the mystery and controversy of crystal skulls

Welcome to Skull Week!

It is a little like Shark Week, except with skulls. Skullnado anyone?

Part of the reason I wanted to share some goodness about skullies with you is that we are coming up on October and we will be inundated with crystal skull pictures. and I know you are thinking what I was thinking more than 15 years ago, what’s with the crystal skull thing?

Well, past life Angie, I am here to share a little history of Crystal Skulls in modern consciousness. I have to warn you, some of you will be disappointed at the lack of woo in this piece, because it is mostly a debunking of the mystical origins of crystal skulls, and yet, I totally love skulls. I think they have spiritual and mystical value, even if they are not 10,000 years old and placed here by extraterrestrials. If you like that mythology, cool. You do you, boo, but this is my research monkey hat coming out, jumping on my head, and saying, the truth is out there.

Other things that may or may not happen this week: a skull-y tarot spread a guided skull meditation, my first guest blog feature from Julie Taylor about Skulls and her personal journey with skulls, and then an excerpt from my journal work with one of my skulls. Enjoy Skull week!

Crystal Skulls are available at almost any rock and gem show you attend. Whether carved by master carver Leandro de Souza or by anonymous master skull carvers, these carved masterpieces bring intrigue and mystery. I know as a Crystal Expert, I am frequently asked about Skulls. Some people are almost repulsed by them, confused about why they are around, asking questions like:

“Who would work with them and why?”
“What are they?”
”They are so morbid. Why would anyone buy them?”

Others are immediately drawn to them. It is interesting because I have seen people almost repulsed by them, later become devotees. While skulls are widely available, there are a handful of crystal skulls that have captivated many and fueled intense controversy among archaeologists, scientists, spiritualists, and museum officials for more than a century. Their legends blend elements of mystery, history, and mythology.

A dozen of these rare crystal skulls in private and public collections, some crystal clear, others of smoky or colored quartz, are actual human size and of very fine detail, while others are smaller and less refined. All are believed to originate from Mexico and Central America. Many believe these skulls were carved thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago by an ancient Mesoamerican civilization. Others think they may be relics from the legendary island of Atlantis or proof that extraterrestrials visited the Aztec sometime before the Spanish conquest.

Among the most well-known legends is that of the 13 original crystal skulls, which are thought to play a significant role in the elevation of human consciousness. I’ll get into that below.

Joshua Shapiro, coauthor of Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls Revealed, shares an insight into what draws people to work with skulls, "We believe the Crystal Skulls are a form of computer which are able to record energy and vibration that occur around them...The skull will pictorially replay all events or images of the people who have come into contact with them (i.e. they contain the history of our world)."

Most archaeologists and scientists are skeptical, and I will get into that below, but in terms of pre-Columbian artwork and artisan work in the Americas, particularly among the Aztec in Mexico, skulls figure prominently in artwork and iconography, so the connection between skulls and Mesoamerican culture seems like a natural historical fit.

The Legend of the 13 Crystal Skulls

There is a channeling from Harley Swift-Deer Reagan about 13 original crystal skulls that says when all the 13 crystal skulls from the Americas are together again, there will be a dawn of a new era. All the collective consciousness and knowledge of the world will be available to humans. The skulls are said to represent cosmic significance: 12 of the skulls supposedly correlate with planets, while the 13th skull, located at the center of the circle, symbolizes collective consciousness. The belief is that once these skulls are reunited, they will trigger a spiritual awakening, raising the consciousness of the planet.

Harley Swift Deer Reagan claimed that when the 12 skulls were arranged in a circle with the 13th in the middle, representing higher knowledge, that is when we could expect this consciousness awakening. However, there is some ambiguity about whether these skulls come from our planetary system or from another. Initially believed to be located in South America and connected to the ancient Mayan civilization, the skulls are now thought to be scattered around the world.

There is a lot to say about Harley Swift-Deer Reagan. His lineage as a Cherokee and/or Navajo medicine person has been called into question. I was taught by my mentor Hibiscus Moon that he was of mixed ancestry with Cherokee and had trained with a medicine person in the “Navajo” tribe, or maybe Cherokee. This is the thing about these fake lineages: they are fake. They don’t make sense, and we repeat them as though they should be taken seriously. Not only did he not seem to have any Native heritage, he also didn’t train with any Native medicine people of the Americas. There is an extensive post from Friederich Abel, a journalist who spend time with the Navajo people in the Southwest. After he retired, he researched Swift-Deer for lineage and truthiness, and it seemed he was simply bamboozling the new-age community. I loved Mr. Abel’s research and care in this subject. As someone who never wants to subscribe to this culturally appropriated new-agey history, I feel it is my responsibility to debunk his channelings and really correct the record. Mr. Abel’s post was so comprehensive that I thought it important to give you an opportunity to read it yourself. The link to the original post is in this pdf, if you want to read other people’s thoughts on his research as well, but I find it compelling enough to nix all of Swift-Deer’s so-called channelings.

Back to the skulls, there are a number of these “original skulls” that travel around the country. They are human-sized, and each one of them is said to be a depository of certain information, so they need to communicate with each other. And this is the thing with skull work, having skulls in your collection helps connect you with that universal consciousness and the original 13 skulls. I have heard they need to be clear quartz crystal, but I know that many of us collect skulls of all types of crystals and stones. People meditate on their skull’s name, their certain knowledge set, and connect them to themselves and other skulls.

The legend centers around 13 original crystal skulls, though, some of which are said to have been “discovered” on archaeological expeditions. Others came to the owner through mystical means. Some well-known skulls are "MAX," "Synergy," and "Sha Na Ra." According to Jodi Serota, MAX’s caretaker:

"MAX is considered by many, including the British Museum, to be one of the rarest artifacts ever found. Estimated to be at least 10,000 years old, MAX was found in a tomb in Guatemala in the 1920’s. Used by Mayan priests for healing and prayer, the skull was given to Norbu Chen, a powerful healer of the Tibetan sect of Red Hat Lamas for use in his journey as a healer.

Max, along with other ancient crystal skulls, remains a mystery with regard to its origin, including who carved it and where it is from. Many who have been in the presence of these crystal skulls feel that they are from other dimensional realms and perhaps were used by ancient civilizations (including Atlantis and Lemuria) to sustain contact between Star Beings and the human race.

Others who have touched the skulls have had a range of experiences including receiving instantaneous healing, information, visions of other worlds and the experience of unusual sounds and expanded intuitive abilities. To this day, MAX is used as a tool for awakening consciousness and accelerating healing and growth on all levels."

You can read the fascinating history of Sha Na Ra here. 

Origins & Doubts

The idea that these crystal skulls are ancient, perhaps originating from sunken civilizations like Atlantis or Lemuria, or even extraterrestrial sources, has been the obvious point of contention. Some suggest they may be from the Pleiades star cluster. However, historical and archaeological evidence often contradict these claims. When you have sources like channelings or impressions, it is impossible to prove lineage.

Despite being attributed to pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures like the Aztecs or Maya, none of the skulls in museum collections have been unearthed from verified archeological excavations. In fact, the type of quartz used in many of these skulls does not come from the regions where they were supposedly found. Archaeologists and scientists have determined that the skulls were likely made using modern lapidary techniques, which were not available in ancient times. For example, tests on crystal skulls held by institutions like the British Museum and the Smithsonian reveal that they were carved using rotary tools and abrasives standard in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Early Skull Discoveries & Debunking Myths

One of the earliest known crystal skulls brought to the British Museum in 1856 was a small artifact whose origins remain unclear. By 1863, larger skulls appeared, often associated with collectors such as the French antiquities dealer Eugène Boban, known for selling Mesoamerican artifacts. Boban’s skulls and others acquired during the same period were examined and determined to have been carved with modern equipment.

One of the most famous crystal skulls, the Mitchell-Hedges skull, is often cited in discussions about the legend. However, the origin story told by its owners, Mitchell-Hedges and his daughter Anna, has been largely discredited. They claimed to have discovered the skull under a Mayan altar in Belize, but documents show that the skull was actually purchased at a Sotheby’s auction from another collector, Sydney Burney. In 1970, the Mitchell-Hedges skull, or the Skull of Doom, was examined, and experts found it carved with modern tools. Despite these findings, the story of the skull’s supposed powers has continued to inspire fascination.

Modern Skepticism and Scientific Analysis

In the 20th century, many crystal skulls, including those housed at the British Museum and the Smithsonian, underwent scientific scrutiny. Advanced tools like scanning electron microscopes were used to analyze the skulls’ surfaces. Researchers determined that the skulls had been crafted using modern techniques, some as recently as the 1950s. For example, the Smithsonian skull was worked with silicon carbide, a synthetic material that didn’t exist until the late 19th century.

In fact, research from the British Museum points to most of these skulls being crafted in Germany, a region known in the late 19th century for producing detailed quartz and crystal pieces. The type of crystal used in the skulls is thought to come from Brazil or Madagascar, which would have been out of reach for pre-Columbian civilizations.

Given these findings and that none of these skulls have ever been discovered in official archaeological digs, the British Museum believes that the famous crystal skulls are likely not ancient relics but rather modern creations. All that being said, Richard A. Lovett and Scot Hoffman wrote a piece on National Geographic about Crystal Skulls notes, “The fact remains that no one knows for sure who made these skulls and when. And since there is currently no way to determine the age of such inorganic objects accurately, the mystery will likely continue.”

How to use Crystal Skulls

Despite the debunking of the ancient artifact myth, crystal skulls are still powerful tools for those of us who use earth medicine in our personal and professional practice. Crystal skulls are said to hold mystical powers and store ancient knowledge. Meditation with the skull helps unlock this stored information.

Conclusion

While the legend of the crystal skulls has woven its way into popular culture, even inspiring characters like Indiana Jones, much of the narrative has been debunked by modern science. The skulls in major museum collections are now understood to have been crafted with modern equipment, and their connections to ancient Mesoamerican cultures are questionable at best. While some enthusiasts continue attributing mystical significance to certain skulls, the broader archaeological community regards most crystal skulls as 19th-century fabrications.

I share all this information not to poo-poo beliefs in the skulls or their value but to say, do we need a mystical past to find messages in these powerfully carved healing tools? Crystal healers and metaphysical practitioners, maybe partially fueled by the allure of ancient civilizations, cosmic connections, and the tantalizing possibility of hidden knowledge stored within the skulls, have meditated with skulls, channeled incredibly rich and valuable knowledge and messages, and found healing with skull work. There are healers in my area who channel messages from different skulls. Others use them in their healing work. I certainly have and will continue to. I work with an obsidian skull for ancestor work, for example, and a fossilized coral skull for deep healing work with the Earth. While scientific evidence points to a more mundane origin, the mystery of the crystal skulls continues to captivate those who are open to their mystical or extraterrestrial possibilities.

There is an interesting piece in the 2014 Rock and Gem magazine about crystal skulls.

Episode 72: Positivity + Chronic Conditions with Julie Taylor

Today’s episode is near and dear to my heart, as Julie and I dive into living with Chronic Pain and Chronic conditions and positivity. I am so honored to introduce Julie Taylor. Julie is an Endo and IC Warrior who's passionate about mindset as medicine. Endo is an abbreviation for endometriosis and IC stands for Interstitial Cystitis (a painful bladder syndrome). While healing with these chronic conditions, she learned the power of crystals and energy to heal and how using a positive mindset as a tool to help manage her moods and emotions helped her body build resilience. Julie's formal degrees are in writing and early childhood ed, though the innate cheerleader at home in her heart drives her to write words, she hopes will spark a mood or mindset that might brighten things for others. Julie is the author of a children's book, Blue Hissy Highness and the Shiny Stones (you can buy that here). The book focuses on how a positive mindset can reframe and heal. It also reminds children that we can move toward mutual acceptance and forgiveness, but also the very adult reminder that acceptance isn't a one-and-done ideal—a lesson we need to revisit as we age. Julie also tends a website and an online space called Stone Spelling & Witchery, which is also the name of her private Facebook group Stone Spelling & Witchery to connect and share the metaphysical and mystical, celebrate earth and moon cycles, share spells, post favorite crystals, chat about witchiness, and ask questions. Julie curates a beautiful community that serves as a magical hub for joy and positivity.

Julie and I talk about living with chronic conditions and chronic pain, how we manage our spirit during times of flares. We talk about positivity, staying positive, toxic positivity or not toxic positivity, the benefits and downfalls of emotional bypassing, and what Julie has terms LoMo—or how to manage Low Moods and shift them to help with chronic conditions. Honestly, this is such a refreshing conversation for me—I could talk about pain and living with autoimmune disorders without censor. As someone who has to manage many chronic autoimmune conditions, speaking my truth about living with pain and fatigue feels like a long deep exhale, as I often just go through life sucking it up. Julie is so wise, intelligent, and articulate about her approach to living with physical challenges.

Here is the latest podcast:

You can also follow this link to listen on Spotify. Episode 72: Positivity & Chronic Conditions with Julie Taylor. You can also listen on any of the podcast services you can think of—Apple Podcasts, Pocketcasts, Amazon Music, I Heart Radio, Google Podcasts, Podbean and whatever you listen.

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In other news, this upcoming week, Julie is popping in for a guest post about Crystal Skulls. Monday, I will have a piece on the history of Crystal Skulls, debunking some myths, and talking about skullies in general. I will have a cool Tarot Layout using the Skull as a basis, and I will be sharing a journal entry about my meditation experience with my Fossilized Skull. All SKULLZ—this week!

Episode 71: Recovery for the Masses with Angie Yingst

In 1989, September was named National Recovery Month, and SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) holds events all month, as do state Depts of Drug and Alcohol Services. I am one of more than 21 million Americans in recovery from alcohol or substance use disorder. Substance Use Disorder does not just touch one segment of the population—addiction touches the lives of literally every socioeconomic class. This year, I trained to become a CRS, or a Certified Recovery Specialist, which is like a peer specialist for those seeking recovery. I have over 13 years of recovery from alcohol use disorder and I have been wanting to do a new series about recovery. I hope to do it maybe once a month called Recovery for the Masses.

What does that mean?

It means that I talk about what recovery from alcohol or substance use disorder is all about. We often talk about how everyone in the world should do the kind of work those of us in recovery do. I don’t think many people outside of our community realize the daily work we do just to stay sober or clean or abstinent from our addiction, whether that be alcohol or drugs or sex or gambling or food or pornography or whatever can be used to avoid feelings. I personally think my first addiction, and my hardest addiction, is work. I literally have times in my life where I have thought about work 24/7, obsessed about it, worked until I forgot to pee, eat, sleep, take care of my body. Addiction is addiction is addiction.

Addiction is often defined specifically in relation to how someone uses the substance. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and usually continue despite harmful consequences. Read that again, DESPITE harmful consequences. Why? Because the effect of numbing out is better than raw dogging life. (Hey, I’ve been out here in the world raw dogging life for 13 + years now, and I can tell you it is hard work, people.)

So what is this first Recovery for the Masses episode like? It is a lot of disparate thoughts about recovery and addiction and learning how to feel again. I think I just opened my brain and let it flow. But upcoming episodes will be more succinct and thoughtful and follow a more linear pathway. I talk about how lucky I am to be an alcoholic.

By lucky, I mean this seriously and also provokingly, because alcoholism took me to my brink, to a place I had never been before—praying for death because the suffering was so desolate. And yet, I didn’t know it was alcohol that took me there. I was just suffering. I wanted to die. And the outward appearance of my life looked together, beautiful, and truly was everything I had ever wanted. But I couldn’t feel joy or gratitude. I was in a loop of suffering, and I couldn’t get drunk enough or sober enough. And so one day, I called the A.A. helpline and talked to another alcoholic, asking if they thought I was alcoholic. But she couldn’t answer that. We can only answer that question for ourselves.

Okay, I know it is not cool to quote J.K. Rowling, but I love this quote, "Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life." As Anne Lamott further goes on to talk about rock bottom, “There’s freedom in hitting bottom, in seeing that you won’t be able to save or rescue your daughter, her spouse, his parents, or your career, relief in admitting you’ve reached the place of great unknowing. This is where restoration can begin.”

We all hit rock bottoms in life. Maybe it is losing your job or breaking up with a partner or it is just that recognition that your life doesn’t bring you joy. Maybe it is realizing your hypervigilance might be from trauma. Or maybe your parents were alcoholic or drug addicted people or just emotionally immature. In the end, I think we all relate to rock bottom and facing that crossroads of—I have to change and that pathway is dark and I have no idea what it means for the rest of my life, or I can stay the same and if I stay in the same place, I get the same thing. Nothing changes if nothing changes. The choice is mine right now. I know for me and my drinking, I chose the latter until I just felt like that choice was death to a part of me that was curious, awe-struck, joyful, honest, kind…it is painful to share that, but that is where I was.

So desperation brought me to recovery. Not a desire to quit drinking, but a desire to stop my own suffering. If I could do that and have a glass of wine, I totally would. That isn’t in my cards. I come from a long line of drunken storytellers and comedians who turn into absent parents and mean drunks. I am recovering from alcoholism, but I am also an adult child and grandchild of an alcoholic parent and grandparents. I am recovering from them. I hit bottom in my own way. And sought recovery. Recovery brought me spiritual work, a community, gratitude, love, creativity, honesty, integrity…As Anne Lamott says, “...being sober delivered almost everything drinking promised.”

And in the end, you are here because recovery from alcoholism allowed me to pursue healing work because I sought healing work. I couldn’t get sober and not heal the other stuff. And in seeking healing, I found this part of me that had always been there—highly sensitive, intuitive, empathic and ready to be of service to other people.

Hopefully, though, this series transcends alcohol and substance use disorder and recovery. My intention is to transcend it, and bring you into the recovery part of life and open it up to everyone who is suffering from being human.

Love,

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Some links that might be helpful if you or someone you know is suffering from Alcohol or Substance Use Disorder or has a family member who is:

SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) https://www.samhsa.gov/recovery-month

Walk for Recovery – September 5, 2024 https://www.samhsa.gov/recovery-month/events#walk-for-recovery

President Joe Biden’s Proclamation on National Recovery Month 2024

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/08/30/a-proclamation-on-national-recovery-month-2024/

Alcoholics Anonymous https://www.aa.org/

Carl Jung’s letter to Bill W., the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous https://wccm.org/outreach-areas/addiction-recovery/carl-jung-letter-to-bill-w/

SMART Recovery https://smartrecovery.org/

Recovery Dharma https://recoverydharma.org/

Refuge Recovery https://www.refugerecovery.org/

Alanon/Alateen https://al-anon.org/

Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families https://adultchildren.org/

Supermoon in Aquarius

This Aquarius Supermoon, Monday, August 19 at 2:25 pm ET, is set to be one of our most potent Full Moon. Aquarius, the Fixed Air sign, is ruled by the staid, rule-hungry Saturn. But Aquarius is powerful and transformative too, because it believes so much in itself and it’s vision. Aquarius marches to its own drum, individual, innovative, boundary-breaking, but deeply cares about the collective. This Moon can connect you to your true authentic self; that is, if you move through and past fear of judgement, fear of being seen and possibly laughed at (hey, laugh back at them, isn’t it funnier how you look, dress and act like everyone else, sheep?!?l), fear of reputation-tarnishing, and just be you. Share your deep, reasoned values and step into your weird-ass self.

First accept yourself. Then find which freak flag is yours, or better yet, create your own freak flag, then you fly it. Wherever you are on your journey, this supermoon can supercharge it.

I keep hearing about this being a Blue Moon. My friend Julie Taylor at Stone Spells & Witchery just outlined why that is (2 full moons in a month vs. 4 full moons in a season are called blue moons in different traditions. This year, we are in the latter.) Blue Moon are like supermoons on steroids.

If you do connect with that idea, here is my Blue Moon layout from my book. Below it is a full moon in Aquarius layout. Pick your soul work!

This is your chance to connect with your true self - the authentic you that exists beyond fear, societal expectations, and self-imposed limitations. It's time to clear the path for a new way of being, rooted in love, acceptance, and compassion

Here is a tarot layout for the Blue Moon from my book The Complete Tarot Layouts, if you decide that yes, indeed, this is the Blue Moon and I want to work with it. Enjoy!

Episode 70: The Rat Chronicles with Dr. Amy Kittelstrom

Episode 70: the Rat Chronicles with Dr. Amy Kittelstrom

Dr. Amy Kittelstrom, is a professor of history at Sonoma State University and author of the book the Religion of Democracy (https://www.amazon.com/Religion-Democracy-Liberals-American-Tradition/dp/1594204853) . I asked this incredibly accomplished historian to talk about “Rats”, the rodents and the proverbial rats of the world. We talk about what it is like to be a single mother homeowner who needs some home repairs done and rats removed from the house. I am really grateful for the opportunity to share Dr. Kittelstrom, one of my closest friends, with my world.

 or listen on Spotify here:

Recovering Empaths Anonymous

Hello, my name is Angie. I am a recovering empath. And I have a quote to share with you.

Honestly, I think about this at least once a week. When I studied with Pixie Lighthorse, it was powerful and humbling for her to explain this to our group of earth medicine practitioners. She said it just like this, "What if it is unethical to pick up on other people's emotions?" 🤯

Unethical?!?!

But but but…I can’t control who and what I feel! And besides, all these messy people who just avoid their work…THEY ARE THE PROBLEM!

Um. I deeply value ethics and integrity and boundaries. But omg, to discover you are a violator of other people’s boundaries takes some real cajones to admit. But that is the work we engage in here, no? We are engaged in meaningful self-discovery. I often say that I am on a fact-finding mission, and if I get stuck in the eddy of shame and guilt about not knowing something, then I will never change that thing.

If shame worked, we’d all be sober and thin. But it doesn’t and we aren’t.

There is two layers here. One is the one who is the empath, and the other is the one who is “empathed upon”. Last first, um, so, that is what I was feeling when people were trying to comfort me after Lucy died by saying, I KNOW JUST HOW YOU FEEL, Angie, my cat died last year, cue tears. Now I am comforting the grieving cat mom and I feel less understood than before. It is also why it enraged me when people were telling me how I was feeling or reading me without my permission, and why my empathy wasn't healing me. Feeling other people’s emotions did nothing for me, but cause an autoimmune disorder and crippling anxiety.

Being "an empath" was not my path to psychic work or third eye opening, but my biggest blockage. Understanding that it is my work to keep boundaries around feeling other people's energy, not theirs, freed me. Pixie reminding me that being an empath and feeling other people’s feelings made it impossible for me to truly hold space for them. It made me messy and erratic. It also wasn’t exactly true. I am intuitive. I am empathic. But that involves wild sweeps of assumptions about another’s emotions. I have no idea if I was ever right about another person’s emotions. How presumptuous to think I ever knew that. Maybe what happened instead is that person triggered emotions of my own that I hadn’t touched in a while, and I thought they were theirs?

Pixie’s challenge and argument provoker empowered me to feel able to hold and maintain my boundaries around empathy and start doing some work around my wounded childhood. Not only that, it helped me understand and face my own emotions when I stopped feeling other people's emotions. I had spent so much of my childhood trying to figure out adult emotions, reading faces and body language to figure out what was going on, or how I should act that empathy became a natural result of being emotionally neglected and trying to read people’s emotions. You just become hypervigilant in any changes in the force. And by force, I mean, the force of emotions. Kids who grew up with emotional or physical neglect are hyperaware of the subtle, microchanges in someone’s facial expressions, emotional energy, and body language that defines a good 70% of communication. Energetic hygiene means clearing your own filter...a filter used to perceiving others through wounding and people pleasing.

Ethics and integrity is so important to me as a healer, and engaging in it means looking at ourselves--what can I control? Me. But first I had to divorce the moniker Empath, and embrace myself as a highly sensitive neurodivergent person. As I am preparing my work teaching my first online Earth Medicine Mentoring Circle, I know boundaries, energetic hygiene and understanding our gifts is going to be my first stop.

Where are you on this journey?

Kyra and I talked about the dark relationship between narcissists and empaths on my podcast a few years ago.

Saying Goodbye to a Home

The Moon + Stone was featured on ApartmentGuide’s Saying Goodbye to a Home article. Check out the blog article here!

Moving Out and Moving On: Best Tips on Saying Goodbye to a Home, by Darby Mulligan on Apartment Guide, July 18, 2024

It is always fun to be interviewed about your approach and how to integrate Earth Medicine, shamanic approaches, and ritual into your daily life. This is my passion and my life’s work. Making the everyday sacred.Some friends are also featured in that piece, including one of my favorite crystal vendors Exquisite Crystals’ John VanRees Jr.

Leaving a home is like leaving a trusted friend, and there are some great tips and ideas on how to approach moving out of a home.

When I advise my clients during the incredibly stressful time of moving space, I try to help them find a way to make packing and moving sacred. When stressed, we sometimes forget to take moments to breathe and create space to honor.  Whether that is doing a release ceremony before you officially move out, journaling and setting intentions, setting an alarm every hour to sit and thank your home for keeping you warm, safe, or protected, or creating a cleaning and clearing ritual, you can take a moment to honor and express gratitude around how this home served your Spirit, what you are ready to release, and what you want to call into your new home.

We can pack up and leave a space, but we always take our emotional baggage. A great way to process and release is combination of journaling and ritual. Journal questions:

1. Tell the story of your life during your stay in this home—remember the joys, successes, challenges, and energy this space gave you. 

2. What did you learn while living in this space?

3. What are you ready to release emotionally, mentally, or spiritually?

4. What energy do you want to call into your new space?

Through this process, you can identify some things you are ready to release—maybe it is releasing fear, or stuckness. Then identify what you are calling in—if you are releasing fear of change, then maybe you are calling a sense of adventure and courage to be authentically you. Write out releases on paper. Some people like to use a little rosemary, lavender, tobacco or other herb on the paper, and tuck it into a little package. Take it outside and put it on a burn-proof plate or in a fire pit and burn. You can watch the wind carry the prayers of release to the four corners of the earth.

If you want to incorporate this into a cleansing ritual, you can take a bit of ash,  mix with lavender, salt (Himalyan sea salt is nice, but you can use any salt, even table salt), and spread on the floor before you sweep and clean your space. Open windows if you can. Do this work mindfully, Visualize the energy here, the challenges, the experiences and items you identified for release, being swept away. Always sweep toward an outside door. You can use a dustpan, or sweep outside if it is acceptable. Just take the dirt and detritus outside to bury or put into a trash can away from your stuff.

 Some great stone medicine allies for moving house are:

Citrine: Helps selling your home. Put a small citrine grid in a main living space. Even a piece in a central location can attract that incredible abundance energy, sunshiney feel and warmth you need to attract financial abundance to your life. I am partial to Congo Citrine and the Smoky Citrines from the Congo are a perfect addition to moving home, as they ground and attract abundance.

Carnelian: Bringing the energy since the beginning of time! Carnelian is a great ally for getting some energy to do the dang work of packing, cleaning, cleansing, plus it just brings so much joy and creative energy, what else do you need? Put it in your pocket and buzz around like you drank some espresso. I actually do put it in water when I need that extra oomph to get shizzle down.

Black Tourmaline: Helps with grounding and clearing as you make space for change. If it is on your person, it is like having a forcefield against other people’s stress and tension. I also love gridding my home in BT for extra protection when all kinds of people are walking through.

Lepidolite: Stress can really take its toll, so using lepidolite can help de-stress, rest, recuperate, and come at things with a new peace. During your packing breaks, place it on the heart or third eye, and rest or nap. Wake up with a new perspective. I also love it for tension headaches.

Amethyst: Protective. Visioning. The stone of acceptance, what is there not to love about our old fave?!?

Please check out the entire article at Apartment Guide.

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Episode 69: Workaholism, Self-care, and Dropping with Angie

In this episode, which I initially wrote as an open letter to my clients and friends, is actually a series of writings about workaholism, alcoholism, codependency, self-care, self-preservation, being of service to others and some of my history. It is split up in 6 parts. I hope it resonates.

I also mention some things. Last words are Those last four words are not mine. It is Ho’oponopono, the Hawaiian practice that combines love, forgiveness, repentance, and gratitude in four powerful phrases. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I Thank you. I love you.

 Links I mention:

⁠https://reductress.com/⁠

⁠https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Dernoot-Lipsky-Trauma-Stewardship/dp/B07VPNP3XF/⁠

Blessed 2024!

During this episode, I talk personally about myself and my journey this past year, working with the Chariot, and moving into 2024 with the Card of the Year--Strength. I also talk about the biggest astrology transits of the year and how to work with them.

Tarot, Earth Medicine + Astrology for December

Blessed December! December’s astrology has retrogrades, directs, action, adventure, and momentum for 2024. Doesn’t that sound great?!?

Of course, we start December, like every December in the optimistic and enthusiastic energy of Sagittarius, which honestly encourages us to see the best in the future. A wonderful way to set lofty, ambitious goals for yourself. As we enter Capricorn season at the end of the month, we open the path to turn those lofty ambitions into reality, paving the way for a thriving 2024. Capricorn is an earthy leader and doer. Opening a way, even if it is not evident at the beginning of the month. I am counting on this, y’all. I’m just saying.

During Sagittarius season, we're all encouraged to embrace compassion, generosity, and joy. There's this boundless energy that serves as a reminder that incredible things can happen when we believe in ourselves and strive for more. Yet, it can also be challenging to set boundaries or exercise restraint. Listen ad-free to the episode for the Tarot of the Month, Earth Medicine Allies, astrology of the Month, and, of course, my crazy tangents into Greek Mythology and more.

As always, December’s Medicine Bundle is available for sale on my website:

Blessed Full Moon in Gemini!

As a Gemini Ascendent, I would just like to keep this brief, even though that is not my forte. It's the Full Moon, witches, in Gemini. We are focusing on our communication, confusion, mixed messages and our own stories. You know, the story of what happened that may or may not be true, but is the story you keep telling yourself in your head, or telling anyone who will listen. It is time, friend, to look at that shizzle. This actually is a great aspect to ask the right questions to get good answers, but the key is asking the right questions. Don't ever ask a question you do not want the answer to, especially in this lunation, but if you want to know, ask. I have a list of questions, but I am going to shut up now before I put my giant Gemini rising foot in my mouth. I’ll let my graphics speak for themselves!

Have a drama free Full Moon in Gemini, if that is even possible.

Blessed Sagittarius Season!

Welcome to Sagittarius Season, travelers! After we journeyed into the underworld with moody and shadow-exploring Scorpio, it is time to begin our ascent into light with hilarious, goofy, joyful Sagittarius.

Sag is ruled by Jupiter and works with the element of Fire. Chani Nicholas talks about mutable signs as dispensing something to the world. Expansive Sagittarius disperses enthusiasm and optimism. You need a cheerleader? Recruit a Sag for your team. They are excited to be part of the tribe, as long as it isn’t too long of a commitment. Sagittarius craves freedom. Any whiff of neediness or too muchness will make them “feel weird.” And when Sagittarius feels weird, they trust it. Truly. I love how confident Sag is in their own intuitiveness.

They do not need to explain it to you. They simply spread their wings and fly. That might look a little like ghosting, or maybe just cutting and running, or just a simple no without a dissertation (which I find refreshingly important.) In some circles, you might even say they can be a bit avoidant with emotions. But they know deep inside of them that energy flows where attention goes. So, they simply will say no and move on. For those among us who are watery and needy (Pisces, I’m looking at you), this might feel cruel. But Sagittarius is furthest from cruel. They are simply following their gut, getting their needs met, exploring the big, beautiful world, and prioritizing their own growth. If something feels like it holds down their expansion, they leave.

I am not going to say that Sagittarius is bored easily, because it is not quite that. They love to do things like play pool and have a conversation about their top five things to take to a deserted island, but they cannot sit in emotions and stuckness for too long. They don’t hang onto stories that keep them mired in the same emotional swampiness. They are incredibly intuitive, wise, and insightful, but also they don’t like to go so deep they get stuck. It is almost like a kind of observational depth.

Sagittarius needs travel, learning, different environments and stories, unrestricted movement, and exploration. They will prioritize it over almost anything else. Sagittarius tends to be optimistic, positive, and curious. They are the perennial student and prefer to take classes, hands-on learning, challenges, hearing it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. They aren’t great with secondhand information or listening to petty crap, and yet, they also see everyone they meet on their travels as a teacher, a sage, a wise woman, treating them like their guru for that moment. Isn’t that a cool way to approach the world? Everyone has something to teach us in Sagittarius’s world; even the most challenging of people teach us how not to be. Sag loves that shit.

Sagittarius embodies wanderlust. Not simply to collect experiences, but to journey. They want to be embedded in other cultures, live as others live, have conversations that expand their consciousness. They are much more interested in the journey than the destination. And in the end, Sag’s gift is that they bring an individuality and curiosity that inspires others. Their intuitiveness guides them—signs, omens, coincidences, numbers, names, people that remind them of people. I was once in a gallery in Florence and ran into a customer from the café I worked at in Tucson Arizona. We laughed and laughed, and she said, “I know this is meant to be, because I have these tickets I cannot use, so I give them to you.” And then she said, Ciao! And kept on her travels. I was so humbled and excited. I used them, inviting other backpackers from the hostel where I was staying to have a wonderful experience I would not have been able to afford. Of course, she was a Sagittarius!

The spirituality of Sagittarius is that trust of coincidence and signs. They embody the medicine of the Tarot’s Fool, trusting the path unfurling in front of them. Sag’s sanity depends on trusting that the best will always unfold. They may not attribute to a certain God or religion, but it is a trust in the universe that all will happen. Their focus on the positive means they create their own reality, finding truth in those coincidences and happenstance that brings them medicine. My teacher Pixie says Medicine is the sacred, mysterious, supernatural power that exists in all things. Sagittarius is always in search of medicine—the medicine of challenge, the medicine of new places, the medicine of change, the medicine of thought, the medicine of creativity, and of course their challenge is to rise to the medicine and stick and stay long enough to grow, change, gain insight, and live it.

Your challenge during Sagittarius season is to embody Sagittarius’s way of being. Maybe you can call it the Tao of Sag. And in that balance of energy, we look for the deeper meaning, we trust our instincts and intuition, we follow the medicine, we get curious and open and let the joy unfold.

blessed new moon in scorpio!

Struggling with facing your own demons? Feel like you are missing a piece of the puzzle in your life?

No fear, the Scorpio New Moon is here to hold up a big ass mirror so you face the truth of things and call them by their proper name.

Hey, it might be someone else, but I am just going to say that 98% of the time it is you, honey. Y-O-U.

This New Moon in Scorpio can be emotionally transformative if you let it, or you can fall back into the role of Victim or Martyr, if you'd like. This is 100% your choice, but if you let the Moon do its thing, you are more like to uncover some uncomfortable, yet life changing truths, clarify where you stand and why. Just let yourself HOWL this new moon, and by HOWL, of course, I mean, Honest, Open-minded, Willing and Loving.

You can do this work. I believe in you.

Pluto and Mars are drinking straight black espressos and placing bets on you as we speak. Have fun.

I threw in a little tarot layout for your amusement and to help the process along. It’s a doozy. Called my shit out in typical Scorpio style, but this Capricorn is here for it. I need that, and so do you. You're welcome.

Tarot, Earth Medicine + astrology for the month of November: Podcast + Info

Happy November! Angie talks about the astrology of the month, pulls a Tarot card archetype for November (the 9 of friggin’ Swords), and the Earth Medicine allies—Plant Medicine of Yarrow; Stone Medicine: Turquoise, Aquamarine + Lepidolite as well as work with the medicine of our Animal Guide of Alligator +/or Crocodile

Remember these earth medicine guides can be tools for this month, and help you do your thang! A medicine bundle is for sale in the shop, as always.

You can find November's Medicine Bundle here: ⁠https://themoonandstone.com/medicine/nov-2023-earth-medicine⁠

Remember Angie does her Tarot thing through her collective Full Moon + New Moon readings for the Moon + Stone Membership group as well as a Guided Shamanic Journey with the animal medicine of the month. The private Facebook group is a place where the group gathers every Friday for a checkin and circle plus lots of other activities (meditations, craft night, death café, Q&As) to have camaraderie and fellowship. Check out more information here: ⁠⁠https://themoonandstone.com/monthly-memberships⁠⁠

In this episode, I do mention the Body Keeps Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748⁠

PS from Angie: Dearest listeners, Apologies for the lateness of this episode, we had some personal family emergency stuff come up and as a result, my stutter makes a wee appearance here. It is too hard to edit out and I am unfortunately too behind in my work to do that, so enjoy my "I-bursting-at-the-seams-with-lateness" stutter. Much love, Angelica

blessed samhain!

Samhain (pronounced SOW-en, meaning Summer’s End in Gaelic), the third and final harvest festival, marks the beginning of the dark season for Wiccans and Pagans. Considered the most important day on the Wheel of the Year’s calendar, Samhain falls on October 31st to November 1st. It is the start of Winter in the Witches year. Many consider this New Year.

Agrarian communities clear their fields before Samhain, as lore warns that food harvested after Samhain somehow spoils and can only be left for night spirits, faeries, and the wandering dead. The community prepares for the long winter by drying the medicinal and magical herbs, canning, and preserving fruits and vegetables. Root vegetables are harvested and stored in the cellars for the long winter ahead. This is also traditionally the time when farmers butcher the animals for winter, drying and storing the meat to survive through the long winter. The meat salted and kept, and the bones thrown to the fire as an offering to the Gods and as a security for good fortune. (Bonfire= bone + fire)

In this way, the Horned God, an aged and matured stag, gives his life again so the people can survive the winter. The God is mourned over the three harvests—first as the Grain God, then as God of Harvest, then the Horned God.  The Goddess grieves and as she does, she transforms into the old, wise, and wizen crone. The Goddess, worshipped through the year in her three aspects, never dies, just as the Earth never dies. Travels to the underworld, as in the stories of the Sumerian goddess Inanna, Demeter/Persephone, Mabon and more tell us about the way we conquer death and the proximity of our loved ones.

So many cultures celebrate the dead at this time with Halloween (a secular holiday that has borrowed Samhain’s revelry), Día de los Muertos, All Soul’s Day, Feast of the Dead…this is the most holy of days. Though each sabbat honors the cycles of life and death, Samhain formally honors the Dead.  The veil between the living and the dead thins during this time—almost all can sense the connection to the ancestors, spirits, and faeries. When the animals are slaughtered at Samhain, farmers also decide which animals live—fed and housed during the long winter months. This is a big decision and commitment for farmers which often sacrifice food from their family for the keeping of their animals.

There is revelry and celebration at Samhain--magick, divination and spirit work performed at this time. But the Spirits and Fae are not always seen as allies, they are trickster, mischievous creatures right now. Unlike Beltane, people are not looking to spend all night outside. The night holds mystery and fear. So, offerings—food and drink—are left outside the doors for the Spirits and Fae. Feeding the dead remains an important part of the rituals around the world honoring the ancestors. These offerings ensured good fortune on the animals in the barn and the crops for the next year.

Because of the magical connection of this time, divination is extremely important part of this time—tarot, scrying, astrological year readings, runes, tea leaf readings, mediumship, and bone readings, where people’s names were written on bones or rocks and thrown into the fire. The next day, the bone or rock was “read” to tell the fortune of the person. Covens and families hold silent dinners where the dead are invited to share a meal. A place setting and plate of food is set in honor of the dead, and all stay silent, waiting for messages from the dead.

At Samhain, you are asked to connect with the Ancestors and your relationship with grief and death. Honor the ancestors and they can assist you on your path. Samhain is a magical time, so you are asked to take a divination method to connect to those who have passed over and the ancestors. Use whichever is your preferred way to connect to Spirit, and ask questions about the new year, about your spiritual journey and what is next for you.

I have created a Tarot Layout to connect with your ancestors and find out more about your new year.

This Samhain, I recorded a different kind of podcast, which is a history of Samhain and mostly, the modern Halloween…where does it come from and where are its roots in the old ways. You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Overcast, Radio Public, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Blessed Scorpio Season!

Welcome to Scorpio Season, Shadow Walkers! Hold onto your existentialist tomes, pull out your death journals, we are in Scorpio season where we contemplate life, the universe, the present moment, absurdity, death and rebirth, sex and then, like everything else (I said that like Loren Michaels in my head.)

Scorpio is a fixed water sign, which means in its essence, it is both moving, flowing, flexible, emotional AND stubborn, rigid, and seeking stability. Fixed signs harness their element’s strongest qualities. And Scorpio harnesses, as Chani Nicholas says, the power of its emotional intensity. Scorpio is transformative in its way of being—pushing the perishing parts of us to finally die so rebirth can happen, transmuting into something more aligned with who they are. They are alchemists in that way.

While Scorpio’s fixedness gives it a stubbornness, which is both useful and annoying to their partners (ahem, Sam Yingst), they also seek freedom and liberation. Scorpio is defiant by nature, in the best way possible. Scorpio subverts the dominant paradigm. They throw the lightning strike that brings the Tower down. Scorpio enjoys conversations that go deep, emotionally vulnerable, intense, connective. Scorpio wants us to face the truth that we are one day going to die and so we must pay attention to the present moment. The present is made precious, in Scorpio’s mind, by the reality of death. Scorpio says, “Face your fears. Face your death. Face your Shadow. Face your Trauma. Embrace them. Play some Rummy. Have some tea. Make friends. Then be in the moment with all them co-existing in you.” Scorpio, the Emotional Revolutionary, the Goth Kid of Astrology, the Peaceful Warrior, and ones that point to the Emperor and say, “That dude nekkid.”

Scorpio’s often get accused of being too aloof, but they are observers—observers of the World and watchers of the humans (sometimes Scorpio humans feel detached from humanity, like they are from another time and place). They are conscious of what works, of systems, of human nature. They understand human nature, particularly the Shadowy parts. Through routine and systems of doing, they take out all the thought of anything superficial, so they can focus on deeper things, like the whys and hows. That routine can sometimes give Scorpio the reputation of being controlling, stubborn or unable to play peacefully in the sandbox with others. (Group projects annoy Scorpios unless they are doing it all, then they get resentful of the ”idiots in their group”.) Scorpios can have that black and white thinking in practice with lots of grey areas in theory, so they seek to both harness and to liberate. It is a contradiction that makes Scorpio such a deep, powerful season (and if you have Scorpio in your top three [Sun, Moon, or Rising], you know this makes you a deep, powerful human too.)

That power scares mere mortals.

Scorpios are not afraid of their power. They will wield it when it benefits them. Most Scorpios have a very strong sense of ethics and mortality, and so use it for good. They are excellent readers of humans. If you want a reliable first impression, ask a Scorpio. They do not hold back. They do not suffer fools, unless that fool is engaging in some of their favorite pastimes like absurdist and silly conversations, dark humor, sarcastic and witty repartee and finding meaning in everything.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the inherent connection to death and sex. You find Scorpio one of the more demonized signs in the Zodiac, but that is because Scorpio is ruled by Pluto and Mars. Pluto rules the Shadow issues, particularly death, existence, emotions, and truth. You know, those little things. Mars is the warrior, active, ready to fight, upturn or honestly have a little nooky, if that is offered. Scorpio walks the razor’s edge of existence—the liminal space between the present moment and the infinite, action and contemplation, truth and lies, the real and the imaginary, anxiety and bravado, sexiness and prudishness, life and death. Scorpio looks at the underbelly of society and says, “I bet they make some good art there. Let’s check it out.” Scorpio season honors real in the bluntest ways, showing you the real blood and guts of a situation or situation. But they bravely reveal the shadow, talk about it, take the elephant in the room for a ride, then return it to its true home.

I find most Scorpios fairly introverted, playing their cards close to their chest. But they often do not see themselves that way. In fact, they seek community, but in time of anxiety or fear or contemplation, they isolate and sometimes self-harm. It is their nature. It can be through overly indulging in some soul sedative (sex, masturbation, drinking, drugs, alcohol, eating, gambling, anything traditionally thought of as addictive), or it can be through repetitive working out, deprivation, challenges, or of course hurting oneself. Again, Scorpio is dark. They are the ones that would say they wanted to feel something, anything, and self-harmed. This is the Shadow of Scorpio—avoidant, dissociated, unable to swim in the complex seas of Pluto and Mars. But in their light, Scorpio is emotionally aware, often the most emotionally mature in the room, calling things by their proper name—Sensitivities, be damned!

It is time to take a walk on the shadow side with Scorpio. Enjoy it. We have a Lunar Eclipse on Friday, October 28th in Taurus, which stands directly opposite Scorpio on the Astrological wheel—a fixed earth sign Moon with a fixed water sign Sun.

*Hey, no disrespect. I’m a Capricorn. I get it, Scorpio. In fact, we are pretty much tailor made for each other.

Q&A with Angie on Episode 64 of Centered

In this latest episode of Centered, Angie answers some of the many questions she has received since her last Q&A episode in May on Astrology! Specifically, she is waxing a bit philosophic about life of life’s terms, being present, reacting vs. responding, sacred pause, being comfortable with being uncomfortable, authenticity and parenting and more. Here are the questions:

1. What is the best practice/stone to NOT shoot your mouth off at work? (seriously)

2. How do you know that you are doing the right thing with your life?

3. As a mother, how do you manage to show up as your authentic self in your business when your day is filled with chaos and managing tiny human’s schedules including your own? Do you have a specific crystal or ritual you do before you start working that helps ground you in the moment and clear your mind to focus on the task at hand?

If you want to ask me a question, you can send me a voice clip or email at angie@themoonandstone.com or you can send me a voice mail question: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/angie-yingst

Angie references these things in this podcast:

The Sacred Pause, An Excerpt from the Dharma of Poetry by John Brehm: https://wisdomexperience.org/wisdom-article/the-sacred-pause/

The Sacred Pause, Spiritual Practice by Tara Brach: https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/practices/view/21412?id=21412

Jack Kornfield on the Sacred Pause: https://jackkornfield.com/the-sacred-pause/

Tara Brach’s Meditation for the Sacred Pause: https://youtu.be/w-yF9EMkE88?si=IqtjUxKGs83vXfgH

October's Tarot Card, Earth Medicine + Sky Medicine

It's Eclipse season and the last of the two year cycle of Taurus-Scorpio Eclipses.

In this episode, Angie talks about the astrology of the month, pulls a Tarot card archetype for October (the Hermit), and the Earth Medicine allies—Plant Medicine of Mugwort and Damiana; Stone Medicine: Charoite, Moonstone + Hematite as well as work with the medicine of our Spirit Guide the Valkyrie and the Animal Guide of Phoenix

You can listen to this latest episode of Centered on Spotify (https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/VXWTngQezDb) or wherever you listen to podcasts (Amazon, I Heart Radio, Apple Music, Pocketcasts, etc) or right on my website. Or just check out my blog.

Remember these earth medicine guides can be tools for this month, and help you do your thang! A medicine bundle is for sale in my shop, as always.

You can find October's Medicine Bundle here: https://themoonandstone.com/.../oct-2023-earth-medicine...

Remember I do collective Full Moon + New Moon readings for my membership group as well as a Guided Shamanic Journey with the animal medicine of the month. We also meet each Friday for circle, and you get free bonus of Q&As with me. Check out more information here:

https://themoonandstone.com/monthly-memberships

Blessed Full Moon in Aries!

Blessed Full Moon in Aries.

When we are dealing with Full Moons, we are looking at the Moon being in the sign opposite of the sun, unlike New Moons where the sun and moon are in the same sign. The tension created by the Sun and Moon in opposition can create breakthroughs in our consciousness and allows us to grow, evolve, and transform.

Aries and Libra sit opposite each other in the sky and on the zodiac wheel, so as the Sun sits in Libra, the full Moon lands in Aries. So, we have the Sun in Libra, and we have the Moon in Aries. What relational energy do these two sign have? Well, they are both cardinal signs, meaning they kick off season, they are both leaders and often great at motivation, drive and kicking off projects. It’s the finishing of projects that sometimes challenges Cardinal signs.

The Sun in Libra allows us to work with its vibrations in our energetic bodies. Aries is home to the first house of the self and ruled by Mars, while Libra is home to the seventh house of relationships and ruled by Venus. Mars and Venus. Self and Other. These are our tensions on this Super Moon in Aries. With the closeness to the South Node, this full moon may feel a bit like an Eclipse.

To work with some of this energy, I created a Tarot Layout that might be useful for those of you who use Tarot as a way in and to connect with Spirit.

Love this kind of content and want to learn more and go deeper with the Lunar Cycles? Check out the Moon + Stone Membership Group. Or if you are really interested in the Cycles, why not check out my class called Cycles, available right here, and it is on sale!