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Crystal Connections, by Philip Permutt

Crystal Connections: Understand the messages of 101 essential crystals and how to connect with their wisdom, by Philip Permutt
CICO Books, 9781800652095, 144 pages, April 2023

Crystal Connections: Understand the messages of 101 essential crystals and how to connect with their wisdom by Philip Permutt is a sequel of sorts to his first two books,  The Crystal Healer and The Crystal Healer: Volume 2. While taking a crystal course a few years ago, I was introduced to Permutt, who is a crystal expert, crystal teacher and author. My teacher recommended Permutt’s books as a type of “Bible” for not only the coursework, but also for life. When I learned that he had published another volume, I knew I had to have it.

Permutt is based in England and has been described as “Britain’s leading crystal expert”1.  He has been studying and working with crystals for more than 30 years. He discovered crystals and their healing properties after a severe illness and several surgeries put him in the hospital. When he started using crystals for healing, his condition improved and soon he was walking after his doctor told him he might never walk again. Permutt has an honors degree in Biology, is a bestselling author, crystal teacher and lecturer, and runs a successful wholesale and retail crystal business.

He begins his book by sharing his personal introduction to crystals and reminding the reader that crystals are living beings.  I love that he calls crystals “Stone People.”2 In this book, his goal is to share his methods for “tapping into and understanding these amazing Stone People and the messages they bring us.”3

In a very organized manner and with easy-to-read prose, Permutt introduces the concepts of choosing, cleansing, and working with crystals.  Next he discusses the human energy system, including the various auras, chakras, and meridians. For each chakra, he shares a brief description, as well as appropriate crystals, fragrances, and keywords. 

Next, Permutt gives detailed instructions regarding using crystals for divination. I was not aware of this practice and enthusiastically read the information, as well as the exercises to perform a reading, creating a grid and using these crystals for a treatment.  He even includes a way to do a crystal divination meditation, which further personalizes the use of crystals for personal growth and healing. 

Finally, Permutt provides a crystal directory and arranges it by color.  This is so helpful!  Many times, a friend or client brings me a crystal for identification.  If it is not a really common crystal, I have to look it up in my many crystal books.  Permutt usually arranges his books by color and this one is no exception.

One of my favorite sections talked about the need to allow your crystals to “rest.”4

“Colors may fade or look dull  . . .  the crystal needs a vacation, just as we do.”5

You can do this by placing the crystal on a piece of amethyst.  You can leave it there until the color changes or until it tells you it’s ready to go back to work. 

Every chapter includes an important exercise or a way to work more closely with your crystals. The “Listen to Your Crystals” meditation is one of my favorites. It’s a great way to get in tune with your crystals and learn valuable insights.

I called on a few friends and asked them to give me an emotional issue or healing struggle for research with Permutt’s latest book.  Here are the results:

For my husband, who struggles with stomach issues, I learned that Obsidian and Tiger Eye can help with digestive issues and Turquoise is good for general healing. 

For my granddaughter, who has allergies, I found Carnelian is great for the immune system.

For my friend who is a craniosacral therapist, who works with babies and small children, she needed a crystal to help calm the children in her massage room. Permutt suggests Blue Calcite and I happened to have a nice specimen that I gifted to her.

And for myself, I learned that Black Tourmaline is great for arthritis. Tiger’s Eye is also good for that eye issue I had a few weeks ago!

Permutt fills the book with four color photographs of crystals and the quality and coloring is both beautiful and accurate.  He also includes quite a number of colored drawings for the exercises and to accent each chapter. The drawings are whimsical and helpful and support the information in a very down-to-earth style.

He includes a Table of Contents and two indexes.  One index is strictly for crystals and he includes a bold number for those listed in the Crystal Finder in the last section.  The other index is a general index. (Note:  I wish that he had included more symptoms in the General Index.  You have to go through the Crystal Index and look at “healing” for the area of the body or symptom that the crystal will treat.)

The information in this book is invaluable for a newbie to Stone People. Permutt covers everything from choosing a crystal (or letting one choose you) to working with crystals and healing with crystals. However, even a seasoned crystal lover such as myself can benefit from the exercises, meditations and color-coded list of 101 crystals. I particularly loved the section on allowing a crystal to choose you!

I plan to review the section on crystal divination a little later this week and set up my own twelve crystals for divination and healing.  In this way, I will have a handy set of crystal tools for clients, as well as for my own healing. Crystal Connections is now going on my office shelf with my other two Permutt books to guide me on my journey.

Manifest Your Everything Interview with Nicci Roscoe

Alanna: Hello, Nicci! It’s so wonderful to chat with you about your new book Manifest Your Everything: Love Yourself and Create your Dream Life (CICO 2023). This was just the energy I needed in my life right now as I’m trying to get some new endeavors up and running. Before we dive into the topic of manifestation, would you mind sharing with readers some insight into your career and the work that you do?

Nicci: Hello Alanna! It’s wonderful to chat with you too. I love that you have read my book and it has given you the energy you needed in your life right now. It sounds like you have something exciting happening with your new endeavors. If you would like a video call chat please let me know and we can arrange something. I’m delighted to answer your questions below. Sending love and beautiful energy 💕🌟

Alanna: Thank you so much! I appreciate the offer. Sometimes I feel people think manifestation is something superficial or frivolous, but in the introduction to Manifest Your Everything, you discuss how your mindset impacted your recovery from a brain tumor and helped you to cope with chronic pain. This really showed me that the power of manifestation goes much deeper and can lead to long-lasting happy endings. What were some of the things you did to manage your pain and come to manifest a positive outcome?

Nicci: Our minds are so powerful and – when we tap into focusing on what we need – it is possible to achieve the outcomes what we want. Living with chronic pain can be so debilitating for many people. Fighting it, feeling sorry for ourselves, not getting out of bed and burying our head in the sand won’t help.

I have had to adapt and change certain things in my life such as not being able to be in a room with an electric guitar as the vibrations shoot through my head. I also make sure I give myself rest time and not get too tired or stressed. Before I did this I had to acknowledge and accept I was left with chronic pain following my brain tumor operation. I changed my thought process from being a victim – angry, frustrated and upset – to being ‘grateful’ I survived. I focussed on positive thoughts such as that I am so grateful I am here for my children and to enjoy my life in so many ways and help others who are suffering to do the same. I wasn’t going to let my pain take over my life. 

Once I had accepted my situation, I started to talk to my pain and tell it ‘I’m in control of you; you’re not in control of me.’ Visualization is also very powerful and I see my pain shrinking and becoming smaller and smaller until it fades and becomes insignificant.  I focus on other things such as my grandchildren, my work and more. When I’m in a crowded place, I zoom into the person I’m with and hear them while the other noise of people talking fades into the background. 

Meditation is also a huge part of my life which I do for 30 minutes twice each day. I feel relaxed and peaceful when I am in this beautiful space and surrender myself to silence and total calm. It gives me energy for my day and at night takes me into a very relaxed state. I focus on my ‘word meditation,’ repeating to myself over and over again ‘I feel peaceful, calm and energized’ in the day and at night I say to myself ‘I feel peaceful, calm and relaxed’. As I continue to repeat these words, I go into a deeper state of meditation and ‘just being’ in silence and peace.

Exercise and healthy eating is also a key area in pain management for me. As a former fitness instructor and trainer in this area, I know how beneficial exercise is for our mind and body. Walking in nature with my dogs, going to the gym and going doing fun circuit workouts with a friend have all helped me mentally as well as physically. Healthy eating enables me to also feel more energy, in addition to it being nutritious and having many other positive long term health benefits.

Making sure I get a good seven hours sleep a night is so important for my pain management. Releasing the tension in my head is also through head massage around the area where I have the plates and screws. My weekly indulgence at the hairdresser is something I always look forward to! James, my fabulous hairdresser, gives me a beautiful head massage around the area where I have my plates and screws. It’s such a blessing to receive.

Finding a focus other than the pain is so important and gives me a new lease of life. 

Alanna: Your manifestation process starts with letting go, which has the quality of an ending to it. Why is it important to release before manifesting? How do you know a chapter has come to a close and it’s time to manifest something new?

Nicci: If you are feeling hurt, angry or upset about a situation or a person, this is something you carry around with you. It’s always there so you’re unable to move forward fully, as it will always come up in your mind. Maybe it’s to do with a relationship breakup or not being happy at work. Whatever it is you are holding onto in your unconscious mind, you need to be free of it to enable yourself to move forward and feel peaceful. Letting go and breaking the cycle of holding on to what we’re used to carrying around with us gives us the opportunity to be free to focus on and manifest what we really want with lasting, deeper positive results. It is so empowering.

Alanna: What I enjoyed most about your approach to manifestation was the focus on self-love. Reading this book reminded me of the personal power we all have within us that can ripple out and change the world around us. What happens if you try to manifest without doing the work of loving and caring for yourself? Why are positive affirmation and confidence so important for manifestation?

Nicci: Giving yourself love is a priority we all need to focus on before manifesting. By focusing on ourselves first, this is giving us a good place to begin focusing on what we really want and can achieve. If we don’t love ourselves how can we find true love, feel passion for what we do, give to others and feel happy and peaceful when we get what we dream of?

If we don’t give ourselves love and care, there will always be a void in our hearts whatever we manifest because we’re constantly chasing our desires that won’t feel fully complete. 

When we manifest coming from a place of self-love and care, it’s so much more powerful. Being true to yourself and what you really want is really important. Positive affirmations such as ‘I believe in myself’ and ‘I can do this’ are constantly feeding the positive into our subconscious mind.  This in turn can give us the confidence to feel better about ourselves and focus our minds on what we really want.

Alanna: You offer so many ways to get your manifestations flowing, from connecting to nature to practicing gratitude and meditation. You even teach how to use crystals to enhance one’s manifestations, which is really neat! Do you think someone should pick a method and do it on a daily basis or is it better to try different methods and see which one works best?

Nicci: I believe each one of these ways is an integral part to achieving our manifestations. By bringing each of these practices into your daily life, you will enhance your own mind, body, spirit balance and growth. 

It’s important to focus on being grateful every day for what we do have; meditating to enable us to feel a renewed energy, calm and focus; connecting to nature to enhance our mental health and well-being and embracing crystals that give us what we need through their powerful vibrations and energy.  All of these and more in my book, including having a manifestation board to focus on – taking a relevant photo and seeing it on your phone during the day – are an integral part of manifesting. 

Alanna: Do you have any advice for people who know they want to manifest a better future but are having trouble seeing the specific details of what that might look like for them? How can they become more sure of their choice so that their manifestation unfolds?

Nicci: Wanting a better future and having trouble seeing specific details can be because the person has not let go of what is troubling them, that they may be afraid of failure or perhaps that they are not giving themselves the love they need to nurture themselves. When you go through the process of letting go of past trauma or upset and then give yourself the love you need, this can open your mind and give you the answers you’ve been searching for. 

Healing old wounds to feel better and see more clearly is key to manifesting.

I absolutely suggest investing in a manifestation crystal such as the ones i have in my book including a Brandberg Amethyst or Mad Manifestation Crystal from Madagascar. You can also manifest with any crystal that resonates with you and what you desire. Focus on what you want and keep your crystal with you. Hold it when you feel you need to, keep it by the side of your bed and under your pillow. 

Meditating with your crystal is very powerful. Hold it in your hand and ask for guidance during your meditation. This can give you a clearer picture of what you want. Give yourself time to go through the manifestation process for all to unfold and be revealed to you. Believe, focus and trust in the process. 

Alanna: Another aspect of your manifestation technique I really liked is how it promotes a healthy lifestyle. What is it about food, exercise, and positive mindset that contribute to manifestation happening?

Nicci: I absolutely advocate a healthy lifestyle. Coming from a fitness background I know how beneficial exercise and healthy eating can be. They not only give us more energy but also help us to focus on our daily lives with more zest and a more positive mindset. When we feel good about ourselves and nurture our mind body and spirit with this positive balance we are coming from a wonderful place and space to enable manifestation to happen. 

Alanna: Would you share some examples of things you’ve manifested, either big or small, using your techniques?

Nicci:  There are many things I have manifested using my techniques! It’s very exciting when they come to fruition! Totally magical!

1. Manifesting a pet is something I wanted so much since I lost my beautiful shiatsu, Lucky. After he went to doggy heaven I lived in an apartment and no pets were allowed. I missed the beautiful unconditional love our pets give and imagined holding my new puppy and cuddling him. I focused on having him with me and had photos of Cava Poos on my manifestation board and saw my grandchildren playing with him and laughing running around the garden in my new home! A couple of months later I moved into a house with a garden! I now have two puppies Teddy and Honey and my grandsons love running around the garden with them!! Be careful what you ask for, as I had two photos of Cava Poos on my manifestation board!!

2. I was loving life teaching aerobics and having fun. I wanted to bring this to a wider audience and focused on my manifestation process to make this happen. My manifestation board that I talk about in my book had pictures of different television and radio stations I wanted to work for with names of channels and programs written on in bold including Sky One and Sky News. I focussed on this and what I dreamed of and it became reality! I became the regular health and fitness expert on Sky One and other TV programs! Magic happens when you really focus on what you want.

Alanna: One of my favorite parts of Manifest Your Everything is the case studies you have from students. Their experiences were great testimonies to how the practices you share in the book lead to desired outcomes. Do you have any current offerings for those who might want to work with you after reading this book?

Nicci: The real-life stories in my book were from my clients who all had incredible experiences following the manifestation process.

My wonderfully successful workshop Love Yourself is my main offering that my book is based on and I intend to take it worldwide over the next year.

There are mini workshops to complement Love Yourself including: 

♥ Boost Your Confidence Feel, Good and Be Inspired
♥ Manage Your Stress, Meditate, Relax and Re-energise  

My Reiki Courses continue to send out more beautiful Reiki practitioners and Reiki Masters into the world to give more healing.

If this interview has inspired you to start your manifestation journey, definitely check out Manifest Your Everything: Love Yourself and Create your Dream Life to learn all the ways you start shifting your life to align with your inner vision!

Image credit for photograph of Nicci Roscoe: Photos by Dianna Bonner (www.worldvisionphotos.co.uk)

Crystal Connections Interview with Philip Permutt

PJ: Hello, Philip! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me about your newly released book Crystal Connections: Understand the Messages of 101 Essential Crystals and How to Connect with Their Wisdom (CICO 2023). I am a huge fan of yours and have read many of your books, but for those who are new to your work, would you share a little bit about yourself?

Philip: I’m a crystal healer, teacher and author. I work with crystals every day for myself, with my clients, students and customers. I also buy and sell crystals from around the world. I live in Hertfordshire, just outside London, in the UK, but I’ll be in the US in August and September teaching Crystal Workshops and an amazing Crystal Retreat on Maui, Hawaii. All of the information is on crystalsusa.com 

PJ: How did you decide to sell crystals and teach others about crystals? What profession were you engaged in before you became a crystal expert?

Philip: Quite simply, I got ill. I was always interested in alternative and mystical things so after an operation, when I was told I wouldn’t walk again, I turned to anything and everything that might help. One of the many things I tried were crystals. I’m sure everything I tried helped to greater or lesser degrees, but crystals were physical, and way back I graduated with a degree in Applied Biology from London University. So, when I discovered the amazing ability to heal I turned to physical crystals to research for a year whilst convalescing. Although I walked out of the hospital 6 weeks and 2 days after being told I couldn’t walk, it was a good year before I had my strength back and was fully recovered. 

Before this I had a phenomenally stressful job in the entertainment industry, producing shows and promoting rock bands. So you could say I went from one type of rock business to the other rock business! 

PJ: You discuss how crystals healed your body when you were in the hospital for serious surgery. How did you come to think of crystal healing?

Philip: I just tried everything and anything. My mindset was very much not accepting that I would never walk again.

PJ: Was that quartz crystal next to your bed in 1991 a clear quartz or another type of crystal?

Philip: It was a clear quartz crystal, although quite cloudy, and I still have it today! I work with it as my master healing crystal with all my clients and myself for meditation.

PJ: What do you think draws people to certain crystals? When selecting a crystal for oneself, should a person pick one out that has the healing properties they desire or more intuitively pick a crystal that calls to them?

Philip: There are lots of good crystal books around (I’ve written some of them myself 😉) where you can look up your symptoms and find suitable crystals to help. But, I believe that crystals come into their own when you allow them to heal the underlying causes of disease. Crystal Connections is all about connecting with crystals. People often say they are “drawn” to a crystal. Whether that’s because they are bright, sparkly, colorful, or there’s a feeling they get from the crystal, it doesn’t matter. It’s as if the crystal is calling out to you, and this is the crystal that will help you with whatever you are trying to do now. But you should also be aware of the crystals you can’t stand, too! The ones that make you feel sick when you hold them or you just are repulsed by their energy. These are touching something buried deep inside you that you don’t want to look at. These are the life-changing crystals! 

PJ: You’ve written quite a few books on the topic of crystals, what inspired you to write Crystal Connections and how is it different from your other titles?

Philip: It’s the book I always wanted to write! It’s unique because I’m telling people that crystals are living beings and they communicate with us. Scientifically, crystals can indeed be classed as living as they fulfill the requirements of a living being: to eat, grow, and reproduce. And they talk to us in so many different ways. Understanding Crystal Speak is just like learning any foreign language, and Crystal Connections is full of practical exercises to awaken your senses and tune them into the language of crystals. 

PJ: Do you feel people are becoming more open to alternative healing methods, such as using crystals for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual change?

Philip: Absolutely, yes! When I started 30 years ago, about 2% of the population in the UK, when surveyed, said they used any form of complementary healing or health product at all. Now, depending on which survey you read, up to 24 – 35% of the population ONLY use alternative health products and around 80% use some form of complementary health product or service.

When I started there were half a dozen professional crystal healers in the UK, today there are thousands. 

The numbers are larger in the US.

PJ: What is the relationship between chakras and crystals? Do you feel it’s important for those working with crystal energy to be aware of their chakras, and vice versa for those doing energy work to be supported by crystals?

Philip: Crystals work independently from everything else. However, when we work consciously with crystals and focus our energy and intent for the same purpose, everything works better and quicker. The chakras function as energy hot spots. So when crystals are aligned with them, it makes all healing easier and more effective.

PJ: When writing your book, how did the messages from each crystal come through to you? Do you have advice for readers who hope to open the channel between themselves and crystals to better hear their wisdom?

Philip: Crystals just talk to me. I’m with them all day every day. Sometimes it’s loud and clear, other times it’s more of a feeling. We all sense crystal energy differently so there are practical exercises throughout Crystal Connections to help the reader open and develop their own channel and crystal listening skills in ways to best suit each individual. 

PJ: And to wrap things up, out of curiosity, what is your favorite place in the world to acquire crystals? And do you have a favorite crystal?

Philip: I love the Tucson Gem Show in Arizona. It’s the biggest gem show by far in the world and you can find just about anything that exists on planet earth or even further afield such as meteorites, moon rock and Martian dust!

My favorite crystal changes from one day to another but right now it’s an aquamarine crystal I wear as a pendant that was made for me and helps me with communication… so that’s not greatly surprising as I’m writing this at this moment. 

If you are eager to learn more about how crystals can enhance your life, Crystal Connections is a great place to start!

Manifest Your Everything, by Nicci Roscoe

Manifest Your Everything: Love yourself and create your dream life, by Nicci Roscoe
CICO Books, 9781800651920, 144 pages, February 2023

What if you could create the life of your dreams? For many of us this can seem out of reach, but in Manifest Your Everything: Love yourself and create your dream life, Nicci Roscoe assures us that with the right mindset we can change our lives to match our dreams. This colorful, creative book teaches the three steps needed for manifestation discovered by Roscoe and provides tons of exercises to put these steps into action.

In the introduction, Roscoe shares how she overcame the pain of healing a brain tumor, which involved risky surgery, through focusing on her positive intent for recovery. Soon she learned that when positivity is coupled with self-love and one is dedicated to making the changes needed for new beginnings, then manifestation naturally happens. To help guide readers through this process for themselves, Roscoe starts at step one, letting go, and teaches readers through empowering exercises how to call in the manifestation they desire.

Roscoe provides the much-needed reminder that we must love ourselves to make changes to our life, otherwise we’ll most likely stay stuck in outdated beliefs and negative thought patterns. In the first part of Roscoe’s manifestation process, the goal is to help readers to accept their challenging emotions, rediscover their confidence and self-worth, and set appropriate boundaries. She also emphasizes the importance of forgiving oneself and others and cultivating inner peace.

Some of the tools shared in this section are meditation, working with crystals, connecting to nature, energetic cleansing, and rituals for release and protection. Each exercise has step by step instructions to make it easy to learn and practice. There’s also space to write directly in the book, which is very helpful for organizing your manifestation process and staying focused.

The next section is a deep dive into cultivating self love by focusing on your best qualities, nurturing yourself, and celebrating your authenticity. Roscoe includes a ton of fun ways to care for one’s well-being, including affirmations, using pendulums to discover what’s needed for one’s self care, rebalancing chakras, and using essential oils for aromatherapy.

My favorite part of this section was how she also mixes in using crystals with each of the self-love exercises, including a whole section on how crystals can be added to baths to bring in certain energy. For instance she shares the recipe for a Tiger’s Eye Bath for Courage and a Citrine Crystal Bath for a Fresh Start. I would have never thought to use crystals in this way, but I definitely felt an energy shift in the water when I tried it out!

After having mastered self-love, readers are encouraged to begin their manifestation process with gratitude and prayer. Roscoe shares tips and exercises for reframing negative thoughts and beliefs to make them into potent positive energy. And once the reader is in the right state of mind, Roscoe shares all her methods of manifestation, ranging from vision boards to wish jars to crystal grids to musician motivation. There’s definitely at least one way that will resonate, and most likely, quite a few you’ll want to try out!

Then to ensure the manifestation process stays flowing, Roscoe teaches the reader how to maintain their vision as it comes into fruition. She offers a checklist of questions to make sure the reader is keeping the course and encourages them to focus on their physical, mental, emotional,and spiritual well-being. By implementing Roscoe’s suggestions, actions that support manifestation can easily become part of one’s daily routine.

Before I started reading, I didn’t realize there were so many self-doubting thoughts in my head or that I was running on autopilot most of the time. I appreciated the many tips that Roscoe included for waking up the body too, such as spending time in nature, dancing, eating mindfully, and exercise. These embodiments seemed to physically bring about the changes of my manifestation, grounding it in reality.

And what are some of the things Roscoe provides instructions to manifest? Your dream home, car, job, vacation, confidence, creativity, and more! Even if what you’re seeking to create doesn’t have a specific exercise in the book, Roscoe’s step by step process will guide you through your manifestation process. There’s plenty of room to mix and match exercise to find a method that works best for you.

What I liked most in the book were the testimonies of clients Roscoe has worked with. I enjoyed reading other people’s success stories because it bolstered my confidence that these practices work and I also could benefit from them. I also loved the layout of the book and how there were tons of visuals, charts, fill in the blank spaces, and colors! Each page was captivating to look at and made reading much more exciting.

If I had to describe Manifest Your Everything in a few words, I would say “good vibes.” You can’t help but feel uplifted as you move through this book, releasing doubts and fears to attune to love, confidence, and inspiration. While there’s plenty of effort required to shift your mindset and create space for your manifestations to materialize, Roscoe has made the process easy and fun to implement.

All in all, Manifest Your Everything teaches everything you need to know to bring your vision into reality. All the tips and techniques Roscoe offers are easy to incorporate in your day to day life, though this is sure to start shifting as your dreams become reality. Her focus on self-love and positive thinking will guide you to cultivate an upbeat perspective that opens new doorways of possibilities.

Mindful Homes Interview with Anjie Cho

Anne: Hello, Anjie! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me about your newly released book Mindful Homes: Create Healing Living Spaces with Mindfulness and Feng Shui  (CICO Books 2023). I really enjoyed it and have already used many of the concepts to rearrange space in my own home. For those who might not know much about feng shui though, would you share a bit about it?

Anjie: Hi Anne, so nice to meet you. And thank you so very much for including me on your blog Musing Mystical!

In a nutshell, what is feng shui? Feng shui is a healing modality that comes from China that looks at the flow of qi (life force energy) in you and your spaces. My personal definition is slightly different. Feng shui is a mindfulness practice that invites you to explore the world around you. It’s about paying attention to the details of your environment, without judgment, and seeing that we are interconnected and interdependent with our spaces.

Anne: Feng shui has been an interest of mine for quite some time, though I admit I get overwhelmed by the details sometimes. Your book really helped me to get out of my mind though and feel into the energy. How were you first introduced to feng shui? What do you believe attracted you to it? I’m curious as to what was going on in your life at the time. Were you instinctively incorporating feng shui into your life without realizing it? 

Anjie: In my late twenties, during my Saturn return, I found myself looking at what was no longer working in my life. I was depressed, and felt resigned to the agonizing belief that all there was to life was getting up and going to a job that depleted me. I had an epiphany during my first reiki session while I was visiting Thailand. I realized that I needed to make a big shift, to make a big turn. I started studying meditation and yoga, which led me to have curiosity about how I could bring more depth and meaning in what I spent most of my waking hours doing– work! 

I was working in architecture, so I looked at feng shui. I took some classes and then for years started eyeing the three-year certification program that I ended up graduating from. It was only when I had another opportunity to make another turn in my life, during the last big recession, where I took that plunge. This was one of the first times in my life that I invested in something with no expectations and no desired outcome. I just knew my heart leapt with joy when I learned more and more about the profound practice of feng shui. Then my whole world started opening up. I never had any aspirations to write a book (let alone two!), teach, be any sort of public figure, etc. I just thought I’d be working for an architecture firm my whole life. So yes, I just followed the path laid out for me and it led me to feng shui.

Anne: You write that one should approach creating more aligned spaces beginning with intuition. I totally get that and use it for myself. But, when I get to the more technical aspects of feng shui, like using the bagua, my eyes glaze over and I throw my hands up and throw in the towel. These technicalities turn me off. Is there hope if I don’t follow most of the “typical” tenets of feng shui?

Anjie: Everyone has intuition, but that doesn’t mean everyone has cultivated skills and wisdom of any practice (like feng shui, or meditation, or creating a loaf of bread, or playing piano). It requires a bit of elbow grease 🙂 If the technicalities throw you off, then feng shui is probably not your thing. Just like I have no interest in making my own bread, it’s not my thing. One would not just say, well intuitively I know how to play piano…. It’s important to have some respect and cultural appreciation of practices and ancient wisdoms. At the same time, I wrote my new book Mindful Homes with newbies in mind who do throw in the towel when they get confused. It’s part of my life path, and I feel it’s also part of my responsibility to share feng shui teachings in a way that is digestible. But that said, it’s totally ok to throw in the towel! I think the important thing is to be respectful and not say that you know feng shui when you have not practiced. 

Anne: That makes a lot of sense! I loved the themes of interconnectedness and interdependence that ran through the book. I also found it refreshing and liberating to read that I was released from fixing a space or even myself. Can you describe your unique “turnaround approach” when most view as feng shui being a “fix” to imperfection? Do you feel that most feng shui teachings focus on fixing versus unfolding of one’s true nature in one’s physical and non-physical spaces?

Anjie: I think most of the western world as a whole is geared to a fix it approach. It’s not unique to feng shui. We think a pill, money, or a lot of “Likes” will make us happy, when really there’s much to look at underneath the surface. I don’t follow feng shui practitioners except my students and teachers. This teaching of interconnectedness, interdependence, becoming friendly with yourself, are within Buddhist and Taoist dharma teachings that are the underlying foundation of feng shui. Most things on a superficial level are about fixing. And that’s ok. My new book Mindful Homes is an invitation to take it a step deeper and offer what I have found helpful in my life. So, others can teach or practice feng shui as they wish. They can live life as they wish. And it’s all included.

Anne: How do you work with a living space that seems to be completely at odds with feng shui such as weird floor plans, stairways that can’t be moved for optimal feng shui benefit, etc.

Anjie: I teach that even if something has challenging feng shui, it might be helpful for that person. Sometimes we are attracted to homes that may open us up to or even exacerbate a situation because we are at the place to work with it. It’s workable. So with any floor plan or client, it’s all workable. When I work with a client and their space, it’s a 1-1 connection so it’s hard to say what I would do, because each situation, each space, each moment, each request is different. Just like we are all different.

Anne: It seems that creating healing spaces begins with noticing – noticing your feelings to something, your reactions, your “gut” response. I liked how you mentioned simple things like noticing your plants – have they outgrown a pot, are their leaves dusty. Is intentional noticing or honoring what your body is noticing through intuition, at the basis of feng shui?  

Anjie: Sometimes this can be a part of feng shui as I’ve suggested in my book. I don’t know if others practice this way or would necessarily agree. It’s just one of the many tools in the toolbox. There’s an invitation to see the world as non-binary. It doesn’t have to be yes/no good/bad black/white or this is feng shui, this isn’t.

Anne: What do you feel is the difference between feng shui and decluttering? Can you have an optimal dwelling space, whether internally or externally, with a lot of “things” in that space be it furniture or thoughts? 

Anjie: When feng shui was developed, there was no such thing as clutter. Clutter is a modern-day dilemma. And a feng shui practitioner does not have the same skills as a Professional organizer. I have zero experience in helping someone declutter their space. 

And yes, of course, one can have a lot of things in a space and it can be perfect for them. 

Anne: The book stretched the concept of feng shui for me in a way that created a great expanse. The section on space that also touched on manipulating and stretching time was a bit mind blowing. As was the focus not only on external spaces but also our internal spaces as well. You recommend a daily meditation practice. Can you briefly describe how such a practice creates a mindful inner space?  Do you feel that feng shui, along with meditation, are an ongoing practice instead of a one-and-done effort?

Anjie: I don’t know how to describe the indescribable. And I think it would be a disservice to do so. When I teach my students, and when you read my book, you’ll see there’s a large focus on your own experience. This is why meditation practice is so helpful. No one can tell you what your experience is in meditation, no matter how many words you put to it. And no one will ever understand you. But I’ve found, as a meditation practitioner, my most meaningful and helpful moments have been a direct result of sitting in silence with myself. For instance, I can do a whole meditation retreat with a stranger, never say a single word, and yet we have created a space and walked a journey together. And afterwards we don’t need to talk about the details, yet we know we have experienced a meaningful inner space together.

So, I would say, I can’t tell you or describe it. I would just recommend you practice it.

And for my students and myself, we see feng shui as a lifelong practice, study, and lifestyle. It’s a philosophy that trickles into every part of life, just like we are always present IN physical spaces. Feng shui is the space around us. At the same time, it’s totally ok for someone to just try things, meditation or feng shui or scuba diving :), and decide it’s not for them! 

Anne: One of my favorite aspects of Mindful Homes is how it includes ways to use crystals to enhance the space. How did you come to learn about crystals and the effects they have on one’s space?

Anjie: We all live on this planet earth. We walk on the earth. Crystals or even ordinary stones, come from the earth. It’s something we all understand. Most of us learn at a very young age that a diamond is of great value, it sparkles, comes from the earth, it offers clarity. I learned about crystals from just having them around me, from what others taught me, books, and I especially love crystals in jewelry. I make malas, and love to wear gems and semi-precious stones and metals. But even an ordinary stone that you meet on a hike can be a teacher. Stones, rocks, gemstones have been on this earth much longer than humans. There’s much stillness and wisdom there. In my book I review how crystals can be connected to feng shui principles through color, meaning, or by listening to the stone itself. 

Anne: You write that in feng shui, everything is alive, even our dwelling spaces as it’s filled with qi, the life force energy. You recommend that we name our dwelling spaces to reflect that qi. This reminded me of when I traveled to visit my husband’s family in England and I was struck that people named their homes. When they referenced going to someone’s house, they didn’t say “Let’s go to Marion’s house,” they said, “Let’s go to Sunnybrook,” the name of the house. How does one pick a good name?

Anjie: Oh yes, we do that in New York City, too. I didn’t think of that connection. There’s no good/bad name. And the name can always change. I think the key is to offer a name that arises from sincerity. Then it’s not necessary to judge it as good or bad. That said, if the word already has a lot of personal negative connotations for you, that might be something to pay attention to. I don’t think I’d want to be called “ugly” or “stupid”. 

Anne: A few years ago, I was home for a few days and so spent a lot of uninterrupted time in my living space. I noticed new things like how beautiful the late afternoon light was in one room where I had been reading. I experienced a quiet early morning having coffee outside when I’d normally been hurrying to work. Your book’s section on an unscheduled day resonated. Can you talk about the benefits of having an unscheduled day at home?

Anjie: One benefit is receiving messages from the home. There may be something the home can tell you that you’ve been neglecting. It’s very easy to take our homes for granted, and sleepwalking through life. But the world has so many gifts to share if we can just open our eyes and heart.

Anne: How does one incorporate the ideas in this book into one’s life if we share a space with others who are not so attuned or supportive of the changes we want to make? And you have recommendations for what to do if you don’t have disposable income to spruce up an outdoor space? For example, a house that lacks shutters or a space that is just dirt instead of lawn. What can you do if you are a renter and the space is not yours to decorate as you’d like?

Anjie: I recommend you only work on the spaces you are permitted to adjust. There should be some sort of consent from the other(s) that you share your spaces with. Or just make the shifts in the spaces that are yours. Same with renters, you can make the changes that are possible within the guidelines provided by your landlord. If you are staying in someone’s home, it’s not your home to change, but you can ask for permission if it’s something that you feel is important.

It’s a misconception that feng shui requires “disposable income.” For instance, if you want to bring a crystal into your home you can go out in nature and see if you find an ordinary stone that wants to come home with you. You can ask for permission and consent. If you get a yes, then you may take it home. 

Always, I say you can only do the best you can with what you have. It’s not helping you to say “yes, but……” you’re only creating the blocks for yourself.

Anne: Wow, thank you so much for all this insight Anjie! You’ve given me so much food for thought as I continue to become more aware of my connection to the space around me in my home. 

Anjie: You’re welcome! Thank you so much Anne!

For those whose interest is sparked by this interview, you can glean much more of Anjie’s wisdom in Mindful Homes: Create Healing Living Spaces with Mindfulness and Feng Shui (CICO Books 2023). I highly recommend it for those looking to spruce up their space and naturally shift the energy both within and around their home.

Mindful Homes, by Anjie Cho

Mindful Homes: Create Healing Living Spaces with Mindfulness and Feng Shui, by Anjie Cho
CICO Books, 1800652119, 144 pages, April 2023

Mindful Homes: Create Healing Living Spaces with Mindfulness and Feng Shui by Anjie Cho is an amazing resource for those seeking a change in how they live and the spaces they inhabit. Those spaces include living spaces, work spaces, outdoor spaces, and even one’s internal space.

Quiet and powerful; reflection and movement; slow and steady, these are all the ways I started to see the environment around me when reading this book. By unfolding awareness and remaining present-focused and forward facing, I tapped into the subtle energy surrounding me. And through contemplation coupled with action, as taught by Cho, I was able to create space both within myself and my home.

Cho, a registered architect and feng shui educator, naturally melds feng shui with mindfulness. She writes of her understanding that “each client, teacher, student, each and every person, being, and space is complete and perfect as they are.”1 This is the part where I exhaled in relief and gratitude coupled with a tinge of incredulity. This is the first (and only) book that I’ve picked up that touches on feng shui and isn’t filled with “to do” lists to correct problems.

Instead, Cho invites the reader to become aware of their own intuition and instead of working to fix something, instead work on shifts, subtle and bold, small and large because “if something shifts in your home it can not only be a reflection but a catalyst for change in your inner spaces.”5

Cho approaches feng shui was a “mindfulness-based practice, because our environments are connected to and resonate with us. Feng shui is a meditation in action, a dharma art so to speak.”6 II very much appreciated that Cho does not view feng shui as a quick fix or a superficial decorative style because as she continually reminds the reader, “you are truly perfect as you are.”7

A mindful approach to feng shui aligns the shifts made in one’s external environment with one’s internal landscape. We develop an increased aware of the spaces that we inhabit come to realize that “everything around us…are alive.”8

The book, illustrated with photographs of living spaces that elicit feelings of calm, is divided into nine sections that delve into tenets of feng shui like the use of the feng shui “map” or bagua and the connection between mindfulness and feng shui and creating a mindful space. In writing about the bagua she spends time focusing on certain crystals and their particular use in each gua. There is also a short description on how to use the feng shui crystal mandala and guidance for working with the crystals.

The section, The Seed Reveals and Eight Petal Lotus Blossom, is the one that she recommends referring to as one progresses through the book as it provides an overview of feng shui and its principles. Working with one’s insight and intuition, Cho offers a way to explore the five elements (earth, metal, water, wood, and fire) to learn more about them, “beyond what can be described by language.”9 She writes a meditation that one can follow but also provides an audio and video version of this guided meditation at mindfulhomesbooks.com

Also described in depth is the unseen flow of qi, or the “unseen life force energy that flows in, through and around all living things.”10 She provides guidance on how to make space for ne qi, whether for new beginnings, abundance, health, travel, children, self-cultivation, visibility, one’s path in life, and relationships including self-love. 

Cho also describes how to meet one’s heart in the bedroom, nourishing one’s self in the kitchen, and aligning one’s path in life with one’s workspace. The concluding section deals with interconnecting one’s home with the community.

As a practitioner of rituals, I loved the sections on space blessing rituals, awakening the deity of your bed, mindful eating, and blessing of objects. The book touches on such a wide range of topics such as creating an unscheduled day at home, and practicing letting go of objects. She offers practices such as doing one good deed a day for 27 days and if you have clutter, moving nine things a day for 27 days. 

Overall, I highly Mindful Homes: Create Healing Living Spaces and Feng Shui as well as visiting the website to avail one’s self of the meditations. Compared to other feng shui books, this book makes it easy for beginners to use the techniques to enhance their living space. It is sure to provide inspiration for how you can subtly change the energy of your environment to feel more at ease and filled with peace. I am continuing to move though the book’s practices, letting my intuition guide to me the sections of the book that are calling the most for my attention.

The Witch of the Woods, by Kiley Mann

The Witch of The Woods: Spells, Charms, Divination, Remedies, and Folklore, by Kiley Mann
CICO Books, 1800651694, 144 pages, October 2022

Your relationship to your landscape is bound to influence and guide your magical practice, especially in witchcraft. In The Witch of the Woods: Spells, Charms, Divination, Remedies, and Folklore, Kiley Mann highlights this special connection to place by sharing her experiences in the northern region of Michigan. Leading readers through the seasons, folk magic, herbs and omens of this land, Mann takes the reader on a journey into the wilderness of witchcraft.

Witchcraft takes many forms, from witch wounds on the east coast from fiery trails that led to a more fierce practice in the centuries to follow to the more glitzy, New-Age “manifest” witchcraft style of the west coast, but sometimes in the process the essence of being connected deeply to nature and one’s own local folklore gets lost. Mann perfectly revitalizes this connection for readers in this beautiful grimoire that is uniquely centered upon her lived experiences. The unification of witch and land is by far what stands out the most in this book.

“These lands have lessons to teach us, unique in their own characteristics and being. You must walk the land to know it.  You cannot know her if you do not let your feet touch the ground and wander aimlessly as you please. These lessons are taught directly through the land itself.”6

There’s a reverence for the long line of witches that have come before Mann, along with a desire to know the bodies of water, plants, and spirits that share the space with her for their own inherent power, without placing upon them desires or expectations. Sometimes this connection to one’s surroundings and traditions, which is a vital part of witchcraft, can be hard to translate; it tends to be more of a lived, embodied awareness that comes from walking this path overtime. Yet there’s something in Mann’s descriptions of ancient practices, remedies, and folklore, along with her illustrations that awaken this awareness in the reading, prompting them to reflect on their own connection to the local traditions of their homeland.

The book is divided into two parts. The first focuses on folklore, including stories of the trolls, land spirits, ancestral spirits, and omens of the land and animals. The second part is the folk magic, or the how-to remedies, rituals, and divinations that have evolved from life in this region. Mann helps the reader to familiarize themselves with the properties of different herbs and crystals before delving into spell work. She offers spells to alleviate common troubles, such as releasing worry, banishing nightmares, and romantic resolution, along with ones to gain success, luck, self-love, and protection.

I found this book really interesting from the perspective of place because I rarely hear about the folklore of the midwest region. Even though I can only imagine what the energy of a swamp feels like energetically or how it might inform my practice, reading about Mann’s revelations and observations made me start thinking about the natural landscape of where I am currently living, both physically and psychologically. While someone from Mann’s locality of the midwest might naturally connect more with the grimoire, I still feel there’s so much value in exploring her process and learning about methods she’s come across to thrive as a witch in the woods even having never visited the lands she explores in this book. At its heart, nature is nature, and there’s still plenty of overlap and insight to gain no matter what region you’re from, especially in regard to the use of herbs in spellwork and divination.

Another aspect of this book that makes it a real special gem is that Mann illustrated it herself. The symbolism of the imagery boosts her power, as the images themselves convey messages beyond words alone. Flipping through the pages, noticing what your eyes are drawn to and how the colors impart feelings or sensations, makes for an engaging read. The Witch of the Woods is less of a how-to manual and more of an invitation to step inside the creativity of Mann’s own witchcraft practice while learning ways to enhance your own.

Overall, The Witch of the Woods is an insightful, earthy exploration of witchcraft that will guide others to become the witch of their own woods. Mann has done an impressive job of weaving together the elements of her craft to present readers with a beautiful grimoire of knowledge about remedies, folklore, spiritwork, and divination. From brewing your own magical tea to crafting your own wild medicine, this book reminds readers of the unity between nature and oneself – the center of all witchcraft.

The Mythic Goddess Tarot, by Hannah Davies

The Mythic Goddess Tarot, by Jayne Wallace and illustrated by Hannah Davies
CICO Books, 1800651554, 78 cards, 64 pages, October 2022

Connecting with various goddesses is a key part of my spiritual practice; I’ve found the goddess in her many forms provides tough love and restorative nourishment to my soul. When I picked up The Mythic Goddess Tarot by Jayne Wallace, I was immediately drawn to its gentle, intuitive energy that radiates the power of the sacred feminine. I thought to myself, “This deck truly conveys the Goddess’s wisdom.” And since then, the advice I’ve received has helped me immensely in navigating life’s ups and downs.

Though the feminine pastel colors of the deck might convey this deck has a gentle tone, there is plenty of strength and power to be found in the messages of the cards. Each one of the 22 major arcana cards portrays a goddess that personifies its energy, all beautifully drawn and brought to life with vivid colors, while the minor arcana cards are differentiated by color and  suit symbol (coin, sword, cup, wand). On every card is the name plus a one word meaning at the bottom. The guidebook provides more in-depth explanations of each card, but I’ve found the word at the bottom helps to quickly ascertain the card’s message.

Speaking of the guidebook, it’s a bright-colored booklet that features information on getting to know the cards, starting and finishing a reading, as well as various spreads one can use with this deck. In addition to the well-known one-card reading, past-present-future reading, and Celtic Cross spread, Wallace  offers The Power Pyramid, The Crossroad, and The Divine Truth spread, which is neat because it covers the whole year.

Then Wallace shares meanings for both the major and minor arcana cards, though the major arcana cards are a bit longer because in addition to the keywords and meaning, which is what is provided for the minor arcana, there is also a section describing the goddess depicted on the card. She describes what the goddess is ruler of or oversees, as well as her mythology and where she originates from. The major arcana cards also feature a sentence-long mantra to say, affirming the message of the card.

What I liked most about this deck was the choice of goddesses for each card. I have a ton of goddess oracle decks, yet it seems like it’s always the same goddesses appearing. While there were some well-known goddesses (Athena and her mighty lion are portrayed on the Strength card, while Aphrodite and her paramore are on the Lovers cards), this deck featured quite a few goddesses I’d never heard of before, making me excited to learn more about their mythology and their unique attributes.

There is Asase Yaa, a West African goddess, representing the Empress, Luthianian goddess Ragana representing death, and Indian goddess Dhumavati representing the Hanged Man. I appreciate that it feels like Wallace put genuine thought and creative consideration into picking each goddess for this deck and went beyond the traditional goddesses, inviting new perspectives into querenets’ reading through these cards. She writes in the introduction:

“One of the things I love about goddesses is that they are everywhere. From every corner of the globe, you will find mythologies, stories, and fables with gods and goddesses at their heart. Whether in ancient Greece, Africa, Asia, or Europe, or with any type of religion, it’s easy to see throughout history the impact these superhuman beings have had on the shaping of the world as we know today.”11

Another reason I’ve been using this deck often is because I love to display on my personal altar the serenely gorgeous artwork of this deck, which was illustrated by Hannah Davies. I’ve started a practice of shuffling just the major arcana and asked which goddess I should work with for the week. After I pick my card, I place the card on my dresser surrounded by crystals, flowers, and other little trinkets related to the goddess I’ve chosen. This helps me to connect with goddesses and feel her presence in my life daily, especially when I see the goddess of the week’s qualities coming through in my interactions with others, guiding me to embrace the energy in play.

If I am having trouble connecting with the goddess’s energy, I’ll spend time gazing at the artwork on the card and meditating on the symbolism. This method is yet another way that I’ve found useful in opening myself up psychically to the wisdom of the goddess, and the beauty of the deck makes it a very aesthetically pleasing experience, even for the goddesses that tend to be more feared, such as Hekate (The Magician) or Ananke (The Devil). Wallace’s description coupled with Davies’ artwork make these goddesses feel more accessible, giving me courage to embrace their sacred teachings.

I will admit, I’m quite a fan of Wallace’s other decks, such as The Angel Tarot, The Magical Nordic Tarot, and The Moon and Stars Tarot, so I’m not surprised that I connect so well with this one too. Wallace has a unique way of translating sacred energies into her decks that resonates with me, and I have noticed the way the various themes of her decks call to me at different times based on the type of reading I need at the moment.

Aptly, in addition to creating decks, Wallace has also used her spiritual gifts to bring together a tribe of wise women by founding Psychic Sisters, a team of clairvoyant women that offer intuitive readings in London and remotely, along with a wellness line that sells reiki-energized crystals, mists, oils, candles, cosmetics, and more. It’s definitely worth checking out their website, as well as Wallace’s other decks, if you’re interested in connecting with psychic readers for more insight.

All in all, Mythic Goddess Tarot has become my favorite divination deck for working with the energy of the goddess. I’m still making my way through getting to know all the goddesses of this deck, but even in the short time I’ve been working with it, I’ve felt the potency of the goddess being woven into my life. Wallace has truly created a holistic deck, magically combining the many faces of goddesses from around the world to assist readers in connecting to the goddess within themselves when making meaningful life choices. I highly recommend this deck to those who enjoy working with goddess energy and are looking to more fully incorporate Her wisdom in their readings.

Elemental Power Tarot, by Melinda Lee Holms

Elemental Power Tarot, by Melinda Lee Holms
CICO Books, 978-1782499220, 64 page, 2020


Elemental Power Tarot is a beautiful deck, which uses rustic, muted tones and hand-drawn images to create an earthy look. What is unique about this deck’s approach to the tarot is that none of the cards feature images of people — only inanimate objects and animals are featured in the images.

The author and designer, Melinda Lee Holm, explains in the book accompanying the deck that it is her intention the querent superimposes themself in the images instead of see another person there. So, for example, The Fool card depicts a winding dirt pathway that meanders out off the side of a cliff, as if the querent themself were taking this risk instead of watching it be taken by somebody else. Likewise, the High Priestess, Empress, and Emperor all depict empty, yet appropriately decorated thrones. Meanwhile, the Heirophant depicts a Buddhist meditation shrine on the side of a path.

I quite like this approach as it challenges the querent to truly see themselves in the midst of the situation at hand and not simply as a passive observer. Some of the cards seem to present environmental messages as well — the Death card portraying a bee on a skull and crossbones, and Judgement shows pollution buried underground. Each Major Arcana features both an astrological symbol and a Hebrew glyph to invite the querent towards further insight into the meaning of the card.

However, the only thing I do not like about this deck is that the cards of the Minor Arcana only show the element (Swords, Wands, Cups or Disks) in the amount of the card’s number. There is no scenic image to help discern the meaning of the card. My good friend exclaimed as she picked up the deck that she would not be able to read the cards because she’s trained in the method of reading solely based in intuitively interpreting images. So from this light, this deck is not the best choice for someone who is on the newer side of reading tarot and doesn’t the meanings memorized. Still, the accompanying guidebook is thorough and easy to read, so really anyone willing to take the time can get an accurate reading using this deck.

The book accompanying this deck is actually quite exceptional. Holm starts off with instructions on how to perform a 5-element ritual to welcome the deck into your life and initiate its prophetic power. From there she includes suggestions on phrasing questions in “tarot speak” to get clearer results as well as an intuitive technique she calls “reading the room.” Holm offers her readers 3 different simple spreads to get started: classic 3-card, 5-card and 10-card spreads. The spreads are clear and easy to follow — the 10-card is based on the classic Celtic Cross spread for those who may be familiar.

The book also includes a chart of all the Hebrew glyphs and astrology symbols used on the Major Arcana cards in the deck. This quick-reference chart is something any tarot reader would greatly appreciate, as she side-steps all the esoteric rigamarole and gets right to the point with clear, one word meanings.

In terms of the individual card descriptions, the book offers each card in the deck a symbolic interpretation, a guidance, and a challenge (though it isn’t specified, a querent might favor the challenge if a card is reversed). What is remarkable about this deck is that in the book for each of the Major Arcana cards Holm includes a section called “Apothecary” where she pairs an herb with the card and offers instruction on how to use it.

For example, The Magician: “Cinnamon activates personal magick. Sprinkle it on porridge, boil the sticks to make tea, or use it as a room freshener in potpourri.”12 This was a wonderful addition that helps to connect each reading to the realm of nature, while also learning about the uses of different herbs in energy work.

Your Magickal Year, by Melinda Lee Holm

Your Magickal Year: Transform your life through the seasons of the zodiac, by Melinda Lee Holm
CICO Books, 1800650957, 160 pages, April 2022

What does it mean to live magically? If you’re on a journey to discover this for yourself, Your Magickal Year: Transform your life through the seasons of the zodiac by Melinda Lee Holm is the perfect book to use as guidance when cultivating a magical lifestyle. This book guides you through the year, tapping into the new and full moon through all the zodiac signs to facilitate personal growth and understanding through the transformation that comes from attuning to the lunar cycle.

“To follow a magickal year is to make a full lap of the stars, touching on each full and new moon, every solstice and equinox, to honor its influence and open yourself to receive it.”1

Holm is a tarot priestess, entrepreneur, and creative writer. She owns her own beauty line that creates all sorts of goodies, such as fragrance oils, natural deodorant, detoxifying cleansing masks, face oil, and more. She published her own Elemental Power Tarot deck and is also co-author of Divine Your Dinner: A cookbook for using tarot as your guide to magickal meals, which made me hungry just hearing the name and curious enough to order it.. review most likely coming soon. 🙂

But let’s focus on Your Magickal Year for right now! First of all, it’s absolutely stunning to look through with gorgeous, hand-drawn images by artist Rohan Daniel Eason filling each page. The beautiful blue hardcover makes it perfect to  keep on one’s coffee table for decoration and necessity, as you’ll need it every two weeks if you’re following the lunar cycle.

As for the interior, there’s the perfect amount of negative space in the content of the book to really allow one’s eyes to focus on the information and pictures to indulge in the joy of fantastic aesthetics. The visual appeal and organization is what makes this book perfect to work with because one can open to a page and fully immerse themselves without having to flip back and forth. Rather than be overwhelming, there’s an invitation to dive in that comes when flipping through the pages. What’s also really unique is how Holm’s Elemental Power Tarot cards are featured as sample readings and as depictions of the tarot cards to use in the rituals. If you love her deck, you’d really enjoy seeing all the artwork in this book.

Holm starts off by providing the reader with a 101 lesson on astronomy, astrology, and magick. From there, the essential tools of the book are covered: tarot cards, a journal, energy clearing tools, candles, crystals, and other supplies that might be needed, including herbs and oils for dressing candles or making offerings. Holm provides plenty of advice about these tools and how to use them, so even someone new to magical workings would feel comfortable getting started. There’s even a very helpful crystal guide of the energy each crystal is best for cultivating.

From here, Holm introduces the reader to four principles that will guide their work, as well as the four elements. She provides a brief overview on timing and preparation for working with the book and then offers answers to some FAQs about the book. The whole introduction is short and sweet, but definitely a solid foundation to begin with.

Now here’s the good part. For each astrological season, Holm writes about the zodiac sign’s symbolism, the magical energy of the season, tarot cards representing the sign, seasonal activities for this time of year, journaling for that season with prompt or suggestion about what to focus on, and a tarot spread for the season. She definitely provides a multi-layered approach to connecting with each season from both an intuitive and astrological perspective. Then there is a section on each zodiac sign’s new moon and full moon, with a little description about the significance of the time and how to connect with the lunar energy, and a ritual.

Since we are approaching a full moon, where the Sun in Taurus will be opposite the Moon in Scorpio, I’ll share the example of what Holm has to say about this time:

“The Taurus/Scorpio axis reveals areas of tension between stability and transformation. It invites conflict between our need to ground and our need to reinvent, what sustains life and what beckons the release of death. Whatever area of life you are ready to  bravely see, accept, and seriously overhaul is lit up by this moon.”13

The ritual provided is “designed to help you focus your energy on what you value most, releasing emotional attachment to things, tasks, situations, or relationships that are no longer important to you or relevant to your personal development.”14page 53[/efn_] The ritual involves use of a cleansing tool, the two tarot cards associated with Taurus (Hierophant) and Scorpio (Death), candles, oil, something symbolic of what you want to release, and purpose, white, and black crystals.

What I like about each ritual is they are fairly simple to do, but the combination of candles, tarot cards, and crystals makes them very potent. Admittedly, some people might not have all the materials readily on hand, so I suggest looking over the ritual about a week before to make sure you’re prepared. I also think this helps you to start connecting with the ritual and setting your own intention.

So far, I’ve worked with the Aries season of the book and the Taurus new moon. As an astrologer, I can vouch for Holm’s interpretation of each zodiac sign. She is definitely skilled in her craft and does an amazing job of translating the energy of the seasons into insightful, transformative practices that are fun to incorporate into one’s daily life. The journal prompts are helpful for focusing my awareness on the energy of the season, allowing me to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves. And the rituals make me feel like I am grounding the energy and honoring the lunar cycles through my intentional alignment.

For easy access to the timing of the  lunar cycle, there is a “Key Dates” section at the end of the book with the date and time of all the new and full moons from 2022 to 2030. Plus, there’s a very helpful index for reference. For instance, if you’re reading with book with a background in tarot, you can quickly look up in the index a tarot card of interest and find the page it’s discussed on.

All in all, Your Magickal Year is an absolutely stellar book. It’s gorgeous, accessible, and most of all, extraordinarily mystical. I think it’s the perfect book for beginning a practice of connecting with the lunar year or deepening the practice you already have. As someone who’s actively worked with the lunar cycles for over a decade now, Holm’s rituals, journal prompts, and tarot spreads provided new inspiration and brought a breath of fresh air to my practice. We all deserve a magical life, and this book for sure will be of use when creating one.