"The Give Away". 
 
A few years ago I saw these twin quartz crystals on the table of the crystal lady at a Craft Market that I visited on a regular basis. The crystals were quite pricey and I did not think I could really afford them. But they haunted me all the way home so as soon as I could, I phoned the crystal lady and asked her to keep the crystals aside for me. She replied that of course she would because she felt that I was the right person for them to go to. I did not wait for the next Craft Market day, but instead went to the lady's home to fetch "my" crystals. They had once been joined, one across the other, but by the time they came to me they had separated. (I may have a photo of them to send you??). In Judy Hall's 'The Crystal Bible' she describes them as "Soulmate (Tantric twin)" crystals.
 
At the time I knew nothing of soulmates nor had any intention of finding a soulmate! I was simply drawn to the crystals with no conscious intention of how I was going to work with them. It just so happens that some time later my soulmate did manifest in my life turning our lives upside down and inside out. Whew, what an emotional roller coaster ride! This relationship carried a lesson that I needed to be learn in this life time as I had carried the weight of my pain and hurts through too many past lives. The lesson here was to let go so that I can love unconditionally. In hindsight, that's what the separation of the crystals was telling me although at the time I did not connect them to my 'problematic' soulmate. Even though we are not 'joined' or together in a physical relationship, we will never be apart as the connection is a deeply spiritual one. At one time I gave my soulmate one of the crystals but after a while had to ask for it back because it did not feel right that the crystals were apart.
 
My twin crystal story is not yet over: Some time after this, I was going to take part in a workshop based on Native American Teachings in which there is a ceremony titled "The Give Away". Before going to the workshop we were asked to take something of ours to give away. While sitting in meditation and contemplating what I could take, the twin crystals came to mind. "No, no, no," I said aloud, "I cannot give those away!" But the more my ego-self said "No!", the more, either the crystals or my Higher Self said that the crystals were to be given away. I picked them up with tears streaming down my cheeks and just knew then that that is what needed to be done. I felt grief-stricken as I lovingly wrapped the crystals and packed them into my case.
 
Prior to the ceremony as we sat on the floor in a circle, I was sitting opposite one of the women facilitators. Holding the crystals, I intended for them to go to her and thought that was how the ceremony worked: That you chose who you wanted your 'give-away' to go to but that was not how it worked. We all had to stand up and form two circles, one inside the other - one facing clockwise, the other circle facing anti-clockwise. We were then told to walk in the circle in the direction we were facing while a drum was beaten. When the drum stopped we were to give our give-away to the person facing us in the other circle. Once again my plans were dashed as there were certain people there that I definitely did not want the crystals to go to! But I had to let them go. We did this little give-away walk a number of times until I lost all trace of "my" crystals. When eventually we stopped and our give-aways had truly been given away, I was over the moon because my crystals went to my intended recipient.
 
Now I ask, was this my intention or was it the crystals? It feels to me as though the crystals chose me so that they could do their work in my life that has been necessary for my spiritual growth.
 
And I send love and gratitude to these two stone people who have been such a blessing in my life.
- Anonymous-
 

Amazing Healing!
My husband and I had been travelling through Africa and were on our way back home to Cape Town, taking a leisurely trip through South Africa.  One of our stops was Graskop.  My husband wanted to try fly fishing and I thought it would be lovely to go for a horse ride.  I hadn't ridden in many years, but had been brought up with horses and felt confident.  
However, the horse I was put on, was 'feisty' as the owner of the farm mentioned later into the ride, and it was an uphill battle the entire time to keep the horse from bolting.  The owner (who was riding with me) assured me all I needed to do was lengthen my reins and the horse would be more comfortable, which I did.
The horse bolted and headed for home.  There was no stopping him.  Up hill and down dale we went.  On the last stretch, instead of keeping to the track, he veered off  through the forest and I was thrown off.  My foot got caught in the stirrup and the horse ran over my back.  I knew there and then that I could not get up, but wiggled my toes and felt huge relief that I could feel them and they responded.  
The owner raced back to the farm house to call for an ambulance and a little while later my frantic husband arrived on the scene - he had seen the horse arrive back without the rider and assumed the worst.  
Once taken to hospital, xrays followed and it showed I had a broken pelvis.  I was absolutely devastated, as in 8 short weeks, I had booked a once in a lifetime trip to the UK and USA to see my childhood friends.
I asked my husband to go back to where we were staying and bring me my crystals (that had been travelling the entire trip with us) and I put them in the bed with me.  
A decision was made to fly me home asap, so the insurance (thank heavens for them) made a medical jet available and within a short time, I was back in Cape Town.
Day and night I kept the crystals in bed alongside my pelvis.  When they were next to me, the pain was definitely duller and I used them to help connect the bones again.
A long story short - I did go on  my dream trip, albeit with a slight limp.......the doctors were amazed as they didn't feel it was possible. Through determination and the healing properties of my beloved quartz crystals, the healing process happened much quicker than anticipated.
I always carry crystals with me, in time of anxiety, they calm me, their cool, smooth sides providing the grounding I need. :-)
- Kerry-

Everyone has a crystal story. Through the years, in the crystal shop, I heard so many stories. Stories of crystals that got lost and was found; crystals that changed colour; how a specific crystal ended up with someone; how it supported them, with physical, emotional or spiritual healing; why they love a specific crystal; how they became interested in crystals (rocks, minerals and gems)
This is your opportunity to share your story and I, in return, can share it with others.  By sharing your story, you give me permission to share it.  If you do not wish to be "named", just say so and we will share it incognito.
And there will be a draw every month and you can win a R250 voucher for GAIA Crystals.  You can mail me at gaiacrystals1@gmail.com, or comment on the blog or Facebook post or hand it in at the shop.  It can be one sentence or one book. 
I have many stories of my own. Starting off, I will tell you how I met the crystals for the first time.
In 2002, I went on a silent retreat, somewhere close to the Orange River, South Africa.
Part of the retreat we had to find a Power Spot. We were blindfolded and asked to walk (in nature) until we felt compelled to stop, and that would be it.  I walked and stopped, took my blindfold off and looked, there was nothing: no big tree, rock, river or anything.  I thought I "heard" wrong and need to walk on and find something else.  i did not do that, but looked to see what was there: at my feet was the most beautiful small rocks.  I bent down and looked and realise, this was it! In my mind, I talked to them, and asked them what they had to share with me? (At the time I was very depressed, just lost my mother, been through a divorce and didn't have any of my children with me since I had the first one) The little pebbles said: why are you so sad? We sit here in the open heat/sun everyday and we are still happy ( I could see them in my mind's eye jumping up and down and laughing) and you? you are just miserable all the time and you don't even have that measure of heat.  This sound simple, but it is true, I snapped out of my depression immediately and started laughing.  I had to plant a candle to say "thank you" and as the soil was very hard, I wanted to pick a stone to make a hole.  As I wanted to pick the stone up, I felt I needed to ask if I can use it, I did, and it said "no", I smirked at it and tried to pick it up anyway, I couldn't, it was part of a big rock and did not move.  Humbled by the experience, I asked the next stone and it said yes. There you have it?
A few days earlier I picked up a few of these pretty stones (because I liked them) and put them in my room. I did not know what they were, for a long time, only found out afterwards that it was agates. Anyway, when I went back to my room, after this interaction, I felt shy about the rocks that I picked up and did not ask them.  I ignored them. After another day or so, I finally addressed them and ask if I could please keep them.  They said, gladly, yes! They were my companions for a long time.  I would just sit and hold them, one by one. I never read or knew anything about crystals before this.