Just a Little Stone

There are those among us who, even as they grow old and hopefully accrue more wisdom...yes, even those...cannot walk along without picking up a Stone or two. It is a child-like thing to do, perhaps, and yet the urge is strong and does not go away, even with age.

Small Stones have an immense power. I am not talking about Crystals and their amazing healing senses; I am talking about the ordinary, small Pebbles that speak or call to us from the ground...the ones who listen and invite us to share our stories with them.


I have a Stone, a special one amongst many. It is small, nondescript. There is nothing about it that would propel anyone to pick it up. But it has unique listening powers and innate wisdom...and it is always with me.

It has become my talisman.


I found this Stone many years ago, as I was about to embark on a completely different path from which I was accustomed.  The Stone...Pebble, really... sat amidst a thousand other Stones, on a gravel driveway.


I recall I was about to enter a vehicle and for some reason, I heard the call to look down, down towards the ground. And there was my Stone, encrusted with dirt, its beauty completely hidden.


I picked it up and put it into my pocket. I was weepy at the time, about to leave a home I had lived in for almost thirty years. I felt I was leaving not only the home, but the memories it contained. I had forgotten that memories exist in the heart and soul, even those which do not come to the forefront on a daily basis. 

They are not kept within a mere house.


I held onto that grimy little Stone as I drove away. And ever since, it has resided in one coat pocket or another. I treasure it above any of the objects I have...none give as much balance as this odd, small Stone. It fits perfectly within the palm of my hand.


No longer encrusted with dirt, it is now shiny and gives off a warm glow. It is brown, with dark lines throughout. It now looks as if it was polished by a machine, but it has not. The shine comes from being rubbed and held and prayed with.


It is a generous Stone. I am not the only one it has given healing to. Others who find themselves overwhelmed or in despair have held my Stone, for only a little while, and have found balance.


I take it with me as I do my rounds for Hospice. Sometimes, the need to take the Stone out of my pocket overcomes me and I will hand it to the patient to hold, for just a little while.

Some are surprised, even as they hold it within the palm of their hand. And some...some hear the song of Mother Earth the instant they grasp onto it. All are grateful for the little Stone which reconnects and balances. Some ask for a Stone just like mine...yet how can I find a Stone for another?


The one time I tried to do so, it did not work. The connection did not take hold, it was not the perfect Stone for them. I already knew by intuition my Stone finding mission for another would not satisfy.


It is a personal thing, this finding of a Stone which holds memories of a long distant time. The immense power small Stones embody are, I believe, peculiar to each individual. I can be attracted to a Stone which does nothing for another.


But my small Stone is different, in that way. Its generosity of Spirit is meant to be shared. Not always does a Stone such as this one come along, although each Stone, Pebble, Rock or Boulder permeates our collective consciousness and the consciousness of Mother Earth, bringing them together.


When I found my Stone, I did nothing other than pick it up. I did not ask if I could do so, and I am grateful for my Stone's ease of Spirit and grace in that it easily allowed me to move it. I know better, now. I know a small prayer or two I use to ask permission when I move a Stone. One never knows the feelings a Stone or Pebble might have; it is best to not just snatch them out of their resting place. They are far older than I and have had many more experiences, learned far more wisdom and knowledge...some of which may not be meant for me.


The Stone brought me a prayer.  It is a common one; I have seen it or variations of it many times on the Internet and in books, since I began to use it. It is simple, sweet and strong.

                          Sky above
                          and Earth below~~
                          I greet you.


Every time I use it, when I go out of the home, that prayer along with my Stone, balances and grounds me. The feeling is similar to the sensation I get when I sit on a large Boulder. 


I learned the power of sitting on a Boulder when I went through recovery from alcoholism. Butt and ground was the saying I learned and have never forgotten, even after all these years. There is instant balance and peace, as I place my "butt" on a Boulder and ground myself.


It is so very comforting.


My Stone is a sacred object to me. It will last forever...it is not a fragile thing. It has strong energy...I have seen it cure migraines, if the person knows how to use it. It is alive with imagery and symbols.


It is generous enough to share its stories. Not only with me, but with so many others, some at the end of their lives. It gives the recipient, the holder of the Stone, inner healing and transformation.

It is just a little Stone, brown and unassuming.


I heard it call my name, one day long ago.


I picked it up and life changed. 


And I learned this truth:


"Nothing in the Universe stays the same. Everything migrates with its own inner rhythm of change, of coming from and going to. Everything dances to its unique movement, however small and invisible it might be to the naked eye." 

From the book Sacred Stones, by Maril Crabtree