• FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET

    I originally wrote this for Patreon on July 8th 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3

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    I’ve been up and down emotionally a lot lately (probably because I’m coming up on my period) so the other day I took a bath for some self care time and to release negativity. Anything you do for yourself and for your happiness is always wonderful, but when you can include ritual that’s even better (in my opinion)! I wanted to share this with you guys because it helps me feel 1000x better after a really shitty day.

     Self care bathtime ritual:

    • Set aside at least 30 minutes to an hour for yourself when you won’t be disturbed
    • Gather anything you would like with you while you’re in the bath: candles, incense, crystals, soft meditative music, a glass of water/tea, a good book
    • Draw your bath. If you have them, put some some epsom salts and essential oils in (lavender is great for relaxation!), or a bath bomb, flower petals, or bubble bath
    • If applicable, light your candles and/or incense, arrange your crystals, place your glass of water/tea and book within arms reach of where you’ll be in the tub
    • Get in and relax for at least 10-15 minutes either doing nothing, leisurely reading, or meditating. For meditating, I like to lay all the way in the water so that everything but my face is submerged and listen to my heartbeat underwater. I take deep breaths in rhythm with my heartbeat, keeping each inhale and exhale the same number of beats and trying to lengthen my breaths. Inhaling counting 5 heartbeats, exhaling counting 5 heartbeats. Inhaling counting 6 or 7 (or more) heartbeats, exhaling counting the same number of heartbeats. If I want to meditate with my crystals I pick one up and look at every part of it, noticing the colors, textures, the way it feels in my hand, the weight of it, if it reflects anything, or seeing if there are any rainbows inside. I’ll do this with each one in turn, seeing how they make me feel and letting my mind become quiet as I focus on my senses of vision and touch.
    • Once you’re in a calm relaxed state, either happy and content (or at least neutral), think of things you would like to release and let go of. What would you like to cleanse from your life?
    • Cup your hands together so they create a bowl shape and use your hands to bring water to your face. Run your hands from your face, up past your temples, up over and down the back of your head, down your shoulders, chest, and thighs.
    • Say to yourself either out loud or in your mind (I prefer to say it out loud because it’s more powerful) “I release *insert that which you would like to let go of* from my life. I allow this water to cleanse me of that which no longer serves me.”
    • Cleanse yourself this way as many times as you want or need to, or for however many things you’d like to release. Examples of things I cleanse myself of: negativity, self-doubt, comparing myself to others
    • I suggest meditating after cleansing yourself, a lovingkindness meditation would be a wonderful meditation to start with.
    • When you are ready to get out, unplug the drain but stay in the bath. As the water drains, visualize all of that which you want to release and let go of going down the drain with the water. Watch as all negativity, self-doubt, and comparison disappear down the drain.

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    I’ve added 2 videos showing a couple of the crystal grids I’ve used for bathtime rituals. I’ve also added 17 fun boomerangs I took after a recent bath… lots of booty boomerangs! Make sure to check those out. =]

    All members have access to this complete 27 image film photoset by clicking here, the 20 image digital photoset by clicking here, the 22 image Instax nudes set from an NC mountain trip by clicking here, bathtime crystal grids videos by clicking here, and post bath boomerangs by clicking here.

    Not a member? Click here to sign up for instant access!

  • FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET

    I originally wrote this for Patreon on February 25th 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3

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    This week’s photoset was taken by Takama Photo (formerly known as Marc Andre Photo), a talented and engaging photographer local to Charlotte. He told me to bring anything I might want to shoot with, so of course I brought a couple of my skulls and some of my crystals and they made it into a few of the photos. Marc got some fantastic light in the studio and I really love these images. I’m excited to share them with you, I hope you guys like them as much as I do!

    Last week’s post about crystal grids has me wanting to share how to cleanse them. There are many different ways to cleanse crystals, so you can choose which way (or ways) work best for you. Why should you cleanse crystals? Crystals not only send out their own individual energies but they soak in energies as well. When you use crystals in a grid, for energy healing, or any other purpose, it’s best to cleanse them first so that they don’t have any unwanted negative energy in them. How often should you cleanse crystals? Right after you acquire them, before using for ritual or healing, and every so often at whatever frequency you feel is best based on how often you use them.

    -Ways to cleanse crystals-

    -Set them in a windowsill or outside during a full moon
    -Waft sacred smoke over your crystals
    -Bury them in the earth, either straight into the earth or you can wrap them in cloth before you bury them
    -Use reiki energy to cleanse your crystals
    -Use other crystals that have already been cleansed, such as surrounding your crystals with quartz points or placing them on an amethyst druze
    -Bury them in a bowl of flower petals. The petals you choose have their own energy, so you can choose petals based on what energy you would like to immerse your crystals in (rose for love, lavender for healing and relaxation, etc)
    -Use nearby sound vibrations, such as Tibetan or crystal singing bowls
    -Set them in a windowsill or outside in the sun (not all crystals should be cleansed this way, some will fade from sunlight such as amethyst, citrine, and rose quartz, so make sure your crystal can be in sunlight before you use this method)
    -Run water over your crystals (water can badly damage or ruin some crystals such as selenite, malachite, and desert rose, so make sure your crystal can handle water before you use this method)

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    Check out the videos folder for 3 new aerial silks videos!

    I’ve also added a practice/preliminary positive affirmations video. Honestly I hesitate to upload it because it’s not what I want the final video to be like, but since I have it I might as well share it. I had a few minutes and wanted to see how long it would take for me to read out all the positive affirmations I had written down. The message and feeling in it is exactly what I want but for the real video I plan on it being different visually, not just me sitting talking into the camera. What do you think?

    All members have access to this complete 36 image photoset by clicking here.

  • FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET

    I originally wrote this for Patreon on February 18th 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3

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    I am so excited to share this set with y’all! It was not planned at all, but somehow the very best of everything seems to always happen when there’s no plan for it.

    I went to my parents’ house to meet up with a model and shoot because my parents are awesome and the house is really pretty….. but the model never showed up. I was a little upset at first but not for long because I decided I was going to make art anyway. I took self portraits with the help of my mom!! <3 <3 <3 The first half of the shoot I had the camera on my tripod and I set up the shot and the focus and everything, got into position, and had her click the shutter when I was ready. The second half of the shoot we put the tripod away and she took the photos! She shot a pack of Instax too! The shoot took a couple hours because I would set up a crystal grid, set up the camera, take a few photos, and then break down the grid, set up another one, take some photos… the process was really fun, creative, and rewarding. And I always love spending time with my mom, she’s one of my very best friends.

    Not only is this set special to me because I created the images with my mom, it’s also special because we incorporated crystal grids! I have always loved crystals and stones and have been collecting them since I was little. I love making crystal grids, meditating with crystals, displaying them in our house, using them to send positive healing energy to others when they are not physically here, collecting them, looking at them….. ahhh I love crystals!

    -Into to crystal grids-

    A crystal grid is an arrangement of crystals, usually in a geometric pattern (most often sacred geometry), created with a specific intention in order to direct energy toward manifesting a goal. Individually, crystals have their own energies and power, and when combined with other crystals in a grid, their energies combine and strengthen your intention, sending that energy out into the universe. You can make a crystal grid to help you sleep, to attract wealth and abundance, to assist in healing… whatever your intention is you can create a crystal grid to enhance it.

    There are many different ways of creating crystal grids, and not one specific way is the ONLY way to create one. The best way to make a crystal grid is to follow your intuition and do what feels best for you.

    -Basics of setting up a crystal grid-

    1- Cleanse the area where you’ll be creating your grid. You can use sacred smoke, reiki, or whatever you prefer to cleanse an area.

    2- Choose your intention, what do you want this crystal grid to do for you? Enhance peace & happiness? Attract wealth & abundance? Assist in healing? You may want to write your intention on a piece of paper or keep it in your mind while you set up and activate your grid.

    3- Choose crystals that work for your intention, make sure they are cleansed.

    4- Choose a place for your grid. You want it to be somewhere that the crystals won’t be disturbed. Maybe on a table, on a tray (so you can move it to different rooms in your house), or maybe even in a special place outside. You can even make or purchase a sacred geometry grid layout made of wood or fabric (like these here and here).

    5- Arrange your crystals in a pattern that feels right for you. If you wrote your intention down on a piece of paper, fold it up and put it in the center of your grid. Some people like to place their center/master/focus stone in the grid first (it has a lot of names), and some people like to place it last. Most grids are circular with the center/master/focus stone in the center and all the other stones around it, but your grid doesn’t have to be circular if that doesn’t feel right for your intention. Do what feels right to you! <3

    6- You can arrange other special/magical objects in and around your grid, such as feathers, bones/skulls, oracle/tarot cards, etc to enhance it and its energy.

    -Activating your grid-

    Take a few deep breaths, focusing on your breathing and letting go of any excess thoughts. Hold your intention in your mind. Using a clear quartz crystal or crystal wand, hold it over each crystal and imagine it awakening and activating each crystal’s energy. Use the quartz or wand to “connect the dots” between each crystal and visualize them connecting energetically to amplify your intention. Some people like to “connect the dots” from the outside in, some like to do it from inside out, some like to do it clockwise… whatever feels right to you. If you have time, meditate in front of your grid for a few minutes while continuing to hold your intention in your mind. Visualize the energy of the crystal grid flowing up and out into the universe. Meditate with your grid every day if you can, and keep the grid set up for at least a couple of weeks, but a month or more is even better. Reactivate it whenever you feel it needs it, maybe every other day, every week, or every couple weeks.

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    Looks like I need to make another post about how to cleanse crystals and how to choose crystals based on their energetic properties/which ones are used for love, abundance, protection, etc. I’ll do that soon!

    I haven’t forgotten about making the positive affirmations/meditation/metaphysical videos! I haven’t had time this week to make a good video but that’s coming soon! I have some ideas I want to try…  =]

    Ok now it’s time for photos!! <3

    All members have access to this complete 36 image film photoset by clicking here.

    All members have access to the complete 10 image Instax photoset by clicking here.

  • FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET

    I originally wrote this for Patreon on January 28 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3

    ———-

    Let’s talk about mantras and positive affirmations this week! As a recap, here are the definitions:

     Merriam-Webster’s definition of mantra: a sound, word, or phrase that is repeated by someone who is praying or meditating // a word or phrase that is repeated often or that expresses someone’s basic beliefs

    Merriam-Webster’s definition of affirmation: a solemn and often public declaration of the truth or existence of something

    I’ll start with mantras, which have been around for thousands of years (since the Vedic period, 1500-500 BC). There are many ancient mantras in Sanskrit, some of which call upon Hindu deities, and all of which assist in awareness, mindfulness, intention, and raising your level of consciousness. Chanting mantras over and over allows your mind to become quiet and focus solely on the sounds and vibrations of the mantra. Once your mind isn’t thinking you’re able to feel the space where the mind is silent, allowing you to connect to your true inner self.

    The most well-known mantra is “Om” (said like aum or ohm), which represents everything, the entire universe. It is believed to be the first sound the universe made when it was created, the original vibration. Chanting Om while meditating alters your consciousness and allows you to transcend to a higher state.

    Another well-known mantra is “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha” which translates roughly to “Invocation to Ganesh, who is the remover of obstacles, who guards the doorway to the enlightened realms. His blessings are essential for good beginnings.” or more simply “The devotee bows/offers salutations to Ganesh/the Lord of the World.” This mantra calls upon Lord Ganesh, who is best known as the “breaker of obstacles.” This mantra assists in releasing blocked energy in your physical, mental, and emotional bodies.

    “Om Namah Shivaya” is another Sanskrit mantra which is interpreted as bowing or honoring your true highest self.

    Positive affirmations are very similar to mantras but are actually quite different. They were developed by neuroscientists in the 1970’s as a type of neuro-linguistic programming. People repeat positive affirmations in order to change their perception of their circumstances and the way they feel about themselves. Increasing positive thoughts and decreasing negative ones allows you to achieve success and happiness. For instance, someone who is very anxious and timid can say positive affirmations such as “I am brave, I am strong, and confidence comes naturally to me” to re-wire their brain to allow them to become brave, strong, and confident. Have you heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy or the law of attraction? Our beliefs influence our actions, so if you repeat to yourself every day that you are happy, creative, and loved, then you will become happy, creative, and loved!

    Some of the positive affirmations I say every day are:

    I am joyous in all that I do
    I laugh every day
    I am motivated and work toward my goals every day
    I spend quality time with quality people
    I spend quality time with myself
    I am strong of mind, body, and spirit
    I make time for yoga every day
    I am a money magnet and I attract wealth and abundance
    I am a world traveler
    I nourish my body with healthy food
    I let go of that which no longer serves me
    I make room for growth and change
    I am receptive to messages from the universe
    I learn something new every day

    Positive affirmations can be whatever you want or need in your life, just make sure it is positive and in the current tense. For instance, if you hate your job, don’t say “I hate my job so I’m finding a new one,” say “I’m attracting the perfect job for me.”

    Do you use mantras and/or positive affirmations? Do you want to? I’d love to hear about it!

    I saw these sunflowers at the store the other day and HAD to get them, sunflowers are my absolute favorite! The cats were interested in them too, look for a bunch cat-photobombed photos. I have a couple of sets by myself with the sunflowers that I’ll post soon. First I want to show you the self portraits that I took with Marianna Lane!

    Antisocialdisposition is wonderful and sometimes takes the time to model with me even when he’s swamped with electrical engineering schoolwork. There are totally butt grabs, giggles, and kisses happening in this set.

    All members have access to this complete 45 image photoset with Marianna Lane by clicking here.

    All members have access to this complete 58 image photoset with Antisocialdisposition by clicking here.

  • FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET

    I originally wrote this for Patreon on January 22nd 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3

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    Happy weekend! From last weekend’s poll it looks like y’all are most interested in meditation, mantras, and positive affirmations. That’s exciting for me because these are some of the things I already know a lot about! Other topics (like Reiki and numerology) I am very interested in and will have to do more research and reading to learn it so that you can learn with me!

    I lumped together meditation, mantras, and positive affirmations in the poll because they can all go hand-in-hand (but don’t necessarily have to). As an introduction I’ll give you the dictionary definitions:

    Merriam-Webster’s definition of meditation:
    -to engage in contemplation or reflection
    -to engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness
    -to focus one’s thoughts on :  reflect on or ponder over
    -to plan or project in the mind

    Merriam-Webster’s definition of mantra: a sound, word, or phrase that is repeated by someone who is praying or meditating / a word or phrase that is repeated often or that expresses someone’s basic beliefs

    Merriam-Webster’s definition of affirmation: a solemn and often public declaration of the truth or existence of something.

    You can tell that they work well together already, can’t you? Mantras and positive affirmations can easily be integrated into meditation but can be used on their own as well. I’ll share some of my mantras and positive affirmations with you later on in another post. But first! I want to talk about meditation.

    I’ve taken meditation classes, my mom teaches meditation, and I do a type of meditation daily while I’m driving to and from work (yes, while driving safely!). I want to spend more time in deeper meditation than what I currently do but it’s hard to make the time to do it. I need to remind myself that I don’t need 30 minutes or an hour set aside every day for meditation, 5 or 10 minutes is also just as good, and is certainly better than nothing. My mom says that if you can’t find 5 minutes in a day to meditate, then you really need an hour. Meditation is cumulative, every time you do it adds to your total time in meditation and the more you do it, even if it’s just 5 minutes a day, the easier it is to get into a meditative state.

    There are hundreds and thousands and probably millions of different ways to meditate. I know that when most people think of meditation they think of the classic sitting cross-legged with your eyes closed and holding your hands just right type of meditation. Yes, that is one way to meditate, but what if you’re someone who has bad hips or knees or a bad back? That would not be comfortable at all, and if you’re in pain or uncomfortable then you’re not meditating, you’re thinking “when do I get to move so that this doesn’t hurt anymore?” Meditation can be done sitting on the floor, sitting on a chair, laying down, standing up, walking, driving, doing dishes, whatever you can do while clearing your mind or focusing your mind on only one thing. Obviously if you’re going to be meditating while driving (like I do on the way to and from work) it won’t be as deep of a meditation because you still have to pay attention to the road and all of your surroundings. There is a way to drive safely while “auto-piloting” and focusing your mind and thoughts. I want you to know that if one meditation doesn’t work for you, don’t worry, that doesn’t mean that you can’t meditate, that just means you should just try something else next time.

    Basics of meditation:

    -get comfortable (but not TOO comfortable, you don’t want to fall asleep, unless you really need sleep then go ahead and take a nap and meditate later)
    -focus on your breathing
    -clear your mind, focus on one thing
    -if a thought comes, acknowledge it and let it go

    You may have to experiment to see what works best for you. Do you like having incense? Background music? Candles? Do you like creating a crystal grid and sitting in the middle of it? Do you like meditating sitting on a cushion on the floor, sitting on a chair, or laying down? Do you meditate better in the morning, afternoon or evening? Do you like setting a timer so you don’t have to worry about what time it is or how long you’ve been meditating? Do you like movement in your meditation, such as lightly swaying back and forth, toe-tapping, or walking? Do you like the simplest meditation where you just focus on your breath, or do you prefer using a mantra, or do you do best with a guided meditation? What works well for one person might not work at all for someone else. Experiment to find what works best for YOU.

    There are some great meditation apps that have soothing music, timers, and even guided meditations. One I’ve tried and liked is “Insight Timer.”

    I will share more meditations with you in another blog post, but let’s start out with a basic meditation where you focus on your breath. Read the following paragraph and then hold the questions and suggestions in your mind while you meditate for at least five minutes.  Maybe set a timer so that you don’t have to look at the clock.

    Find a comfortable seat. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and let it all out through your mouth with a sigh. Continue breathing deeply through your nose. Feel your breath in your lungs, your belly, your nostrils. Feel that the air is cool when you breathe it in and how it’s warmer when you breathe it out. Listen to how your breath sounds. Can you hear/feel your heartbeat? Can you make your inhales the same length as your exhales? Can you make each breath longer? Imagine the air as a color coming into your nostrils, swirling as it reaches your lungs, and imagine it dissipating as you breathe it out. If a thought comes to you, acknowledge it and let it go. Your thoughts will still be there waiting for you when you’re finished. Do you feel more calm and relaxed?

    Let me know if you’re able to try this breathing meditation, I’d love to hear how you feel about it! Have you meditated before now? Did you like it? Why or why not?

    Would you like it if I made some guided meditation videos?

    And now for some self portraits! There are also 2 new aerial silks videos! I’m honestly a little embarrassed at how weak I’ve become since I got wrist drop at the end of May (not from doing silks) and haven’t been able to go back regularly until now. BUT! I’m sure my muscle memory will help a lot and since I’ve built the muscle and strength before I know I can do it again. I’ll just not look as cool doing silks for a little while until I get back into shape. It shouldn’t take way too long though because I’m going at least twice a week again! Yay! <3

    All members have access to this complete 80 image self portrait photoset by clicking here.

  • FREE ARCHIVED BLOG & PHOTOSET

    I originally wrote this for Patreon on January 1st 2017. I no longer use Patreon and have replaced it with my website (here) but thought I would share some of my old blogs with you for FREE to show my appreciation for you visiting my website! <3

    ———-

    First post of 2017! Thanks for sticking around, it means so much to me!

    I’ve been thinking a lot lately about where I would like to go with Patreon and what changes I can make to expand my creativity and my knowledge of the metaphysical and share as much of it as possible with you.

    I’m still mulling over some ideas but would love to hear your input! Would you be interested in different kinds of rewards? Postcard sets, sticker sets, ask me anything videos once a month, monthly one on one Skype hangouts? Please let me know your thoughts! I’m all ears. =]

     And because I love lists…  Intentions for this year:

    More traveling
    More artistic collaborations
    Learning more about everything metaphysical
    Go back to aerial silks
    Spend more time creating and less time on the computer
    Save up as much money as possible and buy a van before the end of the year (to build it into a campervan next year!)

    What are your intentions for this year?

    TODAY (April 7 2020) is a full moon, so here’s a full moon ritual I shared on my patreon back in January 2017!

    ::Full moon ritual::

    On the night of the full moon (or as close to it as you can get), think about what you would like to end, to get rid of, to let go, to release. What no longer serves you? What is weighing you down? What is in excess that you need to shake off in order to be lighter (not only physically lighter, but emotionally & spiritually)? Write down all of those things that you want to end. Make a list, write a letter, stream of consciousness, word vomit on a piece of paper, a napkin, the back of an envelope, whatever you have. Get a lighter or matches or whatever you want to use to create a fire. Take your paper/napkin/envelope and your lighter/matches outside (if there’s no fire ban in your area, please be safe, no forest fires!). Think about all those things you want to end, to let go of, to release. Light your list of all of those things and while it burns, imagine them ending, leaving, drifting away with the tiny pieces of paper that scorch and burn and disappear. Take a deep breath and let it out, all the way out. Feel yourself become lighter as those things that no longer serve you float away into the dark sky to never return.

    All members have access to this complete 104 image self portrait photoset by clicking here.