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I’m so excited to introduce my new book, called “Cosmic Crystals: Rituals and Meditations for Connecting with Lunar Energy.” This is my fifth or sixth book… I’ve kind of lost count by now! It’s my second book being published with a large publisher. My other books before that were self-published.
So my first book was “Crystals for Energy Healing” and this book, “Cosmic Crystals“, is quite different. My first book was really more of a guide book or reference book to a hundred different crystals and their healing properties. It also included some more introductory information and how to use crystals for grids, elixirs, meditations, and crystal layouts.
My latest book, on the other hand, was born out of my personal work with crystals and the moon.
So for me, I started working pretty intensely with the energy of the moon a few years ago. I’ve always felt so connected and so drawn to the moon and working with lunar energy, but this was intensified when I went through a pretty serious illness and I had to have a hysterectomy. This was two weeks before my 29th birthday.
I was pretty young to have that procedure done, but I had some severe uterine fibroids. They were causing me tons and tons of pain and quite a lot of other health complications. After trying quite a few other things to get them under control, surgery was my next best option. So I spoke with other women who had had this procedure. I really did a lot of research online to understand how I might feel after the surgery – physically, but also emotionally. After doing this, I felt pretty prepared for it.
In all honesty, my husband and I decided a long, long, long time ago that we probably wouldn’t have children.
I was okay with that. But after the procedure, I was really shocked at how much grief I felt for that choice now that it’d been taken away. For some reason, it felt okay and it felt really empowering when it was 100% my choice, but when I didn’t have the option anymore, it just felt really strange. It felt like there was something that was being taken away from me.
It was a really strange combination of grief and anger and sadness, and it was really difficult to work through for me. It’s so strange to be talking about all of this because, at the time, I didn’t realize how much this would play into all of the work and the personal journey that I would be going through years later. I’m going to be 34 in just a few weeks, so it’s almost five years later at this point.
This personal journey really led me to try and understand my body more.
Now that I didn’t have a traditional moon time, I didn’t bleed anymore. But I still have my ovaries, so I still had all the other things that kind of accompany a moon time. However I found that I lost track of my own cycle and my body’s natural rhythm because I didn’t bleed. So often, you know, I’ll be wondering why I had a headache and felt kind of fuzzy or confused or was tired or why I felt really emotional. And then I started to realize, “Oh, I’m having my moon time.” and I just didn’t know or didn’t notice because I didn’t have the bleeding.
So I started working with the cycle of the moon as a way to track my own personal moon time and to help me get in touch with my body again. It was so strange, to be a person who had this experience each and every month and then to no longer have that. It made me feel really lost in terms of my body’s own natural rhythms and cycles. I felt so disconnected from myself physically.
On top of that, there was just a whole other layer of emotional grieving that was happening that I didn’t really expect because I felt disconnected from my sacred feminine.
I felt disconnected from my womanness. And that was something that was really unexpected for me. That was something I hadn’t really heard from anyone else I had spoken with before I had the procedure. No one else told me that they had experienced that. So not only was I feeling that way, but I was also feeling really isolated in those feelings. I was almost ashamed to reach out to people about it. Because in our modern spiritual movement, especially in women’s circles, there’s so much emphasis placed on our power as women, because of our womb space.
And here I was without that anymore. I no longer had a womb. It felt so strange to me to be lacking something that felt, in a way so important, but I knew I hadn’t really changed. I knew that wasn’t what made me feel connected to my feminine. But consciously and emotionally there were these obstacles and hurdles to overcome in my thinking about that.
My work with the moon really evolved from working with it as a way to track my body’s own rhythms and cycles, and to embrace the divine feminine in my own life.
It was through this work with the moon and with the lunar goddesses and with, of course, all of my lunar crystals, that really helped me reconnect to that part of myself again – that divine feminine part of myself – and find my own power again. In addition to this, it really helped me feel so much more in alignment with the cycles and rhythms and harmony of nature, and how we connect with nature.
Over the first couple of years of this work I did so much journaling, so much personal work with crystals and with herbs and with learning about the different moons of the year.
I was learning about how the moon goes through the different houses and what aspects and energies, and how all of these things weave together and influence us as people. In doing this, I realized that all the work that I was doing was something that yes, I was doing for myself at the time, but that it really should be shared. I put so many amazing pieces of a puzzle together and it was like something had really clicked inside of myself and felt so powerful and so good that I started working with these energies more deeply.
Before I created the book, I made my crystal moon mystic oracle deck.
This is an oracle card deck that goes through 39 different moons. You’re probably like, “Oh my goodness. How on earth are there 39 different moons?” Well, it has the 13 moons of the year, but there are three different versions of each of the 13 moons, so there’s a total of 39. So I go through the modern moons, the native moons, and the Celtic moons. I really dig into all of the symbolism and energies that are associated with each of those moons as well as the crystal that embodies the archetype of that energy.
I worked with this amazing artist, telling her all of the symbolism and the crystals and the different energies that I wanted represented in each of the cards. She would come back to me with some preliminary drawings and I’d suggest little changes and then she’d come back to me with the final images. So from that I created this oracle deck that has the 39 cards for these different moons.
There are also cards in that deck for the eight major moon phases, because as the moon goes from the new moon and waxes toward the full moon and wanes back toward the new moon, it creates a natural cycle of energy and embodies different qualities as it moves through each of the eight phases.
These cards were so important to me as a tool I could use to really understand these energies I was working with in a deeper way.
For me, this was kind of a natural tool to incorporate all of these different archetypal energies I had learned about in a way that I could use for looking forward and to what was yet to come. Also, for turning within and understanding what was happening within me in a deeper way. So fast forward just a little bit, I started to put together a little guidebook to these cards. After I had released the deck, I really wanted to describe what all of these cards were really about and what energies they embodied.
With the little guidebook that I started to create, I just couldn’t bear to cut any information from it. There was so much I had to say about this and so much I wanted to share. What ended up happening is I contacted my publisher from my first book, and I told them about this idea that I had. Instead of just making a guidebook to the cards, what I really wanted to do was write a book so that I could go in detail and in-depth about all of these moons and crystals that I had used to work with them, and then a little mini ritual for each.
So in my book, “Cosmic Crystals”, there are a few different sections…
We start with an introductory chapter, all about crystals and moon magic. So for those who might be beginners to crystals but really well versed in lunar energies, you’ll learn some new things about crystals. And for those of you who are crystal pros but you don’t have much experience working with the moon yet, you’ll learn a little bit about that.
Then I move into talking about crystals for the lunar cycle…
So here’s where I really dig deep into those eight moon phases. I talk about the energies associated with each, how the moon actually moves through these phases in its lunar cycle, and then the crystals that you can work with and how to actually work with them. So this isn’t just which crystals to use, it’s a step by step instruction for what to actually do with these crystals. And again, this is based on my own personal practice and my own journey with these crystals in the lunar phases.
So we go through the new moon, the waxing crescent, the first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent. And then it also talks a little bit about lunar eclipses, which are also known as blood moons, the black moon, micro moons and super moons, because we see these terms pop up all the time, right? If you are into this kind of new edgy stuff, and you’re on Instagram or Facebook or you read people’s blogs, you’re going to come across all these terms.
There are a few conflicting bits of information out there, and when I was doing my own research, and really trying to understand these, sometimes it would be a little confusing.
So I’ve really kind of clarified what all of these things are. And then for each of those eight moon phases, I talk about the crystals that you can work with for that moon. The keywords and energies that that moon embodies and then how to actually work with those stones in ritual. And this is the part that I think is the most fulfilling because when we can really take an active part in the process and in the journey, that’s where the magic happens, right? It’s one thing to read a book like this and acquire that knowledge and have it in your head. But when you put it into practice, that’s where the magic is.
The next section is all about crystals for the lunar zodiac…
So as the moon travels around the Earth, it passes through the area of each of the 12 zodiac constellations. While the moon is in each of those signs, it takes on that sign’s energetic qualities. Because the moon has such a strong influence on us, this lunar zodiac is really important for understanding a little bit more of the subtleties and what qualities the moon is taking on at that time.
So there’s an introduction to how this all works and understanding how that relates to your own moon sign. And how the moon being in different phases while it’s in the different constellations of the zodiac affects the energy. It’s really subtle in terms of its energy but complex in terms of the understanding and overview of how this all works. So I go through these 12 different zodiac signs and for each one, I give the dates when the moon is in that sign, the element that it’s associated with, the keywords and major energies that are present, the ruling planet and then I also give the crystals.
For example, right now we are in the time of the Scorpio moon…
So the Scorpio moon will last until November 22 while the moon is in Scorpio. During the Scorpio moon, transformation and change are on the horizon. This is a really powerful time for creating new habits in your life and for dissolving old patterns. And this is especially true for anything related to finances and relationships.
The ruling planet of the Scorpio moon is Mars, and some of the other keywords here are intuition, magnetism, passion, resourcefulness, trust, and truth. The crystals that you can work with during the time of this Scorpio moon are black obsidian, black opal, and jet. In the book, I do give a little ritual that you can do during the time of this Scorpio moon using these crystals. And of course, you’re welcome to substitute crystals that you feel drawn to as well. Because again, this is just kind of based on my personal practice.
So then we get into probably my favorite part of the book…
This part takes up around half of the pages in the book, the section on the 13 full moons of the year. So you’ve probably heard terms like the ice moon, or the strawberry moon, or the blood moon or the hunter’s moon or the harvest moon. Well, all of these names come from different cultures and traditions around the world. So I take these 13 moons of the year, I talk about why these are so important, and how we can work with their energies. And then I break them down into the 13 modern moons, the 13 native moons, and the 13 Celtic moons.
So the modern moons I’ve chosen because they’re moons that we still use the names of today…
They’re still very commonplace. They really come from all places across the globe, but many of them were related to agrarian societies, everything that was kind of done according to the seasons and cycles of the earth. And so these modern moons are names that you still see in places like the Farmers Almanac and in tons of people’s blogs and things like that. They’re also commonly used still in modern-day paganism or Earth-based spiritual practices.
Then we go into the 13 native moons…
The native moons are compiled mostly from the names that were most widely used among many Algonquin, North American tribes. But there are a lot of additional tidbits and pieces of information and archetypal energies that have been pulled in through the traditions of people across the Americas; so North America, Central America, South America.
And then finally we have the 13 Celtic moons…
These go back to the Olam. I think it was Robert Graves who first associated the Celtic Olam, which is the tree alphabet, with an actual annual calendar. And so there’s quite a bit of debate about whether or not they should be used, because there’s no true proof or evidence of a historical basis of this. However, they are still widely used. We know that the Olam has historical roots, but in terms of the relationship to the different times of the year and the calendar months, that’s not really grounded in any historical fact or evidence.
However, it is widely used in a lot of modern spiritual practices, particularly modern paganism, and druidism. So I have chosen to include this section because I think there’s so much goodness that we can tap into through this practice and make it our own modern practice.
And of course, there is a reason that there are 13 moons, even though there is only 12 months in the year.
It’s because we actually have 13 moons in a year, as that includes the blue moons. So, you’ll see blue moons listed for each of these as well. For our modern moon, our next full moon is actually coming up on November 12. So if you want to do these practices at the time of the full moon, that’s when this moon is really at its peak.
Moon names are often associated with the new moon of each of these months.
So the modern moon for November is the snow moon. And this is named for the time of year when the snow begins to fall. And actually here in Wisconsin, we’ve actually just gotten our first snowfall at the dark moon in Scorpio, right around the time of sullen.
So this is a really common name for this moon that you see across many different cultures and traditions. But it also has the name the white moon, which is actually the Chinese name for this moon. And it’s named the white moon again, because of its association with the snow. It’s also called the crone moon, the morning moon, and the tree moon.
I give some associations for different animals and colors, and deities, essential oils and herbs that you can work with by either incorporating them into the ritual that I’ve outlined or in some other way that just you feel called to do.
What I really want to focus on, of course, are the keywords and energies of this moon and the crystals associated.
So the keywords here are detachment, illumination, and spirituality. So you can kind of see how this might be related to snow. Snow is so pure and it’s kind of a blank slate. So this idea of detachment and being free from things and also illumination – think of how the sun can reflect off of a blanket of snow and be so bright. And then also spirituality, because of this pure energy that snow has. It really relates to our connection to spirit.
The crystals for the snow moon are clear quartz, Ethiopian opal, and selenite.
I go into why each of these crystals are connected with that particular moon, but I kind of want to share a little bit about the ritual here with you. So to connect with the snow moon, you’ll need a white candle. Set that up somewhere in a fireproof container in your sacred space. Then hold one of these crystals in your hands and just focus on the intention to connect to spirit. Set the stone near the candle, light the candle and focus on the flame.
Here we bring in that energy of illumination. Then you can close your eyes and allow any sensations or thoughts or feelings just to kind of leave you just to flow out of your body and really clear your mind. And then bring your attention to whatever remains, whatever that last thing is after you’ve cleared out all the mental clutter. This is the energy that you need to focus on during your time connecting with spirit. This is the thing that’s the most important right now.
So if we move to the native moon here, this is the beaver moon.
The beaver moon happens in November, so this is named for the time of year when traps were typically set to collect fur for winter clothing. Other tribes across the Americas have known this time as the fog moon, the frosty moon or the moon of storms because the weather really rapidly shifts this time of year from autumn to that very deep cold of winter. It’s also known as the moon when deer shed antlers, the Sasa frost moon, and the trading moon. So the keywords here are courage, ingenuity, and persistence, which are all related to the beaver and honoring the beaver.
Then there are the crystals associated, which are petrified wood, rainbow sheen obsidian, and shungite.
These are deep dark earthy crystals but also crystals that as much as they keep us grounded and protected, they also have the ability to connect us to the other world, so to the kind of darker realm. So to connect with the energy of the beaver moon and ritual, you can place some dried allspice, which is one of the herbs that connects to this moon, and a rainbow sheen obsidian stone in a small pouch. You can use this pouch to carry around these energies.
Tuck this into your pillowcase and before you go to sleep, set the intention to experience and remember a meaningful dream that will provide you with guidance about something that needs to be healed in your life. This takes courage and a little bit of ingenuity – both of which connect to this idea of the beaver moon.
Finally, this takes us to the Celtic moon for November, which is the reed moon.
This corresponds to the reed plant from the month of November and the Celtic Olam tree calendar. It’s connected to grounding, meditation, history, love, romance, the underworld, harmony, divination, honor, protection, and spirit guides, which really makes sense for this time of year as we enter the dark time of year.
It was also known as the dark moon, referring to the longer nights as the wheel of the year turns toward deeper winter. And another name was the mourning moon, this time with a ‘u’ meaning mourning the sadness of the previous year because the Celtic year ends in October and starts a new in November, so we mourn the end of another annual cycle.
It’s also sometimes called elm moon, the hearth moon, the nettle moon, or the rose moon. And the keywords that have to do with this moon are evolution, healing and life cycles. Remember, we’ve just turned that wheel of the year and we’re moving into a new year according to the Celtic calendar.
The crystals for this moon are bronzite, dravite tourmaline, and pietersite.
This time what I’d like to do instead of sharing the ritual with you is actually just tell you a little bit about why these crystals relate, just so you get a sense for the book. So let’s talk about bronzite first. This brown stone displays copper-colored, flashy flex, and it encourages a return to nature and nudges you to live in balance with its cycles. Bronzite helps you relax into the ebb and flow of the year and prepare for the darkness of winter. Take this time to retreat inward and focus on self-care. Let bronzite help you with deep healing.
Next, we have dravite tourmaline, which is also known as champagne tourmaline. This brown crystal is highly protective. It promotes healing of the physical body and balances the energy of the aura and chakra centers. Dravite tourmaline aligns the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies and it enhances your ability to connect with the healing energy of plants. It can also enhance studies related to herbalism and natural medicines. So as we go into this time of year of the dark and we’re focused on self-care, it may be a great time to focus on your studies of herbs.
The herbs associated with the reed moon, the Celtic moon of November are chamomile, nettle, and sweet birch.
Finally, we have pietersite. So this lesser-known stone from South Africa has a really intense energy that promotes the expansion of consciousness. Pietersite can be used to enhance meditation, astral travel, shamanic journeying, psychic readings, and other high vibrational work. So it’s the perfect crystal to use as we move into this time of the reed moon. We connect to the dark half of the year and turn into our connection with the underworld and our ancestors.
So that is a look for our upcoming full moon in November, happening November 12. I hope you found it interesting!
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