If you ever feel like you’ve strayed from your path and you’re not quite sure which way to go, just find east! While most compasses want to find north, for shamans and magicians east is the more powerful cardinal direction for finding knowledge and guidance.

East is the direction of knowledge, understanding and enlightenment; it’s the direction of the Sun and the place where all life begins. When you’re feeling lost, you can ask the Winds of the East for guidance, pray to the east, or just meditate facing east.

One of our favorite exercises is to practice finding east psychically:

1. Find some open space outside and stand quietly for a few moments.
2. Close your eyes and slowly spin around a few times.
3. Raise your arm parallel with the ground and point the index finger of your dominant hand (the hand with which you normally point).
4. Keeping your arm raised, slowly spin around until you feel yourself facing east. Some people feel “locked in” when they face east and others just feel a desire to stop turning.
5. Open your eyes to verify whether you are facing east.

Don’t worry about whether you actually find east on your first few tries. Your sense of east will develop with practice. It’s often the practice of finding east that yields more benefit than actually pointing to it.

We’ve also found that when we’re “locked on” to our path in life, finding east is easier, and when we’re lost it’s harder. This simple exercise can be an internal compass that tells you how closely you’ve stuck to your path. Enjoy!