How Way Leads on to Way

Every once in a while I become mesmerized by the interconnectedness of things, and feel compelled to talk about it: this is one of those moments.

Last Friday I attended a psychometry meeting with a group of (mostly) women. It was the first time in many months that I was able to go, and it was lovely to reconnect with familiar faces. Each meeting begins with a meditation - different each time - meant to calm the mind and open us to the energies of the people and environment around us.

This time our meditation facilitator guided us through the opening of each chakra, and then to the expansion of those energies outward into the earth, the town, the world, and cosmos. Two things were very evident to me during this experience:

• As I expanded outward into the depths of space, I felt Odin's presence, and I was very happy. Being there brought me back to a dream I'd had nearly a year ago (May 2016) about being in outer space, not seeing - but clearly feeling - Odin, and seeing concentric circles surrounding the planet. I won't go into detail here, but if you're curious, feel free to click here to read my post about it.

• I felt a deep calling to connect more deeply to the Earth, and to mother energy. 

Shortly thereafter we began to "read" our objects (click here to read about how psychometry works), and the elderly woman who had my silver bracelet told me (among other things) that she felt I was on earth to teach peace. This is a theme that has been relatively consistent throughout my life. In fact, my tutelary Orisha is Obatalá, who is known for wisdom, patience, and peace. As I was listening to her read the notes she had written, I wondered about that, and about how over the past few years I feel like I've been developing my warrior qualities - how do the two connect when they seem so contrary? 

Yesterday I was feeling a bit glum and in need of "something" unidentifiable. In the evening my husband, son, and I drove downtown to my favorite metaphysical shop. I wandered. I had no clear purpose. I reviewed cards, but none called to me. I wandered through the crystal room, looked, and browsed, and then I saw a small basket filled with green stones - Green Aragonite. I am not normally attracted to green stones (which is a little funny, since green is one of my favorite colors!), but this felt good to me. I sorted through the basket and found a beautiful piece, striated with rusty lines reminiscent of lightning bolts. I was unsure of its characteristics, but it felt calming and nurturing, and right, so I kept it in my hand. 

Then I went to the book room, and let my eyes run over the titles. I thought I caught a glimpse of the word "trees" so I went back over the same shelf more slowly, and found a new book there called, "Be More Tree," by Alice Peck. Hmmm...... I pulled it out and started to flip through it, and I fell in love. The book reviews the qualities of a large array of trees from around the world - their characteristics, their cultural associations and mythologies. There are excerpts from well-known authors that capture the essence or teaching of a particular tree. There are suggestions for ways to "be more tree." 

Over the past month or two I quite suddenly started being utterly moved by the beauty of trees that I'd walked by hundreds of times before. I have always loved trees, and one of my favorite things about the nightly strolls that my husband and I take is the opportunity to simply see and appreciate them (and the birds, and flowers). And yet it was like I was observing them with a whole new set of eyes. I would stop mid-stride, mouth hanging open, ogling the elegance of an oak tree. Once I was so transfixed by the movement of the branches overhead dancing in the evening breeze, the last tendrils of sunlight weaving through their leaves, that my husband had to remind me that a car was coming, and that I should probably move! 

I pondered the Norse creation story, which tells that the first humans were created out of trees. When we went to a local Easter egg hunt, I saw groups of people waiting for the event to start, and next to them there were stands of cypress and oak trees. All I could think of was Ask (Ash) and Embla (Elm), and how closely we are related, somehow.

Indeed, in Germanic cosmology, the multiverse is contained within Yggdrasill, the World Tree. 

This tree book felt just as right as the stone I was carrying, so I purchased both and left the shop. Later I researched Green Aragonite, and found that it connects to Earth goddess energy, and helps calm the nerves. Hm! That was so timely in light of my meditation experience a couple of days before, and an unsurprising-but-affirming reminder that intuition is the best tool for selecting stones. 

Before bed I flipped the book open and it landed "randomly" on Olive - my namesake! Olive is associated with peace, which got me thinking about the psychometry reading, and about my earlier musing on the dichotomy between peace and warrior energy. 

And I realized that they are entirely complementary. We tend to think of them as opposites, but without the courage of the warrior spirit, can there ever be true peace? When I was young (and even into my young adulthood) conflict was deeply challenging for me. I avoided it at all cost, I worked hard to promote harmony and mutual understanding. I thought of myself as a "peace-loving" person, and while that was true, it was also true that I often avoided conflict out of fear. It is one thing to have the courage to be confrontational if necessary, but to prefer the route of thoughtfulness, diplomacy, and peace. It is quite another thing when the preference for peace stems from a place of fear and self-doubt. Obatalá is the Orisha of peace and wisdom, but he was also a great warrior who went to battle countless times. I don't believe he would have been able to be such a valuable force for cool-headed thinking and a calm demeanor without first having learned what it means to fight. 

In that sense, I see how the development of my warrior energy has been a sort of healing process (especially under the tutelage of Odin, though Obatalá's offerings are present here as well), and ultimately serves to make my preference for peace all the more meaningful. 

Page of Cups: A Moment of Peace

I have been pretty overwhelmed at work of late: the pace has been particularly hectic and I've had a far higher-than-usual number of flames to quench. I'd say I'm a mediator by nature, but even mediators (perhaps especially mediators) need to let off steam from time to time. There were at least two or three occasions in the past couple of months where I used the drive in to work to envision myself thoroughly cursing out the offending party, and putting her or him in their respective places being very honest and forthright about my thoughts and opinions, simply so that once I arrived (at whatever meeting it was that I needed to facilitate) I could breathe and moderate professionally. Yes, I need a vacation. It's not vacation time, however, so I have been craving my weekends like cold water in the high desert.

This evening I pulled a card from my newly acquired Tarot of the Cat People (I'm admittedly not a cat person, but the art is quite interesting) asking: "Where do I need to focus on self-care?" I pulled the Page of Cups:

I could almost feel my soul sigh upon taking in this card image. A young lady sits on what appears to be a sandy hill, under a hazy, sunny sky. She is flanked by a cat companion, quiet and comforting, and a chalice. This card evokes a sense of the 4 of Swords - a time for separation, recuperation, and healing. Indeed the Page of Cups does include healing qualities. Like a flame burning itself out from far too much intensity, I need to be cooled and calmed. Those flames I've been putting out have taken a toll, and a quiet space away from that charged environment will help me to rebuild my emotional wellspring so that I can keep on tending to the responsibilities that fall on me as a leader. I don't begrudge my position by any means; this comes with the territory and ultimately the energies will shift like ocean tides. As they say, "This too shall pass." In the meantime, I need a little me-time, and maybe a cup of mulled mead in that goblet ;-)

Exploring Moldavite

Several months ago I was studying a comprehensive book on crystals when I read about a funny green tektite called "moldavite." I'd never heard of it prior, but the description of its metaphysical attributes was intriguing. It's often called a "stone of transformation" that will open and clear the heart chakra, and it's said to be a powerful aid in meditation and dreamwork. Most interestingly I had read that even people who are not particularly "sensitive" to crystal energies often feel a variety of distinct sensations when holding moldavite for the first time, ranging from headaches, hot flashes, and rosy cheeks, to deep calm, and even stomach aches.

Iolite, Moldavite, and Blue Kyanite

Needless to say I was curious!

I was also somewhat skeptical, but in the best way possible. I absolutely love working with stones and crystals, and find their influences to be both subtle and powerful. Most of my most notable experiences with stones have come about quite by accident. For instance, the first time I saw black tourmaline, I was entirely mesmerized by its velvety blackness, and I remember my crown tingling when I held a piece of it. It simply felt so good, like getting a deep tissue massage on the soul. Later I read about it and was very interested to find that it was a very popular stone for use in protection and cleansing. Years later I still fantasize about taking a black tourmaline bath, and holding a handful of the stone is just as soothing as the first time.

Another time, I was dealing with some emotional turmoil, and one morning I felt an urge to throw a piece of selenite in my pocket, though that would not have been my intellectual choice. Later that day I remember commenting to someone about how calm and at peace I felt - it was notable, given the circumstances. When I decided to research selenite's properties I found that it's known to be a very powerful balm for emotional upheaval.

Then there was the time I was gifted a clear apophyllite pyramid and was told that it was good for clearing the crown chakra and opening a channel to communication with guides, etc. That night I decided to put it under my pillow and had the wildest, most intense dream ride ever. When I looked up "apophyllite and dreaming" I found that indeed it is also known to stimulate dream activity and recall.

I describe all of these experiences to make a point: my understanding of the potency of stones, crystals, minerals etc., has primarily come via personal experiences first and foremost, later followed up and affirmed by research (usually spurred by the experience I'd had).

So reading about moldavite was certainly interesting, but I took the "see it to believe it" approach. This was only underscored after speaking briefly with another crystal lover who owned some moldavite. When asked about her experience with it, her reply was, "Meh. I got nothing from it. It's pretty, though." The general sense I got from her overall demeanor was that she thought the excitement about moldavite was mostly (if not all) hype.

The next time I went to a local crystal shop I looked and looked and looked for moldavite but couldn't spot it anywhere. Finally I asked a shop clerk and she explained that they keep the moldavite behind their glass counter (ah hah!) and she proceeded to pull out a small box full of quarter-sized pieces. I asked her how much it cost and she said, "These are about $50. We also have some larger pieces that are around $120, but we price it out by the gram, so it varies." Whoa. That's some expensive rock. Needless to say, I passed.

A month or so later I returned to the shop and after making some stone selections I went to check out. While at the counter I casually inquired about the moldavite again, and once again was told that the smallest pieces were around $50, however they were ordering some smaller sizes which would come into the store in a couple of weeks. I made a mental note of that, however a week later I found myself at another metaphysical shop (the only other in my general area) and asked them about moldavite as well. It turned out that they not only had the $50 and $150 sizes, but they had a box of tiny moldavite chips (perhaps a bit smaller than a dime) that were priced at $10 each. Score!

Tiny Moldavite

While there the store clerk asked if I wanted to hold one of the medium-sized pieces, and I consented. She explained the various reactions people often have as she laid it in my palm. At first, I felt nothing at all as I stood there, palm open and facing upward. A moment later my hand started to feel quite warm, and I began to feel currents of heat move through my body, starting at my feet and moving upward toward my head. It was almost startling. I remember saying to the clerk, "It's hot! I'm getting heat flashes." And she said that that was very similar to her own experience. So she sealed up a tiny piece in a very tiny plastic bag, and I left.

In the car, I took the little moldavite piece out and held it in my left hand as I started the car and drove home. It almost felt like it was burning a hole in my palm (though not so uncomfortable that I had to put it down), and this time I started to feel both heat in my hand, and something akin to shivers through my body - like cold chills. After I put the stone away, the hot sensation in my palm remained for hours before fading away. Hmm... perhaps there was something more to this than just hype! Later in the evening I did an internet search for "moldavite and chills" but came up empty handed. There was plenty on moldavite and heat, but nothing on cold.

That night I placed the moldavite into a muslin pouch with a Lemurian seed crystal point and tucked it under my pillow. I've slept with this crystal combo every night for the past two or three weeks, and every single night my dream experience is the same: from start to finish I have a very full night of complex dreams, and when I awake they slowly start to fade until I'm left with a few vivid bits and pieces. There is no variation in this - no nights with nebulous and hard-to-recall dreams, no nights with stunningly clear, stick-to-the-ribs dreams... nothing "typical" per se. No apophyllite dreams, but most definitely a very defined, unique, and consistent pattern.

Moldavite pieces and a Lemurian seed crystal

The first night that I slept with moldavite under my pillow I experienced the deepest, most calming sleep of my adult life. I was utterly worry-free, my body was entirely relaxed. It was amazing (and I haven't experienced that since). After getting up and about my day (with moldavite hanging out in my pocket) I started to feel a bit "off" energetically and the only word that seemed to fit was "agitated." I wasn't sure if I was getting sick, or if it was allergies, or if I was in a bad mood. It clicked in my mind that this might be moldavite-related when I was leaving a voice message for my sister and when I tried to explain how I was feeling, I said, "I feel itchy and agitated like a snake shedding its skin - like I just want to get it off and get on with it." Those words - "a snake shedding its skin" - gave me pause as I recalled that moldavite was a stone of intense transformation. But hey, maybe it had nothing at all to do with the stone in my pocket! I felt that way for about two days before it faded away.

Eventually those initial sensations I had with my little moldavite piece didn't seem to occur anymore. I could hold it without feeling much heat. Was it still "working"? One afternoon I was in the first metaphysical shop (not the one where I'd purchased my moldavite) and was sitting on the floor examining some jasper when I heard the manager discussing crystals with a new employee. She gave the woman a piece of moldavite to hold, and the woman (apparently just as startled as I was my first time) exclaimed quite a bit about the heat moving through her hand. The manager said, "Yeah, it's always intense the first time, but eventually you won't notice it anymore." I latched on to that last statement, and later when I went to check out I asked her about it. The new clerk told me about how amazing the sensation was, and described the same feeling I'd had in the car weeks before: heat in the hand, and cold chills throughout the body. That was interesting. I told the manager that I'd had a small piece for a while but wasn't getting the same intense response as I did originally. She said that in her experience, and after speaking to many others who have worked with this stone, that intense experience occurs when the moldavite first meshes with your energy field, but then after it does its initial vibratory work, it settles in to something like a "maintenance mode" and is subtler moving forth. That made sense.

A week later I ended up picking up a second small piece of moldavite, and I knew immediately that I wanted to take it it home because almost immediately after placing it in my palm I could feel a pinpoint of heat in my skin. Perhaps each stone carries a unique vibratory rate that requires its own adjustment period. Not sure.

The most notable thing about this second piece was that the following day I was starting to feel fidgety again, and that "agitation" crept into my limbs. It was exactly the same sensation I'd had when I had purchased my previous piece (though I never did experience that blissfully peaceful sleep with the second one, unfortunately!). A couple of days later it faded away.

As time progresses I notice some underlying impulses toward evolution and change. I can identify these in retrospect, though as they have unfolded I haven't immediately recognized the pattern or attributed it to anything in particular.

I've found myself enmeshed in what I might describe as "transformative thought" of late - existential musings based on where I've come from and where I'm at now:

• When I die, will I be satisfied with what I've accomplished? 
• Will I have any regrets? 
• Am I settling? 
• Am I living in alignment with my highest truths? 
• Is this job I have (as grateful as I am for it, and for all it is teaching me) what I really want to be doing? 
• Could I be making a more significant, beneficial impact on humanity in another profession? 
• Am I honoring and making sufficient use of my talents? 
• How might I increase my sense of freedom and personal agency? 

Whew! Questions that are important, and not for the faint of heart. And these are very "moldavite" questions when I think about it.

I've been learning to "trust" more completely, especially in terms of the metaphysical realm; I've had quite clear moments of understanding which have shown me the source of certain anxieties and doubts. This has been extremely beneficial, welcome, and rather surprising, to be honest. By acknowledging and identifying the root cause of a certain automatic response, it's possible to open the space necessary to change it.

All in all, it's a pretty interesting little gem!

Finding Your Spirit Stone

Steve Seinberg from Arrow In Flight created a very interesting spread designed to help the reader identify his or her “spirit stone.” The idea is that people often talk about their spirit animal, but there are many things in the natural world that can hold a similar influence in our lives and for our spiritual journeys.

The spread is designed thus:

And the positional meanings are the following:

Spread by Steve Seinberg

This morning I sat down to do this reading for myself (though I accidentally switched positions 3 and 4 in the layout, which ended up giving me some additional insights as I’ll describe below!). Because color schemes are important to this reading, I wanted to use a deck that featured as many elements of the color wheel as possible. But I also wanted a deck in which each card featured only one or two predominant colors, rather than one where each card displayed multiple bright colors (such as the Tarot of Holy Light or Navigators Tarot of the Mystic SEA). In the end I chose the Fountain Tarot.

Before I began I recognized that I was slightly hoping that the cards would hint at black tourmaline (probably my favorite stone of all time), but I was intrigued to find that the cards did not point in that direction. Instead, they told a beautiful story that highlighted a very interesting and lovely stone that hadn’t even crossed my mind.

Fountain Tarot; Jason Gruhl and Jonathan Saiz

Card 2, Color: 2 of Swords

I am starting with the “color card” because this was the first concrete clue as to what stone I might be dealing with. This was my first clue that it probably wasn’t going to be black tourmaline! The 2 of Swords in the Fountain Tarot shows a woman standing by the sea, blindfolded. She looks upward toward the cloudy sky and bears an upright blade in each hand. The predominant color in this card is a deep, sedate blue. After some contemplation two stones came to mind: iolite and blue kyanite, but after integrating the rest of the cards in the reading, iolite was the stronger contender.

Card 1, Essence: Devil

Iolite is said to help one resist the influence of intoxication, and to be a strong supportive stone for helping to release addictive patterns, codependency, and self-defeating behaviors, so the Devil fits quite well as representative of its essence.  Interestingly I have always felt like I had some sort of “inner rubber” when it comes to things that are typically thought to be addictive, like chips, alcohol, shopping, soda, tobacco…… I do indulge in sweet treats, no doubt, though not (usually) in excess. Perhaps there is some connection here.

Card 3, Ailments: Fool

The Book of Stones, by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian, says:
“Iolite offers to take one on the inner path to the deep self. It is an excellent stone to use in shamanic journeying…It helps one let go of the belief that one needs to control inner experiences, and it dissolves the fear of the unknown…”

Card 4, Gifts: Sun

Iolite is said to be a stone of joy and happiness; by encouraging self-possession and inner strength it helps lead to increased power, success, and satisfaction. In addition, iolite was used to help locate the direction of the sun in ancient times (I discuss this a bit more below), so in that sense the gift may be one of help in finding the way forward, like a natural lighthouse.

Card 5, Connection: King of Coins

The Crystal Vaults website says that iolite, “is an excellent source of energy when used for the elimination of debt and the responsible management of money.” This connects with the Devil (learning how to manage material resources), which also connects to Capricorn (my sun sign).

Card 6, Changes: 6 of Wands

This card suggests that by working with iolite and incorporating it into my life I will learn to recognize, value, and honor my own unique offerings, and that by doing so I will find a path to achieving my goals (there is a connection with the Sun here as well).

Iolite crystal

Iolite is called the Viking Compass because in ages past thin slices of iolite were used as polarizing filters to determine the location of the sun on cloudy days. I couldn’t help but notice the position of the 2 of Swords next to the Sun in my reading. The woman stands on the edge of the ocean on an overcast day, appearing to look blindly upward as if attempting to take a measurement…and there lies the Sun to her right. Perhaps she is peering through iolite, estimating the direction she must take next.

I enjoyed this exercise and look forward to working more with iolite, a stone that I haven’t spent very much time with, to date. If you choose to seek your own spirit stone, please let me know what you find, and consider commenting to Steve via Instagram as well!

Like Sunlight Through Stone

Interpersonal relationships can be challenging when expectations aren't met, and this can be further exacerbated when communication channels becomes muddied. Attempting to match up the puzzle pieces of disparate experiences, to get on the same page or find common ground, can prove at times to be quite difficult; sometimes the pieces just don't fit. But there is often room for a little ambiguity; space for many truths to sit together at once. An open heart and still mind may embrace the wholeness of that union (or dichotomy, you might also call it).

The Queen of Swords is a natural expert at this: balancing clarity with caring, seeking to understand while also maintaining gentle-but-firm boundaries; searching for truth amidst emotional turmoil, but never discounting another's perceptions.

Tarot of Vampyres; Ian Daniels

When I pulled this card yesterday morning I was immediately jarred by the raven on this Queen's shoulder because it pierced my dream memory; I was visited by such a bird in my sleep. It was large in size and I only recall being uncertain if it was a crow or raven, but based on its beak shape I'd been fairly certain that it was the latter. Perhaps it was a messenger.

As I was pondering the Queen of Swords' gifts of perception, and her ability to lock onto the most important undercurrents of a given situation, I suddenly thought of a new stone I acquired several days prior. It is called "strawberry obsidian" (if I understand correctly it is a manufactured stone, something along the lines of goldstone or blue sandstone). I picked up a piece and it felt nice in my hand - smooth, cool, bright but in a muted sort of way. And then I held it up to the store lamp and it was like a whole other world opened up before me. The light illuminated the stone's inner workings so brilliantly that it took my breath away, lightened my heart, and I knew I wanted to bring it on home.

The Queen of Sword's essence reminded me of that moment. Like sunlight though stone, situations that seem opaque when grasped closely may reveal all of their complex layers and delicate filaments when we are willing to hold them up to the light.

Perhaps it doesn't matter so much if we can't find a measure of common ground. What matters is that we don't hide from truth; that we open our hearts to understanding. Our openness and willingness is an invitation for those puzzle pieces to be brought back into alignment. And if it is still not enough, then what matters is finding peace with that incongruity.

Interestingly as I was looking deeper into the dream raven, I came across this phrase:

"Raven will show you how to go within in yourself, into the dark areas and then illuminate them, making you ‘sparkle’ and bringing out your true self. Inner conflicts should then be resolved, however long buried they are – this is the deepest healing." (Click here for the site)

And with that the circle was complete, the message filled out: the Queen, and the stone, and Raven's presence in my dream all symbolic of the search for clarity, the at times painful willingness to shine light into the dark, to understand, to express, to heal, and ultimately to release back into the universe.

3x3x3 Witchy Tag, Or: My Favorite Things

Chloe from Inner Whispers recently posted a video called the "3x3x3 Witchy Tag," where practitioners of the magical arts (I'm casting a wide net here) vlog about their favorite "witchy" things in terms of three categories: 1) favorite herbs, 2) favorite stones or crystals, and 3) favorite "witchy" activities. I enjoyed listening to her discuss her choices, and was inspired to participate by sharing my own!

I will say that, as I'm sure is true for everyone asked to narrow down their preferences, or sum up their practices, this was a difficult challenge. And really this post is just the tip of the iceberg. However I'm going to give this a go, so here we go!

My Three Favorite Herbs

I'm adding a little disclaimer here, because there are so many herbs I love and use that narrowing them down to three is nearly impossible. There are herbs I tend to use more for rootwork, and there are herbs I use more often for making healing teas, or oils. I decided to highlight the the latter for this post. And I'm cheating here, I know, but I'm just going to say that garlic must go at the top of my list - perhaps I'll honor it with being Number Zero. I use garlic for warding off colds and flu by drinking it raw with orange juice and cayenne. I cook with it. It's useful for treating ear infections when combined with olive oil and used as drops in the ear. It's wonderful for the heart. There is just no excuse not to have garlic in your cupboard at all times. Now on to the next three.....

Dried rosemary and lemon balm

1) Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalus)

First of all, rosemary just makes me feel content. The aroma alone is deeply satisfying for me, and I often go out into my garden simply to run my hand through my rosemary bush and inhale the lingering scent from my skin. As with garlic, I sometimes cook with rosemary; I suppose that's a given. But it's also a great tea, especially when dealing with respiratory issues, as it's an anti-inflammatory. Rosemary can help relieve headaches, and as a wash it's great for the hair. You can use it to increase circulation and to help with muscle and join pain (arthritis, for example). This herb helps improve memory and relieve menstrual cramps (it's an antioxidant). In magic it's often used to help increase feminine power, cleansing, and for protection.

2) Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalus)

Lemon Balm smells pretty amazing, too, and is a great herb for calming anxiety, frayed nerves, and mild depression. You can drink it as an infusion to treat indigestion, as well as for colds and coughs. In fact this is one of the core ingredients in my anti-cold tea because it has antiviral and antibacterial properties! I don't tend to use this herb for magical anything, though some do for healing and sometimes love purposes.

Dried elder berries

3) Elder (Sambucus nigra)

Elder berries and flowers form a core part of my herbal medicine cabinet. Both are useful for fighting colds and coughs, and for fighting allergies. With antiviral properties, it's another major component in my anti-cold infusions, and it has such a lovely, subtle flavor. Some people just use flowers for this purpose, or only use berries for tinctures, syrups, or cordials, but I like using them together; the flowers are gentle and light, and the berries rehydrate and release their deep purple essence during the steeping process, which I love. Elder can be used to treat eye inflammation as well as arthritis. It's a diaphoretic and stimulant so it increases the efficiency of the body's systems, and helps increase perspiration which is an effective body cleanser. I feel like Elder is a loving mother, always ready with arms wide open. She's gentle and soothing, which is also why I find this herb a wonderful addition to herbal baths for the purpose of emotional healing.

Dried elder flowers

My Three Favorite Stones/Crystals

Of course I have more than three that I value highly, but these three are definitely core staples!

1) Quartz

Pretty much all quartz, though I do love clear quartz and quartz crystals. I also love snow quartz. Quartz is an amplifier and indispensable for healing and transmitting. Crystals can be programmed for specific purposes, and can hold energy. I found my first crystal at a nature/science store when I was probably thirteen, and I fell in love. I had heard that you should try not to let people hold your crystal because as they hold energy, the ideal situation is that your quartz is imbued with your essence rather than a hodgepodge of random energies. So my crystal has only ever been held by me (since the original purchase, naturally), thereby having accrued about 22 years of Essence of Olivia. Quartz is one of the stones associated with the sign of Capricorn, which was another initial draw for me. Quartz can help amplify the properties of other stones, and in particular I love combining it with black tourmaline, another one on my top three list!

Varieties of quartz

2) Black Tourmaline

I originally bought this stone for the sensations it gave me when I held it. Later I researched its properties and it all made sense! I came across this stone at a witchy shop. I had heard of it before though hadn't thought much about it, but as I was browsing it drew my attention. These dark jewels seemed to be almost glowing with powerful energy. I picked one up and immediately felt my crown start to buzz. The feeling I had was sort of a combination of relief and satisfaction, something like how it feels to lay down on the floor or bed and totally stretch every part of your body. It was awesome. I thought it would be amazing to dive into a bathtub full of black tourmaline and stay a while. Later I learned that  this stone is powerful for protection and deflection of negativity, as well as for transforming ill vibrations into positive ones. You can actually use black tourmaline to protect yourself against the electromagnetic emissions from computers and cell phones due to its natural electrical current. That is pretty amazing all by itself. So even if you're not into magic, here's a really sensible, practical reason to acquire this wonderful stone! Another side effect of black tourmaline's electrical charge is that it helps connect the energy sources/chakras throughout the body, increasing and smoothing the flow. This is great for everyone, really, but especially for healers.

3) Apophyllite 

I wrote about my experiences with this wonderful crystal in September of last year and I've hyperlinked the previous text in case you're interested in reading more about it. Suffice it to say that my dreams are stunning, clear, and educational!

Apophyllite and Black Tourmaline

My Three Favorite Witchy Activities

1) Spending time in nature

I would imagine that this would apply to most people. It has been my favorite thing to do ever since I can remember, and in fact as a pre-teen I spent long hours alone in the forest across the street from my house, picking raspberries, building living-wood shelters, looking for raccoon prints by the river shore, observing deer and fox. It was pretty wonderful. This is still something I can't do without, and one of my regular, favorite things to do is simply stroll around the neighborhood, watching the breeze move the tree leaves, noticing how the sunlight filters through palm branches, taking in the smells of backyard fires, grass, moist earth. This morning I spent about a half hour taking pictures in my back yard; this time of year the sun hits all the sweet spots, so the early hours of the morning are especially lovely. And one way I love interacting with nature is through tending my herb garden!

Gardenia bush in my back yard

2) Helping people via herbs and other natural things

Some of the most satisfying things I do are: make healing teas for my loved ones; do work to help those I care about to heal, attract new opportunities, or repel negativity; create spiritual/cleansing baths for the home or body; and the list goes on! Watching my child laid up on the couch with a nasty virus is difficult, but spending thirty minutes crafting a soothing medicinal infusion and then slowly watching the symptoms ease, is very fulfilling and empowering.

3) Divining

It would be entirely remiss of me not to put this in the top three activities, because divination is an important facet of my life (and hey, it's the main theme of this blog). Not a single day goes by that I don't divine in some fashion, for some purpose, whether with cards or with runes, or sometimes with both. It's an art; it takes patience and dedication, and an open heart. In short, it's wonderful.

So with that I conclude my 3x3x3 Witchy Tag. If you're a witch, rootworker, conjurer, diviner, herbalist, or anyone at all, really.....consider yourself tagged!

Apophyllite Dreams

Dreams have always been important to me. For as long as I can remember, every time I had a vivid, powerful dream, I would write it down - these are the dreams that feel important, that deserve attention and investigation; there is a message there. This does not mean that I've always been ace at remembering all of my dreams. I, like most people, have experienced long periods of time where I either have felt that I haven't dreamt at all, or I only remember a small fragment of a dream, or I remember the essence, but upon going about my morning routine it fades like morning mist in the sun.

I have had what people sometimes call "prophetic" dreams. That sounds glorious, but to me a prophetic dream simply means that you've been clued in to something that is likely to occur, or already is occurring, in real life. I once had a very important, yet rather mundane, prophetic dream about my husband's credit card! Many pregnant women have prophetic dreams about the children developing in their wombs. They are a special sort of dream to have, but that doesn't mean they have to be earth-shattering in regards to the implications of their message.

Dreaming; Image from Creative Commons

I've also had dreams that convey important messages in symbol. In other words, they may be a reflection of something I'm experiencing, a clarification of a feeling, or perhaps my higher self knocking me upside the head. Whatever the source, these dreams speak much like Tarot does - in metaphor. For instance I recall the only dream I've ever hard that's caused me to wake up sobbing: when I was pregnant with my middle child, I dreamt that my oldest had died. I was devastated and heart broken, but the dream was simply symbolizing my deep sadness at the sense of losing the one-on-one relationship that I'd developed with my oldest over the course of seven years. My excitement and anticipation regarding my new little one was balanced by the feeling that I was somehow losing my first child. It was good to recognize that feeling and also to learn, over time, that my relationship with my older daughter was not lost or diminished at all - it was simply transformed.

Apophyllite crystals

A few months ago I served as the beta-reader for Jenna Matlin's really well-done eBook on Tarot reading at festivals and fairs. As a "thank you" she sent me a very cool gift: two pouches of "chakra stones." In the crown chakra bag I found a crystal I'd never heard of before: apophyllite. The accompanying card said that this crystal was great for connecting to higher vibrational energies, and for communication with spirit energy. Sounded good to me! I stuck it under my pillow that very same night feeling that it would be good to keep it within my vibrational field. I had no idea what I was in for.

I woke the next morning feeling like I had been to a quadruple-feature film at the theater. I remembered every dream I had all night long, and let me tell you - I apparently pack 'em in back to back. It was striking and I thought, "If that was caused by the stone under my pillow, then that's the fastest working, most potent crystal I've ever encountered!" That day I did an online search about apophyllite and sure enough I found that several sites list it as being conducive to dream recall and lucid dreaming!

This all started a month ago and the dreaming experience that I had that first night has become the norm. Not only do I remember my dreams every night, but the number of significant dreams that I've had has increased quite a bit as well (or at least my ability to retain them has!). It's absolutely amazing. 

Here are a couple of the more memorable ones:

In one dream a few weeks back I saw a picture of the Ace of Swords, and heard a voice telling me that my air energy was off-balance and I needed to pay more attention to the fact that I was worrying far too much, and underutilizing the strength and power of my mental faculties. It was like a conversation with a guide or my higher self. I couldn't see anyone, there was just the voice and the image, and nothing else but a gray backdrop. When I awoke I had a strong sense that I had truly been receiving an important and direct communication about my well-being. And since that night I've improved a lot in the area of focus and intention, and have curbed a lot of my unproductive anxiety.

Rider Waite Tarot - US Games

Another dream I had just a couple of nights ago featured me wearing a white, flowing, cotton dress. I was going herb hunting, and happened across a grove of Elderberry trees situated in a circle, located in a common green area of what looked like a suburban neighborhood. I was so excited to have found these wonderful trees, and I climbed into the branches with a little plastic sandwich baggie. The branches were covered with lush bunches of white elderflowers, and I started to experiment with harvesting them. Suddenly I stopped myself because I remembered that I'd forgotten to acknowledge and thank the lady of the Elderberry trees! I was upset with myself. So I stopped what I was doing and apologized to the lady for my clumsiness, and then thoroughly thanked her for what I had taken and what I planned to take. I collected what seemed like a lot of wonderful flowers, but in reality was only a tiny fraction of what was available. I had a moment of concern, wondering if the people living in the houses nearby would think I was "up to something" and call the police. However I finished my harvesting, and never saw a soul. I stepped off the tree branch and floated down to the ground. 

Image from Creative Commons

Suffice to say, my dream journal has grown quite a bit lately. Having been so floored by the power of this crystal, I went online and ordered two more apophyllite crystals so that I could create a simple grid with them and selenite. And I've found that my dreams stay active and vibrant now even when I happen not to have an apophyllite crystal under my pillow. Perhaps that's because the crystals are always nearby even when they're not nestled into my pillowcase. Perhaps it's because once the door is opened it's not easily shut again. I don't know. But I do know that this has been one of the most powerful experiences with a crystal that I've ever had, and I look forward to continuing to develop and learn from my dreams with the help of this wonderful stone. I recommend it to anyone seeking to explore their own Dreamtime. There are vendors selling large pieces of apophyllite for quite a hefty price, but a small, natural pyramid (which is what I've been using) can be found for around $3. 

Good luck, and happy dreaming!