What Is Spiritual Alchemy and How Can You Practice It?

A butterfly is shown immediately below a row of cocoons, with a soft-focus background of green and blue

Like ancient Egyptian and Greek scientists before them, European scientists and philosophers of the Middle Ages believed that everything in the world was made up of four basic elements: earth, air, fire, and water.  They saw these four elements as having specific qualities and properties that could be manipulated to create new substances. As a result, the early chemists, or alchemists as they came to be called, became focused on turning base metals, such as lead, into higher metals, such as gold. This sounds like the pursuit of wealth and power. And given human nature, for some of these alchemists,…

Learn this Fast and Easy Way to Stop Repetitive Negative Thoughts

Using a double-stop photographic technique, a bearded person appears to quickly move their head from left to right, eyes closed with a peaceful facial expression

Are stressful thoughts and negative emotions often on a loop in your head? It’s not fun. In fact, it’s stress-upon-stress that seems to take on a life of its own. It begins with feeling anxious about something and then your thoughts and feelings seem to spiral into a vortex of stress and negativity. It can feel as if you have no control and instead are being held prisoner by your own negative thoughts and emotions. Does this describe what you or someone you care about is experiencing? This article will help get this negative jumble of thoughts and feelings under…

5 Easy Ways to Stop Unwanted Thoughts in Meditation in 5 Minutes or Less

A person with short hair and dangling earrings sits with eyes closed, thumb to forehead, fingers point upwards.The background appears to be a bedroom with white walls and soft sconce lighting.

When many people first begin a meditation practice, the biggest questions often circle around the logistics. How can I create a space of time to make a meditation practice? Do I have to do it every day? How long every day? How can I make it a regular habit? Will I be able to do it? These are all valid questions, and answering them becomes a highly individual experience. But there’s a bigger, more long-lasting challenge to growing your meditation practice. Nearly everyone grapples with this, not only in the early days of creating a practice but often during every…

8 Common Meditation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, Part 1

A young woman with long brown hair is seated outdoors at a peaceful riverbank, her hands folded as if to meditate, but her brow is furrowed.

There are many scientific benefits of meditation, including stress relief, increased self-awareness, and even a longer lifespan! However, without the proper meditation techniques, you may not be able to receive all of these benefits as you meditate. In part 1 of this 2-part series, get ready for a deep dive into just 4 common meditation mistakes and specific suggestions for how you can avoid them. 1. Holding onto Your Thoughts Meditation is a practice that allows you to clear your mind. Or, perhaps better said, it can allow you to allow your mind to clear.  Often, the chatty mind seems…

What Is Higher Consciousness and How to Achieve It Through Meditation

Have you ever wondered about higher states of consciousness? What they are, and how some people reach them? Do you ever wonder if you could reach a higher state of consciousness yourself? And if you could, what would that look like? Many people have different notions or ideas about what it means to achieve states of higher consciousness.  Some imagine yogis living high in the mountains, devoting their lives exclusively to the pursuit of higher consciousness. Others imagine it as a spiritual practice that leads to a sudden and complete awakening, or so-called enlightenment. And of course some people think…