Crystals for Self Discovery

Many countries celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival on October 12, 1492, in the Americas, as an official holiday. It became a federal holiday in the United States in 1937, and as a child I always enjoyed having that day off school. As I got older and studied history, I began to question the cultural myth that surrounded this holiday. The first question to come up was, "Why do we celebrate Columbus' discovery of America when he never set foot on the North American continent? Shouldn't a day go to Amerigo Vespucci, who this country is named after?" The second question comes reading Ivan Van Sertima's book They Came Before Columbus: "How can someone claim to discover a new world that already has inhabitants and that the Africans and Norse had already visited. But at any rate, here we are and today I'd like to discuss a few stones that can help us on our voyage of self discovery.
   Moonstone is a beautiful stone connected to the moon, femininity, and intuition. Just as the moon has no light of its own, but reflects the light of the sun, moonstone causes us to be introspective and reflect. It calls us to go within and take a look at our emotional triggers and calms the mind and spirit.
   Malachite was once called the "midwife stone", so it can be a powerful ally in birthing the authentic Self. You can do this by gazing at the stone. Since malachite has many swirls, lines, and beautiful patterns, this stone helps us to bring our unconscious behavior patterns to the surface and dissolve those that no longere serve us. This stone shows you what is blocking your spiritual growth and helps you break unwanted habits.
   Another stone associated with the power of the moon is selenite. Selenite is named after the Greek moon goddess Selene and it does an excellent job of bringing pure light into the auric field. Like clear quartz it helps clear the mind and open up the crown chakra higher wisdom and guidance. Selenite is a great stone to use for meditation or spiritual work. And it has a strong cleansing and purifying energy.
   Next to clear quartz, amethyst is probably the most popular and versatile gemstone available. It is a wonderful comnpanion along life's spiritual journey. Amethyst helps to deepen meditation in order to gain insight and understanding. You can wear amethyst jewelry to improve memory, set realistic goals, and aid decision making. Derived from a Greek word meaning "not drunk", amethyst helps a person to maintain focus and take a sober look at his/her reality. It is also a good stone for dream work.
  Obsidian is an amorphous stone, meaning it has no definite shape. It is volcanic glass; lava that has cooled so quickly that it did not have time to crystalize. Thus it will help you to go beyond any of the boundaries that you have created for yourself. Obsidian combines the powers of both fire and earth energies. It acts like a magic mirror, uncovering what is hidden, exposing flaws, weaknesses and blockages. It reveals the truth about the self and supports you in making needed changes. I often tell people that it is best to use this stone in small doses: 3-7 days at a time, and work closely with a coach, theripist, or counselor. If you are brave enough to face your own shadow, this stone will give a deep soul healing.
  So there you have it; a few crystal tools to help you explore the depths of your soul  and mine the greatest treasure ever: knowledge of self.

 Gemstones for the Workplace
    In the US, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country. Labor day also has an added meaning for me since my son was born over Labor Day weekend but you'll have to wait for my upcoming book where I discuss crystals for fertility, healthy pregnancy, and labor). I want to talk about stones that support the following 5 key areas that lead success at work: motivation, cooperation, clear communication, creativity, and productivity. I'll also talk about which stones can be used to relieve stress at work, and also provide protection. You can boost your performance at work by either wearing these stones as jewelry, placing them in a small dish on your desk, or placing them between you and your computer monitor.
   You can use various red stones to help you with energy and motivation. Garnet is great to carry with you to help you overcome that mid-afternoon slump and gives you the energy to get you through to quitting time. According to the Crystal Bible v.1, square cut garnets are said to bring success in business matters, p. 136. Red and yellow jasper can help you to put your ideas into action. Fire agate helps to boost your energy, preventing burn-out. Pyrite, citrine, yellow calcite, and flourite are all stones that help stimulate creativity. Fluorite nalso helps with decision making and organization. And Tiger's eye with its combination of gold and brown helps you see your worth, increases the focus needed you to accomplish your golals, and manifests your will.
     Clusters are great to have around the office. Clusters have multiple points that grow out of a single base. They remind me of a family or community joined together by a common foundation, for a single purpose. A clusters are excellent stones for enhancing group energy, for team building or negotiations. They can radiate energy into an area and absorb harmful, unwanted energy. You can place a cluster in the center of a meeting table so that everyone works together harmoniously.
   Blue and blue-green stones are wonderful for clear communication. Wear a pendant with blue lace agate, chalcedony, ammazonite, or turquiose. You can also place these on or around the phone to encourage clients to call.
   The following stones can be used around your computer to help shield you from EMF, or electromagnetic frquencies: black tourmaline, malachite, rutilated quartz, smokey quartz, hematite, tourminalated quartz, and amethyst.
   Amethyst clusters are becoming a common site in the workplace. Amethyst is not only attractive, but is protective, and calming. Other calming stones to keep nearby are lepidolite, blue lace agate, and rose quartz.
   Various black stones such as black tourmaline, jet, onyx, and hematite are great protection stones to have on hand when you feel you are under attack by a boss or a co-worker. You can place these in a small dish on your desk to act as a shield or barrier. Or you can wear inexpensive hematite jewelry that is very popular as well as stylish. Hematite also helps with grounding, focus, clear thinking, and detail  & technical work. Ammonite, which is a fossil, is protective and absorbs negativity. Because of its sacred geometry, it is believed to bring order and stabilty to your life.
   Ocean jasper, larimar, aquamarine, coral, and shells bring in the calming, soothing energies of the sea. Place them in a break room  or a quiet spot in your office, along with a few nice plants, and it's like taking a mini tropical vacation!
  So there you have it: a wide variety of gemstones and crystals to choose from to improve your work environment as well as your performance. So spend your Labor Day in ease and flow.

Here Comes the Sun!
   Happy Summer Solstice to All! I was very blessed to wake up very early today to praise the Divine Creator and to be thankful for all the good things in my life. I am always amazed and in awe of how the Divine shows up in circumstances and the people that I meet. I had planned to take a little cat nap before getting ready for work, but the call of the sun was just too strong! I hopped out of bed to see that the light at 6:35 a.m. looked as radiant to me as the noonday sun! So to honor the sun at its height, on this longest day of the year, I would like to discuss a few stones that encapsulate and ground the energy of the sun to me. Many of the stone I'll be discussing have an affinity for the 3rd or solar plexus chakra. This chakra’s element is fire and its main color is yellow. This is the energy center that concerns the will, self-esteem, intellect, personal power, physical energy and vitality. The solar energy (sol=sun=soul) is the core of your being. Your sun sign is how you identify yourself, your dominant personality. There would be no life, no you, without the sun. When you are tapped into your sun, your Source, you literally light up the room with your presence! It's that "sunny disposition" that people talk about. You have an infinite reserve of creativity. I often tell people if they feel depressed wear something yellow. It is impossible to stay sad when you are rockin' bright yellow!
   You cannot talk about the sun without talking about sunstone. Sunstone is a feldspar; it is a member of the same family as its sister moonstone. Sunstone may be a little harder to find and a bit more expensive, but if you can get it, it is worth it! When the light hits it just right you can see the flashes of fire contained within it! Sunstone is linked to luck and good fortune. Sunstone instills good nature, heightens intuition and allows the real self to shine through happily.  It acts as an antidepressant, increases self-worth and confidence, and encourages optimism and enthusiasm. Believed to be a piece of the sun, sunstone was prized by ancient magicians, who used it to attract the strength of the sun and it's associated power and wealth.
   A golden, sunny favorite that I have been working a lot with lately is citrine. Citrine is a member of the quartz family whose color ranges from pale golden to brown. It gets its name from the French word for lemon. Natural citrine is somewhat rare. Most citrine on the market is heat-treated amethyst, but the properties are the same. Check out Hibiscus Moon's latest blog entitled "Is Your Citrine Real or Fake & Does it Matter?" to get a detailed explanation on citrine is formed. http://hibiscusmooncrystalacademy.com/citrine-real-fake/ Citrine is one of the few stones that never needs cleaning, since it is able to automatically transmute negative energy to positive. Citrine, like all yellow stones corresponds to the solar plexus chakra, and is assoc. with creativity, self-esteem, and optimism. Because of its golden color, citrine is also known as the merchant stone, said to bring a person wealth and success. Citrine is a great stone for detoxification. A gem elixir can help you to eliminate toxins and excess weight. It is also great to wear while clutter clearing. It helps you to release those things that you no longer need.
  Yellow or Golden Topaz is a stone to manifest your intentions in alignment with Divine Will. Topaz is one of the twelve breastplate stones of the High Priest of Israel referred to in the Book of Exodus. It sends out positive energy to yourself and to all who needs it around you. I once recommended this stone along with amber to a friend to wear so that she could have success in a court procedure. She came back a couple days later to ask, "What did you do to me? Ever since I've been wearing these bracelets, I cannot get mad! People cut me off in traffic and it doesn't bother me. My boyfriend will say or do something, and I get hot for a minute; but I cannot stay mad at him!" All I could do was look at her and smile. Golden or Imperial Topaz recharges your spiritual battery and increases your energy level.
   Another breastplate stone is Peridot, also known as Chrysolite, a variety of Olivine. It's lovely apple green color works on both the solar plexus and the heart chakra. Peridot is a powerful cleanser; it releases and neutralizes toxins.  It alleviates jealousy, that green-eyed monster, along with resentment, spite, bitterness, hatred and greed.   It is the birthstone of those summer babies born under the sign of Leo. It enhances confidence and assertion, motivating growth and change. But you can wear this stone to bring out your best whether it's your birthstone or not.
   Tiger's eye is another stone that shines with the light of the sun due to it's inclusion of asbestos. Tiger's eye is a stone of protection and manifestation. With it's combination of heavenly gold and earthy brown, it has the power to focus the mind, bringing the golden ideas of the divine onto the earth into form. Tiger's Eye is said to bring luck and money, but only if we ACT on the creative ideas that we get from Spirit. So "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:17 NIV. Tiger's eye helps to strengthen your courage, willpower, and confidence. The gold light from the crown chakra meets the brown light of the earth chakra at the center, at the heart chakra, helping you to feel more grounded, centered and balance, and less emotional.
   Next, orange calcite has strong energizing and cleansing properties. Orange Calcite can be used to get the positive energy of sexuality and creativity moving and flowing! It assists in moving stuck energy from the solar plexus. Orange Calcite offers protection, increases happiness and vitality. Placing this stone in a room, holding or wearing it as jewelry or placing it in your pocket, can help remove stagnant energy bringing light, joy and happiness into your life.
   These are just a few stones that can help you get in touch with the energy of the sun today. They'll have you, in the words of Jill Scott, "Living your life like it's golden"!

Gardening with Crystals

  June is here and many people now have their gardens up and running. The spring blossoms have started to give way to a hearty, vibrant green as we gear up for summer. Ah, those long hot days which are needed for many of the fruits and vegetables we will be harvesting in the fall. I am looking forward to restarting my square foot garden, something I haven’t done since I left my home in Norfolk, VA, back in the year 2000. Crystals and stones are gifts of the earth so it is natural that they have a place in the garden. They can be utilized not only to beautify and create boundaries, but also to support the growth of healthy plants. Here are just a few that you can use in the yard or garden to make it a sacred space.

   Tree agate is a very useful for healing the environment and supporting the growth of trees and plants of all kinds. You can tell that just by looking at it. It is a beautiful white stone with green branches throughout it. You can place it around the garden area to encourage germination and growth. This stone also increases your connection with the earth, and deepens your rapport with all living things. You can keep a piece in your pocket while hiking in the woods for protection as well.

  Similarly, Moss Agate is another gemstone for enhancing your connection with nature.  Moss Agate is associated with healing, new beginnings, and abundance. This gentle, nurturing stone encourages you to appreciate and enjoy time spent outdoors, and assists the planet in its healing as well. Wear a piece of moss agate while gardening to help you tune into the energies of your garden. Put Moss Agate around plants in the ground or a plant pot to encourage growth and a healthy harvest. Moss Agate can be used to send healing energy to the Earth or the healing energy of the Earth to others. Moss agate is often used to attract prosperity and abundance.

  Another crystal useful in the garden is Green Calcite. Green Calcite is a pale, somewhat waxy green stone that is said to belong to the small earth spirits of the woods and meadows. Offering a small stone with thanks to these elementals can result in a lush and beautiful garden. Green calcite is also a healing stone. You can place green calcite in a flowerpots or around trees to bring peace and calm to the area.

   Malachite is another green stone that is useful in the garden. Malachite is considered a “birthing” stone that can assist midwives in their work. With its patterns of swirls and lines Malachite helps to release old habits and promote forgiveness. The Ancient Egyptians used malachite as a fertility symbol and it was associated with vegetation, agriculture and healthy crops. Its rich green color makes Malachite is a stone of balance, abundance, and healing. It is also a protective stone, absorbing the negative energies of electromagnetic frequencies emitted from power lines, TVs, phones, and computers. Placing this stone in the garden as well as around the house will help protect your home from these influences.

     Jade also helps us connect to earth energies. Jade is a sacred stone of China, but it is known worldwide as a stone of wealth, wisdom, health, long life, and overall good luck. It has been carved into various animal images, Buddhas and other deities. Wear jade while gardening or bury pieces around the border of the garden to help plants to grow strong and healthy. Jade will bring peace, love, tranquility and serenity to your garden space.

   Green Aventurine is another stone for abundance, good luck, healing and growth. It helps to brings balance to the heart and body. It can be used to attract wealth and abundance when carried in a pouch. Wear it while gardening to help you attune to the spirits of nature, or place in the garden as an offering to them.

   Green tourmaline also helps to strengthen our physical bodies as well as our connection to the planet. Tourmaline is known for its ability to absorb large amounts of harmful energy from those who wear it as well as the environment. Therefore, it is very protective. Like many green stones green tourmaline is healing and allows us to live in greater harmony with the environment. Its green color is attuned to the heart chakra center, deepening our relationship with the natural world. It can also be used to attract money and success.

    If you are an artsy, creative type, you can string crystals to make sun catchers or agate slices to make wind chimes and hang them from trees. I wish you much success in creating the garden of your dreams.

Stones for Memorial Day

Memorial day is a U.S. holiday that occurs on the last Monday in May. Previously known as Decoration Day, this holiday started shortly after the Civil War to honor those who died in that war and all who have died while serving in the military since then. People commemorate the day by going to the graves of loved ones and decorate them with candles, flags, and flowers. The following are a list of stones that would be appropriate to use in your personal ritual to honor your loved ones on this day.
   Amber is not technically a stone; it is fossilized tree sap. You can sometimes get pieces with bits of insects or plant material embedded in it. Since it was once a living substance, amber is associated with the ancestors and ancient wisdom. It is also a powerful protective amulet. And it's sunny yellow color can help to bring in light to a grieving heart.
   Petrified wood comes from ancient trees whose wood over time was replaced by various minerals. It becomes hardened, yet the structural details are are preserved. So like amber, petrified wood is another stone closely associated with the ancestors and ancient knowledge. It is also very protective. The idea of the "family tree" and researching your "roots" illustrates the close relationship between trees and our relatives. You can use this stone to help ground and stabilize your emotions and give you strength and support.
    Smoky quartz is a calming stone that is more yin than yang, meaning that it tends to absorb energy rather than radiating it. Therefore it is an excellent stone for grounding and stabilizing the body and mind. It is a wonderful support for those who are grieving by releaswing scattered and confused energies, balancing emotions, and reducing anxiety and depression. According to Marguerita Elsbeth in her book Crystal Medicine, smoky quartz can be used twhen praying to heal the ancestors (p.186)
   Apache Tears is a form of obsidian, or volcanic glass, that is used for protection and comfort in time of grief. The name Apache tear comes from a Native American legend. In the 1870's the U.S. Calvary and about 75 Apache fought on a mountain overlooking Superior, Arizona. The Apache were outnumbered and nearly defeated. And rather than being captured and killed they rode their horses off the cliff, falling to their deaths. When they heard the news, the wives and families of these warriors gathered to mourn near the site and it is said that when their tears hit the ground, they turned to stone. The legendary Johnny Cash wrote a song called Apache Tears for his album Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian in 1964. This is another stone that can be used to honor our beloved fallen soldiers and help ease our pain.
Pink or Mangano Calcite helps to clear the heart chakra and restore emotional balance. It is calming and centering and is useful in opening the heart and remembering our ancestors with love. This is a stone that has helped me tremendously when I was experiencing heartbreak. It seems to be gentler and work more slowly and deeply than rose quartz.
   Lepidolite has been called a "stone of transition" and a "stone of peace". Lepidolite is a relaxing, soothing stone that eases stress. This pink to lilac stone helps to balance the mind and the heart. Containing a high amount of lithium, lepidolite helps to stabilize mood swings, and ease depression,promoting deep emotional healing. [Along with amethyst it can help support the release of addictions.]
  So there you have it: some stones that will give you support and help you honor your departed loved ones. Until next time, be blessed.

Spring Cleaning with Crystals

  Spring is upon us!  There is a surge of excitement as we anticipate longer and warmer days. As crocuses and daffodils push through the ground and trees begin to bud, we are eager to shed our heavy coats and reach toward the sun with them. It is the March equinox, which marks the beginning of the new solar zodiac year in the sign of Aries. The equinox is all about balance & harmony, the time when day and night are of nearly equal length. It’s the season of Passover, Easter, and Ostara where we celebrate rebirth and new beginnings, re-establish hope, and plant new seeds. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is the season of the Wood element. The wood element is connected with the color green, its flavor is sour, its direction is east and the associated organs are gall bladder and liver. When the wood element (the liver and gall bladder) are out of balance it creates a condition called biliousness: anger, mood swings, irritability, lack of motivation, etc. This is the perfect time for cleansing, goal setting & planning and there are many crystal that can help support you.

    Aventurine is a green member of the quartz family that aids healing and growth. It attracts good luck and prosperity. It also promotes the opening of the heart chakra and the healing of the emotions.

  Citrine brings out one’s soul purpose; increases self-esteem & confidence, aids creativity, and attracts abundance. It is a great stone to wear while clutter clearing because it helps you to release those things you no longer need. A gem elixir of citrine can help you to detoxify the liver and shed excess weight that was gained during the winter months.

  Tree Agate is a white chalcedony with green mossy or dendritic inclusions that resemble trees. Tree agate helps you to see the beauty of nature. It is also a good stone to use for a grid around your garden to improve the growth and health of the plants.

 

  Garnet is an energizing gemstone that helps you to take action. It is also known as a stone for successful business.  

   Amber is technically not a gemstone or mineral, but a fossilized sap from prehistoric trees that has aged over the course of millions of years. Just as the sap is starting to run in the trees, the energy of amber will help you to get those creative juices flowing!

 

    Want more pep in your life? Carnelian is an energy booster! Keep a carnelian with you and feel the energy flow to you. It strengthens the physical body, bringing health and vitality.

   You use a sunstone and moonstone on your personal altar to represent the balance of solar and lunar energies.

  Also an egg shaped gemstone will make a great meditation piece at this time.

These a just a few of the gemstones that can be your ally at this wonderful time of year. I’m getting my mojo bag ready! If you need any of the crystals or would like to receive a reiki treatment with crystals to balance your chakras, please email me at tharris@charmcityconjue.com or call (443) 390-MOJO (443-390-6656).