Voyage: Tepoztlan with Sally

Where we'd rather be right now: On a lovely little trip to a magical location with one of our favorite people.

The ride there on this particular day was misty and luscious.

Hasta pronto, Sally and Tepoz!

Místico: Healing Jewelry

Mary's Stone: Sugilite

Do you ever have a piece of jewelry that, although beautiful, you find yourself never wearing it? And then one day, you are drawn to it and want to wear it every day? Such is the case with my sugilite ring. I can't get enough of it these days and truthfully, I did not know much about it until recently. Interesting how sometimes, the stone finds you...

Sugilite is an exceptional stone to use as it has the capacity to bring through the violet ray energy. This ray is associated with spiritual growth, deep spiritual love and wisdom and with the crown chakra. This is the area where most spiritual development is birthed.

This crystal has powerful metaphysical properties that will teach you how to live authentically, and you may become aware of why you incarnated to earth at this time. They are reputed to have the capacity to attract healing power to them so this is another useful reason for healers to use or wear them.

Wearing a Sugilite ring or pendant keeps the energy on your body and protects you from any negativity that may be attracted to your 'light'. If you are working on your spiritual development and are opening yourself up to the light, you may attract darker energy. Therefore using a strong protective stone is recommended.

It is also a powerful stone for dreaming and may help you to remember important dreams. By meditating with one of these stones, you may become aware of amazing scenes that may aid your overall transformation. The power of dreams can be lost in translation but I will say that since wearing this stone, I had one of the most magical, spiritual and enlightening dreams of my entire life.

Candice's Stone: Amber

This stone has been one of my favorites for a long time. It has continually followed me and makes it's presence known when I need it.

Amber provides decisiveness...being a Libra this is a property I welcome.  It strengthens your memory and intellect and helps with emotional calming and centering. It is an excellent grounding crystal, and transmutes negative energy to positive.  

Amber is a stone that aids manifestation and is effective at aiding you to use your innate talents and abilities, to bring abundance and prosperity into your life. It's no wonder that this stone knows exactly when to come back in my life. If you have never been in contact with amber I highly recommend it, the warmth it emits is beautiful. It is actually recommended that you wear amber to appreciate it's radiant nature.

Amber is fossilized resin, which warms against the skin, releasing it's therapeutic properties safely and naturally. Since amber was once "alive" it has a healing effect like no other stone, it produces negative ions that ease pain and provides protection from harmful radiation. Necklaces are my favorite as this energy is particularly helpful around the throat chakra.

Being that it is resin it can also be burned and made into oil. Amber oil is one of many that I mix on a daily basis as it has a calm and almost cheerful aroma. On a side note, mixed with Mary's go to scent vanilla, it makes for a heavenly combo.

San Diego Public Market

If you haven't heard or donated already... last chance to help fund the San Diego Public Market!

"Seattle has Pike Place Market, London has Borough Market, San Francisco has the Ferry Building and Barcelona has La Boqueria. It’s time San Diego, with its year-round growing season and vibrant food scene, got a public market of its own and you can Kickstart it into being right now!"

We've been going through withdrawals after frequenting the fantastic ones in Spain... so excited for this!

Mercado de San Miguel

Yes, those oysters are the size of Mary's hand! 

La Boqueria

Místico: Healing Aromas

We were both reading Michener on our trip and his recollection of the intoxicating smell of oranges along the Spanish coastline corresponded perfectly with our own journey. In the Medina in Marrakech, Candice stumbled into an herb shop with the most incredible collection of essential oils. With oranges still on her mind, she picked up a couple of vials of orange blossom essence for herself and Mary. Such a treat and perfect for creating a new memory with an old favorite.

Orange is a solar oil that inspires frivolity. Spiritually, it can help the subconscious mind to show itself and unite with the conscious mind, bringing awareness to the present moment and releasing energy to remove blocks. Ideal for manifesting your deepest desires.

The citrus notes also help dispel mosquitoes, making it the best oil we can think of to wear during this unusually hot and humid summer we've been having! It is a phototoxic oil but you should be fine in the sun if you are just dabbing a bit on.

Sabroso: Summer

Some summertime favorites: bougainvillea, dining al fresco, long days at the beach, summer sunsets.

Arte e Cultura: Mexican Indigenous Textile Project

Our dear friend/family, Barbara, who resides part of the year in San Miguel de Allende, is always turning us onto something or other usually related to Mexico. A few years back, we were directed to this super comprehensive site dedicated to conserving the indigenous textile memory of Mexico.

"The Mexican Indigenous Textile project documents the traditional dress of Mexico’s Indigenous people. This effort began in 2001 and is on going. The idea is to leave a solid field based photo ethno- historical work of the first 15 years of the 21 st century.

I have been finding more and more villages with only one person that continues to wear traditional indigenous costume. In the Tehuacan Valley there were at least two villages and in the Otomi region of Tenango de Doria another three village. Further down the road in the Tepehua regions only 80 women are know to wear their traditional costume.
Embroidery and weaving is has a very long tradition in Mexico and in many cases where traditional costume has disappeared the women continue to embroider and sell traditional looking blouses and skirts. I cant help but feel a sense of urgency in the documentation of these peoples."

We could literally spend hours browsing this site and probably already have. It's nice to go back to when we are missing Mexico. Maybe our next adventure will be a tour of villages we've yet to visit?

Místico: Saint Anthony, Patron of Lost Things

When something goes missing in our family, Saint Anthony gets turned upside down until it comes back to us. Mary lost a piece of her favorite bracelet in Palm Springs last weekend and so we pray to you, Saint Anthony, to return it!

St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come down. Something is lost and can't be found!