Weaving A Gem Of A Life » healing talismans

November Contest

Peg Cherre — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:50:35 +0000

Although here in the northeast our gardens are pretty much done in October, traditionally November is a time of celebration for the past growing season. Thanksgiving is the culmination of this, and includes gratitude for many things beyond just sufficient food.

My November contest is in that spirit of gratefulness and abundance.

I made a talisman specifically for this month’s prize.

Copper is said to bring relief from some joint ailments. I just love its rich, warm color. I’ve stamped it with the word shanti, which means peace. That’s part of what I think of with gratitude, and what I wish for. Inner peace, peaceful thoughts and feelings toward others, and peace in my community and the world.

I chose an assortment of gemstones for their healing properties. With Thanksgiving generally a time of abundance, I included moss agate, amber, and peridot. These three gemstones are said to bring abundance to their owners. Because of the word I chose for the copper, I wanted to repeat the message of peace and happiness, so I selected amethyst, peridot, and repeated the amber. Peridot is also helpful in inspiring compassion, an essential element for both internal and external peacefulness.

I’m sometimes asked what one does with a talisman. Here are a few options: carry it in your pocket (my personal favorite) or purse, hang it from your bedpost, put it on a leather thong and wear it around your neck, pin it to your waistband. The point is to keep the talisman near you as much as possible.

So how can you win this lovely talisman? I’ll be posting several entries asking for your response related to the November theme. All you need to do is comment on one or more of them.

For this week, the question is this — tell me about a person that graces your life, that makes you grateful for his or her presence, that brings a smile to your lips. I’ll tell you about mine in a few days.

Talisman Earrings

Peg Cherre — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:32:29 +0000

A good friend asked me to make her a pair of talisman earrings to improve her memory.

I know this woman well so didn’t need to ask too many more questions. I knew that I really needed to focus on memory, but also wanted add other gems for mental functioning.

So I did my research, gathering information about healing gemstones that are good for memory, creativity, and focus, among other qualities. I let it all percolate in my brain.

Talisman Earrings

A few days later I gathered my stones and sat down to the design challenge. I wanted to include several types of stones. Although I want all my talismans to be aesthetically pleasing, that was particularly important because these were earrings – they’d be seen highly visible, not like my healing talisman for my knees that I carry in my pocket, or little Benjamin’s talisman, or even the custom bracelet and necklace talismans I’ve made, since they’re not always seen when they’re worn. Additionally, my friend usually wears only small, simple, monochromatic earrings. How would I incorporate multiple gemstones into small earrings that she’d find wearable? After trying various arrangements, I came up with two options for her; she chose one and I completed the pair.

The talisman gemstone earrings contain petrified wood, carnelian, clear quartz, blue topaz, and rubies. Petrified wood, carnelian, and clear quartz are all memory enhancers. Carnelian, ruby, and blue topaz are all used to stimulate creativity, while clear quartz and ruby improve general brain function. Courage, stress reduction, wisdom, calmness, and clear thinking are a few of the other qualities these healing gems can impact.

My friend’s only had them for a few days so we can’t comment on their effectiveness yet, but she does like the way the look, move, and feel when she’s wearing them.

Contact me if you need a custom talisman, and I’ll be happy to help.

My Knees Are Better!

Peg Cherre — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:35:38 +0000

I’ve been carrying my healing talisman for my knees during all my waking hours for three weeks now, and all I can say is, “WOW!”

My knees feel SO much better!

Now, I can’t claim that use of the talisman deserves all the credit, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s at least partly responsible for the dramatic improvement.

Prior to making the talisman, my left knee ached most of the time. It would become stiff very quickly, requiring me to rise out of a chair slowly and take initial awkward steps until the knee started functioning normally. I was applying my herbalist friend’s arnica oil at least twice daily to reduce both pain and inflammation. My knee was quite visibly swollen, and I couldn’t sleep in my usual positions because my knee objected, sometimes loudly. I was taking a hot bath just to soak my knees in the warmth at least twice a week.

Now, just three weeks later, my knee is not completely recovered, but it is DRAMATICALLY improved. I don’t use the oil every day. I can sleep in my preferred positions about half of the time. My knee is nowhere near as stiff when I get up from sitting.

Sure, I still have to pay attention to it. It still doesn’t like me to kneel or squat for more than a minute or two, which is a bit of a problem with all my gardening. And my sleep isn’t completely as I’d like it to be. But hey, it’s only been a short time.

I’m certainly going to keep carrying my healing talisman for my knee, in my left pocket whenever possible (it’s my left knee that’s bad), for some time to come. And keep being kind to this joint that carries me through my life.

Learn about how gemstones can enhance healing, and if you think a talisman could help you, contact me and I’ll gladly create one just for you. It will contain healing gemstones chosen especially for you, and will be of a size and shape appropriate to you, your lifestyle, and your personal taste.

(There’s no photo with this post, ‘cuz trust me, even with the swelling down, you do NOT want to see my knees!)

Amethyst – Purple Beauty

Peg Cherre — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:44:11 +0000

purple rayon chenille handwoven scarf

I love amethyst. I’m a real purple person, attracted to this color in all its many shades and forms, whether I’m looking at gemstones or clothing, wall colors or furniture. (You could certainly have guessed that simply by the colors of this blog.) The color of royalty and nobility, purple just makes me feel good, particularly when I’m wearing it. And there’s something about the translucency of amethyst that doubles its pleasure for me. Personally, I prefer dark amethyst, but I also appreciate its more lavender shades (sometimes called Cape Amethyst).

Interestingly, the name amethyst comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “not drunken,” because amethyst was thought to prevent drunkenness. It also symbolized piety and was thought to encourage celibacy, making it an important stone in the early days of the church. In my personal opinion, I think its rich purple color, denoting royalty, was equally important to church leaders, and it’s possible that they “gave” amethyst its connection to celibacy and piety as opposed to the other way around.

amethyst

February’s birthstone, amethyst is not only beautiful, it’s a powerful healing gemstone. It is calming and soothing, great for relieving stress and stimulating happiness. A piece of amethyst worn around your neck or carried in your pocket can be useful during meditation sessions, helping in your quest to quiet your brain and focus on your breath.

Amethyst can help transform negative energy into positive, providing tranquility and relieving stress and depression. It can open the channels between the physical and spiritual worlds, promoting telepathy and lucid dreaming.

The most popular form of quartz, amethyst is fortunately abundant, and large stones of decent quality can still be purchased affordably.

Amethyst is strongly connected to the chakras, or energy centers in the body. It is believed to help align and balance especially to the 6th (Third Eye) and 7th (Crown) chakras.

The Third Eye chakra is helped by amethyst’s ability to heighten spiritual and psychic awareness, as well as its calming and stress-relieving properties. Amethyst also aids in introspection and to increase intuition.
The Crown chakra controls our mental energies, and amethyst’s ability to reduce stress helps here, too. This chakra is important in meditation, and, as mentioned earlier, amethyst’s ability to calm the mind helps in that activity.

Some people believe that amethyst can also help with physical healing, treating toothaches, bone and joint ailments, stomach problems, and heart or hearing disorders. It has been used to cure headaches, treat blood diseases, including diabetes and hypoglycemia, and to minimize problems of the central nervous system.

You can buy amethyst jewelry, a talisman, or a purple scarf from my website.