Sta.sh
Now that warmer days have arrived, my partner and I have ventured out into the desert again, on a quest for rare and unusual stones. In the deserts of Southwest Utah the most outstanding feature of this place are its rocks. People travel from all over the world to view its landscapes. The ancient Native Americans called this place The Standing Up Country, because of all the Mesas, spires and red rocks. According to rock collecting guidebooks, the Moab area is one of the best places in the country for collecting semi-precious gemstones. We have spent many hours following dry stream beds, alluvial plains at the edge of the mountains and along the Colorado River in search of interesting rocks. My ultimate goal is to find a natural Hag Stone. According to my friend Sandgroan from the UK, a person doesn't find a Hag Stone, but the stone finds the person.
While I was in college I lived on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii, along a stone beach. My wife would collect interesting lava stones that have been rounded and smooth by the wave action of the Pacific Ocean. She called them her Rook Family. The Hawaiians believed lava rocks are sacred to the goddess Pele. It is believed if you wrap a lava rock in a Hawaiian tea leaf, an place it on the southeast corner of your house, it offers protection against tidal waves and other mishaps. Even though we have returned to the mainland, I still place a stone in this position, wrapped in leaves from the garden.
In the last few years I have created a large rock garden which covers about a quarter of an acre. The majority of stones in this garden come from stones that were carried by glaciers that have been tumbled smooth over eons. My partner likes to collect white crystallized stream stones, many which will be tumbled in our rock tumblers. I have created a dry stream bed that diagonally crosses this garden and have filled it with these beautiful gleaming white rocks.
I created my first rock garden when I was only 14 on the days that followed JFK's assassination. It was such a devastating time for the country, even to a 14-year-old. I remember the creation of the garden was very therapeutic and acted as a way to ground myself during one of the bleakest times of my childhood. I have since created many rock gardens over the years in the different places where I have lived.
Native rocks found around my home, have always seemed somewhat magical in nature and I continue to seek out new findings. I don't always collect and bring home these rocks but sometimes leave them in the embrace of Mother Earth to be charged by the sun, moon and vibrations of the cosmos. My love for rocks has been a lifelong affair.
I have created a number of pages for my Book of Shadows concerning some of the aspects of crystals, gemstones and rocks. I hope you enjoy them.
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