So, funny thing...I actually started working on this class about four years ago. I had my mind blown about the possibilities rocks, crystals and gemstones opened for pathways into energetic healing, ritual and ceremony. I was hardly ever without a rock or two in my purse, my work bag, my bra. But then I had my mind blown again - by how hard it was to find out about WHERE these stones come from and HOW they’re stripped from the earth. Spoiler alert: it involves child labor, awful environmental damage, and lots of invisible labor prices paid all so we can get one little piece of a stone like amethyst to call our own.
I was horrified. Ashamed even. I walked away from stones altogether. I put all my stones in a box at the back of my closet. Scrapped this class. I walked away from stones altogether for about a year.
But then I was recently reminded of the simple fact that even right now, there are sections of living rock working tirelessly to support me as I walk down city streets, in my local park, or really anywhere. There are River stones with thousands of years of knowledge in the Patuxent River not too far from where I call home. And did I mention the plethora of stones I’d already bought? I just had to find a way to respect all the hearts and hands that had a part in getting any stone into my hands. So I started out small - with a piece of Butterscotch Amber I knew that had been ethically sourced from my grandmother’s homeland of Latvia. It had been my grandmother’s, actually. I asked her and I asked that piece of amber to help guide me home - back to myself, back to right relationship with the earth and all the living, sentient beings all around me.
So - I decided to have this class with a different angle: using my own story as a cautionary tale, and providing access to resources on what resonant treasures lie just under our feet.
So while I’ll be talking about some fairly common stones found in any shop and that have recently had a lot of hype - like black tourmaline, amethyst, quartz, hematite, obsidian, flourite, and yes, amber - I’ll also be sharing messages I feel like were important to pass along. I’ll be sharing with the group what I’ve found to be the MOST ethical ways to source these and other stones. Next, I’ll be taking a dive into how to find out about what is in the living rock around you and resources to help you learn more about the value of working with samples from your local ecosystem that is right where you live. And of course some practical ways to align, connect and work in right relationship with our rock allies.
I hope to see you there.
PS - yeah, I started wearing rocks in my bra again