“We personally believe that the cycles of the moon do have an impact on our livelihood,” said Jessica Ann Miller, the jewelry designer and certified crystal healer who owns Wood Merkaba “Even though we’re not as connected to the earth as people used to be, we can get some of that connection back if we take a moment to celebrate it.”
To celebrate this month, the crystal shop hosted its first New Moon Gathering, where about 40 people met to participate in various activities to prepare their energies for the new cycle.
“The party basically was about bringing everyone together to connect with each other and start thinking about things you want to work on for the next month,” said Jenn Matthews, an employee of the store and self-titled happiness facilitator, galactic gypsy and jewelry designer. “The new moon is when you set your intentions, and then by the full moon they’ve come ?to fruition.”
Guests could receive free chakra assessments from Miller, during which she drew a map of each person’s energy field, with different sized circles representing their different energy points. The shaded circles marked places where there was stagnant energy. Miller then placed crystals over those places and used tools like a tuning fork and a Tibetan singing bowl to clear ?the energy.
Attendees had the opportunity to have a 15-minute healing consultation with Daniel Atlas, a personal guidance facilitator and self-mastery instructor for Evolved Ministry.
During these consultations, Atlas sat with guests, determined where their negative energy was and used his words and hands to guide that energy out of ?the body.
“It’s a mixture of massage and energy works,” Atlas said. “I call it bodyworks. It’s my own style that I’ve developed over the last four years. I lay my hands on the body or above the body, find the negativity and then use my energy to push unconditional love into that space.”
Later in the night, everyone participated in a fear-burning ceremony. Guests wrote something down they have been struggling or ?unhappy with, placed the paper in a cauldron filled with sage, then watched them burn.
“It’s a way to let go of whatever has been holding you back,” Atlas said. “You can say, ‘Here, universe, this is what I want to change.’ I personally have the belief that we can start things anytime we want, but there’s definitely a time of the year based on the cycle of the moon when there’s more power to it.”
The evening included Tarot card readings, lavender lemonade and crystal concoction meant to calm fears and creation of a ?crystal grid.
“Everyone picked a crystal that they were drawn to and we laid them in a geometric formation on the ground, like a mandala,” Miller said. “It was really cool because it created a moment of everybody coming together, and then, when people took the crystals home, they were taking that togetherness out into the world.”
Though the people leading the event said they believe in the power of what they do, they understand it sounds crazy to some. They encourage anyone who’s interested to come to the next gathering May 16.
“Come in with an open mind, and it’s okay if you don’t believe everything,” Matthews said. “The basis of it all is about building a strong community of people who support each other and listen to each other.”
