Candice Brathwaite on how to use crystals to harness the life you deserve
This exclusive extract is taken from Candice Braithwaite's new book, Manifesto: Unlock the Life You Deserve, where the best-selling author shares her experiences with using crystals and cleansing herbs to enrich her life...
I have to admit, I almost didn’t include these tools. If you are only just coming around to the idea of manifestation, these tools could be far too ‘woo woo’ for you. And yet, if I am being honest about all the tools I use in my manifesting life, there is no way I can leave out the use of crystals and herbs for energy cleansing. If this feels like a step too far for you right now, please feel free to leave these out of your toolbox until whenever, if ever, you feel called to access the highest version of you, as using crystals and herbs is definitely some-thing I would classify as ‘deeper work’. This is for when you really want to step it up a gear.
My use of both crystals and cleansing is ultimately to:
Change the energy
You know when you step into a place, and you can just sense ‘bad vibes’? Even those of us who don’t believe in the supportive nature of crystals or cleansing can agree that we have all felt that feeling. Well, the use of crystals and using certain herbs to ‘cleanse’ a space can for sure make a difference in those ‘off key’ moments.
I’ve been around crystals my whole life. They were often displayed as pieces of art on the mantlepieces and dressing tables of my childhood, with some women who were close to me growing up even sporting them as jewellery. I know for sure most of those people never knew the power of crystals and they certainly had very little understanding of manifestation, if any at all. But I was always drawn to crystals, without knowing how much I would go on to use them in my day-to-day life.
As I’ve matured in my spiritual journey, I have found myself interacting with crystals every single day. If I remember correctly, someone gifted me with a heart-shaped rose quartz shortly after I gave birth to my daughter. They mentioned its properties, (which include the promotion of compassion, forgiveness healing and self-love) which made me curious about where crystals come from and what many believe their purpose to be.
Whilst I’m not a crystallographer, I think it’s important to give you a brief education about this particular tool. Nature gives birth to crystals when when molten rock starts to cool and harden, and certain molecules convene to stabilise in a process called crystallisation. As with all things, crystals start small but as more atoms are drawn together, the crystal starts to grow. All things on earth carry energy, and crystals are no different. Each crystal, just like us, carries its own vibrational frequency as well as being jam-packed with the energy of the universe around us. What I personally like about crystals is how they act as a veil between science and spirit.
Over time I have used crystals to support me in multiple ways. When I was pregnant with my second child, a sound healer gifted me with a ‘midwife stone’, more commonly known as malachite. Alongside practicing hypnobirthing, that crystal became as important to me as my maternity notes; fiddling with it helped keep me calm.
Many spiritual teachers who use crystals advise that if you lose a crystal or it breaks, it has simply done its job. A week after my son was born, the midwife stone fell out of my handbag and smashed to pieces. I had been working with crystals long enough to not feel saddened, but to accept that, that the stone had done all it needed to do for me.
Today, there isn’t a nook or cranny in my home where you won’t find crystals. I have a huge wand of selenite (good for cleaning out stagnant energy) on my dressing room island, a piece of citrine (encourages prosperity) in my purse, a tray filled with rose quartz, black obsidian (the protector) and amethyst (great for spiritual heal-ing and wisdom) to the left of me as I write this, and I’ve often been caught off guard when clothes shopping as I forget that I often keepa few tumbling stones in my bra. Literally crystals are everywhere.
But I have to be clear, I don’t believe the crystals alone will work miracles for me, nor are they the tool I would reach for first. They seem to be most powerful when used in conjunction with other tools and practices, but it would have felt cheeky to not give them a much-deserved honourable mention first.
The same can be said for cleansing, which is the act of using herbs (typically sage), incense or essential oils to clear out stagnant or negative energy from a space. Cleansing has roots across many cultures dating back almost five thousand years. It is recorded that even ancient Egyptians used to cleanse with sage.
I typically like to energetically ‘cleanse’ a space with either sage or the sacred wood Palo Santo, the latter being my personal favourite due to its beautiful scent. I do this by burning the Sage or Palo Santo and moving around every room in home, whilst asking for negative energy to leave and positive energy to come in. Dependent upon how I’m feeling and who is home, this verbal request can swing from a whisper to low shout. I always have some windows open as I want the negative energy and the smoke to go somewhere. I find I am drawn to cleanse my space when I or another member of the household feels a bit ‘off’, whether they are having bad dreams, or they are physically unwell. And I always cleanse after having visitors who’ve stayed the night. It’s become so habitual to me that I see this version of cleansing as no different to changing bed linen and towels after guests have left. Whilst my personal preferences are Palo Santo and Sage, there are many other plants to choose from including rosemary, sandalwood and Yerba Santa.
I can remember going to elders’ homes and the pungent smell of incense greeting me before any one opened the door. If I questioned my ‘aunties’ or ‘uncles’ about the herbs they chose, they would simply tell me to stay out of grown folks’ business. Now that I’m grown folk myself, I know it was their way of encouraging negative energy to leave whilst inviting positive energy in.
In my day-to-day life, I cleanse if I think there is an energy of lack or fear, or I feel a block to positive energy. Whenever I have moved home, before the first box is even unpacked, I whip out a new bundle of the herb of my choice and get to work at cleansing the space, which was once a physical and spiritual home to others and their energies.
As with all things manifestation-related, your intention when cleansing is more important than the act itself. When cleansing we can use ALL the tools to support our desires.
For instance, you can use ASKfirmations whilst walking slowly around your new space.
Why am I so happy here?
Why is this home the perfect place to put down roots?
What wonderful things will the safe space encourage me to create?
You can also cleanse your space before meditation, which will help you get in a more relaxed, quiet mood.
You can cleanse whilst expressing gratitude.
You can cleanse before a session of scripting or vision boarding.
You can even clean your crystals with these herbs! Yes, you read that correctly. You can use a smoke of your choice to set intentions over used or new crystals, either of which will have picked up a plethora of energetic flows before ending up with you.
May I also suggest that with herbs and crystals alike, if at all possible you purchase them in real life. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to ask people to think about the energy involved with making certain purchases. Using a bundle of sage purchased from Amazon is not the best start – it is more than likely that those herbs have passed through a negative energy space.
Whenever you can, I would encourage you to purchase anything to support your manifestation work from a small business that your intuition tells you puts positivity before profit. As ever, I understand that there could be accessibility issues to you investing in crystals and herbs, so I want to reassure you that, whilst they can be great components to supporting your manifestation practices, you don’t need them to begin.
Candice's new book Manifesto (£20, Quercus) is out now
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