In this episode of Big Crystal Energy, Ashleigh welcomes astrologer, writer, and astrocartographer Aubrey Houdeshell of Graveyard Roses for an introduction to the fascinating world of astrocartography.

As part of May’s theme of travel as a liminal space, this conversation explores how our birth charts can be mapped across the globe, revealing places that may activate different parts of our lives — from love and creativity to career, identity, home, family, and transformation.

Aubrey breaks down astrocartography in a grounded and approachable way, explaining how planetary lines work, why certain places may feel deeply familiar or magnetic, and how travel can become a form of spiritual self-discovery. Ashleigh also shares her own experiences with Iceland and the Philippines, and how those places showed up in her astrocartography map in surprising and meaningful ways.

Together, they discuss:

•  What astrocartography is and how it works 
•  How Jim Lewis helped popularize modern astrocartography 
•  Why certain places may feel like “home” 
•  The meaning of Sun, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Moon, I wC, MC, DC, and AC lines 
•  How astrocartography can support travel, relocation, love, career, and self-understanding 
•  Why couples may use astrocartography when choosing where to live or travel 
•  The concept of remote activation and how to work with a place energetically without physically traveling there 
•  How food, music, media, language, books, and even social media can help you connect with the energy of a place 
•  Why accurate birth information and trustworthy sources matter when pulling up your map 

Aubrey also shares her journey into astrology, her work as a full-time astrologer, and her books, including The Cosmic Symposium, Stellar Sex: Unlock Your Sexual Power with Erotic Astrology, and her upcoming astrocartography book, The Global Horoscope, forthcoming in 2027 from Llewellyn.

Whether you’re planning a trip, dreaming of a faraway place, or wondering why certain locations have always called to you, this episode is a beautiful beginner-friendly doorway into the magic of astrocartography.

Connect with Aubrey

Website: www.graveyardroses.com

Instagram / Threads / Substack / Patreon: @aubreychoudeshell

And don't make a mistake like I did!!

Use www.astro.com

Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com

In this Crystal Library episode, Ashleigh explores Smoky Quartz, a grounding stone of protection, transmutation, and sacred threshold work.

The episode opens with a milestone celebration: Big Crystal Energy has now been heard in 97 countries. But alongside the gratitude, Ashleigh reflects on her own liminal space — feeling called toward the next evolution of the podcast while not yet knowing exactly how to arrive there.

That “in-between” energy becomes the doorway into Smoky Quartz.

Formed deep within the Earth and colored by natural gamma radiation over millions of years, Smoky Quartz is a crystal that teaches us how to move through darkness rather than avoid it. Ashleigh explores its geology, Scottish and Celtic history, pre-Christian protective traditions, afterlife lore, and why this stone has long been carried through danger, transition, and transformation.

This episode also includes a 3-card tarot or oracle spread for navigating liminal space:

The Departure — what you’ve already left behind
The Threshold — what the crossing is asking of you
The Arrival — who you are becoming on the other side

Whether you’re in a season of transition, identity shift, travel, grief, growth, or spiritual transformation, Smoky Quartz reminds us that crossing is not the same as being lost.

Topics include: Smoky Quartz, liminal space, grounding, protection, transmutation, Scottish folklore, Celtic spirituality, crystal geology, tarot spreads, oracle cards, shadow work, thresholds, and spiritual transformation.

Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com

In this episode of Big Crystal Energy, Ashleigh sits down with Anama O’Reilly, co-host of The Gods Must Be Crazy podcast, for a wildly fascinating conversation about Filipino folklore, mythology, monsters, ancestral beliefs, and the supernatural stories that still feel very alive today.

After returning from a family trip through the Philippines and Japan, Ashleigh found herself deep in the rabbit hole of Filipino folklore — from eerie creatures to ancestral magic to the ways mythology lives inside culture, family, and everyday life. Anama brings humor, depth, and years of research to this conversation as she shares why she started her podcast, how Filipino folklore connects people back to their roots, and why these stories deserve to be as widely known as Greek, Norse, or Celtic mythology.

Together, Ashleigh and Anama explore the legendary manananggal, the broader meaning of aswang, the mysterious diwata, the tree-dwelling kapre, Filipino witchcraft traditions like mangkukulam and mambabarang, ancestral spirits, haunted houses, evil eye beliefs, and the cultural power of stories passed through generations.

This episode is funny, spooky, educational, and deeply magical — a perfect listen for anyone curious about folklore, mythology, ancestral traditions, Filipino culture, or the strange stories that shape the way we understand the unseen world.

Listen to Anama's podcast Cozy Kwento: A Filipino Storytelling Podcast

Follow on Instagram: @anamagirasol

Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com

Tiger’s Eye is often labeled as a “confidence stone”… but what if that’s only scratching the surface?

In this episode of The Crystal Library, we’re reframing Tiger’s Eye as something far more ancient and powerful: a guide through liminal space. A stone for thresholds. A companion for the in-between.

Whether you’re physically traveling or navigating a major life transition, Tiger’s Eye offers clarity, discernment, and energetic protection when you need it most.

We explore the stone’s fascinating geological origin, its consistent role across ancient civilizations, and why it may be better understood as a psychopomp in mineral form—a guide between worlds.

If you’re in a season of change, uncertainty, or transformation… this is your stone.

In this episode, we cover:

•  What “liminal space” really means (and why May is full of it) 
•  The geology of Tiger’s Eye and its “ghost architecture” 
•  Why Tiger’s Eye is a pseudomorph—and why that matters spiritually 
•  Its use in ancient Egypt, Rome, China, and Africa 
•  The concept of a psychopomp and how Tiger’s Eye fits that role 
•  Why “confidence stone” is an oversimplification 
•  Tiger’s Eye as a stone of discernment, clarity, and personal authority
•  The three types of Tiger’s Eye: 
  •  Golden (the strategist / threshold navigator) 
  •  Blue / Hawk’s Eye (vision, scrying, inner journeying) 
  •  Red (grounding, integration, returning to self) 
•  How to work with Tiger’s Eye during travel or life transitions 

Ways to work with Tiger’s Eye:

•  Use it when making decisions between what you want vs. what you need
•  Meditate with its chatoyancy (the moving band of light) 
•  Carry it while traveling for energetic protection 
•  Use Blue Tiger’s Eye for inner work or root-cause exploration 
•  Use Red Tiger’s Eye to ground after major life changes 

If this episode resonated, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone navigating their own in-between season.

And as always… stay magical 🖤

Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com

In this episode of Big Crystal Energy, Ashleigh opens the month of May with a deeply personal reflection on travel as a liminal space — those in-between places where we are away from home, outside of routine, and often more open to transformation, magic, discomfort, and wonder.

Fresh from a hotel room in Portland while attending Spirit Northwest, Ashleigh shares the story of her family’s month-long trip through the Philippines and Japan. What began as a long-awaited pilgrimage for her husband to return to the Philippines and share his culture with their children became a powerful lesson in family, gratitude, culture shock, sensory overload, beauty, exhaustion, and the strange magic that happens when you are completely outside your normal life.

Ashleigh reflects on traveling through Manila, Cebu, Boracay, Palawan, and Tokyo, including visiting family, seeing whale sharks in Oslob, discovering Filipino folklore, experiencing the stunning beaches of the Philippines, surprising her son with a trip to Japan, exploring Tokyo, visiting Sanrio stores, seeing cherry blossoms, eating ramen, and navigating Tokyo Disneyland with two very tired kids.

This episode is less of a polished travel guide and more of an honest, magical, messy reflection on what travel can awaken in us — especially when we are moving through airports, hotels, unfamiliar cities, ancestral places, and the emotional threshold between leaving and coming home.

Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com

Welcome back to the Crystal Library 💙

This week, we’re diving into chrysocolla—a crystal often labeled as a “communication stone”… but that description barely scratches the surface.

This is not just about speaking your truth.
 This is about knowing when not to speak.

🔮 In This Episode:

•  The true meaning of chrysocolla (“gold glue”) and why it matters 
•  How this stone forms from breakdown and transformation
•  Its connection to Hathor and ancient Egyptian mining sites like Serabit el-Khadim
•  Why Cleopatra used it for strategy and influence
•  The deeper truth of the throat chakra—discernment over constant expression 
•  Chrysocolla as a stone of feminine wisdom, healing, and earned power

🧿 Core Message

✨ What if your power isn’t in being the gold… but in being the thing that holds it together?

🌿 How to Work With It

•  Meditate with it at the throat or heart
•  Use it during emotional or hormonal transitions 
•  Practice intentional silence and observe what comes up 

🔥 This Week’s Invitation

Instead of explaining yourself… pause.
 Instead of filling the silence… hold it.

👉 Step into the energy of the gold glue

Let me know if this episode resonated with you 💙

Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com

The Wheel of the Year keeps turning, and in this episode of Big Crystal Energy, we step into the bright, fiery threshold of Beltane.

Ashleigh shares the history and modern meaning of this sacred spring festival, from the ancient Gaelic fire celebrations to the maypole traditions, fertility symbolism, and the sense of life force fully coming alive in the natural world. This is the season of passion, creativity, abundance, vitality, and blooming into what is ready to come forth.

In this episode, Ashleigh explores:

•  the origins and symbolism of Beltane 
•  why Beltane and Samhain are often seen as mirror festivals 
•  the sacred role of communal fire, protection, and purification 
•  the maypole as a symbol of co-creation, weaving, and union 
•  May Day baskets and other folk traditions of spring joy 
•  Beltane’s connection to fairy lore and the Otherworld 
•  the difference between romanticized fairies and the more powerful, unpredictable beings of traditional lore 
•  simple modern ways to celebrate Beltane, even in everyday life 

Ashleigh also shares crystal correspondences for the season, including rose quartz, emerald, malachite, carnelian, garnet, citrine, clear quartz, and green aventurine, along with botanicals and altar ideas to help you work intentionally with Beltane energy.

To close the episode, Ashleigh pulls a card from the Seasons of the Witch: Beltane Oracle, and the message of Fire Festival arrives right on time: a reminder to shift perspective, release fear, and stop blocking the blessings trying to find you.

This episode is both a celebration of Beltane and a closing doorway to April’s fairy-themed journey on the podcast.

Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com

In this episode of Big Crystal Energy, Ashleigh sits down with Aryn Scanlon—also known as Aryn the Alchemist—for a deeply inspiring and expansive conversation on creativity, whimsy, and the magic of following your “side quests.”

Aryn is a creative coach, interdisciplinary artist, and writer whose work blends astrology, tarot, shadow work, glamour magic, and storytelling into a multidimensional approach to living and creating. Together, Ashleigh and Aryn explore what it means to embrace your full, authentic self—even when it doesn’t fit into a neat box.

They dive into the beauty of nonlinear paths, the importance of nurturing creativity (even in small, everyday ways), and how the seemingly random “side quests” we follow often become the very threads that weave our lives together.

Ashleigh also reflects on her own journey—balancing motherhood, a medical career, and her spiritual path—and how reclaiming creativity has completely transformed her life and the way she shows up for others.

This conversation is a reminder that creativity isn’t reserved for artists—it’s a birthright. And sometimes, the most magical thing you can do is follow your curiosity.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, uninspired, or disconnected from your creative side—this episode is your invitation to follow the nudge, take the detour, and trust that nothing is ever truly random.

Your side quests are leading you somewhere ✨

Connect with Aryn

•  Instagram: https://instagram.com/aryn.the.alchemist
  
  
•  Website: https://www.arynscanlon.com

Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com

In this Crystal Library episode, Ashleigh explores Staurolite, also known as the Faery Cross—a rare stone that naturally forms into cross shapes deep within the Earth under intense pressure.

But this isn’t just geology—it’s sacred geometry, folklore, and something much deeper.

From legends of faery tears crystallizing into stone to Cherokee stories tied to the Trail of Tears, Staurolite carries a powerful message:
grief is not weakness—it is transformation.

Energetically, this stone is deeply grounding and connected to the Earth Star Chakra, anchoring you into the Earth’s energy while opening pathways to ancestral wisdom, the fae, and the space where all realms meet.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  The science behind Staurolite’s cross formation 
•  The deeper meaning of the cross and the fifth element, Akasha
•  How to work with Staurolite for grounding, protection, and spiritual connection 

Staurolite reminds us that love, when felt deeply enough, leaves a permanent imprint.

Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com

In this episode of Big Crystal Energy, I’m joined by the incredible Morgan Daimler—author, folklorist, and one of the most fascinating modern voices in the world of fairy lore— magical conversation about the fae, the Otherworld, and why so many of us feel drawn to this realm long before we fully understand it.

We talk about childhood experiences, the ways fairy encounters can show up in ordinary life, and why fairies are so much more complex than the sparkly, winged version most of us were taught to imagine. Morgan shares how their own lifelong relationship with the good folk began, how folklore and lived experience can work together, and why keeping a sense of wonder may be one of the most important things we can do.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever felt an unexplainable pull toward the fairy realm, sensed that there was something just beyond the veil, or wondered if fairies are still with us now—just in forms we may not always recognize.

In this episode, we explore:

•  Morgan’s personal history with the fae and how they came to this work 
•  Why children may be especially open to fairy experiences 
•  The difference between folklore-based fairies and the modern pop culture version 
•  Fairies as an umbrella term for many different kinds of beings 
•  The concept of the Otherworld and how it exists alongside our own 
•  Glamour, perception, and whether fairies appear to us the way we expect them to 
•  Why fairy encounters can happen in both wild places and everyday spaces 
•  How fairy imagery evolved over time into the tiny winged archetype 
•  The nuance of “good” fairies, dangerous fairies, and everything in between 
•  How to approach working with fairies respectfully and with discernment 
•  Brian Froud, Labyrinth, and the art that helps us feel the fairy realm more deeply 
•  The importance of childlike wonder, openness, and whimsy 

Books and references mentioned:

• Fairycraft by Morgan Daimler Fairycraft: Following The Path Of Fairy Witchcraft: Daimler author of Irish Paganism, Morgan: 9781785350511: Amazon.com: Books
•  Morgan’s upcoming book on the Fairy Courts Fairy Courts, The: From Folklore to Fiction: Daimler, Morgan: 9781803418384: Amazon.com: Books
• Fairy Folk
• Good Faeries / Bad Faeries by Brian Froud Amazon.com: Good Faeries/Bad Faeries: 9780684847818: Brian Froud, Terri Windling: Books
• Faeries by Brian Froud and Alan Lee 

Send me any questions or comments you may have and I will answer them on upcoming podcast episodes!! Looking forward to hearing from you!

Please message me with any questions or comments. 
bigcrystalenergypodcast @gmail.com