Nicholas Pearson - The Seven Archetypal Stones: Their Spiritual Powers and Teachings

This book is dedicated to my late grandfather, Ron Pearson. His gift of my very first piece of quartz transformed me from the young boy who picked up rocks as souvenirs into a lover of fine minerals; this was the first time I experienced the alchemy offered by the crystalline kingdom. This piece of rock crystal sits beside me, even today. His greatest gift, however, was unconditional love and support in my childhood and adolescent years, which helped me find my voice and gave me the courage to share my passion with the world. Thank you for planting the seeds that would shape my life.

THE SEVEN
ARCHETYPAL STONES

Nicholas Pearsons book The Seven Archetypal Stones is well researched and beautifully written, offering new insights, meditations, and practices for seven of the most fascinating stones in history. It is refreshing to see a new generation of crystal authors like Nicholas Pearson.

KATRINA RAPHAELL,
AUTHOR OF THE CRYSTAL TRILOGY

Nicholas Pearson is one of the most plainly knowledgeable mineral persons I have met in my life. He masterfully bridges the worlds of the head and the heart, along with corresponding rituals. The crystal adventure is just beginning. Read this book and you will walk in both those worlds, and your life will be forever enrichedlikely enchanted.

MARILYN TWINTREESS, COAUTHOR OF THE
STONES ALIVE! TRILOGY, FEEDING THE LIVING BODY AND SOUL,
AND ELEMENTAL BIRTH IMPRINTS

A deep and thorough exploration of seven power stone spirits. Rather than just list the properties of the stones, Nicholas Pearson uses the history, myth, and science of the stones to create experiences that allow you to directly engage with their energies and spiritual lessons. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned some new things about some old favorite stones.

CHRISTOPHER PENCZAK, AUTHOR OF THE
TEMPLE OF WITCHCRAFT SERIES

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It would be an insurmountable task to personally acknowledge everyone who helped this project become a reality, so I shall attempt to name the key players and beg forgiveness to anyone not listed below. All of my friends and loved ones have been amazingly supportive and helpful for the duration of this process.

To my partner, Steven Walsh, I owe you gratitude for your support in ways I never imagined could be given. Thank you for your photographic and artistic expertise in this and subsequent texts. Thank you for supporting major life changes that led me to writing and publishing. And, of course, thank you for loving me in spite of the bouts of lunacy and messiness that were born of my creative process. My sincerest love and humblest gratitude may never be enough to repay you.

To my best friend, Kathy Moyer, I cannot say thank you enough; you have been my biggest cheerleader and the first person to review my early work. My gratitude for all your love, support, and honest feedback could never be measured.

To my family near and far, I offer my gratitude for more than I can include here. Without your love and acceptance, this chapter of my life would be less fulfilling. It is a blessing to have your support in my endeavors, no matter how different the path might be from the original plan. I love you all dearly, and this book couldnt have been written without the ups and downs of growing together.

To Brandon Weltz, your gift of believing in me when no one else did left an indelible mark on my soul. Thank you for the many years of adventure and for helping me make connections that have brought me into my own. I will be forever appreciative that the Master Gardener placed us in the same garden plot with our extended, co-created family. To the rest of this family, thank you for teaching me the values of community, responsibility, and compassion. I am indebted to your kindness and help through the past decade of my life.

To Rita Truax and Patricia Williams, special acknowledgments are due. In my late teen years you saw in me a potential I didnt see in myself. Thank you for inviting me to teach in your stores and for teaching me so many lessons over the years. To the rest of my amazing hosts and all of my students over the past twelve years, working with you is literally a dream come true. Without an opportunity to share my love of the mineral kingdom with you, I could never have made it this far in life.

To the past and present staff of the Gillespie Museum at Stetson University, thank you for enabling me to expand my love for rocks and minerals through a deeper appreciation of earth science. For allowing me to thrive among the treasures of the earth I will always be deeply grateful.

Finally, I send my gratitude to the staff of Inner Traditions. Everyone Ive connected with has been delightful and helpful. Thank you Erica Robinson for chatting with me and inviting me to send in my incomplete text; I dont know that I would have followed through with finishing the book without your encouragement. Thank you to Jon Graham for believing in the potential of this work and offering me a place among the talented family of authors published through Inner Traditions. And to my editor, Jamaica Burns, thank you for your expertise, patience, and willingness to help a first-time author.

INTRODUCTION

The mineral kingdom, comprised of beautiful crystals, dense rocks, sand, clay, and everything in between, is the very foundation of life on Earth. The rocks and minerals of our beloved planet form the very ground on which we walk and surround us in daily life. Metals are refined from ores and provide the structural framework for buildings, cars, and innumerable quotidian objects; glass is smelted from silica and ash and provides us with another structural material and countless other things we take for granted; gypsum is ever-present in modern life, on everything from plaster, to blackboard chalk, to wallboard. We are literally inseparable from the crystallinity of the planet.

THE ROLE OF CRYSTALS IN OUR LIVES

Humankind has been fascinated with rocks since the discovery of tools and the subsequent creation of ornaments. Cutting edges and projectiles, as well as pounding tools and weights, may have been the first known use of rocks. However, at some point one of our early ancestors must have picked up a stone just because its appearance was beguiling, or maybe even for a more nebulous quality: the way it felt. The history of minerals as ornaments and ritual implements is as old as human history. The relationship between humans and minerals is chronicled in artifacts from every culture that has ever walked the earth.

Today, not only do science, technology, and industry utilize the rich storehouse of mineral wealth, healers and mystics collect and revere the spiritual worth of gemstones and crystals. Encyclopedias and other books extolling their properties fill bookshelves; workshops attract attendees eager to explore the nature of crystals. The ancient call to co-create with the mineral kingdom lives on in an unbroken legacy, even into the twenty-first century.

Each year, new mineral deposits are found, some containing familiar stones while others surprise us with previously unknown beauties. Psychics and sensitives provide insight into their energies, and they are then cataloged alongside thousands of extant varieties of healing stones. The very same impetus to explore, categorize, and utilize the power of crystals has existed for centuries. With each passing year there are new developments in the understanding and use of crystals and minerals, and thus crystal healers become better equipped to alleviate the ills of the world. Simultaneously, as advances in the science of mineralogy occur, our understanding of the mineral kingdom becomes more profound.