NEW MOON, STILL WINTERING, PETRIFIED WOOD AND CRADLE OF HUMANKIND STONE

Happy New Moon - the first in 2016.

As you know, we have been closed since Winter Solstice. Mary and I are in a planning meeting today and we will open the shop and send parcels tomorrow. Thankyou for keeping the orders coming in. We are really grateful for your support.

Mid January opening is sooner than usual for us. Generally, we wait until the second New Moon after Solstice, which happens to be Chinese New Year, but since that would take us to mid-February this year we have decided to open a little earlier.

We will be sending parcels from tomorrow, and we truly thank you for your support and patience, but will not yet have any open days, online sales or new courses yet.

So why, when there is so much focus on to setting goals and leaping into the new year, do we not join in? Why is it so important to go into retreat at Solstice and not rush out on 1st January

The 'New Year' is simply a calendar date - based on the Gregorian Calendar. It is a human construct, introduced in the sixteenth century and adopted in many parts of the world, but it has no basis in the reality of natural cycles. While we are encouraged to set resolutions then get out there and start being active, Mother Nature is still resting. It isn't yet a new year for her. When we align with natural cycles of Sun, Earth and Moon, life becomes much easier. When we don't, it's like swimming against the tide.

We are not meant to have one single pace throughout the year and months. There are times of increasing energy, as spring approaches and as the moon rises to full, with which we can align ourselves with to create and be active. There are times when energy decreases, as the energy of summer wanes and autumn approaches, and as the moon wanes, when we need to reduce outward activity, slow down, become more inward. The words - We are all One - are now spoken and written very often, but the reality is seldom honoured. We are not separate from the Whole and we need to align with the natural flow to be well.

This year I've heard many people say that they feel exhausted - not ready to take the leap into the new year. I've read that these feelings indicate something being wrong with their lives and change is needed. While this may be so in some cases, it may also be that we are becoming less able, or willing, to push against the energy of natural cycles.

I know that people have to go to work, college, school etc., and that our collective systems currently do not align with natural law and encourage both rest and action, but even within the existing structures we can still choose to moderate our behaviour and expectations to some degree.

I plan to enjoy stillness, bare trees, chilly days and warm fires, woolly socks for a few more weeks. In that time, the dreamseeds planted at Winter Solstice will begin to swell and expand. When the seeds shoot, buds begin to open and new life begins to emerge, that will be time for us humans to emerge into a new year too.

 
 

Now to crystals.

What crystals am I feeling right now? The one that I'm most attracted to this month, so far, is Petrified or Fossilised Wood.

Petrified or Fossilised Wood.

Petrified wood is wood that has become stone. Ancient wood became buried beneath volcanic ash or sediment, and was preserved because no oxygen was available to break down or decompose the wood. Mineral rich water gradually deposited the minerals in the organic cells, and eventually replaced them, keeping the original shape and structure of the tree.

Energetically it is gently grounding yet it also reaches up to Spirit. It holds the energy frequency of the original blueprint of evolution, and reminds us that, as humans, we are an intrinsic part of the beauty and harmony of nature and can always choose to return to the pattern of perfection. It is perfect for connecting with our close, and distant, ancestors.

I find that Petrified Wood encourages stillness and patience, so it is perfect for now.
We buy it in beautiful, polished slices, fascinating little 'twigs' with the bark patterns visible, polished pieces an various shapes and some jewellery. It is mostly shaded of brown but sometimes has green or pink areas.

Find Petrified Wood here

CRADLE OF HUMANKIND STONE

Another crystal that I'm currently very drawn to, and actually wearing as I write, is Cradle of Humankind stone. These dark grey stones are from the area of South Africa where the earliest evidence of human and protohumans has been found and can help with deep ancestral healing - personal, collective and planetary.

I’m enjoying wearing this stone. It feels very soft, smooth and easy on the surface but I’m aware that it is working at a deep, below consciousness level.

Find tumblestones here

Can you grant yourself permission to align yourself with Mother Nature - to flow with the rhythm of Earth, Moon and Sun?

Could that be one of your resolutions for 2026?

CITRINE

CITRINE

At last! We've found some Citrine crystals with a lovely bright colour.

We know that lots of people are a bit snobbish about these and like to call them burnt Amethyst. It's true that they have been heat treated and are not 'natural' Citrine. And It's true that we don't stop many crystals that have been altered by human hand - but we do love these and believe they definitely have a place in any healing kit.

Citrine is a member of the quartz family. It forms single crystals and clusters, and is also found in massive form. Unlike Clear Quartz and Smoky Quartz, which often have long parallel sides, Citrine crystals tends to be more stubby.

Natural Citrine is rare and is a pale lemony colour. Most of the Citrine we will experience is Amethyst or Smoky Quartz that has been heat treated. Often people say that only Natural Citrine can be used in healing. If this were the case, then few people would ever encounter Citrine, and it is certainly my experience that many people have benefitted from the yellow crystals that came out of Mother Earth a different colour.

BLUE CALCITE - GENTLE HELPER

BLUE CALCITE - GENTLE HELPER

Yesterday I was photographing beautiful Blue Calcite in the sunshine in the garden. Uploading them today made me think that I could write a little about this wonderful, gentle helper.

Here at Sue Weaver Crystals and Cornwall School of Crystal Healing we do not subscribe to the idea that ‘this crystal does this’ for everyone in any situation. The way that we work is always specific to each person because they are much more than a set of presenting symptoms - everyone is different – totally unique.

However, when we do not have the luxury of working individually with a client, and all that we have to go on is a generalisation, there are some conditions and situations where one crystal will present itself as a good option that is worth trying.

BELTAINE & THE BLESSINGS OF MAY

In our ancient past, the link between our lives and the natural world was much more obvious than it is today. Beltaine was the time when the herds were moved from close to the homestead to summer pastures. Community rites and rituals grew to protect animals, crops and people, to bring fertility, abundance and good harvests.

May is my absolute favourite time of year. In the past, Marcus has planned Sacred Journeys in May. While I understand that he cannot control the Cosmos, I’ve made it clear that I do not ever intend to leave Cornwall in May!

Imbolc is a time of awakening, of the first stirrings of life, of renewal

Imbolc is a time of awakening, of the first stirrings of life, of renewal

Lunar Imbolc, white candle, white, flowers, white crystals

Imbolc, also now known as Candlemas, has come to be associated with the Gregorian calendar dates of 1st/2nd February, but at Heaven & Earth Community we prefer to work with natural cycles rather than relatively recent calendar dates and so choose to honour Imbolc with the second New Moon after Winter Solstice - the same date as Chinese New Year.

Each year, we cease courses and close the shop at Winter Solstice and reopen at Imbolc, allowing ourselves to align our own rhythms with those of Earth, Sun and Moon - retreating to rest and dream in winter - gathering energy for longer days.

LUNAR IMBOLC FAR FROM HOME

As we wake up this morning far from Bridie's land, the clock on this laptop tells me that at home it is already afternoon.

For someone who seldom leaves home, the changing of times has not been easy on my body. It's yet another reminder of how rooted we are in our own land.

Ever since I started to align myself consciously with the turning of the wheels of Earth, Moon and Sun about 35 years ago, my life changed. The more I feel and know myself to be part of the land and cosmic cycles - not affected by them, but an intrinsic part of the Whole - and organise my life to flow with the energy, the more beautiful it becomes.

MAIDEN BRACELETS

Beautiful, unique Maiden Bracelets for girls on the cusp of womanhood

Following the success of my Menopause Bracelets, quite a few women have asked if I make bracelets for girls who are approaching womanhood and beginning to experience the effects of female hormones.

I thought this was a very good idea, and so with the beautiful weather enabling me to work outside in the garden, I decided to make a start.

polychrome jasper, ocean jasper & other questions

The other day I posted a collage of some rather lovely Polychrome Jasper hearts and someone asked me:

“How can you tell this Jasper from the Ocean Jasper? Sometimes it's hard to know what we're getting out there (not speaking about you!!). Thanks.”

I love questions! They make me think, and when I answer them lots of people usually say that they had had the same, or similar, questions.

I thought about how to answer this question and realised that there was actually more than one question and there wasn't a simple answer - so here are some of my thoughts on the question of it being hard to know what we're getting out there. Later I’ll address the question of how do you tell the difference.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

I’ve been thinking about International Women’s Day next week. We’re inviting women and girls to join us in a short online ceremony and I’ve been making a few bracelets with some of the crystals that are in our Goddess Bundle.

Moonstone

Moonstone is a pearly white feldspar that helps us to align with, and flow with, all the cycles of life. It has a strong affinity with the emotions, and is calming and soothing.

It is excellent for women at all stages of life, balancing hormonal upsets, helping with ‘PMS’, painful menstruation, infertility and the challenges of pregnancy, easing birth, for post birth support and for menopause. Moonstone reminds women of their divinity – that all are goddesses.

A BIT ABOUT SOME BLUE CRYSTALS

As we approach Valentine’s Day, I thought we’d show you some of the lovely hearts we have in stock. The first that popped up to be photographed were all blue and I was pretty sure I’d written about blue crystals earlier. If I did, I can’t find it now, so here goes . . .

In this photograph you can see four different blue crystal hearts - Sodalite, Dumortierite, Angelite and Lapis Lazuli.

WHY DOES FLUORITE COME IN DIFFERENT COLOURS?

I’ve been asked the above question quite a lot recently. It may be because we’ve had some particularly lovely Fluorites lately.

I thought I’d take a moment to explain a bit about colour in crystals.

Some crystals are always the same colour, e.g. Malachite is always green; Azurite is always blue; Peridot is always green; Cinnabar is always reddish. These minerals are called ideochromatic and the colour causing elements which are essential to their chemical structure. Copper is responsible for the green colour in Malachite - Malachite is composed of copper, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen Cu2(CO3)(OH)2. Iron is responsible for the green colour in Peridot - Peridot is composed of magnesium, iron, silicon and oxygen (Mg, Fe)2SiO4.

WE WERE MADE FOR THESE TIMES

WE WERE MADE FOR THESE TIMES

Last night I created a crystal grid to support a group of people who are making a pilgrimage along the Michael/Mary line. It’s been an interesting process, and I thought those of you who love crystals and crystal grids might be interested to hear about it.

Many such journeys have been ‘on hold’ for quite some time now, including those we thought we had planned! It brings to mind “Mann Tracht, Un Gott Lacht” - an old Yiddish adage meaning, “Man Plans, and God Laughs.”

This group of people have come from USA with our dear friend Aluna Joy and Marcus went to meet them in London last Sunday. From London they travelled to Bury St Edmunds then visited many sites along the energy lines. They are currently staying in Glastonbury and we’re expecting them here in Cornwall tomorrow.

MENOPAUSE SUPPORT

Last weekend we were at the Healing Light Festival and I was asked so many times about crystals to bring support during menopause. It’s clearly a huge issue! I’ve worked with lots of women over the years and found that good crystal healing treatments can be really helpful. However, not everyone can access regular treatments over a period of time and so this led me to think about creating Menopause Support Bracelets for self help.

The way that I work is always specific to every client. It’s very unlikely that two women with the same symptoms will need the same treatment – because they are much more than a set of presenting symptoms - every woman is different – totally unique.

Winter White & Clear Crystals

Winter White & Clear Crystals

Last week I wrote about clear/colourless Quartz and how I liked to work with it in the period between Winter Solstice and the first stirrings of new life. I said I’d share my thoughts on some more clear/white stones, so here goes!

Moon/Girasol Quartz

‘White’ Quartz varies from being totally clear to milky to opaque white. I wrote about clear/colourless Quartz last week. Milky Quartz is much less intense that Clear Quartz. It has the same properties but in a much softer way.

In early crystal writings, the very clear was considered to be masculine and the more milky was feminine, and it was often recommended that you find a pair - one for each hand. Maybe try that and see what you find.

A special kind of milky Quartz is Girasol or Moon Quartz. It comes from Madagascar and has a truly beautiful and quite magical opalescence. Moon Quartz is both gentle and powerful, with a subtle, quiet strength. It is very feminine and connects with Moon energy and cycles of creativity. It aids intuition and deep knowing and is a great dreaming stone.

Quartz

Quartz

‘I COME INTO ALIGNMENT WITH MY TRUE AND DIVINE PURPOSE’

As we begin to emerge from the rest and retreat time of deep winter, there’s a time of opening up the dreaming that we’ve been holding through the dark times. It’s a time when we examine our values; a time of planning and looking forward to what we wish to manifest. It isn’t yet time to act, but it is time to open up our mind - to examine known possibilities and expand into new ones.

I find the clear/colourless/white crystals to be especially helpful at this time, and today I’m writing about Quartz.

New Year and New Moon

Each year, when I open the door to the crystal barn after the winter rest, I walk into a space with an amazing sense of peace. The windows are still covered and the barn has been in complete darkness since our Winter Ceremony; the remains of the altar stand untouched; all is quiet and very still.

At Samhain, my intention is always to begin the process of withdrawal – moving from the outer to the inner world. There is a sense of becoming more inward – of connecting more to the Earth element – but it can be hard to fully realise this in a world that becomes ever more focussed on being busy and I find that my actions usually lag behind my intention.

Little by little as the days become even shorter and the nights even longer, nature withdraws, the trees lose their leaves and my chickens stop laying. As our Solstice Ceremony approaches, my need for hibernation becomes quite desperate until it is utter bliss to sit with like-minded souls in quiet stillness and complete Darkness until we witness the tiny spark that begins the return of the Light.

New Moon, Solar Eclipse and prayers for wisdom, peace and kindness on Mother Earth

Today the Horse Drum spoke to me. Told me off is more accurate!

(If you’re uncomfortable with the thought of being spoken to by a drum, maybe don’t read this blogpost 🙂.
If you want to read more about the Horse Drum, please scroll down to earlier blogposts.)

Over the past week, as we approached the New Moon/Solar Eclipse that’s due tomorrow, I’ve had many thoughts of creating a crystal grid. Here in Cornwall we are very aware of the gathering of ‘world leaders’ for the G7 meeting that is supposed to address ‘tackling climate change and preserving the planet's biodiversity’ and the New Moon/Solar Eclipse creates a powerful opportunity for releasing old ways and choosing a new way forward.

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It's almost Spring Equinox. It's green time.

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It's almost Spring Equinox. It's green time.

As we move towards Spring Equinox, I feel the green energy coming in.

For me the calendar year begins with white and space - leafless trees, white skies, frost on the grass, snow (sometimes!) and snowdrops - and the very first stirrings of life as Bridie awakes from her slumbers. It then moves to yellow as the energy of hope and promise grows and the banks are adorned with the joy of daffodils. I wrote about this is my last blogpost, and I’m delighted to say that my home is still filled with daffodils wherever I look.

The Lilac buds outside my door are now full and bursting. The Oak tips are shimmering, the pussy Willows are opening, the birds are busy and very loud at dawn. I hear the Woodpecker when I first get out of bed. As I write this, the sun is shining and washing is drying in the breeze. We’ve had lots of days like this, but then some mornings it’s so cold and dark that it feels like we’re still in winter.

The Equinoxes are a balance point - equal day and night; equal dark and light; the point where the inner world of the winter is almost gone and the outer world of the summer calls. As with all transitions, the Equinoxes can feel chaotic and stressful, and I’ve certainly heard of many, many people feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, unsettled. There’s a feeling of something happening - something coming in - but we’re not quite clear what that is or how it will manifest.

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