The Hedge Druid

Archive for the ‘Crystals’ Category

I first came across the idea of Devas when reading a book that mentioned the work of the Findhorn Community in Scotland. I was intrigued that a group of people would dedicate their whole lives and lifestyles to the idea of working with the spirits of plants and elementals which governed the form of the physical vegetation. I wanted to know more and so I bought William Bloom’s book on the subject, and read anything else I could discover too, including Marko Pogacnik’s book on Deva forms.

This year we have finally transformed our patch of bare clay soil, with its patches of eternal dampness, into a landscaped concept garden that is in its nascent state. Having spent all of the early Spring digging, moving, turning and tilling the soil, adding conditioner and compost to it, finally it was in a state to accept some plants. The process took days, even though the space was only twenty feet by six.

Devas may help this magnolia tree grow

The concept of the garden was typically druidic. M had given me free reign to design as I saw fit. As the pressure mounted to produce a design I turned to the inspiration of Nature and with a blank sheet of paper a form emerged in the symmetrical rounded rectangle: a quadrant of elemental ideals.

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Judy Hall – one of the foremost active authors on crystal working, has a new book out: Life-Changing Crystals. I was interested enough to consider whether the information that she was giving out in her book had general relevance – could anyone and everyone find the same uses for these crystals?

I dowsed each of the crystals she presents in the pages that can be viewed in Amazon’s preview, where she described the type of crystal and its properties. I asked the question “Would the stated energetic qualities of this crystal work for me?“. In every single case with one exception the answer was “No”. The one exception was Malachite, which apparently I can use for “stepping into my power”, whatever that means, I guess I’d have to buy the book to find out.

Can Judy’s book change your life?

Given that the other crystals had no correspondence with me I am not going to buy that book (although I did buy her book about crystal working at sacred sites – it was too enticing not to!).

So, what is the principle at work here? It’s not that crystals generally have properties and energetic uses that everyone can agree upon. It’s much more the case that crystals have properties that resonate with individual energy fields in very personal ways. You have to find out for yourself which crystals you can work with, and to what purposes they can be put. How do you do this? Who am I, Judy Hall?

I have a couple of methods.  They are:-

1. I shop for crystals in places where the energy feels good generally, and I feel like the crystals are powerful. Then I ask to be shown a crystal that I can use for a specific purpose. I am usually led to see or feel one that I can use.
2. I buy crystals that feel powerful and energetic. If I can dowse them I will. Then when I want to use crystals for a specific purpose I use my dowsing rods to dowse for suitable ones. I dowse for which type, how many I need, and sometimes even a configuration that I should lay them out in which best suits that purpose.

These methods have been continually proven to work for me. I have crystals whose uses have even changed over time as my energy has changed. So, even though some books may say “X crystal does Y” – does it always? Well, there may be some general guidance to be found from these ‘universal’ descriptions – they may lead you to consider what crystals can be used for. However, I have never found these general ‘uses’ the be useful for me.

I recommend picking crystals for yourself, for your own current purpose, and using them on a more personal basis than these guide books can every really inform you of. All such books are useful for is to suggest possibilities of uses generally. It’s then up to you to find or collect the types of crystals that you can make use of.

Gwas.

Given that we have almost four years of posts on Hedge Druid I often forget the truly amazing amount of material and experience we have covered. With that in mind you might be surprised to learn that I often peruse the blog in search of nostalgia, missed exploration paths (there are so many) and just to nudge my intuition. The other day I was on such a wander through its pages and came across a few articles that made me think. The first of these was from a house dowse that I did a couple of years. In that investigation I had found an energy centre in a home that was on top of a table in a living room. Questioning the owners revealed that until recently that position was occupied by a picture of the home owners much loved mother.

Energy Artefact

An Energy Artefact then is an unusual item that is giving off an energetic signature or spiral of energy. For instance, a plant, though it gives of energy spirals, isn’t an artefact. Gwas’s staff also isn’t one. A stone, that is part of a sacred site isn’t one either. But the image of a loved one might be, a bracelet or necklace might be too. On one occasion I was staying in a motel in Michigan, USA and found that the room had an amazingly bad energy resonance. I had dowsed for wat could help me in cleasing the room and the rods took me to my baggage and eventually to a postcard with the image of Lakshmi on it. Here is a link to that nightmare room experience. Since that time I have come across many other Energy Artefacts such as the photograph of a ladies mother, hanging on a wall and on another occasion on a small table. These were rather good energy producing artefacts. I have encountered a few bad ones too. Stories for another day.

My point in beginning this conversation is that Energy Artefacts don’t have to be sacred stones in some distant vale. They can and do exist in the most ordinary of places. I’ll continue on this conversation after I’ve spent some time learning more about object de energetic.

Kal Malik – exploring the unknown

Destiny is a strange word, for me it means the goal of ones journey, the destination, if you will. We would never have imagined that our journey over the last few years would have brought us to and through so much. And if that were not enough, if we go back to the beginnings of our friendship, oh some twenty odd years ago the very seeds of our life now were planted. Really you ask? And with honest face I reply, really.

Dungeons & Dragons

Twenty and more years ago Gwas and I sat across a table from each other. Gwas wearing the green and brown robes of a druid and I the trappings of a Wizard. Of course these were only imagined robes for in reality (or indeed fantasy) we were looking down upon little figures on a board game now infamously known as Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition. Since that first encounter we played that game of and on for a fair few years and more often than not, of all the characters available, we would choose druid and wizard.

Here we are then, playing those roles for real. A coincidence? Chance fate? Psychological design? What does your dice roll tell you? I have learned over the years to say that, “reality is what you believe it to be” and as you have read here on countless occasion I do truly believe this none-sense.

When you wander in and out of the Wub enough times you cannot come to any other conclusion other than something odd is indeed happening. For me, that conclusion has come and gone many moons many ago.

Here we are then dear readers, once more around that spiral and delivering the years-end review. Although it is Christmas Eve as I write this, for us followers of a different calendar the wheel has already spun.

I speak of destiny because the first high-light that I wish to note was the discovery of an old and long forgotten prayer/wish that I had made when listening to my dear mum’s tales oh so many years ago. Let me remind you then of the path that I followed to learn that I had wished to become a Wali. Here is the link to that surprising and enlightening sojourn.

In these pages we have walked with legend. Nature spirits, sprites, goblins, gnomes and leprechaun’s have been our companions. We have discoursed with the land, with Albion and with its caretakers. Merlin and Arthur. Perhaps in greater stature we have knelt at the feet of Gods and Goddesses. I am awed and humbled in equal measure. It seems unbelievable that it was this very year that I completed a year long quest to become a knight. That conclusion was arrived at just as the cold of winter was departing this land. Indeed it was March 29th that that quest concluded, leaving in its wake more mystery.

Knights Quest

Albion, to me says homeland, I guess we all have what we feel is a homeland. Some feel that they have lost theirs and this year I had a truly magical encounter with such few who were seeking to heal the rift between the people and the land. With amazing prowess and deft they maneuvered me (with my agreement I have to say) into becoming a part of their healing. As part of their persuasion they provided profound knowledge and experience as related here.

This year has definitely been one of learning. Although not much of that has been reported here however I can say that behind the scenes consolidations, explorations and reading has been an almost daily occurrence. I have learned so much and yet…and yet so little do I know. Over the years we have explored and indeed communed with shades, that which we once thought were spirits of the dead. This year I was introduced in a deeply emotional and personal way to an energy from the other end of the spectrum. Whilst shades are a kind of death energy, conception energies are on the other scale. A kind of life energy. Here then is the marker for the little adventure that drove my understanding deeper with a visit to the gardens of Babylon no less.

I am tempted to use the word again, what the heck go for it. It is strange that this year was called the Year of the Dragon. In fact at the beginning of the year I had penned a little draft concerning that very fact. Then as the year progressed it seems that Dragon was going to be the theme (of sorts) for the year. Gwas and I visited the emerald isle once again and there, dragon indeed became the loci of my experiences. A set of experiences that led to the gift of the soul of a dragon, or perhaps not so? You can judge for yourself in these pages. Certainly the genesis of an adventure to be had.

Do you ever wonder what Gwas and I talk about? Amongst all this stuff I mean? Well we have our un-resolved puzzles that we occasionally bring up and ponder as to the how, why and what of it all. One such puzzle was born on a trip to Dinas Bran this year, where believe it or not a hand sized Citrine vanished. I suspect that my energy double was behind it, after all it has done that kind of thing before and at the same place.

Talking about crystals, this year has definitely had some amazing crystal energy authored results. One such pattern (I believe) led me on a rather frightening and death-defying journey.

Each year the adventures get more bolder and more amazing, without exception. I have no reason to doubt that that won’t be the case in 2013. Gosh!

Kal Malik

Writing in the Sand

Come on, talk about adventure right? This is day two of our stay at Iona and I have already encountered a thought form, a dragon and something strange, as well as an awesome star filled night. And that doesn’t include the remarkable druidry of Gwas. Could it get more exciting? Of course!

If you recall, all the way back to my first post, one of the things that I wanted to know was how much the layout of crystals that I had done one August full-moon night in my room had had on the subsequent events. All, some, none?

I’ll be honest, my rational brain still balks at the notion that simple (well complex in this instance) crystal layouts can have a profound effect on our life. Come on, seriously? Using dowsing to determine some answers in this regard is rather odd too, but what else is one supposed to do? Curiosity has to be assuaged I’m afraid.

Gwas and I walked to the other (western) side of the Island in the morning. I have to mention again that the weather was truly amazing for this time and place of the year, indeed when we returned home we learned that the rest of the country had been deluged. Walking amongst the beaches and hillock of the western coast we searched for energy, commune and quest fulfilment.

I found a lovely empty bit of beach that invited me to ask my questions. I began by formulating the image of the layout that I had done. I then informed my intuition that that image was to be taken as the energy effect of that layout. See the picture above? Start at the bottom left with the circle with a symbol inside it. That’s the crystal layout. The line joins it to the letter E for energy. Got it?

So, we’re off. Did the layout influence me getting a job “J”, Yes. Did influence my getting a heart condition “H”, Yes. There were another couple of private questions that I added, C and S. Both of those were influenced too. I was both amazed and shocked. I wasn’t expecting such a pervasive result. But there you have it, believe or not, your choice.

This rather unusual bit of dowsing has been the genesis of a couple of theories about energy, crystals and influence that I am working on this winter. Stay tuned for some interesting revelations.

Kal Malik

In the previous post (Iona and the thought form) I mentioned a meeting and a bargain with a thought form named Sarah. Let’s continue with the Ionian adventure.

As Gwas and I (and Sarah) walked towards the Abbey she pointed out energy spots. It was a rather cool feeling to have a guide that wasn’t a set of metal rods. As we approached the Abbey, Gwas went off to the adjacent chapel whilst I was directed to a largish mound set before the door of the abbey. As I looked at it, I felt (rather than saw) the image of a dragons tale and spine leading up to a neck. “Yes,” Sarah said, “That’s the dragon”. She directed me on how to climb up its back and a beautiful little hollow at the top, where, when I lay down I was out of the reach of the wind, and had a sharp shooters view of a stone cross and doorway into a chamber of the main abbey hall.

This was the place to awaken the Dragon, I could feel it. It was perfect and as described in my vision (previous post). A place with five stones around me and burning incense. I took five sticks of incense and placed them as directed by Sarah (how did she know all this stuff?). I lay in that power place for a goodly amount of time, staring between the cross and into the chamber of the abbey.

Although my eyes were open my mind was deep within the mound. Like Bilbo Baggins I had journeyed into the heart of the Dragons lair. Indeed, now that I think of it, I was journeying into the Dragon itself. Does that sound familiar? I direct you back to our adventures in Ireland ony 4 months ago. Where I was given a fabulous (and still to be realised) gift.

So, here I was again, dealing with dragons. It is only now, as I come to write this post that I wonder why and the benefits (of the task) of awakening the Dragon. I feel that some adventures are beyond our ken, as far as garnering a rational understanding. We, perhaps quite literally, walk in faith.

Funny how all this faith kind of stuff is coming up at Iona, an Isle known for faith.

To continue, the incense was burning and although the Abbey was heaving with tourist none were disturbing me upon the top of the Dragons Neck. Another thought entered my mind as I worked I felt I was channeling energy from the cross and the doorway through me into the mound to the Dragon. An alarm bell I smiled to myself. At a guess I must have spent some thirty minutes channelling that energy into the mound before I felt a stirring and with a tremendous leap a Dragon lifted from deep with the ground (and through me) and was away to the west of the Isle.

I lay there and pondered the conclusion of my awakening. What no conversation? I thought. No thank you? What did it mean to a Dragon to be awoken? So many questions. As I pondered these questions Gwas had climbed the mound following his dowsing rods and they twirled right above where I lay. We laughed.

As we walked down the, now defunct, dragons tail Gwas told me that he had found the most powerful energy place in the Abbey. Would you be surprised to learn that it was at the very cross (that I had been staring at) and the chamber beyond? No, neither was I.

It seems that my quest was being fulfilled in short order. If you want to know more of the bargain that I had made with Sarah the thought form then look out for the next post.

Kal Malik

The story so far…

• It all began with an investigation into a potergeist phenomena.
• Which had the flavour of something from my own past.
• Which led to me having the courage to follow a path with a heart.
• A journey that had me questing for a place of peace.

And so we are here. I had just run out of the car and back to the house to ask the lady of the house what was so special about a chest. A pink and yellow striped chest hidden in a back room. Karen, a little shocked, asked whether it had anything to do with the poltergeist. I said no, but it had familiar energies for me. She looked at me oddly and pulled me to the side of the door. Rob and Sylvia remained in the car.

In a hushed and sad voice, Karen told me of a sadness that had happened a few years ago. It was strange to let into something so intimate but it seems that we were both following our inner voice. She told me that she had had a miscarriage and it had broken hers and her husbands hearts. The chest contained clothes and toys that they had bought for the arrival of their child. An arrival that didn’t happen. I was both saddened and rather humbled to be privy to this deep and personal knowledge. So much so that for the moment I had forgotten my biography.

I made my way back to the car where Rob and Sylvia were continuing there religious debate from the house.What did you go back for, Rob asked as I got in. Oh nothing, I said, lost in memories. As we drove away my mind was creating connections. Of course, the spirals of energy in Karens home had been similar to the ones that I had found in my home all those years ago. Whereas mine where filled with dark energy Karens where the opposite, a sign of a healthy threshold. But I felt that that was just a backdrop to what had hit a chord, a forgotten chord that was surprisingly still deeply painful.

A good ten years ago when I was in the midst of marriage, my wife and I had had a miscarriage. We go through life encountering unique experiences. How are we supposed to know what to do, how to react, what it means? Lost in shadows is what we become in such times. Waiting for the light of the world to penetrate into our own personal world. So it was with my wife and I. It’s personal and I have not her permission, so I wont go into how we existed through those days. The energies in Karens home had awoken a resonance in me and I was on a path to discover what it meant.

Going back home

Work is very grudging with its time these days. It is almost possible to get a half days holiday out of them. However I persisted and was able to take such a couple of days after the above incident. I drove back to my old neighbourhood and pondered what was to be done. Herein we have spoken of Conception energies, life energies and death energies. What kind of energy was I looking for? What can I call it? A name came to me, it’s personal but will do for discussion. I called it Lost Energy. At the end of the street where I use to live is a wonderful weeping willow that I often communed with back in the day. So I sat under its eaves sending my thought down the street to my old home.

Was there any lost energy there? Yes, Could I reclaim it? Yes, Could I do it from here? No, Did I have to go into the house to claim it? Yes. And so I did. What kind of energy was this? It was conception energy that was forever severed from becoming one (at puberty) with its source. As I returned to the willow with the stone cupped into my eyes the emotions were seeping out of me and I was left crying with loss, regrets and a profound sadness.

No matter what we do with our dead, whether we bury them, burn them, drop them into the sea, all these acts are a grounding of their energies. So I was left wondering. What should I do with this lost energy? As is often the case these days I was in new territory and deeply personal too. A intuitive thought came to mind. Why not visit an old friend who knew much on these subjects, that ancient old yew. And so I did.

Secret Garden

Guided by the Yew and Caileach I arrived at the Druids circle on the coast of north Wales. I brought out my rods to determine what was needed and was again guided by Caileach. Following in her wake I laid out crystals and incense to a point that was facing the setting sun. I sat down and called my energy self.

My energy self arrived and joined inside of me. It them took me across the lands and back in time to a place that was truly awesome. We arrived in the midst of the most wonderful gardens I could ever describe. Flowers of all the colours of the rainbow, birds that sang musical songs, waterfalls, hidden paths, mazes, smells that made you forget who you were. It was heavenly, indeed I thought that this must be heaven or the gardens of Eden (aren’t they the same thing?) My energetic guide however let knowledge flow into me. Oh my goddess, these were the legendary hanging gardens of Babylon. Myth, legend or real I don’t know but that is what I am given to believe.

I wandered through these gardens having all but forgotten my reason for being here, to find a resting place for my lost energy (my?). My energetic self hadn’t though and it nudged me this way and that until I came to a garden within the gardens. A secret garden. My energy self took me within to a pedestal that had a forever flame (I don’t know what that means) in it. Then it was gone, as if its job had been done. It was me and a cupped hand full of lost energy.

I didn’t want to let it go. It represented an almost impossible dream. But such was the wonder of this place, I thought to myself. Could there ever be a more suited place? So with heart that was heavy I lifted my hands above the flames and let the energy fall and merge with it. I was expecting some extravagant display but nothing.

I wandered around the gardens some more. Where were the people? The caretakers? Nothing. Then I thought to return, but how? My energy self had departed. how was I to get back to the sacred circle. With that thought I recalled the burning incense…a tether. I focused my thoughts with all that I could muster and shouted…”Be There!” and was wrenched, like a huge hand grabbing my left shoulder and pulling me forcefully back to the here and now. Even now four days later my left shoulder and arm are painful to the touch.

Return

We that walk a sacred path are blessed with experiences and a path that is awe inspiring. Whether it is in our heads or whether it is real is of little consequence these days. It fills our heart with adventure and the most profound mystery.

Kal Malik