Seeking out crystals that have only experienced life from within our earth. Their energy is pure, uncontaminated, and wise. These minerals radiate their connection with Mother Earth and tell a story that no human could ever create. We embrace their story and open ourselves up to truly receive their energy and presence.
Our personal mining experience has transformed quite a bit since we first began diggin. There used to be a certain element of “success or bust” that felt like if we put in the effort, backpacked our tools up the sheep trails of loose rocks to the steep peaks, that we better be “successful” and come back with what we set out for. In the last few years we have surrendered this belief and shifted our mindset to truly go for the experience, and the experience alone. Trusting the process, reading the land, only packing our survival supplies, and heading out with the sol purpose to connect with the land. There is a sense of surrender and ease that floods my whole being when we set out into the desert without the need to force a specific outcome. Since we have adopted this new relaxed experience based approach, the universe has delivered us one deep pocket after another, with very little struggle on our part.
There is a willingness for adventure that no lense will expose. This is our life, not just a bunch of squares on Instagram... It Fills Us Up to go to bed with no plans for the next day and to wake up with a feeling of "LETS GO". We have carefully crafted our lives to have the freedom to go when we are called. This time, we made the trek out to a part of the desert where the roads are so rough that you MUST air down (yes we have popped not just one, but TWO tires in one single pass within this section of the desert before). This is a place that has been forgotten by society, not even a slight tease of cell service, and more often then not, zero exposure to other humans. There is a certain freedom and satisfaction that comes from going on adventures that require you to be 100% self reliant. Accepting the risks and trusting in our ability to overcome any obstacle is incredibly gratifying.
Rainas freedom face
When we finally made it to the base of the sacred peak from which we were to grab our packs and set out on foot, Jay and I decided to climb up separate ravines. Most of our adventures together are actually spent in solitude. We communicate specific rendezvous point before splitting but this practice is necessary and allows us to each deeply follow our intuition. It releases the pressure of having to move along through an area that you want to slow down and take your time to notice and appreciate every little rock and crevasse. It allows you the space to sit on that perfect granite boulder and share with land your abundant gratitude (for longer than you would if you had company) and the most beautiful part is it gives us a chance to share our separate sacred experiences with each other when we reconnect. 3 hours later, I found my beloved at the top of the mountain, visibly glowing and beaming with joy. He asked me first what I had come across and how my journey was but the little kid inside of him was screaming I CANT WAIT TO SHOW YOU WHAT I FOUND. So I shared my story (which was loaded with treasure and powerful realization), as he patiently waited to share his.
Turns out he spent the first hour and a half climbing the mountain without the slightest clue that there would even be Crystals up above him. When he made it to all the way up to the saddle, he still hadnt yet found a single Crystal, not even a chunk of a shank, nothin... he was still satisfied with the journey, sat down and had a short but powerful meditation. When he opened his eyes, there was a Crystal that was catching the sun perfectly, giving itself away oh so gently, laying on the top soil just a few feet from him. He was awe-struck by the circumstances. He tuned in and dove deep into the surrounding landscape. Just a little further up from the winker (thats what we call the ones that sparkle when they catch the sun juuuust right), he noticed a shelf that beforehand seemed unassuming but now was intriguing.... he swiped a few layers of dirt away with his bare hands and exposed two aspects of A Crystal that seemed "too good to be true". He took a quiet moment of gratitude and appreciation and put his hands back into the dirt. Luckily, he had the foresight to film the uncovering this beauty...(here is a link to his post via Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvf-eMWFKm7/ ).
Large Smoky Mined in California, fresh out of the earth for the first time
He attributes his finding of this Crystal to his meditation. Peace had washed over him, allowing him to be fulfilled with his experience on the mountaintop regardless of the outcome. With all the foraging, hunting, gathering and hounding that we experience throughout the seasons, I believe it takes truly being aligned with the frequency of land to gain access to all that she offers. You will see it when you believe it. Not the other way around.
Large Smoky Mined in California, After it had been rinsed off