Understanding Stones Part 11: Picture Jasper

Stone Name:  Picture Jasper

Birthstone Month:   March

Zodiac Association:  Leo

Affected Chakra: The Crown

History of Use:  

Jasper is one of the most prominent decorative stones in the world, and was also a popular stone amongst many ancient civilizations. It is an opaque, impure silica stone with surface that’s typically smooth. The name ‘Jasper’ means ‘spotted stone’, and it’s drawn from Old French vernacular ‘jaspre’, along with several Latin, Greek and Semitic origins.  Picture Jasper's earthy colors are due minerals and "impurities," including high iron content.  The unique banding is created by petrified mud and/or dendritic inclusions.  By cutting and polishing these stones, the variations appear as detailed scenes, hence the name "Picture Jasper."

Spiritual Properties: 

The Picture Jasper stone is thought to enforce a stronger sense of oneness with the element of earth. Being very grounded in the core of the planet, this stone is said to make one more capable of rational and analytical thought. With a renewed sense of responsibility and level-headedness, this stone is perfect for those who seek to make sense out of chaotic and painful feelings. The clarity-summoning Picture Jasper stone is perfect for those who have ambitions in business, or ideas that require a high level of creativity.  Wearing picture jasper will help absorb any surrounding negative energy.  

Physical Healing Properties: 

Picture Jasper is not only believed to promote a higher degree of security and nationality, but also a more secure immune system.  With a refortified immune system, all the toxic residue idling in the body can be purged before it becomes a serious problem.  Toxicity that's allowed to sit in the body for an extended period of time can easily pollute it beyond repair, but with the picture jasper stone, the road to recovery is made much swifter.  The stone is not only valuable for the direct health benefits, but also as a supplement to water over other dietary or habitual adjustments you may be making for a healthier lifestyle.

Up Next: Kyanite

Understanding Stones Part:10 Jade

Image taken from Pinterest.com

Image taken from Pinterest.com

Stone Name: Jade 

Birthstone Month:  Not a traditional birthstone 

Zodiac Association:  Taurus and Libra

Affected Chakra: Heart Chakra

History of Use:

Throughout history, Jade has been known as an exceedingly popular rock for ornamental purposes. Technically, jade can be used to describe one of a pair of two stones that are called metamorphic rocks. Metamorphic rocks get their name due to the fact that they develop from larger rock formations that have already arisen in the past. The two different forms of jade are nephrite and jadeite. Nephrite is a slightly tougher form of jadeite, though it is a tad bit softer as well.  Jade is iconic for its deeply green coloration, and the more iron that that’s in nephrite, the more prominent the green coloration will be. Jade is made up of rich quantities of sodium, aluminum, calcium, iron and magnesium. The term jade is formed from a term that has Spanish origins, piedra de ijada, or loin stone. Throughout history, jade has been used as a hardstone for prehistoric carvings and was used to form a plethora of artifacts. Ancient peoples are also documented to have favored the stone due its alleged ability to improve the state of the kidneys and loins. There was once a rich deposit of jade in the Nigshao area that was commonly used for Chinese utilitarian and ceremonial items. 

Spiritual Properties:

Even though it’s been used for the construction of weaponry, jade has also been known as an extremely powerful healing stone for thousands of years. It’s called the ‘’Dream Stone’ by some due to the fact that it’s said to have properties conducive to deeper spiritual, metaphysical understanding.  With this enhanced level of spiritual power comes a higher capacity for creativity. 

Physical Healing Properties: 

Beyond only a spiritual boost, the properties of jade were also valued throughout ancient Chinese history for fighting kidney diseases. The kidneys, spleen and bladder were all believed to become healthier when in close proximity to jadestone; so great was this belief that some even went as far to call jade the ‘spleen stone’. 

Up Next: Picture Jasper

The Willowwacks

I first heard The Willowwacks a year and a half ago and ever since I've been hooked on their mellow melody.  Their music brims with a sweet nostalgia and sings of love and appreciation.  Watching them on stage, its easy to see how much they enjoy each other's company and their playful banter will have you smiling in no time.  Admyar Photography and I were fortunate enough to snag them in between shows to do this little shoot.  Check them out on their website: TheWillowwacks.com

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Smokies Trip Day 6-7

Day 6-

With a heavy heart but a great appreciation for the Smokies, we cleaned out the cabin and packed up the truck.  Most of the day was spent driving.  Halfway through the day I called and made reservations at Hunting Island State Park and spent the rest of the evening getting there.  We got in around 9pm.  It was dark and we were tired so we decided to explore in the morning.

Day 7-

It was chilly and the condensation inside the truck hadn't turned to ice overnight - we could tell we were closer to home!  After we got up and ate breakfast (leftover trail mix and fruit leather) we headed over to the coastline for a walk along the beach.  When we got there, it was easy to tell why this was the most visited state park in South Carolina!

Just down the road - maybe a mile or so - was a lighthouse.  We decided to visit!  

On the way home we stopped in Asheville, NC again and had some of the best Thai food at Thai Tara.  YUM!

Overall it was a great trip despite not doing anything we planned!  Or maybe it was a great trip because we didn't do anything we planned??  Either way, it was a true adventure!

Smokies Vacation Day 4-5

In our last post, we made our way up to the edge of Smoky Mountain National Park with the intention of backpacking around the center of the park.  Along the way we stopped in Savannah, GA, Ashville, NC and just as we reached the park learned of the road closing that gave us access to the trailhead, so we spent the night as the sole guests of Smokemont Campground.

Day 4.  We woke up late - around 9am.  It was chilly sleeping inside the truck but luckily Alex had the forethought of putting boiling water inside a Nalgene bottle and placed it inside our double sleeping bag, so we were able to sleep comfortably for most of the night.  Although we had spotty cellphone reception, I was able to pull up the temperature readings from the night.  It had gotten down to nine degrees Fahrenheit and it was currently snowing!  We swung open the back flap of the truck soft topper to see.  The buffering of the falling snow created a beautiful but eerie silence in the unoccupied campground.  The stillness brought us back to childhood, when we would wake up, check for wintery weather and pray for a snow day!  I had the same giddy feeling inside.  

During the first hours of our day we spent getting an early lunch, touring the town of Cherokee (almost everything was either closed for the season or closed due to the snow but it was still fun), and of course we found ourselves back at the GSMNP Visitor's Center.  With the sun not being able to pierce the clouds and melt the ice the had built up on the road over the past couple weeks, we were once again denied access to the road that would lead us to the trailhead.  

Smokemont Campground - unoccupied and snowy

Entering downtown Cherokee

There was a quick debate on what we should do - stay at the unoccupied Smokemont Campground, lease a room for the night in downtown Cherokee, or find a cabin somewhere.  We decided to splurge on a cabin!    

It was snowing harder now and the roads were becoming a concern.  We called around to a few vacation rental companies in the area and landed on a little cabin called Squirrel Run just outside a neighboring town.  We needed to get to the cabin before dark so we left immediately, met with the rental company and got on our way through the mountains.  Warning us of the dangers of the roads leading outside town, we put on the snow chains Alex had bought as an 'extraordinary precaution' and made sure to drive as conservatively as we could.  

Learning to put on ice chains

Snowy road to Squirrel Run cabin

When we finally reached the cabin, I couldn't contain my joy!  We had rented the perfect little cabin (we were in such a hurry to find shelter before sundown we got very little details about the location and the state of the cabin)!  It was a small log cabin set atop a steep ridge overlooking a small and quiet valley.  The cabin was studio set up with a full kitchen, a comfy cozy king-size bed, a large leather couch and a small cast-iron fireplace for additional heating.  A small wraparound porch sat on stilts extending from the cabin which held two rocking chairs, a swinging bench, and a hot tub!  We quickly unloaded the truck and spent the sunset relaxing in the hot tub with a bottle of wine the owners of the cabin had supplied.

Squirrel Run Cabin!

Inside Squirrel Run Cabin

Day 5.  We woke up to a bluebird sky and a strong appetite to spend the day outdoors.  After a quick breakfast and a soak in the jacuzzi, we pulled out a map and located the nearest hiking trail.  To our delight there was a six mile hike that featured three waterfalls!  We stuffed our day packs with water, snacks, fleece and a first aid kit and got on our way.

The beginning of the hike was chilly, but we quickly warmed up as we climbed the trail.  The silence the snow had brought, and the fact we were the only ones out exploring that early made the hike a memorable experience.  Crunching fresh footprints in the snow, hearing the flapping of birds wings amongst the frozen trees,  I had realized it wasn't just the hiking I had been missing the past two years - it was the solitude and the chance for the ability to listen to nature in its purest form and not through the hustle and bustle of town.  There was a truth in the loud silence that was so beautiful to feel and hear and I just wanted to cry tears of joy.   

We approached the first waterfall.  Because of the terrain, the ground caught some of the cascading water and formed incredible ice formations on its banks.  We couldn't resist stopping to take pictures!

There were many other beautiful sights as we hiked through the snow and the mountains - most of the unique wonders came from the different ways water worked its way through the landscape, as it transformed from water to ice then to water again, the way it fell from trees in the form of snow, the way it grew with the help of minerals from the ground.

Ice crystal growth amongst red clay

Pausing at waterfall #2 (Indian Falls)

Waterfall #3

Me standing in front of waterfall #3

My daypack setup

Sun ray-nbows

Capturing the light

It was hard accept the hike was over, but it was great to know we could go back to our wonderful little cabin, hang out for the rest of the evening with wine in the hot tub overlooking a quiet snow-covered valley then spend the night next to the fire.

Post-hike soak