There are so many benefits to working with animal energy, but today, I want to share with you three of those benefits…
Animals are deeply connected to the energy of the earth, even animals who haven’t lived a physical life on earth. Working with animal energy helps to awaken and strengthen that earth connection with us. We feel more stable, supported, grounded, and aware.
Working with animal energy helps us to have more compassion for ourselves, our earth, our fellow humans, and our fellow animals. Similar to the strengthening and awakening of the earth energy, working with the animals seems to tap into a special place within our heart-center.
When we work with the animals it awakens a special type of intuition within us. This intuition feels very natural and fluid, while also feeling very grounded and secure. We can then use this intuition to help us an other areas of our lives.
As I said, there are lots of benefits to welcoming animal guides and energy into our lives, as well as many ways to connect to and work with that energy.
In my new course, Animal Guides, we delve even deeper into this special bond. You’ll learn about the different types of guides you can work with, ways to connect, how to decipher their messages, and more.
Making sure we have healthy boundaries in our lives is crucial. If we don’t have the proper boundaries in place, we can find ourselves feeling drained, resentful, and stressed.
Here are 7 tips on how you can easily set boundaries, both in practical situations as well as energetically.
Literally speak it and claim it. Tell the Universe/God/Spirit, and yourself, what you’re willing to put up with and accept in your life and what you’re not willing to put up with.
Listen to your needs and honor them.
Visualize a protective bubble, wall, or barrier around yourself when going out into public or interacting with others.
Notice energy you might be picking up on that isn’t yours, name it and then release it.
Regularly cleanse your energy, whether by taking a cleansing shower or bath or by using essential oils and crystals.
Say no to things more often. This doesn’t make you selfish and you don’t owe anyone an explanation.
Remove yourself from people or places that drain you, or at the very least, limit your time in those situations.
For more detailed explanation and tips, check out the video below.
Sometimes you don’t have the money to buy the fancy ingredients needed for spells or to buy the nicest spiritual tool for your altar, and that’s okay!
Every now and then I’ll see some major shade and judgment thrown around online in regards to “cheap” tools to use in your spell work or practice. Sometimes referred to as Dollar Tree Witches.
In this YouTube episode (audio can also be found on The Goddess Life Podcast), I’m talking about this very topic. I use the analogy of preparing for and cooking a meal to preparing for a performing a spell.
Vampires are real. Maybe not the Anne Rice or True Blood vampires, but vampires nonetheless.
The vampires I’m talking about are psychic vampires, or energy vampires. These are people or spirits who intentionally or unintentionally siphon energy from others in order to feed their own energy.
When a psychic vampire is taking our energy we may find ourselves exceptionally tired, worn down, and irritable. We may even have weird dreams and physical symptoms.
But not to worry! There are some things we can do to strengthen ourselves and repel these energy vampires.
A strong aura or energy field is our first defense. By maintaining our own energy and keeping a strong aura, we can more easily prevent our energy from being drained.
Repairing or healing our aura and energy. Many things can cause “tears” in our energy field, including draining from vampires. This is why it’s important to patch up our auras and heal any spots that energy could be leaked from.
Regularly “shave off” unwanted energy and cut energetic cords.
Repel energy vampires with essential oils and herbs.
I recently felt like my energy was being depleted. I felt like my aura wasn’t as strong as it could be and that not only was my energy sort of leaking out of me, but I was leaving myself vulnerable to energy vampires.
I decided to create this spell/ritual to help strengthen and repair my aura while also repelling any potential vampires.
Check out the YouTube video below for a walk-through of this spell/ritual.
Rainwater is such a beneficial thing to incorporate into your spiritual and magickal practices. The uses for it are almost endless. Today I want to share with you why and how to collect rain water, how to properly store and label your water, and share 21 ways you can use this water in your practice.
Why Would You Want to Collect Rainwater?
Rain water has some serious energetic benefits to it. Depending on where and when we gather the rain, it can have different energetic properties. Water is a big energy conductor, so it only makes sense that it absorbs various energies around it that we can then utilize in our spiritual and magickal practices.
For instance, if you collect rain water from a lightning storm, not only does that water contain the element of water but it also contains the element of fire (from the lightning).
Depending on other factors, like the current moon phase or day of the week, can also contribute to the different energetic properties within the water.
So, by collecting the rain water and working with it’s energies, we can add more elements and properties to our daily life.
Not only can you collect rain water, but you can also collect water from streams, rivers, lakes, oceans, etc.
I do always suggest when collecting water, even the rain from your back yard, that you take a moment to offer a prayer of thanks to Mother Earth and Spirit. If collecting water from a body or source of water, you might even choose to leave an offering like a small crystal or stone.
Is Rain Water Safe?
There are some misconceptions to the safety of rain water. Really, rain water is pretty safe to consume or bathe in. There are some things to keep in mind though.
I suggest not collecting water that is falling off a building or roof as this will contaminate the water. Whatever is on that roof or building will enter into the water.
Do not collect your water from puddles or other areas that could be dirty or contaminated. This is also something to keep in mind if you’re collecting your water from a water source in nature.
If you gather your water off of trees or plant life, please be mindful of the plant. Not all plants are safe for us to ingest or put on our skin. If you’re gathering water from a plant, that plant matter could enter into the water.
I would suggest not gathering rain water (or any water for that matter) from highly polluted areas or areas of radiation (like Chernobyl).
And finally, some folks are concerned about the acidity of rain water. When they talk about the acidity of a liquid, they’re referring to anything lower than a ph of 7. Rain water typically has a ph level of 5.6 or 6. For comparison, orange juice has a ph level of 4. So in regards to acidity levels, you should be good.
How to Collect The Rain Water
The easiest way to collect rain water is to set your container out in the rain. I recommend using only glass, ceramic or wooden containers to collect your water and to store it. Metal has a lot of it’s own energetic properties and I personally feel that this interferes with the energies within the water. Plastic is pretty much just no good, and a lot of the chemicals in the plastic can seep into the rain water. Yuck.
How to Label and Store Your Water
We talked about how everything from the type of rain to location to moon phase can contribute to the unique energetic properties of the water. This is why it’s really important to label your container of rain water. Here are the things that I find helpful to include on the lable:
Time of day, date and day of the week
Moon phase and current moon sign
Location the rain was collected from
Type of rain (just rain, thunder storm, hurricane, etc)
The feelings the rain invoked within you (peace, clarity, self love, intuition, etc)
As for storing your water, you can keep it on your altar or in a cabinet. You may also choose to store it in the refrigerator. For longer storage, you can freeze the water.
The length of time that you can store the water before it loses it’s energetic properties varies on who you ask. I always say to use your intuition with this. If you go to use your water and it just doesn’t feel the same to you anymore, then don’t use it. Simply dispose of it outside.
The longest I hold onto rain or blessed water is roughly 30 days. Typically I try to use my water within the first week of collecting it.
21 Spiritual and Magickal Uses
And now, on to some ways to use your rain water. Really, the ways to use your water are almost endless. There are many more ways you can use this water that I haven’t included on this list. But here are 21 ways that I personally use the water or ways that I would use it.
You can also check out the YouTube video or listen on The Goddess Life Podcast (on iTunes and most podcasting apps) for more detailed info.
During the first week of August, my family and I took a road trip and vacationed in the South Brunswick Islands, staying in Ocean Isle Beach.
It was a ton of fun, but like most vacations, was over way too quickly. We took some time driving down to OIB to make some cool stops along the way and then we experienced lots of cool stuff while on the island.
I want to share with you a list of the things we saw and experienced in hopes of perhaps inspiring some fun stops for you on your next road trip or vacation.
A lot of this list includes cool nature spots, paranormal locations, and oddities but also includes “normal” road trip and vacation ideas.
We started our trip in Ohio where we live, making our way south. Here is a list I compiled of things we did and stops we made. I tried to make this list as close to the route we took as well as timeline of our trip, in case you’re traveling the same direction.
On the way down we made a stop at the Old City Cemetery & Museums in Lynchburg, Virginia. This place is amazing and I highly suggest making a trip out here sometime. This cemetery was established in 1806 and is on 27-acres of land. It has beautiful old tombstones as well as a plethora of gardens and plants. Something that makes this cemetery especially interesting are the small museums houses located on the property. They have a chapel & columbarium, pest house medical museum, station house museum, hearse house museum, and mourning museum. The pest house medical museum and the mourning museum were my favorites. Lots of death history here for you Death Positive folks and death history enthusiasts.
Pest House Medical MuseumAn old hearse at the Old City Cemetery
The Mourning Museum
While in Virginia we made a stop in Covington to see the Falling Springs Waterfall. This is a gorgeous 80 foot waterfall that can be seen from the roadside. They have a small picnic area, parking and viewing area which makes it really convenient for roadtrippers looking for a quick but interesting site to see. We went around sunset and it was just beautiful.
After night fell, and because we were out in the mountains and “middle of no where”, we made sure to pull off onto a small road to take a moment and enjoy the stars. I don’t recall exactly where we stopped off at, but anywhere really will do. As long as it’s away from city lights. Absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking moment seeing all of those stars. We even got to see a couple shooting stars!
Something pretty awesome that we got to drive past but didn’t really get to stop and experience (hopefully another day) was the Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia. This place looks freaking stunning!
We finally checked into our beachfront apartment in Ocean Isle Beach. This was our first time to this area, and we were not disappointed. Ocean Isle Beach is a great place for families and folks traveling without kids. I personally loved it because it has all of the amenities you could want, including a few beach shops, but without all of the touristy feel. We were traveling with our two kids, ages 14 and 7, and we were all sufficiently entertained on our trip without all of the tourist junk that a lot of beach vacations entail. It wasn’t super crowded either. Nothing worse than a crowded beach. I highly recommend checking out these islands.
The view from our home for the week
Ocean Isle Beach may not be a super touristy hot spot, but there are still all of your favorite beach activities to participate in. My husband and son went jet-skiing on the intra-coastal as well as taking a helicopter ride, we played putt-putt, ate ice cream on the pier, walked the beach at night, collected shells and sharks teeth, went boogie boarding, swimming, saw the sunrise over the ocean, shooting stars at night, and more.
While in Ocean Isle Beach, we took the OIB Ghost Walk. This walk is put on by a husband and wife who live on the island. They’ve also written a book about the hauntings of the area. It was only $10 per person and really didn’t entail much walking. It was pretty neat to be near the ocean and hear some ghost stories and history of the area. The only thing that was kind of a bummer was not really seeing many of the locations that they talked about in their stories. It was less of a ghost walk and more of hanging out near the ocean and hearing ghost stories. Which I’m totally cool with. But if you’re looking for more actual site-seeing of haunted locations, this might not be for you. Also! The tour is in the early evening and the mosquitos can be really bad so bring bug spray.
View of the intracoastal waterway at the end of our ghost walk.
While walking along the beach one night, my mother saw a ghost orb in the sky, not too far from where she was standing. I only wish I’d gotten to see it!
I’m a big fan of stopping off in random places while on vacation. Sort of just “seeing what you see”. My favorite is when you happen upon a cemetery. While driving through Sunset Beach I happened to see a small and old sign for Pleasant View Cemetery, so we turned down the sandy road to find a small cemetery. I do believe this cemetery is still in use today, and if you go to the cemetery please be courteous and respectful. I will say though that this was one of the spookiest cemeteries I have ever been to in my entire life. We all (my husband, mom, two kids and myself) felt like something was extremely “off” and felt very weird in that cemetery. I normally don’t get spooked by cemeteries, I actually find them quite peaceful usually. But this one has still stuck with me even a month later. I tried to find some history of the land or something to explain that feeling we all had, but so far I’ve been unable to come up with anything.
Not far from the cemetery is Gause Landing Road. This road has a lot of history as well as haunted claims of children laughing and playing in the trees. A lot of the roads lead off to private drives of homes so if you drive down this road, please be aware of private property. Even if you’re not into the whole haunted road thing, you won’t be disappointed by driving down this road. It’s really quite beautiful with old oak trees and Spanish moss.
One evening we went on a sunset cruise with Lighthouse Watersports. This isn’t your typical wine and dine, relaxing sunset cruise. This one had us getting sprayed by sea water and enjoying the sites. We even got to see dolphins! Our captain/guide was amazing. He is a lifelong resident of the area so he really knows his history and did really well pointing out all kinds of interesting facts and tidbits. This company also offers a kayak tour through the swamps. If we’re ever in the area again, we’re going to participate in that one for sure.
Wilmington, North Carolina isn’t too far from OIB so we decided to spend an afternoon there. We explored the USS North Carolina Battleship which was definitely a cool experience. This ship is loaded with history, and ghosts! Unfortunately we didn’t experience any paranormal activity on our self-guided daytime tour, but it was still pretty freaking cool. Make sure to wear good walking shoes as there’s lots of steps. I’m not a huge fan of small spaces, but I was able to do this tour. There were times that I did feel pretty dizzy and lightheaded though and had to take a moment to gather myself. My mom, who is extremely claustrophobic was not able to do the tour.
I basically fell in love with Wilmington and want to go back. It’s a gorgeous little city along the river. It’s full of history, charming historical homes, interesting shops and lots of restaurants. We didn’t get to spend too much time here, and there was lots more that I would want to check out. Maybe one day in the future!
Downtown Wilmington
While in Wilmington we ate dinner at Bourbon Street Restaurant. I thought it was really delicious and I loved the New Orleans vibe! We went during the day and it was kid friendly. Not sure if it becomes more suitable to adults only in the evenings or not.
One evening we drove about an hour south and met my husbands family (who were also on vacation) for dinner at Barefoot Landing. Barefoot Landing is in North Myrtle Beach and has lots of shops, restaurants, tourist stuff and music. We ate at River City Cafe which has tons of really tasty burgers (vegetarian and vegan options too).
One of my favorite crystal shops, Black Market Minerals, is located in Barefoot Landing. We made sure to make a stop in there where I picked up a few new crystal babies.
Before we knew it, our week was up and we were making our way back north. But first we stopped in Durham, North Carolina. This is such a cute little downtown area! We stopped in Durham so I could meet up with my friend lovely Rhonda, and also check out a crystal shop there. We met Rhonda and her husband for lunch at Bull City Burger & Brewery. Food was decent and they have vegetarian and vegan options.
Rhonda and I in front of Everyday Magic
While in Durham we of course had to take a stop into Everyday Magic! This is a stunning crystal shop and I honestly felt a little like a fan-girl being there, as I’ve been a huge fan/follower of Everyday Magic on Instagram for awhile. Gorgeous crystals and metaphysical supplies as well as fabulous staff.
All in all this was such a wonderful vacation and road trip. I consumed tons of yummy food, soaked up the sun, had lots of laughs, experienced new things, enjoyed some paranormal things, connected with nature and more. I would love to go back down to this area another time, perhaps staying at one of the other South Brunswick Islands.
All you ever wanted to know about pendulums! In this video, Cherise interviews Cory Gunn. Cory is a Wiccan practitioner, Sacred Duality Coach, Pendulum Reader and Card Slinger. And when it comes to pendulums, she’s the gal you want to connect with!
I’m basically obsessed with the YouTube channel, Ask A Mortician. It’s run by mortician, Caitlin Doughty. Caitlin has a realistic (and quirky) approach to the topic of death. Her channel is almost 500k subscribers on YouTube, so I know I’m not alone in my love of her and what she shares.
Along with her YouTube channel, Caitlin Doughty currently has two books she has written. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory and From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death.
I read both of these books and loved them!! Here is my review:
Do you love the content I produce? Head on over to Patreon and help contribute!
When we set goals, we can only assume that we will be thrilled and happy when we achieve said goals.
But what happens when we set a goal, start to see that goal manifest into our lives…and then freak out about it??
In this episode, we talk about that “freak out moment” that a lot of us experience when we see our goals becoming a reality. It’s in this moment that we can keep going, or we can succumb to the freak out and sabotage our goals.
Check out the video below (or find the audio over on The Goddess Life Podcast) and see how you can use that freak out energy to continue to propel yourself forward.
Come on over to Patreon and support The Goddess Life!
