missing Chance...

It's been almost 6 weeks since our cat Chance died, and we still miss him terribly. He was 16 years old, totally sweet and fun and loving, and completely spoiled.

We've talked about the possibility of getting another cat or two at some point, but it doesn't feel like the right time yet. Not only do we miss Chance because of missing him and his wonderful, loving presence, but these past weeks have also seemed strange because this is the first time in over 20 years of marriage that we haven't had any animals. It makes the house seem... odd, and even a bit unfamiliar in some way.

Making the jewelry and working on the etsy shop have helped keep me busy during this time of grieving and adjusting. I've needed something to do, something to focus on, and this has been a big help. I can lose myself to looking through my gemstones and charms and findings, deciding what to put together next, working out a design or a theme if it's going to be that kind of piece.

It's been therapeutic.

One of the other things to help during this time has been aromatherapy. Many, many days I have used oils or blends - either in an oil burner or aromalamp, or in a carrier oil to use for a soothing massage - to help with my emotions. I've reached for oils such as cypress, sweet marjoram, lavender, bergamot, or orange to help with grief. Lemon, grapefruit, petitgrain, melissa, roman chamomile, peppermint, and juniperberry are others that I've found especially helpful during this time. Marge Clark at the wonderful Nature's Gift Aromatherapy has some great synergies for emotions, and I've found them helpful and effective, not only in dealing with this particular situation but in several areas of my life. (I'm not affiliated with that company in any way... I'm just a very satisfied customer).

Reiki has also helped me a great deal during these past weeks. Whether I'm doing a self-treatment or seeing another Reiki practitioner for a session, the healing energy has been in aid in soothing the grief and making my way through this time of adjustment and transition.

Other things have helped too, but I'll stop for now before this becomes too very long.

Loss... of animals, people, jobs, friendships, dreams... is hard. When you're dealing with grief and loss in your own life, I hope you'll find your way to whatever helps ease the pain and soothe your soul

Thank you for visiting. ♥

night sky, moon and stars...

Saturday I listed a new piece of jewelry in my etsy shop. I hand-strung a necklace of rainbow obsidian and snow quartz, and included an antiqued pewter charm of a face-in-the-moon and stars.

I wanted the necklace to represent the night sky. The rainbow obsidian chips are the dark of the sky at night, with the beads of snow quartz being the light of the moon and stars.

The starting point for me was the charm with the stars and crescent moon - just looking at it makes me think of the night sky. I knew I wanted to use a combination of light and dark beads, and the shape of the stones was important to me too. The round translucent white of the snow quartz reminds me of looking at a full moon, so I chose those beads (although moonstone would also have worked great). But I didn't want to use round beads for the night sky, I wanted a contrasting shape. I looked through my stash of gemstone supplies, and the rainbow obsidian chips seemed to be a perfect fit.

Light and dark... the moon and the stars and the sky.

green line jasper...

My latest listing in my etsy shop is a bracelet I made yesterday from green line jasper. I love green line jasper - I think the bands and swirls of greenish-gray make it an interesting stone. I added a sterling silver spiral to the bracelet...



As you might guess from my shop name and blog title, I have a special fondness for spirals. The spiral is an ancient symbol that can hold so much significance... the cycle of life, the cosmic spiral, spiraling inward, spiraling outward, a symbol of the spiritual journey, a symbol of the feminine or the goddess, a symbol of the journey of life itself. I love the flows and whirls and swirls of spirals too, the way they look. And in my own life's journey, the spiral symbolizes some of what I've gone through.

So... I have a thing for spirals.

One reason I chose green line jasper gemstone beads to use with the spiral in this bracelet is because the beads themselves remind me of spirals due to the somewhat swirly patterns the stones have. Green line jasper has a semi-translucent grayish green banding, each stone's pattern unique with the bands flowing and swirling to create varying shades and lines. The stone is formed when green and black needle-like pieces of tourmaline become embedded into the quartz.

Now for some metaphysical properties of the stone -- and as a disclaimer, this is for informational purposes only, no healing claims are being made, nor any claims about a stone's effect on any particular individual...

Jasper in general is said to be a very nurturing stone, helping in times of stress, as well as assisting with courage and determination. It is also believed to be a protective stone, absorbing negative energies. Because of its color, green line jasper particularly resonates with the fourth chakra, the heart chakra.

Thanks for stopping by. ♥

getting started...

I've procrastinated about doing this first post -- I wasn't sure what I would write. But finally I decided the best way to get started would be to... simply start. So here it is. My first post on this blog.

To learn more about who I am, just click on the About Me tab at the top of the page. There are also tabs for a page to links, as well as a page with book titles (and some CD and DVD titles too, for good measure).

Being involved with my etsy shop, SpiralSpace, led me to start this blog. (A link to my shop is on the right). The very first item I sold was a rose quartz bracelet -- and since rose quartz is one of my favorite stones, it was especially meaningful to me to have it be the first item someone wanted. I have another bracelet like it available now...



In The Complete Guide to Crystal Chakra Healing, Philip Permutt says that rose quartz "is like a bubble bath for the emotions." I really like that description. Rose quartz is such a gentle, soothing stone... I think the bubble bath comparison just fits.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll visit again. ♥