Stonewise: Mahogany Obsidian

I missed last week's Stonewise! I'm a bad blogger. (*hangs head in shame*) And I managed to miss yesterday too...ugh. Well, I'm here today, and that's better than never, right? Right?

So I've already talked about Obsidian, but there are several different kinds, and each I feel deserves its own entry. I've been working with Mahogany Obsidian a fair bit lately, and figured it'd be a good topic.

Ardriana says:

Mahogany Obsidian is dark red-grown with black striations through it. It is the friendship Obsidian. Represents male energy and beauty. Clears subconscious blocks.

Yeah, it's a short entry, but that's ok...if she had all the answers, there wouldn't be anything else for the rest of us to do. :D

How I use it in my jewelry...I have loved Obsidian for a very long time. I know I've mentioned how my personal power stone is this wonderful chunk, etc...and yet, Mahogany Obsidian is a relatively new find, in the last ten years or so. Actually, I remember discovering both Mahogany and Snowflake Obsidian about the same time, and was excited to learn there were different types of a stone that I loved so well.

In any case, in a vast variety of stones that have decidedly feminine energy or qualities, Mahogany Obsidian is absolutely masculine, which of course means that I have an interesting relationship with it.

What you mean? Well, as some of you may know, I'm a bit of an Amazon in my temperament, definitely a feminist (not that I'm a man hater by any stretch of the imagination), and I will always gravitate to the feminine before the masculine. So I found it odd that my initial reaction to a variation of a stone I adored was very superficial. I loved how it looked, but didn't have a deeper connection to it the way I do other stones.

It made sense once I learned more, and have grown past my initial reaction. And it still serves as a lesson for me to not always trust my first response to a stone...some of my favorite pieces were once ones that I would have thrown back in the box.

Mahogany Obsidian has become a stone of great power, energy, and vigor for me. Something I'd use for a banishing. You want to bring your greatest strength forward when you want something to really go away. It's the heavy shoulder set into the door, either closing or opening.

I have a fair few tumbled pieces, but nothing really large...and I find that I'm particularly picky about the ones that I keep.

And now you know a little bit more about why I do what I do.

Till next time, be well,

Red

Helping out.

For the next couple weeks, I'll be donating 25% of my jewelry sales to the American Red Cross to help the Haiti relief effort. During that time, I will not be offering any sales or specials, as I want to give as much as I can, even if it's just an extra dollar.

Take a look at

Crystallized Intentions

and see if there's anything

you can't live without.

Thank you for your time.

Till then, be well,

Red

Stonewise: Rutilated Quartz

I know I'm a day late, but I figured I'd post late rather than not at all. So here's this week's Stonewise...Rutilated Quartz!

As you all probably know by now, I start with some information from writer and witch, Ardriana Cahill, and this is what she says:

Rutile occurs as shiny, elongated, needlelike or hair-like silver crystals of titanium dioxide or gold crystals of titanium oxide in other minerals such as quartz. A beautiful stone produced by large inclusions of golden Rutile needles in clear quartz is called Rutilated Quartz. This stone is produced because at high temperatures and pressure, the compounds that make up quartz and rutile are in a stable state. But as temperatures cool and pressure eases, the two separate with Rutile crystals trapped inside the Quartz.

Etymology: The name quartz comes from the Saxon word querklufterz which meant cross vein ore. The name rutile comes from the Latin word rutilus meaning red. Rutilated Quartz as been refered to as Venus Hair Stone, Cupid's Darts and Fleches D'amour.

Magick: The Golden-hair Rutile takes on both lunar and solar properties and the qualities attributed to stones under their influence. Copper-hair Rutile, also named Venus Hair Rutile is an excellent gem for meditation on any feminine themes or Venus themes of the power of love and the depth of beauty. Use to remove obstacles and get insight to one's problems. Carry as a natural symbol of the Goddess to remind us of the welfare of and obligation to our common Mother, the Earth.

How do I use it in my jewelry...the first place I found was in my Air bracelet, which was a challenge in and of itself. Do you know how many stones are attributed to the element of Air? The direct opposite of Earth...yeah, not so many...

The Rutilated Quartz are the small rounds between the Citrines.

In any case, I liked that they were sometimes called the "Scrying Stone", which worked, because part of Air's influence is mental acuity. By being able to scry out your problems, one could find wisdom or understanding and find a good resolution. See? I thought I made it work...hehe...

Back when I first started collecting stones, I was all about perfection. The clearer the stone, the more beautiful it was to me. So Rutiliated Quartz was right out. There was nothing but stuff inside! Where was my pristine clarity? Thankfully I grew out of that phase and have collected a number of interesting Rutile pieces.

My two favorites are a tie between a river polished nugget (that's right, no help from man) and a piece of Smokey Quartz where the Rutile is so thin and curly that it reminds me of the images of an atom smash (which strangely enough I cannot find pics of...). It reminds me that everything is connected and that the world is bigger (and smaller) than we even conceive of.

I have not designed any pure worship jewelry yet, but when I do, I will most certainly include Rutilated Quartz.

And now I know a little more of why I do what I do.

Till next time, be well,

Red

If Your Religion... Part 2

So I should probably start this post with a sort of disclaimer...why would I write about my thoughts on religion on a blog about my jewelry? Well, I create my jewelry using information I've been picking up for the last twenty years, and that information is filtered through the philosophies I have been studying also for the last 20 years. The two are interconnected, and so I get to rant here instead of creating a separate blog. Handy, no?

Anyroad, I'm thinking of doing one of these segments about once a month, as they really do inform the reader as to my methods, in creating jewelry if nothing else. So, without further ado...

If your religion makes you stupid...you're doing it wrong.

Inflammatory, I know, but this part is really important. How many remember the story of the guy who shoved 50ish or so needles under his son's skin to kill him? The guy claimed that it was a religious tenant that prompted him to do it. Some might say that makes him crazy, and maybe there is a chemical imbalance I am unaware of, but I think that it just makes him stupid. How could he possibly believe that killing a child is acceptable in any way? (How could anyone? But that's a rant for another day.) I don't care what answer he gives, whatever it is, he's just wrong, and being swayed to perform this obscene act in the first place makes him stupid.

This next case in point was actually the genesis of this piece, I just held on to it long enough for Dumbass with Needles to make the news, and I felt it was a very potent example.

So in the course of my new networking adventure, I've found all sorts of people on the internet. Most of them have interesting links for me to follow, this one in particular was to an auction (no, I won't post the link, I don't want to send any traffic their way).

These auctions were offering items that were said to be magical, blessed by a coven, and promised to do all sorts of amazing things. One was a love spell that promised you *anyone*, including someone famous, or people who didn't know you. I find this highly irresponsible, how dare someone claim they can toy with someone's emotions that way. Another was for a wealth ring that would bring the wearer money. The site even claimed that the last wearer had eared over $120,000 over the course of three years. That sounds great right? I suppose it could be if it didn't work out to a $40k a year job.

Guys, this isn't magick. This is promises that cannot possibly be fulfilled by people who will take your money and then give you some sort of excuse when it doesn't work. Offering this sort of mockery makes me angry. Believing in it makes me sad.

((A friend of mine pointed out that I might not be clear enough on the types of magic I am accusing of being stupid...allow me to clarify...

There is magick that makes sense, using earth and "bloodstones" to help a woman feel better during her moontime. Lighting a candle to help the bank approve of your loan. These are the sorts of spells I not only endorse, but practice.

Then there is magic that makes no sense, promising someone that even if it's Brad Pitt, the object of your desire will dream about you, and make their way to you.

Use reason and judgement, wisdom and knowledge when looking at magick, and if you have a good grounding in common sense, you'll know the difference.))

But Red, how is that different from what you do?

First off, I will *never* claim that my jewelry will do something *for* you. I always only offer an item that will help you help yourself. My Creativity bracelet isn't going to work if you don't put your butt in the chair or in front of the easel. My Awakening bracelet isn't going to do anything if you don't make the conscious decision to be more open to the world around and within you. The qualities of Air, clarity of thought and enhancing memory aren't going to help you pass that test unless you study.

Secondly, it doesn't bother me if someone just wants a piece of my jewelry because they like the colors. They want to wear it without knowing or caring about the intention I put into the piece, be my guest. The stones themselves are beautiful, and I am truly grateful to anyone who wants to give them a good home. You don't have to handle my jewelry with mock reverence in case it gets offended, or to keep from doing something to blaspheme or some other silly thing.

You decide how you want to wear my jewelry, if at all. I offer it the way I do because I enjoy it. It makes me happy to think that somewhere, someone might have a little easier time sleeping because they're focused on the calming properties that blue lace agate is said to have. I get to play with stones all day...how awesome is that?

Don't be mislead, there's lots of people out there using lots of charisma to fool people with promises or offers that don't make sense, have no bearing on real life or cannot possibly be kept.

I choose a different way, and so should you, whatever it may be.

Till next time, be well,
Red

Stonewise: Blue Lace Agate

You guys are in trouble now...guess who got an updated copy of Ardriana's Stones for Christmas? That's right...this witch! *cackles*

So, since today's Shop Item of the Day over at Crystallized Intentions is my pair of Tranquility Earrings (ooh...shameless in 2010!), I thought that looking at Blue Lace Agate would be the thing to do.

So just what does Ardriana say about this beautiful stone?

A chalcedony quartz of delicate blue with swirls of white.

Magick: Wear or carry this stone for peace and happiness. Effective for reducing household and/or family quarrels. Useful in reducing stress when held in the hand. Stimulates foresight. Promotes all feminine qualities, intuition, caring and tenderness.

How I use it in my jewelry: It's funny, Blue Lace Agate was really low on my radar for a long time, till The New Pioneer got this amazing selection of larger (larger than a quarter) pieces. Richard, the awesome old hippy who runs the place, said that there was a new mine, and that with these larger pieces, people were starting to call it Blue Storm Agate.

I filed away the information, but the name never really stuck because there's nothing storm like about Blue Lace. It's to frosty, to subtle...I'm not really a pastel person, but there's something to the color of this stone that really appeals to me now that I know it better.

It is the first stone I think of when wanting something to promote peace. It's the main stone in my Sleep Well Bracelet, as one of the major problems that people seem to have is just not being able to relax enough to slip into sleep.

See that big, frosty stone in the center?

It's always so interesting to look at, with the bands of white and darker blue running through it. Ardriana suffers from migraines, and the Sleep Well wasn't helping, so I asked her what qualities she wanted in something to help...one of the first things she mentioned was the coolness of an ice pack on her forehead. The oddly interesting bracelet I put together has onyx, for a pain sink, blue lace agate, for the cooling, relaxing properties, and citrine (yeah, black, light blue and yellow...), to help keep one able to think above the pain. It's one that I would only make by request, as I feel it's function over form, but it seems to help (this is, of course, after she's taken her medication and laid down to rest with a real ice pack on...you have to do everything else along with the magick...more on that later though).

Where was I...oh yeah, Blue Lace Agate...I'm a pretty laid back person, and don't usually feel the need to calm myself further, so I don't have a ton of these stones. The few pieces I do have sure are beautiful however, and I am lucky to have them.

And now you know a little more about why I do what I do.

Till next time, be well,

Red

If Your Religion... Part 1

This has been brewing for a fair bit now, so I'm just going to set it down.

If your religion makes you scared...you're doing it wrong.

Case in point, a friend of mine wanted some medical attention, and had to go to a free clinic. They didn't do much but what she had already done, but then gave her some "information". One would think they'd give her info about her medical question...but no, what she got instead was Christian propaganda pamphlets.

I have a somewhat secret fascination with them, and have a few really good ones I've collected. I read them as two people...one is the long term pagan that laughs behind her hand, "ROFL...that's awesome! They're really stupid!" The other is the person who could be affected by these words, and more often than not comes away as unsatisfied with their proposed answers as I was the twenty or so years ago when I discovered I wasn't Catholic.

Of these two that my friend gave to me, one was pretty innocuous. "Is Witchcraft the Way?" tells the tale of a nice woman who was a witch for many years (point in their favor...she was a nice, kind woman who was just looking for spiritual meaning. Not some psycho, blood sacrificing, nut job or emo, dark spirit raising, goth wannabe that's usually in these anecdotal accounts), then she started having problems with bad spirits and dark energy (you know...the stuff the rest of us deal with all the time, right? *rolls eyes*), and eventually a very nice Christian man told her "the truth" and she's ok now, cuz she's Christian.

Meh...whatever. Oh, but I did like the part where she's told that the spirits of the elements were actually devils in disguise. How tricksy of them...

Anyway...it was the second one...that was the treasure trove find. This nasty piece of work was called, "First Six Days in Hell", and is supposedly a literal account, extrapolated from Biblical references on what it's going to be like for you when you go to Hell.

And it assumed you would...so you'd better get ready with this handy guide. It was horrifying, my morbid fascination with these things was really stretched with this one...the burning torture that was described, along with the deep, soul crushing inevitability of it, it was truly a piece of work.

Of course, if you just "accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior" you can escape going to Hell and never experience what was described.

My question becomes, "Who wants followers that are there out of abject terror?" This isn't just fear that they're trying to evoke. This is deeper, primal..."if these are just the first six days, imagine what an eternity would be like"...some of these images are the stuff that night terrors are made from.

No thank you...I'm good.

How is this acceptable? How is this ok to do? In what sense of morality is it acceptable to terrify people into following a god that is supposedly all good? Jesus gave us one commandment, "Love one another as I have loved you." Where is the love in that pamphlet? Really?

I find this sort of thing irresponsible, and hope that most people just throw it in the trash, not reading it without the philosophical and spiritual protections that I and most of my friends have.

It's not enough to be good because you're afraid of punishment. One should be good, because it is the right thing to do. Pamphlets like this don't help create good Christians, they create fearful people without an inner core of ethics. Sometimes they're more damaging than those who do wrong because they want to...at least you can predict their behavior.

I know it's not my usual blog fare, but I hope you've made it this far and at least got something to think about. I'm not condemning Christianity as a whole. There is beauty and grace in the religion and if being Christian helps you to be happy and good, then I celebrate that. No, it's the desperate fear mongers that I am pointing my finger at hoping that one day they are forced to wake up and understand that using fear doesn't attract good followers, just other fearful people.

I choose another way. And so should you, whatever it may be.

Till next time, be well,
Red

Stonewise: Picasso Stone

So I know this is way late. I apologize, and blame my lack of motivation and apparent inability to get out of a warm, snuggly bed. In any case, I'm here today, and will endeavor to have next week's post up on the proper day.

Anyroad, today we're looking at Picasso Stone, sometimes called Picasso Jasper, Picasso Marble or Picture Jasper. It's an unusual stone, without a lot of folklore attached to it, but I love the deep greys it can come in, so let's see what we can, shall we?

Ardriana says:

An obvious grounding stone, which aids general healing. Brings out hidden talents and gifts. Invites total recall of dreams to answer life's mysteries. Inspires self-control and respect. Picasso Stone assists one to understand one's destiny by meditating on the patterns in the stone. It also transforms intuition into intellectual action. Reduces anxiety and stress.

How I use it my jewelry...as a relative new comer to the magickal world, it's sometimes difficult to find uses for this interesting stone. However, while searching for stones to make up my Air bracelet:

(ha! It's a good week when I fit in some shameless self promotion. ^.~)

...*ahem* oh yeah, while researching stones that resonate with the element of Air (*not* easy mind you), I discovered, with Ardriana's help, that Picasso Stone has been linked to labyrinth studies, the dark lines in the stone acting as a meditation tool similar to the pattern created in labyrinths.

How cool is that? And Picasso Stone comes in some of my favorite grey colors (you might have noticed this in my blog layout heh...). It's a quiet stone, which I'm still discovering, but I think it's proven itself to be particularly powerful when wanting to promote self awareness (that doesn't devolve into self centeredness), and mental acuity.

I don't own a lot of Picasso Stone, just a few pieces, since it's taken me a fair bit to understand the attraction, but that won't stop me in the future!

And now you know a bit more why I do what I do.

Till next time, be well,

Red