If we are lucky enough to be making Holiday Gift Lists for those who would indulge us with presents this time of year, we can be spoiled for options. There are a lot of wants, but at the end of the day, we might be happier with good health and being surrounded by those who love us. Perhaps your thoughts are turning to more spiritual endeavors?
Instead of thinking about getting another Fitbit, or a set of ceramic owl salt and pepper shakers, your mind might be on heavier subjects. The all powerful time of Making Resolutions approaches, and we might have some particular ideas about how we are going to improve our lives though change.
This holiday season, combine the two thoughts and get ready for those changes a bit early. Self-transformation is in your own hands, but where do you start? What is all this stuff and what do you use it for? Today we’re going to fill you in on some of the helpful guides, stones, sets and gifts you can ask for to help you on your way to release, renew and refresh your well being.
Chakra or Energy Healing
Chakra is a Sanskrit term for “wheel”. It refers to the 7 energy centers that are found in the body, starting with the root or base chakra that is found at the tailbone and going up to the crown chakra which is found at the top of the head.
Each chakra is associated with a specific set of organs (traits) that it influences, and each chakra has its own color.
- Red (root chakra): Vitality, energy, passion, cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)
- Orange (sacral chakra): Creation, opportunity, judgment, fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius)
- Yellow (solar plexus chakra): Charisma, concentration, superficiality, air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius)
- Green (heart chakra): Compassion, prosperity, jealousy, earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn)
- Blue (throat chakra): Communication, truth, deception, water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Sagittarius)
- Indigo (third eye chakra): Romance, intuition, delusion, fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius)
- Violet (crown chakra): Spirituality, insight, anxiety, mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces)
Chakra healing deduces that when we feel stressed, or are struggling with an emotional or physical problem, this pain or stress can be attributed to one of our chakras being blocked in some way. Reiki stones, crystals, meditation and gemstone wands can all help us get to the root of the problem, releasing stress and negative energy, bringing relief and a sense of calm.
A Gemstone Healing Wand is used to direct energy to tension points, but to also clear away any blockages. Set with 7 corresponding crystals, you can use the wand during meditation, running it over your 7 energy centers in a clockwise motion, concentrating on your intuition, the vibration and temperature of the wand and any feelings within your body that may react to this motion.
Reiki healing is a manipulation of energy that you already have in your own body and around you. With this healing technique, you clear chakras and remove blockages that are keeping you from growing and maturing spiritually. Reiki Stones can be used for energy work involving your seven chakras, with their colors and energies tied to each.
If you are just starting to learn about the benefits of Reiki, you may want to seek out a practitioner in your community, often found practicing in massage studios or wellness centers. If you want to try your hand at home to see how this all works for you first, you can find your own Reiki stone kit to start you on your way.
Crystal Healing
Crystals can be used in numerous ways for healing, they can be worn as talismans or amulets on the body to ward off sickness and negative energy, or they can be used in reiki and chakra healing techniques, as certain stones contain properties and colors to match to the seven colors and energy centers of each chakra.
Depending on what health or emotional problem you are seeking relief from, there is a crystal for you to work with, whether you wear them on a daily basis, or use them for energy or chakra work, they are lovely to behold, and are a visual reminder of what we are working towards.
While researching which crystal can help you with your individual problem, choosing stones is intensely personal. You can buy them online, but sometimes they call to us in person. You may be more attracted to rings, necklaces or plain stones you can carry, but making a spiritual connection with what you choose suggests it will be more powerful in your transformational journey.
This crystal healing kit can be used to get you started on your path to learning.
Aromatherapy
Scent, one of our most powerful senses, has long been attributed to our memory – the smell of food, candles or cologne can immediately transport us to a milestone in our lives, or remind us of a very special person or place. Don’t underestimate the transcending effects of scent – why do you think perfume and cologne companies spend so much money on sexy ads?
Pheromones aside, we are powerfully driven by our noses. Even the smell of freshly baked cookies and pastries has the ability to take us from a grouchy Monday morning to a relaxed glaze of pleasure after our habitual visit to the cafe on the way to work. How can aromatherapy be used in your journey to transformation?
Using specific blends of therapeutic essential oils, we can use aromatherapy as a topical application (Massage, baths and skin care), through direct inhalation or aerial diffusion (To make your environment fragrant) to arouse a physical or emotional response in our systems.
Starting simply, you can target the health problems you are looking to improve upon and look to match a corresponding essential oil, or even a product emitting the same scent, like a candle or hand cream. Though definitely not an exhaustive list, here are some ideas on how aromatherapy can start to help you, simply by diffusing these scents.
- Bergamot Oil – Stress relief
- Peppermint Oil – Headache relief
- Eucalyptus Oil – Anti-inflammatory
- Grapefruit Oil – Can aid in weight loss
- Orange Oil – Aphrodisiac
Note that doing further research or talking to an aromatherapy professional is recommended, as ingesting some of these oils can be toxic to your system. Knowing what to use and for what purpose is very important, so if you are considering anything beyond using a diffuser or body cream, inform yourself!
Get your aromatherapy tools here.
The Art of Meditation
One of the most beneficial ways to start working on your self-transformation is to meditate. From the Latin, ‘meditatio,’ it translates as, “to think, contemplate, devise, ponder.” At the end of the day, meditation is a practice used to promote relaxation. Once our minds can find quiet and calm, our bodies follow suit and we create a blank slate from which to start fresh.
There are numerous ways in which meditation can help our healing and spiritual growth:
- Reduces stress
- Improves concentration
- Encourages a healthy lifestyle
- Increases self-awareness, happiness and acceptance
- Slows aging
- Benefits cardiovascular and immune system health
Meditation only really requires a quiet place and your own willingness to listen to your mind and body. You can do it sitting on a park bench, in the lunch room at work, in your car. While you don’t need to spend any money learning to meditate, you might want to enlist the help of a guide to ease you into a practice you will be comfortable with, and make your own.
I myself learned about meditation through my yoga practice, a route anyone may take. Most yoga studios will offer beginner classes and gift cards for drop in to start you off. There are many online courses, seminars and workshops available to you as well, likely in your own community. Look around and start your journey!
Tarot, Astrology and Numerology
Another great way to start learning more about yourself, your journey and about where some of your innate characteristics derive from, look to astrology and learn about your birth chart. While you may know about your Sun sign, do you know about your Ascending or Moon sign and how they play into your personality and behaviors?
Where you were born and what time definitely plays a part in determining your personality and why you react the way you do to certain stimulants. Learning more about your own chart and following your daily horoscope can give you some themes to help you understand your triggers and how the planets and zodiac can influence your life.
Numbers can play a part in your life as well, especially when it comes to your name. Have you ever had a Numerology reading? We all have a Personality Number, a Heart’s Desire Number and a Life Path number, each of which can speak to our desires, our urges and why we feel compelled to do certain things and make certain choices.
Tarot cards are used for divination purposes, using a deck of 78 cards with varying symbols on them to answer questions and predict events in your life. Whether you have your cards read or do them on your own, the practice of Tarot can be enlightening, especially if you start recording your readings to reveal patterns in your life.
You may find a certain card appearing over and over again, which could lead you to give up something toxic, or to concentrate efforts on a healthier subject. There are different layouts for alternate readings as well, and to start out, you may want to have a professional reading to get the lay of the land.
Get an online free 3 card reading, or you might choose to have your cards read in a session where you can ask questions more specific to your personal life. If you want physical tarot cards, you can get the Astrology Answers Master Tarot Deck here.
Conclusion
As you may have noticed, a lot of these areas can be used together, often becoming more powerful by doing so. Combining aromatherapy with meditation may result in a stronger connection to your practice, and even more so when adding chakra work or crystal healing into the mix. This is your journey, so find what you connect with, and make that practice your own.
If you aren’t sure where to start, or want to do some research on your options first, look no farther than Astrology Answers. From horoscopes to numerology, from tarot to reiki, chakras to crystals to just general wellness, our articles are free. We are committed to providing information for all stages of your metaphysical journey, and the choice is yours on where you take it from there!
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