I live in the Santa Lucia Mountain Range, an hour from the nearest town—Cambria. Back in the 1930's my grand-father traded a horse and some tires for this land. My lifestyle defines independence. I cut firewood for heat, maintain water lines, and make my own power (small generator - solar is price prohibited so far). I don't have television, but do have a DVD player. My laptop runs on batteries (I love battery operated gadgets) and is plugged into the land line for communications. I have chickens that roam the woodlands freely. They provide me with my main source of protein. I have dogs that chase away the bears, mountain lions, and skunks. I leave these woodlands to go to town as seldom as possible. Nature is my life.
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Moonstone Beach
Photos by David Hindmon
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Nature's Voice
Moonstones – Glimpsing the Glorious
by Michele Oksen
In these challenging times we instinctively know it's good for us to visit the seashore. Nature encourages health. Time spent in the great outdoors is not an indulgence. It is powerful medicine.
One great way to take in some nature is to spend an afternoon at Moonstone Beach in Cambria. Not only is it a favorite destination for moonstone enthusiasts, it's also a fabulous place to soothe the soul.
While the waves stroke the shore, go sit on a pile of pebbles for awhile. That's where moonstones the size of cherry pits and apple seeds hide. Amongst the dazzling array of beach booty, they're camouflaged, but they are there. Fifty years ago there were a lot of large peach pit sized moonstones to be found. They weighed people's pockets down in a hurry. Today, although every nugget we discover is worth a show and tell, the big ones are elusive. Oddly, one of the largest moonstones I stumbled upon lately (about the size of a walnut but more the shape of a Walnetto) was right next to a sand dollar at Morro Strand.
Still, when it comes to moonstones, I've always considered Moonstone Beach to be the mother lode of our SLO Coast. If you've never been there, it's just west of Highway One at the north end of Cambria.
So, now that we've established the beach is beneficial, we can take our quest for well-being a step further.
When we examine a moonstone we transcend the limits of normal vision. Light helps us focus beyond the dull, tumbled surface into the core of the stone. No longer just an ordinary rock, inner inquiry has suddenly emphasized and exposed the extraordinary.
Now here's the coolest part. It's where inspiration comes into play.
This exploration process can be done when we observe ourselves, and others, as well. While illuminated by a celestial light source we can take a look at our own reflection. Look past the windswept hair and the weathered skin. What wrinkles? I don't see any wiry chin hairs . . . you get the idea. Search for an internal energy. Behold essence.
Over the years so many people have approached me when I'm on the hunt for moonstones. They ask me what one looks like. I hold my best up to the sun and point out the translucent quality and the internal design.
"Look into the stone," I tell them. "You have to gaze inward to glimpse the glorious traits that make a treasure." I smile and sometimes add with a wink, "It works when you look in the mirror too."
Moonstone
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Moonstone
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A moonstone in the pocket, or even one made into jewelry, can serve as a talisman of sorts. Every time we touch it, it can inspire us to manifest our own magnificence. After all, to encourage the emergence and expression of our deepest beauty, our "better nature", is to reveal our most remarkable attributes. That's when we begin to see that we are all, like moonstones, genuine gems.
Banner Image by Fugle |
