Words, Wisdom, and Vibrational Design with Sarah Rigano

Everything has a frequency, a vibration at which it resonates that informs and inspires. Even words. There's a unique energy attached to them, an energy rooted in intentions. They're our strongest communicative tools, so why not master 'em? Sarah Rigano, a vibrational designer, spacial shaman, wordsmith, and founder of Form and Light, is on a journey to do just that.

On Tuesday October 24th, in collaboration with our founder Laura Rubin, she'll lead attendees of our AllSwell autumnal journaling workshop through guided meditation, touching on seasonal intentions and grounded creative practices. Details (and tickets) here. In the lead up to the workshop, get to know Sarah below. 

How does writing play into your creative process?

To me, words are pure vibration, carrying the energy to create or destroy depending upon the intention with which they are crafted. Language lives at the core of my creative process. I maintain a constant desire to communicate consciously, often reflecting on if the energy I am creating through written and verbal interactions is delivered mindfully, clearly, compassionately. Checking in to see if what I am contributing is carrying my highest intention to elevate and inspire or if I need to potentially shift the narrative.

Tell us about your journey. How did you become a shaman?

I spent close to a decade furthering sustainable design within the fashion and home industries for CFDA award-winning brands and Fortune 500 companies. Super intuitive since childhood, around 2011 I was called to a journey of awakening which led to an even greater psychic and spiritual connection following a series of repetitive signs, synchronicity and teachers presenting.

I made the decision to leave my job in fashion to launch a consulting company and two days later Hurricane Sandy hit NYC. Seeing first-hand the power of Nature, the effects of climate change, the disastrous impact on people (physically and emotionally) and property (complete destruction) within one of the largest cities in the world was like nothing I had ever experienced. It shook me to my core and had me reflecting on if all is taken in an instant, what remains and is of true importance?

It was a real ‘there has to be something more’ moment that set me upon my shamanic path, forever changing my life trajectory and illuminating a need to live in balance and be of service to both people and planet. What followed was a five year journey of working with some of the most respected teachers and lineages and my initiation in a range of healing modalities including: Andean Shamanism (As a full mesa carrier), Masters in Usui and Shamanic Reiki, Energy Medicine, Stonalism, Past Life Regression Therapy, Aromatherapy and Quantum Sound Healing. 

What exactly is a vibrational designer?

As a modern day medicine woman I hold a deep connection and respect for the Earth as well as the seen and unseen worlds, recognizing the energy that exists in all, be it animate or inanimate objects, for everything has a vibration at which it resonates.

The spaces in which we dwell, our individual, interior and exterior environments are of no exception. What is without becomes within. What is within becomes without. The design of our world, designs us in turn; our experiences and energetic unfolding.

From this knowing my philosophy of Vibrational Design™ was born. It is an ideology that is mindful and intent driven, a calling in and manipulation of Light energy in the creation of sacred spaces and ceremonies for transformation and the realization of higher consciousness.

This manifests in a multitude of different ways as the needs of each client or company I align with are wholly unique, but can include everything from hands on energetic sessions at my office in Tribeca or remotely, energetic clearing and curation of interior spaces where inhabitants might be experiencing a dense or stagnant energy, to land clearings, crystal griddings and custom channeled ceremonies to mark seasonal and celestial events, rites of passage or even new product launches.

What role does journaling play in your practice? Is it something you recommend to your clients?

 I recommend a journaling practice to all my clients as I feel many of us have lost touch with the tactile nature of creation - the experience of witnessing our efforts manifest within the material as a physical expression of insight or emotion.

There is something very cathartic and healing about putting pen to paper and in my mind there is really no better way to release stress or energies that no longer serve than by getting them out. It's also a beautiful way to manifest new realities- an act of inspiration and reclamation through clearly stated intentions. For example, it could be something as simple as writing 'I am open to receive' a hundred times over on a page. That effort in itself creates an energetic trajectory, a frequency that sets vision into motion.

How can we better our creative process?

 I truly believe that the purpose of consciousness is to create and therefore we are all creators in whatever way, shape or form that manifests. I suggest the following to my clients…

Give yourself permission: to me, permission is paramount in the process. Your embodied experience is wholly unique. No one walks in this world as you do or sees as you see. Allow yourself the space to explore, to trust what comes through free of judgement. Know that creation is an evolving process, something we can revisit or reimagine if the end result does not resonate with our original intention. There are no rules.

Get Inspired: What excites you? Moves you? Inspires you to create?

For me it's Nature. We are living in a time when many of us feel separate from Nature rather than a part of it, so I am constantly working to reconnect the individuals I work with back to the Earth so they can see the beauty and aliveness in all things as a source of inspiration and strength.

Set Your Space: Our spaces directly influence our physical and energetic experience. Honor the creativity in you by setting aside a specific area where you will create. Turn the experience into a ritual or ceremony. Clear clutter that distracts. Cleanse energy that could interfere with sage or palo santo. Light a candle to ignite the creative fire. Add natural elements to inspire, perhaps it's a special shell found to remind of the sea, a flower or stone. I work extensively with crystal energies, so a few that support writing and creativity are sodalite, which opens the throat and third-eye chakra, also known as 'the writers stone,' blue kyanite which opens the throat chakra and aids in communication, and clear quartz which is magnifies and amplifies all energies.

Recite your favorite poem. Go!

I wrote this when I first began my journey and come back to it often as it reminds me of the beauty of evolution…

You know you are at the beginning, when you realize everything around you has to end. And so you begin, with the utmost trust, even in the face of the great unknown.

When’s the last time you put pen to paper? Tell us about it.

Writing is an integral part of my morning practice. I wake each day at dawn and free write before meditating, allowing whatever comes to move through me. It usually manifests in the form of poetry or prose, energetic downloads, dream reflections or intentions that open and inspire.

Other times it's an act of release that frees any density or emotions that I do not wish to carry throughout the day. The ones that speak to me the most live on my Instagram @formandlight which is the platform I am currently using to share my words. The process is very cathartic and brings an immense amount of joy, as do the reactions I receive when something I have written resonates deeply with another. To me, it's a beautiful reminder of the connection that exists among us all and how often our journey's are mirrored reflections.