During lockdown, my filling fell out and I’ve neglected to go to the dentist since. The other day I experienced severe tooth pain and made an appointment the next day. My dentist taught me a lot about what that pain was, how I could mitigate it, and the next steps to upgrading my dental care. 

Lithomancy is the art of reading the arrangement of crystals in a designated space. When I was cat-sitting, I read my friend’s book on Lithomancy. The description is similar to other metaphysical readings like psychic, tarot, or palmistry. With crystals, we place meaning on them, drop them randomly, and read the relationships between them. No two readings are exactly alike. Here, I share the different ways in which I practice Lithomancy.

The Hall of Healing at the Los Angeles Conscious Life Expo are specialized rooms for concentrated technologies to enhance a meditation experience. This year I’ll be working in these spaces and in this introductory blog post, I’m sharing what they have to offer, what to expect, and how to be emotionally and spiritually prepared. At first glance, the event descriptions sound esoteric and distant but these healing modalities are essentially wellness paths to feelings of love and expansion.

Prayer beads are a system of tracking prayers, chants, or scriptures to bring us into a contemplative mindset and become aware of the greatness of life, God, or enlightenment. Each religion has a plethora of resources and with the average of scholarly publications, I aim to paint a broad perspective on the multiple uses of prayer beads so that we can learn from other religions and maybe incorporate aspects into our prayer practice.

Los Angeles, CA
I didn’t go to see Ross From Friends with the intention of charging my pocket crystals but after a night of all-encompassing vibrations in a space packed with nice people, the next day I noticed a difference in the crystals that I had in my clutch. When I go out dancing, I prefer to drink soda water and wear earplugs so my kind of hangover is more like some really sore legs and discovering these positively charged crystals.

Made of a metal alloy or quartz crystal, singing bowls are sacred instruments for meditation, contemplation, and healing. We can visualize the physics behind their healing abilities, map their vibrational patterns, and notice how we feel from their psycho-acoustic therapeutic qualities.

Van Nuys, CA
If you want a tiny hole-in-the-wall crystal shop where the owner knows where each stone came from, its healing properties, and has a talent for designing jewelry to align your chakras, visit Raoul at MagicasGemas.

Los Angeles, CA
Angels on Earth Crystal Shop is a tiny shop near Culver City with tumble crystals, sage, candles, and natural décor. Here I found Honey Calcite for my collection and got my brother a Blue Tiger’s Eye for his birthday.

Canoga Park, CA
Rock Paradise is a modern metaphysical store with crystals, oracle cards, jewelry, statues, candles, books, and much more. The shop is designed by themes like spiritual, psychedelic, ancient wisdom, witchcraft, chakras, fossils, kids, and affirmations. They also have a separate room for large museum-quality pieces, making Rock Paradise a pretty great gift shop.

Malibu, CA
More than a yoga studio, the Mindry hosts alternative healing classes in Breathwork, Somatic Awareness Meditation, and Restorative Soundbaths to attend to the mind, body, and soul. I’ve outlined a sample of each class type so you can see what it’s like to be guided through energetic experiences.

When I open my palms, I see my life’s many chapters. In this Palm Contemplation, I meditate on the layers of my skin, its sensory acuteness, and the transferring of light spirit. With clear crystal quartz tumbles, I connect to feelings of gratitude, gentleness, and crystalized energy within my hands.

With the theme of love and worthiness, this meditation explores different ways for the mind and body to connect to a stronger sense of value. From words of affirmation, symbolism, and guided visualization, this is an introduction to a life-long journey of you being you.

Sensing crystal energy has been a new practice for me. I have always enjoyed their company and now with meditation, I’m learning to sense their spark, visualize their energy, and open my mind to interpreting their messages.

For a time, my experience with an auto-immune disease thwarted my life into cyclical mental, emotional, and physical pain. I’ve found that meditation, even short sessions, helps me rid of past traumas. Instead of holding on to a story of suffering, I can practice letting go and opening to the magic of each day.

Playa Del Rey, CA
I held these crystals while I meditated and noticed a subtle yet liberating feeling. It’s one thing to learn that certain crystals contribute certain energetic properties, it’s a whole other thing to feel it for myself.

Pacific Palisades, CA
An afternoon hike, hopping from rock to rock along a creek on the Santa Ynez Canyon Trail, included a meditation with one of my favorite amethyst crystals.

Topanga, CA
A crystal shop in the heart of winding canyons, Topanga Rocks has meditating statues, a trickling waterfall, and giant crystals that inspire me to design a fantasy landscape with nature’s gifts.

West Hollywood, CA
On Melrose Ave there’s a museum-quality crystal shop called the Crystalarium, a metaphysical franchise called the House of Intuition, and even a garden design shop where I found precious rocks and crystals to add to my collection.

The Jade Room at Wi Spa provided a clean, empowering, and calm feeling but other rooms of the same temperature felt different. That posed the question, what is it about Jade that feels so comforting? In my research, I compare Jade to Pink Himalayan Salt to understand their elemental differences in therapy rooms.