I've always been drawn toward stones. When I was a little girl I'd scavenge shore lines for hours, entertained by all the colors while waters rushed over the surface. Being from Michigan and spending all summers on some kind of lake, I was particularly drawn toward agate and fossils which are quite abundant here. I had a sharp eye for petoskey stones too. I'd find them and bring them to my grand mother who always coveted the find. It's this inherent call toward nature and stones that guides me to make jewelry with gemstone beads as well as collect crystals well into my 20's. Who would've thought that childhood activity is so much more than a hobby. Rocks, crystals, gemstones.. they are my passion and I'll be the first in line to vouch for their effectiveness in healing humans. There are plenty of studies PROVING that being in touch with nature improves our human lives. Don't believe me? Just search for scholarly articles about nature improving our metal health or simply the term 'Ecotherapy'. Take this one from Harvard for example. There is no one pill or activity that can just magically take your pain, trauma, sadness, anger, etc. away, BUT we, as conscious and highly intelligent beings, can put our best efforts into healing and growing stronger through these experiences and/or emotions. I say that crystals improve those healing abilities 10 fold. Crystals, being part of nature and human cultures through the ages, even BEFORE Jesus was a thing, have quite the reputation for healing. For thousands of years people have used crystals for healing. There is no doubt in my mind as to the robust energy wells that can be tapped into through our connection with nature, mineral formations specifically. What do we do when we want to get better at something?We focus on it. Similar to how we spend years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in college to study our favorite subjects, we have to put the time in to gain any experience, knowledge, emotional maturity, and credibility. So we need to put the time into ourselves to feel the benefits of crystals and study all the knowledge collected about them over the years. This is what I mean, We need to focus on it. Gemstones are a reminder of our connection between the earth and our beings: Body, Mind, Spirit, and Soul. Their colors, shapes, and intricacies inspire us and remind us of our inherent beauty. Their raw formations connected to the sacred geometry of life and our literal STEAM mathematics taught in school even through out college level courses. Their minerals comprised of the very same that we are made of, that we need to ingest to survive, and elements of that well known periodic table. So I say, let us connect with the stones. Allow them to remind us of our human powers. No we can't fly, but we can heal and grow and change and that is pretty fucking miraculous if you ask me. Using Crystals to Heal & To CleanseHealing ourselves and cleansing our spaces, physical and mental, takes time. It's hard work. It can be exhausting but improving your life is SO WORTH IT. When I tapped back into rocks, my life started getting better. It was the time I began questioning everything I was surrounded by. I reassessed my priorities. I wanted to change so I used gemstones and my business surrounding them to affirm my goals.
I purchased a book called "The Book Of Stones" and dove right into reading about all my favorite stones which inevitably lead to meditating with them, shouting affirmations, and learning that gemstones have been part of humanity for thousands of years. Before many of the religions of modern day. There's something about gemstones that humans need. All we have to do is look within to find what we want to work on and apply ourselves to the change. If you don't know, for a while I was speaking very openly about sexual traumas from my younger years. I looked into stones that assist with healing from sexual trauma. There were multiple specimen known to help with that process. One particular stone is called Rhodochrosite, which I've been working with for several years. It helped me so much, I purchased several more tumbled stones and cabochon to share with my friends and family. Healing is very personal. A lot of the work can only be done by you. Similar to our spiritualities. Everything we believe is very unique to our individual experiences. I can not tell you how to heal yourself but I can share with you a bit of what I did in this never ending process. I believe that you are what you eat, down to the music to listen to and the people you surround yourself with. Even your thoughts are very powerful and can cause a great deal of motion in the world. I stopped listening to music that I felt degraded me and my mind. I stopped surrounding myself with people who took advantage of my kindness, generosity, and energy. I turned to gratitude for my life instead of always looking out into the world for validation. I remembered who I was as a little girl. Looking back at pictures of myself so young, adventurous, smiling with no fear... What happened to me? I'm still the same person but at some point I stopped wanting to wake up in the morning. I found the root of this depression and I've worked for several years to heal from it. I can say with confidence that my art, moving my body, and the loyalty of my family got me back to where I am today. With the help of gemstones, I feel the process was accelerated.
0 Comments
|
About the Author & Artist
Megan LaCroix also known as Citrine is the daughter of a Navy Veteran. She’s lived all over the US but has roots in Michigan where her family is from. Spending summers in Northern Michigan exploring nature inspired her to create art work starting with jewelry and photography. She’d spend hours looking for rocks and creating assorted beaded jewelry with her sisters. In 2014 She graduated from University of Michigan School of Art & Design with a BFA then moved to Detroit where she is currently living and working. She is a multi-media artist with ever expanding skills but is best known for her jewelry, screen printing, photography, and paintings. Detroit Graffiti has a significant influence on her painting and drawing style. She’s participated in ArtPrize 2015 & 2021 and currently has a studio in the Village Arts Factory of Canton, MI. Archives
September 2024
Categories
All
|