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.

For each of us it’s a time to move forwards, beginning to act on dreams seeded at midwinter and nurtured until now. It’s a good time for green crystals that can help us to hold balance, to detoxify, to nurture on all levels, to assist connection with the world of plants spirits, to bring hope and joy.

---

Green Aventurine

Green Aventurine is a pale to deep quartzite stone with sparkly bits of Mica. It is a quiet, reserved stone that is often overlooked.

Green Aventurine is about balance; it can lessen overactive conditions and increase depleted or depressed conditions, whether physical, emotional or mental. Because of the colour, it has traditionally been associated with the Heart Chakra, and is excellent for calming anger and soothing a wounded heart, but it is also a good all round healer on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels for people of all ages. It is very gently supporting and brings peace and comfort.

Green Aventurine brings the energy of early spring – new buds unfurling and daffodils! It is an excellent ally for all new beginnings – new homes, new relationships, new projects, new jobs, etc. It has an youthful quality, and is often attractive to children. For those who feel inclined, Green Aventurine can assist in connecting with the faery beings.

You can buy Green Aventurine here.

---

Bloodstone

Bloodstone is a Jasper or opaque Chalcedony. Chalcedony is a kind of Quartz that forms in lumps or chunks - never as a single crystal or crystal cluster. Bloodstone is mainly deep green with red, and sometimes yellow, flecks. It has also been called Heliotrope.

Bloodstone is excellent for this time of year, since it is a wonderful stone for detoxing. Along with picking the new shoots of nettles to make soup and tea, carry or wear Bloodstone to cleanse and nourish. Bloodstone grounds energy, but not in a heavy way. It brings support and stability and increases energy and vitality. If you are ill or feeling low following illness and need a boost, bloodstone can give steady, reliable support.

You can buy Bloodstone here.

---

Moss Agate

Moss Agate and Tree Agate are beautiful forms of quartz chalcedony that have tree or fern like inclusions or dendrites which give the names.

The base of Tree Agate is white Quartz; the base of Moss Agate is clear Quartz, but there is often some overlap, with some stones having areas of both white and clear. The dendrites are mainly green and created by the inclusion of various metals. There is no organic matter in the stone.

Both varieties bring a wonderful healing energy, which is quite slow and gentle, but deep acting. They combine spirituality with the natural physical world, connecting and balancing above and below, an also left and right, within our being. They remind us that we are Nature herself – Life expressing herself through each and every one of us – and can thus support us to remember our true spiritual Beingness. In doing so, and thus understanding our place in the world, we can step away from ego, become more grounded in our lives and more healthy on all levels, with stronger immune systems and better relationships with ourselves and others. I absolutely love this stone, and fully appreciate her beauty and magic.

Through the doctrine of signatures, these stones have been considered to help with nervous system disorders. They have also been used for healing plants and supporting gardening.

You can buy Moss Agate here.

---

Jade

Jade has been valued for healing since ancient times. It is deeply calming, helping us to find our still centre in times of stress, overwhelm or negative influences. It is also strongly protective.

Jade promotes wisdom and peace, and helps us to reconnect with the Whole of which we are a part, so that we can be filled with love, gratitude and appreciation for the beauty of Creation.

On a physical level, it has an affinity with the kidneys and bladder.

You can buy Jade here.

---

Serpentine

Serpentine connects us with the ancient wisdom of the Earth, reminds us that we are not separate but part of Earth, and that matter and spirit are One.

It is both grounding and energising - deeply and profoundly healing on all levels. It works well to ground high frequency crystal energy.

You can buy Serpentine here.

---

Bowenite/New Jade

Bowenite or New Jade is a kind of Serpentine that is cleansing, detoxifying and deeply calming. It has the profound spiritual depth of Jade, but it also has a lightness and sweetness that makes it easy to be with.

If you spend a lot of time at a desk or in an 'unnatural' environment, New Jade brings a breath of fresh air and a lovely, calm energy.

You can buy Bowenite/New Jade here.

---

Green and Pistachio Calcite

Calcite is a common mineral, found in many environments worldwide. Calcite is the main mineral that makes stalagmites and stalactites. It is found in a wonderful range of colours including orange, green, blue, aqua, honey, rosey red and occasionally black.

Although Calcite works at deep and profound levels, it ‘comes in gently’ and can be easier to work with than some other minerals. For this reason I often recommend it for children.

Green Calcite is clearing, cooling, releasing and refreshing - particularly on an emotional level. For those who hold emotion in the digestive system, Green Calcite is a wonderful choice to soothe a stressed tummy.

Pistachio Calcite is a relatively new discovery. It is a beautiful pale blue/green with a wonderful, uplifting, high frequency energy that clears the heart of old, stuck emotion, making way for new experiences.

Calcite is a soft mineral, and is seldom made into jewellery. It is easily scratched by other crystals and coins in purses and pockets, so you need to treat it with care. It is good to incorporate in a charm for a child's bedroom.

You can buy Green and Pistachio Calcite here.

---

Green Opal

Green Opal is an opaque opal that varies in colour from extremely pale through rich, lush green to quite dark green.

It brings me a really lovely sense of wellbeing. It is very calming; soothing ruffled emotions and slowing and settling a busy mind. It feels a bit like the heart supporting, earth loving energy of Jade, but is lighter and not so deep. It’s a lovely stone to meditate with.

You can buy Green Opal here.

Peridot

Peridot is clearing and detoxifying, helping us to clear and release old baggage. It is a wonderful spring tonic, and is uplifting, positive, optimistic and joyful, connecting us with physical and spiritual abundance.

You can buy Peridot here.

---

I wish you a very

Happy Spring Equinox

We’ll be at the Hurlers Stone Circles at midday.

Because of restrictions, we aren’t able to plan a gathering.

If you happen to be passing the carpark at 11:45, maybe even with your drum, we’ll probably see you.

---

It's Springtime. It's yellow time. It's Citrine time.

I woke up this morning with joy rising in my heart. It wasn’t until quite some time later when I went out to feed the chickens that I saw what an absolutely beautiful day it was, but I’d definitely felt the uplift of spring as soon as I awoke.
This time of year is Citrine time for me. It’s yellow time. I tend not to choose yellow for much of the year but when I find myself choosing yellow roses and tulips instead of my usual white and pink I know the energy is shifting.

I’d been saying to Joanna that it’s time to add more Citrine to the webshop. She’s in the process of doing so, and yesterday I finally brought a huge bag of gorgeous natural Citrine tumblestones from the garage to the Crystal Barn. It’s been sitting waiting to be sorted for years! Here you can see me sorting them into sizes. Joanna’s taking photographs and Linda’s been counting and sorting spheres. We’re the happy trio who have been sending crystals to you. (We’re well spaced in a large barn with plenty of ventilation, so quite safe.)

Today I couldn’t resist making a Spring crystal grid out in the lovely sunshine. By the time I’d finished the Affiliation of Crystal Healing Organisations meeting, the sun had gone from outside the barn, so the growing area had its first ever crystal grid. I rather like the juxtaposition of beautiful crystals with the mud and dead leaves from last year and the pile of wood chippings and the pile of manure (under protective tarpaulins!). It was very beautiful but rather bright for photographs, so I made the grid a second time in a more usual spot by the barn.

Below I share my experience of Citrine.

“I manifest the light of the sun”

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. It’s one of the places where you will find lots of crystal snobbery, and many people speak disparagingly of ‘baked Amethyst’. 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.

The energy of Citrine is that of sunshine! For me it is not the hot sun of midday, nor of hot climates. I experience the Spirit of Citrine as similar to that of the morning sun. It is bright and warm and filled with the all the hope of a new day. When attuning to Citrine I often hear the words of the beautiful celebratory song by Eleanor Farjeon:

Mine is the sunlight!

Mine is the morning

Born of the one light

Eden saw play!

Praise with elation

Praise every morning

God's re-creation

Of the new day!

Citrine brings optimism and a fresh brightness to stale situations, clearing away stagnant energy on all levels, and making way for the new. Work with Citrine when you feel emotionally exhausted, or when you are mentally stuck and need a new vision or viewpoint, or when there is stagnation in the body and the cells or organs need a clear out and some new fresh energy. Use for sluggish digestion, to get things moving. Use when it is time for a detox – physically, mentally or emotionally. Citrine is the best crystal ally I know for seasonal affective disorder, as it brings sunshine energy in deepest winter.

Citrine can be of great help in raising confidence and self esteem, clearing away doubts that may have been implanted by insensitive people, and reminding us of our unique gifts and of who we really are.

On a spiritual level, Citine can help us to remember and reconnect with the pure essence that is Divine and to bring it into our everyday lives – becoming the vehicle for ‘God’s Creation’ as we manifest our physical reality. For this reason, Citrine has become known as a stone for prosperity, and it is often recommended that a piece be carried in the purse, or placed in the till in businesses. But Citrine will not do all the work itself – we need to carry out the physical part of the manifestation.

Citrine brings warmth, but not heat. Citrine brings energy that we can work with, but it is not pushy. I understand the energy of Citrine to be that of offering a potential that we can work with if we choose. If you are about to bring a new project to manifestation, Citrine energy can be of real assistance, perhaps combined with Green Aventurine and Gold Topaz at the seeding stage and Tiger’s Eye when strength and stamina is needed.

If you are recovering from physical illness, emotional or mental exhaustion, Citrine can help when the time is right to begin to come out into a new phase. Welcome the brightness into your life, and ask for help to move forward.

You can wear Citrine and jewellery, or carry a piece with you, in purse or pocket. Meditate with Citrine and ask for inspiration. Create a Citrine Net and lie within it, to detoxify and replace old, tired energy with bright dancing light! Place a piece on the stomach to move sluggish digestion. Place a piece on the heart to clear away sadness and replace with light, hope and optimism.

---

Crystal Grid constructed of the beautiful natural Citrine borrowed from my home altar, lots of natural Citrine tumblestones, standard Citrine crystals, tiny pieces of rough Madeira Citrine. The latter are rich orange. The name refers to the colour; they don’t come from Madeira.

Buy Citrine here

You can also find Free Factsheets about crystals here. I’m adding more little by little.

---

5 Crystals for Autumn

The days are definitely shorter. Thankfully the chickens are now going to bed at a more respectable time. The trees are still very green for the time of year, but the Horse Chestnuts and Virginia Creeper are wearing their stunning orange and red dresses. I’ve never seen so many acorns! Our ceremony circle is beneath Oaks and the ground is crunchy with them. It’s like walking on marbles and the squirrels shout at me when I go up there.

As we begin to light fires in our hearths and snuggle up, I thought I’d share some warming, nurturing crystals with you.

Carnelian - warming, energising, joyful, positive, encourages creativity

Carnelian is a variety of quartz, sometimes called Orange Agate, which ranges from pale peachy orange to deep brown-orange.

Paler Carnelian is gentler; the really bright orange is uplifting and joyful; the darker, richer orange/brown is deep and earthy.

Carnelian carries the combined energies of Earth and Fire, and is warming and energising. It is active and helps to get things done. It enhances creativity on all levels, and has a particular affinity with the sacral chakra.

It can help us to connect with ancestral wisdom held deep within Mother Earth. It supports women to be strong, creative, confident, and in touch with their true feminine power, and helps men to know and understand the deep ancient wisdom of the Divine Feminine within themselves, the women around them, and the Earth.

You can purchase Carnelian here (on Friday evening) and here (any time)

---

Flower Agate - gentle, feminine, nurturing, healing trauma, courage

Flower Agate, also known as Cherry Blossom and Sakura/Sekura Stone, is a relatively new discovery from Madagascar. It isn’t truly an agate but a pinkish/apricot translucent chalcedony with more opaque white ‘flowers’.

This stone is truly beautiful, often with deeper pink, gold or even greenish areas, and some tiny ‘caves’ with druzy quartz. I love it!

It has a beautiful soft, feminine energy and is calming, reassuring and very nurturing. It teaches us of the strength of gentleness and is a powerful healer of stuck emotion and trauma.  Flower Agate can help dissolve old beliefs that limit us, so that we can remember the truth of who we are. With love and compassion for ourselves, we can find courage to allow and enable that to grow. In this way we can stand in our own unique power and shine our gifts into the world.

You can purchase Flower Agate here (on Friday evening) and here (any time)

---

Petrified/Fossil Wood - gently grounding, gathering in, ancient wisdom

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. 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.

You can buy Petrified Wood here (on Friday) and here (anytime)

---

Polychrome Jasper - earth and fire - rootedness and creativity

Polychrome Jasper comes from Madagascar. It is a relatively recent find. It was discovered when searching for Orbicular or Ocean Jasper. Both are very decorative, and are used in this way.

Like all Jaspers, Polychrome is stable, grounding and long-acting. It helps us to connect with Mother Earth at a deep level – not the soil and plants close to the surface, but the deep rooted rocky depths. As well as embodying the Earth element, Polychrome also has Fire and it brings energy, vitality and a passion for creativity.

 It has a lovely texture and feels much smoother than most Jaspers/Agates. It is very silky and sensuous to hold and stroke.

 It is a good gift for those who ‘don’t do crystals’ because it is visually very attractive and interesting.

You can buy Polychrome Jasper here (on Friday) and here (any time)

---

Aragonite - being yourself, finding your centre in the midst of chaos

The name Aragonite is derived from The Aragon River in Spain, which is where the first crystals were found. This type are brown clusters which are sometimes called Aragonite Sputniks or Flowers of Iron (Iron creating the colour).

Aragonite, like the better-known calcite, is a calcium carbonate mineral but it’s crystals have a different structure. It comes in a variety of colours, including white, pink, yellow, orange, red and brown.

It has a lovely, soft energy that is gently grounding and centring, and a perfect ally for being in the present moment. They help us to release turbulent emotion and to stay calm and settled when people or situations around us are challenging or chaotic, so that we neither react from emotion, nor lose ourselves in a different story.

As well as Aragonite ‘Sputniks’, it can be found in masses with cream and brown stripes. This is very centering and nurturing.

Aragonite is also the mineral that creates Pearl, Abalone and Mother of Pearl.

You can purchase Aragonite here (on Friday evening) and here (any time)

---

Stay warm and cosy this autumn

Crystal Blessings from Sue xxx

Moving into Autumn - a crystal for now

Last night I lit the woodburner and this morning I put the heating on. For a week or so, the scent of Autumn has drifted in on the breeze. Mornings have been Autumn and a woolly cardigan. By eleven it’s been time for a change of attire to a cotton cardigan. Some days have been gloriously sunny and bare arms have held onto the last gifts of summer, until 4 when the woolly cardigan has been needed again. We’ve still managed most lunches outside, and as many suppers as possible - admittedly some with a bit of English determination - it isn’t actually raining! I no longer have to wait for the chickens to go to bed before I do. They are now settled on their perches by a respectable 8pm.

With the energy drawing into Earth, different crystals call - those that are gently grounding; those that are warming and nurturing - and over the next period of time I’m going to share some crystals that are calling me right now.

This week I’ve been drawn to Aragonite. I’ve written about it before this year, but now it really comes into its own. I have two types of Aragonite in stock in the webshop.

Shop Banded Aragonite

Banded Aragonite has stripes of brown and cream. It has a lovely, soft energy that is gently grounding and centring, and a perfect ally for being in the present moment. It helps us to release turbulent emotion and to stay calm and settled when people or situations around us are challenging or chaotic, so that we neither react from emotion, nor lose ourselves in a different story.

Banded Aragonite hearts

Aragonite, like the better-known calcite, is a calcium carbonate mineral but it’s crystals have a different structure. It comes in a variety of colours, including white, pink, yellow, orange, red and brown.

Banded Aragonite Tumblestones

The name is derived from The Aragon River in Spain, which is where the first crystals were found. This type are brown clusters which are sometimes called Aragonite ‘Sputniks’ or Flowers of Iron (Iron creating the colour).

These clusters orange/brown crystals form many interesting shapes. They are named for the Russian satellite Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite launched in 1957.

Aragonite Sputniks

Aragonite Sputniks share the gently grounding and centering qualities of banded Aragonite but they are also warming, opening and energising. Hold if you feel chilly, especially where circulation is poor and hands and feet get really cold. Work with Aragonite if you feel disconnected and forget that you are at one with your community and Mother Earth. Feel your Earth Star - the chakra beneath your feet - relax and allow your heart, mind and spirit to soften and open .

---

Crystals to come soon - Petrified/Fossil Wood and Carnelian

Black Chalcedony Womb Stones

These amazing Chalcedony nodules were completely new to me a couple of weeks ago. I’d never seen them before. Apparently they are a relatively new discovery from Morocco. I bought them in a bag labelled Mochi Marbles. They aren’t! They are the same shape but are Quartz, not iron oxide concretions.

They are available here

I’ve just been doing a bit of research and have now seen them called Black Chalcedony, Botroidal Chocolate Chalcedony, Chalcedony Womb Stones, Truffle Chalcedony.

I like these stones. They feel very ‘light’ for a dark stone and I feel them at the crown as well as the root and earth star chakras. They have a very gentle grounding quality and are also very calming, comforting and nurturing. They help us to feel settled in our bodies and environment. At the same time they open the crown to receive spiritual/heaven energy and help it to ground.

I’ve read that they are good for fertility, but I don’t know them well enough yet to know if this is true.

I’m interested to see whether they start to be sold in pairs and described as male and female, as happened with Mochi/Moqui Marbles or Shaman Stones.

Loving our beautiful land

Since Mother’s Day I’ve hardly been beyond my gate. I don’t go out often anyway, so I’m used to that. I have missed seeing family, but apart from that my life has been completely blissful. Since lockdown, we’ve had the most amazing weather, and nature is thriving. Traffic is much reduced and the road by my house has never been so busy with walkers, runners and cylists.

I’m very aware that the nature of life in my little bubble is not shared by all and many have been tested in these times. I’m also aware that outside my bubble, something is happening in our sacred land that both sad and shocking. It is hard to imagine how we could have got to this - a situation in which decisions are made about our beautiful country and her citizens by con men, and that we have collectively allowed, or even chosen, this situation.

Never in my lifetime has greed and corruption been so apparent. Never have the people been treated with such utter contempt by those who are meant to be in service. Never have decisions been made to let the elderly die, en masse. The other side of my personal bliss is utter grief and horror at what we have become as a nation. Those currently in power have claimed ‘national pride’ as their own - a national pride of arrogance, entitlement and assumed superiority. The acts of so many ‘ordinary people’ shame them - the everyday heroes going about their daily work to keep us safe, well and fed; the many volunteers in communities; all who willingly accept and endure personal privations for the greater good of all.

These wonderful qualities must eventually trump the greed and selfishness of the few. This situation must change us. What we value, how we organise, what we choose to believe and accept, what we allow or condone must change or inevitable future earth changes will destroy us all.

One of the many wonderful things that is emerging from the current situation is to see how many people are growing food, fixing and mending, cooking nutritious meals from scratch and re-evaluating what matters in life. I’ve seen that the media are now urging us to get back to shopping as quickly as possible. I was happy when the garden centres opened, because buying seed online proved to be very disappointing, but I truly hope that we choose never get ‘back to normal’ and instead seed a new way forward with much less unnecessary consumption and waste.

There’s lots of food growing here! Marcus has been building new vegetable beds, clearing overgrown areas and creating a chicken city; Sue planted lots of seeds; we bought 4 new chickens then lost two of the old ones to Mr Fox (hence the chicken city); the bees all died and we were devastated but it appears that a swarm has now moved in.

I was so happy to hear how much the crystals have been helping you all, and it’s been lovely responding to your requests for crystals. There’s quite a lot now available in the webshop. Please do have a look!
You can always email if you want something that isn’t there and I’ll help if I can.

Not only have I been working on a webshop, I’ve been writing these blogposts and have even ventured into the world of Facebook Live. Never, ever would I have thought that these things would happen! Who knows what’s next!

We now have surplus seedlings so the little stall is back outside the gate. For those of you who are near, now that some travel for exercise is safe, you can also collect your crystal orders here.

Next blog and Facebook live on Sue Weaver’s Crystal Barn Online
Citrine, Rhodonite and Banded Aragonite