Tarot Cards, Crystals and Stones

A few weeks ago Brian bought me a beautiful set of Tarot cards. Being somewhat intimidated by them, I chose to take an introductory class offered at a local New Age shop. The class was given by Mari Powers who has had over 30 years of experience with Tarot and Oracle cards. She was a wealth of information and went through the deck explaining the meanings of the cards.

The four Minor Arcana and the Major Arcana.

Major Arcana (Fool's Journey).

I must admit, I'm still a bit intimidated (only because there is so much to learn), but I'm sure as I use the cards and learn more about them that I'll begin to feel more at ease and find them to be a powerful tool.

Swords and Wands.

Chalices and Pentacles.

The other wonderful things Brian and I have started to collect are crystals and stones. Brian has always been fascinated with crystals and stones and already has a small collection of them. My collection is much more recent, and I'm really enjoying learning about them and what each crystal or stone represents and its powers.

The first step in handling a new crystal is to cleanse it. This can be done by soaking the crystal in a salt water bath (if the crystal is able to tolerate salt) made by immersing the crystal in spring water and adding one tablespoon of sea salt and letting it soak for about seven hours. You can also smudge a crystal with sage, sweetgrass or an incense such as Frankincense if the crystal will not tolerate a salt water bath. Karen Ryan has a really great page that explains the processes here.

Once the crystal is cleansed it's time to charge it in the sun, which is where mine are at now . . .

Crystal and Stone Charging.

Brian's newest acquisitions: Lapis Lazuli and Black Jasper.

Brian selected this citrine crystal out of a basket full of them. If you look closely you can see the Goddess inside of it. It's really quite amazing!

This crystal is Tourmaline Citrine Quartz. I saw it on ebay and it just spoke to me so I had to have it. It's gorgeous . . . I love how it's refined into a point, but the bottom is left unrefined. It kind of reminds me of a life journey, starting out all unrefined and new working towards refinement, wisdom and knowledge. I love this crystal.

I purchased this stone at a New Age shop and will use it on my altar.

Brian surprised me with this rose marble incense burner in the shape of a leaf. It will also be used on my altar.

I thought I would leave you today with a picture of my favorite girl 'Bijou'. I caught this picture in one of her rare quiet moments . . . usually she's a whirlwind of activity! I hope you're able to enjoy some of your own quiet moments . . .