“We had entered an era of limitlessness, or the illusion thereof, and this in itself is a sort of wonder. My grandfather lived a life of limits, both suffered and strictly observed, in a world of limits. I learned much of that world from him and others, and then I changed; I entered the world of labor-saving machines and of limitless cheap fossil fuel. It would take me years of reading, thought, and experience to learn again that in this world limits are not only inescapable but indispensable.”
~ Wendell Berry
Crystals are wonderful healing tools and metaphysical companions. There are two things I find admirable about crystals. They will take on enormous energetic burdens on our behalf, and they know their limits.
Sometimes when a crystal has worked hard it will reach breaking point – the place where it literally cannot take any more.
I have had crystals explode in my hand (or not long after putting them down) while doing energetic work for myself or others. Some of my stones have developed internal fractures and cracks so that the stone remains whole but the inner crystal shows flaws. When they heal they often develop a rainbow in that spot.
Whenever working stones crack or have had enough, I return them to the earth for a while. Or sometimes, forever. Some crystals will rehabilitate over time and be ready for more work, some will be done for good.
It has been a while since I’ve had a stone break, but one broke yesterday while I was using it.
As I held my meditation mala in my hands, working on my retreat students, one bead snapped in half between my fingers. It had absorbed a trauma on a student’s behalf, creating a big energetic shift for that person. But that stone had no more to give, and it told me so. A rose quartz butterfly – one wing simply sheared off, with absolutely no pressure from me.
Fortunately I’d added an extra bead to the mala, in case such an event occurred. I transferred the intent and positive energy from the broken stone into the spare bead.
When I break down the mala at the end of our retreat I shall bury this stone in the beautiful gardens at Sangsurya – our retreat venue. I will thank it for its hard work and sacrifice. I will bless it and let it go back into the earth.
Be gentle with yourself right now. Be kind. Choose loving words. Nurture yourself, especially if you’re working hard. Treat yourself as a precious object and fill yourself up with love. We all have limits. It’s important to honour them.
Bless <3 xx
