Choosing a Crystal

There are thousands and thousands of varieties of crystals. Really, the earth is just one big crystal. So if you're just starting out, choosing one crystal, or even two or three, can be daunting, but it doesn't need to be! Here are a couple of tips that help me choose a new crystal or choose which one of my collection to focus on:

1. It can't be said enough: Intuition. INTUITION. If you walk into a crystal store, and you're drawn to something, don't discount that feeling. Yes crystals are pretty and sparkly and oooooh-aaaaah, but there's often a reason one in particular catches your eye. Pick it up. How does it feel in your hand? Do you immediately want to set it down? OR does your hand make a hot fist and hold on tight? Or maybe you raise your palm up to your eye level to stare at my precious. These feelings are there for a reason. Trust them. You don't have to know Why you're drawn to a crystal, it's enough that you are.

2. Got a problem? (Yo! I'll solve it.) Something on your mind? Maybe you've been thinking about Abundance or Romance, or an abundance of romance. Maybe you're feeling a bit out of control and a lack of center. Guess what, there's a crystal for that! A simple google search can tell you what area to look in, or grab an encyclopedia of crystals/gems/etc from Amazon or your local store. For example if you wanted to focus on Love, from/for a partner or yourself, a great crystal would be Rose Quartz. You can put a piece in your bedroom, carry a polished stone in your pocket, or wear Rose Quartz jewelry. Or all three!

3.Start small. Pick a crystal, maybe two, three max. Get to know them. Pet them, talk to them, feel their energy, whatever works for you. Move them around the house and notice how you feel when they're around. The more  you exist with crystals the more your natural connection to them will grow and flourish and the easier and more instinctive it will be to choose your next crystal.

That's it, three easy tips! Got a crystal you want to learn more about? Or curious what crystal fits a certain situation best? Drop a comment and let me know! I'm looking for new topics of discussion! 

Clearing Crystals

Crystals are a great way to focus your intentions, ground yourself, and clear negativity away. They're like little spiritual scrub brushes! But just like scrub brushes, they need a good cleaning once and a while. A lot of crystals work like sponges or air filters, they absorb the negativity in a space, or in a person, and return positive vibrations. Think of them as sucking in all that black negative goop, Yuck! That's why it's good to clear them periodically.

There are a couple of different ways to clear crystals, let you intuition guide you to what's best for you and your stones. You don't have to stick with one method either, I usually use water, but sometimes I just have a feeling that sunlight or moonlight would be best. Follow those gut feelings. The most important thing to remember, there's no wrong way. This is all about intention after all. 

 Intention: The most basic way to clear a crystal is to hold it in your hands and set the intention of clearing it. I often say a short phrase out loud, something like 'I clear this crystal of any negative or toxic energy and ask that it continue to bring positive vibrations and work for my highest good'. I often feel like making waving motions over it with one hand while I do that, like brushing away smoke or fumes. This is a good time to charge your crystal as well. 

 Sun / Moon Light: Since crystals are come from / are nature, what better way to clear them than with nature! Don't you feel refreshed after spending a little while soaking up the sun or moonlight? It's the same with crystals, the light is a natural cleanser for any crystal. Some people feel that the light of a full moon is more powerful than at another time, but really anytime is fine. To clear your crystals with Sun or Moonlight, simply place them outside or on a well lit windowsill and let them soak up the natural energy. A word of caution, some crystals, especially those with light pigment like Rose Quartz or Amethyst, can fade in the sun with prolonged exposure, so leaving them out overnight or for a day is no problem, but if they consistently sit on a window sill, you may see the color lighten with time.

Water: You bathe right? Of course you do. Why not give your crystals the same treatment? Cleansing with water is my favorite way to refresh my crystals, it's just so darn refreshing. You can do this in just about any manner, but remember that it's in the intention, not the actual water that the cleaning happens. I typically use a bowl that I have a special attachment to (it was my grandmother's) and fill it up about a third of the way. Depending on my mood, I either submerge the crystals or use my fingers to sprinkle water on them. Either way works. Then I let them dry and return them to their places around my home.

How do you clean your crystals? Do you have any questions about crystals? Let me know in the comments! 

Today's Mantra

I'm having one of those days where I question seemingly every decision I ever made. Like falling down a wormhole of shoulda woulda coulda. I've got this mantra that I'm clinging to like a life raft: all I can do, all I am responsible for, is being the best version of myself right here, right now. Or in short form: just be your best and f the rest.

Sometimes you just have to get through to the next day, hour, point. Things will turn around, until then, be the best you. Don't sweat other people's baggage, even the people you love. Trust yourself. Be your best where you are. Just that. Don't worry about the rest right now. Just be your best in whatever moment/situation you're in.

Love & Light

Card of the Day 10/9/16

Tonight's read I asked the Angels 'What do I need to know?'.

I got three cards, all jumpers (they each fell or stuck out while I was shuffling). Before turning each over, I asked 'Is this the card for me, yes? or no?' Each was obviously a Yes.



Caressa: You are at the end of a cycle in your life, Call upon your angels to comfort you and to guide you to your next step. Happiness awaits you now. This is definitely been my life lately! Calling upon the angels has been a daily thing as I transition out of a job and look for a new one and throughout circumstances in my personal life. The biggest thing that I took from this is an acknowledgement that I've been heard, and that the change or pivot point is coming. "Happiness awaits"

Serena: I am the angel of abundance. You will receive the money that you need and God is in charge of how that will happen. Have faith. Another common conversation betwixt the angels and I, in fact, I've been doing the 30/31 day Abundance challenge. Again a message that my messages are being heard and acted upon.

Seraphina: I am the angel of families. A happy change or addition is coming to your family. Oh boy. It will be interesting to see how this manifests!! 

What bubbles taught me about job searching and my higher self

I had a serendipitous moment yesterday; a mini-spiritual revelation. It would be kind of cool if I could tell you it came while I was deep in a meditative trance, with incense burning and some kind of chant playing in the background. Actually, I was blowing bubbles in my own backyard. Something I do with stunning regularity.

First, some backstory. In my 'career life' I work with entrepreneurs & start-ups, which is very invigorating, but has some pitfalls. One big one: stability. I work in administration/operations which, sadly, like arts in schools, is the first to get the ax when money gets tight. Which is what happened about a month ago, my then employer told me they could no longer afford me. Whop-whop. I was BUMMED. Majorly bummed to be leaving such a fun job with great, funny, and intelligent people. But it was what it was, and I try to be a pretty glass half full gal. So once I had my cry, I started looking towards the future, and I was optimistic that not only would I find a new job, but it would be better than my last. The job boards seem ripe with possibilities, and I'm pretty awesome, so it was all going to work out.

Except it hasn't. yet.

Over a month later, and as of the time I'm writing (and now typing) this, I'm still unemployed. What's worse, no one has even wanted to interview me! The job boards are drying up and the little voice in the back of my head keeps trying to get louder and louder with it's negative talk. I'm trying to be patient. And besides the actual applications, I've been talking to the universe/angels/etc and asking for something awesome to come my way, but it just hasn't yet.

But I have been getting a similar message of late, when I use my oracle cards (or check in with those that do, {I love following Doreen Virtue on instagram!}) and when I check repeating numbers in my Angel numbers book, I'm consistently seeing the same message: Be patient. You've been heard. The solution is coming. etc. But gosh being patient and waiting for who knows what is just so hard!

Then yesterday, I was blowing bubbles. It was a perfectly blustery almost fall day, lovely weather, lovely temperature. But the bubbles just weren't performing like they usually do. Maybe I was spoiled by the recently retired bubble blower, but the bubbles I was blowing 'by hand' were just ok. Then before I could raise the wand to my face and blow another stream of bubbles, the wind picked up just right and blew the bubbles for me. And I don't know how else to describe them except to say they were perfect. The most perfectly round bubbles I ever saw. They were the size of melon's and they just floated out so perfectly.

So I tried it again. I held the bubble wand up in the air like I was hailing the Knight Bus and whooosh, along came a breeze, catching the wand just right, and again, perfectly beautiful bubbles. They floated all the way across the lawn before popping.

It seems silly, yes wind can make bubbles, yes bubbles are round, bu something about these bubbles was just so perfect that they literally took my breath away and left me with this sense of awe.

And then a thought popped in my head, call it a message, call it my subconscious, it the labeling doesn't matter:
         
 I'm the bubble wand. It's my job to be high in the air (my highest self). Let the universe be the wind. 

Yes I could take a b.s. job. I could settle. I could stress. But I shouldn't. Something good is coming and it's my job to wait for it. But not passively! That was perhaps the biggest part of the message. I'm not twiddling my thumbs or freaking out. I'm working constructively. I'm taking time to better myself, to start great habits (writing, yoga, etc) that will serve my soul. I need to be ready. In the air. Paying attention to my higher self.

Later i remembered a quote I had written down, literally the day before. Again it didn't come from a dusty tome or a spiritual guide. I was listening to Rob Lowe on an old episode of the Nerdist podcast. But he said a thing and I literally played it back three times and copied it down word for word on my phone:
"If you work hard, just for yourself, even if it doesn't pan out, it opens the door for the universe to bring  you something unexpected."

THAT! Right? That is exactly where I want to be, working hard, being my best, bubble wand in the air. Same message, two different ways, two different days. That's the kind of thing that makes me literally talk out loud (LTOL?)

Ok Universe. I got it. Message Received.

The inaugural post.

The idea for Butterfly Bliss came to me rather suddenly. I'm at a point in my life where I feel I'm asking the angels/universe for help and guidance everyday, often on the same subject, over and over again. I was laid off recently and I've been asking about a new job and/or my life purpose. Basically 'OMG What Now?? What should i do???', only slightly more refined. The answer I get is always the same, 'We hear you, We're working on it, I'ts coming. 

This blog is not the 'it' if that's what you're wondering. The angels are bringing the perfect job for me. Rather this is the thing I didn't even know to ask for. The thing that (I hope) will feed my soul, myself, and my identity. This is a platform to share wisdom, but also a journey for myself to grow, and develop, always in love & light. And to reacquaint myself with the words I so love and the act of writing. I'm so ecstatically excited about the journey. 

I envision this blog in the future and i see a lovely place full of Joy, and wisdom, and sharing. I see reviews of books I'm reading and decks I'm using, classes I'm taking etc. I see other voices besides my own sharing their wisdom. I see meditations and invocations. And a beautiful community. Again, ecstatically excited. 

Three points I feel I should make

1. Terminology: As in, it doesn't matter to me. I generally refer to 'The Universe'. Others call it the quantum field, other's call it g/God. I'll talk about Angels/Ancestors/Spirit Guides/Mentors interchangeably. When it comes to labels and names, to each his/her own. These are mine. 

2. Doctor, Lawyer, Advisor: As in, I'm not one. Anything here is just my musings, nothing more or less. 

3. Love & Light in everything. In Butterflies we trust.