As a kid, I liked to collect pretty rocks. The shinier the better. The more misshapen the better. Sometimes I’d even find a dull looking rock and crack it in half with a hammer to see if the inside was shiny. I’d be delighted if the insides sparkled.
Today I still have pretty rocks, and, to some, random rocks around my house might look a little peculiar. But, then again, I’ve never claimed to be “normal” so perhaps visitors chalk it up to my eclectic taste in décor.
I came by some of these stones while living in West Los Angeles. Others were picked up after I moved to the Midwest.
The new rocks are healing stones.
(Now relax, family and friends. I have not taken to worshipping inanimate objects and I’m not delving into devil worship.)
After I left the Secret Service and sold my house, I moved into a small apartment in LA. I had an influx of free time and everyone I knew had a busy life. I didn’t have much of a social life at the time. My days were often spent exploring. After commuting in traffic for the previous 9+ years, I preferred walking.
West Los Angeles is so diverse, and I loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed trying different kinds of foods in my neighborhood, and I found that I went back and forth between Bibi’s Jerusalem Bagels, The Empanada Factory’s empanadas and tots, and the latest vegan place’s acai bowls and Yerba Mate. As I wandered around, I’d often stumble upon a random shop or two. Sometimes I window shopped. Other times I’d stop in.
One day while wandering about, I saw a sign for healing crystals and a Reiki workshop. At the time, I had no idea either existed and literally Googled “Reiki” as I walked. It’s a Japanese alternative medicine designed to promote emotional and physical healing.
If you put yourself in my shoes at the time, I was an emotional and physical mess and I was willing to try anything to put myself back together. I signed up for the workshop, figuring it was something interesting to do to pass the time.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived. There were four or five others in the workshop that day. The instructor explained she was going to spend the next couple hours teaching us about chakras, healing stones, and the basics of Reiki. Essential oils diffused around us, and the “vibe” of the room was intended to be calming.
The teacher went over the basics of chakras, and then (to my childish delight) she brought out a large number of rocks. Some were large and rough but still sparkly. Others were small, round, and smooth. And so many beautiful colors!
She selected several smaller stones and placed them in a tray. Before speaking about each stone, she passed them – one at a time – to the first attendee in the circle, instructing us to “feel” the stone in our hands and “absorb” whatever energies that stone gave to us before passing it along.
“The stones will pick you, not the other way around. Sometimes they’ll merely show you where you need to focus. Open your minds and allow yourself to feel the energies.”
I disguised my puzzled inner feelings with a blank expression. Huh?
It wasn’t until after she’d passed each stone around the circle that she told us what energies or healing properties each was intended to possess.
I felt nothing for the first couple rounds of stones, thinking this was all a bit of voodoo magic, and I probably wasn’t high or intoxicated enough to appreciate these stones as anything but pretty rocks I wish I had found as a kid.
And then the dark green stone came around the circle. When the woman next to me placed it in my palm, the stone immediately felt hot in my hand. I felt the urge to throw the stone like a hot potato. No one else in the circle reacted this way. Was it just me? I fought the urge to react, but I wanted to get rid of that beautiful green rock as quickly as possible. I felt the instructor watching me.
She knows I’m freaking out right now. Be cool.
As calmly as I could, I placed the stone in the palm of the person next to me, watching for a reaction. Nothing.
Once the last person handed the stone back to the instructor, she said, “This stone is called Malachite. It is a very powerful stone and should not be used lightly. It’s often used for those who need to address severe emotional trauma. Some call Malachite the Stone of Transformation. It’s used to clear away toxic and unwanted energies and help the user embrace change. It’s been known to bring everything you need to deal with to the surface. If you use this one, start slowly. It’s powerful.”
The Stone of Transformation “picked me” and all I wanted to do was throw it far away from me.
More stones came around the circle. Nothing.
“Sometimes you’ll feel drawn to a stone but not necessarily feel anything specific. Explore that. Perhaps you could use the energies from that stone in some way.”
Okay. Keep an open mind, I told myself, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
But I did feel drawn to the black stone and a purple Amethyst. The Amethyst was often used for those suffering from depression. Yeah, that fits, I thought. She told us black stones are typically believed to soak up negative energies. I made a mental note to buy those in bulk. (I’m kidding…kind of.)
To my horror and discomfort, the instructor said the remainder of our class would be spent “practicing” Reiki on each other. I was partnered with the woman seated next to me and nearly got up and left because I just wanted to get out of there. But I stayed because I didn’t want to be rude. I laid down on the ground first, and this woman placed stones on me and I have no idea what else because I had my eyes closed the whole time. I didn’t feel anything. I just wanted to be done.
And then it was my turn. Gulp. The woman lied down, and I had no idea what I “should” do. I decided on a red stone (I don’t remember the name) and placed it near her heart.
From there, I just sat and prayed for the woman. I didn’t know what else to do. From the way she spoke during the class, we were alike in that we were both lonely and searching for answers. She was a lot older than me, but those commonalities brought us together. I prayed for her happiness, that her heart would find peace and joy despite whatever brought her to that point in her life.
When it was finally over, the woman opened her eyes and said she felt “so much going on” in her heart chakra. “I felt warmth and calm with you. Thank you.”
I got out of there as quickly as I could, the instructor calling to me as I walked away. I’d forgotten my free blue stone.
I couldn’t get that stupid green stone out of my head though. I couldn’t get past the feeling when I touched it. That stone was hot, and it scared me a little, really.
Until recently, I usually laughed when I thought about that experience, chalking it up to my inner little girl being attracted to the shiny rocks.
But it’s more than that now.
Some people don’t believe in signs or coincidences. Some believe we can only seek guidance within our own belief system or the scriptures and teachings associated with it. Still others call little signs “God winks” of guidance no matter where they come from. There’s learning to be had everywhere, in other words.
I don’t have all of those correct answers. I think learning is a choice and can be found in unusual places, and my learning has not been met without judgment on occasion.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,” as the verse goes, right?
Sometimes it’s just easier to throw the stone and walk away the same troubled person rather than hold on to it and deal with your own inner crap.
That’s the lesson I needed to learn from hot green Malachite Stone of Transformation.
Embracing the typos until next Monday…
Mel