Gemstones and Their Stories

Gemstones and Their Stories

by | Energetics

At this time of year, people often give and receive gemstone jewelry pieces as gifts. Most people are familiar with the names of precious and semi-precious stones. But what about the legends, folklore and special significances that have been attributed to them over time?  Thanks to Judy Hall’s book, 101 Power Crystals  here are some of the stories you may not be familiar with.

Diamonds – Yes Ms. Munroe, they are still called “a girl’s best friend”, but they are so much more!  Diamonds are the hardest substance presently known;  only Diamond will cut Diamond. It has long been regarded as a symbol of invincibility. In India, Diamonds were belived to be remnants of a pair of cosmic dragons who engaged in a magical sky battle. Diamonds symbolize purity and eternity and traditionally have been used to enhance and amplify the powers of other stones.  A Diamond is dull until it is faceted and polished – it has a high ability to bend light (refraction) and disperse light into its component colours.  Considered a Crown Chakra crystal and connected to Archangel Metatron.

Emeralds – In the 17th century, Shakespeare referred to Emerald’s power to soothe the eyes.  Ivan the Terrible believed that Emerald was an enemy of uncleanliness. Hebrew tradition says serpents that looked on it went blind. It symbolizes immortality and rebirth. It has long been believed to ensure a happy marriage – as long as it doesn’t fade! The Incas prized Emerald as it represented the green Earth to them. The last Inca king wore a crown set with 453 Emeralds, weighing 1523 karats (~ 10 ounces). Considered a Heart and Third Eye Chakra crystal and connected to Archangels Raphael and Ophaniel.

Sapphire – The word means “Beloved of Saturn” in Sanskrit and the stone is one of the great metaphysical healing gems of Vedic astrology.  According to Hindu legend, Saturn was the first planet to appear out of the void, and Star Sapphire symbolizes the emergence of light out of darkness. Ivan the Terrible loved Sapphire because it, “preserveth and increaseth courage, joys, the heart, is pleasing to all vital senses…”. It is said to signify innocence, constancy, truth and virtue. Sapphire is considered a crystal of endurance and wisdom. It was said to be one of the gemstones in the Breastplate of the Jewish High Priest of Jerusalem. Considered a Third Eye and Crown Chakra crystal and connected to Archangels Metatron and Zadkiel.

Garnet – In the Talmud, it is said that Noah’s ark was illuminated by a Garnet.  Snakes were believed to be guided by a Garnet in their foreheads. Crusaders wore Garnet as amulets against accidents. To dream of a Garnet was considered fortunate as it indicated the accumulation of riches, but at the same time it was believed to protect against overindulgence; it ensured a balanced life. As a crystal of constancy, it was worn by Victorian widows to signify their undying fidelity to their departed spouses;  centuries earlier, Garnets were buried with the dead. Garnets are said to indicate loyalty, unchanging affection, grace and bring victory to their wearers.  Considered a Root, Sacral and Heart Chakra crystal and connected to Archangels Michael, Zadkiel and Atrugiel.

Amethyst – The word means “sincerity” and “freedom from harm.” It symbolizes wisdom, deep love, devotion and peace of mind.  HIstorically, Amethyst was worn by royalty to signify power. Its legendary power protected against drunkeness. It is one of the stones in the Breastplate of the Jewish High Priest. Amethyst is worn in the Christian church to signify high rank, victory over worldly passion and spiritual power.  Considered a Third Eye, Crown and Higher Chakras crystal and connected to Archangels Raphael and Jeremiel

Jade –  The Chinese considered Jade to be the most precious gem as it held five great virtues – wisdom, justice, modesty, courage and purity – plus five happinesses – wealth, old age, health, natural death and love of virtue.  In New Zealand, the Maori wore “greenstone” talismans to ensure long life and fertility.  The Aztecs prized Jade for its healing properties and connection to their gods. It has been considered a stone of weather magic, able to call up wind, rain, snow or mist, and to have power over the Earth’s elements. The stone signifies wisdom gathered in tranquility, therefore good for meditation and stress release. Its chakra consideration is based upon the colour of jade.

Whatever your experience with gemstones, find time to explore their stories more completely. They have been around for thousands of years. They have many more stories to tell – if you are interested.

Cypress Oil For Grief and Moving On

Cypress Oil For Grief and Moving On

by | Aromatics, Psycho-Spiritual

Cypress is a tree associated with graveyards, grief and eternity.  In Aroma Genera, the therapeutic system developed by British aromatherapist Valerie Ann Worwood, there is strength found in its fragrance. She describes its characteristics to include wisdom, strength, protective, righteous and direct. “It is a symbol of eternity – directing itself to the heavens and answering to no one but the Great Spirit.”  Not surprising, it is a fragrance that can assist with grief, sorrow, losses, fear, regrets and emotional tiredness.

In her book, The Fragrant Heavens,  Valerie Ann Worwood continues with the psycho-spiritual description of Cypress.
“Cypress is often associated with the passing of a soul into the deity’s presence, bringing comfort to those left behind, who will continue to hold their loved ones in their hearts.  Cypress has frequencies that are in transition between the physical and the spiritual.  …  Cypress empathizes with suffering … it offers strength and energetic protection to those whar are feeling vulnerable and insecure or who have lost their purpose. Cypress can be used to move on.”

Loss of any kind can trigger a sense of great sorrow.  When this sorrow becomes so entrenched that daily life is disrupted and one cannot shake out of this sorrow, it is said to be “pathological”.  In the broadest sense, this means that our emotional state is causing significant health and relationship issues and if not corrected, we are endangering our life; hence the term “pathological”. In mind-body-spirit philosophy, we understand that if one part of the triad is in turmoil, the rest of the triad suffers, too. What can we do to move through the sorrow and return to a healthy, happy, balanced life?

Aromatics have been used for thousands of years to help resolve and release emotional trauma. The plants were burned to help send prayers and requests for healing to the heavens. Ointments and elixers were used to help soothe the mind, body and spirit during times of great distress. Walks in the forests and gardens were prescribed for relief of a “heavy heart”. Temples and churches used aroma in the form of incense to help calm and focus the mind so one could come to understand and accept the meaning of life, death and rebirth.

How can we use aromas today?  When mindfully used on the body and as inhalations, they help us acknowledge and handle the painful emotions we are experiencing.  The person, situation or memory causing us distress can’t be changed – it’s now history. But our attitude and approach to handling the distress we feel can be changed.  Moving from a feeling of helplessness or hopelessness to a sense of empowerment is one of the gifts of aroma. Anchoring the new shift in our attitude and approach is another gift of aroma. And moving onward with life is yet one more gift.

As the saying goes, “We can’t change our past, only our reactions and responses to it”.  By using Cypress essential oil, you can find your way back from grief and sorrow and move on to living and fulfilling your life. It is what the world needs you to do.

It is what you need for yourself, too.

The Hero’s Journey: Finding our Truth

The Hero’s Journey: Finding our Truth

by | Life Reflections, Psycho-Spiritual

The Hero’s Journey helps people understand their road to self-discovery, mastery and their truth. This road uses universal archetypes as guides along our journey.  We are all familiar with these archetypes because they exist in our collective psychological consciousness. We can find them by going inward to our dreams and fantasies or outward by examining myths, legends, art, literature, religion and nature’s creations. At its most basic level, this journey is about finding the treasure of your true self. And it can take a lifetime to learn all there is to learn.

According to Carol Pearson, as written in her book, Awakening the Heros Within,  the Hero’s Journey has three distinct stages: Preparation ~ The Journey ~ The Return. Once a journey is completed, the final stage eventually moves back into the first stage so that our life-lessons can be learned at deeper level. At first glance, it may seem to be a circular route, but actually we are on a life-learning spiral!  As we evolve, the lessons take on a transcendence – and so do we, if we learn the lessons! It takes courage, strength, determination and brutal honesty to embark upon this Hero’s Journey. But the treasure it provides is ours forever.  Of course, we can refuse to go on the Journey, but to do so means risking stagnation and/or deterioration of our health, happiness, relationships, self-esteem and self-worth. For some people, this is all they want. So be it.  But for the others …

First Stage:  Preparation

During this stage, we must prove our competence, humanity and commitment to high ideals. It is what some would call our Ego development stage. This is where we create our boundaries with the world and learn how we fit into this world. We learn how to be in relationship with others and how to change things in these relationships when it is time to do so. We learn how to survive in this world, become productive citizens and have high moral character.

The archetypes found at this stage include: the Innocent, the Orphan, the Warrior and the Caregiver. In their positive aspects, we can achieve the goals of the Preparation Stage. We have optimism, ability to come together for support, courage to fight for ourselves and others and the compassion needed to care for ourselves and others.  If these archetypes are in their negative or shadow states, a person can be hampered in starting their journey.  Some of the negative states are: being in a constant state of denial, assuming a victim-role, resorting to being a villain who uses their skills only for personal gains, or a suffering martyr who controls others by using guilt.

Second Stage:  The Journey

Once the Preparation Stage has been achieved,we often still feel unsatisfied and wonder, “is this all there is?”  or “is this all I really want for myself and my life?”  If these niggling thoughts become strong, the choice to take The Journey is easier to make. The Journey comes when we are yearning for something beyond ourselves and we begin looking for something to satisfy our yearning – we can’t name it, but we believe it must exist. Often we feel disconnected, confined, alienated or empty.  This stage equates with the Soul – the potential of all we are and all our world can be. In psychology, it equates with the unconscious and connects us with the transpersonal.

The archetypes found at this stage include: the Seeker, the Destroyer, the Lover and the Creator. They help us on the Journey itself as we see our souls and become “real”.  We search for our truths, we let go of that which is no longer needed, we have a deeper understanding of love and connection – especially that with ourselves, and we begin to envision the world we want.   If these archetypes are in their negative or shadow states, a person can be hampered in completing the Journey.  Some of the negative states are: the perfectionist who can’t measure up to an impossible goal they set, any and all self-destructive behaviours or behaviours that destroy others, sexual exploitation for self satisfaction but is devastating to the other person, or someone who starts hundreds of projects but finishes nothing.

Third Stage:  The Return

As the insights and gifts from The Journey are realized, we come to understand that we are the Rulers of our kingdoms.  As we use our new-found gifts and insights in our personal lives, we begin to see how we have transformed and how our world can follow.  The final gifts we receive are those of taking complete responsibility for our lives, transforming and healing ourselves and others, non-attachment and commitment to truth and the ability to be joyous and spontaneous. We become clearer about who we are and why we are here. We understand how and why to renew and replenish on all levels.

The archetypes found at this stage include: the Ruler, the Magician, the Sage and the Fool.  These archetypes help us learn how to express our true selves and transform our lives. They take us to our place of freedom and joy. But in their negative or shadow states, even they can disrupt the Return. Some ways they can appear include: the ogre tyrant who controls at any price, the evil sorcerer who takes us down – not up- the spiral, the unfeeling judge who evaluates and criticizes, and the glutton who has no dignity or self-control.

All is well in your world – until one day, you get a feeling of restlessness or discontent that you can’t shake. Perhaps you begin questioning the reasons for why you are doing what you are doing.  As we get older and move through the stages of our life, we begin to see life through different eyes. Our experiences and knowledge have grown over time. Perhaps we, too, have outgrown what was once comfortable and safe. The call of the Hero’s Journey can happen at any time to anyone. If you want your kingdom to stay vibrant, the Journey must be taken. It has always been that way and always will be.

Changing Unhealthy Patterns

Changing Unhealthy Patterns

by | Life Reflections

During conversations with clients, we eventually get to the topic of how to change those patterns and habits which are not healthy or helpful for on-going growth and healing. It isn’t as hard to understand what to change, as it is to actually make changes and stick with them.  Some of the best advice on how to make changes came from early books on healing and therapy for abuse victims. In the 1980’s, Ellen Bass and Laura Davis wrote a classic text, The Courage to Heal, which had great information for abuse survivors and those who work with them. This book offered straight-forward and practical advice which, for the most part, holds true today.  For those not familiar with their work, I have included a few ideas from their book.

“ The basic steps to making changes are:

  • Become aware of the behaviour you want to change; awareness is the first step to change because how can you make a change if you don’t know what to change?
  • Examine the reasons you developed that behaviour to begin with;  try to understand why you needed that behaviour at that time
  • Have compassion for what you’ve done in the past; even if you didn’t make the wisest, healthiest choices, you took the options you saw at the time; and now, you are making better choices, so focus on that
  • Find new ways to meet your needs; although every change doesn’t expose an unmet need, many do; by taking such needs seriously and finding new ways to meet them, you make it possible to maintain the change
  • Get support; people who are working to grow and change in their own lives will support you with encouragement and by example;  people who are living out the patterns you are trying to break will continually suck you back in;  respect the power of influence
  • Make several tries; although sometimes you can soar, usually making changes is a plodding process that doesn’t look very heroic or exciting; yet those everyday steps lead to real change and a more rewarding life
  • Be persistent;  most of the changes we make in our lives require repetition.”                   (pg.174)

Looking over this process one can see where the current ideas of radical forgiveness, support groups, one step/day at a time, positive affirmations, inner child work, unlocking personal power, daily meditation and lifestyle coaching come into play. There isn’t just one way to achieve a behavioural pattern change.  It requires one’s thinking, feeling and actions to be in sync with the personal change desired!

There are obstacles to change which need to be addressed. According to Bass and Davis, Fear of Change needs to be acknowledged and dealt with.

“...It helps to name your fears. Naming things gives them less of a hold. … Fear doesn’t have to stop you. Even if you are afraid, you can still go ahead and make the changes you want.  You just do it anyway. You do it afraid. You do it nervously, awkwardly. You shake or sweat. You are not graceful or composed.  But you do it.”   (pg.175)

What is interesting about this, is that the more often you make the change you want, eventually you come to realize that you CAN do it.  You gain confidence with making one change, which will help you to make more changes towards the life you really want.  Those old tapes running in your mind that say things like: “you can’t, you will fail, you aren’t good enough, you aren’t smart enough, you don’t deserve this, etc.”  will have to change, too!  Because they are no longer your truth.

Old patterns do not go away quietly. They are deeply entrenched and habitual. Because they are familiar,they trigger a sense of security within us, because we know how things will turn out. We may actually hate the result, but at least we know it!  It’s familiar and predictable.  Patterns will fight back if they are faced with being destroyed and dismissed.  In fact, the behaviour pattern you want to release may escalate when you try to make the change you really want. This is where support and perseverance are crucial if you want to get through and beyond this point. Make sure you have lots of both!

These authors also have a section called “A Little Self-Love Goes A Long Way”,  which is a lovely way to conclude:

“Be kind to yourself. Be patient. Babies do not go from crawling to walking in a single day. We are not impatient or angry when they totter or fall. In fact, we delight in their first forays, even when they end in a plop.  Forgiving yourself when you backslide, being gentle with yourself, may be a pattern-breaker in itself. … Give yourself credit when you manage to do what you set out to do. … When you accomplish a goal, when you make a change you have worked hard to make, Celebrate!  Do something that is special for you.”   (pg.176-177)

Beach Therapy

Beach Therapy

by | Life Reflections

On a recent visit to Tofino, BC., I had the chance to really experience what Beach Therapy is all about.  Tofino is on the west coast of Vancouver Island and its beaches are cuddled by the Pacific Ocean. Some beaches are more protected than others, but all offer stunning views, wave movements and sounds, seaside smells and miles upon miles of beaches to lounge, walk, run or play upon. As it is summer vacation for most families right now, I also had opportunity to watch how others used Beach Therapy.  Here are a few of my observations.

Without exception, everyone walking along the miles of beach did so at a leisurely pace. Sure, there were a few who were exercising/running along the water, but even they stopped frequently to simply watch, listen and smell the ocean and beach. It’s hard to resist, so why bother?  At this pace, people took time to breathe deeply, smile and generally be at peace and one with the world. Curiosity and appreciation were tangible.  Even the smallest sea snails, shells or clumps of sea grass were observed with great attention and enthusiasm – as if a great treasure had just appeared for their eyes only.  Hearing the excited screams of children looking through tidal pools as they found fish, sea stars, and anenomes had adults walking over to see what was happening.  This gave a chance for the children and adults to have a moment to connect and communicate – without an electronic device.  Didn’t need one, as they were all “in the moment” together. They all shared in the excitement of the discoveries. And smiles were all around.

It is sad to think we need the fanciest of gadgets in order to have fun, be creative and connect with others.  With simply a pail and shovel, children showed how sand and water can ignite the imagination and become amazing architecture, sculptures and beauty treatments!  They created their projects for hours at the beach.  They connected with other children and passers-by with their projects, some stopping to help them and others offering words of encouragement. Even some teenagers got “down and dirty” and dug huge holes so they could “plant” large pieces of driftwood in the sand!  Chances are they would never be caught doing this at home, perhaps being afraid of embarrassment,  but somehow being on the beach gave them permission to use their hands, imagination and strength to create these driftwood “trees”. And again, passers-by would offer encouragement and smile at the enthusiasm and imagination at work here.

Watching people stepping onto the beach for the first time was also interesting.  Most adults stopped to take in the expansive vistas, while most children ran as fast as they could to the flat sand. Once in position, most children began doing cartwheels! Some danced! All squealed with delight. Some sang songs. And running was fun for them. It was as if I was watching their ultimate expression of freedom, joy and enthusiasm for life.  Try doing this in the city, at a bus-stop, park or mall and see what happens!  One parent remarked to me how he wished his children could feel this free and happy all the time. We both agreed that children deserve to be free to explore and experience their world so that they never lose their curiosity, creativity and laughter.  Hopefully their memories of this beach experience will remind them that the world is still a beautiful place to be.  Maybe this day will become their “happy place” during future meditation and relaxation practices.

As for me, I am always grateful to be given an opportunity to walk the beach, in search of shells and sea glass for my home and office. Feeling, smelling, seeing and touching the water and sand is always a good salve for my being. It also gives me a chance to be one with my deeper thoughts which can sometimes elude me during my busy work week. Too busy to slow down and be still – too busy as a human-doing, instead of a human-being!  It’s important for everyone to connect with the inner self – and I know that I am at my most creative when I listen to that inner voice. Beach Therapy helps me to reconnect with this truth. And it reminds me that I can’t wait for vacations to reconnect – I must find times and ways to do it regularly. The inner voice actually resides within me, so I take it wherever I go!

The summer is not over yet.  If you’ve not tried Beach Therapy yet, you still have time! Not close to beach? That’s okay. Remember that it doesn’t have to be an actual beach for you to feel this way. It doesn’t have to be on the Pacific Ocean.  It just has to be somewhere where you feel free, joyful, creative and at peace with yourself and your world. And it could be right in your own backyard.