Guest post by Nikki Jefford

First, I lost my father; then my beloved cousin who was like a little sister and my dearest friend. The hits kept coming. Changes in the publishing world sent my book sales into free fall. My husband and his work partner parted ways. Within a year, the promising careers we had put our hearts and souls into stalled. We made the heartbreaking decision to sell our home, our haven. After two years of investing time, money, and TLC fixing up what was supposed to be a forever home, we couldn’t afford to hang on.

I never felt so lost, so powerless, so not myself during those two years that stretched on for an eternity.

Then, I picked up a copy of Inquire Within: A Guide To Living In Spirit by James K. Papp. It immediately spoke to the inner turmoil I was going through and served as a compass to guide me forward.

Make an Offering in Gratitude to Guide You Forward

One of the practices I am going to share with you this week is from chapter three of Inquire Within: Offerings – The Way of Reciprocity.

Before reading Inquire Within, I was unfamiliar with the practice of burying a crystal or stone at a special location as an offering to Mother Earth.

There are many ways and places to do this outlined in the book. The one that resonated with that stage of my life was this suggestion:

Why not make an offering at the place you live now, which supports and sustains you? Even if you are going to leave that place and move on, an offering can help you leave it with gratitude, and you will have a clearer transition to your new home.

With our house going on the market at the beginning of 2020, we had started looking at travel trailers and campers. We planned on spending the summer working and visiting family in Alaska then exploring the country afterwards. Even with the decision made, we were having difficulty letting go of our home and selecting one on wheels.

One evening, I took a treasured piece of rose quartz I’d had since childhood and went into our backyard. I passed through the gate to the field that had offered us such serenity. This was a place where deer and other wildlife regularly passed through. A space where eagles whirled above a view of Lummi Island. I dug into the earth with my bare hands, placed the rose quartz in the ground, and covered it back up.

Let Good Intentions Guide You

In his guide, James says: Offerings at home can be made in your yard, on your altar, at a nearby park, or wherever you are inspired to make them. There are no rules, except to be guided by good intention. The act of making the offering amplifies your intent. This is a way to elevate a wish or a prayer, a way to give back to Spirit or to the Earth, and a method of giving thanks for your life and all that has been given to you.

“The thought behind the giving has to be joyful. As a result, the energy behind the gift increases exponentially with each unit of joy,” says Peter Baksa, author of The Point of Power.

I offered my piece of rose quartz with gratitude for all the days we were able to spend at our lovely home. I gave thanks for the guest room that had allowed us quality time with family and friends. My heart brimmed with gratitude for a beautiful yard that our dog enjoyed every day. My creative soul rejoiced over the inspiring space I’d had to work and create fictional worlds during the most productive writing years of my life.

The following morning, something magical occurred. I woke up to a sky filled with pink. It was unlike any morning I’d ever seen before. I felt as though my offering had been received and acknowledged.

Shortly thereafter, we found and bought the truck we needed for the model of camper we wanted. Our home went on the market over Valentine’s weekend and we were flooded with offers. I happened to meet one of the hopeful buyers on my way out and struck up a conversation. It turned out the kind young veteran was in a similar situation my husband and I had been in originally when our landlord decided to put the house we were renting for sale. Even though this young man did not submit the highest offer, we selected him, and it brought us joy knowing our home was going to a wonderful new owner.

Leaving our home was still heartbreaking, but with our camper we’ve been able to spend treasured time with my extended family in Alaska. We experienced serenity driving through Canada during a time when fresh air and calm were greatly appreciated. On our cross country journey, we were able to visit the National Parks my father dreamed of seeing. Along the way, we ended up on the opposite coast where my husband started a new job. We are currently looking for our next home sweet home.

I have one crystal left, a beautiful piece with a yellow tip. Perhaps it is time to make my next offering…

Three Tips from Inquire Within

1) Be on the lookout and collect ahead of time items to be used for offerings. Then, when you are moved to make an offering, you have some objects handy to choose from.

2) To make a really powerful offering, give up an object of greater value to you. This will more effectively energize and activate what you are working on.

3) Be creative and go with your gut instinct, your first thought. While you need to be sincere and use your right intent, there is no need to over-think it as this can unnecessarily scatter your focus and dissipate energy.

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Nikki Jefford was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. She spent the last 12 years living in the Pacific Northwest before hitting the road on a journey of discovery and self-healing. She is the author of over thirty works of fiction and loves happy endings.

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REFERENCES:

James K. Papp. (2016) Inquire Within A Guide to Living in Spirit. Planet Papp.

Peter Baksa. (2012) Universal Law #2: ‘Give to Receive’ [online]. HuffPost.com

Photos by Nikki Jefford