May 18th, 2017

Apophyllite

Physical Characteristics: Apophyllite refers to a specific group of phyllosilicates (sheet silicates formed in parallel layers). All phyllosilicates are hydrated minerals, Apophyllite being a variety which contains water in its chemical structure.

There are technically three varieties of Apophyllite, each varying slightly in chemical composition: Fluorapophyllite (white, colorless, yellow, green, or violet specimens), Hydroxyapophyllite (white or colorless specimens), and Natroapophyllite (brown, yellow, or colorless specimens). Heating the crystal causes water loss, which in turn can cause it to flake apart.

In Nature: This crystal is typically found in vesicles of Basalt or other volcanic rocks.

Chemical Composition: (K, Na)Ca4Si8O20(F, OH)•8H2O

Mohs Scale Hardness: 4.5-5 (medium)

Can be Found: India, Germany, Canada, Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Brazil, Japan, United States

Healing Properties*: Placed on the eyelids, Apophyllite is thought to reduce eye strain. It relieves anxiety and stress, and can also reduce allergy symptoms. Apophyllite is a common tool in Reiki healing.

Magickal Properties: Apophyllite is perhaps best-known for being a high-vibration crystal. The stone's energy is uplifting, and is often used for removing energy blockages and for helping its bearer grow spiritually. It opens the Third Eye, and in so doing furthers psychic development; use it to enhance clairvoyance, for dream work, for astral travel/projection, meditation, and similar exercises. The stone is ideal for scrying, in part because many specimens contain prismatic defects that help the mind relax. It also opens the Crown Chakra, making it easier to contact spiritual guides, angels, and other higher powers.

The water content of the stone improves its energy-conducting capacity, which may be further enhanced by the shape of the crystal (e.g. a pyramidal form). To cleanse and empower a room with Apophyllite, create a crystal grid by placing one stone in each corner of the room and another in the room's center.

Generally speaking, it is inadvisable to cleanse hydrated crystals with water. As heat can damage the stone, it is likewise inadvisable to cleanse Apophyllite in direct sunlight.

Chakra Association: Third Eye (Sixth) and Crown (Seventh) chakras

Element: Air

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Mercury

*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!

April 9th, 2017

Bismuth

Physical Characteristics: Bismuth is a brittle white metal, but when oxidized will display iridescent colors ranging from red to yellow to blue. Its iconic stair-stepped shape results from a higher growth rate along its outside edges than on its interior. The metal is also strongly diamagnetic, meaning that it is repelled by magnetic fields, and is one of the principal components of MagLev train systems.

In Nature*: One of the periodic chemical elements, Bismuth is written with the symbol Bi, and has an atomic number of 83. It is chemically similar to arsenic, antimony, tin, and lead, but curiously has a much lower toxicity. It also has a very low thermal conductivity, and is weakly radioactive, though given that its half-life is a billion times the estimated age of the universe, it is considered stable in virtually all scientific scenarios and is harmless to humans.

*Note: Bismuth's crystal-lattice structure is rarely found in nature. As such, the Bismuth crystals on the market are lab-grown specimens. This does not decrease their metaphysical value, but it is something to be aware of. Websites claiming to sell natural Bismuth crystals are likely running a scam.

Chemical Composition: Bi

Mohs Scale Hardness: 2.25 (very low)

Can be Found: Australia, Bolivia, China, Vietnam, Mexico

Healing Properties*: Bismuth may be used to slow degenerative muscular conditions.

Magickal Properties: With a unique combination of chemical properties and a long, convoluted history of use, Bismuth is a very odd, not to mention fascinating, metal.

It was commonly utilized in alchemical practices, and even had its own designated symbol (see right image) which crops up in the work of such notable scientist-alchemists as Sir Isaac Newton, but records of how or why it was used do not appear to have survived. Modern-day scientists, including Glenn T. Seaborg, continued this ancient tradition by using nuclear collisions to transform Bismuth into Gold as recently as 1980. This website provides an interesting overview of the major alchemical metals, and provides a good background of the associated semiotics and history, but even there Bismuth is not mentioned except in passing.

As with many multicolored or iridescent crystals, Bismuth can be used as a point of focus in shamanic journeying, astral projection, etc. It could act as a focusing crystal in other areas of life as well, and may be beneficial to people with ADHD or other neurotypes characterized by poor executive function. It also enhances visualization, and may improve meditation experiences.

Bismuth reduces feelings of isolation, and can improve connections with other people. Its rainbow colors make it ideal for energy work, and it can be instrumental in cleansing the aura.

Chakra Association: All, but especially the Crown (Seventh) Chakra

Element: Air

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Saturn

*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!

July 15th, 2016

Ammolite/Opalized Ammonite

Physical Characteristics: Opalized Ammonites, known as Ammolites, are fossils wherein the animal's shell has been replaced by Aragonite, along with impurities like Calcite and Pyrite. This gives them a characteristic iridescence, usually in shades of red and green.

In Nature: Ammanoid cephalopods first appeared in the Devonian period, over 400 million years ago, going extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period. They are classified by the gas chambers in their spiral shells. After their deaths, the ammanoids fossilized into Ammonites, some of which became Ammolites.

Chemical Composition: CaCO3 with impurities

Mohs Scale Hardness: 3.5 - 5 (low to middle)

Can be Found: Most are found on the eastern slopes of the North American Rocky Mountains.

Healing Properties*: Ammolite is considered psychologically beneficial, strengthening one's will to live and offering energy and stamina. It has also been employed to ease childbirth, and to stabilize blood pressure.

Magickal Properties: Ammolite has been prized around the world as a symbol of many deities, especially those with curved horns. Pliny the Elder called them hammonis cornu, "the horns of Ammon", from the Egyptian god Amun, a ram-headed god. In one legend from the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) Nation, the Ammolite, with its form like a bison, first taught a young woman how to call the bison to be hunted. In Ethiopia, the stone was said to grant deep meditative states and prophetic dreams; today, it remains a common practice to use the spiral shape of the stone to draw one down a coiled astral path on spiritual journeys of all types, including communion with deity and past-life regression.

Ammolites and Ammonites may also be the fabled "dragonstones" or "draconites" described in some texts as protecting against poison, venomous animals, or one's enemies. In terms of sympathetic magick, the Ammolite was once home to a living creature. Therefore, it can be used in magick relating to the home, including protection, selling a house, and moving. 

The stones are protective and radiate Earth energies. As such, Ammolite is a source of grounding and of survival. Its horn shape hearkens back to the cornucopia, and so it is likewise a stone of prosperity. Ammolite can carry one into the subconscious as well as the astral - use it to transform the emotions, especially as they apply to repression, trauma, and problematic familial patterns.

Chakra Association: Particularly the First (Root) chakra, although it works with them all

Element: Akasha

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Jupiter

*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!

The Sun Goddess

Today I finally finished reading The Sun Goddess, a book I started at the beginning of the semester. I would just like to say straight off the bat that this was an excellent book, and I would highly recommend it.

I came across the text after watching The Pagan Scholar on YouTube. The fellow who runs the channel, Travis, is an academic who reads and reviews scholarly works on contemporary Paganism. He had reviewed a title called Eclipse of the Sun, a book on sun goddesses, and I was really interested in reading it. However, when I went to order some books with a giftcard, I couldn't remember the title, nor could I find the video he talked about it in (I now know it was "Ouch, My Paradigm"). I ended up looking at other books on sun goddesses instead, and decided that this one looked promising. I ordered it, and am nothing less than pleased with it as a scholarly examination of the sun goddess narrative.

Title: The Sun Goddess: Myth, Legend and History

Author: Sheena McGrath

© 1997

Sheena McGrath is a practicing Pagan now living in California. She has been involved in groups in England and Canada, and has her degree in medieval studies.

McGrath's book opens with a proposition: that modern Pagans (and non-Pagan scholars, for that matter) who automatically associate the goddess with the moon and the god with the sun are looking at mythology too one-dimensionally. She proposes instead that the majority of pre-Christian Indo-European religions worshiped a sun goddess, with a corresponding moon god. She then goes on to prove this thesis with evidence from a plethora of Indo-European cultures, citing language, migration patterns, iconography, and surviving verses and folklore; she makes a compelling argument suggesting that, historically, the Greeks and Romans were really the odd ones out in terms of assigning gender to the luminaries. 

McGrath begins by introducing the reader to the Indo-Europeans, describing how and where they lived, how language patterns (and in particular, gendered language regarding the sun and moon) changed, and why she chose to compare their mythologies. Namely, Indo-Europeans prior to Christianization had a mythological cycle which was identifiably similar across political, cultural, and ethnic boundaries.

She then launches immediately into describing known sun goddesses from across Western Europe, talking about what we know of their worship, the symbols they used, and what remains of their stories. McGrath starts with Sól in Germany, then moves to Sunna in England, and continues with Freya in Scandinavia, St. Lucia in Sweden, and Œstre of the Saxons.

Next, she looks at Eastern Europe, beginning with the Baltic Saule. She talks at length here about the myth cycle, comparing it to trends in other regions, and in particular examining the frequent pattern of a moon god who seduces the sun goddess' daughter, the sun maiden, as well as twin sons of the sky god who are to be the sun maiden's husband(s). McGrath examines some known sun maidens, and includes in her list Auszrine. She also describes the horse and the swans as being significant examples of sun goddess imagery.

The following section traces sun goddesses in Slavic mythology, looking at Solntse, who between Her and Her sun maiden daughter also fulfill a role in the cult of the dead. McGrath further describes Slavic goddesses of the solstices, a mysterious solar goddess frequently depicted on traditional wedding embroidery, and how even in the Catholic church, the Virgin Mary has come to have solar aspects in Russia.

Then McGrath moves to the Celts, pointing out Grian and Graínne, as well as goddesses of hot springs like Sul, and fire goddesses like Brigit. The Celts also worshiped a series of horse goddesses, and McGrath reiterates her position that equine goddesses usually have a solar aspect. These include Áine and Macha. 

She also covers Arinitti and Nikkal of the Hittites, Arevhat of the Armenians, and Mtsekale of the Georgians.

While McGrath does acknowledge that the Greeks do not generally support her proposal (and indeed, notes that part of the reason for the dominance of the moon goddess, sun god narrative is a fierce historical obsession with neo-classicism), she does point out that it's not all so cut-and-dried as Helios or Apollo as the sun god with Selene or Artemis as the lunar goddess. McGrath brings up references to a female Helia, as well as the the strong solar imagery associated with Pasïphae (who mated with the very lunar bull in the story of the labyrinth). Other Greek women associated with the sun include Circe, Medea, the Hesperides, Eos, and even Helen of Troy.

Then the text moves on to India, where the sun god, Surya, has an aspect, Savitar, which is sometimes addressed as female. There is also his horse goddess wife, and a daughter, Suryaa, a sun maiden who marries twins, as in other Indo-European mythologies. Then there is Tantra, a fire goddess, and Ushas, goddess of dawn.

The next few chapters restate much of what has been said already, but categorizes information differently so that if one were looking for a specific piece of information, it would be easier to locate. One chapter discusses the relationship between solar goddesses and mazes, while others discuss the moon, sky, and thunder gods.

The final sections of the book switch from scholarly research to application, a pleasant surprise for me, as I had not expected this book to contain any information on ritual. McGrath provides a very simple ritual structure, and then offers several guided meditations and rituals by which to honor various sun goddesses and moon gods. 

Whew. If that seemed like a long summary, it's because it was. This is not an especially thick book (177 pages, not counting appendices or the bibliography), but it is dense. There is a ton of information here to read through, all of it very completely researched. If I had one criticism of the book, it would be that the organization of chapters felt, at times, a little arbitrary, but that is a small, small complaint. The book is fully cited from other reputable researchers (including references to Eclipse of the Sun, which makes me chuckle), and I learned an incredible amount about goddesses I had never even heard of before. 

Not only that, but this issue of assigning gender to the sun and moon (which in and of itself I feel is a fairly unnecessary practice, but that's a topic for another time) is an important one, because when we as a community get into this practice of automatically pairing the moon with women and the sun with men, we start leaving the door open for stereotyping and misogyny. 

Why? Because it's never really just that we pair women and the moon, is it? We pair women with all of the other metaphysical associations we have with the moon, namely passivity and receptivity. Meanwhile, men get paired exclusively with the active, sending energy of the sun. This type of binary thinking isn't beneficial to anyone of any gender, because no person exhibits one sole type of behavior all the time, and to suggest otherwise is ultimately limiting. 

Therefore, for that and other reasons, I feel that books like this are really critical for breaking the paradigm in contemporary Paganism, and coming to realize that mythology is complex, and that no one single narrative will ever fit every culture, nor should it, and nor should we try to make up or twist facts to suit a limited world view. 

9.5/10, absolutely read through this if you have the chance.

January 18th, 2016

I'm back at school for the spring semester, and I decided that since we had today off, I would try reading some books I had yet to get to. I started working my way through Celtic Lore, but it was pretty dense, so I switched over to Zen. It was quite a bit shorter than the other one, but also a lot more informative than I had supposed.

Zen was something I picked up from the Goodwill here in town last fall. I have forayed a little bit into Buddhism, and actually had the opportunity one afternoon to learn some Zen meditation techniques from a monk while I was in Japan. As such, I was interested in learning more about it, and actually found this to be a reasonably comprehensive introduction. 

Title: Zen: An ancient path to enlightenment for modern lives

Author: Peter Oldmeadow

Copyright 2001

Peter Oldmeadow is a Sanskrit lecturer at the University of Sydney, and when this book was published, had over thirty years' experience in Buddhist theory and practice. I found his writing style to be very approachable, and the book clarified what I felt to be several of the more challenging concepts.

The book starts with the history of Buddhism in India, as well as the Buddhist understanding of suffering and how it relates to the Eight-Fold Path. It then segues into the development of different schools of Buddhism, and describes how Zen came about in East Asia. Oldmeadow traces Zen through China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan, as well as how Zen influenced practices such as calligraphy and the tea ceremony. 

Oldmeadow then discusses some of the primary meditation styles in Zen Buddhism, and how the practice was spread to the Western hemisphere.

When I picked this up, I had been expecting that this would be more of a "how to" kind of a book. What I found is that it's more of a summary of the history of Buddhism, and how and why the Zen tradition developed. While it was not exactly what I was anticipating, it was a very interesting read, and in spite of its length (73 pages), I felt like I learned a lot from it. That being said, it does strike me as being more of an introductory work. If you are already very versed in the history of the spread of Buddhism, this may not tell you much you don't already know. 

In short, if you would like to learn about the basics of Buddhist metaphysics and how Zen Buddhism developed, I would recommend checking out this book. If you're hoping for something more advanced, or strictly covering how to practice any given branch of Buddhism, this may not be quite what you're looking for.

Stare deep into the world before you as if it were

the void: innumerable holy ghosts, bhuddies,

and savior gods there hide, smiling. All the

atoms emitting light inside wavehood, there is

no personal separation of any of it. A Hummingbird

can come into a house and a hawk will not: so rest

and be assured. While looking for the light, you may suddenly be devoured by the darkness

and find the true light.

- Jack Kerouac, 1959

September 26th, 2015

It was a little surreal to just sit and relax this afternoon after being in a constant state of motion all week, but I did make myself take some time to recharge. I ended up doing a page in a Japanese brocade-pattern coloring book that my mom sent me in the mail.

Complex patterns like this, as well as mandalas and similar, are great tools for active meditation; that is, if you find it difficult (as I sometimes do) to calm your mind just sitting still, then coloring is a good way to center and focus while still doing something.

Now, I wasn't doing this as a meditation today. Instead, I sat watching some YouTube videos by other Pagans and just generally trying to expand my knowledge base. Still, in the future, I may very well use it as a meditative technique. I may also cut up a page or two and paste smaller drawings into what I've decided to call my Scrapbook of Shadows, especially if I need decorations for pages on Shinto deities, practices, etc.

September 5th, 2015

Title: Astral Travel for Beginners: Transcend Time and Space with Out-of-Body Experiences

Author: Richard Webster
©1998

I picked this book up at a thrift store over the summer and read part of it, but only just got around to finishing it this afternoon. Astral Travel for Beginners covers a wide range of subjects, and provides both a comprehensive guide to basic astral travel and also insights into hypnosis, remote viewing, and other psychic phenomenon.

The book is divided into fifteen chapters, the topics of which include:

• Astral travel requirements
• Involuntary astral travel
• The astral world
• Your first astral travel
• Advanced astral travel

and so on. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, Webster cites recorded examples of astral travel occurring throughout history and around the world. He defines terms like the "astral plane", "silver cord", and etcetera, He also discusses concepts of bi-location, astral doubles, and doppelgangers. 

Webster goes on to describe relaxation techniques to incite one's first astral travel experience. He does this in stages, beginning with the very basic "mind travel" and moving on to ways by which to completely separate the consciousness from the body. For more practiced astral travelers, Webster suggests how to visit other countries, times, and even planets. He further provides additional methods for achieving astral travel, should one be inclined to experiment, or if more "standard" techniques are unhelpful. 

For those interested in astral traveling while sleeping, the book contains a script one could record and play back before going to bed. There are also scripts for people who would like to work astral travels in a group, or as a couple. The book concludes with a discussion of how Numerology can enhance astral travel, along with a few of the author's personal experiencing teaching workshops and assisting clients.

On the whole, I quite enjoyed this book, finding it well-researched and informative. I also feel confident that given the time to practice, I could find the methods discussed very useful for achieving voluntary astral travel. Granted, the book shows its age in certain ways (hardly anyone uses cassettes anymore, for one thing), but the advice Webster provides definitely continues to hold up.

To anyone looking to start astral travelling, or hoping to expand their knowledge on the subject, I would definitely recommend Richard Webster's Astral Travel for Beginners.

August 20th, 2015

I made another video for YouTube today. It's a little tour of my meditation shrine-altar-thing.

I strive to make my practice as accessible as possible to as wide a range of people as possible. I'm certain that I'm not always successful, but I'm also happy to hear suggestions on what I can do to improve my work. Yesterday, I discovered that YouTube has an option to created closed captioning for one's videos. This would allow hard of hearing or deaf individuals to watch my content, and obviously that's a very good thing. To turn on the captions, you have to mouse over the video so the timeline appears, and then click the button near the volume control which says CC.

The way I've been doing it, I basically have to transcribe everything. This is a quick thing to do for one video, but not so quick when one has 20+ videos that need captions. I have about half of them done now (through 2011, I believe, as well as my most recent two), but I think I'll have to finish the rest some other time, as the joints of my fingers are starting to protest my typing.

Tomorrow I leave for school. We packed the van, and I don't think I'm forgetting anything. Wish me luck!

August 9th, 2015

My piece of Aragonite I was able to identify from flipping through some crystal books, but this stone I had to take with me to Fairy Fest and ask around at some of the vendors to learn the name of. It turned out to be synthetic, which I had already guessed at, but here's what information the internet had on it.

~~~~~
Carborundum

Physical Characteristics: A black crystal that sparkles like a rainbow in the light. Carborundum is water insoluble and does not fade in sunlight, so the more popular modes of cleansing are appropriate for this crystal. As it is synthetic, cleansing it of other people's energy is vital. Do exercise some caution, as pieces may be brittle and break with rough handling.

In Nature: Carborundum only occurs very rarely on Earth; when it does, it is called Moissanite and is generally found in meteorites. The crystal was first developed for mass production in 1890 when Edward Acheson attempted to create artificial diamonds with clay and powdered Carbon. It quickly became popular as an industrial abrasive.

Chemical Composition: SiC

Mohs Scale Hardness: 9.5 (very high)

Can be Found: Rarely in meteorite or Corundum deposits, but is commonly produced in laboratories 

Healing Properties*: The stone can help to clear the mind of chaotic thoughts and stress, while clearing stress' physical symptoms from the body. It can also assist in the treatment of depression or more general melancholy. Carborundum heals eye strain, headaches, and computer-related injuries. Back and neck pain may also be lessened with the stone, as can the severity of problems with the skeletal system.

Magickal Properties: Carborundum is a meditative crystal, inspiring serenity and peacefulness. It strengthens the bond with one's "inner child", or perhaps more accurately with the part of one which is playful and curious before such behaviors are socialized out of our personality. 
It is a purifying stone, and encourages intuition. As a conductor of electricity, Carborundum will amplify energy in any sort of working, but especially in healing efforts.

Chakra Association: All

Element: Air/fire

Energy: Projective/receptive

Planetary Association: Earth

*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!

July 12th, 2015

Destiny came over for a while this afternoon, and among other things, we decided to make God's Eye crafts. We found some redbud tree sticks out front of my house, and then I had no shortage of yarn for the actual construction.

Mine is the green, and hers is the blue.

~~~~~

The history of the God's Eye amulet is an interesting one. I've used them in the past for altar decorations at Mabon or Samhain, and have seen them conflated with the Egyptian Wedjet (Eye of Horus) elsewhere on the internet.

While they may serve similar purposes, further research tells me that the God's Eye is not Egyptian at all, but actually originated in the Americas. The jury is out on whether the design comes from the Pueblo people of present-day New Mexico, USA, or from the Huichol people of Sierra Madre, Mexico. Either way, similar crafts were produced across much of the region for spiritual and decorative purposes.

The more correct name for the God's Eye is Ojo de Dios (literally "Eye of God" in Spanish). To the Pueblo, they were tokens of celebration or blessing. Often, they were given as gifts and/or were used to bless a home. From the 1500s - 1800s, they were found along trails or places where people worked to "see" things not visible to the mundane eye. To this end they had a protective quality. They were made meditatively, either in solitude or with others, and the making was a spiritual undertaking.

The Huichol and Tepehuan natives used the Ojo de Dios as a ritual, magical, and cultural tool. They referred to them as Sikuli, which meant that the crafts symbolized the power to see that which is unknowable. Meanwhile, the four corners represented earth, air, fire, and water. Sikuli, along with other objects including feathers and arrows, were left in sacred caves as offerings to the gods. 

Some Christians have appropriated this craft as a symbol of their single, all-seeing god. 

Making and Ojo de Dios is simple. The materials are only sticks and yarn, although a drop of glue may be helpful for children. Cross the sticks, and wind the yarn around them as seen in the diagram:

They can be further decorated with beads or feathers, as desired.

Place on the altar, or hang near a door to bless and protect a space.

January 7th, 2014

Hazelnut gave me a copy of this book as a Yule gift, and I thought I might review it here for anyone interested in learning more about the fairy peoples. You may recognize the format if you've seen other books by the same publisher, such as The Crystal Bible.

Title: The Fairy Bible
Author: Teresa Moorey
Date of Publication: July 1, 2008

I was impressed in general by the text's content; many similar books that I've read in the past just invent names of fairy species that aren't backed by any sort of history or lore. Granted, many of the texts I've read are intended for younger audiences, but even so. All entries in this book introduce the original mythology for the spirits, and some also give examples of how they have been reimagined in pop culture.

The book's categories are as follows: Water, Air, Fire, Earth, House, Flower, Tree, and Weather. Each category then has the related spirits, as well as information at the end of each section on meditations that can be done to contact these fairies. Most of them also have suggestions for the
 kinds of altars that could be established to attract the type of spirit in question, as well as to make your living space a more welcoming environment for them.

Most of The Fairy Bible's entries come from the folklore of Western Europe,

particularly the British Isles, and I was left feeling like the inhabitants of other cultures were rather under-represented. That being said, the book does incorporate entries for djinn, domovoiye, a few Native American entities, and a Japanese water spirit, so it did make some level of effort.

Still, some of what the author considered suitable content was questionable to me. For example, the book contained sections on several deities, including Pan, Brighid, Hermes, and others. While I certainly don't object to learning more about these Powers in general, it seems to me that it might offend said god/desses to be included in a book regarding Fey. This is not to say that Fey are lesser Powers - many of them certainly possess astounding capabilities - but it seems odd to me that deities which are never portrayed as fairies in their myths are then included in the book.

Not only that, but famous fairy entities that one would expect to see in a book like this - for instance, the illustrious Queen Mab - were hardly mentioned at all.

All in all, I thought it was a reasonably informative book, and most of its meditations and other exercises were well-composed, but buyers should be aware that some of the content is a little watered down, and parts of it come across as more of a "how-to-Pagan" than a strictly-informative guide to the fairy realms. Ultimately, know what you're buying. There definitely is quality information in it, but in places it takes a bit of digging.

I would call it, "fairies for beginners", and not, "the definitive guide" as the cover suggests.

An Update

First - an update on those activities which I mentioned in my last post! I did indeed end up doing a crystal spread and meditation. I went with chakra- themed stones, because I was feeling off energetically, and so laid the following crystals over the appropriate energy centers: Black Tourmaline for the Root chakra, Red Jasper for the Sacral chakra, Tiger's Eye for the Solar Plexus chakra, Green Calcite for the Heart chakra, Turquoise for the Throat chakra, Lepidolite for the Third Eye chakra, and Clear Quartz for the Crown chakra. I did this while laying down on my carpet, with a blanket thrown over my legs because it was chilly. There was a bit of stiffness in my lower back, but as I began the meditation, this relaxed and dissipated.

Afterwards, I walked over to the campus lake and rented a kayak. I spent about an hour paddling around, enjoying the weather and the wildlife.

There were a ton of ducks, and the turtles were also out in force, basking in the sunlight. By the time I was through, I'd counted eleven, including one itty bitty softshell turtle that was barely an inch and a half long. Moreover, there were many frogs sitting in the shallows, and I spotted a school of minnows darting just under the surface. All things told, it was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.
That evening, I had had plans to go to a meditation class at the Gaia Center, but when I got there, it looked like the class was in a different location.

I ended up just wandering around town a bit, and besides finding a little Chinese shop which sold delicious bubble tea, I also stumbled upon the Gaia Center's labyrinth, which is painted on an abandoned piece of concrete.

There's also a lot of pretty trees surrounding it, and a little waterfall.
Monday night was Esbat, and also represented my first official ritual since moving onto campus. I had located a really pretty area behind the dining hall near a creek where there was a grove of trees and several stumps. Since it was out of the way, I thought I might use it for my ritual. I don't usually get to do rituals outside, as doing so in our backyard would be more than a trifle obvious, and this seemed like the perfect place to get away from prying eyes.

I grabbed my travel altar and set up camp on one of the flatter stumps. The ritual went really well, I think, albeit a bit short, and even though I was in a pretty secluded area, there were still a few people who walked by. I'll probably do my Mabon ritual there, though, and see how it goes. Because it was a so-called "Supermoon", the moon rise was just beautiful. It was butter-yellow, and huge in the sky as it peeked up over the trees.

My cameraphone cannot begin to do the phenomenon justice, but for the record, that yellow blob in the middle of the picture is the moon (the one on the left is a street lamp).

September 7th, 2014

Moving to college is a little more hectic than one might immediately assume it would be. I've just wrapped up a big architecture project, and am trying to give myself the day just to relax as a result. It occurred to me that this was a perfect opportunity to fill my readers in!

(Actually, I wanted to post yesterday, because my girlfriend informed me it was National Hummingbird Day, but got distracted by the aforementioned project.)

What with tomorrow being Esbat, I've been working to get things in order for a nice first ritual here at school. There's a really nice wooded patch just outside my residence hall, and I think I can go out there and perhaps borrow a tree stump to set up my travel altar on. It's also supposed to be a Supermoon tomorrow, so the view should be good!

I've been rather cautious about setting up anything too overtly Pagan in my room (no need to freak out my roommate), but I do have sort of a casual altar established on my dresser, next to the microwave. Is it lacking a certain mystic quality? Probably. But it's functional.

I have an electric tea light in a paper lantern (candles and incense are both prohibited), a My Neighbor Totoro washcloth serving as an altar cloth (I bought it in Japan, and let's be honest - that's a beautiful movie), a card with a fairy print on it, some silk flowers, and my chalice. All the rest of my goodies are carefully packed in a desk drawer where I can grab them when I need them. Did I bring my entire crystal collection? You better believe it. 

I've developed a bit of a headache, so I may do a crystal layout and try some meditation this afternoon. There's free canoe rentals over at the boat docks as well, if I can successfully get myself out the door.

August 7th, 2014

Smoky Quartz

Physical Characteristics: Smoky Quartz ranges from almost complete clarity to almost black; typically, it is a translucent brown or grey.

In Nature: Natural irradiation creates free Silicon ions within the crystal, thus giving it its color. The same effect can be obtained artificially using radiation techniques. Artificial Smoky Quartz will be lesser in quality but may be more inexpensive.

Chemical Composition: SiO2

Mohs Scale Hardness: 7 (middle-high)

Can be Found: Worldwide, but especially Brazil, the USA, and the Swiss Alps

Healing Properties*: Physically, this crystal treats ailments of the lower abdomen: cramps, back pain, kidney and liver problems, sexual dysfunction, etc. Moreover, it relieves mental disorders, ADD, and hyperactivity.

Magickal Properties: Smoky Quartz possesses many of the same properties as Clear Quartz, including energy amplification, but because of its chemical differences, it is rooted in the physical plane rather than the psychic. It is a grounding stone, but unlike its opaque relatives, Smoky Quartz's energy is joyful, connecting one to safety and security while lifting the spirit and transmuting negativity into positivity instead of just neutralizing it. It relieves depression, stress, and anger while keeping its bearer relaxed and centered. The stone strengthens one's survival instincts (Live in a dangerous neighborhood? Carry some Smoky Quartz.), and also eases the grieving process. Like many dark stones, this crystal is a good choice for a focus when scrying the future. Hung or placed near the bedside, it prevents nightmares and insomnia. Meditation with Smoky Quartz encourages creative solutions to problems.

Chakra Association: First (Root) chakra

Element: Earth

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Jupiter

*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!

August 6th, 2014

The second stone I bought at Faery Fest is commonly called Peacock Ore, due to its flashy, metallic colors. I should note that this is a stone that is becoming less common - unless you are actively seeking out lapidary stores or vendors, you may never see it. I suspect that this is to do with the Copper content (at least 60% according to one source); with Copper being so highly valued at present, it seems likely that more of this ore is being refined into metal as opposed to being sold to collecting metaphysicians. Also, just for the record, this is post #300! Thank you so much to all my wonderful readers for putting up with my crazy and sticking with this thing I call a blog.

Peacock Ore

Physical Characteristics: This mineral begins as a coppery-red and then tarnishes to beautiful iridescent shades of blue-green and purple. If the sample contains Pyrite, this will be visible as gold flecks on the surface.

In Nature: Also called Bornite (and sometimes incorrectly Chalcopyrite), Peacock Ore is a sulfide and is an important source of commercial Copper. It is found in Copper deposits and as dissemination in magnesium-rich igneous rocks, metamorphic deposits, and sedimentary shales.

Chemical Composition: Cu5FeS4

Mohs Scale Hardness: 3 (low)

Can be Found: USA, England, Austria, Zimbabwe

Healing Properties*: In terms of healing, this stone promotes cellular regeneration and will heal the spiritual and physical causes of most ailments.

Magickal Properties: Peacock Ore is associated mostly with energy work. As a multicolored stone, it opens and balances all chakras, also removing energy blockages. Moreover, its benefits to one's psychic senses and abilities are numerous. Peacock Ore opens the mind to ancient esoteric knowledge and may help one access the Akashic Records. The stone opens new avenues for self growth, and is a valuable meditation aide. It dispels negativity and is generally a mood lifter.

Chakra Association: All

Element: Water

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Mercury

*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!

July 12th, 2014

Desert Rose

Physical Characteristics: These rose-like crystal formations have "petals" of crystal flattened along the "C Crystallographic" axis, fanning open in radiating clusters. Ambient sand is incorporated into the crystal, which affects the overall color.

In Nature: Desert Rose is formed of Gypsum, Barite, or Selenite. These clusters form in arid, sandy regions such as shallow salt basins where evaporation occurs. Celestine and other evaporites may also form Desert Rose.

(Some websites have tried to tell me that this is a stone formed at lightning strikes or by some other equally improbable means. Sorry, but I'm trusting Wikipedia on this one.)

Chemical Composition: CaSO4・H2O

 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Desert Rose already contains water. DO NOT cleanse it in liquid, as it will dissolve. Some websites talk about making "Desert Rose Water", but I strongly advise against it.

 
Mohs Scale Hardness: 2 - 3.5 (low)

Can be Found: Tunisia, Algeria, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the USA (Barite Desert Rose is the state mineral of Oklahoma)

Healing Properties*: Use Desert Rose to shield against X-rays, radioactivity, and UV rays. Further applied, this stone will treat sunburn and similar skin conditions, or ease geopathic stress caused by nearby power lines or computers. It may treat acne or eczema.

 
Magickal Properties: There is a lot of BS on the internet about this crystal, and very little that is actually useful. For example, a couple of websites recommend it for warding off "redundancy". What? How is that useful to anybody? The irony of this particular "property" being listed in multiple places is not lost on me. Even my crystal books are markedly unhelpful. However, where minerals are concerned, let it not be said that I have no enthusiasm for research. 

I dug around a bit, and found some information that actually looked credible. Right off the bat, if you have a Selenite Desert Rose, all the properties of Selenite apply. The same goes for stones formed out of Gypsum or Barite. Moreover, Desert Rose clarifies thinking and calms the mind, making it ideal for use in meditation. It is a stabilizing stone, and is considered a helpmate in business transactions because it removes obstacles from one's path and assists in financial growth. Native Americans believed that spirits of the deceased carved these "roses", and so they are ideal for psychic magicks, communing with the Otherworld, and remembering one's ancestors. The stone has generally protective qualities, and will link the Sixth and Seventh chakras to initiate psychic experiences tempered by sensory experience. Meditating on Desert Rose may make multi-layered situations plainer to understand, and has a marked effect on one's dream state. If lucid dreaming, astral travel, or astral projection is desired, working with Desert Rose may ease the process.

Chakra Association: Sixth (Third Eye) chakra

Element: Air (This is my own association, owing to the stone's airy texture coupled with it's associations with the mind and receiving information. Those few sources that even list an elemental correspondence put it down as Fire, which to me doesn't make a lot of sense.)

Energy: Receptive

Planetary Association: Mercury (Also my own association, for most of the same reasons as above.)

*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!

February 2nd, 2014

Happy Imbolg, one and all. It's been a very busy day here - I had to teach Sunday School all morning (oh, the irony), ate a quick lunch, and then worked until 4:00. It also happens to be Superbowl Sunday. Oi vey. I may not get to anything much resembling a ritual tonight, but I did start my spring cleaning yesterday and am looking forward to an evening of fun and good food with my family, which is what counts, right? Maybe I'll end up with a little extra time to sit and meditate for a while.

December 26th, 2013

I was bored this morning, and frequently when I am bored I play with my photomanipulation software. For lack of another idea, I decided to make a quick illustration of the chakra crystal layout I did yesterday, in case my halfhazard explanation in the previous post was somewhat ambiguous. All the images are shopped together off the internet, so don't sue me, please.

From the bottom up, the list runs as follows:

• Grounding Cord - Andalusian Cross Stone
• Base Chakra - Red Jasper
• Sacral Chakra - Carnelian
• Solar Plexus Chakra - Citrine
• Heart Chakra - Rose Quartz
• Throat Chakra - Turquoise 
• Third Eye Chakra - Lapis Lazuli
• Crown Chakra - Lepidolite
• Higher Crown Chakra - Clear Quartz

Get comfortable - you may want a mat or a blanket, the latter especially if you're likely to get cold. I always find that energy work makes me feel warm, so I didn't use one, but you may find differently. You may want to play music - my family was watching a movie, so I popped in my earbuds, but sometimes silent meditation can be even more powerful. Lay out the stones, from the bottom up. You needn't use the same ones on my list - any stone of the same color or correspondence will do the trick if it's meaningful to you. Getting the last few in place can be a little awkward if you're working by yourself since you can't move around as much.
Then relax - your eyes can be open or closed as you prefer. Breath regularly and focus on each of the chakras in turn. As you contemplate the meaning of each energy vortex, look at your life specifically, see how each chakra relates to it, and decide what changes, if any, need to be made on an energetic level to bring things into balance. If, for example, your work with the heart chakra shows you that your relationships have been lacking due to an inner lack of self-acceptance, then broaden the energy flow to the region, filling it with white light that assimilates into the chakra's pink or green glow. On the other hand, some chakras might be too open, bringing too much of an energy into your life. If this is the case, temper the flow of the energy vortex, bringing it back down to its appropriate level. Work with the stones' natural vibrations to bring the energy centers into equilibrium.
Seek any additional insight from the meditation. Then allow excess energy to drain into the ground. Visualize it returning to the earth and being recycled through the planet's endless cycles. Before you return to your daily life, you may want to do a quick aura combing with the Quartz crystal. Just run it through your aura on all sides, allowing it to fill in any holes in the energy and smooth any rough patches. It only takes a few minutes and feels great afterwards. Make sure to cleanse your crystals after working with them.

December 25th, 2013

Merry Christmas to all those of the Christian faith, most of my family included. I got a lot of wonderful presents from my parents and Santa, but there were a few in particular I wanted to share...

I received Llewellyn's 2014 Faerie calendar, with illustrations by Linda Ravenscroft, and The Crystal Bible, by Judy Hall. The former included this great picture:

The label read "Titania and Puck". After playing Puck in our school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream this year, I was especially appreciative thereof.

I spent most of my day reading my new book and marking the stones I already own with sticky notes. It gives a little bit of physiological information about the individual crystals, but most of the entries are delegated to explaining the metaphysical properties they have, and how they can be used in healing. The book also has an index with lots of great information, including zodiac associations, divinatory meanings, and more. Each stone is illustrated in full color.
Other than the obvious reason of "now I have a Pagan resource regarding minerals", I'm incredibly pleased with my gift because it enabled me to identify a very unusual stone of mine.
I was given one of these by my grandma earlier this year:

Neither of us had any idea what it was. Then, reading through the appropriately named Bible today, I learned that it is what is called a Chrysanthemum Stone. Look it up! Or don't - now that I know what it is, I can do a proper post about its properties in the near future. I also decided to try one of the crystal layouts recommended in the back of the book. It was a chakra layout, and a reasonably simple one at that.
I took a lie down on the floor - my bed is really too soft for this sort of work - but a firm mattress or mat would work just as well. The book said to lay a brown stone in front of the feet, a red one at the base of the spine, an orange stone below the navel, a yellow one on the diaphragm, a pink one on the chest, a blue one on the throat (don't move around too much or it'll slide off), and an indigo one on the forehead. Then place a violet stone above where your head is laying, and a white or clear stone above that. I chose to use Andalusite, Red Jasper, Carnelian, Citrine, Rose Quartz, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Lepidolite, and Clear Quartz, respectively. Then I put in my headphones and played some quiet New Age music while I meditated for about 20 minutes. It was ridiculously relaxing and insightful, and it seemed to clear up both my headache and the back pain I usually get from lying on the floor. I'm definitely going to have to get into the habit of working with my stones more frequently!
And then, finally, I figured out why I've been feeling somewhat off-balance all month. After Thanksgiving, I moved my mini shrine to make space for my Yule tree. Unfortunately, I never thought to change the orientation of the things on the shrine, so that my objects for water were pointed South instead of West, and so on. I about clapped myself on the forehead when I saw that, but it's all fixed now and the energy imbalance is corrected. What a day!

August 10th, 2013

Apache Tears

Physical Characteristics: These unique stones are natural spheres of Obsidian that are translucent when held up to the light.

In Nature: From a scientific perspective, Apache Tears form when lava cools in small droplets before hitting the ground. These deposits are usually found in matrices of Perlite. According to legend, however, the stones originated when fewer than 100 Apache Native Americans were cornered by army cavalry on an Arizona cliff. The Natives leaped off the cliff face rather than be captured, and the mourning tears of their families turned into Apache Tear stones.

Chemical Composition: SiO2, with various impurities

Mohs Scale Hardness: 5 - 5.5 (middle)

Can be Found: Mexico and the United States

Healing Properties*: The stone relieves muscle tremors, and can be used to expel bodily toxins. It may help defeat addiction and personality disorders, especially OCD.

Magickal Properties: According to folklore, any who carry an Apache Tear, especially if received as a gift, need never cry of grief, for the Apache have shed enough tears for all people. The stones allow for the release of grief and the healing of emotional and physical problems created by grief improperly expressed. This can be a very difficult process, so if possible, work with an experienced crystal healer or a close, sympathetic friend. Apache Tears give their bearers the strength for close emotional self-examination without becoming overwhelmed by feelings. People may develop a close magickal bond with the stone as it guides them through difficult times. It enhances meditation, spirit journeying, and prophetic dreaming; regular meditation with an Apache Tear develops a sense of inner peace and acceptance. Work the meditations outside to allow the stone to ground excess energy. The crystal balances the intellect, keeping one level-headed. use Apache Tears to to protect against subconscious doubts that manifest as self-defeating behavior. It doesn't sugar-coat things - if you work with Apache Tear for the purpose of self-help or improvement, it will tell you your strengths and weaknesses exactly as they are. This stone is an excellent ward of negativity, totally banishing it from its bearer's presence. It may also be helpful for empaths and psychics who are too sensitive to others' energy.

Chakra Association: First (Root) chakra

Element: Earth and Fire

Energy: Projective

Planetary Association: Saturn

*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!