Hi Sober Warriors! Analisa Six is here to give you a short guide to products and tools that can help you develop a strong spiritual relationship with yourself while you’re on the path of sobriety!
There are many tools and ritual practices in our material reality that can help us connect and open the doorway to the spiritual realms in magical and powerful ways without the use of drugs. The material and spiritual are inner connected, whether we are paying attention to it or not! I would love to share how my life opened me up to the wisdom of the spiritual realm when I was just starting out on my sober journey.
I am going, to be honest, the first year I was sober, I was not focused on my spirituality in a conscious way at all. In fact, I was avoiding it for a number of years. When I first became sober I dove straight into obsessing about fitness and my body as a way to cope with all of my anxiety that I normally used drinking to subdue. While in some ways this was a great redirection of my energy, I ended up falling short when it came to the true issues underlying my reasons for becoming an addict.
One of the major things I realized early on about addiction is that it often is a by-product of trauma. When we have PTSD or trauma in life, we often will find things outside of ourselves to distract us from the constant fear or anxiety we may be holding from these past experiences. Addiction becomes a way to cope with unhealed trauma that may still be operating within the subconscious of our minds.
Addictions can show up in all kinds of places
It is just as easy to turn healthy living into an addiction, as it is to turn the unhealthy living into one. I began turning my dieting and exercise into an addictive habit, which helped me get away from drugs and alcohol but also didn’t really fill the existential void I felt in my life.
Around eight months sober, I found myself hitting a wall. If healthy living and doing everything “right” isn’t going to cure me of my anxiety and depression, then what is? This question would lead me to an intense spiritual awakening that would change my perception of reality, and the way I lived my life, forever.
I am one of the few sober people I know who chose not to go down the AA road. If you do AA, they will help integrate spirituality into your life, with typically a more dogmatic viewpoint. While I fully support AA, and this road is so important for so many, I knew it wasn’t the road for me. Spirituality was something I soon realized I was going to have to turn to if I successfully hold onto my hard-earned sobriety.
Life Changing Weekend
In 2016 after 8 months sober, I went on a trip to Venice, CA with my mom that would change everything. We were walking on Abbot and Kinney and smelled the most wonderful smelling Jasmine incense and decided to follow the trail of the scent. This led us into a metaphysical shop called The Mystic Journey Bookstore. I have always been a fan of metaphysical stores, whether I was engaged in a spiritual lifestyle at the time, but I had never been a “crystal person.”
Other than crystals being beautiful, I was skeptical about people who discussed “crystal healing” and feeling their vibrations. In this bookstore, there was a large Amethyst geode in the center of the room. For whatever reason, I felt inclined to touch it. The moment I did I felt a jolt of vibration so powerful shoot up through my arm and into my shoulder. My eyes searched for the closest outlet. Surely this thing must be plugged in somewhere?
Confusion set in as I asked the saleswoman working what was going on with that geode. Her eyes became expressive and her voice was enthusiastic as she told me I had felt a crystal vibration! I was blown away by this experience. Also confused, I had no idea that this was a real phenomenon happening to people in such a literal way.
I felt shaken out of my skin to think that, as someone who barely had ever even tried to have a relationship with crystals, I was having such a profound experience. My mother decided I needed to have a little piece of Amethyst. She bought me one they were selling at the store and we went on our merry way.
Magic
The rest of our trip felt magical as I connected with my mom in a way I had not for a number of years. My mom has always been the spiritual one in the family. For those of us who grew up around spirituality, sometimes we are the ones who have the hardest time allowing it into our lives.
“For those of us who grew up around spirituality, sometimes we are the ones who have the hardest time allowing it into our lives.“
I could feel myself resisting the experience in the metaphysical store, but also feeling extremely moved by it. Instinctively, I knew that something bigger than myself was happening to me. That there was energy trying to unfold in my life that I was harboring some fear and resistance towards. Being with my mom and having her energy during these moments, helped me open up more to what was going on.
On my way home, my flight was delayed and I was in the airport trying to subdue my anxiety. I have a terrible fear of flying and it is a whole thing every time. I used to drink to deal with it, and flying sober has been quite an ordeal for me. Unfortunately still is. I could feel myself yearning for some sort of self-help book. My inner voice was pulling me to look in the airport bookstore.
You Are a Badass
Sitting right on the shelf so obviously displayed with a bright yellow cover was a book titled “You Are a Badass” by a woman named Jen Sincero. I knew nothing of this book or author but I decided to buy it and give it a read. While I was reading it in the airport, a middle-aged man came up to me and said “I just finished that book, it is an amazing good choice.”
Sure enough within the first chapter of this book, I was hooked. Jen Sincero had a way of identifying all of the issues that I was facing within myself. She called god, “source energy” and discussed the universal flow of consciousness we are all a part of. She had a way of taking the dogmatic language I often had a hard time within other spiritual circles and speaking to a universal flow that was more in harmony with what I felt in my heart.
This book allowed me to let “source energy” back into my life, and to have faith in whatever voice was flowing through me. When I got home, I crawled into bed and decided to pull out my little chunk of Amethyst I had got at the crystal store. I felt inclined to look up Amethyst’s spiritual meaning online and within minutes had chills all over my body about what I had found.
Amethysts and Sobriety
It turns out that Amethyst is the stone that is related to sobriety. I couldn’t believe that I had this experience with the huge Amethyst geode. That it was a stone of healing issues around addiction. Mind blown. I felt like it had woken me up and shaken me out of my dull boring perception of reality.
What had I felt? Was the geode in the store acknowledging me? Amethyst is also related to the crown chakra. When we are sober the energetic and psychic blockages to our chakras begin clearing away, making us more sensitive to the energies around us. It is common for people who are empaths or extra sensitive to energy to gravitate towards drugs or alcohol when they do not know how to cope with reality in healthier ways. Especially if religion or spirituality has become a point of trauma.
Living a Balanced Lifestyle
Spirituality is such an important part of living a balanced lifestyle. The healing journey of sobriety can sometimes also be a journey of reclaiming your own relationship to the universal flow of energy. Redefining it for yourself in a way that feels safe and empowering.
This story is just the very tip of the iceberg on my spiritual journey. Most importantly I want you to know that I am a skeptical person. It took these experiences to finally melt my cold skeptical heart. Three months after my crystal shock, I would be guided to pick up my tarot cards for the first time in six years and have my first astrology reading. This would also be an integral part of my spiritual path unfolding before me.
During my astrology reading, I would find out things about myself that explained my patterns and reasons for being drawn to drug and alcohol use. It made everything so clear to me. This was a beautiful alternative to how I could cope with my reality. I am wired to be someone who needs spiritual practice, as existential dread, depression, and issues with excess are something common within my astrological archetype.
This list that I curated for you are products that were the gateway for me to developing a strong relationship with my spiritual self while establishing a new lifestyle in regard to my sobriety. While these are just the tip of the iceberg, I highly recommend them as a good baseline to work off of if your spiritual practice is something new for you or if you are seeking alternatives or ways to augment your current spiritual practice.
ASTROLOGICAL BIRTH CHART READING
A birth chart reading is an astrology reading that looks at where all the planets were at the time and location of when and where you were born. Oftentimes when we begin to understand ourselves from the lens of astrology, we can see not only why we may gravitate towards unhealthy coping mechanisms, but we can also see how we can live healthier ways that are in alignment with who we are.
This helps us understand why some things work and other things don’t. It also shows us the patterns we are most likely to fall into during this lifetime. Along with ways we can cope with healing and evolving out of a particular loop we find ourselves in. You can also see themes or signatures around what type of experiences you may be healing during your lifetime on earth. It can be an incredibly profound process to see yourself from the perspective of astrology. Being open to this you may feel there is a rhyme or reason to this journey we are on. You can book an astrology reading with me here.
TAROT OR ORACLE DECK
The tarot is a complex system of 78 cards that all hold an archetypal meaning, an astrological correspondence, and a numerical value. The tarot was an integral part of me getting grounded in my spiritual experiences and finding ways to transmute my own mentality or energy patterns into something more positive. An alternative option to tarot that is equally valuable can be an oracle or affirmation deck that helps empower you to think about ways you can live more in alignment with the ebb and flow of your life. We sell a large variety of both at my shop The Mystic Parlor.
SUSTAINABLY SOURCED COPAL
Copal is a ritual tool that is used for clearing out negativity and purifying energy. This is incredibly empowering for those who have struggled with depression or negative energies in life as it can be a positive ritual to do when needing to reset your energy frequency for your life, home, or space.
Making sure that you are buying only ethically and sustainably sourced Copal is important as it is a resin that comes from Tree Bark and is also a tool that stems from Native rituals and practices. Honoring where this magical resin comes from and asking for permission from your spirit guides to work with it is key, while also buying from Native families and supporting their practices.
We have done the heavy lifting in sourcing ethical Copal at my shop, you can purchase here. This can be a great alternative to Sage, as White Sage is on the endangered list currently.
YOU ARE A BAD ASS BY JEN SINCERO
#ADDTOCART
The book that started it all for me! This book is so powerful in motivating and inspiring you to believe in yourself and your ability to create the life you want to live. Before I read this book and had my spiritual awakening, I was depressed, barely scraping by every month financially, living in a tiny dumpy apartment that I wanted out of. I was working a job that I wasn’t in alignment with and feeling stuck.
After I read this book, I felt empowered to make changes and take my life by the balls! It was time to do something about it. Within 4 years, since reading this book, I have started 3 businesses, purchased 10 acres of land in Joshua Tree, bought a house, bought my dream car, moved to my dream location of the country, and manifested some golden opportunities in my life. Not only that, I have developed a strong connection to my spirituality and things in my life that really matter that has nothing to do with material accomplishments. I am forever grateful to authors like Jen Sincero empowering us to believe in ourselves. Self-help books are key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
MEDITATION TOOLS
Meditation is a key component of a spiritual lifestyle. While it can be difficult to develop this practice in the beginning, it is worth sticking to, as meditation is where we have the most growth and personal insights towards peace, tranquility, and wholeness. Having a good space in your home dedicated to meditation is key to building a strong relationship with yourself.
When I was living in a tiny apartment, my living room became my meditation room, and it was imperative that I had a comfortable sitting pillow, an eye mask, and scented candles. This set by ZaZa meditation has everything you need to create a zen atmosphere for your practice.
AMETHYST CRYSTAL
And last but not least! An amethyst! After my experience with the amethyst geode in the bookstore on Abbot and Kinney, I began feeling crystal vibrations everywhere all the time. It was quite a trip, 5 years later and I am still feeling them. While not every crystal gives off vibrational energy for me, most of the time they do. I also can pick up on vibrational energy from people, plants, animals, and various objects, but crystals are unique in their own way.
I used to be so judgemental over spiritual jargon when it came to chakras, crystals, and “woo woo” modalities of healing. But after I went sober, it was as if an entire energy frequency I had been dying to, all of the sudden opened up to me. I now am one of “those” people.
I now am one of “those” people.
-Analisa Six
But I am someone that is one of those people because I have had literal experiences with these energies and their healing properties. While you the reader may not have a direct experience with a crystal at this point any time, I urge you to get yourself an amethyst if you are on the sober path. Then carry it with you, meditate on it, see what opens up for you when you invite this energy to work for you in your life. Crystal Vaults is one of my favorite resources for crystal information and was the site that started it all for me.
If you have any questions regarding anything I discussed in this article, feel free to reach out to me personally by emailing me at cosmicladysix@gmail.com
Love, Peace, and Power,
Analisa Six
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
