Rockstar Report: February 2017 by Dana Valley

There are many kinds of relationships, parent-child, sibling, co-workers, neighbors, lovers, but the most important relationship of all is the one we have with ourselves and love is the most important element in any relationship.

What does it mean to love yourself?  Rose Quartz taught me.  (Well, is still teaching me.  I’m a slow learner).  My very first interaction with Rose Quartz was a personal meditation with a palm sized Rose Quartz sphere.  I had hiked up to the spring at Panther Meadows at the foot of Mount Shasta with my new sphere and settled into a spot where the sun could shine on my face and I could hear the water bubbling up from the spring.  I was excited anticipating wondrous metaphysicalness to happen to me as I settled in to meditate.

I sat quietly and wrapped my hand around the sphere in my pocket.  “What is it I need to know right now’ I asked Rose Quartz.   I listened and squeezed the stone.   Nothing.  “What is it I need to know right now’ I begged.   In the stillness with the trickling brook in the background I heard ‘Love yourself’.

Love myself?  That’s it?!  Such a vanilla message.  So basic and generic.  I was making it all up since the lady at the rock shop where I bought the sphere said it was for love.  Sigh.

I sat there squeezing my crystal trying to feel wise and reach a state of vibratory bliss but instead I was frustrated that some miraculous event hadn’t occurred.  I’m at the foot of Mount Shasta for Christ’s sakes.  With a fricken crystal!  I should be buzzing with good vibes and messages from Ascended Masters.  WTH???

It was in that moment my forearm brushed against my blubbery stomach.  I felt a shudder of disgust course thru me.  I hate my bulgy stomach.  I hate the way I feel like a fat blob.  I hate my body.  I hate that I am getting old and no longer have the energy I did in my 20s.  The hike up to the spring was full of my wheezing and catching my breath.  My mind started listed off how horrible I am.

‘Love yourself’ came again.  Loud and clear.

I wasn’t making it up.  I started to cry because at that moment I realized I don’t love my self at all.  There are so many moments in the day I express my dislike and dissatisfaction to myself its amazing I can even smile anymore.   ‘Maybe when I lose weight, I’ll like myself’ and ‘Maybe when I become this… I will accept myself’ has been the soundtrack to my life.  I’ve been playing those songs so much that I no longer hear them.  Rose Quartz was simply turning the volume up.

Unconditional love means that no matter what we are accepted, honored, respected.  When we love ourselves we become open to love from others.  When we love ourselves we become open to love from Spirit.  When we love ourselves we take care of ourselves and our needs.  Unconditional love heals all the negative aspects that diminish the relationship we have with both our self and others.  Aspects like shame, anger, frustration, fear.

Unconditional self-love also recognizes the importance of self-care. How many of us spend the entire day focused on everyone else’s needs but neglect our own?   Just yesterday I raced to the rest room around 4 pm in between meetings.  While washing my hands afterwards, I realized I really had to go since 10 am but was so busy taking care of everyone else I didn’t recognize my need.

Unconditional Self-love means we recognize that we too are Very Important People and if we don’t take care of our needs we will very quickly be of no use to anyone.  This is especially important to remember as healers.  We cannot pour from an empty cup.  We have to take care of ourselves first.

You don’t NEED crystals to love yourself or develop self-acceptance but they really do help.    If nothing else, they are a visual reminder and a symbol to help us nurture healthy loving relationships with ourselves and all the people in our lives.

Crystals, minerals and stones, like most things in nature follow the Doctrine of Signatures, a concept that suggests that God marks objects with clues as to its use.  The Signature of Stones is most easily found by its color suggesting which chakra it corresponds to.  For Rose Quartz with its beautiful deep pink color that means the heart.  Rose Quartz is THE stone of unconditional love.  The color is usually considered to be due to trace amounts of titanium (metaphysically helps with freedom from fears), iron (attraction), or manganese (bonding).   All three of those elements are important to have in love.

Healing the heart of its wounds and reawakening its trust is one of Rose Quartz’s gifts.  Its soothing vibrations are a balm to the emotions and they calm and cleanse the auric field. Its loving vibrations can penetrate down to the cellular level, reprograming the cells for joy and longevity rather than despair and death.”

The Book of Stones: Who they are and what they teach Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian

But what the heck do you DO with crystals?

Lots!  Come to my Monthly Crystal Playgroup 2nd Saturdays at Songbird from 1-3pm.  Here you will meet new crystal friends and together we will DO fun things with the stones.

In February we will be creating a Self-Love Body Layout using Rose Quartz.   By placing Rose Quartz stones on all the chakras we can infuse our entire body with the gentle energy of unconditional love.  Body Layouts are a great way to introduce yourself to the power of the stones.

Our gift store, Stone’s Throw, has several varieties of Rose Quartz.  Palm sized gem quality raw stones from Madagascar are only $3.  These are great for resting on the heart in meditation or placing on a nightstand or even inside your pillowcase.  These are also perfect to tuck in a potted plant as a gift.  (Try that on a someone you are having difficulties with!)  I have a larger sized raw Rose Quartz stone on my desk at work given to me by a sweet co-worker.  It’s still tied with the ribbon she put on it.   It helps remind me visually that no matter how much I may dislike my office job, I am blessed to have great co-workers who love me.

Because Rose Quartz has a soothing quality to it, it is often suggested for people suffering from anxiety or heartbreak.  Small tumbled stones at Songbird are only $1 each.   There are perfect to tuck in a pocket or bra, mojo or medicine bag or to use as a rubbing stone when feeling anxious or sad.   I keep one in my purse always and pull it out if I’m in a difficult meeting or stressed in traffic.

Keep lots of Rose Quartz around you. Every time you see it or feel it in your pocket going about your day you will be reminded that the power of love is limitless and everlasting.  You too are a VIP and are loved unconditionally, by Spirit.  With its gentleness, Rose Quartz will help soften and open you up to love and help you accept yourself, warts and all.

Various sizes of raw Rose Quartz stones clearing on a bed of quartz crystal points.   Most of these stones have spent the last year in planters outside and will come to February’s Crystal Playgroup.  The smaller pinker stones are from Stone’s Throw Gift Store.  A bargain at $3 each.  They are the perfect size to hold in your palm and the color is spectacular.

Dana Valley, Intuitive Usui Reiki Master Teacher, valleyhealingarts.com