For many of us, the amulets carried or worn by different people – such as, the Catholic cross, rosary beads, pearl necklaces, unique healing jewelry, and many other ways to make vital use of these tiny specks of heavenly creation – have been familiar daily sightings in the streets, ultimately, causing more of us to take them for granted. This, in turn, has neutralized or lessened their respect and perceived value. However, what we actually are witness to in the presence of these energetically invaluable stones is beyond our meager imaginations. They are items that have been charmed, carried, worn, and passed down since time immemorial. De facto, both civilized and primitive individuals, cultures, and unique societies wear them for many occult reasons, including to drive away evil, heal, protect, to enhance spirituality, and, yes, to attract love.

The word amulet has the Latin origination of amoletum which means a defense medium or to avert evil. People use it because of the belief that it holds special powers to be used for protection against evil acts or entities like dark witches/witchcraft, ghosts, evil spirits, calamities, misfortune, illness, and other disasters/traumas. Also, amulets are believed to carry good fortune and luck that many people refer to them as talismans.

It is amazing to see that all the way from a primitive era in the distant past to the modern era with the varying cultures and sets of societies comprising it, humans still believe in the powers of amulets that specifically and supposedly derive their powers from connections made with religious associations including the occult, from rituals, and with more powerful natural forces. In those ancient days, you would find these amulets or talismans worn or carried, locked in an area desired to be endowed with the influence of their powers, and in religious ceremonies when the high priest wore a Choshen or breastplate, for example.

As mentioned, amulets come in various types and uses. But in the modern world, crystals and gemstones seem to have become more popular seeing the many collections and varieties of them in different sizes, shapes, types, colors, and variations. These crystals and gemstones have also gone into the hands of fashionable designers so they’ve been integrated into jewelry pieces like necklaces, pendants, bracelets, wands, and rings. Crystals and gemstones are also now found in zipper pulls, key chains, bag charms, key fobs, luxury cell phone cases, and in a lot of other gorgeously presented designs that have become not only a form of useful amulets, but fashionable representations as well. But a fact not to ignore, the magic of their healing properties still remains, giving many people this primary reason to wear them despite the nonbelievers in these beautiful, natural items’ efficacy. Remember, everything from Gaia is inherently pure and perfect in its own way.

Some of the most popular crystals and gemstones include amethyst, quartz of various colors, ruby, emerald, agate, tourmaline, opal, rose quartz, sodalite, goldstone, peridot jade, malachite, and, the most popular and commercially sought after of them all – the diamond. Each of these is an embodiment of protective, unique, and spiritual healing properties. There are many resources in the ethos that can provide details of each. With the characteristics that they possess, it is no wonder that the traditional penchant for people to wear these gorgeous and symbolic pieces will continue through to the next generations and further generations to come.

I know I rarely ever take off my amethyst, ruby (my birthstone), tiger’s eye, quartz, aventurine, selenite, and tourmaline. They come in different jewelry pieces (necklaces and bracelets) and pure uncut stones I carry in my pocket. Now, please know that some stones can amplify others like quartz does while some may counteract another, so it is important to know what properties the stones have so you know how to wear them, place them in your feng shui rituals, in your sacred spaces, or just in general. If stones are of interest to you, it is best to find a book or advisor to help you select the best stones for your activities and needs, and how to properly use and maiintenance them. Also, please keep in mind that crystals and stones are living things. They all hold natural power imbued by Mother Nature. Respect the stones and Gaia, above all! Do this and they will serve you powerfully and eternally as any living thing will do.

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Part of it has to do with the way business has functioned in the last few decades.  In our parents’ working years, the norm was to work for the same company and be a “company man” for 40-50 years, get that gold watch and retire with a handsome retirement package.  That formula just doesn’t work, or exist below the C-suite, anymore.

For one thing, retirement plans supported by employers have become a thing of the past. There’s plenty of funds matching and other options employers offer in their benefits, but its fickle and can end if the company changes, merges, etc. Savings for retirement have plummeted as the financial demands of life are all most people can keep up with.  So the concept of working on into what used to be called retirement years is now a given if for no other reason than financial necessity and a shit country who disregards the aged.

The model I just laid out of employees staying with the same company for their entire adult lives is simply no longer feasible or a reality for all but a few in the modern workforce.  Most boomers have worked for dozens of companies in their adult lives so their retirement packages, if they exist at all, are small.  Part of this can be attributed to the entrepreneurial spirit of baby boomers.  But, there has been a discernable shift in the way American business works as well.  Companies don’t like the idea of keeping employees that long.  Add to that the fact that so many companies have gone out of business, been absorbed in huge corporate buyouts, or undergone drastic downsizing that by the time most boomers hit their 50s and 60s, the idea of keeping one single career moving forward is pretty hard to sustain.

But, these negative explanations are not all there is to why baby boomers are starting over this late in life.  Boomers never did accept that the rules of life or aging applied to them.  They are ambitious, adventurous, and willing to strike on new paths with much less fear than previous generations.  As boomers have faced some of the challenges of the economy, social upheavals, and the modern business world, they have responded aggressively by starting businesses or changing their careers entirely later in life.  And they are just as willing to pay their dues and stick with that new career until they are as successful as they were when they were 30.

Many workers find a line of work and learn they can pay the bills and raise the kids early in life but they do not follow their dream career at that time.  So when the time in life comes that the kids are out of the nest, the house is paid off, and the adventure of living has settled down (somewhat), many baby boomers see that as the chance to finally throw out that boring old career and go after their dream career once and for all.  The same career change and entrepreneurial light shines on my Gen X.

It’s inspirational to see someone in that stage of life setting the standard in not settling for anything less than realizing their dream by launching a new career, doing what they’ve always wanted to do – no matter their age.  Who can fault boomers from wanting that kind of gratification in finding joy and success in a career that fulfills their passions?  So, Jah bless the late in life boomers who go for the brass ring in their golden years.  They will be an inspiration for many coming behind them, like myself and close colleagues, to be as bold about our/their lives as well. This is a more positive way to look at the fact that all of us are struggling and boomers work because they have to, unlike in most other countries who hold the aged in higher regard than we do here in the US. The children and the aged are taken care of first. Sad, but disgustingly true for the US of Asshats. We throw away people that have outserved their usefulness, but we can carefully handle and million-dollar Lloyd’s insure hair, a voice, or someone’s ass. True shit, literally and figuratively.

Happy retirement, folks…at 80, 90 years old! Try not to die the next day.

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The reason why bipolar or manic depression is called such is because a person with this condition has moods that can alternate between the poles of mania (highs) and depression (lows). The length of this change in mood, or sometimes called mood swings, may last for hours, days, weeks, or months, depending on any one person’s individual factors and reactions to depression, and will vary from one sufferer to the next.

Bipolar can cause dramatic changes of mood – from extreme highs and/or irritable to sad and hopeless then back high again, usually with normal/stable moods in between. The periods of highs and lows are called episodes of mania and depression. Here are some of the symptoms of mania or manic episodes:

• Extreme irritability
• Increased or high energy
• Racing thoughts and talking very fast
• Easily distracted
• Sleeps for only a few hours or for hours/whole days
• Decreased sexual drive
• Behave differently from the usual and denies that nothing is wrong
• Aggressive 

A manic event is diagnosed if high mood occurs most of the day, almost everyday, for a week or more with three or more of the other symptoms. If the mood is irritable, four more additional symptoms must be present to be diagnosed.

Here are some of the symptoms of depression:

• Overwhelming and lasting feeling of unhappiness, anxiety, or empty mood
• Feeling of hopelessness or deep pessimism
• Difficulty remembering or making decisions 
• Too much, too little, or broken sleep
• Significant change in appetite resulting in weight loss or gain
• Thoughts of suicide or death
• Feeling of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Chronic fatigue
• Restlessness or irritability

A depressive episode or manner can be diagnosed if five or more of the above symptoms last most of the day, almost everyday, for a period of two weeks or longer.

Moderate to mild levels of mania is called hypomania, which may feel good to the person who is experiencing it and may also be associated with good functioning and enhanced productivity. If not treated immediately, hypomania may become severe mania and can switch to depression. One of only a couple events in life where too much happiness can be a detrimental thing.

Some episodes of mania or depression include psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions. The psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder have the tendency to reflect this extreme mood state. For example, delusions of richness, like believing that they’re wealthy, may occur during mania; or delusion of guilt or hopelessness, like believing that they are completely desolate – ruined and broke, may appear during depression. People who are suffering from bipolar who happen to have psychotic symptoms are occasionally and incorrectly diagnosed as having schizophrenia. As I continually say, this chaos in the mind is a direct correlation to the chaos in the soul. That cannot be diagnosed or treated by anyone or anything, except the sufferer and their mental willingness to heal and their spiritual wellness to sustain. To put it plainly, those who believe they know everything about the mind is egotistically and unintelligently disservicing those who need real help. Hence, the reason the depression numbers are so ridiculously high in this country, yet ‘everyone’ is in therapy. So please seek the help your soul shows/tells you it needs. It’ll never steer you wrong. It can’t because it is the only untainted thing we have, unless we gave in/sold it to negative forces. The latter is another unforgiving process and subject in itself. 

• As a reminder, please seek immediate help at your local ER or treatment center if you feel you might be a danger to yourself and others. I cannot stress that enough.

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Stress is an everyday problem that can be extremely taxing for most people. Whether it comes as the result of a devastating event or just the constant cycle of things that make life difficult, stress is just as bad as the stress agent itself. Many people just pass stress off as a temporary thing that will go away with time. The problem with that is that they are neglecting the effect that stress can have on the human body when endured over long periods of time. Stress has been linked to a whole host of physical ailments, including many different types of cancer. Contrary to the popular saying, stress won’t just make you lose your hair. It could cause you to lose your life.

Stress is generally built up over time. It doesn’t discriminate. Stress problems can afflict students as they prepare for exams or complete work. Stress can bother people who are having financial or legal problems. Stress can even afflict those who are extremely wealthy. Problems with a business plan or even an issue at home can cause stress in large quantities. Because this type of stress is a mental ailment, the treatments for stress must be mostly mental, as well. You can go into the store and purchase aspirin to help with headaches that are caused by stress, but you can’t grab a quick fix for the problem itself off of any shelves. You must attack the problem at its roots in order to relieve it.

One great way to fight stress is through meditation. As a spiritualist, this is my go-to remedy for every stressor that may come. For this to be effective, it will require some practice as, nowadays, it is so hard to get quiet and be surrounded by pure quiet. Our minds constantly wander to all that is plaguing us and the world, or our environments have too many distractions for us to focus. The best way to conquer this is to practice being able to focus first, even with distractions. This works in many ways and is different for all. However, once you find your methods of focus and rhythm, you’ll be elated by what you discover during your quiet meditative times. Prayer is a form of meditation, so pray away the stress. I have seen many clients and people I know who have had a marked improvement in their overall moods and perspectives after incorporating meditation into their own personal stress management cures. I also recommend meditation to help clients with smoking cessation/issues, gambling issues, and a number of other problems, but it takes time and discipline for all types of personal improvement. Meditation is not just the supernatural stuff you see on television or in movies. It offers a real solution to people who often feel that all hope is lost in their situation because of their debilitating stress, or any other mental health disturbance.

If you are under the constant cloud of stress that won’t allow you to live a fulfilled life, then maybe you may want to consider meditation as a part of your treatment. It will get to the root of the problems that are causing your stress and will change your outlook henceforth. Get as much helpful information on meditation as you possibly can to find your style and make a big change in your life today. You’ll grow from there!

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It is normal for people to experience anxiety in life at some point in time. It helps us cope with very stressful situations. But, when anxiety becomes too much to bear and turns into irrational fears of everyday circumstances, it becomes a debilitating anxiety disorder. Unlike short-lived, mild anxiety caused by a stressful event, anxiety disorders can last for months and may worsen if not immediately and properly treated. 

The best way to cure your anxiety is to understand your anxiety condition. Anxiety is a troubled state of mind. Anxiety results from fearful thinking of future events or situations. It is a condition that is not accidental, unknown, or uncontrollable. Anxiety conditions occur for specific reasons, and its persistence has an underlying foundation. Education is an important way to reach your anxiety cure. Here are some helpful tips to removing anxiety from your life, which will aid in taking control over your own emotions again:

Relaxation techniques– a person feeling anxious most of the time has trouble relaxing. However, learning how to release muscle tension is one important anxiety cure. Relaxation techniques include regular muscle relaxation, meditation, abdominal breathing, massage, and isometric relaxation exercise.

Proper breathing techniques– the physical symptoms of anxiety may be triggered by hyperventilation or rapid breathing, which raises oxygen levels and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. A person with anxiety should know how to breathe from their diaphragm, and not from their chest to prevent hyperventilation. This technique can help you calm down while feeling anxious. 

Cognitive Therapy– this technique focuses on altering patterns of thinking and beliefs that are associated with and trigger anxiety. The basis of cognitive therapy is that ideas can trigger thoughts, which then trigger feelings, then results manifest through action. Cognitive therapy strategies should include rational self-talk, training on attention, reality testing, cognitive challenging, and cognitive restructuring. This means monitoring your self-talk, challenging fears and beliefs, and checking out the negative thoughts and actions in terms of their reality.

Behavior therapy– the major component of behavior therapy is exposure. Exposure therapy involves deliberately confronting your fears in order to desensitize yourself. Exposure lets you redefine the danger or fear aspect of the situation or trigger. 

Medication- it is important to see medication as a short-term measure, not a solution to anxiety disorder. Studies show that psychological therapies are much more effective than drugs in managing anxiety disorder in the long run. Brief courses of tranquilizers or antidepressants may be prescribed by your doctor to help you deal with the symptoms, but they should not be relied on as the final or lifelong solution.

Dietary adjustments– inadequate intake of vitamin B and calcium can worsen anxiety symptoms. Nicotine, caffeine, and stimulant drugs should be avoided for they trigger your adrenal glands to release adrenaline- one of the main stress chemicals.

Exercise – burns up stress chemicals and promotes relaxation. Plan to do some physical activities at least 3 to 4 times a week and vary your activities to avoid boredom. Sex is definitely the number one recommended stress exercise for me! It triggers your body to release hormones and neurotransmitters such as oxytocin and dopamine. 

There may be no specific anxiety cure for each individual, but the level of recovery depends on the participation and willingness of the person with the anxiety condition. The sooner a person can get treatment, the bigger their chance of getting better and getting back to normal mental health, whatever the hell that is.

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For many sufferers, depression brings on feelings of guilt and shame and, because of these feelings, they will not seek help. But, are these feelings valid? Lack of understanding – both in sufferers and non-sufferers – clouds the issue. So, here’s how to end the stigma associated with depression, stress, and anxiety.

1. The majority of people in our society experience one of more psychological problems during their lives: Problems from childhood with parents, other family, and bullies; stress at work; marital breakdown; losing loved ones, and of course, making mistakes. Very few people go through life without experiencing mental trauma of some description. So, there’s nothing odd or unique happening here, indeed, depressive illnesses are as common as colds. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 17 million sufferers in the USA every year bear this out.
2. Mental health illnesses are real illnesses. There’s no stigma associated with diabetes, asthma, or allergies, for example, so why should there be with these? Just like the above illnesses, depression, anxiety and stress have specific causes that can be addressed. You wouldn’t think an asthma sufferer could just “snap out of it,” yet many people say this to depression and anxiety sufferers. Lack of understanding again causes such a reaction and it is the reaction that is wrong, not the sufferer. Although, it really is as simple as “snapping out of it,” just like a traumatic situation or event “snapped” us into it. However, it depends on the level of strength behind them pushing them to grow from it, rather than suffer from it.
3. Suffering a depressive episode is not your fault so do not feel guilty. You didn’t wake up one morning and think, “Right, I know, I’ll become anxious from now on.” It doesn’t happen like that. No one CHOOSES depression, it can happen to people just like many illnesses do. And like other illnesses, depression can be treated very effectively. But, not one sufferer is to blame, especially if they are seeking help for it. You wouldn’t blame someone who hadn’t been taught to read or write. You wouldn’t blame someone who suffered from hay fever. So, why blame yourself and feel guilty because you’re suffering a stressful illness? Instead of pointing blame anywhere, take action and accountability for your healing, that only you are responsible for.
4. If you own a car and it’s broken down you go to a mechanic. If you fall and break your arm, you go to an ER to get it repaired. If you have a toothache, you go to a dentist to get it sorted. Stressful illnesses can also be fixed, so don’t let guilt or shame stop you from getting the help you need. Just as your body can become ill, so can your mind. It isn’t permanent and just as your body can be fixed so can your psyche.
5. Many sufferers believe that treating depression is a futile exercise because once you have depression, you have it for life. This is so far on the opposite end of the “truth” spectrum that it is a flat out lie; and, the depression itself feeds this feeling of helplessness. Believing that depression, anxiety or stress is incurable further exacerbates the feelings of guilt and shame, and fuels the illnesses and its control over your life. Depression has a specific cause and this root cause can be effectively treated so that depression can be beaten once and for all.
6. Change the way you look at these problems – your perspectives. I know from experience that in that moment, stressful illnesses can be overwhelming and you can’t see a way out or how anything good can come of it. But now, I’m glad I had my cleansing and shedding period a long while ago because I’ve come out of my season a hell of a lot stronger than I was going in. I learned how to beat depression and persevere through the very trying circumstances I was faced with (what felt like) every day I opened my eyes. I know how to cope with the various trials and tribulations life throws at all of us. And, those times of depression and anxiety have given me a greater understanding about myself, life, and others. Sure, it was no fairy picnic and I hated every moment of it at the time. But, by getting help and learning how depression had entered and became my life, I grew stronger than my depression and reversed my position. One thing that really helped me was to change the way I thought about what was happening to me. Instead of thinking it was something that no good could ever come from, I looked at it as something that was going to help me to become stronger in the long-term. And, it did!  What helped me to think this way was discovering how many other people in the world used their illnesses and disabilities to do something positive with their lives in helping other people. I realized that the same principle could be applied to stressful and depressive illnesses and situations, and that they, too, can be used in a positive way.

The above points clearly demonstrate that the completely false stigmas associated with depressive and stressful illnesses, generally, come from those ignorant of the subject matter. It also comes from our own perspectives of ourselves – if we sincerely believe we are strong enough to get through it and maintain afterwards. I hope you use them to help you win your fight with depression, anxiety or stress! We are always here to help if you need a helping hand!

Until next time…

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