Full Circle Holistic Wellness + Spiritual Market

What have I been up to? I know it’s been a month since I posted on here. August was a vacation month, which was desperately needed.

Okay so on to the BIG NEWS! I’m co-hosting/working on this fun project with two of my favorite spiritual women, Nikki Kornegay of Golden Ginko Holistic & Restorative Wellness and Jemily Krall of Spy Collective.

Back in July I was chatting with Jemily and I told her it’d be so awesome to have a witchy/spiritual market here in Eastern NC, specifically Greenville and Jem jumped at this idea. Which I’m so happy she did because she has taken this idea and ran with it to the heavens!!!

So here we are and this amazing market will be on Saturday, November 11th, 11-5pm at Melt Fitness studios in Downtown Greenville.

As you can see below we will have a small yet mighty collection of individuals sharing their healing and restorative gifts.

I will, of course offer my tarot readings and maybe some jewels. So if you’re in the area, COME OUT and treat yourself to a day of community and restoration!!

Eilisain Tarot

You could probably see the writing on the wall. As much as I write and talk about tarot it was inevitable that I’d create a tarot deck. So here is your sneak preview!

And I almost can’t believe it’s happening!!!! Back fourteen years ago when I began my jewelry journey I tried to create jewelry that referenced tarot however I couldn’t really figure out how.

Cue to now and I’m creating my own deck. At the beginning of the year I set about working on this project and I had absolutely no clue HOW. If you follow ‘manifestation’ they always urge you to forget about the HOW and to trust in the universe. Well I did and let me tell you this happened way faster than I thought it would and I have to give most of the credit to my friend and assistant Victoria Schultz.

If you recall Victoria began working with me three years ago during the pandemic. Victoria has been my angel, my right hand woman. Victoria took this project and RAN with it, she knows the Eilisain brand so well and she nailed the graphics and look.

In late April and just last month we shot images of me with our sample tarot deck. These are the major arcana cards, with several of the minor cards.

We organized the deck with each suite corresponding to an Eilisain Jewelry collection, so Wands/Fire = snake, Swords/air = owl, Cups/water = Cuttlefish jewels and Pentacles/earth = Turtle.

Each jewelry collection features jewels and photos that easily correspond to the tarot and the messages we receive from each card. This has always been my intention, to meld the divine/spiritual with jewelry. The messages are intertwined.

This year I truly embraced reading tarot and the opportunity to intuit and attune myself to how I can assist you in your daily life and inquiries.

So to wrap this up, Eilisain Tarot will drop in late Fall of this year - perfect for this spooky season. In addition Eilisain jewelry will transition over to a new website that will provide jewelry AND tarot.

I’m just SO thrilled and excited to share this with you!! Stay tuned by signing up for my email list so you can purchase your deck as soon as it drops!

You and your year 2023

Happy New Year! Yes I am still saying that 10 days into the new year. How’re you feeling? I hope well rested and rejuvenated.

I certainly do feel so much better after having about two weeks to celebrate and be with my family. I honestly feel that we all needed much more time, especially us folks in the US where we’re constantly in go mode.

This new year promises to be one of continuing our journey in our purpose and that we’re all guided to be our highest selves. What does that mean? Tarot can help you answer that question.

For example, yesterday I did a tarot reading for an individual in the art scene and her reading was so encouraging of her continuing that path even though she felt inclined to move away from that career. We did a full picture reading and then we did a more specific yes or no spread of three cards. My client was able to gain a much clearer understanding of what spirit was telling her to do.

So what does 2023 hold for you? I’d love to help you with gaining clarity and a roadmap of your year.

In your tarot reading with me you’ll receive the following:

• 10 card tarot spread with detailed descriptions of the cards meaning and placement

• virtual reading of your spread for 60 minutes where we delve into your year

• A document of your reading, photo and description of the reading

• Greater awareness of knowledge your highest purpose and calling

So book your reading with me today!

When witches convene, laughter ensues

Do you love a good story? I mean who doesn’t?

Here goes, last summer I participated in an evening market in downtown Raleigh, NC and it was hot and sweltering but I made a lifelong customer and friend through Marissa, she was shopping with her family and happened upon my booth. We immediately connected.

Fast forward to present day and Marissa reaches out to me in September to see if I’d be interested in coming to her home to show my jewelry and read tarot to her friends for a Witches Party! Of course I said yes. And let me tell you, it was so much fun. Marissa is an excellent host, her home is beautiful and her friends are a pure delight. And my Mom even joined me (secretly she didn’t want me driving home late at night).

It was a beautiful experience to read tarot and share our stories. It felt invigorating to me to read and investigate further into the issues her friends needed more clarity.

Here are some of the photos we snapped of the party. I love all the fantastic and inventive costumes the attendees wore.

Halloween spirit in full effect! Marissa has such a big heart and it was such an honor to share my jewelry in her home.

The wisdom tarot holds comes back to you. You shuffle the cards and your energy is infused. Reading the cards we’re taken on a journey through images and symbols.

Tarot readings will be offered throughout the holiday season, book one with me before the end of the year.

I believe in this day and age, we are welcoming witch energy more openly. We are recognizing that there is a little witch in all of us. We are naturally intuitive healers, all of us. The witch reminds us of that, to embrace our inherent healing and magical powers.

I hope you had an amazing Halloween/samhain season. It was a fun and busy one for me!

If you’d like to schedule your own tarot reading or a personal Eilisain Jewelry party, email me at info@eilisainjewelry.com

How My New Morning Ritual Has Improved My Mindset

Lighting my sage and lavender bundle marks the beginning of my meditation.

I’ve written on here before about meditation and several methods and ways to meditate but on this post I wanted to share some of my newest methods and also the immense benefits of a meditation practice.

I’ve created a new ritual in my life and it’s having massive impacts on my mental and physical health. I wake up about an hour before my daughter Tallulah wakes up, sometimes this varies, like I’ll have a half hour and some days I struggle but on average I get a lil chunk of time in the morning to set myself up for the day.

Here’s how my routine begins: I wake up around 5-530am and I head to our kitchen and pour myself a glass of lemon and basil or rosemary water (I’ve heard and read that it’s a great way to cleanse and hydrate your body), then I head upstairs to my meditation room. I light some candles and sage and then I sit at my altar for about 10 minutes for mediation and prayer. I’d eventually like to increase this to 20 or 30 minutes but for now it’s ten. After I’ve meditated and prayed I go through a 10 minute yoga routine. I absolutely love how the stretching and yoga poses work out kinks in my back, arms and neck. After my yoga I sit in my comfy grandma chair and journal, I also do a short tarot reading, usually it’s a three card spread. This act of journaling does two things: it cleanses my mind of the clutter, thoughts and dreams I’ve had AND it gives me time to reflect.

I love this sacred pace so so much.

Ya’ll, this ritual really has changed how I behave throughout the day, I just feel centered and reprogrammed for intention. I’ve become more focused in my goals, felt energized throughout the day and I just feel so much more connected to my ancestors, spirit guides and most importantly my inner teacher. In addition I’ve noticed how my perspective on my life and reaction to situations has become calm and centered. When my daughter has a meltdown or something sudden and perhaps typically stressful would happen I breathe and allow myself to let it go.

No surprise here, Tallulah loves playing with all my ritual objects.

Maybe some of you are thinking, well I just can’t get up at 5am to do all that. I’m not suggesting you do, although I honestly believe you’ll get used to it and come it enjoy it. What perhaps I’m hinting at for you is that carving out anytime, maybe during your lunch break or in the evening setting aside anytime to journal, go for a quiet walk with no phones, or maybe playing Frisbee outside - ANY kind of act that allows you to be still is incredibly helpful to your mental health.

“We need to listen to ourselves FIRST before anyone else, what do YOU need to feel happy and whole. Often times we get up and go, look at our phones or flip on the tv but we don’t give ourselves the time and space to LISTEN.”

— Lisette Fee

You are so worthy, worthy of your time to BE.

Back in my mid-twenties when I began meditating and praying and when I look back at how that time I had gave me space to dream about this time right now, HERE, I know that it was well spent. I dreamed of being a jeweler, of being the weird, nerdy and jewelry obsessed person that I am today.

So my dear friends, take back your time away from the distractions and noise and just BE.

If you want to continue to read more of these blog posts and shop some of my newest one of a kind jewels please sign up for my email list and I will keep you in the loop. Thank you as always for reading!!

Tarot and Why I Love It

Tarot is experiencing a widespread popularity and resurgence and I’m so incredibly happy because it’s such an amazing spiritual tool and method for inner growth and manifestation.

I started reading my tarot cards about 18 years ago - dang I feel old! My first deck was the Rider-waite (the most popular deck to begin with). At first it felt overwhelming to shuffle through and try to understand but over the years I’ve become so much more familiar and adept at using them.

Tarot is a divination tool and a very ancient one.

“The word tarot can have several associations, some may liken it to the Hebrew word, Torah; the latin rota, meaning “wheel” or the Arabic Tarah or turuq which refer to “four ways”. However most point to the connection between the Italian Tarocchi or Tarocco which refers to the original renditions of the play-card games that appeared in Europe sometime during the 15th century.”

— Danielle Noel auther of The Book of Tarot

Over the years tarot went through several renditions and new designs but the ultimately the tarot deck that has endured over time is the Rider Wait-Smith tarot designed and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. Both were occultists and practitioners of Kabbalism and they added a whole new mystical symbology to the deck.

An excerpt from one of my favorite Tarot guidebooks, Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea has a fantastic description of tarot:

“The Tarot is an ancient story system, a pack of cards that tell a multitude of tales depending on the ways in which they’re placed alongside one another. Pull the High Priestess, the Page of Coins, and the World, and it tells a story of an individual seeking higher purpose through the material world, someone who isj ust beginning a path of knowledge but whose deep inspiration and devotion will take her very far....The trick to being able to deduce this is to know the cards well and allow yourself to link their stories together and — and this is really important — trusting that you are reading the cards clearly. It could, if you’re nervous to look at that last spread of cards and then say, “Oh, um, actually, it could also mean that walking away from this situation might bring the Tower down and ruin your life. I”m not sure! Thanks for coming!” Tarot speaks to your intuition, to our guts. More and more scientific research points to the right-on power of our “guts” to make quick, intuitive , and correct decisions.”

— Michelle Tea

Here’s the thing to understand about tarot and all forms of divination; it’s a tool which means it isn’t going to predict your future, what tarot does is provide a visual aid of delving deeper into what you’re experiencing. Tarot is akin to a telescope allowing you to see much closer into your life.

My daughter and I looking through the cards

Tarot is just one of the divination tools I use.

I want to be clear that tarot is for anyone, of any faith. And you don’t need years of experience to read your own cards. Because here’s a secret friends, you know the answers. Deep down you are your greatest teacher and that is how you understand the cards.

Here’s a list of my favorite decks:

The Fountain tarot deck - I feel as if I’m deep within my unconscious when i look at these cards. It’s as if entering a dream world.

The Moonchild deck - Another otherworldly deck, I love the collage effect of these images. Danielle creates a beautiful and sumptous world with her images AND the booklet for the deck is full of juicy information and ways to attune yourself to the moon.

The Arthurian Tarot deck - This was the second deck I acquired and one of my most cherished. Caitlin and John Matthews are complete scholars of Celtic and Arthurian lore and legend. This deck delves into the myth and stories and provide fantastic illustrations that really get you thinking what the symbols mean.

Anima Mundi deck - My daughter loves this deck for all the dark and fantastical images of the animals. I also enjoy this deck for totem spiritual work. What is a lovely surprise about this deck are some of the animals are associated with characteristics that I normally wouldn’t have.

Threads of Fate oracle deck - My newest deck and one that isn’t tarot but oracle, somewhat the same but doesn’t follow the traditional minor arcana and major. Brit June and Blair Porter have created a beautiful deck with gold inlay and the illustrations touch upon larger themes like Soul Work and Speak Truth. Some cards feature healers, sages and spiritual practitioners with a lil bio in the booklet.

Some tips for newbie Tarot nerds:

• pull one card a day to get famililar with your deck

• Keep a journal to record your thoughts and feelings towards the card

• Before you pull a card, sit with the deck and allow your mind to cleanse the cards and connect with them.

• Take your deck with you whereever you go, so that you can sit and play with them or share with a friend.

I hope you enjoyed this post and especially learning more about tarot. I promise that time with a tarot deck is never wasted and is so cleansing for the spirit.

If you’d like to learn more about divination, meditation and how to combine jewelry with those two, sign up for my email list below. I email weekly about my jewelry, up coming craft shows, mindfulness and more.

As always thanks for reading - stay badass and fierce friends!

Life is a Labyrinth

When I began researching the theme of labyrinth it began to crystallize how timely and appropriate this concept is. The labyrinth is a very ancient image, painted on cavern walls and spans countries and timelines.

I chose this image and card to depict the PATIENCE it takes to go through life’s ups and downs, twists and turns. Just like the labyrinth.

Now, we are all familiar with the infamous Labyrinth movie and why not, as it’s such a classic fantasy movie but it also demonstrates the power of the journey and lessons we learn on a labyrinth walk. As you walk through one you learn valuable lessons and how to navigate the trials of life.

For this collection I used several design elements to reference a labyrinth. One of my all time favorite stones, the dragon vein agate has gorgeous lines and colors that resemble a labyrinth. In addition I used malachite for the gorgeous deep green and also the lines and swirling patterns. The color green is perfect as labyrinths are made on the flat earth, sometimes in a garden design or by using stones or sand.

This is DRAGON VEIN. Isn’t it stunning?

In Celtic culture and beliefs the circular patterns the ancient Celts and inhabitants of those regions considered the circle and labyrinth design leading to the navel of the earth. Mother earth if you will and the abundance that the earth provides just as a mother does.

In my early twenties I became obessed with the Celtic culture and beliefs, I still am. There is something old and very familiar of the art, myths and pantheon. And thus with the Labyrinth collection I wanted to go back to that fascination and allure of the ancient designs and colors.

This photo was taken from one of my many Celtic books.

ISo how can a labyrinth and the walking of one aid you in your life, or even how can this jewelry do the same? Well, whenever I learn a new concept or idea I look at it thru the lens of my own life. Some days I’ll be sitting or walking or making jewelry and I think about my past and the times I struggled so hard and came thru wiser and stronger or even in my present moment.

Granted, I’m still working on it but I feel a strange sense of purpose and confidence that I can. Walking a labyrinth in my mind, I’m doing that now. I came up on a situation and turned it around in my hand many, many times until I found the way to make it work.

“For the past two years I’ve been grappling with how to juggle my momlife with my bossbabe life. And for a time I kept telling myself the same story - that it was hard and that I couldn’t do all the things I want to do because of being a mom. But FINALLY I flipped the narrative and decided that regardless of me being at home doing the SAME ROUTINE with my daughter I was going to get shit done and be effective at doing it. ”

— Lisette Fee, owner and creator of Eilisain Jewelry

The bone of a flying fish. How amazing is that texture and design?

Another element of the Labyrinth Collection is the bone of a flying fish that my friend gave me. The intricate textures and design on the bone are incredible. They could be a labyrinth, the lines go all over the place. And I felt that this was essential to including it in the collection.

I’m going to continue posting about the collection and also provide you with more tools to aid you in your life journey.

PS - World Labyrinth Day is May 4th. Five thousand people are scheduled to walk Labyrinths in the name of peace.

Tap Into Your Third Eye With Your Jewelry

This is a super brief yet easy reminder that we can always tap into your inner teacher and third eye to guide us to more clear and conscious living. 

Tonight is the pink full moon in Sagittarius.  We can use this time look deep inside ourselves and ask, what is calling to us? So take a lil time out, even five minutes to be still and quiet and use your jewelry as a source of focus. 

thanks as always for reading and stopping by.  And click on the link below that takes you to my One of a kind jewels that will aid you in your meditation and journey to your inner teacher.

Featured Artist: Christian T. Berry Dreamcatchers

I'd like to introduce you to a wonderfully talented artist of various practices - tarot, dreamcatchers and yoga, Christian T. Berry.  I met him through the wonderful people over at Everyday Magic.  I'm a bit obsessed with his beautiful dream catchers and I decided he had to be featured on my blog because I know you'll become just as obsessed with his work as I am. Here's a lil interview with Christian and images of his exquisite pieces.

 I grew up in the clay covered Red Top Mountains of North Georgia, a now very conservative place, but what once used to be an incredibly free and wild land filled with wonder. I think mountains have an innately magical quality to them. So much folklore and mystery surrounded these specific mountains, with sightings of mythical creatures, ancient trees and springs, even Bigfoot.  As a child, I remembered hearing these tales and started conducting my own searches, only to come up short each time. But what I did find was an even greater gift, a deep love of trees, stones, nature, and the many cycles it goes through.

As I got older, the magic in me grew. I would think about it often and dream of far off lands where I'd find gorgeous crystals and ancient woods and make powerful talismans with them. It never occurred to me to make them in real life. Visual art was a skill I thought I would never possess, seeing as how I could barely draw a stick figure, so that reality always passed me by, until I was in my early 20's. I had gotten really into Tarot cards and crystal healing. Reading them, studying them, meditating with them, cleansing them. The Wild Unknown was one of my first Tarot decks, depicting gorgeous imagery of nature and animals alike. I would draw cards from the deck, but one card always seemed to keep jumping out, the three of wands. I agonized over what it meant, but never came to a conclusion. One day I heard a message, from who/what I'm not sure, that said, "Listen with your eyes." Of course that made no sense because how could you listen with your eyes? But I interpreted the message as best as I could and gave it a try. I sat and stared at the card. And something clicked. The card shows three gnarled branches tied together to create a triangle, window type shape. Inside of the triangle is a beautiful, swirling, colorful cosmos. I immediately thought, "Wow, I could make this." And suddenly the dreams from my childhood of that far off land making crystal and wood talismans made sense. This was it. So I gave it a shot. And like everything, it was rocky at first, but I found a method, a flow that not only supported the piece, but myself as well. It inspired me, humbled me, gave me a confidence I had never been able to find in myself. I remember posting my first finished piece on my Instagram account, not for sale and kind of timid that people would think it was ugly or strange, and within five minutes, someone had messaged me offering to buy it. I proceeded to get messages about custom orders, an offering I had never even written about, and before I knew it, I had six custom orders in my lap.

“Magic was wild feelings, the kind that escaped out of you and into the world and changed things. There was a lot of skill to it, and a lot of learning, and a lot of work, but that was where the magic began, the magic to enchant the world.”

— The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman

I've been making these talismans, dreamcatchers of sorts, for almost two years now. It has been the greatest gift, the greatest discovery because it has taught me worlds about who I am and where I exist in this big, bad world. In a nutshell, it's been a deep exercise in intuition. I found that the most profound method for making custom pieces was through having the client write to me about where there are/what they're looking for in the form of a questionnaire. I read them and intuitively pick a combination of stones for each piece, building the dreamcatcher around the energies of those stones and crystals, which often have a life and personality of their own. I've come to feel very proud of my process, using organic beeswax thread, only wood that has naturally fallen from trees, and feathers ethically sourced and naturally shed from a few incredible bird sanctuaries around the globe. I cleanse each crystal in a lavender and Florida water bath, as well as burning Palo Santo and White Sage, letting them dry in direct sunlight. Everything in life is based in intention. We shape the reality that happens around us. Constant negative thought typically leads to a constantly negative reality.

This is definitely my favorite one!

My biggest intention for my dreamcatchers are to be visual and energetic stop signs, making you check in and remind yourself of the control you have to create change, filled with whatever intentions and combinations of energies the stones provide (anxiety relief, manifestation, protection, self-love, etc.) And they double up as being pretty unique, hand crafted wall decor! Each piece is deeply rooted in trust and unconditional love and my hope is that it radiates to each person that comes into contact with them. That is what my process and my art is all about, our obligation and duty in this lifetime, to never stop dreaming and building the most magical, abundant life for yourself.

A variety of dreamcatchers by Christian T. Berry

I hope that you enjoyed this featured artist post and that you shop Christian's beautiful pieces.  If you do purchase a piece from Christian, please mention this post and you'll receive FREE SHIPPING. 

Ritual, Ritual - Boutique Feature

One of the best parts of being a small business owner is meeting all the other amazing makers and bossbabes of the world.  And I've met so much fierce owners out there that I have to highlight them - because without brick and mortar shops it'd be much harder for someone like me to get my jewelry out in the world.

Such a welcoming entrance to RR!

So without much ado I want to highlight one of my favorite boutiques on the East Coast - RITUAL, RITUAL.  First off, I LOVE the name of their boutique because wearing jewelry is a ritual in and of itself and secondly it's in one of my favorite east coast cities - Philadelphia.  Angela Monaco, an amazing jeweler herself of Concrete Polish, initially opened RR for her jewelry but soon decided to rebrand the shop as a collective representing over 60 independent designers.   The shop also provides studio space for rent and a reiki and message therapy space.  One of these days I've got to visit this amazing shop because they are rare gems (pun intended)

After realizing she didn't enjoy school or her part-time jobs that she claims she wasn't too good at, Angela Monaco decided to work for herself and do something she loves. The 30-year-old business owner started her own retail line, Concrete Polish, which she eventually turned into Ritual Ritual after combining with other designers. As we set up the camera to start filming, she said "Guys I don't know if I can do this, I've been speaking in my business class all morning and am kind of nervous." Her fellow designer reassured her that everything was going to be fine. As Angela fixed her bangs and whistled over to her dog, Franklin, to come sit with her, we hit the record button on the video camera, "okay I'm ready now ladies," said Angela.

I'm especially excited to share RR with you because they are celebrating their third year anniversary this weekend! You can check out all their fun events on their own blog.

I hope that if you live or are visiting Philly you take the time to visit and shop at Ritual Ritual, not only will you love all of their amazing jewelry, gems, clothing and objects you will be supporting a local small business that helps other artists and makers thrive.

Thanks as always for dropping by and reading!

My New Favorite PODCASTS

I've been saving this post for awhile now so I could research new podcasts to share with you.  And the ones I've been listening to are so inspiring and honestly super helpful to everyday life.

I feel like podcasts are the new 'radio stations' not that radio has been completely replaced.   They're fantastic for me, as a working mom, because I can listen to them while I'm doing stuff around my house or working in the studio or feeding Ms. Tulah (Tallulah).

So here goes - my new favorite podcasts:

1.  Stuff Mom Never Told you - Bridget Todd and Emilie Aries break down all sorts of topics from Congresswoman Maxine Waters to Latina feminisim and the power of Beyonce in the world.  I love how they aren't embarrassed to share their own stories but that of women from all backgrounds, cultures etc.  Bridget and Emilie also do their research and provide interesting facts and knowledge about being a girlboss to current politics.

2.  Dream, Freedom, Beauty - I just recently discovered this new podcast via Empress of Herbs (as she was a guest not to long ago) and I LOVE IT, I'm learning so much about esoteric, magic, meditating, witch related topics and my favorite part is that Natalie Ross is local and based out of Durham.  Natalie is so down to earth and relatable and asks her guests all the questions we're thinking in our head.

3.  The Courage Makers - this is a fantastic podcast to listen to when you need uplifting stories and interviews of people that have risen from the ashes to become stronger and wiser.  I love listening to this podcast in the morning. 

4.  Work Wives -  Because I primarily work from home, I don't have a work spouse but I remember what it was like.  These women keep it real and get down to the nitty gritty of being a woman AND it's hosted by two women that work for my favorite magazine, Glamour!

5.  The Mythology Podcast - As a major fan of mythologies and ancient stories this has to be in my top five favorite podcasts.  It's like a history lesson every time and I become majorly inspired by all the grand and epic stories.  In addition you can help but feel a wonderful sense of calm listening to this podcast, I'd have to say this is a perfect nightcap. 

6.  2 Dope Queens - When you need a good laugh and want to be silly, listen to Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams talk about everything from sex, race, romance and living in NYC.  They feel like your two besties that you want to hang out at a dive bar and get tipsy with!

So get crackin' and add these amazing podcasts to your lists.  Thanks as always for reading!

How to Create a Meditative Space

As I've told you in a previous blog post, this year I'm trying to meditate and take more quiet times throughout the day and week to pray and be quiet.  It's harder than you think, everyday I tell myself I'm going to meditate the first thing I do when I wake up and I have yet to do that!

However, i do much better at night, when I need to play out the scenes of the day.  I've also read that you don't need to be in a defined space to meditate or let your mind relax and wander.  You can do it at the park, on your lunch break, at your desk or even in your car.  The point is to allow your mind to 'rest'. 

It does help though to have a space carved out to meditate and relax.  It could be a corner in your room or living room.  But adding a few touches can truly help.

Buddha and a rosemary wreath my friends gifted me. 

1.  Setting the scene with ritual.  It could be lighting a candle or incense, pulling out your favorite blanket or pillow.  Rubbing scented oils on your pulse points.  Whatever it is, do one (or several) thing to put you in a meditative mood.  Ritual is very powerful when it comes to habits and a sense of serenity.

2.  Unplug completely.  Put your phone on vibrate, or do not disturb and put it in another room.  This is really essential to letting your mind and body rest.

3.  Make it completely comfortable.  Put on your pjs or leave them on, wear warm socks, or keep the air cool.  Surround yourself with lots of pillows.  You want to feel relaxed and sedated.

My 'grandma' chair and handmade pillow get me comfy and cozy for a tarot reading.

4.  Add special momentos in your space. It could be a photo of a beloved ancestor, or a rock you found on a hike.  Anything that brings back peaceful and happy memories is perfect for your meditative space.  I keep a photo of my me and my niece on my wedding day on the bookshelf next to my chair.  It fills me with happiness and joy just looking at it.

5.  Tell your partner or loved ones you need quiet and space to meditate.  This goes along with unplugging.  close the door or move cats, children and spouses out of your zone.  So that you can completely unwind. 

And one last word of advice, even if your mind wanders in the beginning, don't worry about it.  Often times our mind needs a moment to 'come down' for the activity of the day, to slowly allow the mind to shake off all the thoughts.  Then you can begin a ritual of connecting your body to the earth and the sky (my best way of getting into the meditative state).  Visualization really helps with this. 

I hope these tips help you to move into a state of peacefulness - meditation is like stretching, the more you do it the easier it becomes. 

thanks for reading!