Sparkly Things

I love sparkly things, old beads, buttons and all kinds of crystals. I began beading 15 years ago, while recuperating from a bicycle accident and I haven’t stopped. I love taking apart old costume jewelry and repurpose them. I love semi-precious stones and crystals. I buy a lot of beads. Luckily for me, beads are small; they don’t take up much space.

We were talking about tattoos one day; some of my friend’s kids are getting to that age now. One daughter was thinking about getting her chakras tattooed, energetically- not so good. In fact I was horrified. “She can’t do that!” And the idea of the “Custom Chakra Necklace by Sherry” was born. The first necklace was for her, a high school graduation present.

I knew that I would make something pretty, but had no idea energetically how to do this. In fact, I was a skeptic. Did it really work? What kind of power do these stones have? Was it all hogwash? I had a lot to learn and magically a teacher appeared.

On a whim I walked into The Bead Store on Castro St. Ebba & I started talking. She knew a LOT about crystals & suggested I get a copy of The Book of Stones Who They Are & What They Teach, by Robert Simmons & Naisha Ahsian. Lucky for me, it was right around the corner at Crystal Way. The pictures are fabulous but there was so much information, I felt inadequate to the task. My qigong teacher told me not to worry, I knew more than I thought. Guess what? He was right.

To learn more about the person who would be wearing this piece I interviewed someone who has known her since pre-school. She’s an outgoing redhead who was about to go off to NYC to study acting and teaching. I’d learned from Ebba that Black Tourmaline is an excellent protector & very grounding and decided to start there. Then I felt drawn to Blue Chalcedony and was blown away when I learned more about the qualities of this beautiful stone. Blue chalcedony is a type of quartz. It is calming, cooling balancing, excellent for communication and it strengthens the vocal system. Perfect for an aspiring actor/teacher.

Based on my experience making this piece I am no longer a skeptic. And, I now have greater insight into my artistic technique. I respond to frequencies, be it the energy of color or the inherent energetic frequency of a stone. No wonder color mixing came so easily to me. I never needed to memorize which combinations work best in paintings since I feel it. Same with putting together beads.

Painting, beading, bodywork, qigong are different aspects of the same thing. This skill, this noticing the unseen is the best way to harmonize with what is all around us. Learning how to notice the unseen is one way to develop your intuition. I’d been doing this consciously with bodywork and Trager for a long time. But I never made the connection between that and art. Instead I was unconsciously responding to frequencies of color and stone. This chakra necklace was the catalyst I needed. Now I use this more intentionally, and so can you. With time, patience and practice anyone can develop their sense of intuition. Spend some time getting reacquainted with the right side of your brain. Take an art class, walk in nature and really notice it. Or get involved in body movement like dance, taiji, yoga, or qigong. The possibilities are endless.