EQUINOX SERIES

Contains Four Crystal Articles for the Winter, Summer, Fall and Spring Solstices

Winter Solstice

Winter is all about locking energy in. The deep hibernation of power during Winter will later awaken as a rebirth and renewal in the Spring. The Winter Solstice is a time also of celebration as the mysteries of the feminine take us into our subconscious.

Some crystals you can add into your solstice event include:
Black Onyx for protection and for deepening the connection within one's self;

Azurite to remind us of the Winter's deep blue night sky, providing us with depth of vision and clarity of inner communication;

Sugilite for providing a meditative space, for reducing anxiety over the length of the dark winter, and for staying tuned into the Universe;

Snowflake Obscidian to remind us of the balance between Light and Dark; and

Clear Quartz Cluster, Snow Quartz or Drusy Quartz to symbolize the purity of the Winter.

Frosted Crabapple Tree - Mount Tsai, China

For a small private winter ceremony, arrange your crystals around a fire or charcoal incense burner. As you inhale, draw in the energy of the crystal though the flames or smoke. With each exhale, speak out and release wrong doings, suspicions, doubts, jealousies, greed, and other harmful thoughts or acts committed during the year. Ask for forgiveness, burning a little sage, and offer healing prayers with some tobacco.

The quick cold snaps of Winter keep us alert, preventing our minds from getting sluggish and our bodies from getting complacent. Take in as much of the Winter Sun (Yang energy) as you need to balance the long nights (Yin energy). Enjoy the quiet pace of Winter and prepare yourself for your inner journey at this time.

Summer Solstice

Tiger Lily, Quebec, Canada

As a priest, priestess, shaman or layperson, crystals are a wonderful addition to the solstice celebrations. During the summer solstice, when the natural radioactivity is strongest, crystals amplify the effects of the transition to a full yang (male) energy. To harmonize and create balance within yourself and for the Earth, crystals can be used during the ceremony for welcoming in the sun's active energy. I offer some suggestions for your own ritual, for without a solstice ritual, would the Summer ever come ?

Put every crystal you have in a circle around you and stand in the middle to conduct your solstice celebration. If you do not have many crystals to make a circle, select 4 and place them at each of the Four Corners and stand in the middle of your Medicine Wheel. It does not matter how you place each crystal, as the energies will be completely harmonized within the Wheel.

Some stones that can be used at the Summer Solstice for their special connection at this time with the Universe are: Jasper, Agate (multi-coloured), Calcite (Golden or White), Granite, Lepidolite, "Red Rocks" (e.g., from Sedona or other red clay formations), Labradorite, Pyrite, Tiger Eye, a Clear Quartz Crystal ball, and Sunstone. These stones resonate with the Sun's energies and help to guide in White Light to the ritual area to open up the energies of the people participating in the ceremony. Use Moss Agate or Moonstone for an evening solstice.

If you have some clear quartz crystals (any size), you can create another type of circle by sticking them directly into the ground, with the tips up. This will draw the Earth's yin energies up into the circle and blend with the Sun's yang energies. You will feel very good !

I usually offer something at each solstice to represent each of the 4 elements. I burn incense to represent the Earth and Fire. I offer Water, pouring it onto the ground. Crystals represent the Earth element and so I will give-away a small crystal to others attending the celebration. For the Summer Solstice, I recommend giving away a Golden Tiger's Eye, representing the Sun and Earth being brought together.

Enjoy the Summer !

Fall Solstice

The time of Harvest is in the sign of Virgo and Libra during the pregnancy of Autumn. The Fall is a time when Nature reaches fulfillment with the ripening of her fruits, and is symbolic of the fusion of opposites.Crystals which have inclusions or blend more than one type of crystal are symbolic of this time.

Oak Creek Canyon - Sedona, Arizona, U.S.A

Some of these types of crystals are: Snowflake Obscidian, Ametrine (Amethyst and Citrine), Chrysocolla, Azurite/Malachite, banded Agates such as Lace Agate, and Rutilated Quartz among many others. Select a double-terminated Quartz crystal, also symbolic of the fusion of opposites. Include a crystal with little baby crystals attached to the outside. Consider the four blended elements of Red Coral; a blend of its growth in Water, taking its nutrients from Earth, Fire (its colour) and that it has to be taken from the water and exposed to Air to harden. What a perfect balance and fusion of opposites. Place the stones in a bowl for an offering on the Autumn Solstice.

Other Solstice offerings can include the usual cornucopia of the full harvest: fruits bearing seeds to germinate in the Spring, pine cones and other nuts with rich meats for the winter, gourds, herbs, various vegetables including the roots. Arrange these in a large Earthenware bowl for the offering. Bless the food, and then consume it, or it can be given back to the Earth by throwing it into a wooded area where it will be eaten by small animals and insects. Offer water taken from a still sun-soaked pond, teaming with the life energies of the Summer. Burn Sweetgrass and make Tobacco offerings and prayers. Pour wine and enjoy the fruits of Summer, celebrating the abundance. Enjoy the last rays of the Summer Sun and give Thanks for the gifts you have received from the Earth this year.

Spring Solstice

Spring is the celebration of new life and renewal. Our energies begin to open and flow with the increased sunlight. It is a time of transition from a very yin/feminine presence of Winter to the increasing yang/masculine experience of Summer. Rains come to wash and nourish the earth while the sun heats the soil like an incubator, preparing the earth to receive and germinate new seeds. So, with our thoughts, we are rejuvenating our course of action and taking on new activity. There are several crystals we can wear that can help support us during this beneficial time:

Forsthyia in Bloom, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Carnelian- This crystal is orange and glows with warmth of the sun. It turns red with more exposure to sunlight. As Carnelian relates to the Root, Spleen and Solar Plexus chakras, it is ideal to wear during the spring time. Carnelian give confidence to proceed with new plans, offering protection and grounding of creative ideas.

Opal - These attractive crystals are very high in water content, and symbolize the aspect of joy and lightness of the Heart chakra. Opal radiants lightness, provides inspiration and encourages the pursuit of one's happiness.

Moldavite - This crystal comes from a meteorite and is transparent green. Moldavite invites expansion of consciousness, working with the Throat, 3rd Eye and Crown Chakras. This powerful crystal motivates and moves you into a position of change. If it becomes too changeable, take the stone off for a few days !

Fluorite - As a Spring Tonic, Fluorite can be used to cleanse the winter's disorders. Hold a piece (green or purple fluorite) in your hand and cleanse your aura , sweeping the crystal about 2-4 inches away from your body.

Other crystals that reflect the refreshing energies of Spring include: Aquamarine, Herkimer Diamond, Barite(Desert Rose), Amber, Coral, and Lapis Lazuli (for regeneration).

I usually offer something at each solstice to represent each of the Four Elements. I burn incense or sage to represent Fire and Air. I offer Water, pouring it onto the ground. Crystals represent the Earth element and so I will give-away a small crystal to others attending the celebration. For the Spring Solstice, I recommend giving away a Herkimer Diamond as it represents renewal, new beginnings and new memories. Give your home a good spray of Crystal Water (see below) in each room to recharge your living areas.

Crystal Water: Place a few crystals such as clear quartz, rose quartz and/or amethyst in a clear jar and fill with spring water. Place the jar in the sun for 4 -7 hours or longer to create a gem essence. The water will contain the properties of the crystals. Transfer the crystallized water to an atomizer and spray your entire house to refresh stale energies. Use the water up within a few hours as the potency decreases over time.

Copyright: Karen Ryan, 2000. All rights reserved. No part may be extracted, copied or reproduced without prior permission. Photographs are also the copyright of Karen Ryan, 2000.
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