What rituals I've tried, if they work and the importance of intention behind everything.
My goodness, is there a ton of stuff to choose from. Especially for my ADHD brain, it does get overwhelming. At first it was hard to choose from and which one was "right" for me. But also, do they work, is the bigger question that most people ask.
PSA: I am not an expert on any of this. This is simply my opinion and my experience with these rituals. Take what resonates and leave behind what doesn't.
Here's the philosophy on pretty everything and anything I do in this mumbo-jumbo jazz:
It's all about the intention. I cannot emphasize that enough.
I think there's all kind of things you can do to attract more love, money, create increased protection, find inspiration, etc. But at the end of the day, it's about building your own unique practice that aligns with your Soul and your highest good. Once you've collected what makes you feel aligned and closest to God/Spirit/Source/The Universe (however you'd like to call them, I'll it Source for now), that's what makes this all "work."
Fun fact: Judy Hall, the author of The Crystal Bible and really the crystal queen, literally says that putting the actual crystal or a card with a picture of that crystal under your pillow, has the same effect. How come? Because it's about the intention. My Medium teacher told me that and it was an eye-opener.
Crystals
It's interesting; I'd say I'm half here for it, half skeptic. I used to work at a crystal shop in Santa Monica. No lie, there was great vibes in there. It was full of books (definitely up my alley), crystals, singing bowls, candles, sage, palo santo, journals, all the goods you can think of. Next door, was a stunning crystal gallery with luxury priced crystals. Some upwards $50K. When the sunlight would hit the room around 3PM, it was pure magic.
I'll start with the skeptic side of me.
First, to me I look at them and I'm like, they're literally rocks. It's like picking up a shell from a beach and saying it will heal you. I just don't see crystals any differently than finding a really special momentum from our time outdoors.
Second, some knowledge I have from a very dear friend of mine is that most crystals come with the karma of slave trade and harm to the planet, and that's why she uses lab grown diamonds for her sustainable jewelry company. Here are some other articles discussing the downsides of the crystal industry (article here and here) They aren't sustainably sourced and the workers are foreign workers, overseas, and underpaid. It's also been seen impose environmental harm. That has definitely had me pull away from them and not rely on them as much, thus creating the skeptic in me of their energetic powers.
Third, I've experienced massive shifts, healing and abundance in my life without the use of crystals. Maybe it's because I didn't commit to Mediumship until recently. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up in this world (both of my parents aren't religious. One is a skeptic, the other is semi-religious). I've never relied on crystals to heal me. I was never intentionally healed with crystals. When I worked with my medium, there are crystals in the space. There are crystals under her table, where she does reiki on me. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't remember anything remarkable that has happened with a crystal. However, I believe crystals have been in the space in order to help create a lovely space and vibration. You also can't help that they look pretty!
Again, I'm no expert of genius on this. I haven't done extensive research on this. However, I always want to understand both sides of the coin. Something my dad has always said to me, "Own your piece." Meaning, whatever situation I'm in with a friend, partner, or made a mistake at work, etc., what was my piece?
Okay, now I'll go to the "I'm here for it" side of me. This is a story:
Recently, I sat with Spirit with a dear friend of mine. My late, paternal uncle came and bestowed a gift in my hands. It was a crystal. He said to my friend, to tell me, "I have a crystal saved for you. Go get it! It will help you ground when you feel out of sorts." I was honored and kind of like, "Really? A crystal?" Again, I spend money on things but I barely spend money on crystals. However, I recently just got my crystal from an incredible shop on Castro Street in San Fransisco called Crystal Way.
Long story short, my friend and I have been connected for the last six months. She's been a HUGE support and spiritual sister as I walk this journey with Spirit. I was in San Fransisco with family, which is where she lives. We found the time to meet up and go crystal shopping. If you follow me on social media, you know that my sign lately has been rainbows. Funny enough, Spirit took us to Castro Street because it's FULL OF RAINBOWS! We got matching T-shirts and stickers from the Double Rainbow ice cream shop. We saw naked men running around, and we couldn't stop laughing. But we stayed focus. Mission, get Bebe her crystal from her Uncle Vaughn!
We walked into a store that was a block away. The store clerk was an energy healer. The crystals were gorgeous. I was slightly tipsy (oopsy!) and nervous, because I wanted to pick the right one. I didn't want to let Vaughn down. However, I was drawn to the smokey quartz case. After holding a couple, I found the one.
A couple days later, I allowed myself to hold the crystal and IMMEDIATELY I dropped into Spirit. Typically yes, I drop in fast, but this was epic. I think because there was a deep intention behind this crystal, that it means a lot to me. It's not just any random crystal. It was chosen by my Uncle to help ground and protect my energy. Therefore, for me, this crystal works for that.
BUT AGAIN! It's simply a tool. It's not end all be all. I do have other little crystals around my house (a couple were gifts, one was free from the shop I worked at). But I'm not relying on them. They just simply exist to make my space look pretty.
Sage
At first, I was like, "Wow, what is that smell?!" I'm sure like everyone who does not understand sage. And that's with anything that smells unfamiliar.
I learned more about sage through my work with Melissa and a beautiful book called, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. In fact, if you'd like to understand the environmental and botanical science behind plants, along with the spiritual rituals, go read this book.
For years, Native American indigenous have used sage to cleanse energy, bad vibes and for ceremony. You can use to to cleanse your own energy or the energy of a physical space. For instance, I do it every now and then when I'm feeling low and I'm trying to feel more high vibe. I also have liquid sage for travel. For example, I was recently in an Airbnb and I sprayed some sage around my room to cleanse the energy. I'm so sensitive, there's every way I would absorb something. I ended up having fantastic sleep and feeling remarkably comfortable.
I always love adding the skeptic side in here. My good night sleep could also attribute to my new, super potent magnesium spray (which I actually highly, highly recommend). It could also be because I did my gua sha/facial reflexology routine to relax me. Again! I always believe it's the intention you put behind any ritual. Plus, it's the combination of intentions and practices that round out everything.
To be completely real, I've never felt skeptical about sage, because of the innate spiritual significance and longevity it's carried for many years. I'm sure there's a chemical reaction in the air with the sage. I'm sure there's many studies out there. I just love it because it's an intentional action. Just as if you knelt down to pray, sat to meditate, journal, etc.
How to sage (part traditional, part Bebe-style)
Allow yourself to be still, breathe and drop into a sacred space.
Once you feel centered, say whatever prayer or invocation that connects with you to God/Source/Spirit. You can say a prayer like, "Thank you so much Source/God/Spirit/Universe and thank you in advance. I ask that you help me cleanse the energy of this space and my own internal space. All and any energy that does not believe in the light, Christ, God, respond, or serve my highest good, you must leave now. Source, I ask that you replace any stagnant or negative energy light, love and joy." Again, you can ad-lib whatever you like in there. The key points in any prayer would be to a) Gratitude b) Purpose/Intention c) Ask for guidance
Before you light, open any windows, doors, along with drawers, cupboards, and anything that can open. This allows all energy that's stored and stagnant to be released.
Now, light your sage and move around the space however you like! I personally, love to turn up the music and prance around the room.
Repeat the prayer you said before or any positive/loving mantra as you sage the room. You can also sage up, down and around your body (close your eyes). Sage for about 10-15 minutes; or however long you need. Let this be an intuitively guided experience.
Lightly wet the burning tip of sage in water, or whatever safe way you distinguish the flame. Keep the windows and doors open for about 20-30 minutes. Then close.
To close out the space, I like to thank my Guides, Loved ones and God energy once more and spray sacred rose water around the room to raise the vibration.
Oracle Cards
Until this past year, I've been introduced to Tarot and Oracle Cards. I was introduced to the later from Dr. Steven Farmer, who's a dear colleague of mine. When I was his assistant a couple years ago, he kindly gifted me his Power Animal Oracle Cards and Earth Magic(TM) Oracle Cards. What I really like about these is that you don't need to have any prior knowledge to using them. You simply use them based on intuition.
For instance, I ask a question of Spirit, shuffle the cards then pull however many cards I feel called to. Sometimes it's one. Sometimes there's cards falling out or popping out from the pile, which often indicates "Pick me!" What's also really great about pretty much every set of cards is that they come with a small guide book to explain each card and different ways to read them. Again, making them incredibly easy, fun and approachable.
But do they work? There have been times when the message has deeply resonated with me or related to a circumstance in my life.
One example was (and to keep it SO, SO SHORT): I pulled some cards because I was feeling anxious about receiving a "Brief Chat" randomly placed on my calendar with my boss's boss. I knew it couldn't be good. This was also following weeks of rainbows—my main sign from Spirit affirming my path. I pulled these cards. An hour later, I was let go.
There have also been times when it hasn't resonated with me. But that's okay. I use them every now and then. They aren't my end-all-be-all. I say, use them when you feel like it. Use them to meditate on, use them to provide something to meditate on. I have used them before for a short impromptu reading when I was feeling tired that day.
With Tarot or Oracle, these are other ways to play with Spirit. Something Dr. Farmer says is to "put your DNA on your cards." Meaning, shuffle them, hold them, meditate over them, pray over them. It's one way to imbue your good energy into these cards. It's one of those things where, the more often you use them, the more they speak to you.
I hope you enjoyed this juicy read. I'd love to hear your feedback or experience with any of these rituals, or any rituals you didn't see on here that you love and you think I'll dig!
Here are the resources listed within the blog:
(If any of these stores aren't by you, visit any local and high vibe metaphysical supply store)