Green Apophyllite

Green Apophyllite is used for Growth, Abundance, Heart Chakra

Green Apophyllite has the energies of clear Apophyllite, plus its own energies. It is a stone of growth, universal love, and nature. It is said to bring abundance. It is related primarily to the heart chakra and connects the heart to the Crown Chakra and Spirit.

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Warlocks are Sexy

The Old Religion

Betel Nut

Betel Nut is used for Protection and banishing

Botanical Name: Areca Catechu Linn.
Family: Arecaceae/Palmaceae, The Palm Family
Indian Name: Supari

The betel nut is an integral part of the daily or ritualistic Pooja. It is also popularly used in the age old-custom of Indian eating. The supari is symbolic of the nut of the ego that must be offered on the altar of God. It represents the hard, coarse qualities that must be surrendered to God, leaving only the soft, pure qualities.

Mostly symbolic the Supari is many a times traditionally represented as the Nine planets (in the Navgrah Pooja) and takes the form of Deities like Brahma, Surya and others during different Poojas. The betel nut can also represent a human being. In Maharashtra, the wife's presence is must at important religious rituals. But if she is away or dead, a betel nut wrapped in a cloth can represent her. In Bengal, betel nut is believed to carry magical properties. it is placed under the pillow at night so that the sleeping person can see his future in dreams.

Betel nuts are believed to increase prosperity and they are tied to the pandal, the grinder, the pounding stone, large utensils and the bridegroom's clothes. In North-West India, milk and cooked rice is offered to the village deity when betel nut trees are planted. This is called Deonar pooja. In Vikrampur, Goddess Bhagawati is worshiped as a mark of respect for the betel nut.

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Curupira: Brazillian Guardian of the Forest

Curupira, from “curu”, abbreviation of “curumi” and “pora”, boy body. In some cases the Curupira is said to be a woman. She is the “Mother of the Weeds”, the Guardian of the Forest. He or she, protect the forest and the animals. You, that dare walk in the woods, be good to it and its inhabitants, or you will know the Curupira´s fury. Respect and be respected.

To protect the animals, Curupira always uses a thousand tricks, looking to mess up with the hunter´s perception, using shouts, moans, making the hunter think he is in the trail of a wild animal, but he is chasing the Curupira, and when he realizes it, he is lost in the forest. When a storm is coming, the Curupira runs through the forest, beating at the trunks of the trees, to make sure they are strong to support the storm. If he/she notices that some tree could be knocked down by the wind, he/she warns the animals to avoid the trees.

Curupira can cast speel on adults. In many counted cases, he/she “mundia” (cast spells) on the hunters who are in the forest, they try to leave the woods, but they can´t. They always notice that they are crossing the same places and walking in circles. Nearby, the Curupira is watching, many times laughing. He/she has an alternative: stop walking, get a liana piece and make a small ball. The liana must itself be weaved well hiding the tip so that it's very difficult to uncurl the hank. After this, the person must throw away the ball and shout: “I bet you can´t find out the tip!”. The “mundiada” (enchanted) person shall wait and do it again and again. Then, so curious is the Curupira, that he/she appear and gets the ball. He sits and tries to uncurl the ball, to find the tip and well, he forgets the mundiada person. The enchantment is broken and the hunter find his way home.

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Apophyllite

(Pictured: My Apophyllite Pyramid)

Apophyllite is used for Meditation Aid, Connect with Spiritual World, Clairvoyance

Also known as: Meditation Pyramids (for natural pyramid points)

Apophyllite is a crystal of facilitating and strengthening conscious, intended connection with the spiritual world.  It is an energy stimulator that brings high crystal energy to mystical and other endeavors.

The spiritual connection of Apopnyllite makes it an excellent helper crystal for deep meditation, mystical vision, and interdimensional or astral travel. It has been used in firewalking to protect the walker by assisting the meditative state and bring a sense of spiritual coolness. The special talent of Apophyllite is to help one remain conscious and aware on this plane during these travels and meditations.

When placed on the third eye chakra, it enhances clairvoyance and mystical vision, particularly when using the natural pyramid form. This can help one see the truth on many planes in a way that facilitates bringing this truth to the Earth plane for use in spiritual growth and connection.

Apophyllite is also used to assist in contacting and working with Guardian Angels, Spirit Guides and manifestations of the Higher Self.

To invite Spirit and bring a sense of purity into a home, office or sacred space, or other environment, place one or more Apophyllite crystals around the room in a harmonious pattern.

Apophyllite is also considered a stone that lends protection from fire and those working with or fighting fire. The deep spiritual coolness like a wild, fresh spring is believed to assist in this.

Apophyllite is used metaphysically to help one see the truth and then act on it. This can extend from the clairvoyant vision of higher truth to the practical ability to recognize the truth of this plane.  It brings a mindfulness in absorbing and analyzing truth in a way that assist in acting upon it in a beneficial manner. One thing this assists is our ability to see and comprehend our own behaviors and attitudes which fearful avoidance may have kept hidden. With a calm knowledge of that which is in ourselves, we can find our way to move on both in practical life and spiritually.

In traditional folk and crystal healing, Apophyllite is used for tired or stressed eyes by placing on the eyelids. It is used similarly in different body regions for respiratory problems, stopping asthma attacks, allergies, and health of mucus membranes and skin.

Apophyllite is associated primarily with the third eye and crown chakras.

Natural Apophyllite pyramids are the most powerful formation of the energy stimulating crystals, focusing energy intensely as it works with us. They have been used in gem elixirs to bring energy to the heart chakra, as well as to charge or preserve objects. Used on the third eye this is the most powerful form to stimulate third eye vision. This highly focused power can be very helpful or can at times feel overwhelming, so using a pyramid formation is only sometimes the best choice for a particular use.

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Obba: African Orisha of Marriage & Domesticity

Obba is the legitimate wife of Chango in Cuba. She is considered the Orisha of the home and marriage. She represents the devoted wife who waits at home for her husband. We might add, that she is one of the few female Orishas that exhibits this behavior. Perhaps one of the reasons for this can be related to the fact that Obba lost her ear due to the trickery of Ochun. In Africa, Obba is considered like Ochun to be a goddess of the river. It is said that where the River Ochun meets the River Obba, the waters become very agitated and perhaps they are fighting over Chango. The reverence paid to Obba in Cuba is more pronounced than in Africa. Later on, we will recount the story of how Obba lost her ear and why Chango spent so much time with Ochun and Oya.

St. Catherine of Sienna is sometimes the Catholic Saint that represents Obba. The reason for this is not clear, but perhaps, as in the image above, it is due to the fact that head is clearly wrapped. This might relate to the fact that Obba had to wrap her head that fateful day when she cut off her ear to make a soup for Chango that she thought might please him. The story goes that Obba was very jealous of Ochun and her ability to attact Chango and so one day she asked Ochun what was her secret for so successfully attracting Chango. Ochun told her that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. When Ochun was telling this story to Obba, she had her head wrapped with cloth. Ochun told Obba that she had made a wonderful soup for Chango with her ear as the principal ingredient and that this soup had bewitched Chango so that he could think of no one else. Obba, being an African women knew that, of course, there were ways to enchant men using female body parts, but she had never heard of this one. Nevertheless, she decided to try this with Chango, the next time he was at home and dutifully cut off one of her ears to make the special soup for her. When Chango returned home from one of his wars, he asked Obba why she had her head covered and Obba made excuses. When Chango sat down to eat and saw the ear floating in his soup, he was horrified and ripped off Obba's head covering and saw what she had done. At this point Chango was even more furious and told Obba that he could never be with such a disfigured women and left. Obba went nuts and ran off into the woods screaming, outraged at the trickery of Ochun and ashamed and humiliated by her disfiguration. Apparently Obba was a very beautiful woman before removing her ear. Continue on to our other pages to learn more about Obba.

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Lore of Wood Nymphs & Dryads

Tales of Nymphs in Greek mythology and religion abound, there were revered as the spirits of specific natural features - and often were identified with the part of nature in which they dwelt, The Oreads, were mountain nymphs. Others were associated with a particular function of nature, the Hamadryads, or tree nymphs, whose lives began and ended with that of a particular tree.

The name "nymph" comes from the Greek word that means "young woman", and so naturally these beings were considered to be female. Indeed, they were represented as young, beautiful, musical, amorous, and gentle youthful creatures. And while there is some question about whether they were immortal or not - Hamadryads in particular were linked with the lives of their chosen trees - it is believed that they were extremely long lived.

A beautiful, ever-young creature that inhabits the loveliest of all wilderness places including clear lakes, streams, and crystalline caverns. They do not like any form of intrusion but there is a 100% that a nymph will be friendly if approached by another good creature. Nymphs are exceptionally intelligent and are very rarely found.

Dryads and Hamadryads are two types of wood nymphs in Greek mythology. These female nature spirits were thought to inhabit trees and forests, and they were especially fond of oak trees. Dryads were often depicted in myth and art accompanied - or being pursued by - their male counterparts, the satyrs.

There are many stories of dryads in myth and legend. One famous dryad was Eurydice, the beautiful but ill-fated wife of Orpheus. According to the tale, Eurydice was killed by a snake when she tried to escape from the unwelcome amorous advances of Aristaeus. The fact that a dryad such as Eurydice could die demonstrates the idea that these nymphs were not immortal. And indeed, the hamadryads were even more vulnerable, for it was believed that their lives depended on the health and well-being of the trees they inhabited.

Dryads can be found in the secluded places such as oak trees. They are very shy and non-violent so they are never more than a few feet away from their individual tree. Unless they are surprised, dryads can disappear by stepping into a tree.

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