Selecting crystals for the seasons is all about trusting your intuition and considering the emotions each season evokes in you. Then it's as simple as matching these feelings with crystals that reflect the same energy.

Join Adam Barralet, Ashley Leavy, Kyle Perez, and Nicholas Pearson in Episode #6 of the Crystal Confab Podcast as they explore Rose Quartz' meaning and uses, including: Is Rose Quartz actually the ultimate "stone of love"? Spotting Rose Quartz crystal fakes Rose Quartz for grief & loss Working with Rose Quartz at Beltane Rose Quartz for fresh starts     Tune in now for a deeper look at Rose Quartz' meaning! Crystal Confab Podcast Introduction: Are you just starting with crystals? Or maybe you have a whole collection but aren't sure how to use them? Join 4 crystal nerds, healers, workers, and lovers for crystal confab, a casual chat about all things crystals.   Adam Barralet: Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of crystal confab. Today, we're looking at the crystal of love, or are we? I've got a bit of an issue, to be honest with Rose Quartz. I feel it's a bit like the Kardashians. It gets far more attention than it deserves because there are so many beautiful, loving crystals out there.   But whenever people are talking about love, they go straight to Rose Quartz. So today, me and my gang, we're gonna kind of unpack rose quartz. What it's good for, what maybe another crystal might be good for, and maybe throw in some surprise uses for this crystal as well. How are we today, guys?   Ashley Leavy: Oh, good. Good.   Adam: Good. Good. Now, Nicholas, I wanna start with you today. Tell us a little bit, rose quartz, it's counted as the crystal of love, but where did that come from? And do you think that's all we can use rose quartz for, love?   Nicholas Pearson: Oh, I'm so glad you asked. This is like my nerdy superpower is, like, tracking down where these, like, little epithets and things come from in our world. And, just casually over the years, I noticed that, like, before a certain point, nobody really makes a strong connection between Rose Quartz and Love. There might be a little kind of anecdotal stuff here or there, but it's about from the year 1985 onwards, and it's really, like, more frequent in the late eighties, early nineties that we start to see rose quartz called the love stone pretty universally. So, at some point in the last couple years, I decided to, like, intentionally do a deep dive on this.   I was writing some new curriculum centered around rose quartz. I was like, let's actually find out where this comes from. And to the best of my knowledge, and I could be wrong, I I would love a larger dataset than I've got, but it's already pretty big. The first time we see rose quartz called the love stone is in, like, one of those classic late eighties books called, Crystal Awareness by Kathryn Bowman, where she just gives it, among other things, she calls it the love stone. However, what happened 1 year later would really cement this.   And there's a kind of obscure book by today's standards, but this author was, at least at this point, quite popular. Her name is Connie Church. She released a couple of books. Crystal Clear, which, if you bought it in the eighties, originally came, like, shrink wrapped with a clear quartz crystal to go along with it. So you could do all of the exercises in tandem with the crystal.   And then as a sequel in, 87, so just 2 years after Catherine Bowman books Catherine Bowman's first book comes out, she puts out a book called Crystal Love. And, of course, it also comes shrink wrapped with a little piece of rose quartz. And throughout the book, she's constantly referring to this stone as your love stone. Not saying all rose quartz is the love stone, but all the self love exercises you're gonna do are with this stone, which is now your love stone. It theoretically could have been anything, but she wrote the book about rose quartz, and that's why it really just kind of became cemented in our collected psyche as the stone of love.   And, I think I think that is a really nice entryway to talking about what rose quartz can do for us,

In this enlightening interview, energy and death worker Cassie Uhl chats to me about her new book, Craft Your Own Magic, which is all about cultivating personalized and ethical magical practices. Dive in now to hear about the transformative "tower moment" that prompted her to address cultural appropriation in her work and reconnect with her ancestral roots. Plus, learn Cassie's insights on building meaningful relationships with nature and her guidance on developing discernment in intuitive practices. This interview is a must-read for anyone looking to embrace the mystery of spirit and craft their own unique magical practice with an ethical framework. Disclosure: The link here is an affiliate link, meaning I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.  Yay!   Catch the interview highlights here: Ready to Craft Your Own Magic? Watch the full interview now!   Read the full interview about Craft Your Own Magic below! Ashley Leavy: Hello and welcome. I am so deeply honored to be interviewing today my dear friend Cassie Uhl, who is the author of so many phenomenal books, decks and journals. Today we are discussing her brand new book, Craft Your Own Magic: Reawaken Your Intuition, Understand Magical Correspondences and Create a Meaningful Personal Practice. Cassie, thank you so much for being here with me today. Cassie Uhl: Thank you, Ashley. I'm so happy to be here. Ashley Leavy:  You have been on the show before, but would you mind introducing yourself and a little bit about your work, for those who are new to learning about what you do, and also because your work has changed a good deal over the past few years. Cassie Uhl: Yes, absolutely, it has so much in beautiful, beautiful ways. Um, yeah, I'm an energy worker. I'm a death worker. Those are two things that I'm really passionate about. As you mentioned, I'm an author, and those are the things that really inspire my work and my practice. And I'm a magic maker. Some might say a witch. That's a word I use sometimes, but I like to be out in the land, working magic with trees and flowers and water. That's also a big part of my my personal practice.     Ashley Leavy: And I think all of those things really weave together in the work that you do. You see it come out in all these different magical ways, and especially in your writing and in your art, where there's this really deep expression of what you do. And I think the thing that struck me most about your newest book, Craft Your Own Magic is how deeply personal it is, and how vulnerable you are in those pages, and how much of yourself you share, but you do it in this way that is, I think, so different than what we often see in the healing space or the magic space. You're not sharing these parts of yourself to be like, and this is how it's done. You're very much sharing from this, like I said, really vulnerable place to say this is one way that it can look like. And you're often turning a question back on the reader and saying, 'What does it look like for you?' So I would love to know what inspired this approach to Craft Your Own Magic and what really got you started on the journey of creating and releasing this book? "I already had a really strong relationship with my guides and some of my ancestors, and it almost felt like they were really pulling and calling me to create something of my own. And in that moment, in the tower moment of all of that, it felt awful. But now today, I can look back and think, 'Wow, what a gift.'" Cassie Uhl: Thank you. I love this question. Yeah, Craft Your Own Magic is so different from my other books. And when I tell people that this is my first big book, it's my first book that's really got more me in it. And it still is really important for me to share in a way that's like, 'This isn't how you do it. This is how I did it.' And what really started that journey for me was, I would call it a tower moment, referencing the Tarot,

Join Adam Barralet, Ashley Leavy, Kyle Perez, and Nicholas Pearson in Episode #5 of the Crystal Confab Podcast as they explore Spiderweb Obsidian meanings and uses, including: Spiderweb Obsidian & the Scorpio New Moon Weaving Threads of Magic with Spiderweb Obsidian Getting to know Spiderweb Obsidian (and any stone) in just a week! Spiderweb Obsidian for discernment     Tune in now and dive into the magical world of Spiderweb Obsidian!   Crystal Confab Podcast Introduction: Are you just starting with crystals? Or maybe you have a whole collection but aren't sure how to use them? Join 4 crystal nerds, healers, workers, and lovers for crystal confab, a casual chat about all things crystals. Nicholas Pearson: Hello, and welcome to crystal confab, a podcast where 4 crystal experts come together to confab about a new crystal each week. Join Ashley Leavy, Kyle Perez, Adam Barralet, and myself, Nicholas Pearson, this week for our conversation about spider web obsidian. So how's everyone doing this week? Adam Barralet: I'm really good and excited to talk about an Obsidian, but a bit of a rarer Obsidian that maybe doesn't get as much attention as some of the others. Ashley Leavy: I'm really looking forward to this conversation also, because here in the northern hemisphere, we are getting, you know, well into the deep autumn, and I love this idea of this spiderweb obsidian kind of tying into our end of the year seasonality here. So I'm really looking forward to this chat. Kyle Perez: Me too. I am very excited, of course. This one, I had to do a bit of homework on. So I'm excited to share that. Yeah. Adam: So let's dive into it, Ashley. You know, as you do work move into the autumn time, you know, where is this crystal kind of really great for you at the moment? Ashley: Yeah. So for me, this stone is really about the interconnectedness of all things. If we think about a spider's web, it has each of these little strands that then get woven together and all connected. And I, you know, we can't help but feel a little ripple, a little movement in one area when there's something happening somewhere else. So we can see this on the microcosm, like in our own personal life, right? If things are a little, not quite on an even keel, we feel some choppy waters over here. We're gonna feel that in other areas of our life, but we can also really see and experience that on a larger scale when things are really out of balance and really out of alignment in the world, which they are, which they have been, which they will continue to be. We feel it. We feel it on the personal level. We feel it on the community level. We feel it on the global level, and helping us understand our role in that greater, you know, macrocosm perspective of things, I think, is where this stone really shines. So acting as a touchstone, a reminder to show up in bigger ways, not just for ourself, not just for our friends and family, but for our greater community, really showing up to be of service, to care for one another, to do our bit, to make the world a better place, I think is one of the things, one of the lessons that this stone really has to share with us. And this isn't, you know, just on the sort of mundane level, although it's great to show up and do those important acts. This stone also reminds us that we can do this on a magical level. So, you know, this could look like community service, maybe volunteering at your local community garden plot or something like that, but this also is in this space. So reminding us that our magical practice in whatever form that takes, our healing practice and whatever form that takes, isn't just about self, that it should be really rooted in community care, because everything is so interconnected, because those ripples go out so much further than what we can see. So that's one of my favorite things about the spiderweb obsidian.

  Samhain (pronounced the Gaelic way, SAH-win) is celebrated on October 31. This holiday marks the beginning of the dark half of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere and is the perfect time to hold space for ancestor connection, intuition, the thinning of the veil, death, introspection, rebirth, divination, and honoring the dead! It's a day to connect with ancestors and honor those who have passed on. Samhain is also an introspective time that can heighten intuition & divination, and call for meditation on death and rebirth. *If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, you'll be celebrating the festival of Beltane today instead of Samhain to keep with the seasonal cycles.  The 3 Best Crystals to work with on and around Samhain are: Black Moonstone - A darkly reflective crystal perfect for promoting intuition and personal insight. Use it wisely when you're ready to ask big questions this month. Sangre Calcite - This deep red calcite is a powerful fire element symbol that makes it a great helper for vitality and motivation in the colder months. Howlite - This stone is associated with the world of dreams and that which lies "beyond the veil," making it a good complement for connection with ancestors and the spirit realm.     More Samhain Crystals: Black Obsidian Bloodstone Black Moonstone Black Onyx Carnelian Hagstone Howlite Jet Red Garnet Red Sangre Calcite Shungite Smoky Quartz Snowflake Obsidian Set Up Your Samhain Ritual Altar!        Samhain Symbols Ale or Mead Pumpkin Skull Besom or Broom Beans Cauldron Bat Key Squash Pomegranate Nuts Apples & Cider Bones   Samhain Herbs: Angelica Catnip Cinnamon Mandrake Mugwort Rose Hips Rosemary Vervain Wormwood     Samhain is Also Known As/Related To: Halloween All Hallows Eve Calan Graeaf Ancestor Night Third Harvest Final Harvest Day of the Dead Witch's New Year Sauin Bonfire Night All Saints' Day All Souls' Day Celtic New Year       Open yourself up to the messages of illumination at this time of the Fire Festival with a Sacred Samhain Card Spread!   This reading will cover 6 aspects of the Final Harvest and shift into the Celtic New Year with highly specific info to help you: Uncover hidden influences that are affecting the events in your life and navigate the thin, mystical spaces Hear messages from the universe specific to your unique spiritual path, intuition, and connection to your ancestors or guides Look into what you need to focus on now on your soul path by gaining insight into what to sow and cultivate now until the light returns     Interpreting Card #1 What are you harvesting now from the energy of this past year? This card helps summarize your journey over the past year and what has ripened and is now ready for harvest. Think of all you've been working to grow and create in your life - now is the time to reap the rewards of your efforts and call in the harvest.   Interpreting Card #2 What should you sow and cultivate from now until the time when the light returns at Imbolc? Now that you've called in the harvest and completed a cycle, what would you most like to sow the seeds of in this moment? What will serve you best in the coming year? The energy you focus on now will begin to show itself and come back to you in big ways by Imbolc. This card may hold some hints or inspiration on what to do next.   Interpreting Card #3 What should you release into the darkness and burn away in the bonfire of your soul? What needs to be released at this time? And what is no longer serving you? What is potentially holding you back from all that you'd like to embody in your life? This card is here to help you recognize and accept the things that are ready to be let go so that you can create space in your life for things that will better ...

Join Adam Barralet, Ashley Leavy, Kyle Perez, and Nicholas Pearson in Episode #4 of the Crystal Confab Podcast as they explore Dioptase meaning and uses, including: Dioptase & Chariklo Connecting with your Guides using Dioptase Cultivating Powerful Compassion with Dioptase Dioptase & the Divine Feminine     Tune in now and dive into the magical world of Dioptase! Crystal Confab Podcast Introduction: Are you just starting with crystals? Or maybe you have a whole collection but aren't sure how to use them? Join 4 crystal nerds, healers, workers, and lovers for crystal confab, a casual chat about all things crystals.   Ashley Leavy: Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of the crystal confab podcast. We are really excited to share a lot with you today. We're gonna talk about some magic related to the crystal dioptase, which I personally really love. It's one of my favorites. I am Ashley Leavy and I'm here with my fellow co hosts, the amazing Adam Berlick, Kyle Perez, and Nicholas Pearson.   So hey, everybody. How are you doing?   Adam Barralet: Really good. Exciting to talk about a bit of a rarer crystal today.   Ashley: Yeah. I know. We have so much crystal wisdom in store to share in today's episode. So why don't we go ahead and dive right in? I believe Nicholas had something to share to kick us off.   Nicholas Pearson: Yeah. So it's not a secret that I really love copper minerals for folks who listen to be nerd out about rocks. They were like one of the first moments that I had in my journey of, like, learning about the geology and how the energy kinda synced up with it. It would be like I'd find a weird, unusual thing I'd never heard of before in my museum days, like cyanotrichite or something similarly odd, that I had difficulty sounding out and pronouncing, let alone remembering how to spell. And I'd sit and meditate and, you know, come up with my own personal experience and then go look it up and go, wow.   This also has copper in it, and that's why it has this property that reminds me of this other thing and that other thing. So it was like one of those big light bulb moments. So I've always loved, like, the whole copper family. And, Dioptase, I find, like, really exceptionally sweet. There's a tenderness to it.   Copper minerals are so connective and synergistic on their own, but there's something about it being like a copper silicate that makes it so much more expansive and radiant and luminous. And, some years ago when I was doing some, like, extra research on on copper minerals for, in bookstones on the Goddess, I found, like, these little threads that all fit together that kind of connect them to the divine feminine. You know, we've got the the word copper itself comes to us because of the island of Cyprus, which is cupros in Greek, which became cuprum in Latin, eventually copper in in English after making a few more stops along the way. And among among other great mythic things about Cyprus, it was a really historically important source for copper minerals and copper ore in the ancient world. It's also said to be more or less the birthplace of, the goddess Aphrodite or Venus.   So, you know, when she first set foot on solid land after being born from the foam of the waves, it was in the island of Cyprus there in the Mediterranean. And so that place is, like, impregnated with her coppery-ness, if you will, in its local geology. But there's this really kind of fun thread that connects a lot of copper minerals to the divine feminine. In some Slavic lore, you occasionally find references to, like, either a copper mountain or a malachite mountain that's kind of the same as Mount Venus, which we find farther to the west in the European, like, witch lore that talks about this meeting place for magic, a connection to the witch mother, the witch queen, the queen of magic and mystery, the queen of heaven, and appropriately enough,

Join Adam Barralet, Ashley Leavy, Kyle Perez, and Nicholas Pearson in Episode #3 of the Crystal Confab Podcast as they explore Angel Aura Quartz meaning and uses, including: Raising energy with Aura Quartz Historic notes about aura-like glazes Coatings for Quartz in ancient Nubia Working with Angel Aura Quartz for the Full Moon in Aries     Tune in now and dive into the magical world of Angel Aura Quartz!     Podcast Episode Transcript: Crystal Confab Podcast Introduction: Are you just starting with crystals? Or maybe you have a whole collection but aren't sure how to use them? Join 4 crystal nerds, healers, workers, and lovers for crystal confab, a casual chat about all things crystals. Adam Barralet: When it comes to man made crystals, for me, they just don't feel right. Things like gold stone, that glassy opalite, and dyeing different things like agates and halites. However, there is one family of crystals that I will make an exception to because the power and potentiality of these crystal is absolutely amazing. These are the aura quartzes. And today, we're gonna dive into one of my favorites. It's known as angel aura quartz. So welcome to crystal confab where we dive in and have a bit of a special informal chat about one of the crystals we love and we hope you love too. Joining me today, of course, is Kyle and Nicholas. How are you today, gents? Doing well. Kyle Perez: Doing well. Thank you. Adam: Beautiful. Now I wanna start off by kind of really clarifying, you know, I've got my favorite angel aura quartz. It's actually a Lemurian seed angel aura quartz here. But, Nicholas, I remember seeing on your Instagram, I don't know how long ago it was now, you did this amazing explanation because when I first started collecting crystals, there was only one type of aura quartz. And, obviously, the different metals that you fuse together, you get all the different colors of the rainbow. But as time's gone on, I've noticed there's different other kind of ones. And many times even buying online, I've got disappointed with what's actually wrapped up. It's not what I believe to be a true aura quartz. But can you run us through what the aura quartz is that? Nicholas Pearson: Yeah. Absolutely. So in the late nineties, there was a scientist in the Pacific Northwest here in the United States who came up with this process of applying a really thin, like, microns thick, layer of precious metals to the outside of quartz, and later they did it to some other materials as well. And, the first experiments were done with gold, which produced that, you know, beautiful kind of aquamarine blue color, and they were kind of iridescent. And so they nicknamed that aqua aura. And over time, they, you know, tried some other things out with different metals, and that produced things like our rainbow aura, titanium aura, the angel aura that we'll be discussing tonight. And it was a pretty closely guarded secret. The way of applying that metal to the outside, is a process that goes by 2 different names. It's called precious metal anodization, where they're, you know, vaporized. It's also called vapor deposition, and you have to superheat the quartz in a vacuum chamber under intense pressure, to allow those metals to become a gas, like the air we breathe. And the quartz in that environment also generates a tiny electrical charge, thanks to its piezo electricity. And that that kind of calls, if you will, the metals to it to make that permanent layer on the surface. And it's a very, very thin layer, but it is permanent, unless you're gonna, you know, take it to a, you know, bit of lapidary equipment, you're not gonna sand it off. And that was pretty much it. And while I imagine there are some other folks who figured out how to do this in some other parts of the world, in the, you know, last I mean, certainly in the last 10 years, but in more recent years, we've seen kind of this explosion of aura like ...

Join Adam Barralet, Ashley Leavy, Kyle Perez, and Nicholas Pearson in Episode #2 of the Crystal Confab Podcast as they discuss all-things Amethyst, including: Similarities & differences of Amethysts from different localities Getting back to basics with simple crystal practices Crystallography and twinning and their effects on Amethyst energy Amethyst and Jupiter Retrograde   Tune in now and dive into the magical world of Amethyst!     Podcast Episode Transcript: Crystal Confab Podcast Introduction: Are you just starting with crystals? Or maybe you have a whole collection but aren't sure how to use them? Join 4 crystal nerds, healers, workers, and lovers for crystal confab, a casual chat about all things crystals. Kyle Perez: Hello, and welcome to crystal confab, where we confab about crystals. I'm Kyle, the crystalline mage, and I have with us Adam Barralet, Nicholas Pearson, and Ashley Levy. And we are going to dive into amethyst, which I think we can all agree is an essential crystal and mineral for anyone working in and around crystals and minerals. I have, been blessed with, working with amethyst since I was a little kid when I was gifted my first piece from my grandmother. I think that's probably a story that's quite similar for everyone, whether it's walking into a crystal shop, whether it's being gifted a piece, whether it's finding a piece. I think Amethyst is often our first, and I'm excited to dive in with all of you about what Amethyst is amazing for in different ways. Maybe you haven't thought about it before, and maybe it will confirm the way you do work with amethyst. Adam Barralet: I love what you're saying, Kyle, about it being your first crystal because it was my first crystal as well. When I walked into a crystal shop, that's what I bought. And then I got a little sheet of paper that told you what to do with each crystal, and then that kind of spiraled out of this top mess than it is today. But, actually, Nicholas, was do you remember your first crystal? Nicholas Pearson: Yeah. I know mine really intimately. It's a piece of quartz that my grandfather gave me. I was you know, like a lot of us, I picked up rocks everywhere I went as a kid. I've never outgrown that, by the way, as Ashley can attest. And, my my grandmother collected, like, vintage turquoise jewelry. So, like, I just had this fascination with rock and gem, and my grandfather gave me a piece of quartz from Hot Springs, Arkansas, and that in no uncertain terms, it changed my life 30 plus years ago. Ashley Leavy: I have a similar story, of course, but my first crystal was fluorite. My grandfather was a huge mineral collector, and he specifically collected fluorite from Cave in Rock, Illinois in Southern Illinois, here in the Midwest in the US. And that fluorite in particular is so beautiful, displays this amazing cubic habit, fantastic color zoning, and he was so into it. And I can remember sitting in his office for hours while he would tell me about all these crystals. And when I was 8, I actually went to he had, like, a little cabin property in Southern Illinois, and I went down to visit for spring break over school. And he took me to Cave and Rock. And although I'm pretty sure that mine had recently closed at that time, and that would have been back in the, like, early to mid-nineties because mold. We went and looked through the, like, dump pile of rocks that they had pulled out, and we actually found some fluorite. And I still have that piece of fluorite today, and it is my favorite stone. It's pretty rough and ready. It's not like a gorgeous piece, but it's so so special. Adam: I love that. I love that. Now today we're talking about amethyst, obviously. And I love people who are watching or listening to let us know in the comments what your first crystal was. But obviously, amethyst is found in many locations around the world, and that's gonna impact identity, I'm guessing.

Join Adam Barralet, Ashley Leavy, Kyle Perez, and Nicholas Pearson in the very first episode of the Crystal Confab Podcast as they discuss all-things Black Onyx, including: Black Onyx & the New Moon in Libra Black Onyx for Shadow Work The science behind the energy of Black Onyx The origins and etymology of 'Onyx' and how the meaning has shifted over time     Tune in now and dive into the magical world of Black Onyx!     Podcast Episode Transcript: Crystal Confab Podcast Introduction: Are you just starting with crystals? Or maybe you have a whole collection but aren't sure how to use them? Join 4 crystal nerds, healers, workers, and lovers for crystal confab, a casual chat about all things crystals. Adam Barralet: Hello, and welcome to the first ever episode of crystal confab. My name is Adam Barralet, and I am joined by 3 individuals who I believe to be 3 of the best crystal experts in the world. We're gonna introduce ourselves in just a moment, but this is going to be a podcast which explores the crystal world, and we're gonna take a deep dive into one of your favorite crystals each and every week. So joining me on the podcast is Kyle, Ashley, and Nicholas. How are we all today? Kyle Perez: Really good. Ashley Leavy: Great. Thanks for having us. Adam: A pleasure. A pleasure. Now we're gonna be we're gonna be joining you every single week. Yeah. You might be wondering who on earth we are. So I might get each of the hosts to introduce themselves. We might start with Ashley. Ashley, tell us a little bit about yourself. Ashley: My name is Ashley Leavy. I'm the founder and educational director at the Love and Light School of Crystal Therapy. I am also the author of several crystal healing books, including Cosmic Crystals and the Beginner's Guide to Crystal Healing. I've been doing this work professionally since about 2007, and I am so excited for our inaugural episode and can't wait to talk with all of you. Adam: And, Ashley, your voice sounds a little bit different to mine. I'm guessing you're not Australian. Ashley: I am not. Thank you. I'm in the states. I live in Madison, Wisconsin, where I enjoy gardening, my chickens, time with my dogs, spending lots of time working with my crystals, and, overall, just having kind of a, you know, pretty quiet peaceful existence. Adam: Amazing. Amazing. And, of course, also joining us from the States, we've got Nicholas. How are you, Nicholas? Nicholas Pearson: Great. So, thanks so much for, you know, getting us all to collaborate, getting us in one space. I'm really excited for this. So for those who may not know my work already, my name is Nicholas Pearson. I am currently writing my 10th and 11th books simultaneously. The majority of which have been about crystals. You may already know some of the more popular ones like Crystal Basics or Stones of the Goddess or Crystal Healing for the Heart. And I have been a mineral collector for more than 30 years now. Initially, I went to university and actually majored in earth and environmental science and worked in the earth science field for a bit before leaving to do other things. And, I have been writing for about 10 years now, and, I'm really excited for some of those projects that are coming up on the horizon. I'm joining from, Orlando, Florida, so I'm I'm here in the the central part of the Sunshine State, although it is nighttime and not very sunny. And, I'm just so excited to get together with some like-minded folks. Adam: And, of course, I needed some southern hemisphere backup, so I called on a good friend, Kyle. Kyle, thanks for joining us and being part of the team. Kyle: It is absolutely my pleasure. I am so excited to be a part of this and to just chat crystals with people that love them and have been a part of it for a long time. So I'll go into myself. I'm Kyle Perez. I go by the crystalline mage. I've been working in the industry for over a decade.

Working with crystal cards is an amazing way to tap into your intuition and get a little support and encouragement from the universe. Read on to discover the best crystal card decks for your daily card pull!   Why Work with Crystal Cards? I personally like to pull a card or two to start my day.  Then I’ll place the cards somewhere I’ll see them often throughout my day as a reminder of the messages they’ve given me. I like to add the cards I pulled to my altar and reflect on their meanings for some extra insight and clarity. The great thing about working with Crystal Cards, is that there’s no right or wrong way to go about it; it’s all about tuning into your intuition and doing what feels right. Crystal-themed Cards are my favorite because each card is associated with a particular stone. After pulling my cards and reflecting on their meaning, I can connect with the stone in meditation, while journaling, or even carry it with me throughout the day for some added support. It's an excellent way to anchor the card's message into my practice and helps me feel more connected with the energy I want to be mindful of that day. Tarot Cards vs. Oracle Cards: Tarot cards follow suits in the minor arcana and have strong archetypes associated with their major arcana cards, but Oracle cards don’t follow these traditional associations. Instead, they leave a lot of room for your own interpretation based on their symbolism and imagery.   6 Best Crystal Cards: There are TONS of amazing Crystal Card Decks available (including a few of my own!) and I often get asked which are my favorites to work with. I've pulled together my 6 favorite crystal card decks (in alphabetical order) that I'd recommend based on their substance and imagery - these decks have the perfect balance of beautiful aesthetics and great information that makes them perfect for a simple daily card pull, or a more extensive card spread.     #1: Crystal Energy Affirmation Cards by Ashley Leavy The Crystal Energy Affirmations Card Deck contains 52 crystal-themed cards. Each card features a photograph of the crystal and and associated affirmation. Draw a card, speak the affirmation aloud (or silently to yourself), and work with that crystal during the day to call in that energy and create positive changes in your life. This simple system is an excellent way to get to know your stones and is a quick and easy daily ritual for working with your crystals!     #2: Crystal Moon Mystic Oracle by Ashley Leavy The Crystal Moon Mystic Oracle deck is a set of 76 cards offering guidance from the moon. The lunar phases, the zodiac, and the 13 full moons of the year all come together in this deck to inspire and provide insight into your spiritual path.  Plus, you'll learn about the healing crystals that connect to each of these moon energies and how you can incorporate them into your spiritual practice or healing work. A perfect accompanying deck for my book, Cosmic Crystals: Rituals and Meditations for Connecting with Lunar Energy.   #3: Crystal Healing Card Deck by Uma Silbey This is a fantastic deck for beginners and experienced card-readers and crystal workers alike. It has simple and straightforward information on each card including a keyword for the main energy of the stone and a few sentences about its physical and emotional qualities. There's also a short affirmation included on each card and the images are photographic examples of each stone. A great deck overall for card reading or to use like flashcards for learning more about your crystals! #4: The Crystal Wisdom Healing Oracle by Judy Hall These cards are incredibly simple, but it's the guidebook that really shines! The cards feature only a photograph of the stone and its name in text, but Judy Hall's descriptive interpretations for each card in the included guidebook not only summarize the energy of each stone well,

  Libra season is here! This astrological season, it's important to focus on cooperation and justice. During Libra season, be mindful of your interactions with others. This is an important time for relationships of all kinds, from friends and family, to acquaintances and co-workers, or even those with whom you have a difficult time seeing eye to eye. As we dive into Libra season (September 23 - October 22), the focus shifts to cooperation and relationship building, especially when working in community with others. Discover more about this special time, and some of the best crystals for Libra season to use in your healing practice...     The opposing energies of competition and cooperation are at odds and how you engage with others will influence the outcome of each interaction. Cooperation is always more pleasant and productive than competition, so make an effort to keep your relationships working in your favor.     Working with the following Libra stones aligns you with the current celestial energies and is an excellent way to enhance the positive aspects of this astrological phase while balancing its challenges. Libra Season Correspondences: Dates: September 23 - October 22 Symbol: The Scales Ruling Planet: Venus Modality: Cardinal (Outgoing – related to imagination, resourcefulness, and talent) Element: Air (Click Here to learn more about working with Elemental Crystals) The Body: Kidneys Keywords: Balance, Cooperation, Justice Libra Season Gifts: Accommodation, Community, Compassion, Diplomacy, Geniality, Grace, Harmony, Imagination, Marriage, Partnership, Romance, Unions Libra Season Challenges: Fear, Hurt Feelings, Indecisiveness, Individualism, Isolation, Laziness, Loneliness, Over-Sensitivity, Projection, Wastefulness       Best Crystals for Libra Season: During Libra season, select crystals that amplify balance, harmony, and partnership. It’s important to note that Zodiac crystals are a little different than birthstones (more on that here). You can work with the following crystals to enhance or balance the energies of Libra season. Whether enhancing positivity or addressing challenges by balancing out the more difficult energetic aspects of Libra, these stones are the best companions for the celestial journey ahead.     Aquamarine (Blue Beryl) Azurite Chrysanthemum Stone Chrysoprase Rainbow Fluorite Hiddenite (Green Spodumene) Tai Chi Jasper Zebra Jasper Lapis Lazuli Malachite Snowflake Obsidian Ethiopian Opal Pinolith Pyrite Blue Sapphire Sardonyx Selenite White Marble Wish Stones   Top 3 Crystals for Libra Season: Azurite: This deep indigo stone is connected to your center for intuition and stimulates creative expression and imagination. Work with this crystal when you need a little intuitive help understanding the thoughts or feelings of others. When you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes (or their head for that matter), it’s easier to hold compassion for them and work in cooperation. Rainbow Fluorite: Rainbow Fluorite promotes clear thinking and allows you to see what’s most important in a given situation. If you’ve been feeling scattered or pulled in lots of different directions, work with this crystal to get you back on track. It can also bring clarity to your role in projects, relationships, or social groups and help you better understand what people expect from you. However, this doesn’t mean you need to agree with these roles. Whether you choose to conform or rebel against these societal expectations, Rainbow Fluorite will guide you on your path. Blue Sapphire: This crystal promotes peace and harmony, especially among groups of people. If you’ve been dealing with a tumultuous situation, Blue Sapphire can help you remove your ego from the equation, set your differences aside, and find some common ground with others.