Metaphysical Mondays: Rose Quartz for Love

In honor of tomorrow being Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share my favorite crystal: rose quartz. I love the delicate pink color of this stone, and it is perfect for opening the heart chakra. According to Yogamint, “Rose quartz is ruled by the planet Venus and is associated with mysticism, beauty, romance and love. Use rose quartz for matters of the heart—it is also known to enhance creativity through compassion, forgiveness and love. There is nothing like the power of rose quartz to bring romance and harmony into a relationship. If you are looking for romance, you can be sure that Cupid’s arrow will be tipped with the very special and powerful rose quartz.” Read more about rose quartz here at Yogamint .

Try wearing rose quartz tomorrow or carrying around a stone. Give openly from your heart and notice whether or not this is easier to do with the rose quartz. If you have any jewelry which contains rose quartz, put it on display for Valentine’s Day! I am coveting this bracelet from Penny Weights. Maybe for Valentine’s Day?

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Metaphysical Mondays: Lifting the Veil

What happens to us after we die? This, of course, is a huge question and could never be answered in one blog post. However, I’d like to share how I’ve come to create a personal interpretation of this transition. Death is very difficult, if not impossible to conceptualize. It feels like an ending, a giant period placed on someone’s life. Although I had vague notions of an afterlife, I couldn’t really picture this either. Over the summer, however, this began to change slowly. For some reason I began to contemplate it more, and question whether or not people were truly gone after they died, living in some far off land I had been taught to call ‘Heaven.’

As I pondered this more I began to picture a veil. This image began to shape my understanding of death, and life as well. To me, it seems as if there is a perpetual veil placed in front of our eyes when we are alive. This veil hides everything from spirits to our true, divine nature. It is only through recognizing that there is a veil that we can begin to slowly peel it away. Our purest experiences of love, joy, and peace push the veil aside, only to have it drift closed again. When we die, we merely open the veil all the way, a task only possible when we leave our bodies.

If, in our lives, we can begin to peek behind the veil, even to ponder what lies behind it, we may begin to have a fuller understanding of our life, of what happens to our deceased loved ones (who are never lost, just invisible), and take comfort in the astounding perfection of everything. Death becomes, not an ending, but a movement back to our original home, a home that is always present, but hidden behind the veil.

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Feel and Heal with Crystals

Crystals are beautiful, healing specimens that are great to carry around or place in your home or office. Each crystal is slightly different and they are full of unique energy. I began collecting crystals about six months ago, and have a small but powerful collection.

In the bowl above (clockwise) are aventurine, jade, lapus lazuli, rose quartz, hematite, onyx, and in the center, amethyst. They each have different properties, and depending on the day and my mood, I will often carry at least one crystal with me in my pocket. My favorite one to carry is the small rose quartz heart. Just having it on me opens my heart center and makes me feel more peaceful and loving. I have to be careful with the lapus lazuli, however. It carries a lot of intuitive properties and increases its wearer’s sensitivity. I tend to only use it during meditation. Crystals are relatively inexpensive, as well. The ones pictured above cost between $1 and $5. For a complete list of crystals and their healing properties visit: http://www.peacefulmind.com/stones.htm

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Metaphysical Mondays: Angels Around Us

During Christmas we often see angels as statues, tree-toppers, and ornaments. Their kind faces and outspread wings are symbols of peace and protection that many people in our culture rely on and find comfort from. When I was very young my mother explained to me that I had a guardian angel that always protected me. I loved knowing this and, as a child, would often write letters to her and talk to her as an imaginary friend. After about the age of 9 I stopped doing this and only recently began thinking about this again. Do we have a guiding angel that stays with us all through life, watching over us each day? Until about six months ago I probably would have said that angels were a lovely metaphor, but as unrealistic as Santa Claus. However, I began having wonderful dreams with what I can only describe as an angelic presence. In the dreams I would open my eyes and see only beautiful light, not blinding but extremely bright and penetrating. I would hear a voice come over this light, soothing and quiet, telling me things about my life, and about the meaning of life. The main message I received was that love is the only authority. So, while I never saw wings I did feel such a beautiful, unearthly presence that my faith in angels was renewed.

Whatever your beliefs or your experiences, feeling that there is an invisible safety net underneath you makes it easier to take chances, and to know that whatever you do you are being looked after. It also allows us to know that we are never alone, and that love for each of us is infinite, something that is so easy to forget in life.

Do you believe in angels? Have you ever had similar experiences? 

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