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4 Ways to Invite Good Juju into Your Life, by Najah Lightfoot

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

What is good juju? How you can create it? How can you keep it flowing positively in your life?

Good juju is a handshake with Spirit. It is an acknowledgement, an agreement, and a commitment you keep with your higher power, deities, ancestors, and divine beings, on a consistent basis.

Good juju recognizes that you not alone on your path. It recognizes that many have come before you, and also that many shall come after you. It recognizes your belief in a Higher Power, forces at work, seen and unseen, greater than yourself. Good juju lies in the morning sunrise, the whispers of the wind, the ebb and flow of the ocean, the gurgling of a mountain stream.

It wafts around you as sweet incense smoke, makes your heart race to the beating of the drum, and focuses your gaze in the flame of a candle.

Good juju exists within and without. It is a smile freely given to a stranger, a helping hand to child, aid to a person in need, or an act of random kindness. It is forgiveness, tolerance and acceptance, higher ideals continually striven for, even if it takes you a lifetime to reach them.

Good juju is patient. It realizes not all goals can be achieved or met in a day, a week, or maybe even in one's lifetime. But surely as you take a step towards it, it will meet you and greet you with open arms, as long as you are willing, open, honest, and sincere.

So how can you begin to cultivate and create good juju in your life? Let's explore some simple and powerful ways you can do on a consistent basis.

1. 1. Honor Your Ancestors
      As we are nature-centric and earth-focused people, many us are familiar with keeping an ancestor altar or with the sacred holiday of Samhain, where we set a place for our beloveds on the other side of the veil. And most everyone, Pagan and non-Pagan, have attended a service, a funeral, or a celebration of life for a loved one who has passed on. But besides these once-a-year festivities, how can you remember your ancestors on a daily basis, and keep them close to you?You can pour water to them. Water is Life. Water connects us all. As above, so below, water lies beneath the earth's surface as groundwater and above the earth as moisture in the atmosphere.

      So, on a consistent basis that you determine for yourself (be it daily, weekly, or monthly), pour water upon the earth in the name of those who have gone before you. Say their names aloud, then pour water to them, and after you finish pouring water to them, take a drink for yourself, for you, too, are part of living water circle of life.

      And speaking of ancestors, not all those whom you refer to as "ancestor" needs to be related to you by blood. There are many people who pass away for whom we may have affection or have been affected by their sojourn on earth. It is totally okay to honor these people in your water prayers. I have found pouring water for those who have passed tragically or violently, even though I may have never met them, to be an extremely healing ritual. I may not continue to call their names every day, but I do call them for as long as it spiritually resonates with me. I also honor those who have had tremendous influence in my life, when they pass away, whether I am biologically related to them or knew them personally. For the act of pouring water to one who has passed away, is love, unconditionally given and received by the earth.

1. 1. Be Consistent
      One of the most powerful acts you can do as a magical person is to practice consistency. The act of performing the same prayers, blessings, or rituals on a consistent basis is highly underrated.Most people think of spell work or rituals as something you do every once in a while or as needed or only when the Moon is full, but truly your power lies in developing a spiritual practice, that builds on the foundation of consistency.

      And what you do consistently as a magical person doesn't need to be elaborate. It can be as simple as lighting a candle with sincere intention every morning or evening, it could be pausing and blowing a kiss to the moon every night, it could be burning sage every sunrise, or saying a daily, heartfelt prayer to your deities. What matters most is to be consistent. The Universe likes patterns. Magick responds to rituals and rites done over and over again. Faith builds on practice.

      So be consistent. Consistency is a sure way to build good juju.

1. 1. Build Relationships with Plants, Flowers, and Trees
      Many people are drawn to earth-based practices because they have an innate, intimate relationship with nature. Many magical practitioners find great comfort and solace when they are outside under the stars or gazing at a sunrise. For many of us, Mother Nature is our trusted guide, confidant, and friend.Having a relationship with plants, flowers, and trees comes naturally to many people on the spiritual path, but that doesn't mean that everyone feels that way, or is adept at planting a garden or caring for plants. In fact, for some people, the very thought of caring for living plants could be the last thing they ever want to do.

      Yet, even for those people, nature is always present. As humans, nature is with us everyday, whether we actively cultivate plants, flowers, or trees. As soon as you wake up, and step outside your door or look out your window, nature is there. No one lives without the light of the sun or the glow of the moon. Here are few simple ways to connect with Nature on a daily basis:

      • When you pass a tree, touch it, smile at it, and say, "Hello."
      • If you see a flower, thank it for growing and bringing color and beauty into your life.
      • In the grocery store, take an extra moment in the produce section and admire all the wonderful vegetables and their glorious array of colors. Say a silent, "Thank you," for the bounty and harvest of nature.
      • At night, find the one star that twinkles seemingly just for you, and take a moment to gaze lovingly at it, while you admire its light that has traveled for thousands of years, just so you could see it.

1. Be Kind and Helpful
   It seems that in the age in which we are living, rudeness, being snarky, and using vicious vitriol is the norm.People are routinely bullied, harassed, and criticized. The invention of the internet and social media has made it easy to be mean, spiteful, and hateful. It is now so easy to hurt people's feelings, and with no thought to the wide ripple those acts create in the ocean of human emotions and feelings.

   So, if an opportunity presents itself for you as a magical person to perform a random act of kindness, pay a compliment, say something nice on someone's social media feed or page, do it!

   Smile at a stranger! Give a dollar to someone begging on the street. Hold the door open for someone whose hands are full; put an extra quarter in a parking meter; send a heartfelt thankful, sincere, compliment; say, "Hello" to your neighbor; resist the temptation to spread gossip; show up at a friend's event or their children's event; pick up trash when you see it on the ground or in a park.

The possibilities are endless and limitless for creating good juju. Let your heart and soul be your guide, and surely you will find yourself blessed 3x3x3, when you become the creator of good juju in your life, and in the lives of others.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2019. All rights reserved.

My dreams are often quite complex and perplexing, and I do dream a lot. I sometimes feel I wake more tired than when I went to sleep because I've dreamed so much. I was born and raised in one town, and I moved when I was 24 to where I live now. (I'm now 27.) I find that a lot of my dreams take place where I was born, even if the people in them are from where I am now living. Why do we often return to the same old setting time and again in dreams? Could it be that I just feel safer where I grew up? Is this a common experience for most people? Thanks! - Lisa

Dreamchaser:

You hit the nail on the head and answered your own question, Lisa. There are many people who dream of their childhood home and/or the people who were around while they were growing up.

Sometimes these dreams are positive and warm like yours. You had a wonderful childhood and you long to go back to a time when you felt safe and protected. Others have nightmarish dreams of the past, for not everyone had idyllic early years. Regardless of the quality of their childhood experiences, many people dream of the homes they grew up in.

Children spend much of their time wishing to be grown up. They daydream of being able to drive, get a house, get married, and go out to exciting places at night looking just fabulous. When they do grow up and the realities of adulthood sink in, they then often wish they could go back to being a child.

Your dreams simply reflect your deep longing to go back to a time when you had few worries or fears. You were fed three meals a day without question. You were bandaged up when you were hurt or taken to the doctor when you were sick. You were provided with clothing for every situation. Every one of your needs was fulfilled, and as for your desires, all you had to do was ask.

Life is no longer that way. In fact, you're finding it quite a struggle at times, so your mind goes back to when you could just relax and rest your soul.

I'm here to tell you that you CAN have all you need now, just by asking - you just have to ask a different source. Instead of asking your parents, you should ask the Universe. When you are limited in any way, it is because you are limiting yourself.

The experience you had when you were a child is not lost forever - it can be yours now. You just have to have faith that you can be provided for in the same way in order to manifest that experience.

For the next 30 days, every time you look in a mirror, gaze into your own eyes and say, "You CAN feel just as nurtured and protected as you did long ago." You will start to see this manifest in your experience once you convince yourself that you can have it.

Now I want to address the flip side of this for those of you who wake up in a cold sweat after dreams of your childhood. You can also create the future you want by looking in a mirror and saying, "You are safe and protected. You have nothing to fear. The world is your oyster and your needs are always fulfilled."

I wish you healthy integration of the past, present and future.

*****

Astrea:

Yes, Lisa, we often dream of our happy pasts to comfort ourselves. I have heard from hundreds of people who tell me that they dream about happier times, even though the people who are in their lives now are all mixed up with the past.

Our subconscious will try to take care of us any way it can, and dreaming about places and things that we loved as children is one way. Happy dreams prepare us for the daily grind we face in our waking lives. You are lucky that you can take yourself to a nicer, safer place in your dreams.

Many people have anxious dreams about the past. I often dream that I am back in high school, which was a particularly challenging time for me, and that I haven't finished one class, and until I do, I can't have my diploma!

Some people dream of being naked in a room filled with old friends. Last week, I even had one person tell me that she dreamed she was naked at her upcoming wedding. She's looking forward to this event more than anything she's ever done in her life. Her subconscious did a number on her because it's so important to her and she is thus very nervous about it.

By dreaming of a time when you were happy, safe and content, your subconscious helps you to relax and get re-centered. When you dream about everything being like it was when you were a little kid, you prepare yourself for all the grown-up things you'll have to do the next day.

At the same time, reoccurring dreams often carry messages. It might be fun for you to keep a little notebook or calendar beside your bed and mark down every time you have dreams of your childhood. That way, you can see if they come to you at a particular time of the month, if they come on Sunday nights before you have to be back at work on Monday, or even if they don't have any pattern at all. I believe you'll find that they happen right before or right after you've faced a big adult challenge.

Also, certain people in your life may trigger these dreams. If you keep that calendar going, you may see that the dreams come to you after you've spoken to friends or relatives from that time in your life.

They might also be a REMINDER to call home, talk to your mother, or take care of something that you've been ignoring, such as a dental or health issue. By keeping a record of when they happen to you, you'll discover more about what those dreams mean to you in particular.

I'm glad that your dreams of where you grew up aren't NIGHTMARES, for lots of us have those too!

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.