April 8th, 2017

Happy April! School continues to give me the run-around, but I've worked a couple of spiritual events into my schedule. Last weekend, the city put on an 11 Days of Compassion program, which included a morning walk over at the Gaia House labyrinth. I had to get myself up earlier than I prefer for a Sunday, but the walk was really nice.

All the flowers were blooming, including these lovely tulips.

I was standing in the center of the labyrinth, thinking about how nice it would be if the fountain were running, and then it suddenly kicked on.

Then today, a friend from school drove with me over to a local gem and mineral show put on by the regional Earth Science club.

There were so many cool specimens, lots of which were from the area, but many others of which were from around the world. Crystals, fossils - you name it, it was probably there.

I tried to keep my purchases moderate. I got a piece of Bismuth, a Celestite cluster, a big chunk of Bloodstone, a Rhodonite pyramid, an Orthoceras fossil, and some Fluorite chunks (which were actually free from one of the vendors).

Fairy Fest Goodies

I got lots of neat things at the Fairy Festival this weekend.

Among the miscellaneous items I bought were some pieces of artwork, all of them by this artist. I'd seen the original of the mermaid painting on the right at an art fair in Iowa and loved it. When I saw she had little prints available, I had to pick one up. I also got some postcards to give to my girlfriend and friends at school. Then I found a dragon's blood soap, which is great, seeing as I can't burn the incense, some sachets to hold crystals, and a pentacle charm which I'm actually going to use in a Night Vale Girl Scouts cosplay.

In terms of crystals - because I just had to get some - I got two pieces of Sunstone, a Labradorite sphere, a Fluorite point, tumbled Rhodonite and Moonstone, Andara Crystal Glass (which was actually a gift from a man advertising his service as an energy worker), and a Citrine point.

Finally, I picked up this little hummingbird pin. The hummingbird is actually velcroed to the pin, so it can be swapped out with other accessories, or attached to headbands, clips, etc. It's so cute, and it's my favorite color, so I had to grab it.

Posts on the stones are upcoming. In the meantime, hope you're all enjoying your summer!

New Stones and Grid

I bought a few stones while we were on vacation, and I was also gifted a few. I saw lots of really neat ones, but I'm happy with what I restricted myself to.

These are the two I bought, actually from the rock shop in Wall Drugstore. Above is an opalized Ammonite fossil, and below is a piece of South Dakota Bubblegum Agate. The Ammonite was a little expensive, but I've never had any Opal before, so I was okay with that.

These two were gifted to me by a cousin of my mom's, who is an avid crystal collector. The top one is a chunk of rough Aventurine, and the bottom is a chunk of rough Snowflake Obsidian.

Then somewhat out of the blue, I got a message from a friend of mine (whose name and pseudonym I will leave out of this particular story) who was having some trouble with a malevolent entity in her household. I was out of the house at the time, but when I got back, I put together this crystal grid to help deal with the issue.

The crystals are all situated on a circular rug which gives the grid a clear boundary. In the center, my Generator Quartz is sitting on its box to tie together the energies of the other stones and send them out. Around it is a blue circle my friend crocheted a while back to act as a taglock, and then I have two more Quartz points facing the Generator for extra power. On either side are some olive leaves to bring in the power of Athena, and I also added the bird skull I found at Mabon because I felt drawn to include it.

In a ring around that, I alternated Tiger's Eye (and a Fluorite, because I only had three Tiger's Eye) with Smoky Quartz, Ametrine (I couldn't find my Citrine last night, although it has since turned up), Red Jasper, and Rose Quartz, and in the final outer ring are all the protective stones: Snowflake Obsidian, Black Tourmaline, Obsidian, Onyx, Apache Tear, and enough Tektites to bring the total stone count in that ring up to 12.

I was really happy with how it came out, and it seemed to do its job, which was to send protection and energy to my friend, who was really drained by the whole ordeal. 

Today, things have gotten largely back on track, so I took it down as it was a little obvious in the middle of my floor. I cleansed each of the stones before I put them away; I don't know that they would have picked up a lot of negativity all the way over here, but it seemed like a good practice, anyway.

April 19th, 2015

It's been a busy month, what with my first college production coming up this week. I've had rehearsal mostly every day, outside of class, homework, and etcetera. We're doing The Children's Hour, and I plan to continue my tradition of blessing the stage with holy water before opening night if I can.

I ran into the geology club again last Thursday! They were only selling stones of which I already have specimens (they had an enormous chunk of purple fluorite which I was considering, but by the time I made up my mind, someone else had walked off with it), but they had a few broken quartz geodes, and the girl at the booth gave me a couple of little ones free of charge.

They're now sitting in my window.

As you can see, my basil plants are also getting bigger! I think my moss agate has been helpful.

August 8th, 2012

Wow, is it really only two weeks until school starts again? That's insane! Ben and I did our back-to-school shopping today (Nick claims to already have everything he needs), and I am now equipped with a small army of notebooks, binders, pens, and pencils. I've also got some new magnetic pieces for my microscopic locker, plus my things from last year. I also have some locker-protection talismans that I'm going to re-empower. One is a different take on a Witch's Bottle, and the other is a garland. Later this month I intend to empower all my supplies for memory and anti-procrastination.
On a completely different note, today's stone that I shall expound upon is Fluorite, which, I recently learned, is Illinois' state mineral.

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Fluorite

Physical Characteristics: Fluorite is often translucent and may contain a variety of colors including green, pink, blue, and purple. Stones containing all of these colors are known as "Rainbow Fluorite". They may also have banding.

In Nature: Also called Fluorspar, and, due to chemical impurities, may be fluorescent. Often forms the host rock around veins of other minerals. Common in granite and other igneous
rocks; found in small amounts in dolostone and limestone.

Chemical Composition: CaF2 (Calcium Fluoride)

Mohs Scale Hardness: 4 (low middle)

Can be Found: China, West Europe, Mexico, the USA, South Africa, and Canada

Healing Properties*: In healing, Fluorite removes energy blockages, pain, respiratory issues, skin disease, and arthritis. It stimulates cell regeneration, and so can be used to heal ulcers.

Magickal Properties: Fluorite improves self-discipline, especially when trying to reach a meditative state, and helps to order one's thoughts. It relieves anger and depression, calming and soothing strong emotion. Further, it amplifies analytical thought, and possesses protective qualities. Fluorite cleanses the aura, and removes any cording, an unhealthy emotional connection to others. It aids in channeling, connecting to the Akashic Records, and in communing with various Nature Spirits. Also, Fluorite amplifies the power of other stones. Since the stone reduces stress, it is optimal for work spaces and other high-stress areas. Like Calcite, Fluorite improves memory and is an excellent study tool. Placed on the Third Eye Chakra, it makes one more receptive to psychic information and improves visualization. On the throat it assists in speaking your mind, and on the heart it heals emotional trauma, releases guilt, and encourages compassion and forgiveness.

Chakra Association: Fluorite is tied to the Fourth, or Heart Chakra, the Fifth, or Throat Chakra, and the Sixth, or Third Eye Chakra.

Element: Air, Water

Energy: Projective

Planetary Association: Neptune, Venus

*Magickal healing should never take the place of seeing a doctor and following any recommended prescriptions, actions, or other advice. Magick works best in tandem with physical efforts, anyway, so don't skimp on those check-ups!