Let’s talk about bringing sound healing home and working with it in our personal spaces.

As so many of us have learned in the past year, being able to adapt our practice from services we receive and events we attend to being the healers, leaders, and gurus of our own experience is an important part of our inner work.

So today, I want to talk all about how we can bring sound healing into our personal practice, in ways that are easy & accessible, and how you can heal in your own home.

There are so many ways to bring sound healing into your at-home space, let’s cover a few important aspects & then talk about layering them together for added oomph:

• Binaural beats // Hertz Frequencies
• Manifestation Songs
• Mantra work
• Recording your own meditation/affirmations

Binaural beats / Hertz frequencies

“When you hear two tones, one in each ear, that are slightly different in frequency, your brain processes a beat at the difference of the frequencies. This is called a binaural beat.” – healthline.com

Binaural Beats are a great way to bring in vibrational support for an intended purpose. They are extremely calming, many people report stress relieving, anti-anxiety, and emotional support benefits.

I personally work with them all the time when creating content. I reference the solfeggio scale frequency chart, and select a binaural beat at a specific frequency that supports the work I’m creating.

For reference here are a few specific frequencies and their aligned properties from Gaia:

• 396 Hz — Releases Fear
• 417 Hz — Eases and Initiates Change
• 528 Hz — Healing and DNA Repair
• 639 Hz — Heals Relationships
• 741 Hz — Finding Creative Expression and Solutions
• 852 Hz — Spiritual Homecoming

So for example, if I am writing an article or creating content that focuses on healing relationships, cord-cutting, or welcoming in aligned relationships into my life, I might choose to play an audio track with a 639 HZ. This will align my vibration with my intention amplifying the impact of the work I am creating.

You can find a playlist on Spotify or Youtube that you can play during your personal practice while working. This is a great way to access the benefits of sound healing from home.

I encourage you to do your research and connect with the Hz and frequencies that you feel connected to, be that the ones above or the ones connected to the specific chakras, etc.

Manifestation songs

I am a big, big, big ole lover of working with music that gets you into a specific vibration. One of my favorite ways to harness this power is to select a manifestation song for a specific manifestation of mine.

Want to learn the process of manifestation? Click here to get access to my free Ebook on How to Manifest the Life of Your Dreams.

Want more support on manifesting or interested in learning more, check out the article I wrote all about it called How To Start Manifesting Your Dream Life. 

One of the areas I’ve found the most success with this practice has been manifesting abundance. I will select a specific manifestation, maybe a certain dollar amount over a specific timeframe, or a certain number of clients, etc. I will work through my manifestation steps and when I feel pretty clear on the essence or vibration of my manifestation I select a song.

My most recent abundance manifestation songs are the following:

• 7 rings by Ariana Grande, those “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it” vibes are perfect for calling in the cash money
• Money by Leikeli47, this song is absolute fire and I feel abundant AF when I listen to it
• Money by Chris-n-Teeb, these gentlemen know how to get my manifestation juices flowing without sacrificing the beats I love

Want more aligned Abundance jams? Here is a link for my Spotify playlist, “The Goddess Abundance”.

The way I work with manifestation songs is this:

• I do the preliminary manifestation work
• I select a song that FEELS like my goal
• I play this song all the time
• When I’m feeling powerful AF and use that power to manifest with intention
• When I’m feeling low vibe to bring my energy up and allow me to manifest
• When I’m doing the technical or energetic manifesting work
• Layering it over inspired actions that tell the universe I mean business when it comes to my manifestation
• Anything and everything else that feels aligned

Mantra work

I love mantra work because it moves sound healing from something outside ourselves to something inside ourselves.
Mantras offer us the healing of sound, as we make the sounds with our voices, but they also provide our minds with the space to escape or focus on something.

Often I hear the feedback that mediation is hard or “I can’t do it, because I can’t quiet my mind.”

Doing work with mantras is phenomenal for this exact reason.

When you work with mantras, they allow the mind something to focus on, like looking at a candle as a mediation practice as well.

It also takes it to the next level when you say the mantra out loud. Vibrations from the voice are extremely healing. Just like the vibration of a cat’s purr is healing, or when you speak or sing to your plants helps them grow – speaking sweetly to ourselves, making beautiful noises and vibrations through our throat chakra is widely powerful.

Here are a few of my favorite mantras:

• Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

This mantra bring peace and unity into your mind, body, and energy

• Om Mani Padme Hum

This mantra means the Jewel is in the Louts, and it has changed my life

A personal favorite of mine that I don’t hear many people working with is

• Om Shakti Om Shanti

Shakti is the divine feminine, the creation, the feminine force.

Shanti is the peace, the flow, the unity.

For me, I have a deeply personal connection with them both and love working with them together.

When I work with a mantra, I love to bring in my mala beads, saying the mantra one time for each bead, repeating it 107 times. I will frequently work with one mantra for 21 days with my mala. Allow the sound to heal you and integrate the divine wisdom of these mantras.

Recording your own meditation or affirmations

I know some of you might have cringed at this suggestion, thinking… “With my own voice? Yeah not gonna do that…”
But I encourage you to consider it.

We just talked about how mantra work takes sound healing from an outside practice to an inside practice. Recording your own meditation or affirmations allows the practice to be both. The sound within us from speaking it becomes the sound around us, and this is a major boost of energy!

When we record ourselves guiding ourselves into a visualization or feeling or vision board type exercise with our intentions, it makes it so real for us. The mind and energy don’t understand the difference between feelings and thoughts and the actual physical thing. So let’s use this sound vibration and powerful visualization practice to bring in that which we desire.

When you set out a goal or get clear on a desire or align with an intentional manifestation, record yourself describing the feelings and sensations of having, being, or doing it.

Then listen to it and feel the feelings. This is a powerful powerful practice.

Layering aspects together!

I am a very intense and vibrant person. I love to go all the way in when I’m developing my practices. I love to layer and amplify and get the absolute most energetic bang for my focus. So I encourage you to try a couple of these and pair them together.

Maybe you put some binaural beats under your own mediation or affirmation recording.

Maybe your mantra audio becomes your manifestation song.

Maybe it’s everything all in one: binaural beat background music, underneath a recording of you doing mantra work into your affirmations, and then a manifestation song at the end. Maybe you blend this with other practices like breathwork, journaling, divination practices, and more.

The healing available to us through sound healing is endless, even at home.

Here are a few of my favorite high vibrational practices:

Practice: Breathwork

What it is: Breathwork is the delicious use of our breath in a directed way to elevate our vibration and feel seriously amazing. Breathwork comes in so many shapes and sizes.

Here are two of my most suggested go – tos.

4 / 7 / 8 Breath

• Breath in for four counts
• Suspend your breath for seven counts
• And then breathe out for 8 counts

Do this every morning and every night for one week, then sprinkle it in as you feel like it.

This breath-work practice is calming, relaxing, and supports the release of anxiety and tension. I also love to partner intention with this, I set an intention and write it on a piece of paper in front of me. Then when I breathe in, I envision myself calling in that intention, bringing it into my physical body with the breath.

When I suspend my breath, I envision the intention taking root in my mind, body, and soul. When I release my breath, I let go of anything that might stand in the way of my desire.

Breath of Fire

• Stick your tongue out and open your mouth wide
• Pant like a dog breathing through your mouth
• Lean into the rise and fall of the shoulders and chest with the pants
• Try this for 30 seconds, then upgrade to one minute

Breath of Fire is an activation breath-work practice. I do this when I need to let go of something that is stressing or weighing on me. I also love to use this practice to get the creative juices flowing or when I’m feeling groggy or sluggish. It’s so stimulating and powerful.

Skip breath of fire if you are menstruating, pregnant, breastfeeding or have any trouble breathing.

You elevate your vibration when you focus on your breath, develop your connection to your breathing. This is a tool you always have access to.

When I am feeling low-vibe, stressed, anxious, or fixating on something that is out of my control I use breathwork to activate my energy and elevate my vibration. After a few rounds of breath-work practices, I feel clearer, open, and grateful.

I also love to use this high vibration practice before I set an intention for a new moon, jump on a client call, or before an event. When I take time to consciously elevate my vibration, everything I tend to afterward is in more alignment.

Practice: High Vibe Music / Sound Therapy

What it is: Using the power of sound to your benefit and adapting based on how your energy responds and reacts to specific types of music.

Consider trying whatever practice from this list speaks to you.

Create a manifestation playlist, put together songs that support you in feeling like you can do anything. Songs that make you feel abundant, powerful, embodied, aligned, juicy, special, and more. Play this playlist to get you in an aligned vibe before an important performance, session, talk, date, meeting, and more

Listening to 432 Hertz sounds or music created in alignment with 432 Hertz, check it out on Youtube and Spotify for a plethora of options. This specific hertz opens the heart and is very calming for the body and soul. I often put this on in the background as I’m working so I can access creative flow from a heart-centered space.

Listen to Binaural Beats to balance the hemispheres in the brain before, after, or during important work.

Listen to Delta or Theta brainwave sounds as you are trying to go to sleep to support you in dropping in easier and deeper.

Check out a shamanic drumming session on Insight Timer, drumming accesses the heart space and helps you drop in deeper and deeper.

Check out crystal singing bowls at different chakra attunements to support healing and focus on the specific chakras.

Consider the words you are singing and the way certain types of music make you feel, consciously start consuming and curating your music based on your goals. Sound is a universal language so use it to your benefit.

Want more sound therapy support? I offer a once a month free digital gathering that always includes sound therapy. You can attend live or get access to the replay. Make sure you are on the email list for rsvp options.

Practice: Mudra & Mantra

What is it: Mudra is the use of specific hand gestures that communicate with the mind, body, and soul. Mantra work is using the same sounds or words to help the mind, body, and soul achieve a desired state with ease and grace.

Here is a very easy and powerful mudra and mantra pair that I love to work with.

SA TA NA MA is a mantra known for increasing all aspects of cognitive function, (perception, thinking, reasoning and remembering) and reducing stress levels while improving short term memory.

SA is birth, the beginning, infinity, the totality of everything that ever was, is, or will be.

TA is life, existence, and creativity which manifests from infinity.

NA is death, change, and the transformation of consciousness.

MA is rebirth, regeneration, and resurrection which allows us to consciously experience the joy of the infinite.

1st position – start by pressing the thumb and pointer finger together, this mudra is paired with the mantra SA

2nd position – move to pressing the thumb and middle finger together, this mudra is paired with the mantra TA

3rd position – move to pressing the thumb and ring finger together, this mudra is paired with the mantra NA

4th position – move to pressing the thumb and pinky finger together, this mudra is paired with the mantra MA

This progression speaks to the ever-flowing process of life and being, represented from birth to life to death and bath to rebirth. I recite this mantra with partnered mudra 107 times, SA TA NA MA being one and continuing on for 107.

Using mudras and mantras gives the mind something to focus on and often allows you to bypass the “difficult” part of dropping in – providing the space for growth, expansion, and divine downloads.

Practice: Cacao Ceremonies

What it is: Working with the powerful plant medicine cacao in a personal or group ceremony. This is a heart-opening practice and supports me in showing up from a vibration of love.

Keith’s Cacao is 100% pure, ceremonical grade cacao that is meant to enhance focus and communication without the crash you’d get with coffee. 

This powerful plant medicine/superfood has many benefits and can help with productivity, spiritual connection and creativity.

I will often make a cup of cacao for myself before a deep mediation experience, journaling session, goal setting or manifestation practice, when I am in need of releasing something, when I am asking for a divine download, or when I just need to recharge.

My cacao recipe

• About two heaping tablespoons of Keith’s cacao
• One cup or mug’s worth of nondairy milk (I like almond and oat milk best)
• Add a smidge of sweeter (monkfruit or honey for me)
• A sprinkle of pink Himalyian sea salt
• A small bit of grass-fed organic free-range butter
• Frequent additions to my cacao
• Maca for grounding
• Cinnamon for cleansing and clearing
• Cayenne for activation
• Rose tea for additional heart and love support
• Lavender for calming and relaxing
• Mushroom support based on the intended support ((chaga, lions mane, reishi))

Keith’s cacao is my absolute favorite brand of cacao. I personally work with Keith’s cacao for my own ceremonies as well as hosting private and group cacao ceremonies. Open your heart, access your magic, and connect with yourself!  Use OURandARE20US20 for a special discount.

High vibrational practices come in many shapes and sizes, there are so many not listed here and also you are not limited to what someone identifies as a high vibrational practice, because it is so specific to each of us. To be a high vibrational practice, it has to support you in achieving an elevated vibration. So test these and many more out and find the practices that really work for you.

The purpose of these practices is to pair them with your desires, goals, dreams, and mindset shifts so you can see expedited results. When you desire something and partner it with a high vibration practice, you draw it to your with more ease and grace.

Your goals and dreams become reality when you set your intention, believe you can have it, then use a high vibration practice to elevate your feelings as you become an energetic match for your dreams, then take your inspired actions (often provided to your within your high vibration practice). Support your mindset shifts with high vibes and watch them become habits quicker and last longer.

Have questions about high vibration practices or something else spiritual wellness? Connect with me in the private Our & Are Facebook group.

Now is a major time of awakening and I believe that it’s as great a time as ever to build your fear processing practice.

I encourage my clients to develop their own practice for processing and moving through fear. I recommend to my clients to take in the overall process and then start to make edits and continue to pivot towards a practice that feels fully aligned with you and your needs.

First off, I work with mediation daily, and journaling every couple of days, depending on what’s going on. During the current state of the planet, I’ve been journaling more frequently. Having a mediation practice (any form of mediation that suits you – mantra, conscious breath, mindfulness, TM, etc.) helps me to keep my calm, continue to sleep well, release stress, lower my cortisol, and go inward.

When I go inward, I’m able to clearly hear my intuition, which always supports my ability to stay in alignment during stress or come back to my center with more ease and grace. I also love to include journaling into my personal practice but even more so into my stress practices.

Journaling allows you to move fear, stress, anxiety from your internal reality, through the body and through the energy, and out onto paper.

I recommend you add an additional layer of releasing by saging/smudging your journal after writing out things you desire to release. You can also burn the pages, but I like to drop the caveat of being intentional about fire and your space. For apartment dwellers potentially burning a small piece of paper with a symbolic word or phrase might serve you and your space better than a multi-page burning sesh.

In addition to mediation and journaling, here is the general process I follow for moving through and transmuting my fears, anxieties and stressors.

First, let’s start with feeling the feelings.

It’s extremely important for you to honor and feel your true feelings. When we allow ourselves to feel our feelings, honor them and look at them, we allow them to move through us.

In the opposition, when we bottle up our emotions or stuff them down, we keep them in the physical and energetic body, which eventually wreaks havoc on the system.

So please feel those feelings y’all. I understand that there are times when you cannot take a 30-minute break from working or parenting or cooking dinner to feel your feelings, but don’t bypass feeling them because they are inconvenient for a specific moment.

Here are a few suggestions for feeling into your feelings.

1.) When you are unable to feel into your feelings in the moment, consider writing it down in a journal or phone note to revisit and feel into them when you do have time.

2.) Consider using the time you’re in the shower, washing dishes or folding laundry as a time to feel your feelings. These are activities you will do and are necessary. They also provide you with some space to feel.

3.) Acknowledge to yourself what is going on. Say to yourself something like, “I am starting to feel deep fear about XYZ creeping up but I am in the middle of a Zoom call. I know that now is not the time or place to feel and express this, so I will revisit this after this call or later tonight or tomorrow morning in my practice.” The act of connecting to yourself and crafting a plan will really support you in addressing the feeling later when you have time.

When those feelings (the lower vibe ones) start to dissipate, when you start to think or feel something better, allow it! Allow yourself to move through those lower vibes. As humans we love to hang on, examine, and relive those lower vibe feelings (think Gollem with his precious, curled in the corner holding onto fear).

Fear, anger, stress, and anxiety will start to move through us but we frequently reach to hold on, when your feelings start to shift, allow that shift, welcome that shift, feel into that shift.

Having the conversation with yourself and focusing on the awareness of those feelings leaving is extremely supportive, especially if you wrestle with anxiety. Anxiety is one of those feelings that can trick us into thinking and feeling that there is no end, there will never be an end, and you will have to live this way forever. When you build the habit of releasing the feelings, you teach your brain, body, and spirit that these feelings always have a finish point.

Third, after you move those feelings out, ask yourself:

What would feel better? What would feel more aligned? What would feel good?

Then spend some time feeling that, thinking about that, writing that down, meditating on that, etc. Allow those vibrations and that frequency to take over your body and energy.

For instance, if you are feeling anxiety about potentially losing your job, once you feel those feelings, move through those feelings, then ask yourself, what would feel better?

Here are some potential better feeling thoughts as an example:

1.) Everything is happening for me and not to me.

If I am meant to have this specific position with this specific company I know it will continue to be there for me through this experience. If I am meant to find my next aligned move then I know that will be even better for me.

2.) What will happen will happen.

I am using this time and space to work on myself, develop my personal practice, go inward, and cultivate my role as the conscious creator. In taking my power back I know I am ready for whatever situation is in front of me around my position.

I choose to reprogram my conscious and subconscious mind with my new feeling, with my new belief, with what I desire to be true.

I will frequently use the practice of the Emotional Freedom Technique – Tapping to do this work. If you are interested in learning more about that check out my previous article on EFT for limiting beliefs.

In addition to EFT, repetition, conscious practice, mediation, journaling, voice memos, and affirmations, are all great practices to integrate this new belief.

My intention with this process is to feel the truth of my feelings, move through them, and then take an active role in choosing what I desire to think and feel.

What we think and feel creates our reality, so you want to be an active chooser in that, don’t you?

Finally, I want to support myself in carving new neural-pathways by spending more time thinking and feeling the desired feeling than the heavy or lower vibration feeling.

This takes focus, practice, and repetition but it’s completely doable.

For more support check out the video I created on my Fear Processing practice.

Let’s talk about the Five Laws of the Universe and how to work with them instead of butting up against them.

Just like learning the law of gravity when you were younger, once you understand and learn to work with it, life moves along a bit smoother.

1. The Law of Oneness

This law states that we are all connected to one source.

We are all a part of one universal flow of energy, so everything that we each do affects the entire consciousness. We are each contributing to the collective consciousness at all moments.

What does this mean for us?

This means that what we do ripples out, that our actions have an effect on not only on others but on the entire system as a whole. This is powerful when thinking about our individual efforts and collective efforts. Want to make change in the world? You are at every moment!

So when you realign to your truth, release that which no longer serves you, go for your dreams, support others, every single effort supports the elevation of the collective vibration.

Consider this, if you are contributing to the collective vibration then it does you a service and the entire planet a service for you to be in alignment, fulfilled, happy, and vibrating at a high frequency.

I look to this law when I know I have to prioritize myself. When I feel the limiting belief that self-care is selfish, I remind myself that I am part of one source. We are all connected!

When I integrate this belief into my mind, body, and energy I realize that taking care of myself helps the collective. What I do for my own mind, body, and soul ripples out into the world. This has become one of the quickest and easiest ways to shift my limiting belief. I realign to what feels good in my own being and follow that path with confidence.

2. The Law of Gender

This law states that there are complementary energies in all things. Often characterized as feminine and masculine, this law helps us to really understand that complementary forces are not just opposites but two parts to a whole.

How to work with this law:

What can be described as opposing forces, the masculine and the feminine, the yin and yang, the light and dark, are actually complementary energies. We are all made of these energies, finding the balance for yourself supports your own internal harmony.

We have both light and darkness within us. We have both masculine and feminine within us. We need each aspect to fully realize the other.

Working with balance and harmony in your own mind/body/soul will allow you to see how these complementary forces are both a necessary part of your existence and growth.

Let’s take masculine and feminine to start. When you start to work with the idea that you have both aspects within you, you can then ask yourself what balance supports you best. I personally enjoy being able to switch between each aspect consciously. This allows me to step into each facet when it serves me.

For instance, when I’m pitching my work in a more corporate setting, I will step into my masculine attributes. This supports my ability to project my energy and words, stand up for myself, let judgment or criticism bounce off my armor, and get shit done.

I step intentionally into my feminine attributes when I am holding space for a client. The feminine and nurturing nature allows me to protect my client’s growth while holding a firm boundary. I also step into my feminine when I allow myself to work in flow. This opening of myself to the overflowing and abundant nature of the universe allows me to receive. When I welcome a magnetic relationship with my desires I do not have to push or force, I just allow.

Each aspect is important to my growth and success but having the ability and awareness to step into each has been a game-changer.

In addition, the awareness of my light or “positive” attributes and my understanding of my shadow self has created the space for so much growth in my personal practice and in my work. We cannot exist only in the light, we each have a shadow.

It has been in the working with, experiencing, and excavating in my shadows that so many of my biggest breakthroughs have arisen.

Being honest with yourself about your shadow aspects (those things we each have that require more love, care, time, and attention) starts the internal conversation. When we look at ourselves as whole beings, fallible beings, we are then able to be honest about the areas of growth we have.

Once you identify an area of growth you can start to work on the actual growth.

3. The Law of Energy

The Law of Energy expresses that everything is made up of vibrating energy. Oh wee, do I LOVE this one. This one has shifted my life, reality, business, relationships and more.

What does this mean for us?

Every single thing is vibrating energy, which means that the secrets of the universe rest in even our thoughts. Because when we think, we vibrate. When we think something, that thought emits a vibration. Where focus goes energy flows.

You have the power to create change because everything is energy.

So start working with your thoughts, beliefs, actions, and you become the conscious creator.

We are each manifesting, or calling from the ethereal realm into the physical realm, at all moments. Some of us consciously, and many of us unconsciously.

We have so many thoughts that, even if you are aware of your ability to manifest, there will be tons of thoughts you aren’t observing or aren’t aware of.

You have the power to create with your thoughts, so be intentional with them. When you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, replace it with 3 or 5 or 10 positive thoughts.

For instance, a thought might come up like, “I could never make that much money”, or “they would never hire me for that position.” If you catch this thought, release it, and reach for thoughts like this instead:

• I am so creative and talented, there are so many ways for me to make money
• There are tons of people my age, my gender, with my background, with my certifications/degrees making this amount and even more, it’s totally possible for me
• Money is just a vibration, like anything else, I am opening myself to money
• Money comes to me with ease and grace
• Money loves me and I love money

Also…

• This company would be so grateful to hire me, I have so much to offer
• I am worthy of my desires because I desire them
• I know that the universe has my back
• This or something even better will be mine
• I deserve to be happy, fulfilled, compensated, and excited about my life

Your thoughts create your reality, so start to look at the thoughts you have and reprogram them when they do not serve you.

4. The Law of Action

For our fourth law, let’s stick with laws that support our ability to manifest. The Law of Action states that we must take action to manifest our desires.

What does this mean for us?

When you set an intention, you express a desire to manifest something from the ether into the physical realm, (not only do you need to believe it possible, and become a vibration match for it) but you need to take action toward it.

This is a very important part of manifesting our desires. The universe wants to support us but it cannot override free will, so taking action steps toward our desires allows the universe to step in and support our desires, manifesting them into our physical realities.

Now a caveat, I love to mention when discussing action, imperfect action is perfect because it is action.

This law doesn’t say that if you do not take the exact perfectly correct action then the universe will turn it’s back on you. It says you must take action to manifest a desire. That means holding your intention and taking your inspired action is perfect, regardless of whether the result is one to one. So, while the specific action you take might not directly result in your manifestation, it opens the doors for your manifestation to become yours.

If you are desiring a new job, take the action step of applying for new jobs. Even if your perfect job comes from a friend’s recommendation and not one of the jobs you applied for, the action of applying creates an energetic space for the universe to support you.

So start making moves y’all!

The Law of Compensation

What you believe and feel is returned to you.

I love talking about this one because I feel it clarifies a common misconception. We have all heard the idea of what you put out into the world comes back to you and the law of compensation is addressing just that. However, this law also wants you to be aware of the fact that it is not just about what you want, say, or do but how you feel and what you believe.

If you say “I am abundant,” but do not believe it, and make decisions from a scarcity mindset, what comes back to you is scarcity.

If you spend money like you are abundant, but you believe that it can’t last, it can’t work, it will come back to bite you in the ass later.

What you believe and feel is what will be – not just what you say or do.

What does this mean for us?

Getting into alignment is of MAJOR value for each of us. Make sure that what you think is what you say, and matches what you do, and that you believe it and feel it.

Take the time to work out roadblocks and limitations when it comes to your goals/desires/dreams because if something is keeping you from alignment it’s keeping you from achieving your desires in the WAY you desire them.

Think, say, do, believe.

Let’s go back to that abundant example.

If you want to experience abundance and be abundant, consider journaling our thoughts that aren’t abundant so you can realign them.

Think thoughts of abundance like I”’m so grateful to live so abundantly,” then think or 3–5 ways you are abundant (able to pay your rent, bills, enjoy xyz, splurge on this, and able to do that).

Speak words of abundance.

When you are checking out at the grocery store say to yourself or out loud, “I’m so abundant, look at the way I’m able to purchase healthy food to nourish my mind, body, and soul.”

Then take abundant actions, from the smallest to the largest, actions are all important.

You don’t have to buy a yacht to act abundant, wearing something that makes you feel abundant, the action of putting it on is an abundant action. Running your card for an intentional gift to yourself (even super small like a new pen to journal with) is an abundant action.

Then focus on being and feeling abundant as often as possible. That is the powerful combination of thinking, saying, and doing, which creates the being. A creative visualization is also a powerful tool in creating a feeling. Paint the mental picture of your abundant self and feel into that.

Use experiences you have actually had as a springboard. Call to mind a time when you felt really abundant, received a raise, a promotion, getting that job, paying off your student loan, monetizing an idea, having that perfect spa day (this is a personal one for me), etc.

Let the Laws of the Universe work for you by grasping their meaning and implementing them into your life. The universe has your back, but it cannot override your free will so create intentional space for support and watch your reality shift!

Curious about more Laws of the Universe!? Leave a comment and let us know!

Let’s dive into some ways you can support yourself when a partner, family member, work relationship, or friends start to bring negativity into your space.

Boundaries are an important part of taking care of yourself when others offer negative energy, thoughts, words, and actions into your sphere. Sometimes the boundary can look like walking away, not spending time with this person, or not allowing them into your physical space when they are in a negative state. We both know however that isn’t always possible (hint hint – that difficult co-worker or that aunt who is always trying to drag you down at family parties).

So here are some options when it’s time to draw a boundary.

Decide on your boundaries

Identify what you are and are not available for, first to yourself and then for the other person.

That might mean instead of a collaborative project with a co-worker consider saying let’s divide this up, I’ll work on this part and then hand it off to you for the second part.

With your partner that might mean when we deal with this specific topic it gets both of us heated, what if we were to write down our thoughts and needs and then come together so we can communicate more clearly and with compassion.

With a parent that might be looking past what they are “saying” and reminding yourself that they are offering these words with love behind it, then connecting with them. You can say something like, “I appreciate your [advice/thoughts/concerns] and I know it’s coming from a place of love however when you [say/do/act] that way it doesn’t support me in the way I desire to be supported, would you be open to trying it this way.” Then offer them a better way to communicate with you.

Create a firm boundary

If the person you are trying to work with instead of against, isn’t open to growth then you might need to move to a firmer boundary.

For instance, “Mom, I won’t be discussing this topic with you because I am focused on staying in a positive space and your comments aren’t supporting me in the way I need to be supported right now. When I finish my project/topic I will report back with what I decided. Thank you for respecting my boundaries.”

Taking your boundaries into your own hands is extremely important because only you get to decide how people treat and speak to you!

You get to draw the line and you get to hold others accountable by choosing your follow up actions and responses. We cannot change another person but we can change how, when, and what we allow into our lives.

Take a moment

Another great tip for supporting yourself when others are in a negative space is to take a moment before you respond.

When you give yourself a moment to take a deep breath and stop before you respond, you don’t lead with an emotional reaction. You stay in alignment when responding. Instead of following the knee jerk reaction your breath, and pause, allows your mindfulness to kick in, instead of charging forward on autopilot.

This moment of pause is an absolute game-changer! We have all had those experiences where something comes out of our mouths and two seconds later we wish we could have said it differently, or skipped saying it at all. You are in control of what you say, how you act, and what you believe so allow yourself that extra moment. That way you can say what you mean, act how you desire, and follow through on your true beliefs.

Don’t participate

Another thing to consider when surrounded by negativity is that you do not have to join them. You can offer something else. Take the leadership role when it comes to conversations, topics, and the energy of the space.

You can refocus on solutions > problems, elevating topics > gossip, and you can steer the conversation to ideas > people. Stepping into the guiding force behind the energy of a space allows you to shift from negativity to positivity.

You can only change yourself. You cannot change someone else, but you can change the topic! You can offer something else to think about or chat about.

My favorite example of this is the almost constant gossip that goes on in a workspace. When your co-workers start to talk about other people you work with, try offering new topics. The juxtaposition of the energy of your topics vs the topic of gossip might not feel as “juicy” but it will definitely feel more positive. Be a trendsetter!

As I’m sure most of you have heard at this point, self-care is an important part of staying in alignment and keeping yourself positive. This is even more important when you are dealing with negativity around you.

You have to take care of yourself. Make sure you are including practices frequently that help you feel good and stay in alignment. That could be breathwork, meditation, reading a book, taking a bath, enjoying a healthy meal, connecting with a trusted friend, watering your plants, or lighting a favorite candle.

Self-care doesn’t have to be expensive. It can be as easy as journaling out what doesn’t serve you from a long day and then releasing it as you cross it out.

Separate your feelings from others

We often take on the feelings of others. Some of us more than others. 

Being an empath means that you can feel what others are feeling, you take on the physical and energetic emotions of others.

Are you an empath? 

If so, separating your feelings from others might take a bit more focus because you can really feel the feelings of others.

When someone is grieving, angry, hurt, upset, etc you not only understand what they are going through but you truly feel it. Now this can serve you or it can hinder you, it’s all about how you work with it.

I encourage you to consider when this happens to you, how it makes you feel.

• Do you have examples of times this has happened to you?
• Has it worked in your favor ever?
• What do you currently do when you feel this way / can you identify when it is happening

Questions to ask yourself when experiencing or considering that you might be an empath.

• Is this mine?
• Does this belong to me?
• What is the source of this feeling?
• Is this serving me?

What can you do to stop it, support it, and work with it consciously? When you make the realization that you are feeling someone else’s emotions, take a moment, stop, breathe, potentially place your hands on your heart or on the body and connect with yourself, sink back into your body and check in with your mind and your emotions. Think about your day so far, how are you feeling, call those feelings back up, welcome them back in. Then start to separate or pull out the other emotions.

I love to work with a visual representation of this. I ask myself and my clients, “How can you see/feel/process this?”

Here are some of my go-to visuals:

Mosaic

My emotions are one color piece and other’s emotions are other color pieces and I use visualization to separate their pieces from my own. 

Crystals

My emotions are one color/type crystal and other’s emotions are other color/type crystals and I use visualization to separate their pieces from my own.

Spreadsheet

My emotions are positive numbers on a spreadsheet and others are negative numbers. I use visualization to go through and delete the cells that are not mine.

Aura

I envision my aura and see blocks, dark spots, or fuzziness as other’s emotions, then I sweep what is not mine out of my aura.

Rain on the windshield

I can visualize others’ emotions as rain on the windshield of my life and I will flick on the wipers to clear my view.

Take some time to think about what imagery speaks to you. Then the next time you are taking on another’s emotions take that imagery and separate what is yours from what is theirs.

Practice this with gratitude and confident boundaries.

Negativity is a part of life; there will be those around us who radiate negative vibes and those negative vibes can bring us down or we can use these situations to become stronger in our alignment.

We can use these practices to support our own energy and make sure that we CHOOSE how we would like to think, feel, be, and act!

Hopefully the practical tools and structure of that process have been supporting you. To recap the first piece in the series, I walked you through…

• How to identify blocks you’ve been carrying about money
• Reprogramming those beliefs
• Ways to step into abundance
• Your language around money

The last topic we touched on was all about language pertaining to money, and I want to circle back to this one before we go anywhere else because it is so important.

Have you consciously focused on pulling the word broke from your vocabulary?

Have you started to ask yourself questions like…

• How can I afford that?
• Is this a priority to me
• Is this how I choose to circulate my money?

What about investment over debt?

After some active listening to your current language, I really encourage you to shift what you think, what you say, and how you feel about money and of course the language you’re using around it.

We create through our words; we create through our thoughts. What are you creating when you see debt as this looming weight? What would you be creating if you re-aligned and started to see it as an investment in yourself, a commitment to yourself.

What if every time you put $100 or $500 or $10,000 toward debt, you told yourself about how amazing that experience is?

What if you allowed yourself to feel into that joy? What if you felt like your hard work was actively paying off, and that you chose to pay something off over time that really supports you, your growth, and your goals?

What would that feel like for you?

Have those conversations with yourself, and make sure that you focus on the words that you are using.

Consider shifting the word “budget” to “financial plan” or “abundance overview”.

Check in with yourself about how you feel when you say and do certain things, allow the experience to be one that is positive, opening, and uplifting and your relationship with money and your mindset will change.

Through this change, you will see a shift in your experience, because we are all constantly creating our reality from our thoughts, words, and feelings.

Now, let’s take another step together.

Receiving

Let’s discuss receiving, and all the goodness that comes with opening the second chakra (fertility, creativity, femininity, receiving).

As women we have such a deep connection to the second chakra, and I have found in my years of working with client energetics that when we as women specifically close down our channels of receiving in one way, we start to block the flow in so many ways. Our ability to magnetize that which we desire to us, to call it in, to open up and receive it is huge!

We all have access to the masculine aspect as well: the push, the hustle, the make-it-happen mentality. However when we sit back, when we release our holds, I have found that we can be far more successful. Typically with way less effort.

It is the natural state of the divine feminine to be the chalice, to receive, to overflow, and then transmute those things that we receive into something so much more.

When I first started to process that and started to shift my mindset around money in this way, through connecting money with my second chakra and not just my first (foundation, home, stability, food, water, etc), I became way more successful with calling money in. I started allowing money to stay, seeing money as a resource for me to do great things with, and so much more.

A lot of us have grown up with money being a necessary evil of sorts. We enjoy it, feel bad about it, it’s heavy, and we wish we could avoid it, but we understand that we need it for survival.

This is a belief that is plugged into your root chakra, the area of your base needs. I have started to plug money into other chakras, the second (sacral) and the fourth (heart), and even the sixth (third eye). This work has really allowed me to open myself to a new way of understanding and relating to money, abundance, wealth, prosperity. To truly accept money as a resource that supports our lives.

When I take money and plug this into my second chakra, I start to work with money as an open channel, something that flows to me, something that I can connect to my creativity, my ability to call in new things. It resonates as one of the many things that I am open to receiving, instead of being limited by my own ideas of how money can flow into my life. For instance, we often think work, our jobs, our careers are the only channels where we can receive money, and that is just not true. There are so many ways abundance can flow into our lives. But our preoccupation with how it’ll happen tends to block us from being truly open.

Practice:

Try this process for working money/abundance into your second chakra.

Sit with your eyes closed for three minutes, becoming consciously aware of your breath.

Continue your focus on your breath for another three minutes. Now start to interact with your breath, drawing the breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Keep the same count for in and out breaths. If you breathe in for four counts, also breathe out for four counts.

Now draw that breath and the energy that follows that focus into your second chakra, place your hands on your second chakra (located in the lower abdomen area, just below the belly button), feel the oxygen drawing into your second chakra and feel it being pushed out of your second chakra.

Now envision with feeling and vivid imagery, all the things that you are open to receiving on your in breaths.

This could be relationships, creative inspiration, money, gifts. This could be love, peace, calm, feminine alignment, anything you desire.

Picture these things flowing into you, feel these things flowing into you.

Now, regardless if you already interacted with money flowing in, start to focus on abundance, what that means to you, the version of you who lives an abundant life, what that looks and feels like. How you spend your money when you are abundant, what types of companies you support, how abundance opens new doors for you, your family, your community. Feel and see this flowing into the second chakra, allow it to start with the breath but allow it to expand. See different channels, paths, roadways flowing into your aura, into all your chakras, pouring over you, completely enveloping you. FEEL into the magic, the prosperity, the abundance, and let that feeling expand, grow, and take you away.

This practice really focuses on the feeling and it allows you to feel the opening/creation of new channels. When we start to allow ourselves to feel a connection to abundance that is no longer rooted in need, but in beautiful partnership, we start to shift our relationship with money and abundance.

Unblocking questions:

Let’s work with abundance, but in a way that has little to do with actual money, and more focused on receiving in general. When you block yourself from receiving, in any way, you start to block yourself from receiving in more than one way. In what area(s) of your life can you start to receive more openly, more willingly, and with more ease and grace.

Here are a few ideas to consider:

• When someone offers to hold the door for you, do you allow them?
• When someone offers to put your bag in the overhead bin, do you say you can do it yourself?
• When someone allows you to step in front of them in line, do you say thank you and accept?
• When you are offered an upgrade, sample, discount, etc do you graciously accept and feel into that feeling?
• When a co-worker offers support on a project or task, do you welcome in their help?
• When a friend offers to put your drink on their tab, do you say thank you and welcome that treat?

We often block our own channels of receiving, because receiving can be difficult for us. But as we start to focus on allowing, being open and being grateful, we call more of these beautiful occurrences in. When the channels for other means of receiving are open and highly traveled pathways, the channels for abundance follow suit!

Check-in:

Do you feel worthy of receiving?

This is definitely a place to start with your inner work, if as you are reading the many suggestions around receiving, you are feeling tension, stress, or anxiety.

Continue to focus on finding any of your beliefs around money that don’t support you and reprogram them. Focus on the language you use and how you think about money. Last but certainly not least, really start to expand your abundance practices, start to open your mind and new channels for receiving.

Self-care is so much more than sheet masks and detox juices. Self-care is setting healthy boundaries with a family member who regresses you to feeling like a child unable to stand up for themselves. Self-care is saying no to a co-worker who always asks for help because they are “swamped” when you know they aren’t pulling their weight and ask at the last minute because you always say yes. Self-care is saying no to going out with the girls on Thursday night because you have other financial priorities (notice I didn’t say can’t afford it, how you speak to yourself matters) and you have a presentation Friday morning that you want to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for. Self-care is so many things.

Why is it important to practice self-care?

Self-care is important because it is how you prioritize taking care of yourself in a world that is often trying to give you doubts, weaken your confidence, and put ideas in your head about who you should be and what you should or should not do.

Self-care is taking care of yourself, making sure that your cup is overflowing so that you are able to have what you desire, show up how you desire, offer to others what you desire, and be the highest and greatest version of self.

How does it affect all areas of your life?

Self-care affects every other area of your life. Just like the flight attendants say, put on your own mask before helping others. You have to take care of yourself. You have to talk to yourself, make yourself aware of your thoughts, work through those thoughts, to achieve the life you desire. Without setting aside time to figure out what your own self-care is and then following through with action around it, you aren’t able to show up to your life as the best version of yourself. When you offer your best version, the universe responds to you and you continue to manifest better and better things.

What are your recommended ways to practice self-care during the holiday season?

My first suggestions for self-care is always personal practice. What is it that you do on a (pretty) regular basis that is about you, that creates the space for you to have that conversation with yourself.

Here are a few of my favorites to practice during the holidays.

Meditation

This is a foundational piece for so many of us when we talk about having the conversation with ourselves. Now there are so many different options for what type of meditation to practice but trying out and finding a mediation practice that works for you is huge. Start with 3–5 minutes; it doesn’t have to be a huge amount of time. Set aside this time in the morning, on your lunch, at night, or whenever works for you. Try out a few different kinds, guided, mindfulness, mantra meditation, breath work or embodiment meditations.

Feel free to change it up to allow yourself to find what feels good. Starting to converse with yourself during meditation is a powerful self-care practice. I adore the app, Insight Timer, if you haven’t checked it out, it’s an awesome, free meditation app.

Set Boundaries

Boundaries are important, specially with so many family activities going on. Boundaries are a huge part of the holiday season for myself and so many of my clients. Is there a certain snide comment that your mother always makes about your pie, or an aunt that always asks you when you are going to get a “real” job, or maybe a cousin who wants to compare and compete. Take some time to really think through the boundaries you desire to have this holiday season, meditate or journal on them.

Then ask yourself these questions:

• How do I show up with these boundaries?
• What would I do or say if I have this clear boundary?
• Envision your boundaries as a physical boundary. Can you picture a moat around you or a firm stone wall?
• What do I do when I start to feel these boundaries being encroached upon?

Doing this before the get together will really support you in being prepared to keep your boundaries and will change your entire holiday experience!

Re-align to feeling good

I know this one sounds kinda cheesy, but this changed my life. If you make one shift in your life, let it be this. Focus on feeling good. If the things you are doing, the people you share your time with, the job you have, the food you eat, the music you listen to, (you get the picture but etc), don’t make you feel good, then pivot.

When you start to focus on what feels good, allowing more of that into your life and cutting out what doesn’t feel good; you start to create vibrational alignment to what feels good, calling in more and more of that good.

Have you ever noticed how when one thing goes wrong and you feel into that wrong thing, then more things go wrong? Well the same thing happens with feeling good. So re-focus constantly on what feels good.

Have a list of support items ready to go for when you need it. Here are a few things on my list:

• Take a hot bath
• Do one minute of breath of fire
• Listen to a favorite song
• Press on my favorite acupressure spots
• Watch the Kristen Bell sloth video

Whenever I get stuck and need to refocus on feeling good, I check out my list and take action.

Journaling

I know this might sound like a teenage girl with a diary, but journaling is a powerful practice. The act of writing out what you think, feel, desire, or need to release is extremely supportive in accomplishing those goals.

Some of us work best with prompts and others work best with stream of consciousness writing. Several of my clients carve out time for journaling as a stand alone practice, and others journal after meditation or a grounding practice of some sort, to help them identify messages, direction, and downloads. If you aren’t sure where to start, try these options.

• Write out what you want your day to be like.
• Write about something that you need to release (a bad habit, an ex, anxiety, a fear, etc) then crumple it up and throw it out, or cross it out, or burn it.
• Create some positive affirmations for yourself (things you desire to believe and feel as true in your life).

Self-care rituals/practices to prepare for the new year

Express gratitude for this year

A great way to prepare for the new year is to feel into and take some time to express gratitude for the past year. This opens the channels for even more things to be grateful for in 2020 and it is a great practice to look back and remind ourselves of all the amazing things from the past year.

Create a desires list

Start putting together what you desire for this next year. Have fun! You can always scratch something out or clarify later. You can always add more and take off things you change your mind on. Focus on the enjoyment around this practice and don’t make it stressful. Consider writing with your favorite pen or adding color, maybe even turn it into a vision board practice. Let your mind wander and dream!

Learn and grow

I always like to look back and make a mental note (or journal) what I learned and how I grew from each year. This allows me to see my progress and often with hardships looking at the takeaways instead of the hardship itself will set you up for feeling really good about how you’ve moved through things.

Clear your living space

Here is one of my favorite physical activities to prepare for the next year. I space clear my entire living space from top to bottom. I cleanse out anything stagnant and anything that no longer serves me. I like to use California White Sage for this major year end cleanse but blue sage, black sage, palo santo, sweet grass, and many other space clearers work well too!

Self gift

I like to give myself a gift. It doesn’t have to be expensive or even something I spend money on, but taking the time to think about what I want to give myself really sets up my next year. I’ve given myself a journal, a spa day, I’ve asked my mother for a sweater of hers to give to myself, a book, an outdoor hike, and many other things.

What are your tips for making time to practice self-care during this busy season?

Tell yourself a new story: “I always have time for my self-care.” So many of us tell ourselves the story that we don’t have time for this or that, and self-care is frequently on that list. When you start to hear that story play in your mind, stop, and tell yourself a new story:

• I always have time for self-care.
• Self-care is a part of my daily/weekly/monthly life
• Self-care is vital and I always have time for it.

Start small. Self-care doesn’t have to be three hours of XYZ everyday. It can be 30 seconds of gratitude in bed before you get up for the day. Self-care can be a minimal time commitment with huge benefits. Try different things out and find what works for you and your schedule. Don’t put pressure on yourself to make your self-care practice look like anyone else’s. Be honest and find what works for you.

After working one on one with clients for a while now, diving into their energy around money, studying money, and the mindsets we have around money, one thing has made itself abundantly (haha pun intended) clear to me: We have been programmed when it comes to money.

By our family, by our teachers, by school, by television, and by the world around us. The exact programming our parents often thought would help us actually hinders us.

For instance, parents who never talked about money, hid it from their kids, were super secretive about money might have unconsciously programmed their children with the idea that money is a taboo topic. Then we might see this show up as an inability to have discussions about a raise, a fear of countering when interested in a job, a lack of conversation with a potential partner around money, etc etc etc.

What about parents who always told you, “You have to work hard for your money!” Now you find these individuals breaking their backs working 60 or 70 hours a week to receive the amount of money that they could receive work 40 hours or less a week.

Our programming creates our thoughts, which create our beliefs and all of these together create our reality.

So how do you shift your reality? You shift your programming, your thoughts and your beliefs.

Let’s dive in!

First and foremost, to change our beliefs, we have to accept that we have them. What are some things you believe around money that you would like to shift? What are the broken records that play in your mind?

Journal it out, write it down, become aware of it. What are the effed up things I believe around money?

Just to name a few and get those juices flowing:

• Money is the root of all evil.
• Money doesn’t grow on trees.
• You have to work hard for your money.
• Women aren’t good with money.
• There is never enough.
• Money always runs out.
• When I gain more, someone else loses out.
• There isn’t enough to go around.

Journaling prompts:

• What money thoughts do I have on a regular basis that do not serve me?
• What do I believe about money?
• Do I deserve money?
• Is having money a good or bad thing?
• What do I think about people who have money or don’t have money?

Journaling about the below questions and topics will really allow you to open up to what it is that you believe about money. Often, a lot of stuff you weren’t aware of consciously will come out. I also encourage you to journal about experiences or memories around money. For instance, that time in school where everyone had this specific brand and you couldn’t afford it. Or maybe you were made fun of for flaunting your money. Deep dive into money and see what comes out.

Are you ready to let go of thoughts & beliefs that have been blocking your growth, abundance, and prosperity?

If the answer isn’t a strong yes, keep working on uncovering what’s standing in the way. I also recommend going through this process more than once, I circle back often to continue to up-level around my abundance awareness level.

When you are ready, let’s progress into shifting our blocks.

I like to start with debt, when I’m doing money mindset work because there is usually a lot of shame, guilt, weight, and heaviness associated with it.

One of my favorite sayings is, “Take the rocks out of your backpack first.” Before doing the bright shiny work of progress, sometimes we need to let go of the crap that is weighing us down the most, come back to neutral and them grow forward. Debt is a great place to start.

No more beating yourself up about past decisions, about the debt you are in, about the choices you made in the past. The decision is in the past. You already made the decision. It was what you needed at that time. It was what you were aligned with at the time. It happened, so let’s more forward. Focusing your energy on something that you can’t change is a waste. That energy could be used to shift your present reality. So let’s allow it to work for us, not against us.

Debt is a choice to pay something off over an amount of time. Start to look at it as such, instead of a major mistake, a pit you can’t climb out of, or any of the other grave stories you tell yourself.

We can’t change those past decisions, but we can change how you see it NOW, how you feel about it NOW, and how abundantly you turn this situation around.

Start to see debt as an investment in yourself. Don’t hate yourself over it. Every time you put money toward paying debt off, turn it into an abundance practice. Create this practice by crafting a “rampage” as I like to call it, that builds the energy and vibration around that experience.

Before I click the button to pay the monthly amount on my student ~investments~ I close my eyes, I say something like this, and I feel into it, I say it until I really feel it and start to believe it, live it, embody it. “Omg paying this down feels so good. There is more where that came from. This is such a good investment.” I reaffirm why or what I get out of this. “Thank you education. I continue to see the fruits of this investment. I am constantly being offered amazing opportunities and this decision supports my ability to achieve my dreams.”

The first time I created this practice it took a few minutes to really feel it, but now I can say a sentence or two and I’m there. The main point is that you feel it, so keep painting the mental picture until you feel better around this investment. Feelings are vibrations and you want to get yourself to a point where are vibrating at a higher, more aligned frequency.

Now that we’ve worked on debt, let’s discuss shifting your scarcity mindset into an abundance mindset.

It’s all about how you CHOOSE to look at things.

If you focus on scarcity, then more of that comes into your reality. Like attracts like, so if you are a vibration match (your thoughts and feelings and being are aligned) with scarcity, then you are creating an energetic pathway for more security to find you and make a home in your reality.

If you focus on success, abundance, and are grateful for what you do have, you are opening up an energetic pathway for more success, abundance, and things to be grateful for.

Now – it’s time to practice abundance!

Create abundance practices in your life that will support you in feeling abundant more often.

Gratitude practices are a great starting point. Maybe start with once a week, working your way up to every day. Make a list of 3-5+ things you are grateful for. Again, it’s not just about writing them down, but really feeling into them.

When you say you’re grateful for your partner, don’t just jump onto the next bullet point. Close your eyes and feel your partner coming up behind you, wrapping their arms around you and telling you they love you.

Feel into your partner handling that chore or thing you really dislike doing and see them smile at you, because they know it really helps you out. Envision the recent time you had an ecstatic time together. Really feel the feelings of that love and shower yourself with the experience of gratitude for each of the things you put on your list.

Gratitude, really feeling grateful for what we already have, allows us to open up and call in even more to be grateful for.

A few more abundance practices that really serve me:

1. Anytime I run my card or pay for anything, I turn it into an abundance practice.

I rampage and tell myself any or all of the following:

• I’m so grateful I have created the abundance to have this thing, pay for this thing, spoil myself, enjoy this, choose this, etc.
• There is always more where this money came from.
• I am an infinite source of abundance and money is always flowing through me.
• I love investing in myself (my health, my happiness, my adventures, etc).
• I enjoy spending my money at intentional places and the more I spend, the more room I make for money to come back to me.
• Money is a resource which I choose to use for good, grow myself and those I love.
• Thank you; Thank you; Thank you.

2. I include things that make me feel abundant into my daily life.

This can be done on a budget and on a grander scale. The intention is that you include things in your daily experience that make you feel abundant. That can be a really lovely pen or a phenomenal vacation.

Wherever you are in your process, find what makes you feel abundant and call more of that into your life. Look around your home and find that outfit you wear that makes you feel so snazzy, or that luscious blanket you sit with on the couch while reading that feels luxe, or a pair of earrings from your mom that make you feel like a movie star.

These small practices can become big energetic pathways –– if you allow them, if you focus on them, and if you encourage those vibrations over time.

3. I work on developing and shifting your language around money.

What words do you use, are you saying broke, not enough, lack? Can you pivot to asking yourself how can I afford that, instead of I can’t afford that? Do game plan or overview feel more aligned and high vibe than budget, shift it! Can you say investment instead of debt? Can you say I choose or don’t choose to spend my money in that way, instead of I can’t afford that. Actively listen to yourself when it comes to money and start to make conscious shifts around how you speak, which will change how you act, what you call in, what you believe, adn how your reality comes together.

Want more money mindset? Stay tuned for part two coming soon!

So let’s get started from the very very beginning with how to pick a crystal.

How do I select a crystal?

Go in with an open mind and play. Touch them, hold them, look at them, bask in their beauty, and roll them over in the palm of your hand. Give yourself some time to spend in the store or searching for them. Walk around picking up the ones that catch your eye. Try to focus on what you are drawn to and what feels good instead of looking at the description card for each of the crystals.

After some time playing you will most likely find that there are a few you don’t want to put down, a few that feel really good in your hand, or a few that just look prettier than the others.

Those are your crystals!

Now you want to make sure you grab a description card if the store has one or at least get the names of the crystal you selected. The cards usually have information on what chakra the crystal supports, what topics they work well for, and how they can offer help.

You can also look up information on your crystal if you get the name of the crystal. Energy Muse is an amazing online resource and online shop for crystals. You can always do a google search as well.

How do crystals work?

Crystals vibrate at a certain frequency depending on their makeup. As we learned in science class, like attracts like. As the crystal is vibrating it is calling in the frequency it vibrates at. Crystals also affect your own energy field with their energy properties – many people hold them close, carry them in a pocket, or put them in their bra to get a boost from that power in proximity.

Do I need to do anything special with my crystal once I get it home?

So we can answer this with both a yes and a no. If you don’t do anything else other than buy your crystal and put it on your desk, it will still work. However, there are ways to support your crystal in supporting you. Why not help it be as effective as possible!?

Step 1: Cleanse your crystal

Since most crystal stores really encourage people to touch and play most likely your crystal will have a ton of energy on it. Lots of people touched it in the store and potentially many more on it’s trip to the store. So first off cleanse your crystal of any of this unwanted and unneeded energy. Two of my favorite ways to cleanse a crystal are running it under cool water or using Palo Santo to cleanse it.

If it’s a water safe crystal (most tumbled stones are and the client support person at your crystal store can answer this for you) I recommend running it under cool water. Just hold in your hands and let the cool water from a faucet run over it. Say to your crystal (or in your mind): “let this water cleanse and clear me.”

You can also cleanse and clear with the smoke of Palo Santo, a scared wood that you light on a fire and the smoke has cleansing properties. Let the smoke billow around the crystal. Say to your crystal (or in your mind) “let this smoke cleanse and clear me.”

Step 2: Set the intention

Just like with people, when crystals try to accomplish all the things they could support you in doing/being/feeling they are multitasking. We have all heard the saying “jack of all trades master of none”, so setting the intention of your crystal gives it guidance and allows it to focus on one specific task. This allows it to support you even better.

Pull out that card or check out your crystal online and select the focus you would like. Then hold the crystal in your hands and have a conversation with it (out loud or in your mind). Ask the crystal for support with whatever topic it works with that really speaks to you.

For example if your crystal helps with anxiety you might say the following – xyz crystal I ask that you support me in releasing my anxiety, I ask that you bring me calm and soothing energies, thank you so much for your support.

How can I use my crystal?

There are SO many ways to use your crystal, let’s go through a few of them!

• Put a crystal under your bed (this is great to do with crystal that support sleep or dreams or relax you)
• Put a crystal in your pillow case
• Put a crystal next to your bed
• Put a pointed crystal next to your bed – if you face it away from you it will help you remove dreams and if you face it toward you it will pull in dreams and support your dream practice
• Put a crystal in your pants pocket or bra if you want to take the vibrational support with you (great to do with communication stones while at work, or stones that destress at a stressful job)
• Put a crystal in your house plant, on a window sill, or in your living room for decor purposes.

You can also do some more advanced techniques with crystals.

• Once you’ve built up a little collection, put them all in a dark bag or into a container you can’t see them and pull on out. Use this as a crystal reading and whatever crystal you’ve selected is what energy you are craving, focus on what this specific crystal represents for the day.
• Hold a crystal, while you are journaling or mediating and start getting to know the energy of each of your crystals. This practice will also allow you to learn more deeply what each specific crystal will help you with and the “language” it speaks in.
• You can create a crystal grid with several crystals. You can search online for pre-made grid or craft your own. Putting together different crystal energies is just like cooking, adding flavor to flavor and building a more complex and delicious dish!
• You can put liquid safe crystals into a drink or water bottle to infuse your drink with the vibration of the crystal.

There are so many ways to allow crystals to support you in your daily life. I have certain crystals for certain moments.

For instance, I have a Reiki stone and a Reiki master stone. Each of these crystals represent the energies of that specific energy healing attunement event and working with them helps bring forth that powerful energy signature of the attunement events.

Some crystals I do deep consistent work with like my selenite wand. I use this one all the time to cut cords and move energy in my energetic body/aura. And other crystals I keep in my space and allow them to support the energy there, like the chunks of geodes in my house plants.

I give crystals as gifts and set the intention to make it an extra special present. I also have received some amazing crystals as gifts, like the beautiful purple fluorite my girlfriend brought back from Electric Forest for me that housed the most powerful energy memory I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

Crystals are magnificent tools and they support us so well. Dive in and find a few ways that crystals can really support you!

EFT is really unique because you can take this practice into your own hands, you need very little materials (your hands, brain, and body for the most part), and you can really work with EFT at any point no matter where you are. With such amazing results, the ability to work with so many issues, and the limited resources needed to start – this practice screams accessibility to the masses.

EFT like many other healing modalities has skeptics around it however, The Tapping Solution states, “Research done at the prestigious university (Harvard Medical School) during the last decade found that the brain’s stress and fear response – which is controlled by an almond-shaped part of your brain called the amygdala – could be lessened by stimulating the meridian points used in acupuncture, acupressure, and of course, tapping.”

In addition to the research done at Harvard, Dr. Dawson Church and his team did a randomized controlled trial on hour long tapping sessions and the effect on stress levels, “Dr. Church and his team measured their level of cortisol, a hormone secreted by the body when it undergoes stress. Their findings? The average level of cortisol reduction was 24%, with a whopping reduction of almost 50% in some subjects! In comparison, there was no significant cortisol reduction in those who underwent an hour of traditional talk therapy.” – The Tapping Solution.

Basically, tapping has been proven scientifically to support stress relief and relaxation. There are numerous anecdotes of EFT helping individuals extremely quickly with both physical and emotional pain that has plagued them for long periods of time.

Here are some of the commonly used tapping points:

• Karate chop point – fleshy side of the hand below the pinky
• Inner Eyebrow – right where the eyebrow starts in the center of the face
• Outer side of eye – to the right of left of your eye near the temples
• Under eye – right where you can feel the orbital bone
• Cupid’s bow – I curl the top lip down a bit to hit the cupids bow
• Cleft of chin – I pull the bottom lip tight to tap the cleft of the chin
• Collar bone –a little bit under the collar bone on the plain of the chest
• Bra strap spot – under the armpit where you bra strap would be
• Top of the head – top and center of the head

Here is the list that I personally use:

• Karate chop point, fleshy side part of the hand
• Top of the head
• Beginning of the eyebrow (one side or both)
• Side of the eye (around the outside corner of the eye, feel for the bone)
• Under the eye (below your pupil)
• Cupids bow (gently pull your lip down to expose that spot)
• Chin (gently pull your lip up to expose that spot)
• Clavicle point (inch down and inch out from the center)
• Under arm / bra strap point (side of the body, under the under arm, at the spot of your bra strap)
• Tapping wrists together
• Top of the hand (in between pinky and ring finger, soft fleshy part)
• Top of the pointer, middle, and pinky fingers and under the ring finger

When creating a tapping script (which you can do or you can freestyle) the language starts in the negative, or heavy spots – progresses into the middle points / neutral points / or becoming open, then transitions into the positive or ideal programming.

What this speaks to strongly, and one of the main reasons I adore tapping so much, is that this process honors and acknowledges that you are experiencing/have experienced something negative. Often in spiritual practices we only focus on the positive and tapping acknowledges the negative, and then points out that we still love ourselves even with this negative or heavy item. Then we progress to the neutral or into the maybe, and then we end in the positive. In this positive you are able to re-work your operating system. You are able to select what you would like to think and feel, and where you would like to operate from. This is why I love tapping!

Let me give you an example of the language.

In the negative

When working in the negative – you always say…
Even though (insert negative thing here) I deeply and completely love and accept myself
Even though I have made poor financial decisions in the past, I deeply and completely love and accept myself

In the neutral

When working in the neutral you want to allow yourself to transition from the negative to the positive.

• Maybe I could let this go.
• Maybe I could change this.
• I am open to moving past this.
• I am available to change this.

In the positive

When working in the positive, I take the negative items that are weighing on me, that are difficult, or roadblocks and I re-write them to my desires.

• I am abundant.
• I love money and money loves me.
• There is always more money coming in than going out.

Now that we have a general idea of the tapping process, what it does, and how it accomplishes these goals – I will break down the exact process I use with clients.

EFT Process –

1. We identify the main issue and create a topic sentence.

Examples:

• I put limitations on my abundance.
• I have an achy back that I can’t seem to get rid of for more than a day or two.
• I push people away when they try to get close.
• I have high anxiety around test taking.

2. On a scale of 1-10, how does (insert topic sentence) feel today?

You want to rank the pain / irritation etc so that you can compare the start to the finish of your EFT practice.

3. Can you locate this feeling in your body?

When you ask the scale, ideally you want to be open to feeling this in your physical vessel so taking a few moments to feel into it, see if it calls to a physical space in your body.

4. List out all the negative items you would like to address.

I typically will work in themes and do different tapping script for each theme, but I do have clients who love to throw it all into one!

Use the following prompt:

“Even though (insert limiting belief, issue, negative item) I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

5. Then list out your neutral or maybe or transition items

• I would really love to change my situation with xyz.
• Maybe I could change this.
• Maybe I could let xyz go.
• I choose to release the hold this has on me.
• This is just a story that I have told myself.
• Maybe this could be different.
• What if I allowed myself to tell a different story.
• I can change how I feel about this.
• I know I can make these changes.
• I believe in these changes.
• I release and let go of anything that no longer serves me.
• I know that I can show up fully for myself and let go of the weight of xyz.

Tip:

Take as long as you need to transition from the negative to neutral or even start getting into a feeling of positivity. Use language that feels authentic, that calls an emotion from you, that allows you to get into the feeling.

6. Then list out your desires, your positive, the new means of belief that you would like to wire yourself with.

I put limitations on my abundance would shift into…

• I am available for abundance, wealth, and prosperity to come to me in many different ways.
• I am constantly welcoming abundance into my life.
• I am an energetic match for money.
• I am paid for my talents.
• Money loves me and I love money.
• Money is a resource.
• Money is energy.
• I am an energetic match for money.

I have an achy back that I can’t seem to get rid of for more than a day or two would shift into…

• My back feels fantastic.
• I am pain free.
• My back is so flexible.
• I have so much range of motion.
• My joints feel healthy.
• I am comfortable in my physical vessel.

I push people away when they try to get close would shift into…

• I am available for intimacy and connection with the right people.
• I am open and experience love from many directions.
• I am compassionate, understanding, and allow myself to show vulnerability in safe environments.

I have high anxiety around test taking would shift into…

• I am cool, calm, and confident in test settings.
• I am so confident in my skills and understanding.
• Testing is enjoyable for me.
• I score so high when I take standardized tests.

7. Then at the end of the tapping round, I ask my client to rank the feeling from 1 – 10 again and make notes of the shifts.

I also really enjoy turning tapping scripts into mediations to listen to. I record them and play them in the background of my day, or play them as I fall asleep. When possible, I add the physical tapping (sometimes I only use one meridian point for ease like the karate chop point) and other times, I just listen to the audio. Once I have been working with a script for a while, I will chop out the negative and neutral and just listen to the positive on repeat – tapping those desires directly into my operating system.

Some great tips on tapping:

Calling in the energy and feeling of what you are saying is so important. If you are saying how horrible your emotional distress or back pain is, allow that to come up, feel into it every time you say the statement. Sometimes we have stored something so deep in the physical body, we need to get it up and out to make space for that which we desire. Getting into the feeling during tapping is huge!

Some people only need one session but a lot of others really really benefit from repetition of the tapping process.

Keep an open mind and allow it to work. So often when we try something new, we are just looking for reasons to say “this doesn’t work” or “I feel stupid doing this” or if it doesn’t make sense to the logical mind, we close ourselves off from the actual progress. I ask that you go into tapping / EFT with an open mind and willingness to release that which no longer serves you.

Read more resources on tapping:

The Tapping Solution
Healthline article on tapping
Chalkboard Mag on the power of EFT Tapping Therapy
Mind Body Green on how to use tapping to solve any emotional or physical issue