You're listening to Curious Cat, the podcast that examines the shadow, a space where science and the supernatural collide. And I'm your host, Jennifer Hotes. Join me every week as I examine what it means to be a soul and a meat to welcome to Curious Cat. Hello, welcome. If you're listening to Curious Cat episodes in order, you might be scratching your head right now, because I'd promised you a three part series about the obstacles that held me back from my spiritual journey. I think I was beginning with the my inability to accept unconditional love will look for that soon. But I had to shake it up, because I was guided to share some fundamental information first, which is why this week the conversation is centered around chakra 101 and the ways to use stones to enhance your inner work. Odds are you've heard of chakras before especially if you studied yoga, put simply, they are seven energy points that run up your body. If you picture your body as a batteries, say like a C batteries sitting upright. At the top of your head is a terminal, that little knob that connects you to the earthly. At the bottom of your feet there's another terminal that connects to the earthly, but YOU are the battery, the source of power that creates that divine connection. So let's go over the chakras and their basic properties. There are seven chakras and all call them out from the ground. So the Root Chakra is located at the base of your spine. It's associated with the color red and the element Earth. When your root chakra is clear and energized, you feel safe, supported, steady on your feet consistent. And to keep the chakra healthy physically, it's pretty simple. You just move your body, dance, run, or jump. Also, I think I mentioned in an earlier episode, one thing that'll instantly clear your root chakra is standing in bare feet on the earth outside, whether it's dirt, a sidewalk, whatever, you've got gravel going on outside, that'll instantly clear you physically, emotionally, you have to make sure your security needs are met, that involves reclaiming your power and creating a personal space that feels both safe and positive. The affirmation for this chakra is I exist, and it's a message inside that of live your life proudly going up your body. The next is the sacral chakra. It's located in your lower abdomen, right below your belly button. It's associated with the color orange, and it corresponds to the element of water to keep it physically healthy. You invest in and create loving partnerships, yoga, belly dancing, apparently, that's what my research showed me and emotionally, it's best for this chakra to identify your deepest desires or dreams and start making progress. Even it's slow, steady, inch by inch progress toward making them a reality. The affirmation for this is I desire, the message being Live Your Passion. The solar plexus chakra is located in the center of your We're still creeping up the body here and we're at the heart belly and correlates to the color a yellow. Its element is fire, which is where the phrase the fire in your belly comes from. I had a block here after my father died, and I had no fire in my belly for months. So I had to work through that block. More research on my experience with the solar plexus and its block showed me that an overbearing solar plexus and that's one that is not in balance with the other chakras in your system, or one where your energy is singularly chakra, which is located just at our heart center. And it's focused; can result in obsessive compulsive control, which explains a lot because when I was under stress, it came out in sort of obsessive compulsive ways where I felt like I needed to clean the house or you know, do certain behaviors over and over. So I definitely felt that a healthy flow allows you to control your destiny, to feel comfortable in your power and a call Was your dreams, even not accomplish, I would say just associated with the color green. This chakra corresponds with the owning your dreams physically to take care of it. I would recommend we hear it in even our language has hints of this, do a gut check, but they recommend a diet full of fiber and very little process sugar. Emotionally take time to care for yourself. That's where the gut check, saying comes in, soak in a bath or shower. Just spend time doing something you love, like reading or painting or take apart something mechanical, like element air to keep it whirling and bright physically. Spend that broken toaster and rebuild it. Whatever feeds your soul. The affirmation for this one is I control. Go forward and control your destiny, reclaim the happiness that you deserve. time in nature, garden, pet an animal, hug someone you love. Emotionally, if you want to keep this pairing, invest in healthy The throat chakra is next and it's located at the base of your neck. The associating color is blue. It can be dark, or often you see light blue with it. Its corresponding element is ether. relationships, and stay grounded in the here and now. Especially And it's the energy center that controls your communication. It's an easy way to keep physically tuned. If you sing, hum, chant, even doing breathing exercises emotionally, it's important to speak your truth. Its affirmation is I express and the message embedded in that is do not suppress your own beautiful voice. Speak your truth. Seeing your joy. emanate your love through the vibration of your words. today. I made a kind of post-New Year's Eve resolution. That was The third eye chakra it's corresponding colors Indigo and it is located between your eyebrows. It's the energy that controls insight, intuition, awareness and guidance to keep it physically balanced by meditating. You can do it visualizing exercises will do the same thing. I think maintaining a dream journal is a beautiful way to invest in your third eye chakra. Its emotional health comes from trusting your intuition. finding meaning in your dreams, believing your like mid January resolution to stay away from the news and it hunches, having faith in yourself. And the affirmation for this chakra is I am the witness. I think the message embedded in that is do not dismiss or negate your power and your knowledge. Even if it comes from a place that seems invisible to others. The same leap of faith comes to mind. You're taking a leap of faith but the faith you're having is in your own hunches your own self. The Crown Chakra is at the top of your head and it saddles your has done wonders for my heart chakra. Because I cut that physical body, the top of your head with the celestial the rest of the universe. Its color associated with it is light, violet or white. And it's I don't even think I wrote down what its element is I feel like it would be ether. But I don't really know. This is the bridge between the body and the spirit. And it's the place where the soul leaves the body after death. It is also I think it's your personal lie detector. So tether, I feel much more in control of taking care of my to physically maintain it, eat good, real foods. Try to get some blocks of deep sleep. I know it's hard if you're a new parent or you have a roommate, pray, meditate and emotionally lean into the spaces in between. You know that time not when you're not quite awake and not quite asleep. Just listen In those moments, acknowledge a connection to something more heart chakra after that. The affirmation for Heart Chakra is like that universal love or energy, and then spend the rest of your day looking for the divine in the every day. And what I love about doing that is that the universe will delight you by showing up more and more often, it's it's jaw dropping yesterday, I experienced that firsthand, I woke up and I said, I think a friend mentioned they wanted this and they needed this. So I need to make this my purpose today. And as I went about my business doing that, it was creating a set of chakra I love you. Let your heart energy flow freely in and out. stones. And then I was like, well, the box that they had at this rock store wasn't quite right. But there is this little story love, that's about five minutes away. And I go there and I looked around the store. And I'm like, my intuition says it's here, I'm just not seeing it's buy the books. And sure enough, I saw this box on top of the books, and I showed it to the shop owner who knew what I was looking for. And she said, Where the hell did that come from? I it literally was not there this Be open to receiving the love that is available to you now. morning. It did not have a price on it. So we just had to make one up. And then after I left the shop, if that wasn't enough, dear friends of mine are standing on the sidewalk outside. So the whole day was a blessing. And even went into today where I had to ship off this little kit that I'd made for this friend. And I was listening to a song. It was like I can't it was like cheesy at song was by Foreigner. It was And the free flowing love that is your birthright. Waiting for a Girl Like You. I was listening to it in my car. And then when I went in the shop, and know that I'd been listening to it on Spotify, not a radio station, so I step inside the store to ship the package and the same song is playing. The Universe was clearly having a ton of fun with me. And I was like, I see you, Universe. So anyway, do that for yourself with your crown chakra and with the universe and have fun with that. It's interesting because the Bible, I think, is speaking about the crown chakra when it calls. It's not just Jesus, it's calling our connection to the spiritual the great I AM. So what impacts the health balance and energy flow of chakras negatively? I think it's important to talk about that. There are energetic blocks. And I alluded to that earlier. I experienced this during the height of my grief process. Oh boy I experienced it for a few months after my dad died. Also imbalances and energy sabotaging habits, like not getting enough sleep or too much work, you know, inside at a desk without windows or a space that's has no fresh air. Also eating food that's fatty, artificial, generally unhealthy. Or how about not taking time for self care? The worst culprit for me is stuffing down my true emotions and not living my truth. So don't be like me. I'm learning to just live in the moment without a filter. All of these prevent us from accessing our full vitality, which leads to feelings of exhaustion, being scatterbrained emotionally, or emotionally dulled and even sick like physically ill, it can lead to depression. So it's really important that we strengthen and enhance the flow of the chakra systems, I kind of equated to if you've ever gotten tires, your tires changed on your car, then the next thing that they do is they take your car for a few more minutes and align them. And I used to think it was BS until the one time I didn't do it and then my car kind of like tilted to the left and right on the road. Well, that's what strengthening and maintaining and enhancing the flow of your chakras does is they it keeps you kind of going straight and not lilting to the left or right. In regards to chakras, a quick way to align them to do that are meditate. There are many free chakra-aligning meditations on the internet. Look for them on YouTube, Spotify, Apple music wherever you stream music, just search and you'll find a lot and try them until you find one that becomes your favorite or have a couple of them. They usually run about the same they range about five minutes to 25 minutes and most will guide you through the chakras from the root to the crown. And they'll have you visualized each energy will you know each chakra has an energy wheel spinning, then it clears as you go and then it brightens.In my practice, I feel instantly better, soothed and centered, after doing them. And when I first begin the meditation, when I picture my chakras, they're all kind of a smoky gray and dull. By the end, they glisten and thislight emanates out of them. I'm like walking rainbow. Another way to do it is yoga simple stretches with intentional breathing. If you don't, like I am, I love yoga, but I never been to a formal class. So again, you can find that on the interwebs if you want to do an actual class, but you can just stretch on the floor and take some nice deep breaths, clearing out the clutter in our lives, both physical and emotional clutter. And with that, I'd say limiting exposure to toxic relationships. Obviously, you're going to have to be in business meetings or even have conversation and be in difficult places with people in your personal life. But, you know, do yourself a favor and set a timer so that it it limits that exposure to something that's toxic, tough for you. Another practice that really helps to maintain your chakras is Reiki. And I went on the site for the International Center for Reiki training. And I have their other information the link in the show notes, but they had a quote that was described it best. Reiki is a method of stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. The technique was developed in Japan and is administered by the laying on of hands. It is based on the idea that all living things have a special energy flowing through them called life energy. When your life energy is high, you'll feel strong and confident, be more relaxed and centered and less likely to get sick. When it is low, you'll often feel tired, be more easily affected by stress, and less I also wanted to talk today about using stones to balance your chakras if you want to go a bit deeper, or just kind of resistant to illness. Reiki is a Japanese word that comes from enhance your practice or make it part of your daily life. So choose a stone that corresponds with the chakra you seek to two words Rei and Ki k i. In the Japanese language these words heal. And for this, I recommend you do a little field trip to your local rock shop. And from route to crown focus on one can mean different things depending on how they're used chakra at a time. Then notice the stone that you're drawn to and place it in your tray. Refocus on the next chakra and and how they are combined with other words, when they're used repeat until you have your seven stones. Color is a fantastic affirmation of your intuition. But don't be shocked if you're together for the practice of healing. The word re means drawn to say Black Tourmaline for your root chakra. Because Universal Spirit, or higher power or God. The word key once you're home and you are doing the research on your phone or theater, you're going to find out your intuition was spot on. refers to the life energy that flows through all living things. And as far as cost goes, simple, tumbled stones can be purchased for as little as $1 apiece, or sometimes you can get raw pieces Therefore Reiki means life energy that is guided by God. of it that haven't been tumbled at all and they're even cheaper. So the first thing you want to do once you have your stones as Some also feel this is just another way of saying Holy cleanse and recharge them, they come to you filled with energy Spirit. If you want to learn more, again, I provided that from the store the other customers the shipping process, and it's very simple to do. Run your stones underwater, and link in the show notes. they'll be ready for use. If there's a full moon that night, even better, lay your stones on your windowsill to catch the light of the moon full sunshine does the same thing. Just let your intuition guide you. You got this placement. So now that your stones are cleansed and recharged, hold the corresponding stone as you meditate. So if they're and if they're small enough, you can stick them in your pocket and use them as you need for during school or work. If you're anxious about a test or an interview or something, you can have those stones nearby and it's amazing how it's like therapy through the touch of your hand. So I promised you a list of chakras and their corresponding stones. This is not the gospel. It's just a general guide. And you don't have to memorize because I've put a link to this in the show notes. So from the I'm going to do from the root to the crown just to be consistent. The root chakra, it's hematite, blood Jasper, Black Tourmaline shung guide or any red or black stone. Sacral Chakra is carnelian, orange Jasper, orange barrel or any orange stone for the solar plexus chakra, Tiger's eye Citrine, yellow terma line or any yellow or brown stone. I really love Tiger Tiger's eye, Heart Chakra, Rose Quartz, pink Tourmaline very cool site, or any pink or green stone works great for the throat chakra chi nit turquoise, aquamarine or any light blue stone. Actually, I have a very dark blue stone for this for me, the third eye chakra, lapis lazuli, Sapphire, Moonstone, or any Indigo stone. And for the crown chakra, Amethyst, clear quartz, Opal works fantastic. Or any other clear stone. As for the timing of your meditation with your stones, I would just start with like five minutes or so. But again, follow your intuition. If you need more time, take it if you feel you're done. Stop. I mean, you're gonna get a sense of it's like this smothering sensation that when you're done and you need to get the stones off of you because your body's had enough. It's kind of beautiful. And I wanted to add a note about where to shop for your stones. Because small businesses are struggling to recover from the pandemic. I'd like to encourage you to check out your local store first. And if you'd rather shop online, that's totally understandable. But to reputable sources. Sources from my home state of Washington are earthlite gems and minerals, which has two locations in Kirkland and Snoqualmie. And then there's Mystic Wares, which is in Mt. Vernon, Washington and both are fantastic places very reputable, great stuff. They may even have chakra sets for sale on their websites. So thanks for joining me for chakra when when. Thanks for being flexible, letting me change up what the show was supposed to be. I want to know what this is meant for you what stones work best for you. Or ways that you find are easier for you to clear and energize your chakra. Just hit me in the comments, would you next week, Join me for episode four. And we'll be talking about cutting out the spiritual middleman. It's the first of that three part series I alluded to to expose the obstacles that most often keep you they certainly kept me from spiritual growth. And where I tripped up, you're going to get to benefit from my mistakes. Thank you for listening to Curious Cat. Huge gratitude for my art director and audio engineer. If you're in need of these services, please find their links in the show notes. Also, please be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Join the conversation with us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Until next time, be well and I love you