This is always my favorite time of year anyway, but I have so much to be excited about this week.  The weather is damp and cool, the way it should be in October.  Halloween is fast approaching and we have a Full Moon in the sky.  To make this week perfect, all I need is a surprise in my mailbox.  Oh, hey! Here it is!  My October Awakening in a Box!  There’s nothing like coming home to a subscription box after a long day at work.

The theme this month is Third Eye Chakra, which means that we only have one more month with the chakra series.  I came in at the Heart Chakra in August, but I’ve been enjoying learning all about my new stones.  In this box, I received Labradorite, Amethyst, Petalite, and my bonus gift of Black Tourmaline.  In addition to the stones, this box contained a sage smudge stick and a chakra sticker.  I’m pretty giddy about the sticker considering the work I put into my own Chakra Series in this blog.

Labradorite is one of my very favorite stones.  I didn’t have any rough pieces in my collection, and this is my largest specimen yet.  It explodes with color when wet, but when dry, like the picture above, it appears a muted yellow-green.  My first use of labradorite was over ten years ago, when I placed a small labradorite bead on my eyebrow ring (a long retired piercing) to enhance clarity and insight.  The ID card that came with this piece mentions that it seals the aura from energy leaks.  This is definitely helpful for introverts who may have to deal with challenging social situations as we don’t have much energy to spare.

This isn’t my first rodeo.  I’ve had amethyst in my collection since before there was a collection, but I will never say no to more of it.  This stone will always remind me of my grandmother.  She was a serious rock hound, and she gave me my first piece of amethyst.  It was a small, tumbled crystal, white at one end where it had been broken from the matrix.  I was very young, single digits, and like any kid, I have no clue where that stone ended up.

Amethyst is a very popular stone, and like the ID card states, it’s beneficial in breaking addictions (though, it sort of started mine).  The name comes from the Greek amethystos meaning “not drunken.”  It was worn to prevent intoxication.  In 16th century poetry, the story goes that the god Bacchus pursued the maiden Amethyste, who rejected him.  She prayed to remain chaste, and her prayer was answered when Diana turned her to pure white crystal.  Bacchus in turn poured an offering of wine over her, dying the stone purple.  Sounds romantic for 16th century, but sounds a little creeper dude bro by today’s standards.  Still, stones with lore are always fascinating.

So I’m totally spoiled.  I grew up between Marble Falls and Llano, Texas.  That segment of the Colorado river is rich with granite, especially the pink variety.  I remember learning about our very special, local Stacia Rose granite in school.  It was so common that our unpaved roads were often covered in the coral-pink gravel chips from the nearby quarries.  It never once occurred to me that pink granite was anything but common (look at our Capitol building if you don’t believe me).

Petalite is found naturally in granite.  Larger pieces can be pure, icy clear or pale, milky pink.  This piece is interlaced with mica and is a soft, tea rose pink.  This stone sent me on such a mental journey, I was able to recall the deepest details of memory.  It’s been twenty years since I lived in that region, and the information above hasn’t crossed my mind in even longer.  I guess you could say, I’ve taken it for “granite.” *rimshot*

Because I shared my box on Instagram, facebook, and my blog last month, I received a bonus this month.  My collection already includes a small piece of black tourmaline about the side of a pencil eraser, but the pieces I just received are quarter and nickle sized.  At this size, you can really see the shiny surface.  Black tourmaline is a Root Chakra stone, and is supposed to be protective to people who spend a great deal of time at the computer (ding ding ding!)

I love this box, and I always look forward to seeing what’s next.  If you’re interested in this subscription service, visit the website, or check out my information page.