The Crystal Throne

When we moved into our new home last November, we discovered this quartz rock back in the woods. It seemed to illuminate the hillside with its size and bright, white color in contrast to the browns of the fallen leaves in the late Fall. When I looked closer, I saw another quartz rock about 10 feet away. I thought, “I bet there’s more of that underneath the ground. I bet this whole thing is connected.”

As I walked by and over those rocks during the winter, I envisioned what it might look like with that dirt cleared away. The possibility that those rocks were part of a large vein of quartz running along the hillside. I imagined creating a space to sit, and meditate, and to experience the woods behind our home while surrounded by crystal.

In the late spring, I started digging. Just a little bit here and there. I pulled away some of the dirt exposing more of the large rocks. It was an experiment. I just wanted to see what was underneath. With each session, I’d sit a moment, hopeful I was creating something that matched my vision. I hit a few snags. My digging exposed a few large roots from a couple trees up above on the hillside. I stopped the project fearing I might kill those trees. But after some research and sitting with the problem, I thought: what if I left the biggest roots in place and let them be part of this landscaping project? It turns out some larger roots of a tree can be exposed without harming the tree too much - especially if the exposed roots are far enough from the trunk, which they were.

Gradually the vision began to take shape. The Quartz rocks were indeed connected, and in the digging, I created a flattened platform to sit. I created a wall around the platform and the edge of the quartz from rocks that I excavated and gathered. Then I wondered, could I transfer grasses from the hillside to this platform and develop a grassy place to sit? I tried it. And so far, I think it’s working.

Now we’re back into the Fall and the leaves are covering this crystal throne that I spent the last two seasons cultivating.

The next question is, will I use it the way I envisioned?

I sat there this morning and the day before. Bit by bit, we’ll see how it develops.

I was thinking about this experience and find it so interesting that although I teach and preach the value of developing movement rich lifestyles - how do we get more movement into daily life… which often implies less sitting… I’m most often intrigued by and seeking out places to sit, meditate, observe nature and reflect. I suppose that impulse is human nature to seek out places for rest. But it also speaks to me of creating the balance between times for stillness and movement.

I’m refining my thoughts about the process I went through creating The Crystal Throne as an example of the general process for manifesting our visions in life:

Notice the quartz rock in the woods.
Observe how it calls to you.
Notice how a separate piece of quartz stands a short distance from the first.
Wonder how they are related. Guess at what’s underneath the ground.

Continue observing until a vision and a goal emerge.
Continue envisioning until the time for action emerges.
Take small steps. A bit at a time.
Appreciate how far you’ve come.
Return to the vision. Don’t rush forward.
Snags will come. Don’t quit too soon.
Sit with them and the answers will emerge.
Return to the vision. Take a small step.
Refine the vision. Take another step.

Watch the emergence of the quartz into the light.
Stay with it. Refine it some more.
Don’t move to the next thing too quickly.

Sit in the crystal throne, feel it hug you and muffle the sounds of the neighboring world.
Does it appreciate what you’ve done? Or have you assaulted the natural order of things?
Time will tell. Notice. Observe how you feel.

Enjoy being with the culmination of your work, as it is, a little more jagged and dirty than imagined.
Still fragile.
Will your transplanted sedge survive the winter?
Time will tell. Notice. Observe how you feel.

You are part of each other now.
Its meaning has gone deeper and is exposed at the same time.
Like those uncovered roots you let survive.
Meaning, like quartz connected underground - across the hillside,
now exposed through your curiosity and work and communion with the visions of what is and what wants to be.

Sit with them now.
Until the next small and curious thing in the forest calls to you.