Author: Corinne

Meet Cedar!

Meet the newest addition to the A Silver Circle team: Cedar! Let’s get to know a bit more about her!

Cedar is our beautiful Border Collie Puppy who was born in October (she’s a Libra!) and has been the cutest addition to the ASC studio since December. She is now almost 9 months old and ready to step up and take on some real responsibilities in the studio.

Cedar’s favourite things are off leash walks with mum, car rides with her head out the window and meeting every person we come across!

Cedar’s responsibilities here at ASC will now include:

Greeting People

Security

Team Moral

Distraction

Cuteness Overload

We hope you enjoy seeing Cedar in action with all her new responsibilities so be sure to follow along on our socials! @asilvercircle and @cheekycedar on Instagram!

Limiting Beliefs and Creativity

Ok, put your hand up if you want to be perfect at something first go..?? I know i sure do, but how many times does that actually happen?? Not as many times as we would like i am sure! There is so much beauty in the act of learning that when we get out of our own way for a minute, we fun the magic in the exploration.

For a long time i had this idea in my head that i was only good at jewellery, that was my craft, ‘i found it, stop looking!!’ and that was it. It was that if i used my creativity on something else i would use it up and have nothing less to create new products for my business! Ridiculous limiting belief, i know, but that’s what it was. It held me back for so long! But once i let go of it, a bigger world of possibilities opened up. Not only for my creativity, but for my business, my life and how i can connect and relate to people.

The pandemic meant a lot of people had more time to explore and get creative and put away the ‘i don’t have time to be creative’ limiting beliefs because all we had was time – a lot of it!. Which was great! But as the ‘busyness’ comes back, it’s hard not to fall back into those ‘i don’t have time’ beliefs.

I put my time in the pandemic to use by being open to trying things. Leaving those limiting beliefs at the door and saying yes to the opportunities that came up – like saying yes to learning Marquetry when the opportunity came! Trying sewing and only succeeding 60% of the time and being ok with that. Smashing through the ‘i can’t cook’ limiting belief and started to be more intuitive with cooking and telling myself that i am a good cook/baker and for the first time in my life enjoying the process.

This last 18 months has seen me explore the so many creative pursuits and integrate 2 into my business. Marquetry and Stained Glass are just another notch in my creative exploits now and i look forwards to what else calls me in the future. Here is a list of the other creative expressions i have explored: Sewing, Macrame, Cooking, Baking, Writing, Painting, Drawing, Stencil Art, Homemade Cleaning Products, Gardening, Woodwork and 3D Drawing with Fusion.

Another limiting belief a lot of artist have is that you have to be a ‘Starving Artist’ and that to choose this lifestyle, you choose to be poor. On my first day at University (Bachelor of Visual Arts), one of the lecturers announced that only 5% of the year will be successful artists. What a positive way to start your art exploration! This idea stuck in my head and still creeps back in when i am having a low day.

Let’s all not let that limiting beliefs hold you back. If you have any of these thoughts ‘i am not [insert choice word here] enough’ – ‘i am not creative enough’ ‘i am not worthy enough’ ‘i am not pretty enough’ ‘no one will like it’ ‘it will be ugly’ ‘i can’t paint (draw/sew/etc)’ on and on and on….. know that you are not alone and that you can choose again! Rewrite the narrative. It is so much about what we tell ourselves we can and can’t do that keeps us small and keeps us stuck!

So the next time you think about trying that class, doing an online course or picking up a paintbrush. Say thanks to your ego for trying to protect you and just go for it! Fail or succeed, it is all about the experience and that is the true gift of life.

I am so excited to be bringing to you all the tools i have used to boost my creativity in my first Online Course called Creative Alchemy! This course is all about transforming those limitations into positive explorations and it has been an amazing journey to delve deep into this topic. Coming Soon!!!

Be sure to sign up to our Newsletter to be the first to know when you can grab Creative Alchemy! (at bottom of page)

xx Corinne

Manifest with Candles

We all have some candles around the house or hidden in a cupboard, but not as many of us really use candles to level up our intentions and manifest some magic into our lives.

I know the sound of candles and magic can get a bit out there for some but you have been using candles as a way to manifest every birthday even before you knew how to make a wish! Birthday candles are the ultimate candle magic ritual but why leave it to once a year when you can make your wishes known to the universe any day you like.

Candles are such a useful tool to focus, centre and achieve great things. Do you ever wonder why you feel calmer in a candle lit room or by firelight? There is something about fire and flame that can really change our perspective

CONSIDER THIS BEFORE YOU BUY CANDLES:

Whether you are using our wish candles or ones you have acquired elsewhere, here are a few things you might want to consider before buying candles. Some waxes – particularly paraffin wax can be ridden with chemicals (i.e. petroleum) that are not good for you to breathe in so be sure to find soy wax or beeswax candles to look after your own health and that of your family.

Also be mindful of synthetic fragrances and try to choose candles that don’t have a fragrance or ones that only use essential oils. I personally am so sensitive to synthetic fragrances that i predominantly use candles without a fragrance and use my diffuser for scenting my space.

CLEANSING CANDLES:

Any time you are using a tool to help manifest, it is important to cleanse it first. There can be many hands that you candle has passed through before it gets to you, so you want to make sure that all the energy going into the intention is your own and not that of anyone else.

There are many many ways you can cleanse your candles. My favourite way is to use smoke, i use a sage or incense smoke to cleanse my candle before using. Another easy way is Selenite – you can simply leave your candles with some selenite for a few hours and it will be ready to go. The last of my go to cleansing tool is sound. A small bell or chimes are the perfect way to resonate over the candle and cleanse it our its past.

CHOOSING THE COLOUR:

There is something I find really fascinating about colour. I am one who has a go to colour palette and i find that the energies of the colours i wear are pretty true to my personality – purple for spirituality, intuition and the mystical and blue – calm, tranquility and truth. So when choosing what colour you want to work with, it’s all about attracting the energy of that colour. Listed below is a brief overview of the colours and meanings in our Full Candle Pack.

PINK: Love and Intimacy
RED: Passion
ORANGE: Creativity and Inspiration
YELLOW: Joy and Happiness
GOLD: Sun, Masculine and Prosperity
SILVER: Moon, Feminine, Subconscious
PURPLE: Intuition and Spirituality
LIGHT BLUE: Clarity and Calm
DARK BLUE:
TEAL:
BROWN: Earth, grounding and protection
GREEN: Abundance and Growth
WHITE: Clarity (can be substituted for any other colour)

When in doubt about choosing which colours to go for, White is universal and can be used in place of any other colour. Also, look to your birth chart and see what elements are present. I personally have no earth signs in my chart so when i am feeling unbalanced and scattered I will tap into that energy, otherwise I have lots of water in my chart so feel most drawn to those colours as they are familial energies.

To have a range of choice, check out our Full Candle Pack for a selection of coloured wish candles and candle holder to start your manifesting with candles journey.

To see your birth chart, check out astro-charts.com

ANNOINTING/DRESSING A CANDLE:

Anointing a candle – also known as dressing a candle is where you use oil and/or herbs to level up your intention. This is a next level step so if you feel called to do so, just skip this and go to the intention setting step.

Choose an oil that has a similar meaning to your intention or whatever oil you have or feel drawn to. Rub the oil from the middle to the top, then from the middle to the bottom. If you want to add herbs, roll the candle in the herbs so that they stick to the oil. Please make sure you have a fire proof dish before burning as these parts can fly away a bit. If you are using a glass jar candle, place your herbs in the top of the jar.

SPEAKING/WRITING YOUR INTENTION:

Words have so much power in manifesting and when setting your intentions, speaking your goals is important to get clear on what you want to achieve.

Before you light your candle, speak your intention on to the candle, close enough that your breath touches it. You can speak it as an Affirmation or as an intention, however you feel connected to the words.

Writing your intention and burning it can also have power to bring it into being. Write, burn it (in a fire safe container) and let the universe take hold.

MANIFESTING:

Now you are ready to light that baby! Preferably you want to be able to burn it the whole way through which is why i love using Wish candles specifically as they burn in about 1 1/2 – 2 hours which is for me, my morning work session, moon ritual or bath time that way i can manifest while doing things i usually do. When there is a big intention, i will level up the candle size and burn all day.

Rituals can be a great way to use candles if this is something that you practice. One of the simplest will be setting an intention on the new moon and releasing things that don’t serve you on a full moon. I know that is where i started and have now expanded on it to include a daily intention on days i need more focus and concentration.

I know all that might sound really complicated, but this practice can be so simple. If all you do is cleanse, set your intention and light it, then you are still going to be able to reap the benefits of this practice.

For all your candle and cleansing needs, check out our Spiritual Tools category.

If you would love to learn more about Candle Magic, Magical prosperities of herbs, see the references below.

I would love to hear how you use candles to manifest your intention, please comment or send me an email to asilvercircledesign@gmail.com

Love, Light and Magic!

Corinne

FURTHUR READING:

Candle Magic by Lucya Starza
Encyclopedia of Magic Herbs by Scott Cunningham

How to use Crystals in the Home

Crystals can add so much to our home both in the beauty they bring but also through their high vibe energy. Placing certain crystals in specific parts of your home can help enhance areas of your life, create more harmony in those spaces, as well as cleansing or protecting the space.

So here are my top picks for the crystals I use in my home and where I place them.

Selenite: This is the master cleanser! This stone is perfect for anywhere you keep your crystals or jewellery. I love adding a piece of Selenite to my jewellery box as it will cleanse the crystals within the jewellery when they are not on, ready to vibrate highest for my next wear.

The other place I love to keep it is within my box of other crystals or spiritual tools such as a tarot or oracle deck.

Selenite is also a great addition to your living space or any other space that sees a lot of visitors as it will cleanse the space each time the visitors leave so lingering energy is present and you can relax in your space once more.

Grab a piece of Selenite HERE

Amethyst: This is an anywhere is good crystal however my favourite places for this is in my Meditation space and my living room. This crystal is great for improving your connection to your intuition so I make sure to have it close by for when i am in a frame of mind that is more receptive to those energies.

For raw cut Amethyst pieces click HERE, for amplified energy Amethyst Point/Generators click HERE

Clear Quartz: This is the our amplifying crystal! This is the one that is great to move around your space and to add to other crystals in order to enhance the energy of the other crystals. So if you are wanting to amp up your Abundant energy, add this to your Citrine or Pyrite Stone.

It also makes a great addition to your bathroom as it has a good cleansing clearing energy that can help those shower epiphanies! Adding a clear quartz to your dining space can also help clarity in communication as you share you meal with loved ones.

I also keep one on my bedside along with Amazonite and Rose Quartz (see below) to enhance their calming loving and healing energies.

Grab your Clear Quartz StoneHERE or amp up the focus with a Clear Quartz Point/Generator HERE

Black Tourmaline: This crystal is our master protector! Place near the front and back door of your home to protect you from negative energies and intruders.

Also great to have this stone in an area where you are channeling energy for rituals or ceremonies as it will protect you from any energies that wish to do you harm or be a little mischievous.

Grab your raw chunk of Black Tourmaline HERE or for more amplification pick up a Point/Generator HERE

cru

Citrine: The abundance attractor! This crystal is an essential and one of the first crystals i started using in specific places in my home.

In Feng Shui principles the Money Corner is the furthest left hand corner of the home or room from the front door. Placing a citrine in that corner can enhance you luck in money and prosperity. You can also use Pyrite instead if you choose.

I like to double up and keep a citrine in both the money corner of my house as well as the money corner of my studio.

Grab a raw piece of Citrine HERE

Rose Quartz: Let the love in! The amazing energy of this crystal is another one you can use in so many ways. Great for love both self love and romantic as well as healing, this crystal is the perfect bedside companion – particularly if you are having a hard time or suffering a loss.

In Feng Shui principles the Love Corner is the furthest right hand corner of the home or room from the front door. So keeping a Rose Quartz in that place can enhance the love energy within the space.

Grab a raw Rose Quartz HERE or the more concentrated energy of the Point/Generator HERE

Amazonite: This is one of the crystals i have been most drawn to ever. The cool tones just made me feel calm and like anything is possible. For this reason I wear my Amazonite Ring everyday and have it in several places in my home.

The bedside is the main place i keep this crystal as it helps that relaxing energy take over as i prepare myself for sleep. I also love keeping it in my mediation space as it helps me stay calm while I do my morning ritual of Meditation, Morning Pages and some Yoga.

Pick up your own piece of Amazonite HERE

Apatite and Fluorite: These two on their own have some amazing concentration powers, but together they really pack a punch! Both of these crystals are the perfect companion to your home office, study space or anywhere that you need to concentrate.

Fluorite is the master of focus and concentration while apatite can release blocks and help us move forward to get shit done!

Apatite Points/Generators HERE or Fluorite Palm Stones HERE

A great way to jump start your crystal collection is to grab our Crystals for the Home Pack that gives you 6 essential crystals for the home at a great price. For those who need the more focus and attention in their office area, check out our Crystals for the Office Pack

I would love to hear how you place your crystals in your home and which ones are your favourites! There are so many energies here that can be used in so many ways, so follow your intuition and let that guide you to what works for you as it has to me.

Love and light

xx Corinne

Playing with Stacking Rings

This blog post is all about updating and revisiting one of our favourite things to do which is ring stack!

As we have recently had many new additions to the stackable ring options, this video is here to take you through some of the new rings, how to mix them and give you some inspiration for those pieces that you have your eye on or that are already in your collection.

Below is all the rings featured in this video so be sure to check them out and start your ring stack today!

STONE RINGS
Amethyst Ring
Amazonite Ring
Moonstone Ring
Citrine Ring
Black Tourmaline Ring
Lapis Lazuli
Rhodonite Ring

TEXTURED RINGS
Textured Small Ring
Textured Medium Ring
Textured Large Ring

LAYERING RINGS
Twisted Ring
Black Twist Ring
Hammered Ring

RING BANDS
Thin Hammered Ring Band
Thick Hammered Ring Band

ZODIAC RINGS
Zodiac Ring

SIGNS RINGS
Protection Ring
Calm Ring
Abundance Ring
Transformation Ring
Goddess Ring