There is a certain kind of beauty that is seen only in the eyes of one who has suffered. Never mind the light getting in – no, the breaking of the heart is for one’s light to shine out; to be shared, to be seen. Grief is a rite of passage that sows the seeds of grace, compassion, and radical self-acceptance. And the most powerful healers are those who have walked the journey themselves – courageously into the darkness, and out the other side.
I met Kara as she was moving through a major transition in her own life. She started coming to my yoga classes, and, knowing pieces of her story, I was humbled by her courageous acts of self-care. She had a smile that radiated sunshine, a gentle heart, and a strong, resilient spirit. She reminded me of the lessons of the oyster: to turn all that disturbs you into that which is most beautiful. This is the wisdom of the pearl.
These lepidolite beads spoke to me as I browsed through an extensive gallery of gemstones. They stood out in the way they were not-quite-uniform, in the way they sparkled, in the way they owned their casual, imperfect magnificence. I held them in my hands and asked them to lead me to their final piece. Moments later, I saw the perfect stone: a banded agate, with threads of indigo and deep blue. She was full of character and rich in history, with the layers and cracklings of one who has lived.
As I beaded this, I sat silently in meditation, without any fancy mantras in mind. The hum of AUM rang through my body and I prayed for a universal peace. May all be loved. May all be light. May all be at ease. ♥
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c r y s t a l m e a n i n g s
LEPIDOLITE
⬩ soothing and spiritual
⬩ awakens sahasrara (crown chakra)
⬩ guides transition and transformation
⬩ re-organizes one’s thought patterns
⬩ releases emotional and mental dependancy
⬩ attracts synchronicity and positive coincidences
MOTHER OF PEARL
⬩ calms and balances the thoughts of the mind
⬩ brings clarity, protection and abundance
⬩ heightens intuition and imagination
BANDED AGATE
⬩ grounding and stabilizing
⬩ gentle healing over time, works on subtle bodies
⬩ works on the roots of an issue instead of the symptoms
⬩ overcomes past anger and opens the heart to love
⬩ a powerful facilitator of radical self-acceptance
⬩ gives the courage to start again
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