labradorite

by Sarah Lyn

Stone has a beautiful language. Anyone who has ever had a rock jump out at them has heard it. Pick me! Pick me! Before you know it, you have either slipped it into a pocket, or you find yourself holding it in your hand, uncertain of how long it has been there.

Deep stone sleeps but the closer to the surface it gets, the more connected it is to us and our life cycles. Some rocks just want to introduce themselves and have a conversation. Some rocks will bite and want to be left alone. And some rocks have been looking for you to take them on a quest to some unknown corner of the world they have only heard about in the whispers of the deepest bedrock (even if that’s just your front yard).

[ALWAYS respect places that ask you NOT to take their rocks.]

The Trio

Different stones I encounter have different energies to them. Each sabbat, I put together a trio of stones to focus on for the following six weeks. It’s divination to me. I reach out into the web and see where we are in the world, creating a recipe of stone allies, and then I send that energy back out into the web.

I don’t usually use the same grouping of stones every year, but a couple of times I have. I will work with the stones I choose in my night meditations until the next sabbat, sometimes individually and sometimes as a group.

It’s the Autumnal Equinox, one of my favorite times of the year. For those of us who live in seasonal climates, the leaves are starting to turn colors and drop to the earth. We’re bringing our harvests in even as we are laying some garden beds to rest for the winter. This is when we frequent our local orchards weekly, and pick apples and pears and pumpkins…

It’s the time of year when the days grown shorter and we begin our spiritual descent into the Labyrinth like Ariadne. Into the Underworld like Inanna. What we find in the center is what we bring in with us. This is the time of year to look inward, stand at the crossroads, and calibrate your way forward.

As you go deeper into the labyrinth, the hidden shadows you carry will be revealed.

Who travels with you in fellowship?

My stones for the Equinox are: Snowflake Obsidian, Tourmalinated Quartz, and Howlite.

Snowflake Obsidian is black, volcanic glass, with crystalized snowflake-like inclusions. It’s one of those stones I am drawn to, over and over again. It is a good stone for people who have trouble staying grounded and tend towards escapism, which makes it a great stone for bringing into the darkness, and facing the reality of what waits for you. It’s a friendly stone, too, and is almost impossible to misuse.

Let me be your shield, snowflake obsidian asks.

My second stone choice for the Equinox was another black and white mineral, Tourmalinated Quartz. Quartz is a power staple in spellcrafting and ritual work. Black Tourmaline is one of the most powerful defensive stones I have used, but it is assertive, not aggressive. It absorbs negative darkness and transforms it into positive energy, and transforming that within the quartz creates a battery of power you can both recharge yourself from and use to light your way forward.

Let us scout the way for you, tourmalinated quartz sings.

The last stone, Howlite, took me a while to find. It is accessible to everyone and has a quieter voice. It is milky white with grey veining and shading. It is often dyed as substitutions for other stones, most commonly for Turquoise. I prefer the natural stone (and have many of them strewn about my home). It connects strongly with the heart center, like a balming elixir, exuding tranquility. This stone is a great ally to have in times of stress and uncertainty.

I’m right beside you, howlite whispers.

These stones will both guide you and take your lead as you do your winter work within the dark shadows we all carry. And they will see you through to the other side of the wheel.

For Advanced Work

For those going on an intense internal journey, I picked out Labradorite as an advanced work companion. This is one of my absolute favorite stones. I have pieces in all colors of flash. Out of the sunlight it can appear a dull grey. But once it gets a taste of some light, it flares to life. This stone is a journey stone, growing and evolving along with your Work. It likes to bond to a person and holds immense power for shifting and transforming.

[Notes from Sarah Lyn: I never purchase rocks from people who do not know where they are sourced from. It’s important to know where your rocks come from so you can make informed decisions about where to put your money. For those of us buying tumbled stones at rock shows, we’re picking up the chips of what has already been cut from the earth, we are not part of the demand that influences the mining world. But know where your stones come from.]

All photographs © Sarah Lyn, 2023

by Sarah Lyn

Do you remember how you saw their magic before you knew what it was?

Deep stone sleeps but the more surface it gets the more connected it is to us and our life cycles. Some rocks just want to introduce themselves and have a conversation. Some rocks do bite and want to be left alone. And some rocks have been looking for you to take them on a quest to some unknown corner of the world they have only heard about in the whispers of the deepest bedrock (even if that’s just your front yard).

[ALWAYS respect places that ask you NOT to take their rocks.]

The Trio

Labradorite, amber, and black tourmaline

Different stones I encounter have different energies to them. Some energize me and some ground me. Each sabbat, I put together a trio of stones to focus on for that season. It’s divination to me. I reach out into the web and see where we are in the world, creating a recipe of stone allies, and then I send that energy back out into the web.

It’s not the same grouping of stones every year. I will work with these ones in my nightly meditations until the next sabbat, sometimes individually and sometimes as a group.

The stones I chose for Samhain this year are Amber, Black Tourmaline, and Labradorite.

Amber is fossilized sap from ancient forests. I have seen it mostly in rich amber hues, but I have also seen versions of it that are blue, red, yellow, and black. It is light to hold and transparent. A lot of the inexpensive stuff on the market right now has been heated and formed in molds. It still passes amber tests, but the age of the inclusions in it are suspect. It has history in it and it strengthens the magic in my Work.

Depth and fortitude, is what it says to me.

Black Tourmaline gets heavy use in my home. It is great for taking negative energies in and transmuting them into positive ones. It is a power boost to any spell I work. It is a good stone for people uncertain about spirit visitations at this time of year and a good talisman for sensitive people.

Trust yourself. Do your Work, it whispers steadily.

Labradorite is a Feldspar mineral that can look like a dull brown lump of rock. Certain cuts of it display a wide array of iridescent colors; yellow, red, blue, purple, etc. This stone is a journey stone. I call it the Samwise Gamgee of the quest I am on, called Life. I have pieces I have been using for twenty years and they have grown and evolved with me. Whenever something calls for deep Work I turn to this stone.

We got this. Let’s see what’s out there, it says.

These stones, together, become sentinel magic workers, quest guardians that walk with you as you discover what waits for you come Winter time.

For Advanced Work

If you want to go deeper into the season? Use fossils. I can’t say that enough. My favorites? Ammonites and Petrified Wood. To touch something that was once alive, millions of years ago, when you can tap into its energy…? I have had some of the deepest and most visceral ancestral connections through the use of fossils.

A Grief Balm

If your heart is heavy with grief this season, I recommend keeping some Rose Quartz and Howlite nearby. Rose Quartz is a soft pink crystal with soothing energy. Howlite is white with grey veins and eases anxiety and claustrophobic feelings in crowds. A fun fact about Howlite is it takes dye well, and most of the inexpensive ‘turquoise’ you see on the market is dyed Howlite.

[Notes from Sarah Lyn: I never purchase rocks from people who do not know where they are sourced from. It’s important to know where your rocks come from so you can make informed decisions about where to put your money. For those of us buying tumbled stones at rock shows, we’re picking up the chips of what has already been cut from the earth, we are not part of the demand of the mining world. But know where your stones come from.]

EarthSpirit Voices

Honoring the Earth as Sacred

Stones for the Season: Autumnal Equinox

Stones for the Season: Samhain-tide

The Trio

For Advanced Work

A Grief Balm