Author: Siobhan

Returning to dreams for messages

A sketch from my journal of what I saw in my dream once I returned

I had a dream some time ago where I was drowning under water. Just as someone was about to pull me up and out of the water, and I was suspended in the depths of the water, I saw something beyond. I couldn’t make out what it was though.

Initially I thought that it was simply because I research a lot about the deep ocean.

This dream stayed with me though, like some kind of memory. The more time that had passed, the more it felt like there was something THERE for me.

Thankfully, I learnt that you can re-enter a dream if you so wish (thank you Krista Mitchell for teaching me this).

Returning to the Dream

I went back into the dream, to the hole in the ice where I was rescued. Initially I thought that my dragon would go with me, but both of them declined leaving me confused as to how I’d navigate the depths.

My ocean guide, an orca, is who took me down deep into the waters. How could I be terrified of anything underwater when I have an orca with me 😁

We went deep into a kelp forest where things can be lost, buried, forgotten to time, and man’s eyes.

I discovered ancient ruins amongst the kelp. The structure barely standing, seemingly insignificant. You could easily miss it amongst all the kelp surrounding it.

Image created by overlaying 2 photos “Ruins of an Ancient City” by Aysegul Aytoren (Pexels) and kelp forest by Vilkasss (Pixabay)

I checked in with my ocean guide and my soul if this is what I saw when I was suspended in the depths and time, and got a definite YES so I went to explore further.

Hidden Temple in the Kelp Forest

I learnt that once upon a time this was a temple. The people who would gather in this temple lived in harmony with nature, especially the trees because the whole temple was covered in foliage, vines, and tree branches. It was part of the building, just as the rocks in its walls and floors.

Later, I would learn that there are temple ruins in Cambodia where trees form part of their structure. This feels so much like what I saw.

Photo by Karolina on Pexels.com

For these beings there was no separation between them as beings and nature.

I was shown that when they would gather in circle together, they’d meet with Source (The Great Spirit of All). This sphere of immaculate, divine light and energy right in the center of their circle.

It felt to me like this temple was sort of an electrical hub, simply powered by Consciousness.

They showed me how when they’d gather in circle like this, they could connect to other people anywhere on Earth. They could even connect with beings on other planets. It was an interconnected web of light that connected them to each other, and other beings.

Isn’t that a beautiful depiction of how deeply we truly are connected? Even if this is something that we have forgotten in today’s time?

Final Thoughts…

I’ve always believed that dreams are messages from our higher self to our present self. Now that I’ve actually returned to a dream, I feel like there are endless possibilities that I could explore.

I don’t think every single dream will have a message or should be returned to, but I know for certain that you’ve had those dreams that felt so real, that you wished you could return to for better understanding and clarity. How empowering is it that you actually can do that?

If trance journeying with your crystals intrigues you, take the path less traveled with Krista Mitchell. You won’t regret it.

12 April, 2026
Spread your wings and fly
I haven’t had the space to draw the last few months as I was physically healing my body after a melanoma diagnosis in November. Since then, it’s been in and out of hospital, surgeries, and trying to find a normal life after all of this.

Some days it’s an uphill battle because I’d like nothing more than to sit and draw, but I have so little inspiration and when I am inspired, I truly don’t have the energy capacity to channel a mandala.

I’m learning that things take time, and that sometimes you have to make time.

Making time to spread your wings and fly

While this mandala was not planned. I only wanted to draw, no obligations or fuss.

Now that it’s finished, I’d say that it is completely inspired by the birds I see on my daily walks.

I don’t take my phone with me on walks so you’re going to have to imagine my bird companions:
- The tiny little ones that chirp back to me when I talk to them.
- The heron that sits on the rocks from time to time. Quiet and observant.
- The seagulls that sometimes sit on the lamp posts and I swear laugh at me like giggling teenagers. I always politely ask them not to poop on me as I walk past, and that apparently is the joke of the century for them.
- Finally, the 2 pairs of hadedas I’ve come to know, always on opposite sides of the path, having their breakfasts and minding their own business.
These birds have become like friends to me these past few months. A lot of the time it’s just me and them on the road and now that the weather is cooling, much fewer people are out.

Lessons from the Birds

Birds bring us a beautiful reminder: spread your wings and fly, just do it (whatever it is).

Fly when you’re scared, when the odds are stacked against you, when you don’t know how you’re going to make it to your destination. Fly.

No fuss, no frills, a simple message and I hope you can feel it through the mandala.
20 March, 2026
Filling Spaces with Peace – A Message from Scolecite
When I first started working with scolecite and eventually drew its mandala, scolecite asked me this:

“If you want peace, how are you welcoming that into your life?“

This took me aback because scolecite is meant to be this peaceful stone. I wasn’t expecting to be asked something like that from scolecite. When I sat down to really think about it, I realised what scolecite meant:

We say we want peace and harmony, but we are not always doing things to really welcome that into our lives.

What does that mean?

Sometimes we keep quiet to keep the peace, but inside the fire is burning. How is that welcoming peace into your space?

Sometimes we leave situationships because it disrupts our peace. Yet, we refuse to look at how we have participated in negativity, or the shadow that was being trigger within. We just move on.

Situationships refers to friendships, relationships; an umbrella term if you will.

I’m not referring to serious toxic situations here, but rather not taking self-accountability:
- We blame others instead of recognising that we participated.
- We didn’t put up boundaries.
- We kept quiet when we should have spoken up, or we didn’t communicate at all and assumed things.
I know I’m incredibly guilty of keeping quiet when I should speak up, especially for myself.

Sometimes a situation is truly toxic and we need to leave or get support, or we grow apart. Then there are times we avoid accountability because it’s uncomfortable. There’s a difference between these.

How can we welcome more peace into our lives?

With peace, as beautiful and harmonious as it is, it’s not always an automatic state of being. Sometimes we have to do the uncomfortable for peace to come in.

Ask yourself how you’re intentionally welcoming peace?

Are there areas of uncomfortability you need to address to bring more of it into your life and spaces? Don’t ignore it because it’s easier, move through it so that peace can come in.

If you’re hitting a blank, grab your scolecite and ask it to show you what you are missing. For additional support, you can also work with a shadow stone. I like using goldsheen obsidian to illuminate those shadows. Silversheen obsidian is another one that can be used like a mirror if that feels like a better fit.

Take note what comes to you when you work with your crystal. Journal everything that comes up for you. Also, take note over the next few days of any experiences that keep repeating and be open to simply witness. Oftentimes when we’re present in our lives instead of on autopilot, a lot becomes clearer for us.
21 July, 2025
A Mandala Tribute to our Late Pitbull, Bjorn

^{7 Minute Read}

I want to share with you the story of how the mandala tribute for our late pitbull, Bjorn was created. For many who follow me on Instagram, you will know of Bjorn as I always shared photos of him and his adventures in my stories. I haven’t shared this story though. It’s not a happy one but there is a happy ending so grab a cup of tea or coffee and strap in for the ride.

The Story of Bjorn

Bjorn would have been 5 this year. He was born around February 14 in 2019 and he came to us in April of that same year. I had been volunteering for the local animal shelter’s charity shop for a little while and we got news that a litter of pitbull puppies were picked up. The mother had passed away and the puppies were living in a box, severely malnourished. The shelter was only looking for fosters at the time, but Gideon fell in love with Bjorn. He was a foster fail because there was no way we were going to let him go to a home other than our own.

He was so full of life and joy, always making us laugh. There was always time for the love he wanted to give as he was the most affectionate dog. There was never a cuddle or kiss he turned down. I’ve had a lot of dogs in my life, but never one like Bjorn that’s for sure.

Bjorn’s Favourite Things

Some of Bjorn’s favourite things were bananas, getting a bite of sausage when Gideon would braai (BBQ), and going to the ocean. I remember how he would jump out of the window of the car the moment he saw water and he’d just run into the waves like it was his only mission in life. It was also almost next to impossible to get him back in the car when we wanted to leave!

Losing Bjorn

In December of 2023, Bjorn got sick. We were going through a hectic heatwave at the time and he was never one to show he was sick or injured. Even if we went walking and he got a thorn in his foot, he’d continue walking and pretend it wasn’t there.

He just seemed off someway and we decided to take him to the vet in case something was indeed wrong. He was diagnosed with Ehrlichia, a form of tickbite fever. The vet however was optimistic as he was young, had never had tickbite fever before, and it seemed like we caught it very early. She gave us a course of action and medication, and we went home.

Sadly, he steadily declined and he passed away just before Christmas.

He brought so much light and life into our lives the 4 years we had him. When he left us, we could really feel the emptiness and lack of him in our world. I personally think that one of the hardest things I learnt about grief is that space which is left behind when a loved one dies. You then need to adjust to a world with that gap of space in it. Nothing fills it. Your world doesn’t necessary get darker, but it feels emptier or lesser in a sense, even when/if your life is full.

If you are going through something similar and you are looking for crystal support, take a look at crystals for grief. I’d also tell you to work with whatever speaks to you even if it isn’t one of those crystals. The support we need during times of grief is unique to each of us.

Mandala Tribute for our late Pitbull, Bjorn

The Original Mandala I Created for Him

During the time Bjorn was sick and after he passed, I couldn’t find myself in a space to work with crystals deeply or to draw simply for my own peace. What was bringing me light during that time was that I had been spending time drawing memorial pet mandalas for friends.

Looking back, my art style changed a lot when he was busying transitioning to the next life. He was already sick when I was doing these pieces for my friends. Being able to do their creations is what helped me cope during that December month. It was healing to me. I feel like he was the catalyst that birthed these type of mandalas through me. It’s bittersweet that not only did he leave me with his beautiful memories, but also the inspo to draw mandalas like this. For that I’m always grateful.

It wasn’t until late January, when I decided that I wanted to draw something for and of him. I figured I’d start with the original mandala I drew for him on his birthday in 2023:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Siobhan | Crystal Mandala Artist (@sgcrystalhealing)

Then came the harder part: picking a photo of him for the mandala. This took me a little time and I went back and forth on so many of his photos. I kept coming back to the particular photo I settled on for his piece. It’s probably not his best or cutest photo, but I kept coming back to it.

The Mandala Tribute for Bjorn

The mandala tribute to Bjorn is a little different than what I normally create. Usually I let my intuition guide me when it comes to colour usage in the background. For his piece, I used the same colours in his coat to create the bokeh lights behind him.

Would you believe me if I told you that it took me 6 months to finish this drawing of and for him? I couldn’t believe it, but it did. I started in January and finished in June of this year (2024). I’ve only been able to face working on his project when I felt strong enough to do it. Another thing that grief taught me is that time is bendy when you lose someone. Sometimes it feels like ages have passed and other times it feels like it was just yesterday. It’s this in-between space I suppose. I’d have never said this took 6 months because I swore I started on it a month or two ago.

The Light of a Soul Pet

We got to spend the whole of Bjorn’s lifetime with him, and for that we are blessed. Short in human years but one of quality. I say this fondly, but it’s like that when it comes to pets isn’t it?

A term I recently discovered was “soul pet”. It’s meant to be that almost bluetooth-like connection you have with a pet that links to the very depths of your soul. This really resonated with me because I think Bjorn was really a dog of the soul.

I want to tell you that if you’ve been in that space of losing a pet, then you know that it can be a difficult time. No one can ever replace the space your pet took in your heart, soul, and life.

Many people think or say that it’s “just a pet” but no matter who you’ve lost, be it a human loved one or your beloved pet, it’s valid. You’re allowed to and should grieve when you lose a pet. You lost someone who filled your heart and soul with light and happiness.

If you’ve lost a beloved pet, I’d love to hear some of your memories in the comments. This is a safe space to share that precious experience.

29 June, 2024
A Heart Adventure with Charoite

This is the story of my heart adventure with Charoite. We start at the very beginning because I’ve had quite a ride with charoite and it’s only just begun…

Meeting Charoite for the first time – my

different buyer’s experience

I hadn’t told anyone yet of the stone that was occupying my thoughts and living rent free in my mind. I’d see posts of it online and I’d find myself thinking about it often. When I looked online for a piece to purchase, I found quite a few. Every piece of charoite that I looked at was spectacular, but nothing spoke to me. I thought maybe I was crazy and that this was just an obsession, like a certain food I can eat daily until I’m sick of it, so I decided to get creative and directly go to the source. It was Krista Mitchell who taught me that you can do this.

I wasn’t entirely sure how this adventure and journey would go as I had no plan or map, but I was open to it unfolding and letting happen whatever happens. I was able to meet with the spirit of Charoite. We had a lengthy chat and it shared that when I stopped consciously looking, it would cross paths with me and that it would happen unexpectedly, not because I was seeking it out forcefully. We also spoke about Turquoise but of course I didn’t journal about this specifically as I couldn’t remember much. It’s a chapter that I can and will revisit in the future.

While it wasn’t profound what it shared with me, it was true. I had been forcefully looking and trying to make something happen instead of letting it flow. It was a reminder I much needed to hear.

You may wonder if I ever did purchase a piece of charoite. I did. One day I was going through posts of a store I enjoy, simply to kill time while waiting, and I found a piece which did speak to me. At that very point in time, I couldn’t purchase it but I held faith that if it was meant to be then it would be available for me month end. It was, and thus Harry (the name we settled on) came home to me.

My Heart Adventure with Charoite Harry

When it arrived, I gave it a good cleanse with the intention of putting it away until the weekend when I could work with it for an extended amount of time. What ride it was and I’m happy I took the time to wait those few days.

Before going into journey with charoite, I expected that it would tell me what I already know: stimulates the third eye, opens the crown chakra; that sort of thing. I thought maybe it would open up those channels better so I could channel my mandalas differently. As always, I go into these things open and ready to listen and learn. What I know, may not be what the stone wants to tell me anyway. Let your stone lead you because it may surprise you (it will probably surprise you!)

Our Journey

During our journey together, it showed me the 3 chakras which would light up (respond well) to working with it. Some I wasn’t surprised by, namely my third eye and crown chakra, but what I didn’t expect was for my heart chakra to light up. That seemed odd to me. What was even more unexpected was that of all 3 chakras, my heart chakra was far more brightly lit than the other 2. I got the distinct sense and answer that this would be a stone for my heart.

At the time, I only journaled about this experience and a few days later, I came across this beautiful reel on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mushroom Cultivation Journal (@wakefulmushrooms)

Charoite has always, in my opinion, had the most beautiful patterning. I have loved its appearance for years because it feels like a work of art to me. It reminds me so much of Da Vinci’s Starry Night that I like to call charoite the crystal starry night.

And how incredible is it that charoite’s patterning looks incredibly similar to heart (cardiac) muscle cells?

Light micrograph of striated muscle fibres from human heart myocardium. The cardiac myocytes have a single central nucleus, striated myofibrils and are joined to each other by intercalated discs. Near the nucleus, there are many yellow lipofuscin granules, a sign of elderly tissue. Source: Source: Science Photo Library

Crystals will surprise you like that. There’s always space to explore, chapters to read, learn, and write. If you’re open to it, they’ll show you incredible things.

I’m sure that if I looked online, I would probably/definitely find information on how charoite can influence the heart space and chakra. Maybe I’d even have found a reel or a repost like the one above too, but I prefer to remain open and do further research when I receive the prompt or call to. I want to let things unfold as they must instead of forcing it. As I type that, I giggle because wasn’t that the initial message Charoite had for me anyway?

I want to let charoite guide me and tell me how it can best support me in this way. This is of course another chapter that it has left open for me to explore with it. Isn’t that exciting?

If you let your crystals guide you, do you think you could be open to what it has to share with you even if it’s outside of what you know? Maybe you too will have a heart adventure with charoite or the very crystal you carry in your pocket!

22 June, 2024
The Power of Pain

Every week my senior pup and I do a card pull for the week on my IG stories and the card she pulled this week echoed my experience with my back pain healing that I was on the fence about sharing. After her card pull I thought it was the perfect “YES” to talk about the power of pain.

The Power of (Back) Pain

In short, I had been dealing with some hectic back pain for a whilte. It comes and goes so I never do anything about it. When Floki recently joined the family, it had become extremely unbearable for me. My hubby swore by his chiro and urged me to go, so an appointment was made.

I didn’t know what to expect and the doc did extensive work on my lower back which left me feeling tender for the next few days. On one of those particular days, when I was working in the lounge to keep an eye on Floki, I discovered that the couch is a horrible seat which only brought excruciating pain.

Frantically worried I had undone the chiro’s work and being in excruciating pain, I went into a healing session for myself.

I went to my guides, who I call my galactic federation (what Krista Mitchell calls the Luminous ones) and asked them what stones I could use for the pain, inflammation, and whatever to fix what was going on.

My guide looked at me quizzically, put their hand on mine and said “No, Siobhan. You’re in a frantic state, you cannot sense things clearly.” They pulled me in and hugged me tight. From here, everyone around the half-moon table stood up from their seats, and began to surround me. Some placed their hands on my back, some on my shoulders, and others just stood around until we were one big ball of light.

I thought a healing session is what I needed. What I needed wasn’t an instant fix, but more the comfort and calm that I received.

The remainder of my day went a lot better after I moved off of the couch onto a sturdier chair. The next day I saw the chiro for my follow up appointment, and all went well. He worked deeper into my lower back, gave me homework and I left feeling well again.

The Power of Pain and Surrender

When you’re in pain, or a tight and tense spot, you really want it to go away immediately. You’re so uncomfortable that you’ll do just about anything to feel ease again.

However, what if instead of an instant fix, you actually need to move through the pain, get help outside of yourself and support yourself so you are not doing the same things that caused the pain in the first place. In my case this was working closely with my chiro, following his guidance/homework, and setting up spots for work that support my body.

We’re so ingrained to want things to shift or ease instantly, but life rarely works that way. When we move through it day by day, there is a sense of betterment and ease.

The healing session with my guides didn’t look how I thought it would. I expected to do a full healing session with crystals for my body. It wasn’t what I needed at that time. What I needed was to be enveloped in comfort, understanding for the hurt I was in, calm, and love. It was that peace that was so profoundly healing when I was in a frantic and pained state.

Have you ever been in a state where it was better for you to simply surrender instead of frantically fixing?

22 May, 2024
The Energy of Dyed and Enhanced Crystals
It’s said that the energy of dyed and enhanced crystals is none. Is that true though when everything is energy and energy cannot be destroyed? I have a slightly different opinion I want to bring to the table…

The energy of everything in creation
If everything is energy, and energy cannot be destroyed, then to say that a dyed or altered crystal has no energy isn’t technically correct.

So here’s what I think:

Dyed or altered stones such as heat treated citrine, carnelian, smokey quartz and others I don’t know of, either have:

such a lower vibration that some of us cannot pick that up at anymore/at all so it feels dead, OR

we are simply not drawn to it at all so it doesn’t work for us.

If you are not drawn to something, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have energy or power. It may just have that for someone else.

And if something has a lower vibration that it can not be felt or experienced by you in some way or other, that also doesn’t mean that someone else cannot experience it at all, or even experience it high vibrational.

Back to energy…

Everyone experiences energy differently. It’s time that we stop saying things have no energy or power simply because we aren’t drawn to it and/or it’s vibration isn’t on the same wavelength as ours.

Instead of tainting people with our own preferences and experiences, we could encourage them to find what works for them and their energy, with the right info such as:

This citrine is technically purple amethyst which has been heat treated.

This carnelian could be heat treated to enhance its colour or dyed agate (a whole other topic).

This aura quartz is fake because it’s sprayed with teflon. Real aura quartz is quartz with metals that are molecularly bonded to the quartz.

This turquoise is actually reconstituted so there’s a little turquoise there but it’s mixed with plastics or resin.

This goldstone is glass with copper particles and copper also has metaphysical properties. Perhaps that is what you’re drawn to or not.

I could go on and on but you get the picture now…

Allow people to experience and work with crystals that are on the same wavelength as them and which they are drawn to. Who are we to dictate what is and what isn’t for someone else?

I hope that this post inspires you to think about a different perspective not often spoken of. We’ve accepted that dyed means dead instead of dead to me which is a valid truth, but not the only truth.
14 May, 2024