To say that I’m excited to have Jessica on the blog is an understatement. When I saw her beginning to showcase her reiki art/dreamcatchers online I knew I needed to have one for the Shala. I didn’t know what to ask for other than being drawn to something that looked like magical mermaid hair with tiny crystals and lots of love surrounding it. I reached out to ask her to create one for Barefoot and literally only said: “I want it to scream community, love, boho vibes.” The piece she intuitively created for my studio is hands down one of the most beautiful pieces of art I’ve ever had and I loved it so much that I begged her to make me a second one for my home. I haven’t told her much other than family, boho, mermaid-y, super hero vibes so I’m ITCHING to see what she comes up with. This Goddess is a force to be reckoned with and someone you need to order from NOW. Get on it and buy your bff one of these for Christmas or set some money aside for YOU. These pieces are outrageously beautiful and I’m honored to share Jessica’s interview today!
1) How did you get started with creating reiki art?
I’ve been collecting crystals, stones, sticks, pine cones – anything from nature that stood out to me – for years now. I’ve always loved bringing nature into my home, especially from places I’ve traveled. (You can imagine how happy my husband was when I figured out a way to put them to use! Haha) My undergrad is in environmental geology, so I’d built up quite a collection of rocks, minerals and interesting sticks from field work.
After graduating from Salem State University and having Nora in 2014, I decided to marry my passion for alternative healing with my background in the sciences and started Evolving Light Energy Co. The first year has been true to its’ name; we have evolved together as I discover what kind of service feels best to me. That’s where these Reiki crystal dreamcatchers come in.
Over the summer, I did some intentional grounding and asked my guides for more clarity, ease, abundance and creativity with my business. I wanted my work to not feel like work but for it to still be impactful and healing. One night, as if I had been doing it for years, I picked up a stick (from the pile I’d been keeping under the bed) and painted half of it copper. It was actually the beginning of September and I had libra energy on my mind and was thinking about balance, when I decided to hang a clear quartz crystal from the center of the stick. Voila! My first ever wall hanging! I was hooked after hanging it up and seeing how beautifully, simple it was – and how palpable the energy was! I kept making different wall hangings with all the materials I had around the house, all the yarn and crystals I had been charging with moon and sun and Reiki energy. I got such overwhelmingly positive feedback from friends and family that I just made it a part of my business – not to mention, I am the happiest I’ve ever been. They are really lighting me up.
2) Tell us about the non-profit you donate to!
The International Rescue Commission (IRC) is a nonprofit founded in 1933 in response to Albert Einstein suggesting there be a more organized and global approach to humanitarian aid. The IRC helps millions of people across the U.S. and the world to restore some dignity and normalcy to their lives, while facing natural disaster, persecution and war. I am very discerning when it comes to choosing organizations to donate to and so when I came upon the IRC and saw that 93 cents for every dollar goes directly to refugees and those in desperate need, I felt really good about sending my money to them. I started donating to the IRC last Mother’s Day by gifting my mother and mother in-law a “safe birth” kit in their name. These kits contain all the basic hygienic staples for a healthy birth process. When I felt how good we all felt, both giving and receiving that as a gift, I knew I would continue the tradition. It was a very natural choice to donate 7% of the proceeds from my Reiki dream-catchers to getting “safe birth” kits for women and babies (because 7 is magic).
3) Is this a full time gig or part time? When did you start?
I started Evolving Light Energy Co. in November 2014. At the time, I was taking Reiki clients, recording distance healing/tarot sessions for people and doing chakra-healing workshops. I started making dreamcatchers/wall hangings in Summer of 2015 after asking to be guided towards work that felt more gentle and fun.
I am as full time as a full time mom can be. I schedule myself a few hours, 5 days a week to write (I release a monthly newsletter and plan on a book in the coming years), schedule Reiki clients and, work on wall hangings. You can also find me leading guided meditations on the new and full moons at HausWitch Home + Healing in Salem. I am really intending to carve out this life that is full and productive but doesn’t feel overwhelmingly busy. Making rough schedules, lists and prioritizing the days help a lot!
4) How long have you been practicing yoga and reiki? How long have you been a master?
I’ve had an on/off relationship with yoga since my freshman year of college, in 2005. In 2012, I was really called towards Kundalini yoga and continued to stay with that practice until my third trimester with Nora. My past traumatic experiences really caused me to jump into my higher chakras, and the grounding and healing that yoga brings to my body and energy is really profound but it also feels REALLY vulnerable. I have only developed any real practice at home, I think, for that reason; but would love a one-on-one teacher experience to work with for a while.
I started receiving Reiki in 2011 as a way to heal my nervous system from the traumatic childhood I mentioned earlier. I don’t even know what drew me to Reiki (well, my guides!) but I fell in love. I fell in love with Spirit and the process of healing and transformation. After our first session, my teacher, Judy Copp and I talked about me learning Reiki. My healer vibe is strong. Over the next three years I worked towards my Reiki master teacher training with her, which I finished in winter of 2014.
5) What is your favorite Crystal? Quote? Inspiration?
My favorite crystal is malachite. I am all heart energy!
Quote: “The universe is not punishing you or blessing you. The universe is simply responding to the vibrational attitude that you are emitting, singularly, in the now.” – Abraham Hicks. This quote helped me to let go of victim consciousness and move into creatorship and living in the now.
My inspiration is transformation. I used to see what was going on in the world, to people and to the environment and feel so angry and helpless. Now I understand that as we heal ourselves and evolve on purpose and for our highest potential, we are transforming the world from the inside out. We are going through a huge shift in consciousness right now to something really beautiful – and that totally inspires me.
6) Tell me about your family
Growing up, my family life ranged over the years from mildly dysfunctional to outright abusive, which I credit for catalyzing my Spiritual awakening and passion for healing, as a necessity. These days, I am RIDICULOUSLY blessed with a gentle, loving and patient soul for a husband, a wild and curious little girl and a bunch of other amazing people to call family! Good Karma, I guess.
7) What is the best gift you’ve ever received?
My malachite ring from my husband, Joe last Christmas. It was like “aww….you know me..”
8.) How do you decide to work with a particular material? Where do you source your stuff?
I forage the coastline from Swampscott to Marblehead for driftwood, shells and stones, if I need more or am looking for something specific. This is basically an excuse to walk my favorite beaches with Nora. We love going to Bradley Palmer State Park and Salem Willows or my in-laws lake house in Maine. I came into some reclaimed copper pipes recently from a friend in the demolition business so I have been incorporating them in place of sticks for people who like that aesthetic. I absolutely love copper as it is a wonderful conductor of energy and it looks gorgeous.
As for crystals, I have been mostly using my own collection that I’ve been building for a while from gem and mineral shows, where there is always a huge selection of high quality minerals. When I’m looking for something specific and want to go somewhere close by, I love the Village Silversmith, where a lot of old fellow geology majors have worked. They’ve got a great variety of authentic pieces.
I clear my crystals with palo santo and Himalayan salt as well as with my intentions. They are all infused with lots of Reiki love and moon or sun energy, depending on the stone.
How I choose my materials for making a specific hanging is always different and I think it’s just intuitive. Sometimes I know I want to make a piece with moonstone for a woman who’s dealing with infertility and sometimes I’m setting out to macramé with baby pink cotton. For instance, I’ve got a chunk of basalt lava from a volcano in Iceland that I climbed on a fieldwork trip (my professor was really freaked out and mad that I had done it. Woops!) So, I used a little piece of that lava to make a hanging that felt like the wild Spirit of that day! It kind of works like that. I just get an idea from the color of the yarn or the shape of the rock and go with it. I never have any idea how it’s going to look when it’s done but I always know the energy that’s flowing thru me while I’m creating it. It’s very soothing and meditative.
Thank you so very much for coming on the blog today Jessica. I love you & your pieces lots.
Go check out her etsy shop and grab your own reiki infused piece of art!
Get out there, do yoga & make life sparkle!!
Namaste
Jenny