Big Crystal Energy! With Ashleigh Bodell!

[00:00:13] Right then guys, welcome back into The Spooky Shed, your go-to place for conversations around all things weird, scary and of course spooky. Tonight with me I have got Ashleigh from Big Crystal Energy. So Ashleigh, welcome into The Shed, how are we? Oh my gosh, great. So happy to be here, this is a lot of fun. Good, good, good. Fucking love that jumper by the way. Oh, my aliens? Yes, that is cool. I was like, oh gosh, when do I get to wear my aliens? It's so perfect for today, I thought. Definitely, definitely.

[00:00:44] I'm like definitely the weirdest mom at the daycare pickup. Oh my God. Right, so Big Crystal Energy, tell me my listeners about your podcast and what it is that you do because like I said when we were talking earlier, when it comes to crystals, I know next to nothing, we'll say.

[00:01:05] Sure. Yeah, so my podcast really started because I'm someone that I've pretty much been just living my normal life. I work in medicine, I do orthopedic surgery by day and I like to say I'm a mystic by night. So I went through a lot from between having my first son to having my second son and after my second son was born, I was really going through a hard time. And I really like to say that crystals were my gateway.

[00:01:32] They were the thing that really kind of helped me find my way back to myself and helped me kind of like rediscover my inner witch. And so I started really going down like all these crazy rabbit holes of learning about the crystals. And then, of course, that sends you down so many other spirals and all these into like the witchy world and all the things. And I'm like, well, what am I going to do with all of this? I'm going to start a podcast. And so I started Big Crystal Energy.

[00:01:57] And, you know, initially it was really this idea of having a podcast where I talked a lot about crystals and things like that. But then what I really came to realize is that Big Crystal Energy isn't really about the crystals. It's really about having this like really big, like magical, quirky, fun, like energy for your life. And so crystals were really just the gateway for that.

[00:02:22] And, you know, now on my podcast, I have a wide variety of different kinds of guests from people like yourself that have paranormal podcasts, people that are psychics and just people that are creatives that don't even consider themselves magical or witchy in any way. But I always think that anyone that's kind of magical and creative is kind of cool to talk to. And that's what I've been doing. It's been going on for a couple of years and I just love it. It's a true passion of mine.

[00:02:51] And honestly, it is kind of a full-time job outside of my full-time job. So it's very chaotic in my house. Yeah, I know. Well, I definitely know that feeling. So you mentioned that like obviously you were going through a bit of a time between having your kids and stuff. So what was it that like what was it about the crystals that like caught your eye sort of thing? Yeah. Yeah.

[00:03:15] So when I was younger, I have always been someone that's very been very attracted to like witchcraft and magic and things like that. But, you know, we get away from things as we do. And after my second son was born, I don't know. I went through a period of time where I was like, well, I have everything in my life that I could ever possibly want. But I'm still I'm still just kind of like miserable. And I don't really understand why. Like literally everything in my life is amazing. And I'm just I just like I hate it.

[00:03:42] And I had gone on this girl's trip to this town called Santa Fe, New Mexico. And it's kind of like a very like spiritual kind of magical place. And I was out with my girls and we were wine tasting. And we went into this store slash winery and there was this bowl of crystals. And there was this blue it's called celestite. This like really blue gorgeous crystal. And I picked it up and I knew that I just needed to take it home with me. And I came home and I just kind of started sitting with it every day in my room.

[00:04:11] And I would light some Palo Santo and I would just have like this moment. And little by little, it just kind of like something started awakening in me. Like, why am I not doing these things that I've always liked? Why am I not working with stones? Why am I not like going into my witchy practices that I used to enjoy? And so little by little, I started doing more. And I can honestly say it really changed my life. Like my life today compared to where it was even like three years ago is completely different.

[00:04:42] Cool. Cool. I like that. And I also like that it's it kind of sounds like you and your friends just drank loads of wine and then seen some shiny stuff. We did. Of course. Me and my girlfriends, we get into like some major shenanigans when we go on these trips because my girlfriends are very witchy and magical too. So we always try to pick like different places to go on girls trips that like New Orleans or, you know, just all these places that have this lore to them because we all love ghost.

[00:05:12] We love going on ghost tours. And we like to drink a lot of wine and we like to get into trouble. So it's always super fun. We're always getting up to something. And so, I mean, I felt like it was a I love that that happened when I was with those particular people because they that whole that whole group of girls. I mean, I've had them on my podcast before. Like we get together at least once a year. It's a lot of fun.

[00:05:35] It's fun to have friends in your life that also get it because sometimes, you know, as you may know, when you are interested in these kinds of things, not everybody else in the world is. Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, I've got because I've started doing paranormal investigations and stuff and I put the videos up on my YouTube channel. I've got I've got friends who watch it, but they sort of watch it to not laugh at it, more laugh with it.

[00:06:04] You know, like they don't believe in it, but they enjoy watching it because it's me sort of thing. So. Totally. I mean, and I and I get that a lot. I mean, even in my own world here where I live, you know, in suburbia, essentially. I mean, I have friends and people that are supportive of me, but I don't really have anyone in my day to day life that is really.

[00:06:26] Doing the same things that I am doing that enjoy the same things that I'm doing, but it's been so cool because having the podcast really allows me to connect with lots of really cool, interesting people all over the world. And truth be told, most of the time, most of us are so busy in our regular lives that we don't have time to get together with people one on one all the time anyway. So having these people all over the world that we can sometimes talk to virtually or whatever, it does still fill my cup a lot. And, you know, it's it's fine.

[00:06:57] Yeah, I definitely, definitely agree with you on that, because like I say, with especially like say you're working full time, you've got kids and stuff. It's weirdly, it's harder to make time for the people that live close to you. Or you can just, you know, open your laptop and do something like this and actually have a conversation with somebody, somebody else other than the people who live in your house.

[00:07:20] Absolutely. And I know, I mean, it is easier because we know for us, like when we're connecting, we have like a specific amount of time that we're doing it. You know, sometimes you can get people on the phone and then they just want to go on and on and on for hours and you're like, OK. So but yeah, no, it's been super fun. I actually had, you know, I think in the beginning it was kind of hard to when I'm starting the podcast, I was kind of keeping a lot of things kind of on the DL, especially at my work.

[00:07:47] You know, I don't necessarily want everybody to know what I'm up to in my private life. But over the past few years, I've become more and more out about it because I was afraid, you know, like judgment or people thinking I'm this, that or the other. But what I've really come to realize is that most people are I mean, most people I work with, you know, they don't necessarily agree with all of these things, but like they're very open minded about it. And they actually like it. Yeah.

[00:08:17] I thought we're going to become more off putting to people have actually attracted more people into my world. Yeah, yeah, definitely. Definitely. Because I was I was very similar, like I say, when when I started doing this. I mean, technically, this is the this is the third podcast I've done. Oh, wow. Right on. Yeah. I mean, well, the first one wasn't really anything. I think I think it was free episodes.

[00:08:43] It was just me and my wife just sat on the sofa and drank far too much and just talked nonsense. But yeah, I was very similar. I didn't tell a lot of people to start with or anything. I just. Yeah, but you know. First as well, I try to keep it like no faces or anything. I just just I don't know. I don't know why I was just like, you know, people. Totally.

[00:09:05] You know, actually, just yesterday I had my first situation where I kind of got I mean, I don't really know how else to explain it, but I will share with you all what what actually happened to me for the first time. Like something potentially kind of negative after all these years, which I think is great. Like if it's only been one real incident after all these years, I think I'm doing pretty well.

[00:09:26] But, you know, I'm a medical provider and I my coworker told me that that a woman had come in to see him last week and she was originally scheduled to see me. But then she had probably gotten on Google and discovered that. In fact, I also am a witch and I have a podcast. So she canceled her appointment with me and made an appointment with somebody else. And so she went in to see the other provider and and she's like, oh, do you know Ashley?

[00:09:56] And he's like, well, yeah, she's my coworker. And he's she's like, do you know what she does outside of work? And he's like, no, I really only know her professionally. And he only said that because he wanted her to say like more of what what she'd read. And she's like, oh, yeah, she's a she's into witchcraft and she's into evil stuff and all this stuff. And I'm like, you know what? Her loss, not mine. Like I got enough people to see. Like I'm actually one of the nicest and most compassionate providers in my department. So her loss. But I thought that was really funny just because people don't know.

[00:10:25] And if you actually look at any of my content, there's literally nothing like. Evil or anything on there, most of it's actually very positive. So it's so funny, you know, people's perceptions. Yeah. I mean, I mean, that's going to happen. And to you honestly, that was literally something I did. I did want to ask her at some point, because obviously I knew from listening to, like I said, we called her earlier over Ashley when you were on her podcast. Yes.

[00:10:55] So I said, I knew what your job was and stuff. So I did want to ask if you'd had any sort of. I don't know. I don't know what would be the word. Well, like you say, you've just said now, any sort of like interactions that have crossed over between them, which evidently you now have. So, yeah, I mean, that was the only one. And I do. I mean, I think, you know, I don't try to hide anything at work. I mean, I show up as my normal self. But of course, at work, we wear scrubs and things like that. So people can't really tell. But most of the time, you know, I have my certain jewelry and things that I like to wear.

[00:11:25] And, you know, there's people like myself, like other witches or other like witchy adjacent people. We can tend to sense each other's vibe, you know, without really necessarily having to say something. And so we always have like that's always a great connection to have. And otherwise, most people don't really say anything. And I think when they meet me, they realize I'm just like anybody else, you know. And what I do in my own personal time doesn't really really doesn't matter. Well, it shouldn't. We shouldn't.

[00:11:55] But no, we did. What? I'm sorry. I was just going to say everywhere I go, people know what I'm interested in because I carry this thing everywhere with me. Right on. Yeah, no. I mean, now I think. Yeah, I mean, I think everybody knows now, like everybody at my work and my regular career, they call me like. I mean, they just they just know they call me the office witch. They know it doesn't matter. It's fun. It's like fun now, you know, which, of course, I love. But I did.

[00:12:25] It did get me thinking. I said I was thinking to myself last night, I was like, well, what if someone actually came into the office and then they they confronted me about it? You know, face to face. I mean, like, what would I say? But I don't know what I would say. Like, does it really matter? It's like you say, though, isn't it? It's like it's what you do. It's it's all it's it's all positive stuff. It's not negative. It's not like you're it's not like you're doing pentagrams and trying to summon the fucking devil. And I'll say something about that, too, because that is so true.

[00:12:55] Like a lot of I think a lot of it just comes from people don't really understand what witches are. And I know you've had other witches on your podcast in the past. So I know that I'm not the only one that you've had on before. So, I mean, I think a lot of people don't really even know. They don't know what it is. They just assume that it's something negative. But like for me personally, I don't even like I don't even believe in the devil. Like I believe in the devil is like a metaphor.

[00:13:21] But it's not like I don't think there's someone, you know, down below with a pitchfork and it's flaming red and all that. To me, that's just not a construct that I even believe in. So how am I going to summon something that I don't even believe in? I wouldn't even know how to do that, to be quite honest. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Because I've had a similar conversation before, like witches get a bad reputation because of movies and stuff.

[00:13:48] But like you say, when you go back to like the origins of witches and stuff, I mean, Christ, you sneeze four times and you'd be getting called a witch. You know what I mean? Like you're mixing herbs together. I mean, because I do that every day now at work. So does that mean I'm a witch? You know what I mean? Well, you might be. Yeah. Well, possibly. I think you are. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. It's just it's really interesting, like the perception and that's fine.

[00:14:17] I mean, I'm not here to convince anybody of anything. But, you know, our people's perceptions of how things are is often not quite true. And the thing that I was thinking about, too, is like, you know, with that particular patient that rescheduled their appointment with me. I mean, I'm at least open and honest with what I'm doing, you know, in my free time. It's visible right there on Google. How many people are you going to see that you're trusting with your life that could be doing potentially really horrible things? And nobody would know that. It's very true. It's very true.

[00:14:46] So, you know, I like to use, you know, I like to use the things that I'm into for good. And, of course, I also love things that are dark and spooky and creepy. And but I don't think that makes me like an evil person. I like to be dark and moody, of course. But. Yeah. Yeah. Hmm. Well, it's like I it's like I always say with my job is because I think my job is the best example of it. You can't please everybody. Oh, absolutely not. Absolutely not. You have to have a lot of resilience.

[00:15:17] Yeah. Working with the public. And. Yeah. But it's also good, too, because I feel like, you know, really developing my own spiritual practice and working with my stones and different things like that. I think ultimately it has made me a much more calm individual. I see the world in a lot different way. I understand people's perspectives in a lot different way now.

[00:15:40] And I think it's really made me a better provider overall, you know, because I and because I'm very conscious about much more than I was before. Like I'm very conscious about the energy that I'm carrying with me every day and the energy that I'm taking with me to work and the energy that I'm taking with me into my podcast and with my children, too. It's been a huge it's really been a huge, huge shift. Hmm. Yeah. Well, we've sort of come back around to them then.

[00:16:07] So let's let's let's actually jump into some talk actually about crystals. And so because, yeah, I know I know next to nothing. So I don't know. I mean, I'm surmising you've got some favourites. So I don't know if you want to if you know what I do them and what's what they're for and what they do. And I I brought some stones with me today specifically for for this podcast, because, you know, your listeners like paranormal.

[00:16:37] And some of them may be people that do investigations themselves. And, you know, there's a lot of energy that, you know, we're experiencing a lot of different energies. Right. And so I brought some of my favourite more beautiful. Yes. But protective stones, you know, you probably need to get some in your shed. I'm feeling like we need something sparkly in that shed for you. But, you know, I have some of my favourite pieces for this.

[00:17:04] So I wanted to bring things to that are not too obscure that people would potentially have heard about because there's thousands of crystals. I mean, thousands. I mean, you know, you can get lost. I mean, it's really hard to I mean, I think it's kind of hard to even know where to begin a lot of the time if you're interested in this kind of thing.

[00:17:27] But I'd say, like, if you're if you're interested in paranormal or you're you know, you go on ghost hunts and things like that, you need to make sure that you're clearing your energy. And sometimes it's really nice to just have some protective stones with you or in your space. And so the first one I brought with me, it's a new piece that will have two options here. This one is well, this one is my Anubis, but it's black obsidian. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, it's really cool.

[00:17:56] I got this at a conference that I was at recently, but you don't have to have a fancy like carved piece like this. I also have just like a little black obsidian. It's really more of like a volcanic glass. We were we were just in Iceland last summer around this time and you can find black obsidian, you know, on the ground because of all the volcanic activity there, which was which is really cool. But but black obsidian, it's really it's really protective.

[00:18:21] And it's also a stone that you can use to help kind of like have you you've heard of the word like shadow work, right? Like, like revealing kind of some of the darker sides of you, not necessarily bad, but like the more hidden sides of you. So black obsidian is great for protection, but it's also great for helping reveal different things about different truths about yourself. And so this is easy. It's a great one. You can easily find it in any crystal shop, metaphysical shop. It's not expensive.

[00:18:52] And what I like about it, too, is that it's something easy. You can just pop in your pocket and you don't have to have any big, fancy, big, fancy piece. Now, another one that I love is called black tourmaline and black tourmaline. It's a little bit more fragile. It doesn't really show up that well on the video, but it's very protective. And it's a it's kind of like it kind of works in a shielding way. It kind of will shield the energy around you. But once again, black tourmaline, you can get big chunks of it.

[00:19:20] You can put it all around your house, your property, wherever. It's not as great to just stick in your pocket because it's not you can't really. It's more like it usually comes in more of a raw form. So it's not really something that's fun to just pop in your pocket. It's a little bit a little bit more challenging. But this is a really good stone if you're doing any kind of entity work. Really, really good. I also would suggest jet. Jet is another black stone. I can't find my example of it right now, but it's more of like an ancient fossilized wood.

[00:19:49] People like it a lot for travel, too. So if you're traveling places because of where you're going on your, you know, your paranormal activity, then you could take some jet with you. And it was it used to be used in like morning services, like the Victorian like morning services, like for centuries. And it really also is very good for like absorbing like a darkness. Yeah. I actually know about jet because there's a place near where I live called Whitby.

[00:20:18] And that's well, that's famous for a lot of things. But jet is one of the things it's famous for. Oh, that's so interesting. Yeah. It's probably more famous because the old abbey that's there was the inspiration for Dracula. Oh, wow. Interesting. Did you know that yesterday was like World Dracula Day or something? Yeah. Yeah. I was like... Yeah, because they set a world record there before. I think it was about 10 years ago for the most amount of people dressed as vampires. Oh, my gosh.

[00:20:47] How fun. Yeah. How fun. I'm really into vampires, too. Yeah, absolutely. So let's see here. A couple other ones that I have that I think are really good. You're tried and true. Clear quartz. I mean, most people have seen clear quartz. We call this like the master healer. Clear quartz is literally good for everything. So you can't go wrong. I had one of them when I was a kid. Yeah. I mean, and you can find it naturally occurring places.

[00:21:16] And, you know, you can get big chunks of it. And it's really inexpensive. And it really just amplifies any kind of energy that you're like. If you're really, you know, if you're really needing to amplify that protection, it can do that. If you're really trying to call something in, it can really do that. So I think that that would be like a staple for anybody in doing this kind of work. Or let's see here. So could you sort of use that with another one as almost like a booster?

[00:21:45] Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. So we do a lot of things that you can also do is pair them, you know, work with them simultaneously. So that's always a great idea. You know, or you could use even I have this big chunky like smoky quartz too. Similar, but it's just got that, you know, it's got a darker look to it. And I like that because it just kind of feels a little bit more spooky. And then I would say my final, my final one, which is my like one of my real favorites is Labradorite.

[00:22:15] That's cool. Labradorite has that really magical flash. It's really good for like intuitive powers, intuition. They say it's like Aurora Borealis locked inside the stone. So that's kind of fun. I always wear, I have this pendant that I wear. This pendant is actually really cool because it's got like a little, the top opens and there you're supposed to put your little poison in there. Cool. I don't have any poison on me today, but just in case I need it.

[00:22:45] But yeah, I mean, I would say those are some of my favorites. I mean, the, it just depends on what you're doing, what you're up to. I mean, it's, there's literally thousands. So, you know, you can do, if you have something specific that you're looking for, you can always do some research on something that might be specific for what you're wanting to do. But those are some of my favorites. And, you know, there's not a lot. You don't need to get in your head too much about even how to like work with them.

[00:23:13] I mean, a lot of times it's just making sure that you have them cleared. You want to make sure you clear the energy of them. And that's easy to do either by, I mean, you can use like incense or smoke or you could just use like, where is it? You could use a little bell and do some sound cleansing. And then you can just stick it in your pocket. You could hold it in your hand. You could do a little meditation with it. You don't have to do any sort of crazy elaborate witchy ritual. You can wear it as jewelry. I think jewelry is one of the best options. Yeah, definitely.

[00:23:44] Because that was something I wanted to ask you. Because I've heard a lot of people mention like, like I said, like with the cleansing things and stuff. And I've heard like, oh, you have to leave things out under a full moon and stuff. Like, what's all that about? I mean, you can. I mean, that's great. I mean, because the energy of the full moon is so intense. It really, it does two things. It cleanses and it charges. I love that idea. But for someone like myself where, I mean, my house is full of these things.

[00:24:12] Like, it's just not realistic to try to get them outside under the full moon. So for me, I mean, realistically, sound cleansing and smoke cleansing are the best things. But if you are someone that has a smaller collection, when I first started out, I didn't have that many. So I would get like a little pan like I was going to do my baking and I would put them on my little baking sheet. And I would, you know, trot out into the backyard. And then my kids would like help me set them up under the full moon.

[00:24:40] And that's fine if you can do that. Or maybe you have, you know, you have a few special pieces in your collection that you really want to get outside under the moonlight. Like, that's a great idea too. For me, just realistically, it's sort of hard. I mean, as much as I'm witchy, sometimes it's hard to keep up with all the moon phases because they're constantly changing. You know, you don't want to have to put too much pressure on yourself to do all these things all the time. It doesn't mean you're less of anything if you can't do it.

[00:25:09] But we just do the best that we can with what we have going on. But yeah, I mean, I think a lot of people are like very stressed about having to get their stones out under the full moon. And I don't really buy into any of that. Fair enough. Fair enough. So what is the idea of like cleansing them then? And like this might sound stupid and this is like my artistic brain coming in here.

[00:25:37] Like, is there a certain like, I don't know, do you have like a set day each month that you have to do it? Or, you know, does it vary? No, no, no. I just, you know, I think a lot of times it's kind of like, shoot, you know, I mean, there's been a lot of, you know, and especially in your own house, right? We all have like a lot of different energies going through our own homes, right? Kids are going crazy. You know, sometimes you and your spouse get in a fight, you know, this, that or the other.

[00:26:06] We all have these energies in our house and the crystals can absorb, you know, they really just absorb that energy. So for me, it's like, okay, well, wow, my house is probably collecting a lot of energy today and I'm home by myself and I'm going to just do a quick, you know, sound cleansing around the house. And I'm going to go around and burn some herbs and clear this place out. And then I feel pretty good, but it doesn't have, I don't have like any specific timeframe.

[00:26:29] And honestly, a lot of time probably goes between cleansings, probably too long, but you know, it is what it is. Once the vibe starts feeling off, then we know it's definitely time. That was going to be like my next question. Like, do you just sort of like sense when you need to do it? Yeah, totally. Totally. Because yeah, when it's like, okay, everybody has been really grouchy lately. Everybody's been kind of arguing and grumpy and what's going on?

[00:26:59] Is it the moon? Is it the stones? Is it just all of our overall energies? The season's changing. I mean, there's so many different things that can be contributing to that, of course. But what's the easiest, you know, the easiest, the path of least resistance? We just go around, we do some cleansing. It's all good. And you know what? Honestly, even if it works or it doesn't work, because we have really no proof of either way, right? It kind of just makes you feel better. And I say, if it's working for you, then it's working, right?

[00:27:28] Whether or not we have proof of it. Yeah, exactly. I mean, like I said, you're working in a hospital, so it's essentially like a placebo effect in a way, isn't it? It is. But, you know, they prove that the placebo effect really is very effective. Exactly. So, you know, it is what it is. I mean, who knows? A lot of these different things that I do that I'm up to, I do them because I enjoy them. I enjoy the ritual.

[00:27:54] I enjoy the ritual of coming home and pulling some cards and doing some tarot readings for myself or doing some journaling on that. I enjoy the ritual of it. I enjoy doing little rituals for different little spells or things that I'm working on that I'm trying to attract into my life. I mean, it's enjoyable. It's fun. It's just building that energy to put that energy out into the world to really attract the things back that you want to come into your life. Yeah, exactly.

[00:28:23] I mean, it's like I always say, as much as I'm much more of a believer now than I used to be, obviously, I'm still going to have that little bit of scepticism there because obviously we don't know what's 100% true. You know, it's not as clear as, you know, it's not scientific fact sort of thing. And I always say I don't think I'd want it to be because if it was the case, then there'd be no point us talking about it now.

[00:28:54] Absolutely. I mean, I like the mystery. I like not really knowing. I mean, that's where the fun is, right? I mean, and that's me. All of this is so much more spiritually satisfying. It's so much more just like it brings me so much more joy and excitement for my own life than when I was going to church. You know, like I wasn't getting that feedback. I wasn't feeling the same way when I was going to the traditional, you know, following the traditional religious model. I don't.

[00:29:24] And even my husband, you know, my husband's not, he doesn't, he doesn't believe in ghosts. He doesn't, he doesn't really, you know, he still goes to the Catholic church on Sunday. It doesn't really matter. It's like it's a matter of like what works best for us as an individual. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And like I said, when it comes to things being like, you know, confirmed as facts and stuff, like sometimes the best moments on a paranormal investigation are when you scare yourselves. Yes. Right.

[00:29:54] I've never been on a paranormal investigation. That just sounds so fun. I'm like, I was telling Ashley, the other Ashley from Ghost But Gossip. I was like, girl, we got to, I want to come and join you on one of these investigations. That sounds like a good time. That sounds so fun. Honestly, it is. And like, I could tell obviously how well you two got along and like that would be like, I'd happily watch that you two looking for ghosts. That would be funny. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, because I feel like I don't, I don't get scared that easily.

[00:30:24] I really just don't feel like I do. It takes a lot for me to really feel really scared. So, but I guess I, I mean, other than when I was younger and maybe a couple of times as an adult, like I haven't really had a significant, like as a much older adult, like a significant paranormal experience that really scared me, I guess. Cause I always kind of like, if I would have one, I would be probably more excited about it than anything. Yeah. That's what I mean.

[00:30:53] That's, that's, that's what I think is funny. Cause to me, like I said, on ones, on ones I've been on, it's when, like you said, most of the time you're doing it in the dark, it's when someone will walk past something and knock something off a shelf. And, you know, it hits the floor and the noise scares the shit out of everybody. That scares you more than anything that you actually can't explain. It's weird. Absolutely. Absolutely. It's just funny, you know, cause you're like, you're just like everybody's tense.

[00:31:21] And then boom, something happens and then everybody's just like, oh my God. And then everybody starts laughing. It's fun. I mean, to be fair, like I'm very much the person, like I'm sat there recording and I hear a noise and I'm very much, what the fuck was that? That is me. But yeah, it is fun and I can't wait to get back into doing some more because I've not done one for a while now. Do they have a lot of haunted locations near where you live?

[00:31:51] Well, yeah. I mean, we, this entire fucking country is haunted. I mean, like we've got obviously the amount of pubs and everything that we have. And I have a rule that if, if you go to a pub and they claim they don't have a ghost and it's not a pub, it's only a pub if it's got a ghost. That's so fun. I love that.

[00:32:16] I've never, I've never been to one that doesn't, every single pub I've ever been to and I've been to a lot has some sort of ghost story to it. Really? Wow. That's so interesting. I didn't know that. It's because they're all that old. I mean, Christ, we've literally got pubs that are older than the actual country you're in. Yeah, that's true. I mean, because everything here is so new. In history. Yeah, exactly. Everything here is so new. That's what I love when I travel and I see all these places and everything is so old.

[00:32:46] Just everything here is like, my whole neighborhood is just only existed in the past like five years. Yeah. Well, that's what's always funny. So like, I've said the paranormal like TV programs. So like, our big one was Most Haunted and they're always at like, say, old pubs, castles and all that sort of place. And then you watch like ghost adventures and stuff, obviously in the US. Yes. And it's like, all you have is like asylums and stuff.

[00:33:15] You haven't got anything old and good and anything. You know what I mean? No, exactly. I mean, I have had, I mean, the house that I grew up in, I feel like was definitely haunted. And, you know, that was like, I think that was kind of like where it really got me even from as a kid. I don't know if I liked it when I was a kid. I can't say that I did, but I mean, I always felt like it was true even from back then.

[00:33:44] So I've always been a believer. Yeah. I've gone through like weird stages. So when I was a kid, I used to believe in it a lot. And then through like my teenage years, I was very, very skeptical. Then I came around a little bit to it, a little bit more. And then, well, since I've been doing this and since my son was born, because that little, I don't know, I'm not going to call him what I was going to call him.

[00:34:14] Like some of the stuff he does and reacts to that he shouldn't just like, there's no explanation. There's no other explanation for it. Oh, I totally get that. It's a weird. I feel that. Yeah. I mean, I think a lot of too, I think a lot of things kind of opened up inside me too, because my second son, he's, there's just something, something about him that's just like, he's very connected in a different way than my older son.

[00:34:39] And he has this like real earthy connection that I, and there's something like, he's so magical as a child. Like, I mean, of course you always think both of all of your kids are like super special and magical and stuff, but there's just like something specific about him. Like he knows things and he's, he's three and he says these crazy things. And I'm like, how would you even know that? Like how, where would you even get that information?

[00:35:06] Because I'm, I mean, to him, I'm just his mom, right? I'm not talking to him about all these different things that I'm interested in per se. So how would he even know that? It's just crazy. Kids are so perceptive. Well, as I say, it's like my son, like, I mean, my granddad died like, I guess it must be nearly 15 years ago. So, and straight away, as soon as he could, as soon as he was like, you know, hold himself up, could point, wave and laugh and stuff.

[00:35:33] Whenever he saw pictures of my granddad, he used to wave at him and point at him. Wow, that's amazing. All the time. Exactly. It's, it's, it's weird. It really is weird. And like, we always, because we've done the same with my brother's kids. Whenever we talk about my granddad, whenever we talk about my granddad, we'd refer to him as grandpa. Cause that's what they would have called him if they'd met him. And I, with my son, like you say to him, oh, where's grandpa? And like, he'll look around for a picture of him and find a picture of him and point at it.

[00:36:03] Well, kids are very open. Hmm. You know, they haven't been hardened by the world yet. Yeah. So. Well, a lot of people say that like everybody is born, like a lot of mediums and stuff that I've spoke to about, like basically everyone is born with that. And then it's usually about the age of five or six when it's like, I don't know, like people just seem to block themselves off from it for some reason. Cause I used to sit in my bedroom and just talk to people that weren't there until I was about five or six.

[00:36:32] Yeah. And you remember doing that? The weird thing is, is like, I remember doing it, but I don't remember anything I said or what was said back to me. But I do have, I do have a, there's a memory somewhere in my head of me just sat in the end of my bed, just, and I know I was talking to something. Don't know what it was. I mean, I remember as a kid, there was this tree across the street from the house that I grew up in.

[00:36:57] And I remember there, there was this little like entity or something kind of like growing out of the tree. And now looking back, I'm like, I, well, I'm someone that really believes in fairies too. And so I'm like, I really think that that was a fairy, like a, like a tree fairy, like growing out of the tree. And I remember so distinctly, I was standing there with this little critter growing out, coming out of the bark. And there were other kids there too. And they were like trying to poke it with the stick.

[00:37:25] And, you know, I wish I had someone that could confirm that for me. I'm like, maybe I just made that up in my mind, but I don't feel like I did because I can, I feel like I can just still see that moment so clear as day, but I was probably five when that happened. Yeah. That's the, that's the problem with our brains. Like you, you don't, I've got so many memories of, well, what I think are memories from when I was a kid. And I still don't know. You don't know.

[00:37:55] And like, sometimes you have no one to confirm that, those memories with. I mean, I don't remember the kids that I was with on that day. So, but to me, it's real. I've tried it before. I've said to like my brother and my sister and stuff. I'm like, I've said like, oh, do you remember when whatever? And they're just sat there like, what are you fucking talking about? And I'm saying, I guess that didn't actually happen then.

[00:38:20] I mean, it's interesting how your perceptions, you grow up with your, your siblings and you know, you go through life, but your experiences of life can be very different. Even though you grew up together. I didn't grow up with siblings, so I don't really, I mean, I can't say that for myself, but I grew up as an only child and I spent a lot of time doing my own things. Yeah. Yeah. Fair enough. Fair enough. So we, obviously we've gone a bit, a bit onto the paranormal there.

[00:38:50] You said, you said you've not had like many significant experiences, but have you had any that are worth talking about? I mean, I would say, you know, as a kid, my house that I grew up in, it was very, I mean, it was very old for the U.S., right? It was old for the U.S. And that house always had, it always had an energy to it.

[00:39:13] It was like this old Victorian home and I would have like these episodes at night and I don't know if it was, I would always wake up at night and I would always have these visions of like going out into the hallway and looking down the hallway and there would be somebody like standing in the bathroom at the end of the hallway and I would try to scream and I couldn't. And I just always remember being so like uncomfortable, like just uncomfortable in that house.

[00:39:40] And then we finally, my dad moved out of there when I was like in high school and we moved into another house. And once we moved into the other house, I never had that feeling, you know, feeling again. And so it always felt like that. And, you know, I also lived in a home, I also lived in a house temporarily when I was in my probably late 20s in the town of Monterey, which is this beautiful like ocean side town.

[00:40:09] And the house was really cute. It was like this little pink, it was like a little cute little pink house. It looked so unassuming on the outside, but on the inside there was definitely something. And I remember one night I was sitting in the bed and I felt like something like, and I was living in the house by myself and I felt like a pounding on the roof. And I thought someone was like trying to break into the house. And I was so terrified. And I set the alarm really quick. I even called the police. I was just so convinced that there was someone there. And they came out and they're like, no. My husband's like, it was probably a raccoon.

[00:40:38] However, I never saw raccoons around there. So I don't think it was a raccoon. But those girlfriends that I was talking to you about, they came up to visit me shortly thereafter. And they brought me like the most enormous bundle of sage I've ever seen in my life. And we went out wine tasting. We came back to the house. We decided to burn the sage. And the next morning when I woke up, there were burn holes like all over the bedding. The saging got out of control. It really did.

[00:41:06] We had burn holes on like the comforters. We had burn holes on the curtains. The sage went wild. But I actually felt after we did that clearing, like I felt so much better in that house after that. So I feel like there was something there. And it just kind of to me goes to show like you don't have to be in a place that looks scary or has like that, you know, that stereotypical look to it for it to have something going on inside of it.

[00:42:02] Yeah, exactly. And the only way I can describe it is there's somebody else in the house, but I don't know where they are. Right. Yeah. I mean, it's truly. That's the only way I can explain it. To me, it's just like this. It's a it's definitely just like a feeling or a knowing. And I've lived in a lot of places. I've moved so many times in my life. And there's only been those two places that I ever lived in that were really like there definitely was something. There was definitely something there.

[00:42:30] I mean, I even remember in that house when I was growing up, my parents got divorced when I was when I was young. So it was just me and my dad in that house. And I remember one day I I specifically I was upstairs by myself as I was a lot. And I and I just felt like there was somebody in the house. And I remember going downstairs to the garage and I was like my dad was hanging out with his buddies in the garage. And I'm like, Dad, there's somebody in the house. There's somebody in the house. And he came inside and he goes upstairs. And oh, God damn it. There's nobody here in the house.

[00:43:00] And I was like, well, there was there really was, you know. And but to me, there was. But I don't know. Was it just because the house was really old and the wood was creaking and cracking and settling? Maybe. But I don't know. It just felt like something more than that. And I've always like I can remember that feeling, you know, that that. Yeah.

[00:43:22] I've got I've got I've got a funny one for you then, because I've only I've not lived in many places, but I've lived in I've lived in enough different places. And there's only there's only one where I felt like there was constantly something there. And that was when when I first moved out when I was 17, I moved in with my girlfriend at the time. Stupid idea. That's another story. But we'd be sat in the living room on a night. And this is the.

[00:43:53] This was when I was in my in my like skeptical phase. But and this was the only thing. This was the only time ever during that phase when I sort of like questioned myself. And I was like, hang on, there's something weird happening now. So so we'd be in the living room, our bedroom directly above us. And not every night, but more, more, more nights than not. At least at some point during the night while we'd be sat watching TV, there'd just be footsteps going around in a circle.

[00:44:22] And well, I didn't know whether it was just our first time I moved out on my own. Is it all just in the head? But then the slightly funny part was, is that like I couldn't then turn to her and say, can you hear that? Because she was deaf. So it might have just been in my head. It's probably not. It was happening. There has to be something. I just feel like there has to be. Exactly. Definitely.

[00:44:47] Just if I think that that this is also like this isn't necessarily paranormal, but like my belief in fairies. It's like I've had several encounters over my life where I truly believe I saw fairies in real life. But I also think that's because I'm open and receptive to it. Right. Yeah. So if we're open and receptive to seeing these things, of course, we might have a higher chance of seeing them.

[00:45:14] If you're just a total skeptic, I mean, you can you can explain anything away. Yeah, true. But for me, it's just more fun to believe. Oh, definitely. Definitely. I mean, I draw the line at some things. Like you say, like yourself, I don't believe in an actual devil, like, you know, a little red bloke with a tail and horns and a pitchfork sort of thing. But then I also don't believe in any sort of God or anything either.

[00:45:44] Right. When it comes to that sort of stuff, I'm very much science over religion. But again, personal preference. But when it comes to, I mean, there's certain cryptids like, you know, like Bigfoots and Loch Ness monsters and stuff like that, that I think are much more credible than others. Sure. Sure. Sure. Yeah. I was listening to your recent episode about like the one of the last ones that came out with the Bigfoot and the UFOs and all that stuff.

[00:46:12] I just I love I love all that stuff, too. I mean, why not? I also genuinely believe anybody who says aliens are unreal should be tested. They have to be. I was just having this conversation at work yesterday. I was like, you know, you know, I mean, this is my belief is that, you know, aliens. I mean, I feel like there has to be entities from other places, but we only know how to perceive things in the way that we perceive things. Right. So we we wouldn't. But they're not of us.

[00:46:42] Right. So the way that they present was is probably not going to look like my shirt. Oh, no, definitely not. Definitely not. There's probably aliens among us, but who knows what they look like? I mean, they could look like an energy. They could look like another person. They could. We just don't know because we have no way to assume that. Exactly.

[00:47:02] But it's like it's that assay because, like I say, as much as I love the idea of aliens and UFOs and stuff and I'd love for, like, you know, some of the UFO sightings and all that stuff to. To be 100% real. And again, there's some that are a lot more credible than others. But I still don't know if any sort of aliens have been to this planet or not. But I think it's pretty much a mathematical fact that there is other planets out there somewhere. They say whatever universe they're in.

[00:47:31] But I also say that it would not surprise me in the slightest because there's that many, like, say, universes, solar systems, that many planets out there. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if there was another one out there that was essentially just Earth, like another planet with humans on. Like, not like another dimension or something, but just literally another Earth. Would not surprise me at all. I mean, it seems plausible. I mean, the universe is so vast and we only have so much technology at this point.

[00:48:00] And why not? Why not? And sometimes why would these? I mean, we're trying to find another planet. We're trying to explore space. They're probably trying to explore space. I mean. Well, that's what I mean as well. And I mean, like, Christ, we've only just made it to the moon. Like, you know what I mean? Right. I mean, I know. Well, we've been there before. I know that, you know, if you want to believe that.

[00:48:26] But, like, you know, it's only now, like, obviously, they're on a boat, NASA wanted to build a base on the moon and stuff. Like, I mean, that's the closest thing to us. And it took us a hell of a long time. It took us a hell of a long time to get there. Oh, yeah. I mean, so, like, really, what are the chances that there's anything else out there that have managed to get that more advanced that they can get to us? And, like, what are they going to want to do with us anyway? Well, exactly. Exactly.

[00:48:55] Are we really that interesting? No. I don't. No, not really. I mean, I'm just a mom. Oh, we go down to the other rabbit hole and say, is this all a simulation? But that's a, I think that's another. We're still doing a simulation rabbit hole, too. I'm here for that as well. Well, I wasn't expecting it to take that turn, but I enjoyed that. So, I want to quickly go back to the crystals and stuff. Yeah, sure.

[00:49:24] So, I want you to recommend me. I'll say three. I want you to recommend me three that I should get to go in the shed. Three for the shed. Okay. Yeah. For sure, you need a really good piece of black obsidian. I think you definitely need some labradorite. Was that like the bluey one? Yes. Is that the lab? Yeah. Okay. I'm definitely getting a labradorite vibe from you.

[00:49:53] And then I would definitely also say, just because it's really fun, a big piece of, because a big piece of smoky quartz. Yeah. Because it's pretty cool. I like it. It's pretty cool. And, you know, it's just, you can get so many different varieties of it. You can get it where it's almost like, where it's almost like black. And you can get it where it's not as dark. And I really like that, too.

[00:50:19] I mean, I do want some, just, I mean, even if it's just for the fact that they do look cool. I mean, and that's the thing, too. Even if you're not a believer, it's always just, it's something gorgeous that the earth made. So how could you not love that? And then my final really boring question is, is when it comes to crystals, what sort of price ranges are we looking at? Because like I said, I don't know nothing. Oh, yeah.

[00:50:48] I mean, I would say, well, anything that I've suggested to you would not be very expensive at all. I mean, I have some in my collection that are, I mean, I don't spend tons of money on it because I just, I can't. But like, I mean, you can get some, I don't know what the conversion rate for you would be as far as cost, but like anything you could get any, anything really good, probably.

[00:51:14] I mean, even like a big, huge piece of like quartz or something like that. I mean, any of these pieces you could probably get for under like 50 American dollars. So that's really not. That's not too much. No. Because it doesn't, I mean, this is the thing that I like to explain to people. The size of the stone, it doesn't really matter. It's the energy that it has. So just because you get like a big showy piece, that actually could be less helpful

[00:51:41] to you than like a smaller piece that you're able to carry around. Because I like, because for me, one of my biggest daily practices when I can, when I'm at work, usually like in the middle of the afternoon between seeing patients over my lunch, I'll go out and I just, I have my stone of the day, whatever energy that I want to carry. And I just carry my stone and I walk around and I listen to a podcast as I walk around the hospital campus. And it just kind of helps like recharge my energy for the day. And it kind of helps.

[00:52:10] I always feel like I get like a lot of creative downloads during that walk when I'm walking with my stone. I call it my crystal clarity walk. And, you know, for me, those smaller stones are often more powerful than any big piece that I can't really even move around. Yeah. I mean, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm just thinking now because I'm pretty, I'm sure my mom used to be, used to do a, have a lot of crystals around the house and stuff.

[00:52:37] Cause I remember where I remember being a kid and getting dragged into like shops and stuff that had them. And there would be some that'd be like, like, like free foot off the floor. And like, after, after we've spoke now, like you mentioned about bigger ones, I'm thinking to myself, what the hell would somebody do with that? Yeah. I mean, I think some of those big piece, like the big, like you see like the big, like the, the geodes that are like the amethyst geodes that are purple on the inside and they look like they've been cut out. But I mean, I think for that, that's just more decorative than anything.

[00:53:06] I mean, yeah, using that energy in your home or whatnot, but they're not very practical. I mean, one of my favorite stones that I have in my collection, it's actually on the cover of my podcast. I'm holding it. It's a big, it's a big labradorite sphere and I love it, but that thing is fricking heavy. You know, I mean, I can't just carry that thing around. It's really cool to look at. It's really cool. But I mean, practically it just, it just, it's more of a showcase piece for me than anything. Yeah.

[00:53:35] It's fun to take pictures with, you know, it makes me feel very mystical and magical. It makes me feel very witchy to have it. Yeah. Well, it's a little crystal ball, isn't it? So. Oh yeah. I love, give me a crystal ball any day and I am happy. I'm happy. Fair enough. Fair enough. Right then. Actually, I've really enjoyed this. So I think we shall leave it there. So just before we end, do you want to let my listeners know where they can find you and all that good stuff? Sure. Absolutely. So yeah, big, big crystal energy podcast.

[00:54:05] It's everywhere. Everywhere. And I usually spend most of my time, if you ever want to chat on Instagram at mystical.mama.ash. That's the easiest place. I also have a big crystal energy podcast Instagram, but I don't usually use that one as much. But yeah, I would love to chat anything. Crystals, witchy, woo woo, weirdo. I love it all. I love it all. Fair enough. Fair enough. Right then, Ashley. Well, thank you again.

[00:54:33] It's been an absolute pleasure having you in the shed with me. So we shall leave it there for this one. So as always, guys, go and follow our Instagram page at the Spooky Shed Podcast. The link in the bio there for all the other socials that I still don't use, but they're there. So I won't follow them anyway. Why not? And yeah, we'll speak to you next time. Bye. The Spooky Shed Podcast is a Podshed production.

[00:55:06] This podcast is part of Poddomity, the UK's podcast comedy network. Why not laugh at what else we've got? Visit Poddomity.com.