Why do we always complicate things?

Not too long ago, I sat in Unchi's living room, and read her the section on Azeztulite in Robert Simmons' The Book of Stones. As I'm reading, I'm beginning to get a little annoyed with his detailed explanations, and what I interpreted as an ego stroking hard sell. Just as I'm getting towards the end, Grandfather, Unchi's principle guide, suddenly says to me, "White people. You always have to complicate things."

And I busted out laughing.

Grandfather doesn't usually speak to anyone but Unchi. If he had something to say to me or anyone else, he usually does it through her. I don't know why he chose to speak to me that evening. Granted, Unchi and I have known each other almost twenty years, but that doesn't signify much of anything. While he has shown himself to a number of select people, I cannot remember a single instance where he actually spoke to them directly. And yet, he spoke to me that night. Perhaps he said it to make me laugh, or maybe it said it to make me see the humor in what I was reading. Maybe both or maybe more then that. I get the impression that Grandfather rarely does anything without a complex list of reasons.

Then again, does Grandfather need to reason or explain anything? Because what he said to me was true: white people have to complicate the most simplest of things. It doesn't seem to be in our racial/cultural make up to simply accept things as they are, that we have to justify and analyze, rationalize and argue and over think everything that does not have an expert on hand to tell us how to think. We've been trained by our culture to distrust not only our own experience, but our own intuition. That what we see, feel and know in our hearts is to be treated with suspicion unless it has been Officially Approved by someone with a Piece of Paper that tell us he or she is an "expert."

What is an expert? Precisely? Someone who has received an education and has a document to prove that fact. Why does that make them always right? Becasue they're educated? What is educated? In some respects, it's indoctrination. Students go into a university and successfully repeat back what the professor teaches them. Sometimes, if they are especially talented and even lucky, they might even learn to think for themselves but only insofar as it's acceptable to the academic Powers That Be. In many ways, it teaches them to be discerning, to use their natural talents in socially acceptable ways and to be close minded to anything that is outside the "acceptable" frame of reference. To the point where they won't even bother investigating what makes them uncomfortable or even acknowledging the possibility that they simply don't know how to study it.

Now, I'm not discounting educaton. I approve of education. I like education. I think an education is a good thing, but like anything else, it's subject to human faults and foibles. The bottom line is, all you need to get a good education is the ability to read, the desire to learn and the ability to think and observe. Any good library can provide you with the same education as many of our finest universities. The only difference is you won't get that Official Piece of Paper granting you official status as an "expert."

And "experts" can not only be wrong on occassion, but frequently are.

So why are their observations and experiences of matters that cannot be measured by present day technology and explained by present day theory considered more valid then our own? It doesn't mean that such matters can never be measured. When I was a student in high school, a science teacher once told us that an atom can never be photographed and never will. Well, guess what has since been photographed? What is that old saying? Yesterday's magic is today's science? Sometiems all it takes is an open mind.

Grandfather reminded me that there is Mystery and there's always going to be Mystery, that we're not always going to understand and don't need to. And this is a good thing as it's a part of what make Life so fascinating. That trying to analyze and justify it only keeps us spinning in circles without changing a damn thing, so why bother? Why not just acknowledge it and move on? You can't complete your journey if you get stuck mezmerized by a road sign.

Who came up with the Synergy Twelve?

Who came up with the Synergy Twelve stones? By this, I mean who first introduced the concept, what does it mean, what is the basis for designating twelve, very expensive, crystals as the penultimate of healing stones? The first time I came across the idea was in The Book of Stones by Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian. There was no explanation beyond what they were, no background information about exactly what it meant or where their information came from. Oh, but when it came to describing the history of Azeztulite, Simmons was almost poetic in his enthusiasm. The Synergy Twelve stones? Absolutely nothing. Nada. Zip. Not one word beyond a list and some brief claim for human spiritual upliftment. How, exactly? They don't say. A search in Google has led to nothing but merchants wanting to sell them to me, and no information beyond what was in the book.

I have the Synergy Twelve stones; I have finally gathered together my set to find out exactly what this is about. The stones themselves are pretty potent; group a few of them together, and they make me go "Wheeeeeeee!" FYI, I'm the kind of woman who can wear a string of moldavite beads topped with a huge moldavite crystal around her neck and still drive without incident. It takes a lot to make me go "Wheeeeeee!" Put Azeztulite, Danburite, and Brookite together, and I'm flying! So, the stones do have energy and they can send you to the astral without a return ticket if you're not careful.

But the penultimate? What can they do that an ordinary rock found in your garden cannot? Not a hell of a lot. It's kind of like gem quality vs industrial diamonds. Industrial diamonds have the same energy as the gems, they can do exactly what the gems do, the only difference may be that they need to be much larger to do the same thing in the same amount of time. Regular rocks may not be as organized as their crystalline brethren, but that doesn't mean they are energetically dead. Quite the contrary. Some of them can pack quite a punch. Don't believe me? Go to Europe and put your hand on one of the standing stones in places such as Avebury. Then tell me that ordinary rocks can't zap you as much as a crystal. Hell, I've charged crystals at Avebury! Glastonbury, too.

Speaking of standing stones, the last time I was at Stonehenge, it told me it was too noisy. It remembered a quieter time and it missed those days. The place was packed with tourists.

So who did come up with the idea of the Synergy Twelve stones, and what is their argument supporting the idea that they are the penultimate? I would really like to know.

Rose Quartz in the Garden (pt.2): Conclusion

It all started with a magnolia petal.

As I mentioned before, I have down times on my spiritual path when I put such things aside and develop other interests. This last one had gone on for a long time -- at least two years -- while I tried to cope with a debilitating physical condition that I felt, but had no idea that I had. Back in February, 2010, I was finally diagnosed with fibromyalgia. How that came about is a long story but suffice it say, I got sick and tired of being sick and tired, took a Vicodin left over from a bout with ear problems, and discovered how I felt everyday was not normal. Disturbed at the thought of getting relief from addictive narcotics, I finally bit the bullet and went to the doctor. I'm now on enough medication, the number of which makes me feel like I'm 350,000 thousand years old, to feel like my old self. The worst part of it all was the enervation and lack of concentration; I could deal with the pain, but the energy and the feeling of being brain dead was horrific to endure. Someday, perhaps, I will be able to manage my fibro without medication. For the moment, I'm having too much fun living again to even consider addressing that issue.

I had the opportunity to attend to what I will call a "retreat" in the middle of April. I thought long and hard about this as getting the energy up to do anything before my diagnosis was difficult, but in the end, feeling better, I decided to go. I wont go into detail -- I'm not qualified to discuss it, nor do I have permission and out of respect for what happened and the people who were there, I won't discuss it -- suffice it to say, ceremony was involved. It was...phenomenal. That's all I can say. A true blessing and a honor to attend. I was worked on while I was there, given messages that I can hardly articulate and received healing, the extent of which I can't even begin to comprehend at the moment. Like everything else in life, that too is a process.

The ceremony was on a Friday. The following Saturday, I arrived home, and as I was unlocking my front door, a flash of pink caught my eye. I glanced over and thought, "What a lovely piece of rose quartz!" Then my thoughts came to a screeching halt: rose quartz? What rose quartz? There's no rose quartz in the garden! A second look informed me that what I had seen was a single magnolia petal that had fallen among the leaves of yellow flowering plant. The contrast of pink blush with bright Spring green and buttercup yellow with the dark browns and chocolates of the soil was so beautiful, I couldn't get it out of my mind. No rose quartz in the garden? And why ever not? What could be better then having love surround my house?

After that, there was no going back. I became obsessed with getting rose quartz to put in the few landscaped beds that I have. All of them are close to my house. Filled with herbs and flowers, shrubs and evergreens, I envisioned a scattering of rose quartz flashing in the sun from beneath green leaves. Surrounding my house with rose quartz energy. Fusing with the vortex my house has become with all the rocks it contains. Going out into a world that badly needs love at the moment. I chose to interpret this "obsession" as being directed to do this. One of the things I had asked at the ceremony was what to do with the light I keep seeing in my mind's eye. It was obvious that it was not just meant for me; to keep it would be the height of greed and selfishness.

I think I got my answer. Or at least part of it. Rose quartz in the garden.

The following Monday was the day I discovered that this negative creature from my past was attempting to re-enter my life. It was raining that day, I remember. Not a heavy rain, but a kind of drizzle mixed with an occassional shower that made it questionable whether or not I should go to the barn and visit my horse. The rain was not hard enough to prevent turn out, and if they came in wet, there was very little we could do with them. I went to Connecticut anyway, hooked up with my sister, Unchi, and discussed the weather situation and what we could do if the horses were out. I told her the story about the rose quartz, and said that if the horses were wet, that I'd like to go to Mother Earth, a crystal store in Brookfield. Unchi agreed.

How ironic that we made those plans! Of all the places to retreat to in a time a stress, Mother Earth could not be more perfect! It was at the barn where both of us received the shock of our lives, that this creature was coming into our place of peace and tranquility. The horses were wet, of course, and off we went to commune with stones, check out Azeztulite, and perhaps find a bit of balance.

We checked out the Azeztulite, and found that in spite of our doubts, it may be what it is claimed to be. Unchi got claimed by a hematite speckled tibetan quartz. I decided that I needed to investigate this Azeztulite matter a little more closely, and aquired a piece along with a another trademarked stone called Rosophia. As for the rose quartz -- I did not find the chunks I was looking for. I needed to find pieces that were roughly 2-3", and Leslie had very few pieces that large. Strange, that. Chunk rose quartz is not uncommon or expensive, and yet, it's proving more difficult to locate then I expected.

Now here is the interesting part: When I told Leslie what I was going to use it for, she mentioned another customer had come in for the same reason. In a later visit, she told me several people had come in looking for garden quartz. Another friend of mine mentioned she had the urge to put it in her plants after I told her about it; this was spontaneous on her part. She did not get the idea from me. An aquaintance was also intrigued by the idea. In another words, the urge to put Rose Quartz in the garden has suddenly hit a diverse number of people around the same time and independantly of each other! Coincidence? I don't believe in coincidence. I do believe that the ways of the Universe can be very, very subtle.

On hearing this story play out, Unchi said, "The Earth is asking for Love."

Asking for love? Using her own bones to give it to her? It seemed odd to me, but I figured out. It's not the rose quartz acting on the Earth that is important, but how it acts on the people who see it. That is why it's critical they stay on the surface, that they are large enough not to sink into the ground when it rains. People have to see it, respond to it and because it contains love energy, it is the response to that energy that the Earth needs. Love. From people. From Rose Quartz sitting in the garden among flowers, shrubs and trees. Sanctuaries of light, of love, scattered here and there, sending that energy into the Earth and healing her broken heart. Think about it. Do it.

The Wakinyan decided to take the power last night. They let it come back but Grandfather is hiding behind the clouds, and though the birds are singing in spite of the gloom, this disrupts my plans for Rose Quartz in the Garden (pt 2). I had planned to exercise my pitiful photography skills and take a picture of a rose quartz lying under my weigela bush. Oh well! Got to wait until better weather comes along.

I'm gazing out of my window, listening to bird song and seeing a thousands different shades of green in a thousand different textures. The greys, buffs and taupes of rock and bark, the flash of a snap dragon, the golden yellow of the dandelion. My garden may be full of weeds by most people's lights, but it is also organic and full of life. How often have I seen deer crossing my lawn, heard the cry of a hawk? Watched the turkeys show their babies where food can be found, seen the flash of red as a fox dove into the bush? They come here because it's peaceful and because there is life where Nature hasn't been forced into a rigid, structured order. I garden the beds around two sides of my house, and leave the rest to Mother Earth. I have milkweed at the edge of my property to feed the butterflies, wild blackberries, wild strawberries and wild roses, all volunteers and all welcome. I love it, and I feel so blessed.

The other day, as I smudged a smokey on my front stoop (fire alarms prevents me from doing it inside), a chickadee came to watch from a vantage point in my weigela. He stayed the entire time, brave, bold, fellow. If I had reached out, I could've touched him, he was that close. When the smudging was done, he flew away. It was almost as if he was bearing witness. A magical moment. If only we could clear our eyes to see.

Rose Quartz in the Garden (pt. 1): Balance

I go through periods of intense spiritual study and long periods of down time when I did little, if any, spiritual work at all. I used to beat myself up about this, telling myself that I was a faker, a dilenttant, that it was just another symptom of my inability to stay focused for very long.

That was a lie. Or at least it was that destructive voice we all have in western culture, that constantly tells us that we know nothing, that our observations and experience in life mean nothing, that only experts are to be trusted with any kind of thought, opinion or knowledge. Now, having said that, when it comes to things I don't know, I will listen to the experts, especially on matters that are based on concrete fact and not necessarily on faith or intuition. If it confirms that faith or intuition, all the better. But there is another kind of knowledge, the kind of knowledge we all have, a knowledge that is dismissed and vilified by Western thought as being unrelieable and therefore false. This is the knowledge of the heart, the knowing and sensing on subtle levels that are almost impossible to pin down. The knowledge of the Spirit, that we were born knowing how to connect, based on instinct and intuition, the quiet voices of the Universe that whisper in our hearts. That knowledge is just as valid, but because we are taught to distrust it, vilify it, mock it, few of us have learned to hear it, much less follow it as completely as we should.

Does that mean that science is invalid? That personal truths should outweigh concrete fact? That we should replace concrete fact, change them even, because we dislike them or their implications? No. That would be as living out of balance as ignoring that inner voice of the heart. And that's the point, really. Balance. As humans we tend to go from exteme to extreme with little thought that sometimes things are more grey, then black and white. History is a long tale of thought and backlash, back to thought, leaving chaos and bloodshed in its wake. Very little done in any kind of society is completely new. We repeat ourselves like a broken record, failing to look at History and the warnings its story contains. Like a broken record, over and over and over again. Isn't that a sign that what we are doing isn't working?

Is the present chaos created by religious fanatics proof enough that replacing concrete fact with personal truth to the exclusion of all other data is equally dangerous and destructive?

Balance.

If you take your cues from Nature, you will notice two things: diversity and balance are both widely prevalent. There is not just one kind of tree, one kind of stone, only one flower. How boring life would be if there was! There's not just one kind of horse or one kind of big cat or even one kind of human being. Life can only thrive in diversity, and it coexists in a delicate balance. The cat kills the mouse, the mouse breeds hundreds of babies in order to ensure that at least one survives. If the cat is killed, the mouse quickly overwhelms the system and widespread destruction occurs. Balance. It takes male and female to create life. Without one, the other cannot reproduce. Whether it is a plant, insect, animal or human, it takes both to ensure survival.

Differences are to be celebrated. Diversity is to be striven for. A balance of contrasting energies produces harmony and ensures growth. It is sameness that brings Chaos. It is sameness that prevents growth and the only thing that does grow is dead. Is that what we really want?

Personal truths should never be imposed on another under any circumstance. Discuss them, debate them, go to town but never, ever force them on someone else. It is up to each person to decide whether or not someone else's personal truth has any application to his or herself. We each of us have our own path to follow and while having companions on that path is nice, ultimately, we all have to walk it alone.

As for my spiritual downtimes, I realized that I needed those times to integrate the energies and knowledge I learned into my subconsious. Let it worm it's way into my heart to be accepted or rejected as I deemed fit. If I had to do that consciously, I would have no time to deal with what we call "real life". The Universe knows what it's doing, it's time we all recognize that, including myself.

Maintenence update and things to come

I just switched comments access from registered users to anyone with a Google account. I didn't want to go anonymous because that only encourages trolls, and quite honestly, I'm tired of the Stupid prevalent on the Internet. Also, I didn't want to go with members of this blog only, because that seemed a bit exclusive and I want this blog to be inclusive, not reserved for some kind of elite. Unfortunately, forcing people to register with Blogger was a bit much for my taste and that left only one other option. Oh well. It is what it is, and learning to accept that prevents the unnecessary burning of a lot of energy.

This is subject to change without notice. The Stones of Mother Earth is an experiment, and I will adapt as the experiment plays out.

PLEASE NOTE: I reserve the right to publish any emails sent to me via this blog or related to it in any way, shape or form. If you don't want what you have to say to be public, then don't say it in private. It's that simple.

Still waiting on the shipment of crystals to further my exploration of the so-called Synergy Twelve stones. So far, this has been a very expensive investigation, which is one of my issues with the whole idea. More on that later. The one stone I have not been able to secure is the so-called Satyaloka Quartz. Partially because I'm going to be damned if I'm going to pay nose bleed prices for what looks like a plain piece of quartz hardly longer then the first joint of my thumb. The investigation might have to continue without the Satyaloka.

I have secured several pieces of Azeztulite, one white, two gold, and one pink as well as a piece of the so-called Rosophia stone. I tried to take a picture of them so I could remember what they are as sometimes I do forget the names of some of the more obscure stones in my collection. What was interesting is that all the pictures came out a solid white. Never had that happen with a digital camera before. A definite "hmmm" moment, especially since I tested the camera on one of my cats and the picture came out fine. I will try again later.

Another interesting occurrence: it was the Rosophia stone that inspired the start of this blog. I was handling it when a phrase came to me that was rather startling considering the history of Rosophia. When I'm ready to start talking about Azeztulite and the Synergy Twelve stones, it will probably be the first sentence of the blog.

I would also like to discuss the nature of Faith and the power of the human mind at some point, except I'm not too sure how to approach it. Who can define Faith? It's the kind of thing I know what is is when I see it but putting it into left brain, logic center, written words is not so easy. I just know this: True Faith doesn't make you prove it exists. It just is. If you have to prove it? You don't have it. The human mind can convince itself of anything: that is its greatest gift and its greatest fault. Treat what it tells you with extreme care. Listen to your heart and the quiet voice deep inside of you, the vague sense of Right driving you to do one thing in spite of what your "logical" mind tells you. If you have to explain or justify your actions, chances are it's an illusion of your mind, not your heart.

The importance of grounding

When the acorn sprouts, one of the first things it does is to put down roots. As the young oak grows to maturity, the roots spread and dig deeper into the earth to support the weight and life of the tree. In this way, it stays grounded, facing wind, flood and storm without falling. It takes a lot to fell a fully established oak tree. Not even lighting can guarantee success, and if it is cut with a chainsaw, sometimes it will grow again, a new tree fed and supported by an established root system. Only if the roots are destroyed, will the tree be truly killed. Without the roots, it cannot live and thrive.

Ever try to jump floating in the middle of a pool? You can't do it beyond a pathetic little bob in the water. Why is that? Have you ever wondered? It's because your legs have no purchase. Without being able to push off from the ground, you get nowhere. Like the oak tree, you need a firm foundation on which to stand before you even hope to reach for the sky.

Grounding. It's a word we hear a lot when dealing with crystals. The importance of grounding. How to ground. Why, whatfor and wherefor? And yet, so few people seem to understand the importance, method and feel of being grounded; even fewer actually engage in it. Why is that? Why is it that most expensive crystals out there, described as powerful, spiritually advanced and enlightening, are also somehow associated with upper chakras and shooting off to never-never land? While the humble hematite remains affordable and forgotten?

There is such a thing as a crystal high. I once said, "Who needs drugs when we have moldavite?" I was joking, but there is a certain amount of truth to that. Who does need drugs when they have moldavite? If all you are looking for is that high, you don't need to go further then that. If you want more? Well, then, it's a little more complicated.

Everybody wants the high. Everybody wants to go flying in the astral, speak with their guides, seek the Masters, leave the Earth and never come back. Everybody might as well be fluff floating in the wind. Their deluding themselves that they are reaching spiritual growth or they get frustrated with a lack of progress. It's too hard! This doesn't work! It's all smoke and mirrors, scams and pixie dust!

They haven't grounded.

You can't take off and fly without having something to push off from. You can't truly achieve the astral, etc without first reaching down deep into the Earth and establishing a strong connection. Indeed, you're playing with fire if you don't. You might find yourself stuck somewhere without the ability to come back and I suspect, this is why it is a lot harder and less comprehensive to attempt anything with crystals without first grounding yourself. I believe there is a kind of safety net involved. Oh, you might get a taste, you might even be allowed some success without grounding -- it would be a good way to encourage what you are doing -- but you'll never truly achieve full success until you learn to plant yourself first. Like the oak tree whose roots stretch deep into our Mother.

Like the crystals that form deep within Her heart. What? Did you think the pretty rocks were born in the clouds?