Archives for December 2020

Self Purification / Aura Cleansing

Self purification, or cleansing the aura/personal energy field is a different ritual than clearing your home or extended energetic field. Just as smudging your home and self-smudging each require a different mindset and approach, so does this ritual.

This is a relatively simple practice that focuses on balancing the nervous system through decompression, relaxation and gentle stimulation. Natural and safe, I have turned to this bath-time recipe at numerous moments throughout the years and found it incredibly effective at aiding me in releasing negative feelings, bringing me back to neutral and adjusting internal dialogue from self-deprecating to something much more compassionate.

Self purification, or cleansing the aura… is a different ritual than clearing your home… [it] is a simple practice that focuses on balancing the nervous system through decompression, relaxation and gentle stimulation.

A good option following arguments of all kind, break-ups and any time you experience rejection, this herbal bath can do wonders to rid your energy space from negativity and make room for forward momentum around whatever circumstances have brought you to a place of needing to purify.

Ingredients

• Rosemary Oil
• Lavender Oil
• Fresh or Dried Orange Slices
• Fresh or Dried Rose Petals (or Rose Oil)
• Fresh or Dried Thyme (Or Thyme Oil)
• (Optional) Coconut Oil and Epsom Salts (for moisturizing and detoxifying)

Instructions

Draw a hot bath and add 6-10 drops of Rosemary (for calm), 6-10 drops of Lavender (for relaxation and cleansing), sprinkle in Thyme (or 4 drops of oil, to relieve mental exhaustion), 6-10 slices of Orange (fresh or dried, for gentle stimulation), 2-3 handfuls of Rose Petals, Rosebuds or 4 drops of Rose oil (for anxiety and stress relief as well as self-love and beauty).

As you add these elements to the water, you can choose to repeat a mantra if it feels appropriate and right. I usually chose something that focuses on the letting go of the energy I am carrying and focusing on building a sense of security, something along the lines of:

May the water and these herbs melt away negativity, bring in self-love and forgiveness. I am safe, I am love. All will be well. Everything shall pass, no feeling is final.

It’s so important to find time to emotionally re-balance when we encounter negative experiences and/or energy. Something simple and focused like this is all it takes to clear out our own fields. While some find meditating in and of itself difficult or inaccessible for a number of reasons, turning a bath into an energetic cleansing is an easy way to achieve this without taking on a spiritual practice that feels so much bigger.

Let me know if you use and how it works for you!

xo

Rebecca

Reclaiming Your Space

Sprays & Cleansing Solutions

Your home is an extension of your energetic field, so being able to cleanse it easily, quickly and effectively when the balance has been disturbed or violated by negativity (an argument for example, or someone else’s low vibrations) is so important.

The most commonly known way to cleanse your energetic field is to smudge, which is the burning of herbs. Burning sage is the most widely known practice. While I do find smudging a space to be incredibly effective (and you can be very specific and targeted with different herbs, not just sage) it is time consuming. Finding the time, and the quiet to put the intention into smudging can be unrealistic for busy moms (hello, walking around your house with a swinging incense burner with a hot charcoal with little kids running around!) So I’ve found easier and equally effective ways to reclaim the calm in my space without spending tons of time on the process.

Your home is an extension of your energetic field, so being able to cleanse it easily, quickly and effectively when the balance has been disturbed… is so important.

What follows are two easy “recipes” – both can be done in spray form, or by creating a cleansing solution to be used with cloth wiping. Whichever feels easier and more available to you.

I usually spray when I need a quick fix (aka after an argument or after someone with bad energy leaves my home) and I wipe windows and doorways when I feel like there’s become a build-up of stagnant negative or resentful energy. Sometimes I just do one room, or one area of the house, depending on what’s led me to feel the need to cleanse. The kids like to get in on this process, so it can double as an afternoon activity too!

Peppermint (or Calendula) Tea/Oil

Ingredients

• Peppermint or Calendula Tea
• Peppermint or Calendula Oil
• Spray bottle (if using the spray technique)
• Soft cloth

Peppermint clears and balances the sacral and solar-plexus chakras, which lends you confidence and self-esteem; wonderfully centering after negative energy knocks you off balance. Peppermint is clearing and cleansing and can bring an alertness that refocuses the mind, giving you perspective when you get foggy after a tense emotional engagement.

Calendula is another wonderful option that offers a bit of a different energy shift than peppermint. Calendula brings softness to the spoken word, so if you said things you regret or that were harsh, unkind or sharp, Calendula can help take the edge off by generating good will, understanding and compassion. It also calms down the adrenal glands which get revved up during arguments and verbally aggressive situations.

Instructions: Spray

You can prepare the spray one of two ways, with tea, or oil.

Oil you add to room temperature distilled water, 3 drops oil to 4 ounces water to a spray bottle.

For the tea, let the water come to a boil in a teapot, add the teabag and let steep for at least 5 minutes, covered. When fully steeped remove teabag and let cool. When room temperature, pour into spray bottle.

Spray throughout the home, or wherever you need to dispel negative energy or low vibration. You may repeat a mantra if it feels right, something like:

“My home is my temple, my space is sacred, safe and secure, May all the energy here be healed, May I find peace within and peace around.”

Instructions: Cleansing Solution

For a cleansing solution, place distilled room temperature water in a bowl, and add oil, 6 drops to every 8 ounces of water, mix. Use a soft cloth to gently wipe the entryways (doorways and windows) of your home, creating a cleansed and protective seal. This practice will work to purify the energy of anyone who passes through.

Follow the same steps from the spray instructions to steep if you choose to use the tea. You can use a soft wipe on the entryways as with the oil, or simply dip your fingers in the tea and sprinkle droplets over the entryways; both are effective. Again, you can use a mantra here if it feels right.

Clove, Cinnamon & Myrrh Spray

Ingredients

• Clove Oil
• Cinnamon Oil
• Myrrh

Clove is known to cut through hysteria, deep melancholy and get to the root of an issue. It can also bring levity when you’re in a deep state of depression or low, assist with clarity and give a sense of courage to face another day. It can also be beneficial overall in breaking behavioral patterns, shifting negative emotions, and repetitive tendencies. It will also help “lift the fog” of confusion and illusion in the aftermath of intense interaction.

Cinnamon is related to the lower chakras and can encourage self-confidence, self-esteem, self-acceptance and the clearing of trapped emotions. It also correlates to our sense of safety and security, which, when out of balance, leaves us feeling vulnerable, jealous, impulsive, insecure and unable to make rational decisions.

Myrrh has a sedative effect! It’s been known to calm negative moods, promote grounded-ness and help with spiritual awakening.

Clove is known to cut through hysteria… and give you courage. Cinnamon is related to the lower chakras and can encourage self-confidence, self-esteem… and the clearing of trapped emotions. Myrrh… calm[s] negative moods and promote[s] groundedness.

These three powerhouses mixed together pack quite the punch. I’d use these when you have those B-I-G arguments, the crossroads kind of arguments where you need to get your roots down, remember what you’re made of, get to the root of what you want, what is going on, and what you’re going to do next without the added weight of someone else’s energy or the lingering vibes of what was said weighing you down.

This one is strong and SO effective.

Instructions

To 4 ounces of distilled room temperature water, add 3-5 drops Clove, 3-5 drops Cinnamon and a pinch full of Myrrh. Shake well for a bit, spray as needed around the house, specific rooms, entry ways, furniture, etc, as well as around the crown of the head, and the lower chakra points.

Again, use a mantra here if it feels right, something like:

I reclaim this space from the negativity that resides here: I dispel it with love and light. I am grounded, I am clear, I am focused, I am forgiving. This space is safe, I am safe.

I’m all about the easiest ways to incorporate ritual into your life because it’s always worth it.

Let me know if any of these work for you! I’ve got a couple more coming next week, so stay tuned!

xo

Rebecca

Herb Filled Ornaments

This year we made our own, herbal infused ornaments and it was such a fun, and meaningful activity! All you need are dried flowers, herbs and grasses, these can even be collected and foraged from your property or neighborhood, and empty ornaments like these .

Letting my children express themselves with nature through art has always been one of my favorite pastimes. It’s simple, connective and sensory.

For our ornaments we used Lemongrass, White Sage, St John’s Wort, Rosebuds, Lavender, Jasmine flowers, and Purple Gomphrena.

Lavender is calming and fragrant, White Sage keeps negative energy at bay, Lemongrass is balancing and stimulating, and St John’s Wort expel’s unwanted spirits and energy.

Once we had all of our herbs and flowers, we just mixed and filled to our heart’s content! There’s no right or wrong way to do this! You can add tissue paper, glitter, really anything that makes you happy.

Roxie and I said a little blessing over hers, calling in a more balance 2021 and a winter solstice marked by rootedness, continued health and protection, before adding it to our tree.

Let me know if you decide to add this ritual to your holiday celebrations and what you add into yours!

xo

Rebecca

Essential Oil Chapstick

With the holiday season coming up, I’m a big fan of gifting friends handmade goodies that have meaning and health benefits!

This year with my kids, we made homemade chapstick with essential oils and colored them with mica powder. Not only was it a fun afternoon, but we were able to use essential oils that carry different benefits and also tie in to this festive season.

Most of what we used had antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory benefits! See below what you’ll need to make them, and step-by-step instructions!

What You’ll Need

• Beeswax Pellets (white pellets take the mica powder color better, and I use organic, sustainable, ethically sourced beeswax, the brand I use is here)
• Essential oils of your choice – we used Cinnamon, Peppermint and Gingerbread for my daughter’s friends. Others for this season are Nutmeg, Clove and
• Coconut or Olive Oil
• Optional, Shea Butter
• Mica Powder for color (this is the brand I use)
• Chapstick mold and tubes (here is an inexpensive but good one you can order online, but you can find them at craft stores too!)
• If you don’t want to use tubes or buy the kit, you can always pour into plastic, glass or tin jars too! Just follow instructions until you get to the steps involving the molds, and just pour into whatever container you prefer and add oils after that!

Instructions

The beginning process is similar to making a candle. If you’d like to add shea butter, add in equal parts shea butter as beeswax and olive oil. Shea butter will make the chapstick much softer, so if you like a firmer chapstick, skip the shea butter and just do the olive oil and beeswax in equal parts.

1. Fill up dutch oven or larger sauce pot halfway full with water; bring to a boil

2. Add wax and oil to the smaller sauce pot / 4 lb pouring pot / 2 cup glass measuring cup (if you’re using the measuring cup you’ll have to do this multiple times as the full recipe won’t fit in its entirety). Equal parts beeswax, olive oil (and shea butter if you’re adding it.)

3. Place smaller sauce pot / 4 lb pouring pot / 2 cup glass measuring cup into the boiling water, allow contents to melt until clear.

4. When the olive oil, beeswax (and shea butter) have melted you can add the mica power here if you want all of your chapsticks to be the same color. This is the easiest (and cleanest route to go!)

5. Mix the wax gently before pouring it slowly over the chapstick mold. Use the spatula to scrape the extra away. (Follow any additional steps included with your tray, each set may vary a bit.)

6.) Drop a few drops of the essential oil you want to use into each chapstick mold. Place the top of the mold and allow to cool.

Oil Benefits

Peppermint: antiseptic, cooling

Cinnamon: natural remedy for coughs, colds, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant

Clove: antimicrobial, moisturizing

Nutmeg: anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant

This really is a great activity with the kids and once you have the chapstick mold you can do this over and over, and for not a lot of cost. Plus, it’s a great gift! Let me know if you give it a whirl, heavens know we need activities to take up time over the holiday break with the kiddos! At least I know I do!

xo

Rebecca