When people think of Garnet they usually think of a red stone, but garnet comes in all colors except blue. It does take its name from the Latin word granatum meaning ‘pomegranate’ because of the stones resemblance to this seed like fruit.

Garnet is an energizing and re-generating stone. It cleanses and re-energises, especially the base chakra, balancing and stimulating the kundalini.

Garnet is a useful stone to aid in times of crisis. It fortifies and activates the survival instinct, bringing hope into seemingly hopeless situations.

Garnet is said to be beneficial not just for physical health, but mental health as well. Garnet’s virtues have long been believed to include passion, true friendship, fidelity, success, self-esteem, loyalty, devotion, energy, faith, and truth. The stone also sharpens your perception of yourself and other people.
Garnet is said to help the wearer resist melancholy and depression.
Garnets were said to ward off evil spirits, especially spirits of the night, and night phantoms. Today we might interpret this as a stone that can ward off nightmares. Garnet is also said to inspire contemplation and truthfulness, and offers its wearer the power to protect their standing and possessions. The garnet is also an ancient symbol of friendship.

Chakras are Organs of the Ethereal Body

The chakras are the organs of the ethereal body which work in harmony with the physical organs allowing the physical bodies to evolve into beautiful forms for the spirit of the Creator to enter and express through.

The chakras are simply energy centers, storehouses for the vibrating atoms, the first stirrings of life in the cosmos. In the beginning it was simply the air that played around and lifted grains of sand which had crumbled off of the pristine rock surfaces and placed them down on the ground near water. This caused a chemical reaction between the minerals in the soil and the algae in the water. This gave birth to the Botanical Kingdom and provided a form for this energy to be embedded in.

The root chakra, the first chakra, was the first bundle of energy to be embodied in a manifested form in physical matter. The Botanical Kingdom evolved through the decaying and rotting of matter into the one cell amoeba. The root chakra, or kundalini, was the only chakra in these early life forms. The total being was centered in that kundalini for the life giving properties and energies. It was the center of the vibrating atoms and was quite necessary in those early forms of life when the animals used their tail for means of locomotion and for protection.

The root chakra was not needed in the animals that were to follow into the human kingdom, as they would no longer need the tail. This chakra was sealed over and the tail eventually disappeared from man. The bundle of energy was then embedded in the second chakra, the sacral plexus to insure survival of the race. The second chakra, the sacral plexus, was in essence the only one operating in the “cave man.” It is the center of survival, of animal instinct such as eating, sleeping and procreating.

The third chakra, the solar plexus, came into being gradually. In the early Lemurian days, actually it was a stage before Lemuria called Lamania, the third center developed. This third center, which was the sensing of other’s thoughts, developed as primitive man felt a definite need for communication with his own kind to differentiate between themselves and the animals. It was a very slow development as the energy of the second chakra was not closed off. It had to be kept, so it was necessary to grow and build and develop this third chakra or energy center from scratch.

This stage was followed more quickly by the addition of the heart chakra at the same time that these simple creatures developed a conscience, a need to feel responsible for their actions against others. This heart chakra was a quickly developing one, as it became urgently necessary to keep the animal/men from destroying each other. Thus the animal began to have feelings and emotions to deal with in connection with his instincts. The third center, the solar plexus, was not deliberately closed off, but fell into disuse due to the heavy activity of the
second and fourth centers.

Thus the animal forms had developed into an upright, almost tailless form that began to sense their difference from the animals that stayed on all fours. They began letting others know what they meant by simple grunts and sign language. The sensing of other’s thoughts, this ESP, so to speak, begin fading, and needing a means to communicate, the throat chakra drew the energy bundle from the solar plexus up to the throat and the fifth chakra came into being. The grunts turned into distinguishable, intelligent sounds that developed quickly into a language.

The next chakra, the third eye, developed due partly to man’s deviousness and cunning and manipulation, and partly due to disuse of the solar plexus. When they wanted to know what others were thinking so they could manipulate them or beat them at inventing something, they used their imagination to visualize what the other was thinking, trying to second-guess the other, playing games, making up stories, telling fairy tales, and getting the person to respond to the games and daydreams. When this got carried too far drastic action was needed and the Atlantean civilization was destroyed.

Civilization was started over, but not clear back to the one cell again, by restructuring the chakra system. The use of the first chakra was still not needed and was completely sealed at this time. The second was still in use, the third one was reinstated, the fourth one was more separated from the second, functioning more individually from the instinct of the second. The fifth one was left as it was and the sixth one closed, sealed off and the spot for the seventh chakra was added. The energy from the sixth was sent to the seventh center but it was still sealed off until such time as it would be needed and safe to bestow on humanity.

The three lower chakras will set the goals. The root chakra gives the drive, the will to survive, the strength to forge ahead. The second chakra, the sacral plexus, gives the creativity to design your own life and the third chakra gives you the ability to psychically communicate with other kingdoms and other people. In the three higher kingdoms, the throat chakra gives you the ability to express your goals and creativity and to communicate with other kingdoms. The sixth chakra, the third eye gives you the ability to visualize creativity, and the crown chakra gives you the ability to communicate with the higher kingdoms. The fourth chakra, the heart chakra, functions as a transformer enabling all the other chakras to work in combination with each other.

The heart chakra transforms the physical evolution instinctual behavior of the animal kingdom into that of being a human being. Without these transforming capabilities, humanity would not have progressed to the point where it could serve as vehicles of expression for the spirits to enter. The three lower kingdoms draw from that which went before you in time of a physical nature. The three higher kingdoms allow you to access that which went before you in time of a spiritual nature. Both of these are used to form your own universe which is your heart chakra.

How To Meditate – A Guide For The Complete Beginner

Meditation is not a complex matter. It’s not even a spiritual practice, as many people think, unless you wish to make it one. It is more like aerobics for the mind. It tones and tunes up the thinking processes and the emotions and brings everyday life into sharper focus and new degrees of ease and harmony. It will NOT turn you into a flower- brandishing pansy or a grinning freak. It can improve your athletic performance or your love life, even increase your IQ. And the best part about meditation is that it requires nothing on your part but the time it takes to do it.
Start by choosing a comfortable chair. If you’re new to this, we don’t advise using your bed. The chair should have a high back and sloped enough to support your head so it won’t drop into your lap when you relax. Sit down, sink in as deep as you can, and close your eyes.

Once your body is relaxed, keep your eyes closed and try to blank your mind, pushing aside every thought that pops up. You might be surprised how busy your mind really is, but this will be a lot of fun if you give it a try, even though it might take weeks before you can blank your mind for even a couple of seconds. Don’t think this means you’re going to have to work. The longer it takes the more stressed your mind was to begin with and the more benefit you’ll get from any improvement. This mind-blanking business can be frustrating at times, but it is definitely worth the effort, or lack of effort if you will. This clearing of the mind is more a growing process than something to be learned, so no one can really teach you how to do it. Transcendental Meditation (TM) has been using one technique for several years which seems to help, however. It involves the mental repetition of short, meaningless word in time with your breathing. The word acts as a focus point, something for the mind to latch onto, and it makes it easier for stray thoughts to fade into the background.

The first few times you try this, one of two things should happen. One type of person will find they can’t seem to relax their minds. They will suddenly begin a train of thought and may follow it for several minutes before remembering the original reason for relating. That’s fine. This loss of concentration indicates a degree of relaxation, and this sort of contemplation can be very valuable, as it can provide new insights into old subjects.

A second type of person will have dreamlets, the mini-dreams you have before falling asleep. After trying to pull themselves out of the dreamlets a few times, they will probably fall asleep. That too is fine. This indicates an ability to relax at will, and the person only needs to learn how to remain mentally alert while in the relaxed state.

You’ll find trying this, even unsuccessfully, for as little as a week, that your waking level of concentration, your resistance to stress and your endurance in all sorts of tasks will have increased. It will continue to increase long after you have learned to really blank your mind.

Once you are able to do that, you will find your mind becomes a clear screen on which you can project the most vivid fantasies, analyze problems and situations with amazing clarity and objectivity and delve into the depths of your thinking processes. That’s only a side benefit. As we have said, the most exciting benefits are seen in your day-to-day life.

You can remain in a meditative state as long as you like, but from five to twenty minutes after you reach that level of relaxed alertness your body will probably want to rise again. You can open your eyes and go about your business any time you like, although you may find yourself either a little drowsy or very energetic. People react differently to relaxation. You should immediately notice a calmness and vigor that will stay with you through the day.

These effects occur because meditation produces a response from the brain similar to that of the stress-reducing techniques. It regulates and increases your mental tolerance to all kinds of stimulus. So instead of a brain-wave curve most of us carry around that would sound like grungy acid-rock if you hear it, your brain-wave curve will come to resemble more and more the sound of a flute or massed strings. And that will do you a world of good, even if you happen to be a grungy acid-rock musician!

We’re here to find that dimension

within ourselves

that is deeper than thought.

This teaching isn’t based on knowledge, on new interesting facts, new information. The world is full of that already. You can push any button on the many devices you have and get information. You’re drowning in information.

And ultimately, what is the point of it all? More information, more things, more of this, more of that. Are we going to find the fullness of life through more things and greater and bigger shopping malls?

Are we going to find ourselves through improving our ability to think and analyze, and accumulate more information, more stuff? Is “more” going to save the world? It’s all form.

You can never make it on the level of form. You can never quite arrange and accumulate all the forms that you think you need so that you can be yourself fully.

Sometimes you can do it for a brief time span. You can suddenly find everything working in your life: your health is good; your relationship is great; you have money, possessions, love, and respect from other people.

But before long, something starts to crumble here or there, either the finances or the relationship, your health or your work or living situation. It is the nature of the world of form that nothing stays fixed for very long — and so it starts to fall apart again.

* * *

The voice in the head that never stops speaking

becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form,

and therefore knows nothing of the most important

dimension of human existence:

the sacred,

the stillness,

the formless,

the divine.

“What does it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose yourself?”

* * *

It has been said that there are two ways of being unhappy: not getting what you want, and getting what you want.

When people attain what the world tells us is desirable — wealth, recognition, property, achievement — they’re still not happy, at least not for long. They’re not at peace with themselves. They don’t have a true sense of security, a sense of finally having arrived.

Their achievements have not provided them with what they were really looking for — themselves. They have not given them the sense of being rooted in life, or as Jesus calls it, the fullness of life.

* * *

The form of this moment is the portal into the formless dimension. It is the narrow gate that Jesus talks about that leads to life. Yes, it’s very narrow: it’s only this moment.

To find it, you need to roll up the scroll of your life on which your story is written, past and future. Before there were books, there were scrolls, and you rolled them up when you were done with them.

So put your story away. It is not who you are. People usually live carrying a burden of past and future, a burden of their personal history, which they hope will fulfill itself in the future. It won’t, so roll up that old scroll. Be done with it.

You don’t solve problems by thinking; you create problems by thinking. The solution always appears when you step out of thinking and become still and absolutely present, even if only for a moment. Then, a little later when thought comes back, you suddenly have a creative insight that wasn’t there before.

Let go of excessive thinking and see how everything changes. Your relationships change because you don’t demand that the other person should do something for you to enhance your sense of self. You don’t compare yourself to others or try to be more than someone else to strengthen your sense of identity.

You allow everyone to be as they are. You don’t need to change them; you don’t need them to behave differently so that you can be happy.

* * *

There’s nothing wrong with doing new things, pursuing activities, exploring new countries, meeting new people, acquiring knowledge and expertise, developing your physical or mental abilities, and creating whatever you’re called upon to create in this world.

It is beautiful to create in this world, and there is always more that you can do.

Now the question is, Are you looking for yourself in what you do? Are you attempting to add more to who you think you are? Are you compulsively striving toward the next moment and the next and the next, hoping to find some sense of completion and fulfillment?

The preciousness of Being is your true specialness. What the egoic self had been looking for on the level of the story — I want to be special — obscured the fact that you could not be more special than you already are now. Not special because you are better or more wretched than someone else, but because you can sense a beauty, a preciousness, an aliveness deep within.

* * *

When you are present in this moment,

you break the continuity of your story, of past and future.

Then true intelligence arises,

and also love.

The only way love can come into your life

is not through form, but through that inner spaciousness that is Presence.

Love has no form.

About the Author:

Bestselling author Eckhart Tolle has emerged as one of the finest spiritual teachers of our time. He is the author of many books, including The Power of Now, A New Earth, and Stillness Speaks. This article and the accompanying photos are excerpted from his most recent work, a book and DVD package called Eckhart Tolle’s Findhorn Retreat.

Reprinted with permission from Eckhart Tolle’s Findhorn Retreat: Stillness Amidst the World, © 2006 by Eckhart Tolle, Eckhart Teachings Inc. Published by New World Library, www.NewWorldLibrary.com .

Aventurine is a variety of quartz that contains Mica which gives it a beautiful glistening shine.The most common colour of aventurine is a forest green colour, but it may also be orange, brown, yellow, blue, or grey.
The name aventurine derives from the Italian “a ventura” meaning “by chance”, therefore Aventurine is known as the stone of chance or luck.

As a ‘power stone’ Aventurine is excellent for attracting abundance & wealth, and is the stone of opportunity.

Aventurine is also considered an all purpose healer. A potent stone for relieving stress, anxiety, and emotional discomfort. It helps us to see alternatives and potentials.

Dark green Aventurine is especially beneficial in healing. It is said to carry the healing power of the earth. Crystal therapists often recommend this stone for overall healing support.
Green Aventurine is most often mentioned in healing heart, stress and eye conditions.

Place this stone around your neck or on the area where healing is needed. For major illnesses, compliment use of this stone with emerald and/or frosted quartz. Transparent Aventurine is extremely powerful.
Aventurine is also excellent for protecting the Heart Chakra, acting as a shield against ‘energy drainers’ who like to tap in and use the energy of other people.

Psychologically, aventurine reinforces leadership qualities like decisiveness. It promotes compassion, empathy and perseverance.