Crystals

Vastu your home, the simplest and prettiest remedies

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Our houses are our shelters, our homes, we live, eat, sleep and rest here. It is very important that we take care of our home so it can, in turn, take care of us. ‘Vastu’ means not just the physical house, but conscious energy and it’s flow in your house. The house takes on the energy of the place that it is in, and also the energy of the people living in it. I have written about houses in some of my earlier posts. Ley lines, one about haunted houses and how to interact with your house etc.

Vastu-shastra is the science of ‘living houses’, the energy of the house should be conducive to the people living in it, Houses built as per vastu-shastra are more full of positive energies. But today getting a house with perfect Vastu is quite impossible. I have lived in several houses in my life and every one of these had some issues. e.g one had a toilet in the north direction, had to demolish it; one had the kitchen in the north, we couldn’t eat anything prepared in this kitchen, had to demolish it and construct a new one in the south-east. But luckily I always lived in houses not apartments so could do the re-alignments. But if you live in apartments you cannot realign the rooms, you have turn to Vastu remedies.

Keeping your home neat and clean is one thing, am sure all of us do the dusting, brushing and washing up quite regularly. But there is more. Here are the simplest remedies, which you can use in your house. These are beautiful things which will be ornamental as well as help you rebalance the energy of your house.

Pyramids

These are the most popular ways to rebalance the energies of your house. I keep a small clear quartz pyramid in every room of my house, on the north or east side is best. It works by balancing the energies of the room and also amplifying them, two-in-one. I recharge them once a month, by washing them in salt water and recite the Shri sukta over them. But then I love the Shri Sukta, so use it for everything, I recite it even when I cook food. You can use any Vastu mantra or even a simple ‘Om Vastupurushaya namah’ or even the Vastu pursh stotra in the background in your house. Or you can use any Vedic mantra including the Gayatri mantra to recharge these pyramids. Or if you cannot for any reason recite these, make a chi-ball, think of your source of faith, express your intention for a happy and energy-filled house in your words and visualise the chi-ball being absorbed in the pyramids. This always works.


Vastu Purush Stotra by Uma Mohan

When you go to buy the pyramids, hold them in your hands for a bit, some will feel ‘right’ to you, buy those. There are various sorts of ‘energised’ pyramids available in the market, you can use these too, but they will be a bit more expensive than this single pyramid method above.

Vastu your home, the simplest and prettiest remedies

Mirrors

Mirrors are a variant of the pyramids. The sides of the pyramids reflect energy in four directions, mirrors also reflect energy but in one single direction. Hang your mirrors on the east and north walls as possible. Just remember they should not reflect your bed as you sleep in it.

Sea-salt 

Wipe your house with water in which a fistful of sea-salt has been dissolved, it will remove the negativity. Cleansing your house regularly will address a lot of problems associated with misaligned energies too. And if there is any specific corner of your house which feels especially misaligned, keep a glass bowl full of sea-salt crystals in that part of the house, these crystals will absorb the negativity. You can dispose them in running water and replace them once a month.

Tumbled clear quartz

I love clear quartz. It is useful for everything. If you want, you can buy a bag-full of tumbled clear quartz, will be cheaper than the pyramids. Then charge them. Make a chi-ball, focus on your intention for a happy house and visualise the chi-ball being absorbed in the crystals. Keep them in a pretty bowl in your rooms, in the north and east sides. Recharge them once a month. If you feel like you can also use pink quartz. Tumbled crystals can be used for several things so if you buy a bag-full you can use them in several ways.

Vastu your home, the simplest and prettiest remedies

Peacock feathers –

These work beautifully. Have written about them in my post on ley lines. Put a bunch of these in your rooms preferably on the north and east sides if possible. Peacock feathers will get rid of evil eyes, negativity and enhance the positive flow of energy in your house.

Shri-yantra or Meru

This is the ultimate geometry and if you are doing a puja of this geometry or using it for your spiritual practice e.g. tratak, the energies of your house will be already in a very good shape. The highly positive energy of the geometry expands out. If you do puja over it sincerely, these energies are amplified even more. I have observed that the energies of my house are so relaxing that guests start feeling sleepy!

And puja of the Meru /Shri Yantra is very simple, recite the Shri-sukta once, or recite ‘Om Shridevyai namah once/thrice/108 times, and apply one tilak of red Kesar/saffron or red vermillion at its center dot/bindu. If you can blow the conch during this puja, it will be even better. I light camphor arti after the pujas and also keep a sesame oil lamp lit in front of my Meru 24×7.

Vastu your home, the simplest and prettiest remedies

Plants –

Indians, Hindus are required to keep a Tulasi plant in the center of the house. You can keep it in the east or north direction as an alternative. This plant is linked to Shri Vishnu, the energy which protects and maintains prosperity. It is satvic in nature and generates a very bright silvery/gold aura around it. The woman of the house takes care of it. i.e. waters it in the morning and lights a small lamp in front of it in the evening. If she does it with love and positive intentions the plant also responds by increasing its energy, thus the whole house benefits. It is another way of harnessing your intentions. As the plant grows so does prosperity. The plant is highly medicinal, especially for cough/cold, drinking a tea made of its leaves is very helpful. You can drink a spoonful of the juice of the leaves. I never give my son cough syrups, as tulasi leaves are the best and safest cure.

Fresh cut flowers are also a good way to increase the energy of your house if you can afford them.

In India, we tie a garland made of fresh mango leaves and marigold flowers on the entrance door of the house. Both these are high energy items and they stop the negative energies from entering your house in the first place. This arrangement is called a ‘toran’.

Vastu your home, the simplest and prettiest remedies

Rudraksh beads

This is something which you can consider if you are suffering from negative energy as well as evil eye from others. Hang a single rudraksh bead at your front door, it will stop negative influences from entering your house. (I hang an entire rudraksh mala at my front door.)

Photos

These are a very easy way to add cheer and positivity to your house. Natural sceneries, waterfalls, flowers, bright images, colorful pictures, geometric patterns, can be hung on your north or east walls.  You can use pictures of solid things like mountains, e.g. Kailash, on your south or west walls. Do not use depressing and dark images which represent struggle, disaster and pain. Also avoid pictures of animals. If you want, you can keep pictures of departed parents/loved ones, but only on the south walls.

To keep the Vastu of your house is good shape requires not only physical alignment with the Vastu shastra, but also requires that you consciously interact with your abode. The process of of building the house and the alignment of the rooms is not in our hands, as most of us live in apartments now! But this second part where you consciously increase the energy of your house is definitely something you can do!

So here were a few easy and inexpensive ways in which you can add energy to your home.

Vastu your home, the simplest and prettiest remedies

Things that work, astrological remedies

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Jyotish is about working with the energies of yourself as depicted in your horoscope. Energy can be balanced, transmuted, made to change its direction, it can be intensified or its perceived negative effects ameliorated. But how? For doing anything with energy you need two things, first and all-important is your Intention and the second is the yantra-mantra-tantra, i.e. the tool, the words to activate the tool and the knowledge to use the tools.

I had written about remedies earlier too, but there was a question on gemstones so writing some more.

Things that work, astrological remedies

If your Intention is strong enough you don’t need yantra-mantra-tantra. You can work directly with your mind, real enlightened Gurus do this, the words they utter is ‘ashirwad’. it comes true. But most of us are quite low level in this sense and so we need to support our intentions. Always remember, what works is your Intention, you manifest your thoughts, and the yantra-mantra-tantra help by powering and focussing your intention.

So you can use the following,

Beej mantras – recited on the day of the week of the concerned planet, 108 times a day. The easiest and best method. But you need to have the time and pronounce the mantra correctly. Its very soothing for the mind so try it with the Gayatri mantra sometime if you feel like it.

Homa – If you have some background of doing yadnyas e.g agnihotra, or it appeals to you, you can do a homa using your chosen mantra for general health or as a planetary remedy and use the vibhuti. Vibhuti that we make however has a time-limit to its potency. I have seen that it lasts for about 15days. (Vibhuti given by enlightened Gurus has no time-limit on potency). And the effect of doing the Homa in the house is fantastic, it clears out the negative energy and makes the house very light and pleasant.

Making talismans – you can stuff this vibhuti in a silver locket and wear it. This lasts for quite some time and when it loses its potency it gets lost or just breaks on its own! It is quite effective.

Gemstones – These always work. If you get a good astrologer to recommend it. Generally the yogkarak planets for the ascendant sign or the 1st, 5th, 9th house lords are good enough, so are recommended generically. And then they also tend to scare their clients, rather than presenting the remedy as an enabling tool. Next you need to find a good jeweller to locate a genuine gemstone. And you need to charge it with their mantras, either yourself or through the astrologer. See gemstones are energy batteries, they store energy and your body uses this battery to recharge itself. For an average person, depending on the quality of the gemstone, if you do the initial puja with full intention it will work as your battery for quite a long time. You can do your mantra puja on the gemstone then once a month or get your astrologer to do it for you at intervals. But it should be done with the intention of recharging it so that it helps you. If you are scared or dubious of the remedy itself, it will not work. Your intention is the main thing.

I have been using gemstones in rings and in navgraha pendants since my college days and they always work because I do the mantra pujas and keep on recharging them. If you work in energy or you are a tantrik or a Jyotishi you need lots of backup. (Update, since the June 2020 solar eclipse, I have stopped using all gemstones, do not need them anymore.)

Gemstones are by far the most expensive remedy not everyone can afford them, so I hesitate in recommending them for general clients, I have written on this earlier too.

  • These are just energy batteries, if you don’t charge them with your intention and mantras they will not work.
  • If your astrologer recommends a wrong stone, it will not work.
  • Now this, most astrologers will recommend a stone from your birth chart, its fine they will work. But for planets like Saturn, Rahu and Ketu the transit charts and the ongoing dashas should also be considered. These are rarely life-time stones! Even for the other planets, it is possible that you are required to wear them only during certain transit periods not for the life-time. But generally professional astrologers do not recommend to this level.
  • Artificial or lab-created stones or glass will not work, your jeweller has cheated you then. They have to come from the earth to work.
  • And finally if your Intention is not clear, or if you are scared of your own energy, nothing will work.

Crystals – or secondary gemstones – these also work. But as the quality is quite low you will need to wear larger crystals or recharge them very frequently. However these are very useful can be used to make grids, for cleaning out a space, etc so use them! I often use these.

Gold, silver or copper metals are great at absorbing energy, Recite your planet’s beej mantra over your jewellery and wear it! I recommend this kada/bracelet made of silver/copper/gold, it is expensive but I feel that spending money on the kada is more effective than spending the same amount on a gemstone, if you want you can resell the precious metals for the same price at least. (Gemstones have no resale value and you cannot wear gemstones worn by other people.)

As a remedy, you can use water or even food, recite the relevant mantra over it and eat it! The Prasadam that we get in temples works on this principle. You can do this at home too.

So if you choose a remedy, remember your mind is the main thing. If you intend your wish it will be done. If you are scared or scoff at it, it will not. The energy of your thought is all important the rest of it, yantra, mantra, tantra is all the supporting system.

Use your crystals, tips and tricks

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I like working with crystals because they are very easily programmable, can be quite strong energy-batteries, and if you buy tumbled crystals in bulk they are quite inexpensive. Clear quartz is my work-horse, I use it for everything. Using crystals charged with mantras or Reiki gives very good results. Gemstones are another thing but are quite expensive, they too work quite well if charged with specific mantras. You can even charge the gold and silver jewellery you wear with energy. The object is not magic, it is your intention and will that turns it into a tiny energy battery supporting you throughout your day.

Use your crystals, tips and tricks

So here is another easy way you can use your crystals. You can do this on any day which resonates with you during the bright half of the month in the waxing moon phase (shukla paksha) (avoid Tuesdays and Saturdays). Buy a bagful clear of clear quartz tumbled crystals. Keep them for 30mins in a bucket with warm water and sea-salt to cleanse them thoroughly. Rinse them off and dry them. Now these crystals are ‘clean’ blank slates on which you can ‘write’ your intention. So how do you write your intention?

  1. Place all these stones on a clean cloth in front of your altar/puja ghar/sacred space. Set up the ambience in the way you like it, use incense, essential oils, flowers whatever uplifts your mood and brings you closer to the divine within you. (If you want do a cleansing and grounding exercise for your own self before starting.) Face east or north. Relax, take a few deep breaths, recite Om (dragging the mmmm part). Think of your favourite deity/Universe/Parabrahma/your higher self etc. whatever energy you have faith in.
  2. Take a nice colored pen and a small piece of paper. Write out your intention on this paper very clearly and positively. “I am healthy”, “I am happy”, “I am safe”, “I enjoy my office work”, “xyz is relaxed and rejuvenated”, etc. Visualise your intention in the present tense. You can intend health, happiness, fresh energy, protection from the evil eye etc for your own self or for the ones you love. But stick to one, only one thought at a time. The things that will manifest will depend on how strongly you are willing it, your intention powers everything. You are always in control. Now put this paper below the pile of crystals. Feel your intention from the core of your heart.
  3. Now if you know Reiki, draw all the Reiki symbols you have been taught in the air over the crystals in front of you. Intend that they enter the crystals. Visualise each Reiki symbol glowing silver/gold and entering the stones. Place both your palms on the stones and as strongly as you can, visualise the symbols within them and again strongly set your intention within them.
  4. Now if you do not know Reiki, you can still charge your crystals. Rub your palms on each other for a minute and fold your hands in the Namaskar position. This links up the chakras of both the palms and creates an energy circuit. Now focus into your third eye and recite your favourite mantra eg Gayatri mantra or if you want to energise some planet then its beej mantra or if pregnant then the relevant planetary mantra or any prayer which touches your soul. (A mantra needs to be recited 108 times). If you do it with full focus your palms will tingle, get hot or feel energised. Now place your energised palms on the stones in front of you and visualise your mantra entering the stones along with your intention. Keep your palms on them till you feel satisfied.
  5. Now take away your palms, thank your source of faith for the love and happiness you have in your life. Sit in a contemplative mood for a few minutes. Later keep the intention paper tucked somewhere near your altar/puja ghar/sacred space.
  6. Your crystals are now charged and ready for use.

Now where can use you use your charged crystals? Keep them everywhere, in your purse, underneath your pillow, under your mattress, in your wardrobe, in your shoe rack, kitchen cupboard, in your office desk, your car, in your water bottle, wherever you can think of. They will add energy to you in every way possible. You should recharge these stones once a month or even once a week if you feel like it, whenever you have time.

And finally you can reuse your crystals. After your intention gets manifested, you should burn your intention paper and wash your crystals in saltwater, cleanse them, turn them ‘blank’ again so that you can reprogram them with a different intention. This is the easiest and quite effective way you can use your crystals in your daily life.

If you want to experiment with other crystals I would recommend just these few. I haven’t needed more than these few for my energy work. Of course everyone will have their own experiences with crystals but for beginners this much is more than enough!

  1. clear quartz – your work-horse, do everything with it, it works very beautifully
  2. purple amethyst – helps in clarity stability grounding
  3. rose quartz – pinkish – balances the emotions related stuff
  4. tiger eye – gets rid of unnecessary baggage you are holding on to
  5. citrine – removes negative influences from aura and sub-conscious

And always remember you are powering your own intention, the crystals are just the tools. You are the magic and your own Magician.

 

Use your crystals, tips and tricks

Do astrological remedies work?

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Back to Jyotish! Astrologers get cynics and pessimists quite often. ‘It is my fate to suffer, nothing I can do can change it’. And then more commonly, ‘Astrological remedies are just hogwash, if they worked all the astrologers would be millionaires!’.

Horoscope is basically your energy chart. There are always some balanced and some unbalanced areas in this chart. It is an overall chart and your overall life is actually just an average. Some experiences dip below into negativity and some soar above the mean-line into ecstasy. Life is a series of curves, where we experience positive and negative energies as we go along time. But if you observe carefully, both the positive and negative energies are perfectly cancelled out. There is no excess positivity or excess negativity it is all a perfect balance oscillating around a straight line. E.g. The 6th, 8th, 12th  houses will be the source of all your unbalances. The 1st and 11th in all situations will support. Then there are the planetary forces, malefics are going to dis-balance the chart and benefics will provide stability and balance wherever possible. Finally energy is energy, you can manipulate it or redirect it with your Intention and Will but you cannot destroy it.

So stripped of the mumbo-jumbo, remedies are ways in which you can take control of your own energies. And they will work to the extent you want them to work. Always remember you are in control of yourself. Do not give your power in someone else’s hands ever (that is being a slave to someone).

A favourite example, one young woman wanted to get married, a good horoscope and family background, but there were no real proposals. She had in the latest fashion been wearing her hair in a short crop. The easiest remedy was advising her to grow out her hair and expressing her feminine self. She got married by the time her hair grew out to below her shoulders! Attract the energies you want to manifest. Don’t get overwhelmed and feel scared to work with energy. Manifestation is not difficult at all, it is the simplest thing possible.

Most astrologers will recommend expensive pujas or gemstones or something which will require money. They are useful of course. But getting the correct stuff you need to perform the pujas is now quite impossible. Gemstones are excellent energy-batteries but first you need to find the stones of the required energy levels, then you need to know how to use them.

(Gemstones can be very sweet if you can use them. And know when to charge them and then remove them. Over the years, I have experimented with the stones I knew would work for me. I first wore a cats-eye when I was 16yrs old. Then a Ruby, drained the ruby completely, one day it just went ‘dead’ so removed it. Wore just the Cats-eye, then wore a new Ruby removed it too. Used this Ruby and Catseye combination for 20yrs. But after I turned 36yrs of age, wore a Blue Sapphire with an emerald. The emerald could not cope so drained and ‘died’ eventually. Paired the blue sapphire with a moonstone. Used up the moon-stone. Finally wore the cats-eye with the blue sapphire. Also wore a navratna pendant. Each gemstone works during the time/Dasha of the planet associated with it. I love doing pujas and mantras for charging the stones. My mini-batteries stones, gemstones and crystals are very useful but they are quite expensive. If you want to work with stones, start with crystals like in this post. I also wear Rudrakshs when performing my puja/dhyan.)

Do astrological remedies work?

But on the whole, I prefer to address the energy issues themselves. If the client can work on himself it is the best option!

  1. Reciting the beej mantras of the unbalanced planets, posted it here.
  2. Doing charity thus reducing the impact of their unbalance
  3. Attracting what you want, thus boosting your energies.

If you believe in Sanskrit and Mantras, the best remedy by far is the beej mantra of the planet which has erratic energies in your horoscope. The planets represent your own energies so when you recite the mantra you are using the energies of sound, intention and willingly changing yourself. It is the best option because you are working for your own self. It is empowering you, you are not depending on a gemstone, a pujari, an astrologer or anyone. Reciting the beej mantras also improves your concentration and silences your mind. Later this will help you in case you start a spiritual practice. And it will energise that part of your horoscope which needs the energy boost, a very targeted approach.

Doing charity or helping others who genuinely need is a perfect option for those who are not so much into Tantra/Mantra/Yantra! This does not mean giving money to beggars. The intention is important. Giving millions of money away or starting a charitable foundation does not really work. Actual involvement on an internal level is necessary. You are giving away, so cannot expect something in return. It is a gift from the heart, a sort of forgiveness. When you see others in the process of re-balancing their karmic load you appreciate your own situation better. I always recommend helping out at old-age homes as a remedy for Saturn, it is the kindest way you can heal your own personal Saturn’s unbalanced energies. Be kind to yourself and help those around you who are in genuine need. It sounds strange but it works. You get kindness in return.

Be compassionate, do not empathise or sympathise these emotions might trap you. You should desire that the other person be free from his painful situation and find happiness for himself. Recognising that the person you are helping is also a spark of the divine and appreciating his efforts in resolving his karma is all that you need to do. e.g if you go and distribute sweets/fruits at an orphanage wait in the background while their caretakers distribute the sweets/fruits. Observe the happiness in the tiny faces, feel their happiness and warmth. Appreciate their innocence, that despite being in such a situation they are enjoying themselves. Put in a thought of gratitude to the Universe that their capacity to find joy remains intact. Intend happiness to all, bless the children mentally and quietly come away. You have done a selfless charity of compassion. You do not have to take on these painful emotions of others. Do not become an empath and create actual cords of energy between yourself and the persons you are helping.

Charity is also re-directing energy with kindness. I have seen this several times. If a family cannot get a good match for their daughter/son and if they can afford it, I recommend that they contribute to the marriage expenses of any poor young woman they know of. Maybe their maid-servant’s daughter. And soon their own problem gets resolved.

Finally the question, if astrologers can predict the future why are they not millionaires themselves! A sensible astrologer knows the deeper realities of life, the after-life and so many things which cannot be put in words. We get to see so many examples/clients where the laws of karma operate. Us astrologers know that in our charts the 6th 10th and 12th houses indicate that we are required by karma to use our energies to serve the society! We repay our karmic debts by talking, counselling and listening. This is our form of charity and service. Nothing can compare to the satisfaction of Karma being balanced beautifully! 

No one escapes the need to Serve, the domain of the 6th house. But there are several ways where you can choose to be happy even in the most difficult of circumstances. Choose to be happy and the rest will fall in place automatically. Remedies work as a channel for your mind to focus on and Heal yourself.

 

Do astrological remedies work?

Keep your Energy work simple!

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I wrote a bit about the commercial energy supplies market in a previous post on Astrology and Reiki.So have continued on the theme in this one, trying to keep Runes, Tarot, Crystals and Gems simple. Our lives, destiny and the future is so complex, that seers from several cultures developed easy to use divination tools for us common persons to use. Divination tools, by definition, are simple to use and understand, these are the distilled wisdom of great minds who lived before us. And these tools have worked perfectly over thousands of years. But now, we have the Internet generation in the past 10-15yrs complicating stuff. And businessmen wanting us to spend money on buying more. With very few genuine teachers left who can actually make us understand. Let’s un-complicate our energy-work now!

Keep your Energy work simple!

Runes

I use Elder Futhark runes sometimes, it gives me pleasure to handle these smooth stones marked with the symbols of ancient Norse shamans. Maybe I was one of them in some past life! And then these are also so accurate. It is a clean and beautiful system. Feels like we children are playing with the energies of the Universe. I have used these quite often to read for me and my clients. Am primarily an astrologer but sometimes the client wants just a focussed answer to a focussed question. So I don’t need to dive into their entire lives and their horoscope charts. In these cases, I use runes or tarot as a tool for divination. Sometimes iChing too, but somehow I think iChing is a bit fiddly, I need a pencil-paper and to refer to the reference book all the time. Runes and Tarot or Cartomancy with the Lenormand somehow appeals to me more. These give to the point precise answers.

But the new spiritual consumerism trend is not willing to let even these simple but powerful rune stones alone. A new blank rune named Wyrd  has been introduced in these past few years which means ‘nothing’! It actually means ‘Nothing can be seen from the runes, it is in the hands of the gods!’. A system of divination, a tool which has worked perfectly for thousands of years rendered useless by some immature person. Divination tools exist because they read the mind of the gods! I cannot tell my client that the reading means ‘nothing or everything’ because the Wyrd came up!

Then again if you want to use runes, collect a few nice feeling rounded stones from a river or forest or some natural place. Draw these symbols on them with a marker or etch them with a knife. They will work so beautifully because you have made them for yourself. They will resonate with your energies completely. But then we have in the market, runes made of exotic crystals, wood, bones and stuff. There is no need to spend money on runes drawn on amethyst, tiger-eyes and bloodstones to being with. Rather spend time practicing with them. Once you have learnt and experienced them, obviously you can buy whichever crystal rune set you like, they are quite beautiful!

So if you read runes, or intend to learn, stick to the basics and learn them thoroughly, leave the Wryd aside. Odin’s philosophy is quite robust and capable of answering everything! Runes are quite powerful, will post next on how I have used them practically.

Tarot

I love my Thoth Tarot deck. It is the only one I have. I tried reading with the Rider-Waite deck but it didn’t resonate, even felt distasteful in my hands. But now there are more decks than genuine Readers in the market! There are even blogs that tell you what your next deck should be, and what are the 50 essential decks that you absolutely must have. They all are very very beautiful, with fabulous artwork but what is the point of just buying them. Tarot is based on something called the ‘Tree of Life’. It is quite a deep philosophy and every one who is really interested in learning Tarot should compulsorily know it.

There are just 3 tarot decks which resonate and facilitate the understanding of the Tree of Life, 1) The Thoth Tarot, by Aleister Crowley & Frieda Harris. 2) The Tarot de Marseille by  Jodorovsky and Camoin, A version of the Conver (1760) deck with clean lines and colours, and 3) The Hermatic Tarot by Godfrey Dowson. Excluding these 3, every deck you see in the market is just pretty artwork, good for casual readings. If you want to really understand or use the Tarot for spiritual growth, stick to these 3.

A small note about the Rider-Waite deck, it is a tool for divination and if your objective is just knowing the answers to the questions it is quite good. But this deck in a very strange way shuts down your sub-conscious, limits it to the images drawn on the cards. You cannot use this deck for delving into the esoteric and the esoteric is the real soul of Tarot.

So for the student of Tarot, do not get caught in this loop of endlessly buying decks. Stay away from sheer consumerism. Stick to one of the 3 real decks and delve deep, study them, contemplate them and even meditate with them! Only then will real understanding dawn. After that you can definitely go and buy whichever deck’s artwork you like. But first understand the basics. And practice!thoth-tarot-e1540821081984-minCrystals

Crystals are a very common item in energy-work. They are just like tiny batteries and can be used to store energy in a variety of ways like energy grids. They are very useful and everyone should learn more about them. But here too commercial ventures have taken over and there are hundreds of obscure crystals labelled with tiny meaning being peddled in shops. It is very easy profit you see. A kilo of tumbled clear quartz stones takes maybe Rs 10/- to manufacture, but it is sold at retail at over Rs 500/-. And more obscure the stone, more the price. And frankly it is not needed in your work. You can do everything you want with the clear quartz / ‘Sphatik’. I have found a few more crystals work for me but even that is optional, I could do the same work with clear quartz. So when you start working with crystals, stick to the bare essentials, try out the clear quartz in every which way, then explore more if you feel like it. I have found these five types to be more than enough for my work.

  1. clear quartz – your work-horse, can be used for anything and everything
  2. purple amethyst – helps in clarity stability grounding
  3. rose quartz – pinkish – balances the emotions related stuff
  4. tiger eye – gets rid of unnecessary baggage you are holding on to
  5. citrine – removes negative influences from aura and sub-conscious

Stay away from cancrinite, tugtupite, vorobyevites, trolleites, vayrynenites and other made up names. Stick to the basics. Energy work is basically your mind, focus and intention.

And at the last Gemstones

Gemstones are really expensive crystals, which are used as planetary remedies, Ruby-Sun, Emerald-Mercury, Diamond-Venus, Hessonite- North Node/Rahu, Chrysoberyl-Ketu, Red Coral-Mars, Yellow Sapphire-Jupiter, Blue-Sapphire- Saturn. These are the stones which really work if you can get your hands on them and know how to work with them. But these planetary remedy gemstones are quite expensive, an average person cannot really afford them. So to make even more money, a few greedy astrologers hit upon the idea of ‘upa-ratna’/ substitute gems. There are no ‘substitute gems’ in astrology. Either you wear a Rs 4 lakh blue sapphire or if you cannot afford it, recite the beej mantra of Saturn, you have just these 2 options. And both options work equally well. But now the substitute gems market is flourishing and both the astrologer and the jeweller are minting money. They dont really care what havoc they are causing in the life of their client. They can always prescribe more ‘remedies’.

So if you get caught with an astrologer who prescribes ‘citrine/sunhela’ instead of yellow sapphire as a remedy for Jupiter, please ignore such advise. You would be better off reciting the beej mantra of Jupiter 108 times every Thurdsay.

This was just a quick heads-up for all the students of divination. Always remember it is you the Reader who is reading the tools. The answers come from your sub-conscious, not the tools. To be a good Reader, please learn, study and practice. And always remember that someone, sometime in the future, is going to make a life changing decision because of what you will tell him.

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