Taking the Semi out of Semi-Precious

What do I think I am reaching for when I reach for my crystals?

Well, for starters, what do I mean by crystals?

I mean rocks. Beautiful rocks with ancient significance, some more known to the ancients than others.

John's Revelations have some of my favorite examples of ancient crystal awareness:

"The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow gleaming like an emerald encircled the throne." 

"The foundations of the city (or people of the city) were adorned (or arranged) with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as pure as transparent glass. 

But I saw no temple in the city...."

I'm not entirely sure how my relationship with crystals happened, I vaguely remember a chain of events, but looking back it just seemed that one day I was not aware of crystals and the next day I was addicted to their resonance. It was as if they found me, I guess they did.

17 years ago we named our cat "Jade." I don't even know why I thought that was a beautiful word, I had no idea what Jade really was.

My mother-in-law shared some jewelry with me, I suspect that one of the strings of beads is Jade, but I have yet to have that confirmed. My wondering began.

My mother gave me some Tiger's Eye earrings and an Agate pendant. My youngest daughter desired a piece of Rose Quartz and then a piece of Amethyst, and was allowed to purchase them, and when she brought it home I loved them much as she did, it seemed. I began to purchase pieces for myself and my collection grew and grew and grew. Each piece comes with an encouragement, Tiger's Eye for insight, Agate for strength, Rose Quartz for gentle love, Amethyst for spirituality. The descriptions I mentioned are very, very basic. Each stone actually has layers of meanings, and can mean different things to different people.

My collection is more than some and not as much as others, but I have developed a sense of what they mean to me, so what do I reach for when I reach for:

Labradorite? Positive magic

Carnelian? Physical attraction

Citrine? Positive finances and sunny outlook

Aventurine? Luck in love and money

Jade? Power, but not for power's sake. When I feel like positive things are happening I reach for Jade to enhance the effects of that positivity. I avoid Jade when I feel negative. It also feels like it draws me to earthy people, but repels me from those who are motivated by the "Jotunn machine."

Jasper? Comfort and beauty, although it seems like it is backfiring a bit lately. As if my motivation for being beautiful causes me to overthink my own vanity and feel insecure instead. Perhaps Jasper needs to be used along with a desire to focus on letting inner beauty be seen outwardly, as opposed to vanity. I think outward beauty is a nice thing, but without inner beauty, vanity really is like a rotten Easter egg.

Tiger's Eye? Safety while traveling

Pink Quartz? Romance

Amethyst? Enhanced spirituality

Chevron Amethyst? Clearing an area of negativity

A necklace of Lapis Lazuli combined with Smokey Quartz? Enhancement of the "clairs," i.e. clairaudience, clairsentience, clairvoyance. It also seems to be helpful in seeing auras and communicating with nature spirits. At this time it is too powerful for me to wear frivolously, or it will mess with my realities. I have to wear it in relative solitude, it is wonderful to wear while walking in nature alone.

Denim Lapis earrings? They always stand out to my husband, he always says "nice earrings." I have come to reach for them when I am planning to be focused primarily on him.

Pearls? Letting go of expectations

Amber? Warmth and pain relief

Amazonite? Strength from the inside out, literal strength for bones and teeth and skin

Sardonyx? Emotional and physical protection

Malachite? Enhanced sense of personal worth

Kyanite? Good communication skills

Selenite? Spiritual sensitivity

Garnet? Spice of life, and deflection of negativity

Turquoise? Friendship

Blue Calcite? Saying the right things

Calcite? Find my personal perfections, what is just right for my journey

Goldstone? Energetic alchemy

Howlite? Neutrality

Clear Quartz? Aspirations

Pink Mangano? Reiki Stone

There are so many more, but the aforementioned have been entering into my daily life often.

I also have a bracelet that has a variety of stones to enhance the chakra energies and I wear it for energetic balance.

These are experiential observations. I start with the meanings that have been attributed to these stones by others, and I observe how I feel while I wear them. I sense how they interact with me and my surroundings. Different people respond differently to different stones, and some people aren't open enough to responding to stones at all, they might change, they might not.

Everything has a measurable vibration, and everything can affect the vibrations around it. Vibrations are related to emotion and relationships, and emotion to health. Vibrations will affect manifestation for better or worse, might as well be for better, right?

Looking at Thoughts

I long for something.

I'm not sure what.

I feel it when I hear the struggles of others, when I know I have had similar struggles and have found something that has helped, but they don't want to try it, or they say it won't work for them for xyz reasons.

I feel it when I like someone and they don't like me back.

I feel it when I don't feel like I even like myself.

I feel it when I don't like other people.

I feel it when I am happy, because I know that life is fleeting.

I feel it when I am sad and feel alone.

I feel it when it when I am joyful, and scared.

I feel it when I don't feel alone.

There is almost always a longing for something.

I feel like I am getting closer to knowing what that something is, perhaps because of the process of elimination. Perhaps because certain aspects of this longing have been fulfilled, while others have grown increasingly stronger.

My desire to understand healing has grown stronger, while my desire to nurture has diminished.

My desire to understand psychological influences has grown stronger, while my love of baking and sewing have nearly disappeared altogether.

My love of music is faint, while my love of theories consumes my thoughts.

What do I long for? I feel like I connect with it momentarily while meditating, and sometimes while doing yoga. Sometimes when I awake from dreams I feel like I am leaving something behind that I want to keep with me while waking. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by a sense of completeness, and I am not sure why, and then I am left seeking the cause of that feeling, like an addiction. Some people say that we shouldn't trust our feelings, I don't trust those people. I don't trust anyone or anything, I don't feel like I should. Trust seems irrelevant. I want to know why. Why seems relevant. Why do people do what they do? What is their motivation?

I feel like maybe if I can understand the motivations of others I might be able to better understand my own motivations, but I just feel distanced.... I feel very disconnected from people in general. I don't necessarily want to be, but their motivations are not my motivations, even if their motivations benefit me, they still aren't necessarily my motivations.... What are my motivations? I think that is what I am searching for.....

What motivates me?

It seems so obvious when I look at others, their motivations usually seem to shine like neon lights, but I can't seem to see my own motivations.

Trying to step back and view myself as I view others, I think it might have to do with an image of keeping a cozy home with alternating seasons of hospitality and solitude. Perhaps that is what is coming.... that has never fully been for me, perhaps that is why the longing remains. A home is a powerful place, a power that should be used for good.

Top Ten(ish) Essential Oil Favorites

Let me begin by saying that this post will be about personal preference, personal experience, and personal favorites. This information is not to be considered professional advice.

I have been using essential oils for several years now and there are several that I would just feel lost without.

We began with the very popular Tea Tree Oil, and it is still a nice one, but I find myself reaching for it less and less as I get to know these other oils.

I don't know if I have a number one favorite, so these are in no particular order:

~Peppermint and Eucalyptus~ These are not the same, but I find that they can be used interchangeably for many things, such as anything related to breathing. They are cooling.

~Frankincense~What a heavy hitter! This oil is a warm one, and powerful enough to fight cancer, yet gentle enough to be used without a carrier on facial skin. In my mind, Frankincense is a deep worker than can help to cure what ails you, physically and spiritually.

~Rose~Feeling down? Reach for Rose, the most uplifting of all the oils. It might raise your vibration so quickly you could feel dizzy, grounding is a word that I have learned to use a lot! (Certain crystals help with grounding. Amethyst and Rose Quartz would probably enhance the effects of Rose Oil, while labradorite, onyx, carnelian, and sardonyx [a blend of onyx and carnelian] might help to ground, they are some of my favorites for feeling grounded, there are many more options.)  Don't reach for Rose if you are afraid of heights... metaphysically speaking. Scientifically speaking, the higher your vibration the healthier and happier you are likely to be, and there is science behind that statement.... research it yourself.

~Citruses (Lemon, Lime, Orange, Tangerine, etc)~Again, these oils are not the same, but they have many of the same affectations. Clarity and immune balancing being high on the list of why I might reach for them. I have read that Lime is one of the most popular smells on the planet. The citruses are not known to have long shelf lives and they aren't usually among the most expensive of oils, so they are nice to use often. Lemon on the bottom of the feet has been helpful for easing fevers, a few drops every two hours was recommended and possibly a much more balanced alternative than other over-the-counter fever medicines.

~Rosemary~Headaches

~Lavender~Flies and moths don't like it, and it is a general soother, also good for breathing issues and immune balancing.

~Lemongrass~ Try it for yourself. I don't even know what to say about this one.... it seems to enhance whatever positive energy is already present.

~Clove~ Another powerful punch, it just seems to kill negative things like pain, bad breath, parasites,  germs, etc...


These Blends from Eden's Garden are also among my "always want to have on hand" list:

~Four Thieves Blend~Clove, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Rosemary (good for what ails ya, pretty much)

~Stay Alert Blend~In spite of its name, this oil is great for promoting a good night's sleep, silencing snoring and enhancing breathing, when used on the length of the spine in combination with frankincense it can encourage circulation while sleeping, and some have reported incredible healing.

~PMS Ease Blend~this is a great for the complaints related to female hormones

~Peace Blend~Doesn't the name say it all? We have also found that it is soothing for itchy skin due to poison ivy or bug bites. I also like to use Peace or Frankincense on my hands when practicing Reiki.


Most of these oils are also great for cleaning and repelling pests. There are many more that we have tried and liked, but this list includes the ones I find myself reaching for again, and again, and again, and again....

Being American

We did it. We created America. A few hundred years have gone by and we are still here, the Americans. Who are we? Who am I? This American that I am.

This morning I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock radio and an NPR interview with American musician Zack Condon. He is different from me, but his words resonated similarities. Searching the world for my own sound. Finding it at home. Thank you for that, Zack.

I haven't actually gone searching like he did, but my husband has done some traveling. The more he reflects on the differences in places and cultures the more I wonder who we are, as a people. Are we a people. The world seems to see us a people, "those Americans." Some want to be us, some want to destroy us, but they all know that we are here. Whoever we are.

We came here to this country from all over the world and fought with the people that were already here. I was told in Christian School that they were heathens. I am now surprised that people are still saying that. Less people are saying that, but people are still saying that.

We have attempted to destroyed this place. We have cut down the ancient forests. We have polluted the pristine streams. We have poisoned the fish and obliterated the birds and slaughtered the buffalo. We have made a mess of things. I was taught that we should be proud of ourselves. I am ashamed.

If we continue to recreate our futures as we have been living the past we may miss out on the opportunity to learn the best lessons from our deep-rooted histories. Travelers from America go looking all over the world for meaning and perspective. They go to places with older architecture and older habits and they litter and offend and spend lots of money and come home feeling richer for it. Why? What are they bringing back except bragging rights?

We should become humble. We should share this earth with all living things, as much as we possibly know how, and we know how, but greed prevents it. Fear prevents it. Will fear save us from ourselves?

What does it mean to be an American. An American housewife at that. You may have guessed by now that I am led by my heart. That my children motivate my thoughts on the future. All children motivate my thoughts for the future. What sort of future are we laying out for them? What tools are we giving them to survive and thrive?

I'd like to think that we are learning, evolving into a kinder more symbiotic species. Maybe we need a  cold, hard glimpse of ourselves, maybe we need mercy. I have read the histories of religions. I have talked with and listened to atheists. I have become pagan.

A Pagan American, what is that? I hesitate to seek out other pagans, I know we are all on our own path. Paganism is a journey of experience. Perhaps a love of nature unites? The invaders of this pristine land called the original people pagans. May we reignite the lessons that the spirits of the land taught them, and become a new type of people, a blending of the old ways inspired by the lessons we have learned for the new ways. May this melting pot of fury and pain and greed and quest boil down into a wisdom and hope and love. May we find our true freedom and the freedom that belongs to this place. May we live in true peace. We are all Earthlings, we are made of stars.