Grab a Broom and lets start cleaning! Today is about cleansing inside and out. Let go of and get rid of those things that no longer serve you and those negative things that keep us from moving forward.
Many Blessings,
Waya
Follow the Raven & Wolf:
The Universe is helping us continue down a better path. When we make mistakes.. and we will… the Universe will make sure it doesn’t last. Instead of being tortured by our mistakes for a long time.. those mistakes will come and go quickly til we finally find ourselves outside of those old habits.
Many Blessings,
Waya
Follow the Raven & Wolf:
Today I talk about releasing energy. Through the day we collect other energy that is not our own. The energy builds up and feels heavy within us. It’s hard to determine what energy is your own and what is from other sources. So many people going such big changes, the Universe is filled with some pretty heavy energy. Grounding, meditation and smudging are great ways to release it every day!
Many Blessings,
Follow the Raven:
Be sure to check out my Facebook Page for more videos, Spirit messages and even free readings!
Today Spirit gives us the message of release and ways to do that very thing. Over time so many things can attach to our Spirit which in turn clogs us up both physically and spiritually. Stress, fear, worry, doubt, pain, etc… these thoughts and emotions fill us without us even realizing how much they pile up and attach to our spirit. Because we can’t see them, we never know how much is there until we have the opportunity to release it all. Once there has been some kind of release, we then realize how much was there. It feels wonderful and is so healing to be able to let those things go, so find what calls to you and begin a new routine of letting go this New Moon.
Many Blessings,
Follow the Raven:
Be sure to check out my Facebook Page for more videos, Spirit messages and free readings even!
This New Year is even more special than most that have passed in that this year on the New Year we also have a New Moon.
The New Moon is a time of New Beginnings, a fresh start to take on new projects, new journeys and start new lives, traditions, new ways, new everything!
Cleanse yourself of the past and prepare for the days to come.
Here’s something you can do to help you bring things into focus at this time of a New YOU!
On two sheets of parchment paper you will make 2 lists:
The first list will be of all things you don’t want or no longer need in your life. Be specific!
The second list will be of things you want to keep in your life and things you would like to see coming into your life. Again, be specific. While writing these things out on your list be sure to visualize each of them coming into reality.
You will take the “Keep” list, roll it up, tie it with a ribbon, bless it and thank Spirit for being with you and place it in a safe place for the year.
You will then take the “Get Rid of” list and burn it in a fire. Watch that list burn and imagine all the things on that list burning out of your life with it. Be sure while you do these acts that you do them with love in your heart. You don’t want bad karma, mojo or intentions intertwined with your ceremony. Do all things with love. You don’t wish for bad to come to anyone or anything in your lists … you just no longer want or need them in your life so you should wish them away with love and kindness so that the parting be an easier transition for all who may be involved.
And as with all ceremonies you should take time to yourself to reflect, prepare and ground yourself before beginning. Cleanse the space, yourself, your mind and body before the ceremony. Close the ceremony with an offer of blessings to Spirit and all who may have been watching over you during the ceremony and for the year ahead.
Many Blessings,
Raventalker
click to enlarge
I thought I would share with you first a bit of history and then a ceremony you can do to welcome in the Celtic New Year.
First, here’s a bit of history:
Samhain (pronounced Sow-en), dates back to the ancient Celts who lived 2,000 years ago. Contrary to what some believe, is not a celebration of a Celtic god of the dead. Instead, it is a Celtic word meaning “summer’s end.” The Celts believed that summer came to an end on October 31st and the New Year began on November 1st with the start of winter.
At sunset on October 31, clans or local villages begin the formal ceremonies of Samhain by lighting a giant bonfire. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, and danced around the fire. Many of these dances told stories or played out the cycles of life and death or commemorated the cycle of Wheel of Life. These costumes were adorned for three primary reasons.
The first was to honor the dead who were allowed to rise from the Otherworld. The Celts believed that souls were set free from the land of the dead during the eve of Samhain. Those that had been trapped in the bodies of animals were released by the Lord of the Dead and sent to their new incarnations. The wearing of these costumes signified the release of these souls into the physical world. Not all of these souls were honored and respected. Some were also feared as they would return to the physical world and destroy crops, hide livestock or ‘haunt’ the living who may have done them wrong.
The second reason for these traditional costumes was to hide from these malevolent spirits to escape their trickery.
The final representation was a method to honor the Celtic Gods and Goddesses of the harvest, fields and flocks. Giving thanks and homage to those deities who assisted the village or clan through the trials and tribulations of the previous year. And to ask for their favor during the coming year and the harsh winter months that were approaching.
Now that you have a little bit of history… here’s something you can do yourself to celebrate the Celtic New Year and cleanse yourself of the past and prepare for the days to come.
On two sheets of parchment paper you will make 2 lists:
The first list will be of all things you don’t want or no longer need in your life. Be specific!
The second list will be of things you want to keep in your life and things you would like to see coming into your life. Again, be specific.
You will take the “Keep” list, roll it up, tie it with a ribbon and place it in a safe place for the year. You will then take the “Get Rid of” list and burn it in a fire. Watch that list burn and imagine all the things on that list burning out of your life with it. Be sure while you do these acts that you do them with love in your heart. You don’t want bad karma, mojo or intentions intertwined with your ceremony. Do all things with love. You don’t wish for bad to come to anyone or anything in your lists … you just no longer want or need them in your life so you should wish them away with love and kindness so that the parting be an easier transition for all who may be involved.
And as with all ceremonies you should take time to yourself to reflect, prepare and ground yourself before beginning. Cleanse the space, yourself, your mind and body before the ceremony.
Many Blessings,
Raventalker
Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to get to you? It feels that everything that got added to your to-do list was a burden and with each task you felt more and more weighed down. You can feel the negativity building inside you. How do you get past this and how do you clear yourself of this bad energy?
I use a few techniques:
Smudge – Smudge is a mixture of herbs that are used just for their properties of clearing away bad or negative energy. You light them and let them smolder.. swirling the smoke around your space.. clearing away all that mad mojo.
Light a Candle – As I light the candle I imagine all the negativity inside and around me burning away and as the candle burns it continues to burn away all that bad, icky stuff.
Meditation – Take a few deep breaths… close your eyes… let go of everything … imagine all good energy taking over as you breathe in and all bad energy leaving you as you exhale.
Step Outside – Nature is a great way to get away from bad energy… just stepping out onto the ground – taking in fresh air can be very helpful.
If none of the above work… SCREAM! LOL… seriously if you are able to do it .. sometimes a good shout out can release you from all that pent of negativity.
Many Blessings,
Raventalker
I love it when I go into meditation and a ceremony takes place that I get to experience. This morning as I began my meditation I felt the presence of my grandmother right away. Quickly I was thrust into a ceremony with a group of elder women. I’ll share with you my experience now:
I found myself in my traditional natural fiber ceremonial clothing, a lightweight linen in natural color. I will refer to the elder women from here on out as “grandmothers”. One grandmother was brushing my hair, while another two were rubbing down my arms, hands, legs and feet with an ointment or oil. A fourth grandmother was speaking, telling me what was going on and doing energy work as the other 3 grandmothers continued their physical work on me. They were preparing me for the ceremony. One does not just go into ceremony without first being cleansed and prepared.
I was full of questions and they told me to be quiet. They told me I must quiet my mind and body as they continue their work. So I did my best to let them do what they needed to do, however curious my mind was and no matter how badly I wanted to question everything that was happening.
One grandmother was working on my feet and it reminded me of Peter Pan, when Wendy was trying to sew his shadow to the bottom of his feet. The grandmother that was working on my feet must have known my thoughts, for she spoke and told me that she was preparing me for a new journey. It looked and felt as if she was spiritually sewing new soles onto the bottom of my feet. It seemed like this took her forever to do.
Once they were done rubbing my legs and arms with the oil, I was layed down on a solid surface. One grandmother worked on my hands while the other continued working on my feet. The grandmother that had been brushing my hair is now working on my head and has layed a couple of coin looking medallions over my eyes. They were cold like coins but not made of metal. I’m not sure what they were made of, but they were hand carved and made for the sole purpose of giving one new vision. The fourth grandmother continued to talk to me as she did energy work over my entire body.
Suddenly I am transported to many places. It looks like the world keeps shifting around me as I visit various places. The first was the base of a mountain, then to a waterfall. I wanted to get up and explore but they knocked me back down. The grandmother at my feet said to the others, you are right this one is very impatient. Relax child, this journey is not like the many you have had before. You must lay still to experience this one. Oh, how hard it was to lay there with all of this going on around me. I found it so hard to focus as everything continued to change. Just as I would see clearly the world around me, it would change into something else. From the waterfall, I was transported to the seaside. It was cloudy and cold as if I were somewhere in Europe, very rocky and the waves were crashing into the beach and onto the rocks. I was then sent to a hillside where I could see over the ocean and the grandmothers continued their work.
Then I was shown the standing stones. I felt the energy from each. All similar but different. I was shown one place that was grand. Very tall stone structure that symbolized a city. It was a very large, massive scaled version of a city or meeting place. I then saw as the structure fell and the stones scattered. I saw people taking stones away and placing them all over the Earth. I questioned about the stones not being ridged, since they had fallen it seemed like they should have had sharp edges, but they all seemed far too smooth to have just fallen. I was then shown that they were once underwater after they had fallen. They were under that water for a long time before they were then moved. The water flowing over them for so many years was what gave them their new shapes. I was shown the stone people.. they were the guardians of the city and they wrapped around it in protection. I was shown people over the years gathering at the different stone areas of the world. Only a few really felt the true energy of the stones. Many gathered, but most were unaware of their true purpose or energy. These were seekers that were not ready for that kind of understanding. Those that are ready will soak up the energy like a sponge but say nothing or at least very little of their experiences for the experience alone were too intricate to describe with words. The experience for those were also so very personal, many not fully understanding it themselves. Left not knowing how to begin to tell their own stories.
This is how my meditation, my experience this morning ended. I am full of questions, but also an understanding and a knowing of something new to me. I feel there will be more to this journey… but for now I must be patient and wait until it is time for the next chapter to be revealed.
Many Blessings,
Raventalker
There’s nothing quite like clearing the air. It’s something that has been done for many thousands of years by many cultures. Herbal concoctions of preference mixed together and then set on fire and and allowed to smolder.. releasing the herbal incense into the air.
This practice is most commonly known as smudging. Any herb can be added to the mix, some use specific herbs for their healing properties and others are chosen by the scent that they release. The purpose is to cleanse. Cleanse the air, cleanse objects and tools and to cleanse the soul.
I remember when I first began smudging, thinking back…. I was doing what I had been told by the elders … just following the rules that had been taught to me. I understood the reasons for the smudge but did I feel its effects? Hmmmmmmmmmmm. I’m not quite sure I fully felt it at that time. It was more of a “well this has got to be done first .. so I’m doing it”. I had faith that it was doing what it was suppose to do and thought no further about the process.
Taking a moment to step back into my memories of previous smudge events .. I do recall feeling lifted, more at peace and more capable, if that is the right word, to carry on what I was smudging for to begin with. I also recall attempting particular purpose without smudging first and I would always stop.. grab some smudge and then carry on with my purpose. It just felt wrong to me if I did not smudge first.
I was smudging just a few minutes ago, which is what brought this blog post into light to begin with. The entire act, from gathering my herbs to lighting them on fire, watching them smolder and taking in that ever so familiar smell, made me feel lighter inside and out. It’s something that is quite hard to explain really. It’s a feeling, like I said that comes from the inside and continues to fully envelope your entire being. A balance or grounding effect takes place and… well…. you just feel more centered.
I have no idea who or where this practice truly began, but what I do know is that it will always be something I do. The feeling it brings is something I am honored to experience.
Many Blessings,
Raventalker
The Healing Path of the Raven & Wolf 