Friday, June 13, 2014

Oleaginous (Part 2)

The rain brings out the beauty of the oil leak in my car. 


...Like glimmering peacock feathers. 


...Like a raging forest fire whirling across the tree tops. 


...Like a cosmic burst of radiation dissipating out into the universe.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

The Crystal Coincidence

I have a few friends that practice crystal healing and over the years I have been adding to my collection. Some have been gifts and some have been purchased; but one thing I have come to realize is that the perfect one will find its way into your life at the perfect time. I would like to share some of the interesting stories behind some of my favorite stones. 


This is a piece of Peacock rock. Most Peacock rock comes in iridescent shades of blue and purple but  this particular stone is so weathered that the deep blues and purples have shifted to warm sunset colors. I've had this one so long I'm not even sure where I got it from in the first place. Peacock rocks represent joy and harmony and since I've had this one since childhood I love to joke that I've "always had happiness".


This is a piece of Green Tourmaline embedded in Quartz. It was a gift from my friend Freddy for my 30th birthday. At the time Freddy had no idea what Green Tourmaline represented. He had just gone into a shop that sold crystals and "had a feeling" that this was the right one for me. We looked it up later and found out that Green Tourmaline was good for stimulating healing; particularly physical healing. Ironically, I had broken my nose only a few weeks prior to my birthday. 


This is Selenite and it is the first stone that I had purchased for myself. I came across it purely by chance. I was have a rough few day for no reason in particular. I remember felling anxious and unsettled. I went to a local metaphysical bookstore called the Spiral Circle. I loved how calm I felt there and I just assumed that being their would make me feel more centered. I wandered around the rooms and happened to absentmindedly pick up this stone. It instantly felt different - almost like it had electricity. I purchased the stone without knowing anything about it. 

I took it home to discover that Selenite is a very intense stone used to clear negative energy and balance your spiritual self. After about two days the anxious feeling I had been having was diminishing. I have since loaned this one out to friends periodically. It has receive a few battle scars along the way but everyone tells me about how much better they sleep and how uplifted they feel while they have it. 


This piece of Rose Quartz was a chip that fell off of a much larger rock and initially its edges were almost razor sharp. 

Rose Quartz is a gentle stone that supports the heart, emotional healing, and represents pure love in all of its forms (love for yourself, your partner, family, friends, community, etc.) I got this stone during a point in my life when I felt like I needed to create stronger connections with others. I would hold the stone and slowly run my fingers along the sharp edges in order to wear them down. It translated into a conscious attempt to wear down any of my rough edges and be more open to love. Within months of acquiring the Rose Quartz I have entered into a wonderful relationship, adopted and additional pet, become more open to cultivating new friendships more willing to take bigger social risks. 


The Aqua Aura Quartz is one of the most stunning and enigmatic stones that I have. 

Aqua Aura Quartz does not occur naturally; it is the product of taking clear Quartz and treating it with a special process in which the surface is bonded with vaporized gold. The end result is Quartz crystal with a brilliant blue color. The process of bonding gold to the stone also highlights any cracks or imperfections giving the stone a very multi-dimensional shine. 

The Aqua Aura Quartz reminded me of the Selenite; once I picked it up I had a hard time being able to put it back down. It just felt good in my hand. 

It is an excellent stone for communication, soothing the emotional body, and cultivating success. All things I feel I need more of in my daily life. I find that having the stone with me creates a feeling of calm, confident energy and stronger self-awareness.