Callie December, 2009

Opal

Opal is a delicate stone, a beautiful stone with a fine vibration.  When you look at Opal you can understand how this stone can stand for beauty, lightness, love, and passion.  It is seductive.  It has been said that Octavius Caesar was willing to sell one third of his Roman Empire for a single Opal.  Opal can help you open yourself up to love.  It has been called a “Cupid Stone” and said to grant wishes.

If you are born in October Opal is said to bring good luck, but if your Opal splits that is seen as a bad omen.  Wives and girlfriends gave Crusaders Opals to bring them back safely and bring luck and battle glory.  Opal is much more then a stone for love and luck.  Enhancing cosmic consciousness allows Opal to open up psychic and mystic visions.  Opal promotes astral projection and opens up the mind.  It can be programmed for all energies.  This energy is healing, creative, and original, even helping you go unnoticed.

Working with Opal tends to magnify energy and boost feelings.  Helping access and express your true self.  Opal is so absorbent and reflective it picks up thoughts and feelings, amplifies them, and returns them to the source.  This energy may feel like scattered energy, make sure you are centered before you use it.  If you are overly sensitive to energy you shouldn’t wear Opal daily.  Opal brings things to the surface for transformation allowing us to take responsibility for feelings.  This beautiful stone teaches you that what you put out comes back.

Tags: crystal, gem, opal, stone

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Callie November, 2009

Turquoise

When you are buying Turquoise, make sure that you are using a reputable dealer.  Sometimes Howlite is died blue and sold as Turquoise.  Most Howlite is naturally white and is easy to color.  Any reputable dealer will be honest with you and state whether it is turquoise in color or Turquoise the stone.  If you are in doubt, you can ask the dealer to tell you which mine the Turquoise came from.  Usually if the stone is very bright blue, that is a good indicator that the stone could be dyed.  The following website gives a few examples of dyed Howlite and plastic turquoise beads.  Genuine Turquoise will be more expensive, but it is worth it.

http://www.theturquoisechick.com/examples.htm

Turquoise is a stone of immense power and has a lot of legend and lore surrounding it.  Middle Easterners believed that it protected from evil spirits and the evil eye.  These protective properties extend to riders, protecting them from falls.  It even protected against negative energies.

The Navajo kept carvings of horses and sheep in Turquoise to guard against negative magic.  The bright blue color of Turquoise is said to change to warn of negativity in someone else, the stone may even break.  The color can fade when the bearer is threatened with danger, illness, or if under too much stress. Turquoise can absorb the oils in your skin and fade over time.  Most Turquoise dealers are now stabilizing the color to help avoid this fading.  This also helps harden the stone since Turquoise is a relatively soft stone.

In Tarot, Turquoise can represent The Hanged Man.  This card shows a state of inner peace and acceptance.  There is a strong spiritual element to this card; allowing you to understand that what was meant to happen will happen, Turquoise connects very strongly to that.  Turquoise in divination is very much a Karma stone.  It represents Karma and tells us that now is the time to sit back and let Karma take the reigns.  This stone is very spiritual and really encourages just sitting back and letting things happen as they are supposed to.  Trust in the universe to take care of you.   There is a natural order and it is present and in control, the more you fight it the harder the change will be.

Turquoise promotes courage, healing, luck, and serenity.  It attracts money and aids in creative problem solving.  As a Karmic stone, it helps you understand how things work and where you fit in.  This aids in the search for who you truly are.  Turquoise is a subtle stone that works slowly and with divine inspiration.

Some believe that it controls the weather.  Navajo threw it into a river while praying for rain in order to bring rain.  Turquoise guides hunter’s arrows.  It is a traditional gift for lovers.  It is said that it brings happiness and good fortune when given by a loving hand.  If there is infidelity, Turquoise will turn black.

It provides solace for the spirit and well being for the body.  By dissolving self-sabotage, it instills an inner calm that is uplifting.  It is an excellent stone for exhaustion, depression, or panic attacks.  It helps explore past lives and astral travel.  It shows how fate is ongoing.  Turquoise is a strengthening stone that unites the Earth and the Sky.

Tags: crystal, gem, stone, turquoise

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Callie August, 2009

Black Obsidian

Obsidian is igneous rock with inclusions from lava erupting and cooling within the earth.  The speed in which it cools prevents crystallization.  There are many different forms of Obsidian.  Sometimes bubbles get trapped and when they get densely packed that can give you gold, rainbow, or silver sheens to the stone.  Clusters of small cristobalite or feldspar can also get trapped in the stone, giving you Snowflake Obsidian.  Apache Tears are the result of wind and water smoothing out the rock.  Mahogany Obsidian is formed with Iron.  Black Obsidian is one of the most commonly worked with forms of Obsidian.

Black Obsidian is grounding and centering.  It represents strength.  This quality of Black Obsidian is why it is difficult to use.  While it is used in protection rituals and can allow you to see the situation or enemy when it is hidden, it does this in a very powerful way.

Black Obsidian is a stone without boundaries or limitations.  It works very fast and with great power.  Its reflective qualities are merciless.  It exposes flaws, weakness, and blockages.  When working with Obsidian nothing is hidden and we are compelled to grow.  Some support is lent during this process, but if you are not ready to deal with the issue at hand the stone can be harsh.

For example, if you are having money problems and work with Black Obsidian, it can bring the bill collectors to your door.  Without dealing with your issues of past spending, you are unable to grow.  In order to move past bad credit you have to take care of the bill collectors.  It lends you gentle support, but you may not be ready for that step.

Negative emotions and unpleasant truths can come rushing to the surface, it can be overwhelming.  Black Obsidian brings you face to face with who you truly are.  It connects you to your shadow side and teaches you now to integrate the two.  Negative energies are magnified so they can be fully experienced.  Use with care and only if you are able to consciously process what you will see and only for the highest good.  It can be difficult to use if you are not prepared to face reality.

Placing it under the pillow can draw out mental stress and tension and calm.  It can also bring up the reason for the stress and the reasons have to be confronted before peace can return.  This property can lead to nightmares.  Sometimes we are afraid of what we need to face.  You can combine with Clear Quartz if Black Obsidian is too powerful.

Black Obsidian is also used for divination.  It is a popular material for scrying.  There is a truth enhancing component to Black Obsidian that brings clarity and clears away confusion.  Black Obsidian is a talking stone, hold a piece over your ear and listen carefully, it is clairaudient.

This stone is also protective, it can block psychic attacks, dissolve emotional blockage, promote compassion, and strength.  Black Obsidian absorbs anger and can regroup scattered energies and protect from evil spirit.  If you are just beginning your work with crystals it would be better to begin working with a more gentle form of Obsidian like Snowflake, Mahogany, or Rainbow Sheen.

Tags: black, gem, obsidian, rock, stone

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Callie July, 2009

Aragonite

Being attuned to the Earth, Aragonite is an excellent Earth healer and grounder.  It can help center and ground physical energies, especially in times of stress.  It combats oversensitivity and restores balance.  If you push yourself too hard Aragonite can help facilitate delegating and help focus.  Aragonite can help rid you of nightmares and center during stress.

Aragonite transmutes energy from old experiences and paves the way for new ones.  It can help reach higher levels of awareness.  If you have feelings trapped inside Aragonite can help ease those into the conscious, it can change powerlessness into self-confidence.

In tiny mounts this mineral is responsible for the iridescent and pearl like sheen inside the shells of abalone.  It is the major mineral in the body structure of some shellfish and coral.  The wonderful shape of Aragonite can put on an otherworldly appearance that can create pictures in your mind.

Tags: aragonite, crystal, gem, stone

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Nyna Shtern March, 2009

Spring Cleaning

During this time of year, the winds are picking up, Marching us along to a more brisk beat as they blow us to and fro.  These winds symbolize more for us than new bothersome allergies and messed up hair.  They are the winds of change, making room for new things to grow into our lives.

New plants are beginning to push their way up through the soil, and new thoughts, people and opportunities are likewise trying to grow their way into our lives.  If we cling to old habits for comfort, we are not making room for new and better  opportunities to come into our realm.  Though an old shoe is  predictable and familiar, it is also not as comfortable as a new and more improved shoe can be.  Also the new shoe may allow us to walk faster down our life path.  As long as we keep such analogies in mind, all  the changes this time of year presents will happen much more smoothly.

A very suitable stone friend for helping in such times of change is Snowflake Obsidian.  This stone is the normal black of obsidian with white flecks in it, thus the name snowflake.  It is often called the stone of change, and helps us to emotionally and mentally adapt to changes.  In this, we see that the change is necessary and likely better for us though it may not seem so right away as we’re being dragged out of our comfort zone by the change that is presented.

Snowflake obsidian teaches us that in an old comfort zone we do not have room to grow.  Snowflakes and opportunities are  both fleeting, and must be tasted while they’re falling toward us, before they melt away.  The gentle grounding of this wonderful stone keeps us centered so that we may think clearly as each change comes with important choices.  If we’re too scattered and ungrounded, any choice can be unclear.  Snowflake obsidian, worn as  jewelry or carried in a pocket and held often, is a wonderful companion when riding the March winds of change.  May your emotional and physical spring cleaning bear much fruit of new opportunity.  As Always Happy Stoning!

Tags: crystal, gem, obsidian, snowflake obsidian, stone

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Callie February, 2009

Stone of the Month

Amber

This stone isn’t actually a stone; it is a natural resin from an extinct form of pine that was submerged under the sea.  The unique texture and formation of Amber has led to a lot of legends as to its formation everything ranging from the fossilized tears of Indian birds to the congealed rays of the sun setting and dew of sunbeams.  In Ancient Rome Amber was given to Gladiators for courage and in China it was thought that it could protect against fire and water.  Amber has one of the most versatile backgrounds of any stone it has been used for just about every magical purpose and even combined with other stones to strengthen their effectiveness.

Amber can hold an electrical charge.  If you rub it with silk or wool it can produce little shocks.  Since it has this ability to hold an electrical charge, it makes it very effective at holding a magical charge. If you hold Amber in one hand and rub it clockwise with the other you can focus on the energy you are wishing to store into the stone and then draw on it later when you need it.  This has led to Amber being called the Witch’s Stone and is often used to strengthen spells and is usually in necklaces of Wiccan Priests and Priestesses.

It was thought to improve memory.  Meditating with Amber can stimulate your memory.  Since only the wealthy could afford Amber at times, it has led to its association with prosperity.  There are strong earthy connections with Amber so it is an excellent healing stone, grounder, and cleanser.  Because it is considered a fossil there are also connections with longevity, life cycles, and time.  Amber reminds us to respect tradition.

The protection qualities of Amber are amazing.  It is especially effective in safeguarding children.  You can have them wear Amber beads or place pieces in their bedroom.  Amber promotes a positive mental state and enhances wisdom, balance, and patience while easing stress and enhancing decision making.  The Chinese visualized the souls of tigers transmuting into Amber upon their earthy deaths and Amber is considered to contain the very essence of life itself.

Images of fish, frogs, and rabbits carved from Amber were carried by women for conception and men wore lions, dogs, or dragons for potency.  Amber has the ability to absorb negative energies and transmute them into positive forces.  In this sense it can absorb pain and draw out negative energy and allow you to heal.  This even flow of energy that is promoted with Amber also lends itself to be used to cleanse other stones.  Since Amber automatically transmutes any negative energy that it has gathered there is no need to cleanse it.  This property makes it my favorite choice for cleansing and charging my stones.  Just storing it with your stones can allow it to draw out any negativity and then transmute it so your stones are always ready for work.

Tags: amber, gem, stone

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Nyna Shtern February, 2009

Learning From Stones

Just as humans were created with thinking minds, feelings, likes and dislikes, so did Mother Earth create stones.  Stones from the high grade ruby in your ring to the common ‘rock’ under your foot as you go for a walk, is a child of the earth.  Each has survived on this earth for thousands of years or more!  Each  has  a lesson to teach.  The trick is learning to hear and perceive these lessons from our earth elders.  Once this is achieved, the knowledge to be gained is boundless!

For example, garnet can teach how to keep the body’s aura strong which serves to protect from illness as all illness begins in the aura.  Green aventurine teaches our hearts the way of joy so that once we’ve learned how it works,  we’re always able to be happy any time we like.  Rose quartz can teach us of all the many and complex layers of love so that we may always be filled with it.  Those are just a few examples.  Each stone listed above can teach us these things and so much more!

There are numerous books written on the subject of the metaphysical properties of stones.  Many of those speak of stones as objects rather than living beings which were born and have grown in the earth.  Working with a stone as an object only limits the success that shall be reached with that stone.  Working with it  as another living being, and one who is much older and wiser than any human, opens the learning experience immensely.  It frees the mind of the student to hear more than he or she may expect.

There are several ways to communicate with a stone.  Meditation is a wonderful way to begin as it is done from a calm quiet place where all outside distractions are cleared away.  Meditating with a stone isn’t only for beginning to know a stone,  however.  it is quite useful to take a stone friend into meditation with you at all  times for messages and lessons.  To communicate with a  stone during meditation, try the following exercise.

Lie down and become comfortable.  Place the stone on your forehead.  If it is too big, lay it  just above you on the floor or a pillow, allowing some part of it to rest against the crown of your head.  This closeness with the head is so you may better receive the messages from the stone into your mind.  Relax  and deep breathe, taking yourself deep into a meditative state.  Then think of the stone you’ve taken into this peaceful journey with you.  Feel it against your head.  Just reflect quietly for a time on its energy before even trying to speak with it.  Can you feel it  doing anything?

Many times a person understands a stone’s actions or lessons in the way the stone is making him or her feel.  If, for example, if a person is meditating with or wearing a green  aventurine, and that person begins to feel quite happy, they’ve just learned a lesson.  Green aventurine is a very joyful stone, and it is teaching that person to feel joy.

If during meditation the stone is doing something, merely reflect on that.  Make a note of the activity as a lesson the stone is teaching.  There is no need to rush through the process, for the language of stones is very different from our words.  It is a mental language of feelings and concepts.  As the human mind isn’t used to speaking in this way, it requires some time to process and understand what the stone has taught.   Because of this, the information may not be fully understood until days later. That is perfectly fine.

After reflecting on  the stone’s energy for a time, open the conversation if you are ready.  Ask the stone what it does.   What are its talents and strong points?  What lessons is it willing to teach you?  Does it feel you need to learn any specific thing first over another?  If so, what is it?

Again give each question’s answer some time to sink into your mind.  Only move on to the next question when you are ready.  There is no specific time for when any of this should be completed.  It could be done  in one meditation or it could  take weeks.  Each person is as different as each stone, and we all move at our own pace.  You’ll find that some stones are faster than others, some more saucy, and some more calm.  Each stone  has its own personality, and getting to know it is a wonderful rewarding experience.

After you’ve  meditated with your stone at least once, you’ve at least begun the introduction process to becoming friends.  Carrying the stone with you everywhere for at least a week is a sure way to continue the process at a good steady pace.  Stone jewelry is convenient, as it is very easy to keep on the body at all times.  There are also bags for wearing about the neck for those stones too large to wear or for those people not interested in jewelry.  Pockets do fine as well.  Holding a stone in the hand while working or watching evening T.V. keeps the closeness going and allows person and stone to get even more in tune with each other’s energy.

While spending time with your stone, keep track of how holding it or having it on your person makes you feel.  For just as in meditation, this is the stone’s way of teaching and relaying messages.  If you’re looking for a particular lesson, and aren’t sure which stone can best teach it, a reference book  can never hurt if used properly.  For example, if you’d like to study the art of healing your own body from one of Mother Earth’s children, it is acceptable to research the metaphysical properties of healing stones.  However, don’t believe everything you read for it may not work the same for each individual.  Don’t assume the stone will have the same lesson for you that it did for the writer of the  book or article.  Instead, get the stone for yourself, and meditate with it.  Ask it if it will teach you what you wish to know.  If not, it surely has another lesson for you, so there was no loss.

The magic and knowledge in Mother Earth’s ancient children is far too vast to be covered in a mere article, or even a book.  There are so many different stones in the world, it would be next to impossible to speak of all of them in depth as they deserve.  There is also the fact that each person may have a different experience.  Many times a stone has some of the same lessons for everyone, but it is always best to check for yourself.  May your friendships with these earth elders be rewarding, and your lessons come just when they’re needed.
As always, happy stoning!

Tags: crystal, gem, gems, semi precious, stones

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