Winter Crafting and Crystals

During the holidays I have a hard time focusing on writing, mostly because there are so many distractions. So I like to take advantage of these times, the times I'm not writing, grading, etc etc to feed my soul with a little Witchy crafting!

First! There was a little gem show here at the Community college. The prices were pretty reasonable, and there was a great selection. I did a little shopping for a friend, as well as picked up some of my own things.
Here are the Spoils of Annwyn ( Preiddeu Annwn) (Sorry for the little joke there I couldn't help it!)
 
I gathered some tumbled stones. I found that I actually have given most of mine away and used them in mojo bags, poppets etc. So I stocked up on some basics, Sodalite, Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Orange Calcite, and Snowflake Obsidian. They had LOVELY Amethyst clusters untreated and ALL natural! I found a nice piece of Chalcedony a bunch of Loadstone (which I had also used most of). Blue and Orange Calcite, Ruby in Fuchsite, Merlinite (Dendritic Agate) Amber and a new little stone that comes from a lake in California called Hanksite.

I picked up a nice little Fluorite Necklace as well

Now I saved the 2 best for last! I couldnt believe the prices on these little gems. Before you look at the photos I want to say a few things. I see so many listings, and people selling "Lemurian Quartz" Usually they look like your regular quartz points. This is very frustrating for me because that is just Quartz with a fancy name. "Real" and what I call vintage Lemurian Quartz is not a pretty clear stone. They often times are covered in sand, or have a tan translucent or opaqueness to parts to them. The other things that makes them remarkable is that if you find GOOD "Vintage Lemurian Quartz" you will find that it has a phantom. These stones are record keepers! They are very hard to find, and usually quite expensive. Well I found 2 that were $5 each. They are both pretty special but one is VERY special! The first photo you can see the little phantom up at the top! This particular one doesnt have much sandiness to it, but you can see the tint at the point.

The stone below is the special one! Can you see the Double phantom? I have never seen one like this before so you can imagine how excited I was! Something that you can not see is that there is a little red fleck inside towards the bottom. It looks like a drop of blood. The 2nd phantom is hard to see but its about 1/3-1/2 the way up the crystal, and was in the very beginning stages. If you look at the moon decal and trace your finger over to the right and move it down just slightly (1/4 of an inch) you can see where the crystal is even darker and that is the top of the 2nd phantom.

So after the gem show, I felt recharged after being around the high vibrations! I made 2 little talisman with hazel nuts. The first is 5 little mini apples and hazel nuts. This in an ancestor talisman. The apples are sacred to Avalon and are associated with love, death and the underworld. the Hazel is also associated with death and the underworld in some cultures. (for more info on the Hazel read - Witchcraft Medicine: Healing Arts, Shamanic Practices, and Forbidden Plants)
The 2nd one is also associated with death, and the underworld. It consists of a black cat vertebrate (always, always cruelty free, I was given this animal several days after it had passed) The hematite is associated with grounding and will help bring you down into the earth. It is good for underworld work, shape-shifting, and the like. ( If you are interested in it let me know!) The Apple/Hazel is not for sale sorry.......
 Lastly! The Rain Walker came over yesterday and we crafted ointments! My box of newly ordered bottles had JUST arrived! We crafted Mandrake/Chamomile/Lavender ointment for joint pain! So far the Rain Walker has reported that it works! This ointment was crafted with Mandrake and Chamomile infused (in almond) oil, and Lavender essential oil, Duck fat and Bees wax. The 2nd batch was an Anti-anxiety, Stress relief ointment. Which was crafted with Duck Fat, Bees wax, and infused Oil (in almond) Peppermint, Lavender, Camomile, Eucalyptus and Yarrow....... 



Look at those empty jars! Im not telling what those are for!.... Yet ;)