“On Learning. An Intro to Crystals”

This post marks the official start of our Margo Metaphysical blog. If you are reading this, it’s because you already know the store, but just in case, I would love to introduce Margo Metaphysical and my relationship with the store briefly. Briefly. I know, I know, that’s a tall order, but I’ll try.

Margo Metaphysical sits in the historic district of downtown Athens and is a locally owned and operated metaphysical store. Margo specializes in offering affordable prices for healing stones, crystals, spiritual tools, sage, aromatherapy, statuary, and jewelry. Additionally, we invite you—our customers—to our healing space upstairs where we host healers and readers. The healing space is flexible, and we regularly host tarot readings, oracle readings, “kidsana” yoga, sound healing, and art healing. The sky’s the limit up there!

As for my introduction: my name is Jasmine (they call me Jas for short), and I’m actually new to the team here at Margo. After a series of missed connections dating back to April, I finally got a call—the call—from Jill (our owner, who many of you know!) with her invitation to join the team. This happened in July, and I feel very lucky. I feel like this was one of those “meant to be” moments where everything lines up for a reason.

I also feel a little bit like I’m in over my head.

You know the feeling when you go to an art show or a museum, and you think, “Wow, I’m really into this” and “Hey, I don’t know why this art makes me feel the way I do, but I love it“? Yeah. That’s the feeling. The feeling of being a magick appreciator, only now, you’re graduating from a magick enthusiast to a magick expert. It’s the feeling of walking back into that museum, being handed a brush, and being told, “You love this, you got this, here’s a blank canvas, so go ahead and paint.” But, I don’t think I’m alone in feeling like this. In fact, I know I’m not alone. Based on the way the past month has gone—with the number of questions and the glints of curiosity from our customers and community—I know this is much more of a universal experience than I thought. There’s a shared feeling in this community, which is that this is essential. That what we do, the people we connect with here, are essential.

So. I know I’m not alone.

I know because Jill took me by the hand on my first day here and began to share her knowledge with me in the same selfless spirit of learning that this city—our dear Athens—knows intimately. The generous way. The no-holds-barred way. She led me to resources where I could learn independently and pointed out the books that might guide my way. She quickly introduced me to Emma, one of our employees who teaches our monthly Introduction to Crystals class in our upstairs healing space:

From there, the Introduction to Crystals class immediately snagged my attention.

When I walked into Emma’s class, I generally knew what to expect. I understand how classes go, and I knew that I was up for learning, so that sparked something in me. I’m a UGA alumnus. This feels like the right place to learn. This feels right.

We settled onto soft cushions, and Emma—ever-patient and knowledgeable—offered the class incense and five stones. That day marked a change. The fire of learning rekindled, and I realized: I don’t have to be an expert now. I won’t pretend to be an expert. Instead, I can genuinely say this: I am learning, and I am loving learning. So, in the spirit of learning, in the spirit of all the imparted knowledge of my last four weeks, I am excited to invite you to learn with me:

Crystals for Learning

Amethyst

Amethyst is one of the “starter crystals.” It’s also the perfect crystal for students. Right now, classes are beginning all across the nation. They just started here in Athens. I’m going to skip some of the obvious properties of amethyst and focus on one of my favorite benefits: stress relief. Stress relief. Do I really need to say more?

In addition to classes, the start of school means contending with new schedules, new projects, new teams, and new friends. Starting the school year by focusing on your mental health and your sleep—which amethyst helps with— to me sounds vital. It’s the old adage: you have to refill your own cup before you can fill others. The school year has always felt like a New Year celebration to me, like a new beginning. Which brings us to…

Moonstone

Moonstone is our stone of new beginnings, awakening the third eye, intuition, calm, and balance. Just because we’re all learning doesn’t mean we have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Learning is not just a singular activity; it is a collective activity. To learn, something has to be shared. To have something to share is invigorating. And when you are feeling calm—too calm—then you need to evoke the spirit of moonstone and find your balance, find your passion to be the other side of your scale, and that looks like:

Carnelian

Carnelian is the stone of invigoration, motivation, and drive. While we stay calm with moonstone and stress-free with amethyst, we might want the encouragement of Carnelian to put our intention and the flame of confidence into to achieve our goals. Our goals, because learning is collective.

Because learning is collective, it is humble, and I hope that my humble offering of information sparks a little bit of that carnelian spirit in you, too.

I know these are only three crystals and a “short” introduction, but I hope this does provide a sense that we can learn and journey together. We are starting this journey together! We can grow our intuition, intention, and innovation the more we grow and share our knowledge. I hope I am able to pass along to you the excitement and interest. I hope you join me in feeling overwhelmed and essential.

Yours in good spirit,