Tap Into Your Third Eye With Your Jewelry

This is a super brief yet easy reminder that we can always tap into your inner teacher and third eye to guide us to more clear and conscious living. 

Tonight is the pink full moon in Sagittarius.  We can use this time look deep inside ourselves and ask, what is calling to us? So take a lil time out, even five minutes to be still and quiet and use your jewelry as a source of focus. 

thanks as always for reading and stopping by.  And click on the link below that takes you to my One of a kind jewels that will aid you in your meditation and journey to your inner teacher.

My Journey and Self Discovery

One of my most treasured self care rituals is taking a bath and this evening as I lay there in warm soothing water (my element as a Pisces) I thought of what to post here on my blog; and it came to me - sharing my journey and path to jewelry and love of gems, tarot and the Occult.

I will not shy away from saying or writing that word - THE OCCULT - because in my mind it isn't bad or riddled with horrible things but of magic.

Shot from the Valkyrie collection.  The cup represents water and the cauldron.

When I was in my early twenties I was at my lowest in self confidence and direction.  I was lost; and of course I got into trouble.  I went through so much inner pain and anguish and filled the deep void within myself with material objects.  And as with many individuals whom get lost, I found faith.  First through Christianity but eventually I became fascinated with the old gods, with their tales and myths.  Mind you, I've loved storytelling since I was a child in middle school.  Their tales gave me hope and renewal.

Enamel brooch, 2011. 

Fast forward roughly ten years, I still had some emptiness inside but I learned to channel my fear and doubts with keeping my hands busy.  A thought formed in my mind of melding my two loves - faith and adornment.  Ritual adornment has fascinated me since I was a girl attending the traditional catholic church and prayers.  I loved using the ritual beads and iconography.

Thus I continued my passion for making jewelry and became fixed on turning it into a career.  As humans, our nature is to create culture - to embody the Gods by also making and forming with our hands and mind.  And I'm most happy and fulfilled when I'm being creative and not just in the studio but in my garden, my kitchen and with spirituality. 

When I moved to eastern North Carolina I was thirty years old, at a precipice of venturing into the wonderful world of jewelry and metalsmithing.  I'd found my calling and it felt liberating to embrace it and take the leap.  It changed my life moving to North Carolina, and it's not so much the place but the people I met that challenged me.  

***peep my brief interview below going into more detail of my process.

So my tale has come here, to a happy and growing place of contentment and exploration.  I hope that it gives you hope to leap, and that your net will appear.   Be patient with yourself and give your space to explore and question yourself. 

Thank you as always for reading!

Maiden, Mother and Crone - And What You Can Learn From Each Archetype

As a mother I've entered a completely new and life altering stage in my life and it didn't really dawn on me until I reflected on the fact that I have a new title.  And I also reflected that my own mother is in the crone stage.  Several of my friends are in the mother stage as well despite not having biological children they are very maternal and I look to them for guidance.

The maiden, Brigid, young, alive and naive. Photo by Aileen Devlin.

This really had the wheels in my head turning when thinking how many of us can benefit from understanding these roles and how throughout our entire lives we need the wisdom and lessons from each archetype.  And especially as women we're often pigeonholed to remain static - that you shouldn't have long hair when you're older, or it's not proper to have gray hair when you're younger etc.  

So let's go over what each of these roles mean and the lessons we learn in each of them.

Maiden: By word association we can go by - youth, enchantment, excitement, carefree and erotic.  She is represented in several mythologies in the Greek myths she's Persephone - purity - and a representation of new beginnings. Other maiden goddesses include: Brigid, Nimue, among others. 
What we learn from the Maiden - When we are weary, over worked or the feeling of disparity enter our minds we can remind ourselves that everyday is a new beginning, every year we can start over and allow the maiden mind frame to give us the time to wipe the slate clean.  In addition, there is a strength in being naive and unburdened by the toils of life.  You look at life with a new perspective.  This is what I love about my younger girlfriends, their zest for life!

Mother: She is the caregiver, nurturer, loving, ripeness, fertility, fulfillment, stability, and power.  The Mother Goddess in Greek mythology is Demeter, representing wellspring of life, giving and compassionate. Other mother goddesses include: Aa, Ambika, Ceres, Astarte, Lakshmi.
What we learn from the Mother aspect:  To nurture and care for a project, another life, even our animal and plant babies we find that we learn so much in ourselves.  A sense of passing on wisdom, education, pride and fulfillment.  We also learn a great deal of patience and the lesson of giving immensely.  Oh and one major aspect is protectiveness and a very fierce love.

Crone:  Wisdom, clarity, insight, repose, compassion and knowledge.  The Crone in Greek mythology is Hecate - wise, knowing, a culmination of a lifetime of experience. Crone goddesses include: Hel, Maman Brigitte, Oya, Sedna, Skuld, and others.
What we learn from the Crone aspect:  What I find most insightful from the Crone is letting go, that death is only the beginning and we must embrace the change and pain.  And she is often what we do not want to confront and accept.  We only gain wisdom through our experiences whether they be good or bad.  I'd also say that I ADORE the crones in my life, the women that teach me how to love myself and how to take time and learn. 

We receive so many blessings from each aspect of the trinity.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and that it gives you pause for thought in the areas of your life that the triple goddess can guide and assist you. 

More thoughts on the triple goddess:

These aspects may also represent the cycle of birth, life and death (and rebirth). Neopagans believe that this goddess is the personification of all women everywhere.

Followers of the Wiccan, Dianic, and Neopagan religions, as well as some archeologists and mythographers, believe that long before the coming of the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the Triple Goddess embodied the three-fold aspect of Gaia, the Earth Mother (Roman Magna Mater). A mother goddess was worshipped under a variety of names not only in the Ancient Near East and the Aegean and Anatolia, but also in pre-Islamic Arabia.

Neopagans also claim historical antecedent for their beliefs, holding that in Old Europe, in the Aegean world, and in the most ancient Near East, the Triple Goddess preceded the coming of nomadic speakers of Indo-European languages.

In South Arabia the moon-god Hubal was accompanied by the three goddesses: Uzza the youngest, Al-Lat "The Goddess" and Manat the Crone, the three cranes.

Wiccans often work with the Goddess in her triple form but may sometimes look at a particular goddess as Maiden, Mother and Crone even when there is no historical proof of this. An example of this would be the goddess Hecate, who was originally depicted as three maidens when in triplicate or as an old woman by herself in later times. Another example is the goddess Morrigan.

Another cross-cultural archetype is the three goddesses of Fate. In Greek Mythology they are the Moirai; in Norse mythology they are the Norns. The Weird Sisters of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Wyrd Sisters of Terry Pratchett's novel of the same name are believed to be inspired by these Fates. The three supernatural female figures called variously the Ladies, Mother of the Camenae, the Kindly Ones, and a number of other different names in The Sandman graphic novels by Neil Gaiman play self-consciously on both the triple Fates and the Maiden-Mother-Crone goddess archetypes." -via Crystalinks

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What is White Noise?

Last week I was driving and running errands while listening to one of my favorite podcasts Boss Girls about creating space for white noise.  I sorta knew what they meant but I was still perplexed - white noise? Which essentially means doing nothing.  Not looking at your phone, not cleaning, simply sitting or laying around doing nothing. 

Now, I used to be a master of that when I was in middle school because when your a 12 year old kid you don't have many responsibilities but now that I'm older and attempting to do everything it can be incredibly difficult to make yourself do nothing!

Laying in a field of flowers - ultimate white noise location.

However, your mind and body really need a good 30-60 minutes of this precious activity, just as your body needs sleep.  Why? Because that is when your mind is processing and filtering out all the activity and thoughts that you've been having you're able to learn so much.  And when you truly think about 'white noise' it's sorta like meditation.  But that word is intimidating isn't it?

I can see now that when I had to ritual of my bath time it was my white noise, my time to lay in a bath of water and relax! It's self care and it is SO essential to your sanity.  With a 4 month old baby it's been a bit harder to carve out white noise time but I do make it a priority, for myself and my husband.  When we're both healthy and sane so is our family.

Do do yourself a favor and give yourself permission to DO NOTHING!

thanks for reading.

How to Create a Meditative Space

As I've told you in a previous blog post, this year I'm trying to meditate and take more quiet times throughout the day and week to pray and be quiet.  It's harder than you think, everyday I tell myself I'm going to meditate the first thing I do when I wake up and I have yet to do that!

However, i do much better at night, when I need to play out the scenes of the day.  I've also read that you don't need to be in a defined space to meditate or let your mind relax and wander.  You can do it at the park, on your lunch break, at your desk or even in your car.  The point is to allow your mind to 'rest'. 

It does help though to have a space carved out to meditate and relax.  It could be a corner in your room or living room.  But adding a few touches can truly help.

Buddha and a rosemary wreath my friends gifted me. 

1.  Setting the scene with ritual.  It could be lighting a candle or incense, pulling out your favorite blanket or pillow.  Rubbing scented oils on your pulse points.  Whatever it is, do one (or several) thing to put you in a meditative mood.  Ritual is very powerful when it comes to habits and a sense of serenity.

2.  Unplug completely.  Put your phone on vibrate, or do not disturb and put it in another room.  This is really essential to letting your mind and body rest.

3.  Make it completely comfortable.  Put on your pjs or leave them on, wear warm socks, or keep the air cool.  Surround yourself with lots of pillows.  You want to feel relaxed and sedated.

My 'grandma' chair and handmade pillow get me comfy and cozy for a tarot reading.

4.  Add special momentos in your space. It could be a photo of a beloved ancestor, or a rock you found on a hike.  Anything that brings back peaceful and happy memories is perfect for your meditative space.  I keep a photo of my me and my niece on my wedding day on the bookshelf next to my chair.  It fills me with happiness and joy just looking at it.

5.  Tell your partner or loved ones you need quiet and space to meditate.  This goes along with unplugging.  close the door or move cats, children and spouses out of your zone.  So that you can completely unwind. 

And one last word of advice, even if your mind wanders in the beginning, don't worry about it.  Often times our mind needs a moment to 'come down' for the activity of the day, to slowly allow the mind to shake off all the thoughts.  Then you can begin a ritual of connecting your body to the earth and the sky (my best way of getting into the meditative state).  Visualization really helps with this. 

I hope these tips help you to move into a state of peacefulness - meditation is like stretching, the more you do it the easier it becomes. 

thanks for reading!

Stone Cold Love

I recently had one of my friends solicit advice for warding off anxiety and stress.  Luckily I had my handy Gem and Stone book by Jen Altman.  Labradorite seemed like a perfect stone to aid her in calming her nerves and keeping her safe from negativity. 

One of a kind pendant with one of the prettiest labs I've worked with. 

And it had me thinking how could I help you and my other friends with their own ailments or everyday worries.  So I recreated a chart from Jen's book on stones for every zodiac sign. This can be a good reference for you when thinking about your own personal attachment to certain stones or researching them. 

I'm a Pisces and it makes total sense that I've always been attracted to amethyst, I love that purple color!!

I hope you enjoy and use this reference guide, and research more about your stones and how they can aid you.  I think right now, many of us can use that self care and inner reflection. 

The Future is Now

This holiday season I was gifted a beautiful tarot deck, The Fountain Tarot and it came at the perfect time.  Many years ago I had begun my study of tarot and divination and I really loved it but I also found it intimidating.  One main reason why is that the reader must trust her own instincts.  Funny but most of us trust our own instincts on a daily basis without ever realizing it however when it comes to dissecting and breaking down signs, we struggle.  

Several Yule gifts, the Fountain Tarot deck, a beautiful print and a one of a kind pendant I made for my friend Amy.

So this year I'm making it a goal to study tarot more and divination.  You may think, oh that's for witches or 'hocus pocus' but divination has been a source of fantastic council and guidance for a very, very long time. 

And right now the tarot community has exploded! There are so many beautifully made decks and books that help guide you to a better understanding of what is happening in your life.  Think of tarot as a map that shows signs of where you're headed in your life but also a way to prevent toxic behavior or continue along the path of where you're going.  My favorite spread is the past/present/future, I find it gives me a brief snapshot of current situation. 

Very cool skull from Everyday Magic.

I'm super excited that towards the end of this month I'll be visiting my favorite esoteric shop, Everyday Magic with my friends.  And Bakara stocks an incredible array of tarot decks!  She also provides tarot readings and classes.  I wish I lived closer to Durham so I could participate.  Luckily I've met like minded people that share my love of tarot and we're planning to study together. 

I hope you take time out of your day to meditate and reflect on the signs and clues in your life that may not be so obvious; we all need a little bit of reflection and solitude to guide us. 

Dream a Little Dream

Now that most of us are recovering from Christmas and most of the holiday events, it's time to take a moment to appreciate our dreams.

Valkeryie Collection photo by Aileen Devlin.

I got some inspiration last night reading a new book and I got to a part where the author stresses the importance and meaning of dream time.  Intentional dreaming and the kind we have every night.  It got me thinking about the repeated dreams I have of rooms and houses and secret passageways.  It's a very recurrent theme in my dreams. 

Do you have recurrent symbols or images in your dreams? And then what are the actual things that you 'dream' of, such as traveling, ideas, objects etc? One very key part of dreaming is to write the good ones down, maybe even the bad ones.  It's part of how we remember them and also achieve our dreams. 

Over the years I've discovered that much of what I do on a day to day basis, in terms of achieving my dreams is writing them down and taking them in bite size attainable goals.  Back in 2006 when I was working a full time advocacy job in Washington, DC and taking evening jewelry classes I made a very concentrated effort achieve my dream of being a jeweler.  And I'm not sure I consciously thought that in ten years I would be here today running my own business but that was the end goal.  I began looking for part time jobs in the jewelry field, continued taking classes and within three years going to school to study jewelry and metalsmithing.  All the while I kept a 'dream journal' I wrote down these goals, I verbalized them and I dreamt and dreamt up possibilities. 

I share this with you because dreams are VERY powerful, only when they are set in motion.   And the main ethos of Eilisain Jewelry is the Powerfully Divine.  So I would love for you too the have the essence and try to live it on a daily basis.   You can achieve the wildest dream ever, if you work to make it happen.  If you believe and continue to dream. 

Thus, I suggest to you to take some time before or in the beginning of the new year and dream, big and small.  Let your mind wander and visualize a limitless future.  And even if you don't write them down, I'll bet you feel energized and rejuvenated. 

All Souls Day and Samhain

Happy Samhain! It is still considered 'Halloween' by many Celts and Pagans.  As the day officially began when the sun sets.  There is a sense of intensity of life and the passage of death.  One of the aspects I most appreciate about the Celtic belief system is the way they honor death and believe it is part of the cycle we all must go through.  Death is one stage in our grand journey, and was more celebrated than mourned.  As it meant the soul was moving to a stage where they no longer worry about hunger, sickness or the other ills of life. 

Perhaps that is why death and the Otherworld hold such a fascination to me.  I'm a true believer in the afterlife, in karma and many other parallel worlds that exist while we are in this plane of existence.  I also feel it is why certain objects can possess the energy of the departed. When I studied cultural anthropology, the thread of commonality through several large civilizations in guiding their dead through through the afterlife with weapons and jewelry as well as clay earthenware is profound. 

I've often said that when I pass to the next world, I want to be put on a boat and set sail aflame as the Vikings once did.  Death is not easy for those who are left living but if we change our perception of what it means, perhaps we can let go off our loved ones more easily.

Meditative Guide to Find Your Spirit Animal

Bast OOAK necklace, skull from a cat found in the wild.  Photo by Aileen Devlin.

Finding your spirit animal and learning about their strengths and weaknesses can help guide you in your life.  It has in my own, the beaver is the builder of dreams and has helped me build my own career and business.  The owl has deep insight and immense hearing, the cat is curious and patiently awaits to pounce. 

Here is a simple meditative guide I've used to find my spirit animal:

1. Find a quiet place to be alone, you'll need about 10-15 minutes to yourself.  Turn off any distractions.

2. Sit in a comfortable position or lay down. 

3. Center your mind, or quiet your mind.  Let go of your days worries and cares.  If a thought enters your mind, honor it then let it go.

4. Now picture a clearing in the woods, with a large tree.  It is an old tree and at it's base there is a dark opening, near the tree trunks.  Continue to focus on the tree and the stillness of the forest. 

5. When your spirit animal is ready, it will come from out of the dark opening of the tree.  Many times your animal will surprise you, it can be unexpected.  And also it can be your spirit animal for what you are going through in this time of your life.  Honor that animal and research it's qualities - positive and negative. 

Once you've found your spirit animal, obtain talismans or create ones that embody your totem.  So that you can call upon them when you need guidance, strength or any of the other amazing qualities of that animal. 

One of my totem animals, the Crow which I ran into quite often in the Pacific NW. 

You'll notice that once you open yourself up to your third eye (your inner teacher and guide) you become more centered, aware and cautious in your decisions.  You begin to listen to the cues. 

I hope this blog post and guide helps you in your life.  It's amazing what the effects of meditation and quiet time can do for your energy and soul.

Stay lovely -
Lisette