Orelia Chakra Necklaces

Namaste...

Today, I’d like to do a review of some beautiful jewellery I purchased during my spring trip to visit my family back in London.  They are these amazing chakra necklaces by Orelia. I’d just like to mention that this is not a sponsored blog post; I am just really chuffed with these necklaces and wanted to share my thoughts! They’re so lovely!

So, I discovered these beauties while I was strolling around Topshop’s Oxford Circus flagship store (waiting for a friend of mine, so we could go eat yummy rotis!) and stumbled across the Orelia concession stand. Some items were on sale, which instantly grabbed my attention (‘cause I love a sale, as any girl does) and then synchronicity so happened that I saw these chakra necklaces. I’ve been working with chakra energies for a couple of years now (I’ll post about the 7 chakras soon), most especially since the beginning of this year when I did my Holistic Reiki courses. I do some Reiki cleansing and healing for my chakras every day, which is so important, and I’ve really been feeling the difference in my physical body as much as on the etheric level. I also do distance Reiki cleansing and healing of the chakras for my loved ones too and they’ve been feeling the positive benefits as well. However, my chakras aren’t always in balance, which is a normal part of life; sometimes they are just barely in harmony and need some good TLC.

As I often work with my lower chakras, as they’ve been out of balance for years before my spiritual awakening, I was so happy to find the Root chakra and Sacral chakra necklaces! I grabbed those instantly and then got so happy with my finds that I decided, on the spot, to just buy one of each chakra so that I could wear it pressed against my skin when I’m meditating or working with specific energies, and healing specific physical and/or emotional disharmonies.  Unfortunately, they didn’t have the Solar Plexus chakra necklace in stock but I ended up purchasing that online, so that worked out fine.

The necklaces are made of brass and then plated with 18 carat gold, which is really great as I enjoy working with the properties and energies of gold; they cost £18 each. They are quite dainty and sit high up around the neck; usually the pendant sits just below the indent of my collar bone. This makes them really great when paired with light, simple, flowing blouses or dresses with a lower round or v-neck. My Anamchara says that they are somewhere in-between a necklace and choker style, which is quite apt. The quality is really great and I’ve worn the Solar Plexus chakra necklace all day for a few consecutive days, through sweat, sun, perfume, and rain – and it hasn’t affected the colour at all!  

If you have any chakra jewellery which you wear, or you’d like to wear more often, or use as part of your spiritual practices, please share your experiences, I’d love to hear from you! What I have done is to use Reiki to cleanse each item before wearing. Then, after cleansing and grounding myself, I’ve held each, one at a time, and concentrated my intentions into the necklace repeating a short chakra mantra three times for each one. I like to focus my energy so that the necklaces will aid me with healing, balancing, and aligning my chakras in harmony. I say the mantra once in my mind, then once aloud softly, and finally once again loudly with lots of gratitude, joy, and love. And, so far, these necklaces have been working REALLY well as part of my spiritual routines.

Every now and then, when I feel their vibrations are a bit sluggish, I just cleanse them again with Reiki energy and place them near my large pieces of clear quartz. I also sometimes place them amongst the crystals with which each chakra is associated. For example, I place my Solar Plexus chakra necklace in my bowl of tumbled citrine; my Root chakra necklace with my red jasper; and my Sacral chakra necklace with my carnelian egg.

The necklaces are truly so pretty and perfect for my bohemian style and life. Orelia is a brand that I will definitely be purchasing from again, especially their 18 carat gold plated pieces. I think these necklaces were really affordable for such good quality and I’m very happy with them. I do however think that the concession staff at Topshop could up their game though; there wasn’t anyone around for a long time and when someone did finally come along it took her ages and a half to get information about their stock when I asked about the Solar Plexus necklace. However, online purchasing was dead easy and arrived just as expected according to the confirmation email. No problems there!

If you’re interested you can head over to http://www.orelia.co.uk/ to see if there’s anything that takes your fancy. They even do free UK and European delivery (excluding Russia) when you spend over £25!

           x love & light x

Feather Magick

Namaste...

Finding a feather is a gift from the Great Spirit

Has it ever happened to you that you’re walking down a road or avenue and a large feather on the ground catches your eye? It’s soft and delicate and seems to be calling out to you or beckoning you in some way as it really stands out from other feathers you’ve seen; you can’t help but give it your attention and admiration. The feather is beautiful and wondrous and it has changed your state of mind and suddenly given you a different feeling inside, a different mood, and a new perspective on your day or on life and your connection to the universe. The power of feather magic is in the way we feel a breath of fresh air is blown into our lives.

Birds have long been regarded as messengers of the gods; ancient people believed they would carry messages to and from the heavens. Birds were one of the few creatures who could defy gravity, and so, they were regarded as sacred in many cultures around the world and their feathers were considered to be magical gifts.  Finding feathers can be a special and sacred moment to discover a message and/or usher in good things into our lives. Feathers are magically connected to the element of Air and this makes them especially helpful for messages and magic related to communication. Each feather has its own special power depending on the bird of origin, the colour/s, the place in which it is found, and other factors.

A small collection of feathers I've found - Placed inside a seashell

Feather meanings

Different feathers have different meanings depending on the bird of origin. The colours of the feather are often a clear indicator of the bird from which it came. However, it can be difficult to identify the bird from the feather we find, as many birds have similar or same colours, but don’t let that worry you, as you can still work with the magical energies of the feather without knowing which bird it has come from. Knowing the bird of origin can help you better understand the symbolic meaning associated with the animal and the messages and energies that the feather brings to you. If you are able to identify the bird from which the feather/s came, then you might also like to do a little research into whether the bird is connected with a particular deity.

But, even without that information, feather magic, as all magic, is intuitive and you can personally connect with the feather you find. Through meditation, or your own personal practices and rituals, feel the power and the meaning of the feather magic. You will bring your own powerful energy into the feather through your concentration and focus.

My smudging wand (gifted to me by a talented friend) and a smudging bowl I made 

How you can use feathers in your magical and/or spiritual practice

Here are some suggestions:

·         Decorate your altar or other magical arrangements – you can use feathers in connection with the element of Air and the cardinal direction which you associate with this element. They are often used in spells and ceremonies to promote change. You can also help the energy of the feather to flow through a sacred space, or your entire home (which is a sacred space itself!) by placing it/them in a small vase in a special spot or amongst your favourite crystals

·         Meditation – you can hold the feather/s in your hand to connect with the Bird spirit and/or blow gently on them to communicate your spiritual intention

·         Medicine bags, power pouches, wands, rattles, talking sticks – all these magical items often include special feathers, which have specific meaning for the wearer or one who carries it. Talking sticks especially are adorned with feathers because they carry the power to help people express themselves with authenticity and truth, and communicate with compassion and understanding of the self and others. Many ritual tools can be adorned with feather magic

·         Dream bags – you can always place a feather into a small dream bag, or pouch, and combine this with the appropriate herbs to induce lucid dreaming. You can also just pop one under your pillow and ask the Great Spirit to help you connect with power of the feather and the symbolic magic of the bird of origin, as well as help you better discern or interpret the message that the feather has brought you

·         Smudging – you can use a bundle of feathers as a smudging wand or use a large feather to fan the smoke in the direction you desire for cleansing, including the body, and this lends additional power to the smudging ritual

You will know when you find a special magical feather. It won’t be like any other you’ve come across, it will wave at you and speak to you and you will feel that you must take it with you. They are often clean and undamaged, as though they literally just lightly floated onto your path like a little gift!  These gifts I’ve received have come home with me and are tucked away in special boxes, wrapped in cloth, or placed inside the pages of books and I let their energies lay there, effervescent, until they call to me again to use them. I often use my magical feathers for the abovementioned magical and spiritual practices and I let myself be open to the Great Spirit, the spirit of the Bird, and the pulsating energy of the Air. My Anamchara and I were recently gifted with these beautiful Myna bird feathers (see below) which we found on our path one sunny afternoon. I’ve popped them in a little glass vase with some small crystals and I am letting their magical flow freely throughout my sacred space! 

Myna bird feathers, celestite, citrine, and seashells

           x love & light x

The Little Bird

Namaste...

Oh, what a blessing it is to befriend a bird! This little fella, so small and so cute, clearly just learned how to fly. He flew over and perched on the side window, admiring himself in the wing mirror of the car. And then... my Anamchara was not only able to stroke him but the little beauty perched in his hand (he pooped on it too, but it was worth it)! He really had to fight hard not to give into the urge of taking this little feathery adorableness home!

I wonder what message this little bird brought for my Anamchara. Spirit and totem animals of the Air are symbols of freedom and perspective. They connect us to the higher realm of the sky because they both live on Earth but are able to fly. They soar high above and provide a bridge between the ordinary human world (the sky representing freedom that is far removed from everyday life) and the spiritual realm.

Birds help remind us to slow down and appreciate the element of Air, being the breath of life (known in Hinduism as Prana), and the way in which this element can bring us joy, peace, and refresh our mind, body, and spirit.

Some symbols and meanings for Bird spirit guides, totems, and messengers include:

• Freedom
• Perspective and seeing the ‘bigger picture’
• Air and Earth elements
• Finding your Voice (song birds)
• Luck and happiness (Bluebird)
• Positive changes (white birds)
• Justice and longevity (Crane)
• Peace and maternity (Dove)
• Strength, determination, and honour

As a Spirit Animal, Bird generally symbolises elevating your consciousness and nurturing your self-confidence. Symbolic meanings and representations are culturally and contextually bound – Bird has different meanings for different cultures at different periods of time, but freedom is a common thread. Each species of bird has its own uniqueness and special symbolism. I am not sure what the specific meaning is for this little Red-whiskered Bulbul that connected with my Anamchara, nor exactly what message he brought... but the species is known for being highly vocal with a loud, evocative, and sharp call, so I intuitively feel it’s something linked to communication as well as breathing and having perspective on everything going on at the moment. They’re also known for being resistant to human pressures on the environment and are tolerant when their habitats are disturbed. This may also be part of the message from the little bird. We’ll see how things unfold and what other synchronicities manifest to help us better understand. 

If anything at all though, it was such a magical experience! Perhaps my Anamchara has reached a state of Buddha-like Zen, or the little Bulbul was just really tired... or thought my Anamchara was a tree... J

x love & light x