Crystals and Crystal Energy: Interview With Sara Bryki

Today I am interviewing the lovely Sara Bryki.  It is through Sara that I have gathered some of the information in my recently published book, “My Spirit, My Journey-A Beginners Guide: How To Discover, Decide, And Delight In Your Spiritual Journey”.

What is crystal energy?

Each stone/crystal has an inherent energy to them.  While stones/crystals of the same type will have similar properties, they each have their own 'feel' to them and will resonate differently for each person.  For example, someone could hold an amethyst and it could feel warm or like it is vibrating, yet pick up another amethyst and not feel anything.  

How did you first get attracted to crystals?

I have been attracted to rocks/stones/gemstones since I was a child.  However, it wasn't until a trip to Hawaii in 2008 that I realized a deeper connection to them.  I met a lightworker who kind of nudged me awake and since then, I have been acutely aware of the energies of stones.    

What kinds of things can crystals do for us?

Oh, how much time do you have?!  They can do everything from support us with calming energy to helping us expose our innermost, deepest feelings.  They can help bring us focus, regulate our auric energy, aid in sleep, guide us while doing dream work, help us to be grounded, connected to Spirit/Source and so much more!  They are here to teach us and support us on our individual paths.   

How does a person know which crystals they should be working with?

There are a few ways this can be done.  First, take notice of the stones/crystals you are drawn to.  Explore how to you feel when you look at it and when you hold it.  When you find one that has drawn you in, research the properties of that stone/crystal.  What is it reported to be able to do on a physical, mental and spiritual level?  Does the description resonate with you?

Another way is to consult a crystal therapist who can help to guide you to stones/crystals that will benefit you.  

How should crystals be cared for?

There are different methods for different stones.  Amethyst geodes are great for clearing/charging quartz.  For those that can get wet (and don't dissolve), I like to use running water and intention to clear stones.  Clearing them in a running river is fantastic, but most of us don't have the luxury of having one close by.  Running tap water works just as well.  Hold the stone under the water with the intention to clear it of any residual outside energy that may be in it.  Picture it being rinsed out and returning to Source.  You will 'feel' when it is cleared and can stop.  There are some stones (selenite for example) that will dissolve when wet so make sure to double check.  

Some stones (such as Rose Quartz, clear quartz, citrine) that can be charged by sunlight to give them a boost.  Moonstone does well in moonlight as does selenite.  Amethyst can fade in sunlight so be aware of that if you want to keep the bright purple color.  

Thank you so much, Sara, for sharing this with us!

15 Books I Love To Read!

I love to curl up with a good book and read.  No,... not just read-learn, grow, feel, question-it all leaves me wanting more!  Aside from buying books, I also take out from the library and have found some good Kindle books.  Here's 15 of my favorites from my hard copy collection (in no particular order!):

1. You Have Chosen To Remember-James Blanchard Cisneros

2. Infinite Possibilities-Mike Dooley

3. Unsinkable-Sonia Ricotti

4. Many Lives, Many Masters-Brian Weiss

5. The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent-Esther & Jerry Hicks

6. The Passion Test-Janet Bray Attwood & Chris Attwood

7. Leveraging The Universe-Mike Dooley

8. Follow Your Passion Find Your Power-Bob Doyle

9. Awakening Joy-James Banaz & Shoshana Alexander

10. The Everything Law of Attraction Book-Meera Leester

11. Make Miracles In 40 Days-Melanie Beattie

12. The Evolving Soul-Dr. Linda Backman

13. Feel It Real!-Denise Coates

14. Manifesting Change-Mike Dooley

15. Wealth Beyond Reason-Bob Doyle

What books are your favorites?  My friends and I have started circulating books amongst ourselves-cool idea, and neat and different books you get to check out!

Stop over to my Facebook page and say hello!  You can also go to my website and sign up for the newsletter :-)

Meditate On This!

Do you meditate?  I used to be so faithful about it, didn't miss a day.  Then "something came up" for about 5 months (eeek!), and I could really tell that I hadn't been meditating, I just didn't have the peace inside that I'd become accustomed to.  So for about the last week & a half, I've gotten back to meditating, and it is wonderful!! I'd forgotten just how beautiful the experience can be, and even got some information about chakras during one of the recent meditations.  I was just absorbing the info, and then it hit me-HEY!!! I'm getting information!!  I just love that feeling :-)

If you haven't meditated before, or if you need to get back into it like I did, here's some great information i got from the newest Hay House author, Tara Stiles.
Below are Tara’s “Three Tips To Begin Your Meditation Practice”

Tip 1: Don’t Worry about Clearing Your Mind. 
It’s easy to fall into the belief that the goal of meditation is to have a crystal clear mind so you can see all the secrets of the universe.  

Don’t worry: plenty of cool experiences are going to happen to you. There is no need to get wrapped up in getting to everything right away. The mind wanders; that’s just what it does. Every time your thoughts carry you off on a journey, just bring your attention back to your breath, back to feeling. That’s the practice.

The goal is to notice when your mind wanders. When you notice, you have a choice. You can go along for the ride, or you can guide your attention right back inward. You will do this over and over again. Just see things as they happen. Guide your attention back to breathing and feeling. That’s your practice. Make the goal the process, not the destination.

Tip 2: Write It Down.If you’re anything like me, when you have a lightbulb moment, you don’t want to forget it. Exciting thoughts and spontaneous ideas will come to you during meditation. They may be great plans about your business, a creative combination to try out in the kitchen, or your next home project. When these brilliant nuggets pop into your mind, you can either keep diving down the idea train or try to store the ideas in your brain and get frustrated that you had a great idea while you should be meditating. This happened to me time after time and I finally found a solution. Keep a notebook handy for all those mid-meditation, mind-blowing moments. When a genius idea pops into your mind mid-meditation, take a moment and write it down. Now it’s down on paper, and you can come back to it and master plan later. For the next few moments, come right back to your breath. Your lightbulb ideas are now preserved and your sacred meditation time in intact. Win-win.

Tip 3: Keep It Regular. 
Just like yoga, we can talk about the benefits and understand how great life will be with all this practice, but it only works if you actually do it. And the same rules go here: five minutes is better than nothing, and five minutes a day, every day, adds up to a whole lot. Try it out for one week and you’ll feel a big difference. First thing in the morning is a great time to set the habit. 

You don’t even have to leave your bed for this one. Simply sit up, get comfortable, and pay attention to your breath for five minutes. If your thoughts start to take you away from your breath, see if you can guide your attention right back. If your thoughts start to drift again, guide yourself back again. After your five minutes, go about your day as usual and notice if you feel any different.

Warning: you might start to see yourself differently, with more compassion; and you might start to see more possibilities in your life. You might even have the desire to help others who could use your support. Get ready for some great stuff to transform you from the inside out.

These tips are from Tara's new book, Make Your Own Rules Diet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What's going on with me this week?

Yesterday I went to my first Reiki circle.  It was super cool, and I will definitely go again!  Also there was a workshop I went to called "Intending Into Being" that was put on by a local friend, and that, too, was wonderful!  

Oh!  I FINALLY started a Facebook page now, so if you'd like to follow, it is:
Attract Your Desires

Hope to see you there!!

It Means A Lot

There's a few reasons I chose this image for this post.  They flooded in all at once, so here they are in no particular order:

The time of year-Thanksgiving, Christmas (generosity, giving, gratitude, receiving)

A reminder to stop at what can be a hectic time of year and JUST BREATHE (inhale, exhale)

It's a circle, which is a common shape for mandalas, which I'm going to be teaching a workshop on next Saturday (more on that later)

Wow, yes, when you have gratitude for what you have you're more generous, therefore more giving, which makes you more aligned with your higher self (open), which just happens to attract to you things that you are grateful to receive, and the process (cycle/circle of abundance) continues!  Even though some people only focus on being grateful at this time of year, there's always things to be grateful for, things we take for granted. 

And wow, yes, I'm doing a workshop on mandalas.  Well, mostly on making and coloring them.  I don't know much about them except what I've Googled, so I know that when you're making & coloring them you kind of "zone out" and are more in tune with your inside world and intuitive side, almost like being in a meditative state when you are creating.  So, we will all learn together!  Our spiritual connections group is such a fun bunch that I'm sure it will be just fine. There's certainly something to be said for the warm & fuzzy feeling of being with people that make you feel great! 

Patience

Having patience is tough, isn't it?

When you really, really want something, it is hard to have patience while you're waiting for it.  It makes no difference if it's a phone call, a new car, etc., when you want something, you want it now!  The universe knows the perfect time for things to come.  You send your desires "out there", and then obsess over them.  Why aren't they coming?  When you think about what you don't have yet, you are focusing on lack!  It is hard, isn't it, to think instead about what you'll feel when you have what you want.  This is key!  The more you really fully feel like you already have what you want, the higher vibration for it you're putting out, and the faster the universe works on getting it for you.

 I am experiencing this now.  I already know how I will feel when I move from this frozen tundra to a warmer climate.  I have managed to counteract that, quite often actually, with my feelings about winter coming up.  I absolutely cannot stand to be cold and have had a very strong dislike for winter for many years now. I gave myself a deadline of the end of September to move.  Of course, the closer it gets to the end of September, and my house isn't even ready to put on the market yet, the more distressed I was becoming.  Will I turn into a pumpkin if I don't move by the end of September? No.  Does it mean I'll never get to move if it doesn't happen by then? No!  I (finally) have managed to accept that things all happen when they're supposed to, and just keep making progress towards what I want.  I will keep moving in the direction of what I want the end result to be.  I will keep focusing on how it will feel after it's all done.  I didn't want to spend another winter in Minnesota, but if that's what it takes to get the end result I am after, then so be it. (Haha, I was gritting my teeth as I typed that!) I do know that the higher I can keep my vibration, the faster the universe delivers, so......even thought I can't take back the time I've spent getting all worked up, I can change my vibration now, and concentrate on keeping it up.

Everything I need comes to me at the perfect time!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fire Ceremony this weekend!  Our local spiritual group will be having a gathering to do a fire ceremony this Saturday.  Time to release some things!  I've never been to a fire ceremony before, so it will definitely be interesting.  Looking forward to it!