Wisdom of the Willow Tree

Spiritual. Exploring Love and Peace in all directions.

[wisdomofthewillowtree]

Home Protection Crystal Grid

It’s been a HOT minute since the last time that I shared something of my heart here on WOTWT, but I am thrilled to be back!

Today, on this beautiful Earth Day 2018 I am feeling wonderful. The vibes from Mother Earth and Nature are helping me to have a great day! I was bringing in my personal Home Protection Crystal Grid stones from their 24 hour sun-soak, and I thought: This might actually be interesting for people to know!

If you’re in the same home you’ve been in for 20 years, or you’re in a brand new home, this crystal grid will be great for you! It can also be placed on a desk in a office. This grid is very flexible--you move your own stones!

How does a crystal grid work? Crystal grids are a technique used to focus the energy of the crystals into a certain intention, wish, or issue. Since this has to do with home protection and energy, this grid is one that I place all around my entire house. I have window and door sills that I’m able to use as “placemats.” It helps to keep Dobby (my mini-goldendoodle) and Solan (my little trash cat) from disturbing the grid. Even though I place mine around the outermost walls of my house, I empower you also to place crystals on your dinner table as a center piece, or any other place you wish. You can basically make this grid as big or small as you’d like. 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED (the stones can be rough, tumbled, or a mixture):

4 Angelite stones

12 Clear Quartz stones

Before you do anything with the stones, hold them in your hands and visualize them surrounded with white Divine light. Make any statements you wish--positive affirmations that you want to manifest in your home. Maybe something like:

“My home is protected and safe. All those who walk through my doors are blessed, and made better for their being in this place. Thank you Angels and the Divine for using these stones to make it so.”

Place the Angelite stones in all the cardinal directions (North, East, South, West). These will represent the guardians/angels/guides you choose to embrace. My own personal intention is that the respective Archangels of the directions are represented here. My path calls upon Ariel for North, Raphael for East, Michael for South, and Gabriel for West. I also like to imbue these stones with the energy of the elements of those directions. So, Earth for North, Air for East, Fire for South, and Water for West. But you do whatever feels right for you!

After the angelite stones have been placed, place the 12 crystal quartz stones on either side of each stone (three to each side of angelite). The shape should be a square. The inside of the square represents your home if you aren’t placing them around the perimeter of your home. 

This grid creates a protective barrier around your home.

Thank you so much for reading. May happy happy blessings come your way!

Blessed be, y’all!

-Z

[wisdomofthewillowtree]

Monthly Mindfulness: October 2017

Hello dear reader! It has been a while since I last wrote a post for WOTWT. September was a crazy busy month. I’m hoping for a little more ease in the coming month! Let’s talk about October!

October is always a month of emotions and fun! In the Celtic tradition, the most well known holiday in this month was called Samhain. Samhain is a time of remembering and honoring our ancestors and those who have passed on. As many of you know, this year my mother passed on. I have been looking forward to October to be able to honor her even more following that ancient tradition of my ancestors.

Halloween and October in general is a time of joy for so many people. It’s a time where people dress up in costumes, eat lots of candy, make apple cider, and get into spooky situations. It’s been said that the Veil between the worlds is thinnest at this time. Whether you believe that’s true or not, it certainly is a time where we can focus on those we are missing in our hearts. Honor them in some way this month. It will not only bring their heart close to yours, but it will bring you peace at this time of the waning year.

For this Monthly Mindfulness, I was lead to work with the Butterfly deck by Doreen Virtue. I’ve had lots of butterflies come up recently in my life--and discussions about them and their totem meaning for all of us. 

Butterflies come into our lives to remind us to stop taking everything so seriously. Watch how butterflies flit and dance about from one flower to another, and know that is how God/Spirit wants us to approach our lives. Bring more joy to your every moment! Butterflies also teach us that change can be beautiful.

This month’s card is COURAGE.

One of my favorite poets, Andrea Gibson, says in one of her poems, “Courage can never be measured by a lack of fear.”

I find that statement so poignant. It’s not that we aren’t scared when we do the brave thing. Of course we are scared, or even terrified to do the things we are called to do sometimes. This month is the time to take those leaps of faith. You don’t have to worry about whether you’ll succeed or not. Trust that God, your Angels, and your loved ones will be there to help you through it. Take it one day at a time. A lot of our goals cannot be accomplished in just one try.

The world is in a state where we are the ones that have to take charge and lead with love. We can bring beautiful change to this world, but we must have the courage to do it. 

Believe in yourself, friends. If you don’t know where to start, sit in quiet reflection and meditation and the answer will be given. 

Don’t take steps back this month. Take those brave steps forward. Above all else, go forward with nerve and imagination to make all things possible.

Love and light to you all!

[wisdomofthewillowtree]

Monthly Mindfulness: September 2017

Hi everyone! Today I decided to draw a card for this month of September to keep us mindful, present, and moving forward on our spiritual journeys! I am going to be posting here on WOTWT at the beginning of each month with a message and card for all of us! You can save this picture so you can look back to it whenever you want! 

I was led to work with the Daily Guidance from your Angels deck. Before drawing a card for guidance for this month, I sat in quiet prayer asking God to please bring forward the message that we need to know! So here we go!

ENERGY WORK: “Life can be electrifying because its very essence is energy. Your body is a remarkable energy field that will positively respond to loving treatments. Your hands and heart are activated to give healing energy to your loved ones and clients.”

I love this deck. It was the first deck that I ever bought, and it never ceases to amaze me at how beautiful the messages and artwork are! Each card has a little message or guidance from the Angels of God at the bottom, so they’re SUPER easy to use! I highly recommend them for anyone who wants to bring a little mindfulness and a focal point to each day.

This card could easily be applied to your life if you are an energy healer--maybe a Reiki practitioner, crystal healer, meditation instructor, yoga teacher, or a message therapist. Maybe this is a message to go see your favorite energy healer for a refresh and rebalance this month. This card might also apply to you if you’ve been thinking about learning a healing medium. Go forward with that plan this month! The world needs that beauty now more than ever. Don’t be shy to share your gifts and desire to bring healing to the world.

This card also speaks to people who aren’t involved in energy healing at all. Maybe you work in an office, and it’s up to you to do some “energy work” to help sort out some disagreements between employees. Maybe you need to give up something that is holding you back from your dreams and aspirations. Is there someone who you need to call and let them know you love them? Do that this month!

This month, focus in on how you feel. Listen to guidance from God and your angels to help you along the path and growth. There is nothing wrong with you taking a day each week to just rest and contemplate life! We all need that. Go out into the woods and sit and just breath the fresh air. Take a walk. Have a night out with friends discussing those things that remind you to be grateful!

Let’s all focus a lot more on gratitude this month. We get to set the tone for the world, y’all. Join me in prayer and mediation for the peace of the whole world and all its inhabitants, human and animal alike.

With love - 

[wisdomofthewillowtree]

Messages from Heaven

My entire life I have been looking for “signs.” Signs that I am not alone. Signs that God is right here right now. Signs that my departed family is still with me. 

Throughout my childhood I was always drilled with the “omni’s” that God is. God is omnipotent (all-powerful). God is omniscient (all-knowing). God is omnipresent (ever-present). My childhood upbringing puts God--or Source, if you prefer--into a box so He/She is nice and tidy and understandable (or controllable? Hm)...but that last one, God is omnipresent, is something that, in the last four years, has transformed my entire life. It has transformed my spirituality, and has set me free to do what feels right for me. 

God is everywhere. God is in everything. Omnipresent.

God being part of everything means that God can communicate with us through every single thing, animal, person, situation, etc. And it’s up to us to see and receive these messages. Often times we may not know what these encounters or situations mean at first, but if we truly tune in and ask, we will know what the message is. Our departed loved ones also use nature or circumstances to communicate with us. You don’t have to be a certified or acclaimed Medium to receive messages and acknowledgment from your loved ones on the other side. Below I will share a few of the more common ways that God, the Angels, and our loved ones communicate with us using seemingly mundane situations and objects.

Feathers: Angels are often thought of as looking like great Beings with big beautiful feathery wings. I think that is one of the reasons that our Guardian Angels, and God communicate with us through feathers. Have you ever just had a feather lying on the ground, or falling into your path? That’s a message from your Angels and God that they are with you and know any worries you have. I’ve heard the phrase, “When feathers appear, Angels are near.” It’s a nice little way to remember that when you just randomly come upon feathers, you aren’t doing things by yourself--you don’t have to face hardships alone! 

I have often times walked out in my front yard and found a beautiful feather--often it’s from a bluejay. Blue Jays are also totems for connecting us here on Earth to Heaven and the Higher Realms!

Number Sequences: Our departed loved ones and God can communicate with us through number sequences. I know people who always “happen to be” looking at the clock at a certain time. Maybe 12:34 is significant like it is to my Johnny--he always connects this to his grandmother. Or maybe it’s 5:12, and your loved one was born on May 12. Look for these things! If you have repetitive number sequences appearing in your life, this is not an accident. There’s meaning behind it! There’s also a practice and study called Numerology. This is the study of the sacredness and Divine meanings of numbers in our daily lives and in nature. You can look up numerology meanings online if that resonates with you, or find a book on the subject!

Nature and Animals: As I write this blog post, I looked up out my living room window to see a beautiful doe grazing in the grass. This is probably my favorite way that God and our loved ones communicate with us--because I love animals so very much. Each animal has an energy and a message that comes with it. When you have an animal or groupings of animals that walk into your life/line of vision/etc., that can be a message from the Divine or departed loved ones. There’s nothing more beautiful than when you’re feeling down or lost, and an animal just appears to bring comfort or answers from Heaven. There are so many texts that are written that talk about the meanings and messages of animals, but my favorite is Animal Speak by Ted Andrews. Check it out!

Sometimes it can be as simple as a “knowing” feeling you have. You just know that your loved one is communicating with you through a certain animal. The day that my mother passed away I remember looking out the window to see a bright red cardinal looking at me through the window. When I saw that, I just knew it was my mother saying “I’m always with you. I haven’t left you.” I have a friend Beth who shared with me that her departed daughter also communicates with her in cardinals. 

My friend Joe shared a story with me about how his grandfather communicated with him and his brother after his passing: 

“My Grampy was close to animals. When he moved on, my brother and I took a walk around this lake near our childhood home. We were walking and sharing stories when I noticed we were being followed. All of the geese/ducks in the water were following us as we walked, including one very large turtle. I'll never forget it. When we stopped to look, the turtle came right up to the edge and got more than half way out and looked right at us. I mean right at us. I couldn't help but laugh because I knew it was him. On the anniversary of his death this year, 4 deer were in my back yard nibbling about. I got that feeling that it was him and laughed again. I hear him in the birds all the time. He would whistle to them. I feel him in the 4 leaf clovers I find.” 

Dreams: My mother passed away recently, and the night before she passed I had a dream about her--seeing her all healed and healthy. That was her way of communicating with me that she was going to be fine and better than she had ever been. I woke up from the dream to a phone call from my grandmother saying she had passed. 

Dreams are such a common way that we are visited by God and our loved ones. When you dream about your departed loved ones: they are with you--especially when they bring messages of comfort and loving energy. Sometimes I’ve had dreams about situations and how they can be solved. I know this is a way that God is telling me how to deal with a situation, or how God is preparing for something that is coming. I’ve had many discussion about people who have had clairvoyant experiences in their dreams--often filled with symbolism that need be sorted. 

My friend Meg shared a story with me about how she dreams about her dearly transitioned mother:

“I dream about my mom all the time, which is weird because I very rarely dream about real people. Its always so normal, just us doing everyday things, but she's not sick or bedridden, she's clear and focused and we can have real conversations about nothing. It really does feel like she's right there with me.”

If you have trouble remembering your dreams, try placing a piece of Amethyst by your bed. This will help you connect with your Third Eye chakra, and it also helps to relax your body to receive messages.

These ways are not in any way a complete list, but it’s the most common ways that I’ve experienced recently. These messages are all around us, and you truly start to see the beauty in the world when you realize that we’re not alone. There are plenty of ways to experience Heaven. 

Look for the messages, and may you have comfort and peace!

[wisdomofthewillowtree]

Crystal Profile: Blue Lace Agate

Organs: Pancreas, brain, throat Chakras: Throat Archangels: Raguel

Blue Lace Agate is a soft-energy stone that assists us by bring a calming energy to any environment or situation. It’s appearance is that of dark and light blue in bands--hence the name, “lace” agate. 

This stone can facilitate serenity, and helps in great times of stress and anxiety. It can be especially useful for people that deal with anxiety as it helps to place a boundary of peaceful energy between you and the anxieties of the world. It can also help with people who feel overwhelmed easily.

Suppressed emotions are brought to the surface, and while that might sound really scary, blue lace agate can help to make them not so awful. We see things more clearly when using blue lace agate. We also can look non-judgmentally on past situations or feelings, and sort them away as what they truly are.

Using Blue Lace Agate:

Placed in a room where there may be great stress, blue lace agate helps to tranquilize the room. It helps balance the throat chakras in the room so that we communicate with grace.

When needing to speak something from the heart about a situation, this stone can help us to be courageous and yet compassionate that same time. True healing comes when we speak what we have buried deep down inside us. This stone also helps to dispel anger, and helps to communicate in such a way in which the person receiving the information is also calmed and not angered. 

Hold the stone in your hand during meditation, or just when you’re feeling flustered. Wear it as a necklace, bracelet, or just have the stone in your pocket throughout the day!

This stone is connected with Archangel Raguel whose named means “Friend of God.” Raguel helps us with our relationships. If you have a conflict in a friendship, call upon Archangel Raguel, and call upon the support of blue lace agate to help you when trying to heal a friendship or relationship.

I love Blue Lace Agate so very much. It reminds me of the ocean waves! The ocean is a place that I, personally, feel very balanced and connected to the Divine. I highly recommend this stone for anyone who deals with anxiety, depression, or shyness! It’s also just really pretty isn’t it?!

Let me know if you have uses for this stone, and if you have any requests for other specific Crystal Profiles!

[wisdomofthewillowtree]

Mindfulness Moment

There’s a lot of frantic, fearful, and low-vibrational energy very rampant in the world right now. We see it all over the news, and we hear it in passing conversation. Maybe you’re afraid right now. I have tried to avoid it, but I watched a clip of some of the recent tragedies in Charlottesville, VA this morning, and immediately had to step away and recenter. 

If you are highly sensitive like me, I would like to encourage every one of you to take 3 deep breaths. Take into yourself healing, loving energy. Release anything that makes you afraid. You are cared for and loved. If we are afraid, there is no room for Love. And if we are not centered ourselves, we cannot bring balance and order into the world.

This morning I drew two cards from the Mary Queen of Angels deck that I wanted to share with you. Before drawing these cards, I asked God/Great Spirit/Father/Mother what we all needed to know. Here’s what I received:

ENTHUSIASM: This is a card that speaks to the heart. “Whatever I am most passionate about is the direction I follow.” I love this deck so much because of the beautiful affirmations at the bottom of each card. Embrace that which you are passionate about. You have such beautiful gifts to bring to the world, and if your joys are being stifled by anything, your dreams cannot be fully realized for all of us to enjoy. I am reminded this morning of the five principles that Mikao Usui brought to Reiki. 

1. Just for today, I will not worry. 2. I will not be angry. 3. I will be filled with gratitude. 4. I will do good work. 5. I will be kind to others.

When we follow these thoughts in every moment of the day, there’s no room for fear or anxiety. Try it today and see how it affects you. Don’t worry. Don’t be angry. Rather, be FILLED with gratitude. When we are grateful and focused in on what brings us true joy, there’s no room for worry and anger. Do good, honest work that brings light to the world--this work often times is needed on your own self. Be kind to every living thing today. Tell your friends you love them. Help someone in need. Admire that sweet bird. Give love to the squirrel as it enthusiastically searches the ground for something wonderful to nibble on. And yes, you may have guessed I’d go here: HUG THAT PUPPY.

QUIET: If you don’t know what your true passion is, take time today to ask yourself that. What’s that thing you dream about doing, accomplishing, or bringing to the world? Maybe you know your passion and don’t know how to bring your ideas to fruition. Take time today in silent meditation or contemplation, and listen closely to what you are given. The more time we take to be silent and listen, the more we will make balanced and Divinely guided decisions that bring Light into the world.

I hope you have an amazing day today! Follow your dreams, and take breaths along the way. We are bombarded with energies and emotions all day. It’s up to us to be sure that any energy or thought that is not life-giving is transmuted into something that is.

[wisdomofthewillowtree]

Crystal Profile: Sodalite

Pronunciation: [ˈsoʊ də laɪt] “SOH-duh-lite” Organs: Vocal cords, larynx Chakras: Throat, Third-Eye Archangels: Gabriel, Jeremiel, Raphael, and Zadkiel

Sodalite is a beautiful blue stone with white veins throughout. It has been known to connect to both the Throat Chakra and the Third Eye Charka. This means that Sodalite can help you with receiving and perceiving messages clearly, and then communicating them without confusing language. 

The Throat Chakra is our place of communication. When this is blocked or out of balance, we may talk too much or not enough! It also helps our ability to communicate in a clear way so that others receive the information. This is why this stone is connected with Archangel Gabriel, who is the messenger angel.

The Third Eye Chakra is our place of clear seeing--with our intuition. When this chakra is balanced and working properly, we can look past all the muck and fog. Sodalite helps us do that. 

Sodalite helps to ground us in a way that keeps us true to what we believe. It helps us to see our own truth, without being confused by the truths of others.

Judy Hall offers in her book, Crystal Healing, “This stone brings repressed shadow qualities (such as jealousy or shame) to the surface without judgement. It is particularly useful for people who feel defensive all the time or who are oversensitive, and it is extremely beneficial for treating panic attacks and phobias.” 

Using Sodalite:

If you’re feeling like you can’t quite communicate how you feel, lie down for a while and place the stone on your throat. Visualize healing energy emanating from the stone. 

You can also place sodalite on your Third Eye (the space just between your eyebrows) to help you see through the muck of daily life, or if you’re feeling mentally blocked. 

Carry the stone with you throughout your day in a pocket, in necklace form, or in your purse. The energy of the stone will work with your communication skills even if you don’t have it placed on the corresponding chakras!

When going into a complicated situation where you might feel intimidated, have this stone with you!

If you have a favorite way to use sodalite, let me know! I am always looking for ways that others use these stones, and how they have helped you with your own personal crystal journey!

[wisdomofthewillowtree]

I just bought a crystal. What now?

If you’re new to crystals or have received one as a gift, you may be wondering, “What do I do with this thing now?” Hopefully I can help make it nice, simple and clear!

There is a whole process involved in preparing your crystals to vibe best with your energy and intention. As a gift from Mother Earth, the process of cleansing, charging and programming your crystals involves--you guessed it--nature! Often times these processes are drastically over-complicated and result in people just not doing them. I’m here to tell you it’s super important that you do these things for your crystals. I wanna lay it out for you with lots of options to choose from so you can find one that works best for you and your crystal journey!

After you’ve chosen a crystal...

FIRST STEP: CLEANSE YOUR CRYSTAL

Cleansing your crystal is one of the most (if not THE most) important steps in this process. No matter where or how you acquired your crystal, it has been absorbing the energy around it. I’ve been in many a crystal shop where the energy felt “off.” Even if the crystal was given to you by a loving friend, it still needs to be cleansed. Think of how you sometimes get overwhelmed and you need to just be by yourself, take a walk in nature, or take a nice cleansing bath. In this same way, crystals can get overwhelmed or full of energy that makes their abilities slightly muted. So it’s up to us to cleanse our crystals on a regular basis. 

SIDE NOTE: Darker crystals like obsidian, black tourmaline, or hematite need to be cleansed more often because they are absorbers of lower vibrational energy. I try to cleanse all my crystals at least once a month, but more often I listen to my intuition to guide me rather than a time frame.

Here are some of my favorite ways to cleanse your crystal:

Start by knowing and stating your intention. You can speak it aloud or mentally:

“You are cleansed. Your energy is cleansed for my Highest Good.” (or some variation that speaks to you. The intention for cleansing is what matters!)

SAGE: It’s an ancient practice to use the burning of herbs or woods to cleanse the energy of a space in preparation for ritual or just to give a nice reset. You can use this same practice to cleanse and “reset” your crystals. This is super simple.

Light your sage (be sure you have a fireproof bowl to catch any pieces of the sage or ash that falls). Run your crystals through the smoke that rises from the sage while speaking the mantra/intention aloud or in your head. You will be surprised how lovely this actually feels during and afterward.

PALO SANTO: “Palo Santo” means “holy wood,” and it works very similarly to sage. You use the same process as before--remembering to hold the intention of cleansing. Light the wood, then wave the crystals through the smoke. If you have a lot of crystals to cleanse, wave the wood around while fanning the smoke toward the crystals with your hand or a feather (humanely attained please!).

BROWN RICE: Have you ever dropped your phone in a pool of water, and in a panic submerged the phone into rice? The same way that rice absorbs moisture from objects, it also absorbs negative energies from your crystals.

Just take a bowl of appropriate size, place the crystal into the bowl and cover the crystal with the rice. Leave the crystal submerged in the rice for at least 12 hours (or overnight). Do not eat the rice afterward, but rather discard it. You don’t want to take lower vibrational energy into your body!

WATER: If you can get to a beautiful stream or river, do that! If you can’t, I have used my running water from my sink many times. Yeah, it’s way better to get to a stream without strange chemicals, but sometimes that’s not practical for some of us!

Allow the water to run over the crystal(s) to be cleansed for about 10 seconds. It may take longer or less time. Tune into your intuition. When do you feel the energy of the crystal shift? You will know in your gut when it’s done.

Remember to be sure your crystal isn’t water soluble if you’re using this method!

SELENITE: There are some crystals that help to cleanse and recharge other crystals. One of the most popular crystals for this is Selenite. Selenite is a beautiful white gypsum that has such a beautiful and high vibration. It is said that selenite doesn’t need to be cleansed--that it is a self-cleansing crystal. I still cleanse my selenite using one of the aforementioned methods. But just remember, selenite is water soluble, and may dissolve under running water. So use a different method for that!

Take your crystals and place them around a selenite tower or any shape of selenite. You can use clear quartz points around the piece of selenite to magnify the direction of the energy--creating a crystal grid of sorts. More on that in another blog post! 

You can also, if you have a smaller selenite stone, place your crystals in a small velvet or fabric bag with the piece of selenite. Remember your intention. Leave the crystals near the selenite for at least 12 hours.

Now that your crystal is cleansed...

SECOND STEP: CHARGING YOUR CRYSTAL

Charging your crystal is such a lovely thing--and it’s SUPER simple. In a way, it’s the way to take your crystal “home” for a bit so that it is revitalized and freshened up. There are a few ways to do this but here are my favorites:

SUNLIGHT AND MOONLIGHT: Place your cleansed crystals out in the sunlight or the moonlight for at least 3 hours. If charging by the energy of moonlight, pick either the Full Moon (releasing, and taking in change), or the New Moon (manifestation) based on the energy you want to use. 

Also, leaving some crystals out in the sunlight for too long may cause them to fade! So take care with that!

RETURN IT TO THE EARTH: You can bury your crystal in the Earth for a day to revitalize that energy. Be sure to put it in a box so they aren’t dirtied up or lost! Be sure to mark in some way where you’ve buried your treasures so they are easily found again.

THIRD STEP: PROGRAMMING YOUR CRYSTAL

This is a way to get your crystal to work for your specific intention. Programming the crystal is the way you unite your energy with the crystal’s energy. There are many ways that crystal users have used before, but I like the Positive Affirmation version that I learned from Judith Lukomski:

Hold your cleansed and charged crystal in your hands. Close your eyes, and take some deep breaths focusing on the crystal in your hands. Say aloud, or in your head, “Thank you (name your crystal) for helping me with (name the situation you need help with).” 

A specific example would be something like:

“Thank you, Amethyst, for helping me stay calm in the face of things that make me feel anxious.”

After completing these steps, your crystal is ready for use! It’s united with your energy, and you with its energy! You can wear it in a necklace, carry it in your purse or pocket, or just hold it in your hands when you need to be reassured that you are connected to The Divine!

I hope this post has been useful for your crystal journey. It’s not hard to unite with the energy of crystals! Invite crystalline energy into your life. You won’t regret it!