Crystals: A Nod to Our Inner Ravens
Charoite, Black Tourmaline and Turquoise
My obsession with pretty rocks has been a lifetime long ordeal. I have a couple of very hazy memories of my dad taking me to see the “pretty rocks” in a shop, and he would ask which ones I liked. I never got those, but it was one of those times that where I was allowed to really express my awe. I was like 4 or 5, and the dyed hot pink agates were everything to my little brain. The dyed agates, I feel, can get a bad rap, but also, agates are a great protector for kids. My intuition knew exactly what I needed and what was going to feel good.
I learned what sodalite was very early (again between 4 and 6) because my dad showed my a piece and started listing of its components. He told me I would always be able to tell a sodalite because I would see the flash of white coursing through the blue. My little brain remembered it wrong, and it took until I was an adult to remember the name sodalite. My poor little brain remembered it as “It’s a lightning stone with soda in it!” I nodded and smiled. I was CONFUSED.
Another that I learned early was Tiger’s Eye, and I was teased mercilessly by my older siblings for liking it because “You only like it because it has the word tiger!” Honestly, they probably weren’t wrong, but the way the light caught the amber? A work of God and magic as far as my 7 year old brain was concerned. (Did anyone else’s older siblings and family make fun of them for liking things because of the name of the thing? I got that shit alllll the time.)
The first crystal that I connected deeply with as an adult was black tourmaline. When I first started using crystals, I was in so much pain, and my anxiety attacks were happening multiple times each day. I really connected deeply with my black tourmaline for not only its grounding properties, but for one that I don’t often see listed: transmuting negative energy into productive energy.
During this time, I was doing a lot of work from home, and I was working on building up muscle so hopefully my body would hurt less. I was hiking up Mt. Tabor each morning, and I was sitting and meditating for 20-30 minutes. As I worked with my tourmaline, I imagined myself completely protected within its energy. As I thought of the anxiety, depression, resentment, fear, for each word, I would replace it with a productive activity that I would do when I got home. It helped. It helped a lot. Suddenly, I couldn’t go anywhere without my emotional support rock. Its weight reminded me that I had a body, and I was present in a world that needed my presence.
I have talked about turquoise before, but it keeps coming up so here I am… reflecting again. Turquoise has been a message from Hekate for over a year now. What I have discovered is that I am much more willing to share stories, to share authentically, and to share who I am. I remember before I was a teacher, that I was a lot more haphazard online. Once I started really working with kids, I made everything as anonymous as possible, and while I am a Scorpio, I don’t do anonymity naturally. I’m a Scorpio. I love depth, and often the way to obtain depth is to be deep yourself. I want to connect, to share, to listen, to learn. Turquoise has definitely helped bring that natural tendency back for me.
I still am not sharing picture of myself outside of my monthly paid posts, but I am sharing them a little larger each month. I am getting there. Sharing a monthly picture of myself is also a form of storytelling, of where I was and what was bringing me joy during that month. This month, it was me and the kittens. I also wrote about how healing Substack has been for me, and I have noticed that turquoise has been appearing less and less in messages. There is healing in writing and storytelling, and while it has taken me 2+ years, I am excited to see the effects of turquoise on my confidence in writing and storytelling.
The last crystal I want to talk about today is Charoite. I have been obsessed with Charoite since I first saw it. It is so beautiful. It is a stone of transformation, deep healing, and it’s going to bring up some shit when you use it. It doesn’t have the smooth, comforting energy of an amethyst or rose quartz. This stone is here to work and to have you work. I have been wearing this necklace daily since December or so, and the way my life has taken some major turns… WOW! I have never felt so much redirection while using a crystal before, but here we are. This crystal is an investment piece as it is not as common as an amethyst or rose quartz, but I am feeling the connection deeply.
This particular necklace was designed by Emily over at Sea Ox Designs. Her work is amazing, and it’s not my first piece from her, but it is the one that I have connected with the most. The changes in my life have somewhat been up to me, but there have also been doors opening and closing in ways that I would have never foreseen, relationships and partnerships being built that never crossed my mind, and now I’m getting kittens after being catless since 2017. Maybe all of these things would have happened without the charoite at my neck, but since it’s there, I am going to toast it!
What crystals or items or activities are you connecting with? Have you noticed a change in your life from interacting with these on a regular basis? Let me know below!
Wishing you well this week! May your life offer what you need in this moment.
With love,
Aventurine ✨
Reading through the timeline and journey with crystals is so beautiful. Their being “pretty rocks” aside, I love that you have deep connection, energy, and magic to these crystals.
I love hearing about the crystals you're working with and how they've helped you! I have to say that I am not connecting to my crystals like I used to, but they are an important part of my journey and I'm sure they will continue to be in my life. Lately, I find myself connecting and getting nourishment from poetry.