Tis the Season to Be Smudging - Welcoming Summer

Vision Quest Tarot ©
by Gayan S. Winter and Jo Dose'

Smudging is an ancient, time-honored art for clearing your environment of negative energy and unwelcome entities.  It crosses all cultural barriers.  Native Americans burn wreaths of sweet grass, cedar and sage, Catholic priests wave burners of incense before their processions and Celts burn wheels of maze and herbs.

At the end of this week we have a convergence of sorts.  The summer solstice arrives on June 21st and a powerful Full Moon occurs in 2 degrees of Capricorn on June 23rd.  The notorious Uranus Pluto Square also pours its high voltage, but volatile energy into the mix.  It’s hardly the time to get caught with energetic clutter in your personal space.  We have all this universal flotsam and jetsam flowing around us and if our spaces, as well as our auric fields are clear, we get to harness wonderful lunar and solar energy to move our lives forward and promote personal growth.  And that my dears, is why it is the season to smudge.

Many people prefer the traditional ways of smudging - a lighted rope of sweet grass or a bundle of sage - but there are many good alternatives to traditional smudging techniques.  There are ones that don’t make the neighbor who happens to drop by unexpectedly think that you are chain smoking pot.  Smudging sprays are space cleansers for the new millennium. No smoke laden air, or clothes, no fear of sparks igniting the pile of shoes at the bottom of your closet and no fear of DEA agents mistakingly crashing in your door because of a bogus tip.

Clearing sprays combine sacred essence of oils, usually sage and cedar, with pure water and focused intent.  Sometimes the person creating the smudge spray will add particular resins or chips of crystal to give the specific kick necessary for the desired results. When created correctly, these powerful cleansers have Pine Sol™ beat eight ways to Sunday.   

Smudging sprays are a fast and effective way of clearing your own energy field of negativity.  Intuitives and empaths (tarot readers too - believe me) easily pick up residual energy.  Think of it as psychic lint.  It hangs on, coloring your outlook on life and making you feel shabbily dressed.  A few quick sprays, some focused intent and your good to go, feeling as if your wearing black cashmere, fresh from the dry clearers.

Try a little extra spring cleaning before the Solstice.  After you’ve dusted and moped, smudge your home in what ever manner works best for you.  Bring in brightly-colored flowers, fresh fruit and herbs.  Add white sage or sweet grass candles and create a lovely Solstice centerpiece for your table. Then sit back and welcome the sun.

LADY ORACLE

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Crystal Balls - There's Magic In Threes

Triumvirate: "A group of three powerful or notable people or things existing in relation to each other. "

Note the large Pink Quartz lending tremendous
heart vibration – perfect way to read over distance!

You see them for sale in tourist shops, import boutiques, on eBay and Amazon.  Crystal balls come in a variety of sizes and can be made from just about any mineral.  Quartz, Tiger's Eye, Malachite, Selenite, Beryl and Obsidian are very popular.   On the surface they're colorful conversation starters, but more deeply, they are the tools of energy workers.  You can do healing work, meditate, channel or scry (crystal gazing) with them.

 I have two spheres made from clear Quartz and one sphere made of Austrian lead crystal.  Mine sit in the middle of my kitchen table unless I move them on the rare occasions when I practice the ancient, and somewhat forgotten custom of serving dinner.  I call the spheres, my triumvirate.  I didn't intend to create one.  It just sort of happened by following my instincts as I connected to the vibration of the crystal balls.

The light is wonderful in my dining room.  While sunlight glazes my backyard, it can't shine directly on the spheres inside.  Crystal balls are lens, after all, and perfectly capable of igniting a fire if left in direct sunlight for an extended period of time.  My spheres range in size from large, to medium, to small.  I keep them in a triangular configuration with an enormous pink Quartz in the center.  I have two pieces of Black Tourmaline flanking the Pink Quartz, helping to dispel and transmute negative energy.  I also scatter Ametrine around them just for fun. That's a lot of healing

My card reading setup – complete with Corrine Kenner and
John J Blumen's Wizard's Tarot©

love and psychic energy on that table. (See blogs: "Crystals Every person Needs I and II" for crystal properties)  I like to think of it as a perfect storm of high vibration.  Simply sitting there with a cup of tea is an uplifting experience.

It takes time to introduce one sphere to another.  Imagine the complication of introducing three at once.  They compare their pasts, take each other's measure and seek, not only common ground, but also what they can learn from each other's differences.  Does this all sound like hocus-pocus?  Probably, unless you've worked with crystals before, or have ever sat in front of three active crystal balls who are exceedingly happy that you found them.  I actually performed a crystal ball rescue in the case of two of my spherical friends.  I bought them from a hoarders estate sale.  They felt grim and unstable for a couple of days.  I set them in my garden under a light Spring rain.  The contact with the earth and greenery helped to clear them out and they began to wake up.  I washed them with Dragon's Blood and mild soap, then rinsed them and tucked them under a cloth.  Within a week they began to resonate with me.

My triumvirate passes a vibration amongst themselves and when I sit with them, reading tarot cards, meditating, or taking tea, they include me in their song.  Sometimes I play my CD of Tibetan singing bowls.  The bowls start a conversation and the spheres answer.  Before I know it, I'm connected to the Universe on a whole other level.

If you've never worked with or even considered working with crystal balls I suggest you try it.  Start with one.  The sphere will tell you how it works best with you.  Some people scry with the crystal, some meditate, some heal.   Set up systems to keep your crystal ball clear.  Smudge them, and cover them with a cloth infused with clearing oils such as White Sage or Dragon's Blood.  Above all touch and talk to them so they know you.  There are some very good books on scrying, if you wish to try your hand at the time-honored art of crystal gazing.  It takes focus, patience, an open mind and a genuine connection between you and your sphere.  Checkout your local bookstore or online vendor for these books:
   
            "Crystal Balls and Crystal Bowls- Tools for Ancient Scrying and Modern Seership"
              by Ted Andrews

            "Crystal Ball Gazing: The Complete Guide to Choosing and Reading Your Crystal Ball"
              by Uma Silbey

            "Crystal Ball Reading for Beginners: Easy Divination and Interpretation"
             by Alexandra Chauran

Explore and enjoy the worlds around you.  You have nothing to lose and a whole new perspective to gain.


LADY ORACLE


visit me at www.ladyoracle.net