "up there" rather than "down here".

I struggled for years with this homesickness, I just couldn't handle being in such a harsh environment when I knew somewhere else was so much nicer, but the only way to get there was to end it all... and I knew that would not solve the problem.  Believing in reincarnation does that to you, I knew I'd only be back and would have to face it all again.  So I realised I had better get on with learning how to be down here.

So what has changed?

Looking back I realise that there was a paradox at play.  In having a strong desire to be elsewhere I was metaphorically hiding under the bed.  I was using my connection to Spirit to take myself off the earth energetically in the hope of not having to deal with the problems around me.  Rather than helping this actually made me weak and even less able to cope with what life threw at me.

For maybe 5 years now I have been working on being more grounded, more connected to the earth.  I didn't want to do it, I wanted to escape, but I knew that if I was going to progress I needed accept it.  It has been a tough journey at times, many buttons have been pushed and many fears triggered.  I know I have a lot of work still to do, but I realise it has dulled the desperate need to go home.

It seems crazy, working to get closer to the thing that challenges you the most.  When something hurts we are programmed to recoil, to move away from it as fast as possible.  With this we have to face the fear and learn that we are stronger than it.

So how do we do this?  How do we find a way to make being down here easier?

Step 1 - Turn off the news and put the magazine down.... just for a while
Every day we are flooded with messages about how terrible the world is.  We are also led to believe that in taking this on we are somehow helping make a difference. 

I want you to think about one particular thing that is bothering you at the moment in the world.  Maybe it's the immigrant crisis; people drowning in the Med or dying in lorries.  It could be the war in Syria and Iraq or it could be the shrinking of the ice in Alaska.  What are you going to do today that will make a tangible difference to that problem?  How are you going to solve it?  Are you going to donate live changing amounts of money, go and protest, sign up to fight oppression? I don't mean to be harsh but I doubt you will be doing anything.  So what does knowing about it actually achieve other than making you miserable?

I understand we need to know what is happening around us but when it paralyses us with fear it is not helping.  So, for 1 month unplug.  I promise, in that time you won't have made any situation worse but it gives you a clear space to start work.

Step 2 - Remove as many toxic people from your life as possible.
There will always be those people that we are stuck with such as family members and work colleagues, but there are others that we do have a choice about.

This can be a tough one, many lightworkers don't believe they have the right to stand up for themselves and have low self esteem but it is something that has to be done.  You have every right to choose your friends and walk away from anyone who hurts you or makes you feel inferior.  If you can't remove them, like the media, take some time out to give you breathing space.

Step 3 - Start looking for the positive things in life; they are there if you look hard enough.  Websites such as Positive News only report good news and it's quite an eye opener seeing what is happening that the mainstream media is ignoring.

Step 4 - Work on grounding and your lower chakras.
Most lightworkers live in their upper chakras and the chakras below the heart are almost completely forgotten.  It sounds counter intuitive but in working on these and using other grounding techniques we become stronger in our presence down here and more able to handle what the world throws at us.

One of the first things I did was meditate to meet Gaia; the Earth Mother.  In the past my meditations had always focussed on reaching up to that blissful Spirit energy where I could hide from the horrors.  The grounding process had always been a simple hand shake, a necessity because I was taught to do it, there was never any desire to linger before I dashed up out of my body and into that blissful light. 

In meeting, embracing and truly accepting Gaia I found loving, safe energy that I didn't expect.  It was like being held by the most compassionate mother and it brought me to tears.  Although Spirit energy is still the most amazing feeling, knowing Gaia is on my team made a big difference.


I also believe that in starting to learn tai chi and chi kung has helped as that most definitely focusses on being grounded, connected to the earth energy and becoming immovable.

Just recently my guide has changed from my beloved "boy next door" who has been with me all this time to a strong female African warrior.   She challenges me to embrace my strength and physicality in a loving but strong way.

I still have a lot of work to do before I can say I am fully in my body and happy to be here.  Learning to stay grounded and connected to the earth brings challenges but at least I am no longer hiding under the bed desperate to go home.

Visit my website to learn more about my healing practice  

www.CrystaloakTherapies.co.uk/

 

Working with crystals... throw those books away

I have written about this before but I thought I would revisit the subject to possibly explain why I don't work with books that list the attributes of crystals.

Some years ago I joined an online group run but an amazing guy called Fabeku Fatumise.  His passion for working with crystals on a deep level inspired me and I set to learn from him.  Although he used to write at great length about the energies and attributes of what he called "stone spirits" his underlying message was that your personal intuition was more important than anything anyone else could tell you, including books.

You see, we have been brought up to trust the wisdom of others, teachers, doctors, scientists, and gurus and in doing so we have lost the most important trust; trust in our own wisdom and inner knowing. We have given our power to these people and forgotten that we are know ourselves best. In this instance we look to those we consider wiser to tell us which crystals we should use for our own personal situation.

There is one major flaw in this; not only do the books give us a tiny piece of information about the extent of work that can be done with any one crystal but the book doesn't really know what we are working on on a deeper level or what we need to make progress.

Take an example; we are struggling to sleep.  Books will suggest you use amethyst to help you sleep.  But there are so many causes of sleeplessness, the writer doesn't know what is causing your problem so how can they suggest the correct stone?

Another issue with looking to authors for guidance on which crystal to work with is that the writer is only sharing their personal experience of a stone, through their own personal filters and energies.  What another person experiences might be completely different.  You will notice that so many people love amethyst; it must be the biggest seller in the crystal "range" and yet I don't see what all the fuss is about.  Show me a fluorite and now we're talking.  I won't let myself pick up fluorite in shops because I guarantee it will come home with me.  Amethyst... meh?  It's pretty and it has it's value, but I'm no more fussed about it than a pebble on the beach (which I love btw, remember, I love working with all stones).

So, if the writer can't know everything about the stone, doesn't know what we are really dealing with and is writing only about their personal experience, how can we know which crystals we should work with at any given time?

Throw away the books and trust our own intuition!!

We all have an inner wisdom, an intuition about what we need and what won't help us.  The trick is to remember this and learn to use it.  It takes time to learn to trust our intuition and it can be very hard at times to take back the power we have given the "experts" but it really is worth it.

On a practical level, if you are either adopting new stone spirits or intending to work with the ones you already caretake, rather than reach for a book, simply spend a moment with your stones, think about what it is you would like to achieve and clear your mind.  Simply gaze at them, pick them up or listen with your inner ear to see which ones you are drawn to.  Some hear a strong "me me meeee!" from their stones, others simply pick one up and find it feel calming or they don't want to put it down.  That's the one.  Trust it, trust that feeling and open up to the stone that has spoken to you.  Work with it and see what happens.  You might just find something wonderful happens.

Before you actually bin your books though.. if you really want to use them, use them as a tool AFTER you have picked your stone friend for the day.  Look it up and use it as you would the book that comes with a tarot or oracle deck.  Look up your stone and see what the book says, but remember, if it doesn't mention the issue you are dealing with that doesn't mean your choice is wrong, it simply means the author hasn't experienced that aspect of the stone.  If you think you will lose faith in yourself leave your books to one side until you are able to trust yourself more than the book.

In the end, what have you got to lose?  Give it a go and see what happens.

Visit my website to learn more about my healing practice  

www.CrystaloakTherapies.co.uk/

Walking the path of humility

Humility is the ability to know ones own worth without comparing it to others.  It is a deep love and respect for the self but with the ego set aside.  When we let our ego control our self worth we use comparison as a tool: "look how bad that person is, see, I am a good person"?   Or conversely, "that person is so wonderful, I wish I could be as good as them."  Humbleness states "I know my strengths and weaknesses, and that is fine".  There is no comparison to others, just calm and simple self respect.  When we meet someone who has a skill we lack we honour them because we know it doesn't make them better than us.  When someone is nasty we are not harmed by them and we do not judge them because we know that we too have the ability to be nasty and we see the hurt person inside.

For me, learning this balance is a life long journey that I will be walking for some time yet.  Coming from a place of deep self hate and low self esteem it is a long and rocky road.  It started by understanding that not everyone hates themselves like this, and was closely followed by a second helping of self hate when I realised that I even failed at something that looked as simple as loving myself.

The journey brings the highs of realising that other people are less perfect than me and the deep valleys of realising that that simple comparison is also a failure.  There are the pendulum swings between "I am terrible" and "I am amazing" that never seem to pass through "I am enough" for long enough for me to understand how to stay there.

I started to emulate others, only to realise that was fake and would give a veneer of "ok" that would crumble as soon as it was tested.  I tried comparing myself with others so I could pitch myself on a league table of "goodness" until I saw that this was simply my ego taking control again.  And so the journey continues.

This week put me in a situation where I was given the chance to stay in that sweet spot for just a moment.  I won't go into details but I experienced what I believe was someone else going through a similar pendulum swing.  A person I believe is insecure who was acting the big guy to hide it.

Now, the ego would say "look at you, I see through your bullshit and bravado and see the small scared child underneath.  I am so much better than you".  This would be the me that is also the small scared child acting the big guy to hide it.  Instead I thought "oh wow, they're pretending to be big and strong so we don't see the small child.  I could choose to judge or I could choose compassion" 

The ego is still there, niggling, telling me how easy it would be to scorn this person for trying to pretend that they are amazing. But, because there is also the balance of understanding that I too have the same habits. I have hope that this shows I have made some progress.

I also had the chance of an ego boost for the simple fact that I saw what was going on with both of us, and you know what, I'm gonna take it.  Learning humility isn't about accepting how rubbish I am, it's about learning that there are things I am good at and celebrating them.

This is a winding path that forces me to take a cruel look at who I really am and what it really going on.  It shows when my ego had puffed up its chest to protect the rubbish little girl and there is no hiding from it.  The path is so narrow, an abyss of self hate ever present by my side but I am determined to walk it and find the true me that I can love and respect.

Visit my website to learn more about my healing practice  

www.CrystaloakTherapies.co.uk/

 

How to be successful without being amazing

Humanity is waking up to the idea that life doesn't have to be as it was in the past.  We are realising there is more to life than being a "slave to the man" with our brains shut off, believing what we are told and living our lives filled with obligation and drudgery.

This is a wonderful thing and it is great to see so many inspirational speakers stepping forward showing us the way it could be.  But, I think there is a big risk of us blindly following the brightest lights and still not thinking for ourselves.

The shelves are filled with books that promise to teach us to be able to follow our dreams and live our own lives, but scratch the surface and are they really telling us how to live our lives, or are they showing us that to be fulfilled and successful we need live the lives they believe are successful?

In the past being successful meant owning your own home, holding down a job and bringing your kids up to be good citizens.  Now we are meant to do this AND write a book, study a new course, run a successful business on the side, hold successful dinner parties, stay thin, sleep well, do yoga...... I could go on.  We think we are being liberated but instead we are being taken from one box labelled "successful" to another, and now the criteria is higher and we are more likely to feel we have failed.


The problem starts with the fact that many of these authors and leaders are Type A people.  They seem to magically have the energy to run from job to job, stay fit and eat healthy surviving on only 4 hours a sleep a day.  They are the special people, the geniuses, trailblazers if you like, and the thing they don't understand is how to be normal.  They don't understand that most of us just about have enough energy to go to work, deal with the kids and put a healthy meal on the table at the end of the day.

This lack of understanding leads to there being an unintended and hidden guilt trip that says "if you're not like me you're not good enough".

I am on my second book in an attempt to learn more about boundaries and assertiveness, something many lightworkers struggle with.  In both books there has been at least a section that talks about how to become successful and both have given lists of things you must do every day to achieve this such as meditate for 30 minutes, write a list of at least 10 ideas, go for a run, eat healthy, do something to make your dream come true, the list goes on and on.

Have we got to a stage where we can only be successful if we are managing to squeeze 26 hours into a day?

I want to stand here and tell you, categorically, NO!

In the end, for you to consider yourself successful at the end of the day you only have to do one thing.  Ask yourself the following question; "did I do the best I could today?" I assure you, the answer will be yes every time.  If it isn't work out what small step you can take tomorrow to do a little more.

If you want you can follow it up with; "Did I bring more light or darkness to the world?".  All it takes to bring more light is to stay positive, make someone smile or stay calm in a stressful moment.  Nothing more.

We are in a state of transition.  Those trailblazers have found their voices and they have found that people will listen to them.  However, these people are trying to wake us from our sleep by shining a bright light in our eyes, and for some that works.  But for many there needs to be a gentle dawning where the light enters our life slowly and compassionately and we find our own way of being successful, in whatever grand or subtle way that is.

I don't believe we are all meant to be grand healers, writers, painters or trailblazers.  I believe the majority of us are meant to simply hold the light, stay calm and gently improve the world with our compassion.  You can hit a rock with a hammer and you will make a difference, but if you want to make something beautiful you need to gently work it with small movements, tuning into what is really needed.  We are those small changes.

Do the best you can today, and at the end of the day, know that that is enough, you ARE successful!

Visit my website to learn more about my healing practice  

www.CrystaloakTherapies.co.uk/

Embracing colour

Just recently I enrolled on a course to learn about colour therapy, little did I understand that this wouldn't just be a simple case of learning about colour and how to use it.

I was hoping to be offering this therapy fairly quickly but I now believe that I myself have to go through a process of recalibration before I am ready to do so.  Part of this process for me is to explore and experience the effects of colour and how it can be used to bring about healing in my own life.


How can I offer this authentically to others if I haven't used it for myself?

The first step seems to be to understand what colour therapy actually is and be able to explain it to others in a way that makes sense, so here we go; step 1....

What is colour therapy?

Everything vibrates.  It has been found by scientists that due to the movement of the atoms that make up everything around us we are bathed in a symphony of vibrations.  We ourselves are vibrating at our own personal frequency and that is a response to everything about us; our bodies and energy system are effected by the foods we eat, the thoughts we have and the environment we find ourselves in.

Sound and light are the most recognised of these vibrations and they carry a wave form that can bring about transformation to our health and emotional state.  Although we can work with sound to calm frayed nerves or enliven us colour is a very easy tool to work with to bring about change in our lives.

Have you ever walked into a room that has been painted a really bright colour and found yourself feeling refreshed and full of energy?  And of course there are those dingy rooms that we find oppressive and soul destroying.  This is colour having a powerful effect on your emotions.

Colour is pure, unadulterated energy coming straight from pure white light.  For some it carries the essence of Spirit in a clear form unaffected by belief or dogma.  We all have our favourite colours, and those colours we avoid, possibly without knowing it and it surrounds us every day.  We can either take it for granted or we can work with it consciously to help us move through our lives with more clarity, ease and balance.

This can be done simply by changing the colours you have around you, the clothes you wear, food you eat and the décor in your home.  However, it can also be channelled in a healing environment so that the energy of the colour is transferred to your energy system intuitively and in just the right amount.  This can bring about as profound a change as if we were working with crystals or flower remedies.

The next step....
As much as I would love to be offering this right away I am not quite ready.  I appear to be going through a process of bringing more and more colour into my life.  I have always had my vibrant pinks and deep purples but now blue, red and if I am brave orange and yellow will be making their way into my day to day life, just so I can experience how it affects me.  Today I have gone for a softer pink than normal and I am loving it.

Watch this space, hopefully very soon I will be able to bring more colour into your life too xx

Visit my website to learn more about my healing practice  

www.CrystaloakTherapies.co.uk/

How to safely make crystal waters and elixirs

Gem elixirs and crystal waters are a great way to work with crystals in our daily life but there are some safety precautions that need to be considered before they are made.

Are you drinking toxic chemicals?
It seems such a simple process; get a glass of water and drop some of your favourite crystals in it and the energies of the crystals will be passed to the water; but what you might not be aware of are the toxic chemicals that may also be passed into the water.

We have to remember how crystals are formed.  Deep in the earth water picks up chemicals and these then come together to form the crystal.  Different chemicals in different environments create the multitude of crystals.  Some of those chemicals may be harmless, but others not so much.

To name a few: Malachite, pictured left, is often mined for it's copper content.
Angelite can contain lead
Cinnabar is a source of mercury
Pyrite has sulphur as a constituent 
Tourmaline can have aluminium in it

All of these chemicals are toxic to humans and animals and even some plants, if these were in our tap water there would be an outrage, and yet we blithely put them in our glass of water.

Another issue to bear in mind is that some crystals are water soluble.  Not only does this guarantee that some of the chemicals will end up in your water but it will also damage your crystal, something else we want to avoid.

So how do we make a gem elixir or water and guarantee it is safe to drink? 

No soak method 
There are 2 ways you can get around this problem and which one you use tends to be based on your beliefs, whether your crystal is damaged by water and whether you are able to dowse.

The first option is what I call the "no soak" method but others call it the "indirect" method.

Take a clear, colourless glass or jar and fill it with the water you want to drink.  Place it in the centre of another clear, colourless bowl of water and place the crystal in the bowl.  This will transfer the energies of the crystal into the glass or jar without the water being affected by the crystal's physical properties.

Many people would put this in the sunlight to aid the process.  Of course the problems with this method are that we can't always be sure that our crystals won't be damaged by the water or the sunlight for that matter.  This means I prefer not to use this process.

Intentional method
The way I make elixirs and drinking waters are based more on the spirit of co-creation with the stone spirit and the belief that energy can be transferred with intention.

Choose your clear, colourless glass and fill it with mineral water.  Ask the crystal that is right for you to step forward.  After connecting with it and asking if it will join you in co-creation hold it above the water with your non-dominant hand (this is your left if you are right handed).  With your dominant hand hold a pendulum above the crystal and ask the crystal to send its energies into the glass.  Use the pendulum to tell you when the process has been completed.  When the water is ready thank the crystal and the process is complete.  This method can be used to imbue water with any number of energies without any concerns.

Visit my website to learn more about my healing practice  

www.CrystaloakTherapies.co.uk/

 

Down the rabbit hole we go...

Recently I decided to learn a new healing modality and was drawn to colour therapy.  I signed up on a home study course and embarked on learning about this new to me system.  I had no idea the things I would learn about myself on the way.  I have to confess it's been quite a levelling experience.

It's been nearly 20 years since I studied crystal healing and I had no idea how much I had learnt and what I take for granted until I tried to learn something new.  I feel like I am starting from scratch again, and it's amazing, painful and wonderful all at once.

I expected the knowledge to just be there, to be able to sail through this with no hesitation.  Instead I am having to re-learn and re-examine all I have taken for granted for so many years.  To start with that was tough, and is still quite frustrating but I now see that it is set to send me to deeper levels of understanding; not just of how we work with colour but healing in general and, always the bonus, a deeper understanding of who I am and what makes me tick.

Back down the rabbit hole I go.  I hope to blog about what I am learning but I am aware it will be fairly unpolished and open to review at any point... maybe I'll start a new blog that I can link to here where I can share my new learnings and ponderings... watch this space ... this one here....

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

http://www.crystaloak.moonfruit.co.uk/

 

Spring Equinox - clearing away the dead wood

As we reach towards the spring equinox, a time when night and day are of the same length, we are taking the next step in the cycle of the seasons.  February was a time to plan the "seeds" we wish to grow in the coming year. Now in March we are clearing the "land" in preparation for sowing those seeds.

This clearing can cause a time of turbulence, often there are unexpected endings as things we no longer need are shed from our lives.  It can feel quite hard to let go of the familiar but, just like the gardener clears away dead leaves and twigs, these are things that we no longer need and will hamper our progress if they are left.

I myself am going through this very clearing process and at times it is proving hard to let go, but that is what we must do.

Hold the faith that as the sun returns in April the land will warm up and the environment for those seeds will become much more hospitable.

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

http://www.crystaloak.moonfruit.co.uk/

How can healing help in the real world?

Often it's hard to see how going to see a crystal healer can help you in the real world.  I mean, we have to make real life changes to see better results, don't we?  Not just lay there and let someone waft crystals around and expect all to be ok again.

You would be right, getting a healing isn't suddenly going to fix all your problems, but it will help you make those changes.

Quite some years ago now I was in a situation where I needed to find somewhere to live.  I had been living pretty much rent free and my life had changed leaving me needed to find a flat.  The problem was I could only afford one it a really bad area.  I didn't know what to do, I would be living on my own for the first time and the last thing I wanted was be scared of every noise outside my door.

I was seeing my crystal healer almost every week at this point dealing with what was going on in my life and when I was next on the couch I explained my situation.  We talked and the crystals did their thing and we decided I would ask my boss for a raise.

We all know how pointless that would be, yes?  No boss ever gives a raise just by being asked.

But, because of the healing I was balanced, I was calm and I had faith in my ability to get what I needed.  I walked in that office the next day, stated that unless I got a raise I would need to look for another job and I was given exactly what I asked for instantly.  Within weeks I was living in a lovely flat in the best part of town.  Money was still tight, but I was there and I was safe.  I even found out that I had an amazing neighbour who helped me start to rebuild my life.

Although healing can, at times, help manifest amazing things, for the most part though what it does is bring us back to our optimum selves.  It quiets the doubt and fear, the voice that says it can't be done, and allows us to get on with doing it.

Visit my website to learn about my healing practice  

http://www.crystaloak.moonfruit.co.uk/