Valuminous Fire

Haven't done a crystals post in awhile, but here's some sweet #bathtubcrystal action. I paired these stones with an Epsom salt bath and a guided meditation on YouTube about connecting with Source. Because while I certainly believe in its existence, I still try to act as if I can control everything in my life. ALL OF IT! TOTALLY FINE!! But let's be real -- my body was sore from three consecutive days of yoga after no yoga for a month (thank you, dog bite). Also, my mind still isn't used to sobriety even though I did it for all of March and half of April. Basically, I got to 9:30pm, my show was over, no other mics were on and I was like, "What do I DO?!?" Because this would be the part where a bar usually comes in handy. So I opened up my heart and let the light in. It makes the need to numb my constant state of anxiety and discontent much easier. Shown here: #labradorite #celestite #howlite #moonstone #divineguidance #divinefeminine #demystifyingspirituality #crystals #crystalhealing #crystalhealer #crystalhealerlife #somanystones #energyhealersrock #energywork #energyhealing #empath #empathlife #valuminousstones #lightworker #spirituality #hippiepunk #hippiepunkhybrid

For awhile I had the Crystal quartz point and the Chrysocolla in Crystal Quartz (read: the two smaller ones) sitting inside my splint last night. It actually felt a little more intensely painful before the soreness subsided. Also, anti-inflammatories and ice. This is the dog bite crystal cocktail that slept next to me last night. Most of this was for the physical pain but the Celestite was for supernatural assistance and the rose quartz for self-love since I'm feeling some guilt. #crystalquartz #chrysocolla #celestite #amethyst #rosequartz #mossagate #demystifyingspirituality #crystals #crystalhealing #crystalhealer #crystalhealerlife #somanystones #energyhealersrock #energywork #energyhealing #empath #empathlife #valuminousstones #lightworker #spirituality #hippiepunk #hippiepunkhybrid #empathsinbars

For my DC friends: our tired, our angry, our nauseated, our hurt, our disheartened and our frightened. The only way I have been making it through this day is by diving in to my stones, my meditative music, my tarot decks and my bathtub. Well -- and snacks. (SO MANY SNACKS). Point being: if many of you feel like you need an energy detox after this weekend -- I understand. And unlike so many of the other needs that This Fucking Guy is stomping on -- I can give you that detox. Anyone who hits me up before the end of the weekend will get what is normally my discounted artist price. ($40 for 30 minutes and $80 for 60 minutes.) Respond to this post with #inauguraldetox if you're interested. #crystalhealing #energyhealing #valuminousstones #rockrollheal

I put this tower together so that I could meditate for protection and strength. #valuminousstones #towerofpower #rockrollheal #iamsafe #energyhealing #energyshielding #crystalhealing #inaugurationboycott

A quick little hike before I leave the mountains cleans the soul. And then rain cleaned up my shirt. ;) Scared the bugs off so I was fine with that. Plus, now I feel like I could be in bliss for the rest of the day and my tension headache is gone. So is my panicked breathing. Nature can be the best medicine. #naturalmedicine #blueridgemountains #beaucatchermountain #naturalhealing #asheville (at Asheville, North Carolina)

Hey, crystal healers and enthusiasts! I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything in this realm and that's primarily because my most recent energy healing sessions have been done in person. Awesome for me, but not so much for my social media presence. But injury-prone Val was bound to hurt herself again eventually. It took me a couple of hours today that my sore neck might actually be whiplash because YES I MANAGED TO SLIP, FALL BACKWARDS AND HIT MY HEAD ON THE GROUND YESTERDAY. Thanks, soccer for giving me new and different ways to hurt myself. ;) Now, I do not believe that crystals and essential oils are replacements for medical care. I've already popped some pain relievers and iced my neck. A nap will happen. A doctor's visit may be in order if I need it in a few days. But I also have a combination of lavender oil and peppermint oil on my neck right now. Peppermint is particularly good for muscular soreness. And I've got an amethyst cluster, a tiny crystal quartz and some tumbled nephrite jade that are about to go on the site of my pain for another episode of BoJack Horseman. Because sometimes with pain -- medication doesn't necessarily stop it. #essentialoils #peppermintoil #lavenderoil #healingcrystals #whiplash #painrelief #crystalhealing #rockrollheal #healingstones #energyhealing #valuminousstones #injuryprone #spiritualhealth #crystalquartz #amethyst #amethystcluster #nephritejade

Crystals in a bathtub? Why the fuck not! I spent the past two to three days or so feeling angry. But today I felt tired. Telling a shitty old mansplainer to leave me the fuck alone is only but so satisfying. So this is the combination of stones that I brought with me into the shower to release my anger. I definitely feel better. Tired. Like I still need to get back to receiving and opening up to people again. But better. From left to right: Lepidolite, Amythest, Blue Calcite, Blue Lace Agate, Amazonite, Green Aventurine, Malachite, Rose Quartz, Rhodonite, Emerald, Carnelian, Smoky Quartz, Hematite.

Usually on full moons when the weather is this warm, I like to make the late night drive to Assateague Island so that I can jump into the ocean under the white light and then watch the sun rise. Before the jump, I like to enjoy the air and write into the sand ways of being that I’d like to release. It would be inordinately unsafe for me to drive that long on last night’s evening of broken sleep. So I spent it on a rooftop in Columbia Heights. In a group of 25 women or so, I had broken down into some rather intense tears following a talk about addiction. I was thinking about my alcohol dependency diagnosis and the monstrous amount of booze I’d had this weekend, but it’s not just that which started the crying. I’ve had compulsions for using everything from rock music to online message boards to Coca-Cola to buying a fuck ton of crystals on Etsy. And as for what is hiding behind those compulsions – it’s anger. I hate being angry because of some family history with anger and I fear being as destructive as the anger I have witnessed directed towards me for…fuck it…pick a reason, ANY REASON! It need not make rational sense! In fact, it would be more true to life if it was an imagined offense. But I’m also very bitter about the way people react to my anger. I don’t know whether people have a problem with angry women or just my specific brand of anger but when I had the audacity to turn my frustration against someone at my old childcare job who expressed her own problems every day, let me tell you, everyone came crashing down on me for daring to raise my voice. I have also been told (mostly by men whose feedback I did not specifically request) that people could not relate to the anger that appeared in my standup and that I needed to dial it back. I spent the better part of today feeling resentful towards my partner’s roommate/landlord for being unwelcoming, cold and passive aggressive. To the point that when JJ texted me, my immediate thought was “WHY ARE YOU EXCUSING HER LOUSY BEHAVIOR!?!? SHE IS CHOOSING TO BE SHITTY!” I turned the phone all the way off. This is all to say, stewing in anger is bad but so is denying it. Feel. It’s okay. In fact, it’s healthier.

Events like the one in Orlando make me feel a particular brand of helpless. By working on a documentary with Bill, Felicia and Ahmad that pokes holes in America’s gun laws, I am actually doing more than many to combat events like this, but in the meantime, a shit ton of people just died. My people. Humans. Humans in the midst of celebration very much like the one I was at on Friday night in the middle of DC’s Pride weekend. And in the wake of their deaths, we, as humans, all hurt. Just check the rest of your Facebook feed. The collective consciousness just got slashed in the chest and wow, are we angry because that shit hurts. And if anger can stir you to righteous action, that’s great, but please be careful not to stay in that space. The killer resided deeply in that space. Find your compassion and act from there. Pledge to the GoFundMe page or write to Congress or do whatever feels right, but do it because Your People are hurting and you want to show them that they are loved and supported. Alyson and Abby and I put this together last night (tons of heart centered stones – mine are at the bottom) because an act of affirming and sending love was necessary before we moved forward with any action. Choose your next action from compassion. And then the one after that. Love, Val.

Vulnerable moment here...hope that's cool. Lately I've been having trouble writing. And by lately, I mean for the past year and a half. That's rather frustrating as that's long been a part of my identity. I spent a lot of time with that part and cared about it. In fact, my first #valuminousstones post on Instagram was directly related to this fear. I had blown a deadline and I put up a #towerofpower of anti-anxiety stones so that I could power through. I can see now why that didn't work. By putting down stones with the intention "Don't Be Anxious" the word that stuck with me was "Anxious." DON'T THINK OF ELEPHANTS! See what I did there? That's what I was doing with my energy, too. So, instead I made this little circle with a different intent. The color blue is associated with the throat chakra which is the center of communication. So I put a bunch of blue stones down around one little carnelian (for creativity) and let these words come out. Considering that I haven't even been willing to write much more than tweets or punchlines lately, that's not nothing! Here's to more vocal days! Clockwise from the top around the carnelian: blue apatite, lapis lazuli, blue onyx, sodalite, blue calcite, sodalite, hawkeye (or blue tiger eye), lapis lazuli. #crystals #crystalhealing #energyhealing #inspiration #rockrollheal #throatchakra

Here’s what you can expect to see here: crystal grids and formations that I’ve used for energy healing, meditations that I’ve recorded and uploaded to Soundcloud, inspirational lyrics coupled with graphics that I’ve made in Adobe-land, quick crystal lessons and explanations, energy healing deals and whatever else seems to make sense. Just know that you are safe. Here’s what you cannot expect to see here: I get angry about things sometimes. Usually I’m angry about social justice issues that are tangentially related to the female experience, the queer experience, the D.C. resident experience, the mental illness experience or the comedy experience. There’s a place for my anger but I’ll try to keep it out of this space.