Practical Chakra Balancing.

A while back, I wrote an introductory to The 7 major chakras centers titled
"CHAKRAS, COLORS, & STONES" in this article I discussed recognizing blockages or over-activity in the chakras + the benefits of using gemstones and of course the healing power of color. Today, I wanted to touch on some very simple activities that can literally jump-start your sluggish energy centers. Face it, we live in an extremely fast paced world full of an array of energy draining living conditions: work schedules, school, and of course family life.  All of these daily task can make finding time for self-care pretty difficult on the average person. Here at The Hoodwitch we're all about the practical magic. As a working mother, I understand the struggle in finding the time for self-nurturing activities that will not only inspire me, but keep my frequency/energy levels high and my aura nice and sparkly. The practices listed below require little to no time, money, and can be done alone or with your closest family & friends. Daily, or weekly.  Different activities will stimulate different chakras, If you do at least ONE thing different each day, the direction of your life will change .

Remember, it is important to be honest and listen to your body. When the chakras are too open, balance is the remedy!  If you have excessive power in your chakras (Think: type A, aggressive, neurotic behaviors), step back and let someone else drive. If you're around people all of the time, it's important to spend time alone. See, BALANCE. Generally speaking, when a chakra is too open, the balance for this is to do the opposite of what you would normally do. Are your chakras over active or deficient? You can read more about that HERE.  Intuitive counselor and author Dena Marie says "One new practice a day, could potentially keep the doctor away!" and we agree!

Practical Chakra Balancing Activities:

• First Chakra (Survival) : Walk in nature, plant a garden, pay your monthly bills (early), slow down, take a hike, Hug a tree, feel your roots, clean your house, Eat healthy foods, walk outside with bare feet, take a vacation in nature, Go bird watching, and admire the plants and animals there, play the drums, Do yoga, Do nothing (in the most relaxing of ways), wear the color red, eat red foods + protein.

• Second Chakra (Relationships): Take a luxurious bath, Sit by water, stretch your body, swim, move your hips, dance, Drink plenty of fresh natural liquids, Be sexual (responsibly), Be spontaneous, Go to the ocean, Do volunteer work, drive somewhere you've never been, Go on a retreat with people you don't know. Wear the color orange, eat orange foods.

• Third Chakra (Empowerment): Laugh, run, cry, watch a fire + burn stuff (not your ex-boyfriend's house), take up a martial art class, tai chi or boxing, lift weights, ride a bike like a child again, play a competitive sport, Wear the color yellow, Eat yellow food.

• Fourth Chakra (Connection): Hold hands, talk about how you feel, Buy yourself flowers, Take yourself on date, Tell someone you love them (and mean it), get a massage, Look in the mirror and say you love yourself just the way you are, Send yourself a valentine, Learn Reiki (healing touch), wear pink or Green. Eat plenty of fresh organic green fruits and vegetables.

• Fifth Chakra (Expression): Sing, Write, Draw, play an instrument, paint, talk to trusted friends, work with clay or wood, Go to an art gallery alone,  Read poetry, write a song, support local art, Verbally pass down a family tradition, writer a meaningful letter to yourself. Wear the color blue. 

• Sixth Chakra (intuition): Just breathe, Listen to your inner voice, Guess someone's astrological sign, Daydream, Start a dream journal, Pull a tarot card for each day and don't use the manual to find the "meaning" (trust your inner guidance), Candle gaze, Read an esoteric/metaphysical book, watch a fantasy film. Talk to the moon, Wear Purple, or white.

• Seventh Chakra (knowing): Meditate for 10-15 minutes a day, connect with your higher power, talk to an Angel (of the light) be still, listen, trust your inner knowing, connect with others, Think dreamy thoughts, Use rainbow prisms for healing, speak to the stars in the nighttime sky, practice positive affirmations, pray for yourself and others, write down your goals and ask your higher-self to help you achieve them. Wear Indigo, and gold.

Full Blue Moon In Aquarius

Full Moon in Aquarius

A full Moon between July 23 and August 23 will be in Aquarius. Be prepared for an electrical full moon, this is the brightest moon of the year and anything can happen, expect the unpredictable. By some definitions, the full moon July 31st is blue; and it is called this because it is the second full moon in one month. However, by  older definition, if there are four full moons in an astronomical season versus the normal three, the third full moon of the four is then the Blue Moon. Which is a rarer occurrence than the above.

This potent moon energy is for wishes to come true and all workings pertaining to:

• Creating detachment/releasing what no longer serves.
• Inspiration
• Humanitarian efforts
• Telepathy
• Expanding your social circle
• Healing problems with the ankles

The Aquarius Full Moon says “I experience”. This is a transit dealing with facts,organizing, political issues, desires to save the world through social action, connecting with others in social situations, detachment, and the need to come and go without restrictions.

Aquarius Moon  is a dramatic mood change, where Capricorn valued tradition and caution, Aquarius’ energy craves anything new, innovative, different or unconventional. Expect extremes of optimism and pessimism but take time to relax into yourself, meditate, breathe, allow for your expansive nature to appear. During this lunar transit, women may feel the need to be friendly and social but don’t want to be too personal or go too deep.

The Aquarius moon energy is  detached/rational rather than emotional, and will change only if it’s logical to do so. Freedom is very important right now, so live with as few restrictions as possible, and please be careful  with what you ask for, the full Blue Moon will give you everything in double measure. Take the time to contemplate on your wishes and dreams, write them down

• A Full Moon in Aquarius Mantra: "Can I hold my vision steady, knowing I create the world I want by the power of my vision and thoughts?”

Moon Honoring Ritual

This ritual can take place during a full moon circle with a group, or be a private ritual with yourself. I prefer to be alone & outside under the full moon. But if this is not possible, It can also be done sitting, standing, or facing a window with the moon’s rays shining in on you.

Start by cleansing & raising the energy of your sacred space by either casting a circle of protection, smudging, playing a crystal bowl or chanting. Chanting breaks down any inner resistance quite nicely and is a magical journey inside yourself, chanting also raises the energy for the moon energy you're going to take in .

Place your hands with palms facing the moon, index fingers and thumbs touching, forming the sacred triangle, or sign of the yoni. spread your fingers as wide as possible, so they are receptors for moon energy. After you chant to raise power, focus all your energy and vision on mother moon and draw her energy down into your body. move your hands (if desired) back and forth, from an arms outstretched position to your heart center and back again. After a few minutes of holding your hands up to the moon you can feel them tingle . This is the magical energy. I usually take 15 - 20 minutes to allow her glowing radiant energy into me , but you may take more or less time, there are no rules. Close your ritual by thanking The Moon, your guides, and those present in your circle. Or you may go about closing your circle in a more traditional manner. As i've said there is no right or wrong, other than what feels good for you, or your group.

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New Moon In Gemini

The New Moon in Gemini

This is a time of communication and other means of expression, freedom, adaptability, reading, writing, and a desire for having variety. Which usually means having and taking on more things than you can handle at once. You might be feeling more social and talkative with our moon in the chatty mercurial sign of Gemini. All communication (talking, writing or reading) all matters of intellect are easier to express during Gemini moon. The tarot suit of swords is ruled by AIR (intellect) and the ace of swords is a card that represents raw power, victory, and mental clarity. As does working with clear crystal Quartz the amplifier, and ruler of the higher chakras. Crystal Quartz has the ability to give insight and mental clarity when our minds are feeling cloudy and foggy much like the power of mercury, and the swift electrifying energy of the swords suite.

Ritual: Use this creative moon to set new goals for yourself by using our New Moon guide to creating meaningful personal rituals HERE

Quartz Crystal meditation:

• select a room that is quiet and softly illuminated. Preferably, the room you choose will be the same room you use for each of your meditation periods. If at all possible, try to schedule your meditation time and durations at the same time and at the same time of day
• Clothing should be comfortable and shoes should not be worn.
• Select your quartz crystal (a single or double terminated generator is suggested) about palm sized or larger and bless your crystal in advance by any of the methods I have listed here you may even place the crystal in the sunlight for an afternoon.
• Once you are seated in a comfortable position, begin a rhythmic breathing sequence by inhaling deeply through the nose, holding the breath for three seconds and slowly exhaling from the mouth. As you inhale, visualize cleansing golden/white light vibrations entering your body through your nose, and traveling down your trachea and filling your lungs, chest cavity and heart center with warm, glowing sensations.
• As you exhale, visualize discordant vibrations, tension, confusion, and stress leaving your body through your mouth in dark, cloudy swirls of energy. Bless yourself, and your discordant vibrations in the name of Spirit or any deity you deem fitting when you seek comfort, protection, and solace. Cast these discordant vibrations unto the ether to find peaceful resolution.
• Pick up your clear quartz crystal with your left hand and begin to gaze upon it, observing the unique features it has to offer (rainbows, chlorite phantoms, healed fractures, mists, etc) allow your consciousness to merge with your crystal.
• As you inhale, use both hands to hold your crystal. Feel the transmuted energy, peacefully flowing into your hands. Let the crystal tell you about itself.
• Your crystal may seem to come alive in your hand, you may experience warm, tingling sensations in your hands. For some these sensations may be calming giving you feelings that instantly make you feel at peace, or this may be a gradual process.

Gemini Moon Affirmation: "I let go easily and quickly. I communicate well and teach that skill to others."

meditating with the Gemini new moon & quartz crystal will offer much clarity to confusion, worry, or doubts in your mind. Making you feel weightless. Allow yourself to breathe deeply and be still. When you are ready to return from your meditation, count slowly from 10 to 1 and open your eyes.

 

M O L D A V I T E

Moldavite specimen with Moldavite infused oil.

The "Extraterrestrial gem" Moldavite is a unique & rare green gem much different from the crystals that we are most familiar with grown on Earth. Moldavite was in fact sent to us from the Cosmos 15 million years ago! While scientist differ in theories regarding moldavite's origin, nearly all agree that it fell in the form of a large meteor.

Moldavite is classified as a tektite. Tektites are glass stones created by the impact of large meteorites on Earth’s surface. When a meteorite of sufficient size, enters earth’s atmosphere, the force of the impact causes a melting of terrestrial earth, which fuses with the meteorite material. This molten substance then re-enters the upper atmosphere, and falls again to earth in the form of rather small, molten, aerodynamic shaped stones. Tektites are only found in four strewnfields (dispersion areas) on our planet. Of these four sources of tektites, Moldavite is the most highly prized, because of its unique texture, translucent green color and fascinating shapes. No other substance caused by an extraterrestrial event, can be faceted, polished, and has the classification of a gemstone. These rare and unique stones can only be found in the Czech Republic.

Moldavite stone is the ritual stone for integration of body, mind and spirit and can be a great catalyst for change, even if a person is simply in possession of it. In Judy Hall's book "The Crystal Bible"  she states that moldavite is "a useful stone for star children and sensitive souls who find it difficult being in incarnation on the earth, and who cannot adjust to suffering and deep emotions." When placed on the heart, Moldavite uncovers the reasons and purpose for why one is here, and eases the "homesickness" for those whose origin is not Earth.

Moldavite is a very high vibratory stone and can also amplify the energy of other crystals, especially when paired with clear quartz. It is recommend that one practices proper grounding techniques while working with moldavite for healing. If you are drawn to the energies of moldavite, try working with it. The pieces are small but VERY potent, and their price tag can be quite pricey, as they are rare sought after specimens. With that being said, there are sadly many high quality fakes. Purchasing moldavite from online vendors is not a preferred method. Here is a guide to spotting fake Moldavite 

How To Spot Fake Moldavite

True genuine Moldavite is getting more rare and the price is going up, the counterfeiters are getting better at their craft. Some fakes are very convincing, especially when mounted in jewelry where the signs of seams are hidden. Some counterfeiters are even now creating a mold from an actual genuine piece of Moldavite and replicating the color and texture to almost close to perfection. The best way to catch this is by noticing the stone is flawless and the price asked, which is a very low price usually. If the price is too good to be true, most the time it is a sign of a possible fake. There are sellers demanding higher prices for these fakes also. If the Moldavite you are examining is bright vibrant green in color, you are most likely looking at a fake Moldavite that was produced by melting green glass bottles. Also, be aware that the larger the Moldavite, the higher the price, as most genuine Moldavite is sold by the gram. If the seller claims the stone was mined anywhere but the Moldau River valley in the Czech Republic, it is most definitively a fake. If the Moldavite looks really wet or shiny, like melted glass, you are more than likely looking at a fake Moldavite. Now, there are some sellers that state up front that their Moldavite is lab-created, created or synthetic, which is just green glass made and formed to look like Moldavite. Just be aware that if it states lab-created, created or synthetic, you are getting green glass or maybe worse. Some fake Moldavite on the market isn't even green, which is a true sign that it is definitely fake. Below  here are photos of real and fake Moldavite so that you may see the difference for yourself.

Here are images of some real Moldavite

Goddess of the week: IXQUEL aka Zulu Na$ty

Name: Ixquel/Zulu Na$ty
Location: Los Angeles
Sign/rising: Sagittarius

Which Goddess or Goddess Archetype do you most identify with and why?

At the age sixteen on a annual return to the mother country visit to India my Bua (aunty) had planned a trip to Calcutta to meet some relatives. She had decided to take me on a tour around the city. I remember traveling on boat gliding along the Ganges river, passing by other ferry packed boats, and watching the people of this city performing their "puja", or prayer. We were then brought to a small canal called Adi Ganga which connects to the Hooghly river. At this crossroads I was introduced to the Kalighat Kali Temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess KALI. Immediately she resembled something familiar to me. With her hair untamed, curvaceous body, and infamous tongue laid out, her presence resonated so much with my teenage self. I was organically drawn to her. Her body and energy possessed so much power. I was desperate to find a maternal figure that resonated with my character. I wanted to properly translate my "teenage anger and rage" into beauty. It wasn't about chopping men's heads off and dangling them on a chain around my neck or being a goddess of destruction because she often get's mistaken for this. Her iconography is immediately misinterpreted by her physical appearance. I can relate to that. She reinforced the eternal "I am" and "not the body". She is the mother who is compassionate who engages in spiritual practice to remove the illusion of the ego. Simply we are forces of spirit and not flesh. Constantly looking for resurrection and liberation in mind body and spirit. To me she has the most magnificent power of Awareness and most importantly the power over her own heart. Kali owns her sexual energy. And for a young brown queer womyn, she spoke to me.

What is your Goddess superpower?

I have a multi-ethnic background,  a Punjabi father and Mexican mother so music and dance was extremely affluent in my upbringing. Also as a young dancer in the underground scene of Los Angeles I was introduced to different styles in dance. Los Angeles is a city full of so many cultures and with that comes variety of music, instruments, languages, and people. Through observation and feeling i was able to gain confidence in my own style. Never pressured to choose a style in dance I naturally gave in to how my body wanted to move.  What started at dancing in family gatherings with my cousins and elders to dancing in cyphers with strangers who then became my extended family, to now as "performer",   When I moved to Oakland for College I would balance term papers, thesis proposals, midterm exams, and pressure to perform well from my parents by sneaking into clubs with a fake I.D. just to dance. I needed this other language to be exercised. The juxtaposition of  two my  "life's" created a new found freedom to which I even apply to my work today. Creating an Alter ego known as Zulu Nasty became my goddess superpower.   Working in a corporate office for a Berlin company in Sales and Marketing  (aka a 9-5) to a free agent freestyle dancer who get's booked for parties from San Francisco, Oakland, Hawaii, Vancouver, San Diego, Los Angeles, and New Delhi,  India.  Dance is my connection to rhythm, to feeling young and free, to where the dance floor is the lover that never disappointments.  It is my spirit to erase memory or live in heartache to breakthrough any obstacles.  I surrender to dance because it has the power to seduce me in the way a lover could never.  Dance belongs to me, it is my refuge, my home to explore over and over again, creating new imaginations and dreams. Where I dance is a home free of judgement, it is a place to shatter borders, and experience our breakdowns

. 
How do you get in touch with/unleash your inner goddess?

When in the shadows of electric bass, modal harmonies, surreal lyrics, synth riffs, swoops, or TRIPPY SOUNDSCAPES my body becomes infused with elements of some gothic, tribal, urban, spiritual, rebel hybrid. Even taking on the alias "Zulu Na$ty"  which quickly became known across Los Angeles underground club dance scene for her freestyle, her charisma and ever changing identity. The fantastical elements that make up Zulu Nasty are as synonymous to that of the Mayan Goddes Ixchel and the Hindu Goddess Kali birthing a child and then naming her ZULU NASTY. Once falsely imprisoned by her worst enemy, her own mind, her dancing offered an exciting path to breaking free. Illustrating an intensely personal narrative on every dance floor she touched, Zulu Nasty explores the imagination with her movement, expands her vocabulary to cross boundaries, decolonize minds, and salvage her own body in which she was subjected to years of self imprisonment to only be emancipated by the DJ.
 

Will You join us in the sacred twerk circle?

Most Definitely.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/theruffestchaparrita/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zoolu
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zulunasty

Break Blaze Burn: 40 Days of Fearless, Out of Bounds Writing

Our lovely Goddess Of The week Rachel White has teamed with expert astrologer Sherene Schostak to offer a magical 40 day creative writing work shop that will surely get your creative juices flowing. This project incorporates guided Jungian journaling and active imagination techniques, along with tarot-inspired writing prompts and meditations.

"This is a time to change our stories and thus change our lives. You don’t have to be an aspiring writer in the literary sense to benefit from this Project 40. We all have a story inside of us that needs to be told."- Sherene S.

CONCEPT: Use the 40 Days and 40 nights to take those old ideas, manuscripts and other forgotten gems off the back burner and get writing! This project is designed to keep you inspired and on fire: For 40 Days and 40 nights Writing does not have to be isolating and tedious! This Project 40 is designed to bring depth, desire and sexy back to the art of pen to paper or (fingers to keypad)! This P40 will break all the rules….. without apology!

DETAILS

Cost is $160

This workshop begins June 2, 2015

For more information  regarding this workshop and how to sign up, head on over to Rachel's site HERE

The Hoodwitch x Black Girl In Om

photo by Michael Pierce

Explore the voices, rituals, and divinity of Black Girl In Om's magical Issue 003: Spirituality. In this special issue Thehoodwitch.com 's founder Bri Luna discusses her personal journey, Goddess archetypes, energy clearing, and celebrating life by the cycles of the moon.

Read the full story HERE.