Working with the Sacral Chakra - Part 2

Key – “I do”

Sacral Chakra Amulets

Colour: ORANGE

Location: Just below the navel

In the last post I went over the signs and symptoms of overactive, underactive and balanced sacral chakra energy. In this post I’m going to be looking at the stones used to work with the sacral chakra, some activities to try out while working with it, and also some daily affirmations to get your sacral chakra shining bright. You can also find a ritual and mediation in the base chakra post that can be adapted to suit this chakra here.

The stones in the Sacral Chakra amulets and their lessons:

Crackle Fire Agate – energising, brings motivation, action, passion, determination and physical power and strength.

Red Jasper – increases the sensual experience particularly of movement and touch, brings a joy of life, energy and enthusiasm.

Red Agate – enlivening, energising and bringing activity and productivity.

Carnelian – courage, confidence, vitality, sexuality

Peach Moonstone – calms sacral chakra energy, negotiates boundaries, nurturing for self and others.

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Activities that will get your sacral chakra shining include:

-          Using your body – dance, yoga, martial arts, running, surfing, etc etc. Any active movement you can think of!

-          Getting out and about

-          Spending time with friends. Do something fun together.

-          Using your senses – enjoy touching. Try touching different textures to see how your body reacts. Some ideas are nice fabrics, sand on your toes, grass, leaves on a tree or different kinds of bark, hold hands with a  loved one, or really feel a hug. Be present with the actions of your body

-          Stop procrastinating and take action

-          Respect your own boundaries and those of others. Learn to respectfully say “no” when necessary.

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Daily affirmations:

I am a sensuous being

I allow my body to move freely with joy

I am active and purposeful

I feel alive in my body

I am full of life

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A ritual for blessing and receiving the amulet, as well as a meditation for energising the sacral chakra can be adapted from the ones posted in the second blog post about the base chakra. Just replace sacral chakra for base chakra and orange for red etc. When connecting with the amulet, see how this piece feels for you and how you relate to the sacral chakra energy. Set an intention for what you would like it to bring into your life right now. You can make this adaptation for any of the following chakras also.
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You can purchase my chakra amulets at www.forestspiritjewelry.com

Working with the Sacral Chakra - Part 1

Let’s move on to the sacral chakra. If you haven’t read the Base chakra entries, you might like to work with these first. You can find them here:  part 1 and part 2.

Working through the chakras, at the base, we found balance in nurturing our bodies, accepting ourselves, and finding safety and security in our lives. In the sacral chakra we begin working on movement, and starting to bring our energy outwards to others. The energy of the sacral chakra is about creative action, movement and joyful vitality. This is the center of reproduction, but also other kinds of creativity. We feel the urge to create in many ways, and our hands and feet are important in this energy too. It is also a center of nurturing, caring for others, such as parenthood or other caring activities in relationships. It is our sensuousness and relates to physical pleasures and sensations. Sacral chakra activities include dancing, yoga, friendship and relationships, loving cozy sex (in contrast to more lusty sex which is a base chakra action), touch and taste, taking baths (like being in the womb) or swimming in natural places, looking after children and/or caring for others, as well as any other activity in the physical world. It is also about our vitality, enthusiasm and joy for life.

The sacral chakra is our ability to move, act, feel, create and sense. It is to “DO”.

Overactive

If the sacral chakra is overactive it often means we have not set up our boundaries for the expansion of our energy into activities or towards other people. Resulting often from an inability to kindly say “no”, we may take on too much, spread ourselves too thin, and end up simultaneously buzzing with nervous energy and worn out. Insomnia or restlessness can often be related to an overactive sacral chakra, as can issues with the reproductive organs, which react to the imbalance in the area. Another manifestation of an overactive sacral chakra is a tendency to over-nurturing others, giving attention where it might not be needed or wanted. Boundaries for both yourself and others are important to recognise when calming an overactive sacral chakra.

Underactive

If the sacral chakra is underactive it often manifests as a lack of energy, vitality, or motivation to get up and moving. Lethargy, procrastination, shyness or inhibition can stop us from wanting to get out and move, take action, make friends or show affection and nurturing to others. A tendency towards oversleeping, watching a lot of TV or going through an anti-social phase are common. Feeling embarrassed about what people will think of you when you take action (eg. being shy to dance in front of others, or do a yoga class or go to the gym if you’re not feeling in shape) is also a common issue.

Balanced

A person with a  balanced sacral chakra is full of motivation, energy and vibrance. They are creative and lively and seem to glow with that exuberance. They seem to be very busy and active, but also have a calm nature about them and are able to give their energy to others in nurturing kindness in a way which does not deplete their own energy, but adds to it. Every action in their life is like a part of a dance, flowing freely and joyfully.

Questions to ask:

How do I feel about my activities in life right now?

Do I have too much or not enough activity?

Am I currently feeling lethargic, shy or unmotivated?

Am I feeling creatively motivated generally?

What activities do I do right now that express my dance of life?

- Is there any negativity in this chakra I need to let go of?

- Is this chakra in need of more energy?

In the last blog there was an exercise for a meditation to assess the energy of your chakras. You might like to do this meditation again to check in with your progress. Hopefully now your base chakra energy has improved and now you can pay attention to the sacral chakra to see if your intuitions about where you are at match the messages your subconscious mind will bring you through meditative imagery. Often our subconscious can surprise us and give us added insight into our chakra energy.

So, last time I let you know a little about my own personal journey on the chakras, so I will continue! In making the amulets I can’t help but connect with their energy, and I have a full set of chakra amulets that I regularly work with myself, as this is a process you can visit again and again to get a deeper understanding of yourself, and for personal development through life.

My sacral chakra journey has seen me head out to a dance meditation night, where we worked on dancing in a “real” way, without inhibitions about how we looked, or expectations of what others might think of us. We danced out our emotions, we cried, we let go, we re-empowered ourselves and energised our bodies, we danced with ecstasy and joy and felt the unity of life in a that beautiful heightened state that can be reached through dancing for a couple of hours. We finished with deep breathing and meditation, a blessing of water and a shared prayer. I recommend this kind of experience to anyone, and there are many such events in most major cities.

I have also upped my yoga game a bit. Last month, with the base chakra I started doing a short yoga session each morning, but I decided I wanted something a bit more dedicated. I have set a goal of doing yoga teacher training in the next year sometime, (I’m not physically fit enough for it just yet), and have started going to yoga and pilates classes a few more times a week.

I’m still going with the diet from last month, which I have to say has me feeling really great with a lot more energy to move. It has made me realise the sense in working through the chakras one at a time as they build on one another in many different ways.

In the next blog post I am going to get more into some other ideas about how you can work with your sacral chakra. It will cover rituals, meditations, affirmations and other activities. In the meantime, you might like to have a look at the Pinterest board I have made for the sacral chakra which has a lot of ideas.

Working with the Base Chakra - Part 2

Key – “I am”

Colour: RED

Location: Base of Spine

The base chakra is located at the base of the spine in the lowest part of the torso; the place where you sit and the center of your body's weight. The colour of the chakra is a deep red and stones which are red, black or brown generally correspond with it. Many of these stones deal with cleansing and releasing. When we cleanse our chakras, generally, negative energy is drawn down towards the base chakra and the legs and feet, where it is released back into the earth to be neutralised. Our connection with the earth through it is also important as this is what enables us to “ground” energy – letting it go from our bodies and be transferred to the earth to be transmuted into positive energy again.

The base chakra is also concerned with the basic physical necessities of life. It is the most energetically physical of the chakras, meaning that it is the area through which we are concerned with the material world. Its balance rests on the degree to which we are happy with our material existence. It therefore relates to survival and the basic needs of the body for shelter, food and company; as well as our desires for material things.

Below are some activities to help you to work with the base chakra, especially if you have purchased one of the Base Chakra Amulets. There is a rundown of how over- or under-active base chakra energy can affect us, and how to know when it has come into balance. There is also a ritual for blessing and receiving your Base Chakra Amulet, a meditation on the base chakra, and some affirmations you can work with to help bring your base chakra into balance.

Is my base chakra overactive, underactive or balanced?

Overactive

If the base chakra is more overactive than the other chakras it can pull the awareness out of the spiritual and make it difficult to be concerned with anything but our material, physical reality. In doing so there is a tendency towards greed and materialism, and an overwhelming urge to acquire belongings or to fulfil physical desires in order to feel happy. It can also cause tendencies to overeating, addictions to things like chocolate, coffee, sugar or even alcohol, drugs or sex. The feeling is of an overwhelming urge to gather things towards oneself in order to feel safe and satisfied, particularly out of feelings of fear, worry or anxiousness about having “enough”.

Underactive

An underactive base chakra can lead to a lack of connection with the material world, a lack of “presence” and can also cause imbalance in other chakras as a result of not being able to properly clear and ground their energy through the healthy function of the base chakra. A lack of connection with the physical world manifests in the body through things like clumsiness and a lack of control over physical movement, loss of appetite, not feeling “at home”,  as well as losing or breaking things often. It can also be a tendency of those who often find themselves in states of poverty because of an inability to hold onto or maintain physical belongings for one reason or another. An inability to let go of negative energy can feel overwhelming, leaving the other chakras imbalanced and causing all kinds of tension.

Balanced

When the base chakra is balanced there is a feeling of being able to let go of bad energy easily from other chakras. It also means that we feel very happy in our material existence – we feel comforted by our home, our food, our belongings, our bodies. Though we may bring new things into our lives we do so without anxiousness or craving. Though we may lose or break things, we feel safe and secure enough to be able to take it in our stride and not let it worry us. We are fully present in the moment of now and have a deep feeling of connectedness with the Earth. We are good to our bodies in every way, making sure we have all we need in health, comfort and safety.

The stones in the amulets

and their lessons:

Black Tourmaline – grounding negativity, protection, safety

Hematite – grounding negativity, grounding emotions, presence

Black Obsidian – awareness of negative and self destructive behaviours. Increases ability and will to change these also. Self-understanding

Garnet – physical health and vitality, strength, grounding

Mahogany obsidian – self-acceptance, body acceptance, physical awareness. Move beyond limitations. Positivity.

Snowflake obsidian – self-acceptance, presence, physical awareness, positivity towards life.

Picture Jasper – grounding, Earth energies and connection, self-awareness.

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Ritual for blessing and receiving the amulet:

This is a ritual to bless your amulet and set the intention of it for the next month. You can adapt the ritual as you like, especially if you are familiar to ritual working. You might like to bring your spiritual beliefs into the ritual or open and close the ceremony in a way that is meaningful to you, such as casting a circle. It is really up to you how simple or complex you make it. If you’re not familiar with ritual however, I would suggest you follow along with the ritual here and see how it feels.

You will need:

-          Candle

-          Stone

-          Small bowl of water

-          Incense

-          Incense holder

-          Lighter or matches

-          Black or dark red cloth

-          Your base chakra amulet

You can switch some of these for other items if necessary. The candle, stone, water and incense represent the four elements – fire, earth, water and air. You could represent these in different ways. For example the incense could be replaced by a feather, or the water by a shell. The stone could be swapped for a bowl of earth or salt. Nothing is quite as good as an actual flame for fire though.

The ritual:

Whether indoors, or in a special natural place or a garden, find a space where you will be able to set up a small table, and somewhere comfortable for you to sit. Be sure that you will have privacy if you feel uncomfortable about others seeing you in ritual. You might like to wear a special outfit for the ritual. Clothing in a black, dark brown or dark red colour would be appropriate. It can also be a nice thing to take a bath or shower before the ritual so that you feel fresh and relaxed.

Turn off your phone and any other devices. Place the small table in front of where you would like to sit and set out the items for the ritual on it in a way that you find appealing with the cloth covering the table first of all. You can add any other items such as crystals, symbols or images, flowers or other plants etc. as you feel it is appropriate. This is your special altar to the base chakra so it should represent what you feel this chakra means to you.

Sit quietly as you set up the space and as you light the candle and the incense, take a moment to feel the energy of the space you are in. Feel the presence of other beings nearby, of sounds in the distance, maybe the sound or touch of the wind, or the feeling of the sun on your skin. Close your eyes and also be aware of your inner being, taking note of the area of the base chakra and how it feels right now. Think about what the base chakra means to you and feel it in your body. Take a few deep breaths and look over the items on your altar seeing how they represent the balance of the elements and the symbols of what the base chakra means to you. Take your amulet in your  hands and hold it in front of you so you can see it. Now bless the amulet by each of the elements:

Hold it to the stone, or place it upon it and say “I bless this amulet with the energies of Earth.”

Take a moment to feel the energy of Earth within the amulet. This is the most important element for the base chakra. Then continue with the other elements, after each taking a moment to feel the energy.

Pass the amulet through the smoke of the incense and say “I bless this amulet with the energies of Air”

Pass the amulet through the heat rising from the candle flame. (Do not hold it too close as it may damage the amulet). Say “I bless this amulet with the energies of Fire”

Dip your finger into the water and touch your finger to the bare stone of the amulet. Say “I bless this amulet with the energies of Water”

Now take the amulet and hold it in your lap. Feel the energy of the stones speak to you and interact with your base chakra. Take a few deep breaths and acknowledge that this is your amulet and project the intention that it will help you to balance your base chakra. Say to yourself, whether aloud or with the voice of your mind:

“Ground me. Release negativity. I accept all that I am”

You might like to repeat this a few times until you feel it has been heard by your subconscious mind. This can mean saying it over and over until the sounds end up sounding like nonsense. You can just say it a few times if you prefer though. It’s up to you.

You can now put on the amulet and feel the energy of it and how it affects your base chakra as you wear it. You might like now to do the base chakra meditation as a part of the ritual, or you can do that at another time and leave the ritual here.

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Meditation on the Base Chakra

Sit in a comfortable position either on the floor, on a pillow if you prefer, or in a chain with your feet on the floor. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, becoming aware of your inner being. Feel the alignment of your spinal cord, and bring it into equilibrium: not strained in one way or another, not leaning to one side or the other; you should feel even front and back and side to side. You can help this also by the old trick of imagining a string being pulled from the top of your head all the way through your spine to your tailbone. Lifting you and finding your weight point on the sit bones. You should feel alert though comfortable. Try to avoid slouching or reclined positions as these can cause sleepiness or back troubles.

As you align your body’s position, continue to breathe in and out. As you breath in, imagine a white ball of light above you that comes into your body by the top of your head. With each breath in, become filled with the white light. With each breath out, feel more relaxed, letting go of any tension, stress or negative energy. Feel the light come down to your base chakra area, where it enlivens the red colour, making it brighter and stronger if weak; healthier and more balanced otherwise. Notice if there are any dark spots or weak patches in the center and let the light move into them, healing them with every inhalation. With each exhalation, let the dark spots fall away into the earth to be neutralised.

Do this exercise for about 5 to 10 minutes. A good way to time it is to put on some meditation music for the right amount of time. I like searching You Tube so I have new music all the time, but there are also many beautiful tracks that you can find for this. Low tones, huming, soft drumming and nature sounds are excellent for the base chakra’s energy.

When you have finished your exercise, thank the white light for its healing energy. Thank the Earth for grounding your negative energy. Begin moving by wiggling your fingers and toes, then open your eyes.

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Daily affirmations:

I am grounded and present

I am feeling healthier with more vitality every day

I accept and love my body and all of myself

I am who I am

I am here and I experience now

Working with the Base Chakra - Part 1

After recently making a series of Kundalini amulets with serpent designs, I have found myself moved to create some more amulets that relate to each one of the chakras. So here's what I'm going to do. Over the next few months I am going to work through each of the chakras, sharing ideas and resources about each of them with you, as well as creating a series of amulets that relate to that energy.

So we will start with the base chakra, so let's talk a bit about it to get us started :-)
For the base chakra, the focus is on the physical realm. It's about the basic necessities of life: food, shelter, health, comfort, self-acceptance and the healthy fulfillment of base desires such as sex drive (though not love, just the urges of the body), the desire to organise or clean, and to acquire material items. Areas it addresses are the release of addictive behaviours and grasping or craving tendencies; to recognise the importance of our physical health and wellbeing, as well as our stability financially and our sense of having a place to call home. It also relates to our relationship with the Earth in a very hands on kind of way. Our comfortability in nature, and our connection to our wild primal self in that.

It is our rootedness and the base of our being. It is our ability to survive. It is "TO BE".

Chakras can be either underactive or overactive. In the case of the Base Chakra, if it is underactive, there is a lack of stability, sense of having a home, or a weak or undernourished body, lack of libido etc. It can also come in the form of too much emphasis on other areas of life (such as mental, emotional or spiritual) that causes this area to be neglected, such as laziness, procrastination etc. There is also often a tendency to want to "hibernate" or be hermit-like, hiding away from the world.

If it is overactive there can be grasping tendencies that can be addictive. This can be associated with unhealthy yearnings for certain foods, wealth, sex, exercise, material goods or a tendency to hoard things. There may be more focus on the physical material world as opposed to other areas. There may also be tendencies to take the physical world for granted, seeing it as a means to an end or a resource to be milked. In extreme cases of overactive base chakras people have little care for anything or anyone but their own greed and sense of self-worth through the acquisition of material goods.

Working with crystals is one of the simplest ways to work with the chakras. Simply choose a period of time you will wear the amulet for (eg. a week, a month etc) with the intention of noting changes and insights you have in that time about your base chakra. Just wear the necklace everyday and keep a journal to write down anything you notice about your nature in this area of your life. Some questions you could ask yourself might include:

- Do I feel grounded, stable and rooted in this time of my life?
- Am I yearning for anything, and is that yearning healthy or unhealthy?
- Am I feeling physically healthy right now? Is there anything I need to change to make myself more healthy?
- Is there any negativity in this chakra I need to let go of?
- Is this chakra in need of more energy?

You can use this mediation (click on the link) to help you to clear your chakras and to get a subtle understanding of how they are functioning for you right now. Working with crystals can help this meditation to work well for the chakra you are focusing on.

To get some more inspiration, please also have a look at my Pinterest board of images and ideas about the Base Chakra here.

I can't help but take these journeys with you! As I make the amulets, which I have begun already, I feel myself moving into the process of working on this chakra as I connect with the intention. I also have my own series of the chakra amulets that I have been working with for over a year now. It's a process I enjoy going through again and again to get a deeper understanding of myself.  I'd like to share my personal experience with you too.

For me, it's brought up my need to focus on very physical aspects of my life, particularly, my eating habits, organising my daily routine, keeping on top of the housework and letting go of my addictions to caffeine and sugar. I tend to be a very mental, emotional and spiritual person, so for me, the base chakra is underactive. I tend to get carried away with creating things or thinking about things or talking to people, and end up neglecting basic things like making sure I do the laundry or the vacuuming, eating badly, staying up late, and then managing my tiredness with caffeine. I'm sure this will be a familiar tale to many mums out there!

So what I'm starting is a healthy eating routine, using Aryurvedic dietry suggestions, cutting out refined sugar, cakes, biscuits etc, and also, to my horror, my daily flat white. I'm going to go to bed at 10pm and get up at 6:30am to do my yoga. I'm allocating time everyday to do "general cleaning" in the house. And I'm also giving up my rather limited consumption of alcohol and cigarettes too.

It sounds like the standard New Year's Resolution list right? The one I write every year and never manage to achieve. The difference here is that all the other standards on that list are missing. There is focus here, based on the chakra I am working with, that creates a centeredness that should (fingers crossed) help me acheieve this, if only for the period of time I work with this chakra - at the very least I will learn something about myself.

I would love to hear your experiences of working on the base chakra, so if you'd like to leave a comment below that would be awesome. Let's take this journey together :-)

Elemental Cleansing and Intent-Setting Ritual

In this article I’m going to be talking about a ritual for energetic cleansing of amulets and other jewelry with

spiritual intention. This is a lovely thing to do with any amulet as a blessing that can set the intent at the first wearing or charge up the energy of the piece to make it more powerful. It is also a great thing to do to clear crystals of negative energy, particularly those which have cleansing aspects, but do not cleanse themselves, like hematite.

I would recommend doing this ritual before wearing your amulet for the first time, as it makes the experience feel really special and meaningful. A simple ritual is something your subconscious mind will remember each time you put the amulet on, helping its power to work through the subtle intention you have set there, along with enhancing the energy of the crystals themselves.

Ritual helps you to align your conscious intention with the sub-conscious mind that works with symbols, images, smells, actions and metaphor. The sub-conscious mind doesn’t “think”, but it does dream... It communicates through feelings and non-verbal expression like images and symbols. So, when we enact a ritual we are speaking to our subconscious and letting it know what our intentions are. This is important as along with the energy of the crystals themselves, much of the power of amulets comes from our sub-conscious mind’s relationship with them. It is our subconscious mind which is our gateway to spirit. It communicates with the energies of stones and brings them into our awareness, so cleansing becomes both an action of cleansing the stone, but also a ritual of introducing the subconscious awareness to the power of the amulet, whether for the first time, or to reaffirm the intention later on.

Cleansing has significant purposes for our own state of mind too. When we cleanse the crystal or stone, we are also cleansing ourselves. We will negativity to leave the crystal, and in doing so, will any negative influence it may have brought to us. We become less burdened by the feelings and emotions or experience we have deemed “negative” and felt it to have absorbed, and allow these to leave us as well as the stone through this process.

The Elemental Cleansing and Intent-Setting Ritual uses the idea that the world is made up of four basic elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Each of these has the power to cleanse – Earth in a compost-like transformation of energy that is grounding and neutralising; Air like opening a window to a fresh breeze; Fire like the burning away of that which is no longer necessary; and Water like the washing of hands or bathing. Each has an energy of cleansing. These elements can be symbolised in ritual or on an altar in a few ways, but here are some examples:

Earth: a stone, a dish of sand, a piece of wood, a bowl of salt

Air: a feather, incense, an oil burner

Fire: a candle, a small bonfire (if outdoors and it’s safe)

Water: a bowl of water, a sea shell

Use what feels right, but in this ritual I will be describing how to use the following: a stone, incense, a candle and a bowl of water.

Elemental Cleansing Ritual

Set up a space where you will perform your ritual. It can be as simple or elaborate as you like. If you are already familiar with rituals or have group rituals, this could be incorporated as a small part of the bigger ritual. If you haven’t done much ritual before, just do what you feel comfortable with, don’t worry about it, and know that you can always do more next time.

An altar for a Nature Spirit Amulet

Set up: I recommend finding a nice place in nature to do this, but you can also do it in a quiet place at home. Try to make sure you won’t be disturbed. Turn off the mobile and spend some time away from electronic devices before you begin. You might like to set up a small altar, but placing the items for each of the elements in front of you on the floor will do fine too, making sure the candle and incense will be safe (you may need holders for these depending on the types). You might like to lay out a blanket or small cloth to put your items on. Also place the amulet on the altar.

You can add other decorations that are meaningful to the particular amulet you have. For example, you might have a Goddess energy amulet – do you have a statue, a picture, or a tarot card that represents this energy? You can add that to your altar too. You might like to collect some seashells, greenery or flowers to represent the Ocean or Earth Mother. Whatever feels right to you.

Grounding: Once you have everything set up and you are comfortable, sit down in your space and close your eyes. Spend a few moments breathing deeply and letting your own energy relax. Close your eyes and just notice the energy within your body. Notice any imbalances of energy, particularly those which will be helped by your amulet. Consider the purpose of the amulet and what you hope it will bring to your life. Sit with this meditation for about 3-5 minutes. Just enough time to come into the intention of your ritual. You can of course take longer if you wish.

Now take a lighter or a match and light the candle and the incense. Take the incense and fan its smoke with your hand. This smoke is itself cleansing and purifying. Cleanse the altar with the smoke by wafting it over it. Then cleanse yourself by letting it blow around you. Breathe it in and enjoy the fragrance. Feel your energy being cleansed and when you are ready say “I am cleansed and ready for this ritual”. (Speaking it out loud helps the logical word-based parts of your mind understand what you’re up to as well). Place the incense back on the altar in its holder.

Now take the amulet in your hands and place it on the stone. Say “I cleanse and bless this amulet with the element of Earth”. Envision any negative energy being pulled away by gravity to be neutralised in the earth.

Pass the amulet through the incense smoke (being careful not to touch the hot bit!) and say “I cleanse and bless this amulet with the element of Air”. Envision any negative energy being blown away.

Pass the amulet through the warm air rising above the candle flame (not too close though) and say “I cleanse and bless this amulet with the element of Fire”. Envision any negative energy being burned away just by being within the flame’s influence.

Place your finger tip in the water and then place it on the stone of the amulet. It need only touch a little. Be careful not to let water on any clay parts. You might prefer to just hold the amulet over the water if it’s hard to get to the stone. Say “I cleanse and bless this amulet with the element of Water”. Envision any negative energy being washed away.

Now hold the amulet in your open palms and raise them a little in front of you and say “This amulet is cleansed and blessed. This amulet named “xxxxxxx” is empowered.”

Hold the amulet to your heart.

Hold the amulet to your heart and think about its meaning to you. Feel it and see it in your mind’s eye. Feel its energy as cleared and charged with power. You might envision this as a light or warmth that you can feel. Now consider, whether the amulet is being worn for the first time or not, what would you like this amulet to bring to you now and how will you be changed as a result? See your life in your mind’s eye with these changes. You might like to create an affirmation for your amulet that you can say each time you put it on. Eg. “I honour the Goddess with in me” etc.

Now put on the amulet and feel its energy merge with your own. Feel the difference and know that you can create positive change in your life. Place your hands over the necklace and say the affirmation again. Sit with this energy and meditate on it as long as you would like. One minute or twenty or an hour… it’s up to you. A nice amount of time might be until the incense has finished if using stick incense.

When you are finished contemplate the altar again and thank the elements for their help in the ritual today. Then snuff the incense if necessary and blow out or snuff the candle. You ritual is finished.

There are ways that this ritual can be expanded, and if you are interested, keep an eye on my blog via the www.forestspiritjewelry.com website for more. I hope you enjoy the ritual and it enhances the experience of the jewelry for you. If you enjoy the ritual I’d love to hear your comments about it below.

Love and blessings

Julie xx

Inspiration Part 3 - Know Yourself

Know Thyself. Words wise enough to be engraved into the entrance of a Greek temple no less. A perfect metaphor, as knowing ourselves is the gateway to our spirituality. Through becoming aware of who we are, how we behave, what our motivations are, what our lessons have been, what trials we are working though, we can gain an emotional intelligence that can open us up to greater things. When we know how we tick, we can better control our reactions, and move in the flow of our greatest potential. We know how we best succeed, how we must overcome failure, and the skills we are working on right now. In addition to this, there are also the threads of stories which have come together to encapsulate who we are in this moment. Those who came before us in various respects are the lineage of our identity in a very special way, and understanding this can create a further opening to our inspiration.

Much has been written about emotional intelligence, though for the most part, we learn about it through trial and error, taking note and working on making positive changes. This side of knowing ourselves is of course, very important, but in this post I am going to talk about the other aspects of our identities - the ancestors of our personal lineage.

There are three main "ancestors" that I like to recognise, and would encourage you to explore to better know yourself more fully. The first is the ancestors of our bodies, our bloodline. These are the people who have given us our physical form, and no matter the quality of our relationship with our familial heritage, their line has given us certain traits and abilities that we will naturally take on. They can be positive or negative traits, but understanding them can give us a better picture of ourselves.

These traits might be phsyical - from fitness, to fertility, to a tendency towards particular illnesses, or a love of certain types of weather or activities. They might be mental - from emotional disposition, to a talent for certain kinds of jobs. In addition to these kinds of traits, there is also a rich cultural heritage that we are a part of because of our belonging to a certain group or groups of people. You might look back into your family tree to find you have relatives in an area of the world you have always found exotic and wanted to visit. Exploring these avenues in our identity can be a thrilling adventure and incredibly inspiring.

As an example, I learnt that my great grandfather was a missionary in China during the Boxer Rebellion and was rescued from harm by the people in the village. My grandfather was born there and so were his siblings. It has given me a greater insight into learning about China and one day I would love to visit the are that they were living in. What will you find out about your family?

This can sometimes be a challenge for some people. Paritcularly if they are adopted. One option in this case is to have your DNA sent away to be tested. One place is http://www.dnaancestryproject.com/. You swab your cheek and send it off to find out which area of the world your ancestors came from. It can be fascinating to find out and you will at the very least be more aware of a culture and its stories and heritage, art and history that you can be a part of, and be inspired by.

The second type of ancestor is our teachers and guides. The people who have come before us with ideas and knowledge that has shaped the way we see and experience the world. This could be from so many sources, but to understand the complexity of your own choices, is to understand a very deep and personal part of your way of being in the world. We are given so many ideas all day every day. It is important to recognise how we have come to our own way of being, and to honour that.

You might like to brainstorm it a bit. Some will be easy to identify - close friends and family and their advice, spiritual traditions you like, theories about the world you believe, movies that have influenced you, books and music lyrics that gave you insight. Some are more elusive - like a holiday when you had a realisation, a meditation that was meaningful, an artwork that changed your mind about something, a relationship in which you learned an important lesson. Our teachers come to us in many forms. Maybe you would like to write some of yours down in your journal?

The third type of ancestor is of the land. The places we live and visit have such incredible histories. Each and every place has a story and an energy, whether it's human, biological, geological or even cosmological. It is amazing to look into the past to see how many things have come together to create the very moment you are experiencing right now in time and space.

Some things to consider when thinking about this could include: what is the history of this area? Who has lived here? How did it come to be a park/housing estate/city etc? What was it before? How did people live here? What was important to them? Were there any wars or battles fought here? Any celebrations or commemorations in this place? Maybe you can find old photos or read about the lives of indigenous people in your area. If you live in a place that has an indigenous history, you could look that up too. Maybe visit sacred sites or other places of beauty and honour their part in the story of where you are.

Another thing to do is to understand what kinds of animals, plants, rock formations and weather patterns tell the story of the place you are in. Understanding nature in a place is an incredible way of becoming inspired by it. Learning about a  flower and when it blooms, or finding out that you can eat the berries of a tree that grows in your street, or knowing where to find beautiful stones, or noticing what time of year the wind changes direction or temperature can make you feel an amazing sense of belonging, which is really a part of who you are. You LIVE in this place. It is a part of you as much as you are a part of it. Become it and be inspired WITH it.

So now you have a bit of homework! I hope the last post encouraged you to start a diary of some kind - hopefully two - and now you have something to start writing about in it. Take some time to think about what your inspirations are, have been, or could be. Understanding who you are is the gateway to unfolding your greatest creative potential. Know Thyself -wise words indeed.

Inspiration - Part 2: 10 way to get inspired today

Let me tell you a story. It’s the story of the beginning of my creative career. I’ve had a few stumbles and false starts on my creative journey and this was a big one. It has taken me a long time to work out how to bring inspiration into what I do and to shape my business the way I have. There was a lot of trial and error in working out how to do it.

Since as far back as I remember, when people asked me “so, what do you want to be when you grow up?” I always said I wanted to be a designer. It was my dream, and by the age of 20, I was working as head fashion designer at a small company in Sydney. Unfortunately it didn't quite go as I had planned. I was sitting, mostly by myself, at a computer desk nine to five, Monday to Friday, in a sterile air conditioned office, with an hour and a half commute each way from work and a half hour lunch break in a bleak industrial area. I was made to pour out designs like a running tap. I gave it everything I had, but over time found it increasingly difficult to come up with new ideas, or sometimes to come up with anything at all. It was like my creativity had run dry. I dreamed of travelling to foreign countries, spending time in nature, and going swimming at the beach. These feelings seemed at such odds with the environment I had to work. I felt my inspiration dwindling more and more.

I didn’t realise it at the time, but what was missing in my life was TIME to become inspired. We don’t become inspired by sitting at a desk nine to five, Monday to Friday, nor do we become inspired by DREAMING of being in other places or doing other things. We don’t get inspired by just waiting for it to come. It comes to us from spending time around that which we find inspiring – what gives us spirit and helps us to breathe in that breath of life. For many of us, it is the simplest thing of all to see the breath of life in the natural world.

The importance of taking time out to get creatively inspired shouldn't be overlooked. Of course, this is difficult to do in the corporate environment, as I found out as a designer, and much more accessible if you work for yourself, as I do now. However, when we at least understand how this principle works, we can begin to make changes that can help boost our ability to find that needed inspiration. 

I wasn’t aware of what I needed at the time. I burnt out in that job after two years and had to quit, thinking I wasn’t cut out for design. I was shattered and it took me years to pick up a pen and paper to draw again without feeling a bit nauseous. I worked for nearly a decade in other kinds of work thinking I couldn’t do it anymore.

Now I’m a designer again. But this time I’m doing it right. I never feel burnt out. I might recognise that I am in need of inspiration, but now I know where to find it. There are so many things we can do to bring inspiration into our lives. Here are some you can try today:

1. SPEND TIME IN NATURE. Spend a day in the bush, go on a hike, go to the beach, take a picnic to the park. Take your lunch breaks in the park. Run outdoors. Go see the sunrise and/or sunset. Take up gardening. Water the plants. Just BE in nature. As much as you can. 

2. GET OUT AND GET INSPIRED. At times where you have the option to get out, get out! Take that work lunch outdoors. Do a meeting at a café. Just get outside and away from the same same environment you are always in. Sometimes a change of scenery can make a world of difference.

3. BRING INSPIRATION IN. Make your creative space/workplace inspiring and beautiful. Keep it organised and tidy and fill it with photographs and quotes and other things you enjoy. Change it seasonally. This is not time wasting. It is important to your creativity. Keep a plant on your desk too if you can – cacti are perfect as they can handle the weekend and only need watering about once a week. Bring nature and beauty in, particularly if you can’t get out in it in your workday.

5. KEEP A PERSONAL JOURNAL. There is nothing better than a journal to order your thoughts and help you work out where you’re at. Let all your emotions out. Make sure it’s a private journal so you can be as crazy and inappropriate as you like!  It’s healthy to get it out. It’s releasing and helps to make way for the new, rather than stagnating on old ideas.

6. KEEP A CREATIVE JOURNAL TOO! This one is different. It’s where you write down all those creative ideas you have. Things to do, new directions to explore. If you design, sketch in it; if you cook, write down recipes; if you’re in business, write down strategies and plans. It’s a great way to collate ideas, whether you use them now, or refer to them at times when you have less ideas.

7. BE INSPIRED BY THE INSPIRED. Watch inspiring movies, read books that give you ideas, go to amazing places, talk to interesting people. Also look at the work of others in your field who you admire and write in your creative journal about why you admire them.

8. TAKE SMALL RISKS: Yes. Try it. Particularly when you’re in a creative rut. Take that small step sideways in what you do. It could be the best thing you’ve ever done. It’s the only way to break out of stagnancy and move to the next level. This is a skill in itself.

9. LEARN NEW SKILLS. Learning is a wonderful way to renew our inspiration. What is it you want to do next? What is your greatest excitement in life? Follow that and see where it leads you.

10. Did I mention SPEND TIME IN NATURE? I did. Oh good. That one is important ;-)