Do you think this crystal is beautiful?

Within the mineral kingdom, there is a very magical stone being which is of a beautifully balanced harmony of several crystalline elements. These crystals are a rare combination of Smoky Quartz with Rutile and sprinkled with Micas, Muscovite/Zinnwaldite, Magnetite, Sphalerite, Hematite and/or Actinolite. They are not what some would consider “beautiful”. They are said to resemble the ugly gnarled fingers associated with witches and that is why they were given the name … “Witches Fingers” (or Witch’s Fingers).

This made me angry

I got angry when I heard this. I don’t object to their name. Actually I find their name to be part of their charm. What held a charge for me was the reason for their name. Maybe we have Shakespeare or the Brothers Grimm to blame for the horrific interpretation of witches but that depiction of the old, ugly, dark, disfigured female garbed in black has stuck with us. Sure there have been other portrayals since like in the “Good Witch”, “Charmed” and I think my favourite … “Wicked” which sets us straight about our prejudices. However it doesn’t seem to have erased from our beliefs, the image of a witch as a scary and malevolent figure.

We’re a society that values clarity and flawlessness in our jewels as well as our people. The clearer and more flawless it is, the higher it’s value to us. These crystals come forth to show us how to see the beauty and the value not only in that which is flawed, but in the very flaws themselves. For most of us, prejudices and conflicts arise out of our need for everything to fit into the parameters we set for how we should look and act. That applies on a personal and a global level. Everything has purpose and value and it is when we see this – and perhaps even ONLY when we see this – that we can hope to live a more harmonious existence.

Seeing the beauty

Well the Witches Fingers with their bold and vivid naturalness show us that beauty is beyond the judgements and expectations set by fear and prejudice. They help us to let go of our preconceived notions and see the beauty outside the box of our limited parameters. They might even get us contemplating whether what we sometimes consider beautiful is indeed the very opposite. I actually think that is part of their gift–revealing the dichotomies of life and shocking us with unexpected truths/realities. 

Their shocking message

I have had firsthand experience with this aspect of their nature recently 4 magical Witches Fingers came together to co-create a Star Song and brought to me an incredibly vivid understanding of what it truly means to protect the heart.

Their message was this:

This message was shocking to me in 2 ways–in its truth and in its simplicity. Someone once told me that truth always holds in it a paradox and I don’t think I realized the full extent of what that meant until I took in the gift of this Star Song. I’m beginning to think that these crystals themselves have a paradoxical nature–the YIN and the YANG.

These precious ones are referred to and may be seen as “ugly” by some–those who named them certainly thought so. When I look at these ancient wise ones I see mystery, harmony and magic. I happen to think that is very beautiful, but I do understand the automatic repulsion to things that we’ve been conditioned to see as ugly. That’s just part of the nature of humankind. Thankfully these crystals don’t judge us as we do them … they just lovingly offer us their gifts without condition.

So what was your answer to the question, Are these crystals beautiful?

 

I recently read the novel Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano about the special relationship between 4 sisters whose father always greeted them by saying "Hello, Beautiful!" Imagine how much easier it would be to have a loving relationship with the self and how much more confident we would be, if we were greeted this way every day. Since reading this book, I often wake up in the morning and look out the window and gaze at the big pine outside and say hello beautiful. And each time, I hear her echo that greeting back.

I invite you to do this with your crystals. They are amazing reflectors. Greet them every time you see them with, hello beautiful and hear it echoed back.

 

 

Amended from the post originally published March 29, 2017