Purity
Somehow, we all intrinsically and inexplicably know that unicorns relate to divine purity, which includes purity of mind, body, spirit, energy, intentions, and emotions. This is the power of the archetype. An archetype is like a waking dream symbol that is common to a large number of humans. If symbol and myth are the language of the psyche, an archetype is a word in that language—a word we instantly understand without ever having been taught. There’s also some truth in describing an archetype as a universal interdimensional talisman: we see it, we dream about it, or we think about it, and some of its essence is conferred directly into our being. We paint it, we study it, or we meditate on it, and we conjure up its power to create positive change in our lives.
The Pure of Heart
What does it mean to be pure of heart? Is your heart pure?
As you may know, according to ancient Vedic wisdom, there is a chakra, or energy center, in the middle of your sternum called the heart chakra. This is your emotional center and the area of your body and energy field that corresponds with giving and receiving love. Even if you’ve never heard about this chakra, you know about it quite well: it’s the area that hurts when you feel grief, flips when you swoon, and swells when you hold a puppy.
In Sanskrit it’s called the anahata chakra, which may be translated into “unstruck.” Some say this is the name for the heart chakra because in order for our hearts to be fully open, we must cultivate the emotional state that resembles that of a child who has never been deliberately punished or wounded in any way. In other words, our heart must be unguarded; as the popular slogan goes, we must love like we’ve never been hurt.
When the heart chakra is unguarded, we see into the true, lovable, and loving nature of every living thing and the entire universe: the interconnection of all that is and the singular unified field. Our wariness lifts and dissolves away, and we are able to glimpse what is really going on here, which—despite any appearances to the contrary—is actually nothing but love.
This is the true nature of your heart and Who You Really Are: love. Pure love. From that pure love stems pure courage, pure peace, and a pure knowing that you are one with the Infinite, as well as with all other beings on earth.
So is your heart pure? Ultimately and at its core, yes. Its true nature is purity. But are you currently experiencing it as pure? Maybe … or maybe not. Many of us go in and out of experiencing our hearts as pure. Such a tender feeling in this sometimes rather harsh human world requires us to consciously purify ourselves at the heart level. It also requires us to learn ways to shield ourselves in the truth of love so we are not endlessly drawn into the illusions of suspicion, competition, struggle, and lack. With both of these tasks, the unicorn’s sparkling, spiraling horn can help.
The Sparkling Spiral
From a seashell to a hurricane to the whirling flutter of a falling leaf, nature spirals. Spirals are among the most primordial and universal human symbols, appearing in cave paintings, pyramids, and sacred texts all over the ancient human world. For kundalini yogis, life-force energy spirals upward from our tailbone and then throughout our body via the spinal column. In Greek mythology and modern medicine, the Rod of Asclepius, with its spiraling snake, is an eminent symbol of healing. And, of course, Watson and Crick famously discovered that DNA—the very building block of all life as we know it—possesses an intrinsic spiraling pattern.
Similarly, the unicorn’s luminescent horn has been much coveted for its ability to send its spiraling magic throughout anything it touches. It’s been said nothing can purify or heal quite as instantly, reliably, or completely.
The following exercise will purify you at the heart level, further attuning you to the frequency of the unicorn and further opening the portal to the realm.
55Unicorn Portal Key #3:
Detoxify the Heart
In the Middle Ages, alleged unicorn horns could fetch a shockingly high price for their fabled ability to neutralize all poisons. Similarly, unicorn sightings have often involved the unicorn touching their horn to a body of water and causing the water to bubble and swirl as a visible effect of the unicorn horn’s purifying dynamic.
This exercise unlocks a purity key: when you have it, you will have greater access to the unicorn’s magic because your heart will be pure. This key is a bright, iridescent white, and it spirals at its point like a miniature unicorn horn.
To begin, find somewhere quiet where you won’t be disturbed. Sit with your spine straight in a comfortable way. Close your eyes. Place your attention on your breath. Notice as you breathe in and notice as you breathe out. Notice your breath naturally begin to deepen. Become aware of tension anywhere in your body. Send breath to it and allow it to naturally soften and relax.
Become aware of your stomach area. See or sense a radiant sphere of white light behind your bellybutton. As you breathe in, see or sense this light getting even brighter. As you breathe out, see it expanding to fill even more of your body. Continue breathing in (and seeing it get brighter) and breathing out (and seeing it get bigger) until this light completely fills and surrounds your entire body. See and sense every cell transforming into light. Feel light and energy flowing all the way down to your fingers and toes, and all the way up to the crown of your head.
Now become aware of your heart area: the emotional center that feels both love and grief. See or sense it as a still, serene alpine lake, filled with deep, cold water. If there is heaviness, armor, or any other stuck energy in your heart, you might get the sense that the water in this lake is not entirely clear or clean. Don’t be alarmed by this.
Call now on your sun-aligned unicorn guide: the guide that emerged from the cedar grove during the previous chapter’s meditation. When this unicorn arrives in front of you, request that it detoxify and activate your heart chakra. You will sense your unicorn nod or simply look at you lovingly in silent agreement. Your guide will then stoop a majestic glowing head down toward you and lovingly touch a golden-white horn to the alpine lake at your heart center.
Feel your heart area swirling and becoming purified. See it being filled with spiraling sparkles of blinding gold and white. Breathe deeply. Sense that all toxins, heaviness, and darkness are being neutralized and removed. Continue to breathe until this process feels complete. Your solar unicorn guide will then meet your eyes with even more love. See and sense the alpine lake at your heart chakra as completely clear and pure, reflecting the vibrant blue of the sky.
Thank your unicorn guide with the potent pool of energy at your heart center. Feel gratitude and love expand to encompass this solar guide, and feel it boomerang right back to you. Love is a magical thing that never depletes itself; love given freely always generates even more love.
The purity key is now in your possession. Admire its brightly shining iridescence and place it on your etheric key ring.
When you feel ready, open your eyes and come back to the place where you’re sitting.
Creating Sacred Space
The pure of heart need a home that is not just shelter, but also sacred space: a consecrated temple, a magical laboratory, and a vortex of spiritual power. And where you live now can be that sacred space. It doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, grand or humble, rural or urban. It also doesn’t matter if you live alone or with others, or whether you own, lease, or camp out in someone’s basement.
Actually, where you are now is already sacred, if for no other reasons than two: (A) it’s built on our sacred Mother Earth, and (B) it’s inhabited by such a sacred being as you. (Remember: in truth, you are a divine, eternal being. As such, the very earth you walk on is sacred. Not just because our planet is sacred all on its own, but also because you walk on it.) The idea, then, is to recognize and treat it as sacred. That way, your pure, loving, magical heart will have a place to blossom and thrive.
Begin by choosing to love where you live, wherever it is and whatever it looks like. Be aware that choosing to love where you live does not mean you have to live there forever. It simply means that you appreciate it and reverently treat it as a home for your spirit in this singular moment in time. (There is only one moment, after all.)
If you don’t already love where you live, you can start by loving that you have a place to live at all—somewhere that keeps you safe, warm, and dry. You can further love that the land on which your home was built remembers its free and wild nature. Once you acknowledge and honor this truth, you will find that the ground beneath your feet emanates a sacred healing vibration all its own.
Once you’ve made the simple inner shift into loving and appreciating where you live, the following practices will further guide you along the path to establishing sacred space: space that protects your pure heart (thereby keeping you aligned with the unicorn realm) while promoting energy, vitality, peace, serenity, inspiration, creativity, harmony, clarity, and love.
Clear your clutter
As much as possible, free yourself of the burden of stuff. In the wise words of author and tidying expert Marie Kondo, “I can think of no greater happiness in life than to be surrounded only by the things I love. How about you? All you need to do is to get rid of anything that doesn’t touch your heart. There is no simpler way to contentment.”3
Clean
The forest, the unicorn’s natural domain, has its own self-cleaning mechanisms: namely, the elements. The earth receives decay and transforms it into rich soil that feeds the fragrant flowers and trees, which in turn clean toxins out of the air. The air blows dead leaves from the trees and clears the earth of brittle vegetation. The sunlight powerfully purifies and disinfects. Rain falls and makes everything sparkle, burgeon, and bloom with fresh vitality. That’s why spending time in the forest makes us feel so clean.
Indoor spaces, on the other hand, need us to embody the elements on their behalf. The good news is that cleaning to create sacred space is much more satisfying than plain old cleaning to clean, and the only difference is the intention behind it. When wiping down surfaces and washing windows, set the intention to embody a rainstorm. When vacuuming or sweeping, be the wind. And, of course, you can also honor nature and the elements by selecting earth-friendly cleaning products and ones that are scented with natural essential oils.
Clear and bless the energy
Meadows and woods aren’t just physically clean: they’re energetically clean as well. Being open to the sky and elements and filled with forest fauna and flora confers an invisible yet palpable aliveness and ambience.
Of course, your interior living space can’t be the forest, but you can fine-tune it in such a way that brings in some small measure of that vastly sacred ambience.
In legends of both Western and Eastern origin, the presence of a unicorn is often accompanied by the sound of tinkling bells. So to begin to clear the space in your home, obtain or locate a bell, a string of bells, a chime, or a wind chime that has a fresh, clean, brightly tinkling sound. Ring or jingle it repeatedly as you move in a counterclockwise direction throughout each room and area of your home. As you do so, feel, imagine, and sense that the sound’s vibrations are moving into every corner and molecule of the space, raising and purifying the energy as you go.
Unicorns are also said to have an affinity for the scent of cinnamon. Aromatherapeutically, it purifies the space and attunes it to the frequency of spiritual sweetness. So next, light a stick or cone of cinnamon incense. While carrying a dish or plate beneath it to catch any burning embers, again move in a generally counterclockwise direction throughout each area and room. (Metaphysically, counterclockwise is the direction employed for cleansing, clearing, unwinding, and unbinding.) When this is complete, you can place the incense in an incense holder and allow it to burn all the way down, or if that’s quite enough smoke for you already, you can extinguish it.
Lilacs are another botanical associated with unicorns. If you magically happen to be close to a blossoming lilac tree, gently and lovingly snip a bloom. Pour spring water in a clear glass bowl and use the flower to asperge (fling water drops) lightly around your space. Move in a clockwise direction this time to seal in the positive energy.
If you don’t happen to be near a blossoming lilac tree (which is likely: they only bloom for a short time and in specific climates), the next best thing would be to obtain some actual lilac essential oil and add ten to twelve drops to a mister of spring water. (I say “actual” because lilac essential oil is also somewhat elusive: it’s not generally a mainstay at holistic health centers and health food stores. That’s why, if necessary, you can substitute jasmine absolute or essential oil of ylang-ylang. Just be sure that whatever you use is 100 percent natural.) While moving in a clockwise direction throughout each room and area, shake the mister and lightly mist the space to set the sacred vibration in place.
To keep your space feeling sparkly and sacred as can be, you can repeat this process, or any part of it, as you feel guided. The more you align with the realm of the unicorn through reading and performing the exercises in this book, the more you will be unlocking your sensitivity. When your space needs fine-tuning, you’ll be able to sense it. Trust what you sense.
Vibe up your décor
It’s possible that your décor is already good and vibed up, or it may need a little tweaking, a partial makeover, or even a complete overhaul. It doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive. In some cases, vibing up your décor could involve releasing things rather than bringing in anything new. Just ask yourself these key questions:
Do you love all your artwork, and does it depict something you’d like to experience? Imagery is powerful. If a picture, painting, or sculpture in your home depicts an energy, mood, or condition that you wouldn’t want to call into your psyche and life experience, get rid of it. And if it doesn’t uplift you and bring you joy, get rid of it. Then, if it’s time for some new artwork, choose pieces that make your heart sing.
If you have plants, are they all vibrantly healthy? To establish space in your home that is sacred in the way a forest is sacred, your potted plants must be lush, nourished, and green. If any of your plants aren’t healthy, do your best to nurse them back to health. If you see no improvement in a couple of weeks or so, give them to a friend with a green thumb or release them back to a compost heap or the earth. (Trust me: it’s best for everyone, including the plant.)
If you don’t have plants, would you like some? After all, the forest is filled with trees. The energy in your own personal sacred space will benefit immensely from a healthy parlor palm, a peace lily, or some lucky bamboo. (Or really any other kind of plant that you would feel good having around.)
Is your home comfortable and uplifting? Do you feel magical, relaxed, and inspired when you’re home? Does spending time at home rejuvenate you? If not, what could you change in order to answer yes to these questions? For example, maybe your couch could use a soft, purple throw blanket, maybe a less-than-inspiring view from one of your windows could use a sheer and colorful curtain, or maybe the sound of running water from a desk fountain will help your home become the sanctuary you crave.
Set up an altar. If you haven’t already, anchor the sacredness of your space with an illuminated hub of divine inspiration, also known as an altar. An altar may be small or large, elaborate or simple, hidden or in plain view. You may set it up on a shelf, a tabletop, or a corner of a countertop or workspace. If you live in a small or shared space, you could even set it up inside a closet. (If possible, though, it’s a great idea to place it in such a way that you can sit in front of it for your visualizations and other meditative exercises in this book.) The important thing is that gazing at it uplifts you, energizes you, and encourages your sense of wonder.
For the purposes of this book, it’s best if the central item, or focal point, of your altar is a depiction of a unicorn. This could be a small framed postcard or gift card, a larger framed painting or drawing, a statue, or even a glass or porcelain figurine. If you’d like, you could also find or create two depictions: one to represent each of your unicorn guides. Take your time to find or make something you love.
Add at least one candle in any color (or all colors!) of the rainbow, and your image will become an altar. You can stop there or add other items as well, such as incense in an incense holder, flowers, apples (unicorns love them), crystals, or anything else that feels right. You might also consider adding an image of the phoenix or the butterfly (whichever one you chose in the last chapter). Some people like to spread an altar cloth underneath it all before they position everything, but this is not necessary. Just make sure you love everything you choose and that it feels right when you place it on the altar. Tweak it until it clicks.
Do be aware that altars need tending. They’re not mere décor: they are living, breathing portals between the everyday realm and the realm of magic. This means you don’t want your altar to just sit there and collect dust. For example, regularly light the candle, cleanse the crystals in running water and sunlight, and keep the flowers fresh. Also rearrange it as often as the mood takes you. If you sit in front of the altar when you meditate and perform other exercises from this book, those would be ideal times to tend to these concerns.
3. Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2014), 202.