It’s more than just plopping a crystal on your nightstand

Steps to carefully select and work with the crystal that’s right for you

It’s the third week of the month which means I am writing about crystals! In the context of the Brow Chakra month, I will share with you tips to intuitively choose crystals that can work with your vibes and help you on your spiritual journey.

I carry a small amount of crystals for sale in my healing centre.  People often come looking for a specific crystal because they have read in a book that the crystal could help with such-and-such an issue. Newbies to crystal work might even believe that placing a crystal in a certain area of their home or on their bodies might be sufficient to heal specific issues. People working with the brow chakra, for instance, might be looking for amethyst, clear quartz and lapis lazuli.  (I do have a few nice specimens waiting to find a home!)

But I’m not a “by-the-book” kinda gal.  I don’t believe that because an author says that you should work with a specific crystal means that it’s right for you.  There are many generalizations and assumptions in books.  You are not a general assumption - you are a unique soul with a unique vibe, and it’s best to find out what works best with you, specifically.  Use the books as general guidelines, but trust your intuition in making your selection.

While it is true that the vibes of crystals can help enhance certain areas of your body-mind-spirit personal vibes, nothing replaces inner work.  Moreover, I learned through experience that crystals are a bit like people, or pets, in the sense that each crystal has its unique frequency or personality.  Not all chunks of amethyst or clear quartz are calibrated to work with your vibes.  It’s important to find the right crystal that can best work for you, in your particular issue.  It’s even more important to go to the root of the issue for greater healing and increased awareness.

For example, someone might want to work on opening up their Third Eye and increase clairvoyant abilities.  But even if the “want” is there, this person feels fearful.  The fear might be rooted in a lack of skills pertaining to grounding and protection.  Or it might be rooted in adopted social negative beliefs about people who are psychic.  Either way, the Third Eye will not open up until the root issues are healed.  Stare at Amethyst all you want.  It’s just not happening.

Ugh.  That means finding inner peace or increased financial flow is not as simple as plopping a crystal on your nightstand.  There’s work involved.  So what are the guidelines?

1. Go within to find what aspect of your life you would like to enhance.  Do you want to increase your Love magnetism?  Increase psychic abilities?  Find forgiveness?  Feel grounded?  Increase prosperity?  Clearly define what you truly want.  Then ask yourself why this is what you truly want?  What is the core feeling or value behind this want?  Is there a hurt behind this?  Or social pressure, or a sense of accomplishment or peace? (An intuitive session can help you with this task)
2. Listen to your intuition when you select a crystal helper.  Hold your “what” and your “why” within your heart and mind as you shop, and allow your body’s wisdom to tell you if a crystal is right for the job.  To do this:

• Hold the crystal in your receptive hand (if you’re right handed, your receptive hand is your left hand).  If the crystal is too heavy for one hand, such as a big chunk of amethyst, use both hands to hold the crystal to your heart, or to touch the crystal on its display.  
• Connect with the crystal through your senses - feel its weight, see its colours, feel its shape and the qualities of its surface (is it rugged, sharp, smooth, cool to the touch…).  This is an intuitive way to say “hello”.
• Holding your “what” and “why” in your mind and heart, ask the crystal if it is willing to work with you on this particular issue.  Ask it to give you its response through your body and your intuition.
• Close your eyes, and allow your body to give you the crystal’s answer.  With a “yes” answer, your body might sway forward.  You might sense a pulse in your hand chakra coming from the crystal as it activates.  You might even feel an opening or melting in your heart and mind, similar to when you see a new kitten or puppy.  A “no” answer feels very different.  The crystal’s energy might zap you (that happened to me once; it was very painful!); your body might sway backwards; you might hear a “no”; the crystal might feel too heavy, forcing you to place it back on the shelf; or you might feel a closing in the heart chakra.  
• Thank the crystal, and thank your body.  Respect the answer you received.  If the crystal gave you a “yes” answer, then adopt it and bring it home.  If it’s a “no” answer, then thank it and place it back lovingly on the shelf.
• This process can take a while, especially if you receive a few “no” answers before finding “the one”.  Give yourself enough time to shop, look around and feel the crystals.  It’s best when you feel relaxed and open.  Avoid rushing.

3.  Once your crystal is home, cleanse it under water, using sage smoke, or placing it in a bowl of sea salt.  Some crystals can be left in sunshine or moonlight, but remember that sunshine can be too harsh for many of these minerals who have been, after all, cocooned in the darkness of the Earth for thousands of years.  Amethyst, for instance, will loose its beautiful purple colouring if left in direct sunlight.

4.  Hold your crystal in meditation, or place it in front of you as you gently gaze at it.  Use it as a gateway to your inner consciousness, and as a key to ancient wisdom.  Ask questions.  Go deeper in your “what” and your “why”.  Ask about your next right step in your journey to healing.  Is there something - an emotion, a thought pattern, a habit - that needs to be released?  Is there a specific action for you to take?  Is there an option available to you that is more in alignment with your vibes and with your divine plan?  Does it want to be activated as part of a crystal grid?

5.  Thank your crystal helper, and cleanse it at least once a month using one of the methods listed above (#3).

Crystals have a way to let us know when their work with us is complete.  You will find a change in their vibes; a fullness in your heart.  Many times, crystals will disappear.  It happened to me more than once that a crystal fell off a necklace, just like that.  I imagine it possibly waiting on the sidewalk or the parking lot for the next person to pick it up and work with it.  I’ve had other pieces disappear from a shelf and reappear years later when an issue resurfaced.  It’s important to accept that although a crystal is right for you at the moment you adopt it, its commitment to you might not be for your entire lifetime.  Like other magical helpers, crystals will move on to where their help is most needed.  A bit like Mary Poppins.  We have to be ready to let them go when their work with us is done.

I hope this article can help you select the optimal crystals to accompany you on your life’s journey.  If you have any questions on selecting and working with crystals, send me a message; I’d be happy to be of assistance.  I can also bless the crystal with Reiki and optimize it for your personal vibes.

Surrounding you in Love & Light.

3 Techniques I Use To Understand And Release Anxiety

I am so thrilled to have started a partnership with a local organization, where I will work with a group of women to help them through their experience of stress, anxiety and depression. I will be meeting with them once a month for the next 9 months. We’ll have quite a journey together, and I am happy and grateful for it!

My own experiences with anxiety and depression have brought me some wisdom on how to best deal with these feelings. These feelings have been present in my life as far as I can remember. I think I was about 7 the first time I imagined the need to take my brain out of my head and into a jar so that I could find some sleep. In High School, I buried myself in activities - I can count 13 club photos in one yearbook. My first burnout was at 18, and a full-blown panic attack in third year University. That powerful and frightening experience turned the ignition for my healing journey.

For me, talk therapy was not very helpful. I found that the therapists were always asking the same questions, even though they were taking copious notes. There were no breakthroughs, only the same conversations over and over again until I tired of repeating myself and stopped going. Maybe I was just too hurt and too closed to their method. Maybe I didn’t trust them enough because I felt the stigma of branding just walking into their office. I felt judged, assessed and boxed in one or two of their labels. Whatever the reason, it just never felt right for me.

What works for me, then and now, is what I teach my clients. It’s not about the one method so much as it is finding what works for you. And to find what works for you, you have to be willing to try different approaches. Seek help from licensed therapists, and explore “alternative” methods that are safe and healthy. Surround yourself with a team of people you trust and where you feel safe to explore your inner world. I can feel quite vulnerable and naked to my core when I open up about my inner world. That fear of being judged and ridiculed can be quite strong… but with my team of helpers I’ve learned to heal past that fear so that it doesn’t hold me back anymore. I wouldn’t be writing this article, contributing to my blog, or constantly learning new ways to help my clients if I would still be living in fear.

So what are my best techniques?

1. Notice what’s going on inside… many of us have learned to hide our emotions. Other people’s feelings matter more than ours. After a lifetime of hiding my feelings behind work, community activities and people-pleasing hoopla, I realized that I was unable to recognize my own feelings. I spent almost a year learning about my emotional landscape, and my best tool was the sentence: “I feel ______.” When you can name it, you claim it - and you can work with it. 
2. Be curious about what’s behind the feeling… a feeling of anxiety is often a trigger, or a response to a physical situation or a thought pattern. There are often stories behind the feelings, like the need to please Mother, the need to belong, the need to be safe, the need to be loved - and the stories running in our minds can remind of times when these needs were not met, and part of the brain might be running statistics on the likelihood to be disappointed or hurt again. But until we know what story is running, it’s hard to change the channel. 
3. Body movement is imperative. Whether it’s a walk, a swim, yoga or a jog - the body needs to move! Anxiety and stress build up a lot of energy in the head and upper chest areas. We can feel constricted, choking or stiff. In these instances, the aura is shrinking in and offers no protection to external factors. It’s important to move and have some cardio activity to help release a build up of energy - and pump up endorphins and happy hormones through the body. Body activity truly cuts through the fog - plus it helps rebuild a healthy aura.

Chakradance is my favourite modality because it combines body movement, introspection, and divine communication. I have been able to move through rough patches and gain valuable insights. I feel so blessed to be able to share this gift with others, guiding them in their own journey. Every one of my students has lived a transformation, some big, some small… but a transformation nonetheless. I’m sure the women’s group participants will enjoy this journey too.

Do you need help exploring your emotional landscape? Talk to me.

Sending you blessings of Love!

A setback or an invitation to learn and grow?

The dust is settling from the kitchen reno: the new cupboards are ordered and I was able to clear a square foot of countertop where I can prepare basic meals. The menu is closer to the ready-made diet I favoured as a University student rather than the healthy gourmet I’ve become. Oh well - sometimes we need to take a step back to be ready to leap forward.

Life’s path is circular rather than linear. It winds up and down valleys, retraces its steps to gain better perspective and often moves in a spiral up and around a mountain instead of taking the most direct route. What feels like a setback is often part of this curvy journey. Stepping back allows for us to take stock of our strengths and of what still needs work. It helps us realize how far we’ve come. It helps us use tools and knowledge in a new way, for a new purpose.

In our fast-food, make-it-quick, I-want-it-now society, we often feel that a setback is a failure. We loose patience with the learning process. We want to know it, apply it, be proficient with it right away. This need to understand it all, and to “get it right” is a big source of stress, anger and frustration. We forget that some things take a lifetime (or more!) to truly understand. We also forget that there are many layers to understanding and that knowing with our heads or with logic is only a small piece of the puzzle.

I have been talking with a lot of people recently who are experiencing setbacks. It takes longer than they thought to reach their goals, and then they find out that they didn’t really like their chosen objective anyway - so what now? Others have a complete life or career do-over to deal with, and not always through conscious choice or decision. Many women feel sad, anxious and depressed because they are realizing that the life they have built for themselves is just not fulfilling - “was the last 15 years a lie? How do I deal with this?”, they ask.

If this sounds like you, I want you to take a look at my Programs. I teach from my own experience what works to get away from the drama of a setback. I help you gain a new perspective, so you can keep focusing on the moment and on the future your heart really wants to manifest. I help you get away from the superficial git-er-done-now and into the flow of your soul purpose. The process takes time - no fast-food about it! - but it’s well worth it. I know, because my clients tell me so, and not just out of politeness, teehee. I see the changes in their eyes and in their energy even before they become aware of it. I am so privileged to be a witness to such transformation, and I am happy, from the bottom of my heart, to be able to serve in this way.

Just as I know that the kitchen will be gorgeous when it’s done, with its splash of red and double the original space to cook and bake delicious meals and treats, I also have faith that this spiritual reno we are going through will have results beyond our expectations. I can see beyond the mess. It’s important, when we feel a setback, to get the tools we need to refocus, to learn the lessons, and get our sense of direction. When we’re done reacting and fretting and cursing… it’s easier to stay centred and plan the way forward toward what we really want.

Do you need help seeing beyond the mess? Talk to me.

Sending you blessings of Love!

Take a look at my Programs

I’ve been talking a many people lately who are experiencing a surge in anxiety, stress and depression. They find it difficult to see beyond the hurt and the sadness. For just too many, the dust is not settling easily, and the constant emotional agitation keeps the dust flying in a downward spiral of yuck.

Because of this general unease I’m sensing, I want to take some time this week to talk to you about my Programs. I know they can help you, whether the dust is settling for you and you feel ready to move forward on your spiritual path, or whether you feel stuck in the yuck. Take a look at what I offer, and feel if any of these can be used as a walking stick on your journey. The techniques I teach and the coaching I offer help my clients find a sense of inner peace.

One-on-one Program

I have experienced first-hand what damage anxiety and depression can do, and I found that meditation and connecting with Spirit/Source/Angels is key to changing those thoughts and emotions that keep us stuck. If you feel, like many others, that you’d like to roll up in a ball and disappear for a while… honour the feeling, but don’t stay stuck there. Reach out! Find the help you need. This 6-month Program reconnects you with your ability to take clear action steps to reach your goals and objectives. It’s been life-changing for my clients, and as their self-confidence and overall wellbeing increased they have noticed positive ripple effects in their relationships at home and at work.

For the duration of this Program, we meet twice a month either in person, through Skype or over the phone. I tap into what your Soul needs in the moment and we allow for Spirit to lead the session. You receive live Readings every month, and you get coached on what your soul really needs. You also receive email support throughout the Program.

This Program can start anytime following our initial conversation; there are no set intake dates.


Intuition Development Program

This is a 6-month group program. I teach techniques to connect to true Source energy, and we learn to make peace with and to develop intuitive gifts. This Program will provide you with all the basics you need to heal yourself, and you’ll learn techniques - and the ethics - to offer healing to people, pets and the environment. I’ll let my graduate students speak on this one:

“I recommend this Program because it will help you look within at what you may or may not know about yourself. Jaz is an amazing person, coach and facilitator. She is very knowledgable and understands what each person in the class needs to help them grow. I highly recommend her courses to anyone searching for more in life." -- Pat K.

"I loved this Program, and I am a better person because of it. Jaz works with you over time to ensure you understand the concepts and you work hands on. With practice, you gain confidence in this field and in your life." Shirley G.

"This Program helped with inner peace. It showed me how to bring out my gifts. It helped me make life changes, and I learned a lot." Shirley H.

The next intake for this wonder-full Program starts the weekend of September 27-28.

I'm quite excited that this Program will soon be available online!  I'm looking into possible technology that can bring us together.  I know many of you would love to take this Program and reconnect to your Inner Lightworker, but you live too far away to take this Program in person.  Stay tuned!  I'm real close to being ready for the online launch!  Let me know if you're interested!

September is such a good time to start a new routine, now that the kids are back in school and that the weather is cooler. It’s time to go within to find answers to your questions. It’s time to journey some more, away from the stuck zone. Are you ready?

Contact me to learn more about my Programs, and to register for Fall sessions.

An invitation to heal your heart - August 23-24 2014

What if you could spend time with like-minded folks?  What if you had a rejuvenating weekend away from all your obligations and you could walk away feeling refreshed, invigorated and having a strategy and tools in place to help you manage your stress when you return to your daily grind?  What if you gave yourself the care, time and attention you normally give others -- just for a weekend? I am thrilled to have partnered with two amazing ladies - a yoga instructor and a relaxation promoter - to offer you a wonder-full weekend.  You'll journey into your heart space to find healing and inner peace.  Read more here. We are looking forward to welcoming you on August 23-24! In this wonder-full 2-day workshop you will: boost your self-love and self-healing learn Vinyasa yoga sequences to open the heart chakra experience healing meditations receive Reiki energy explore your heart chakra space receive messages from spiritual guides experience Chakradance ...and of course meet like-minded women, and possibly new friends! It's the perfect time for this workshop and to take a pause to nurture yourself between the busy-ness of summer and the return to the school routine. We have so much to offer between Yoga, Reiki, Chakradance, Meditation and spiritual coaching...   And we're ready to give you even more! RSVP today and receive these gifts -- a $600 value for only $197! Your ticket to this wonder-full weekend journey (value $197) A 30-minute clarity session (value $75) A 15-minute Angel or Oracle Card Reading (value $25) One ticket to the 4-weeks Mentored Reiki Online Training Program (value $297) A small crystal (value $6) Our mission is to provide you with the tools, experience and knowledge on your journey to wholeness and self-love. Let's journey together! Thank you for purchasing your tickets in advance.  Register with friends and save even more - and everyone who registers receives the gifts listed above! Number of tickets

1 Person $197.00 CAD  You + 1 friend = save $300.00 CAD  You + 2 friends = save more! $360.00 CAD