Myrtle and the Crystal Mystic

Myrtle is a tree … a special tree that called out to me about a month ago when I saw her outside of our local fruit market. I wanted to bring her home so badly. My brain won out over my heart. It told me that I had no room and that I kill every plant that I have. I listened. But Myrtle didn’t give up on me. She guided me back to that fruit market this weekend. I thought I was going for mushrooms but I see now that I went there for her. I couldn’t resist her this time. I told the shopkeeper that I’d be back tomorrow for her with cash and I was. I needed the day. The whole house was about to be turned upside down for her and I definitely needed the day.

By the way … she was $25. 25 has been a magical number for me for quite some time. It shows up everywhere – in crystals – in the tiles of my shower – in the prices of things that I buy – like Myrtle. As I was creating this listing the mail came. The first thing I picked up was a catalogue from one of my favourite shops and in the top right corner was a big 25 – it was their 25th anniversary.

So where was I … yes … turning the house upside down. This Myrtle guided me in a magical movement of shifting the energy in the entire house. Things from upstairs moved downstairs. Things from downstairs moved upstairs. Things from the dining room moved into the living room. Things from the Living room moved into the kitchen. If I was not in a softened state, my mind would have kicked in and ranted at my craziness. ALL THIS to create a sacred space for this magical tree that was coming to offer her gift. She was going to take centre stage. She literally ended up in the centre of the house through a harmoniously flowing orchestration. Even the timing of the placement of each piece was guided. For instance there was one scrying mirror that came out of hiding at just the right moment – though I’d looked for it in the exact spot several times before and couldn’t see it.

It is fascinating when the world calls on the fairies to hide things from our sight sometimes so we will find the thing we’re actually supposed to see. Another perfect example of this happened this morning when I went into my “library” (in my walk in closet) to look for my Nature Speak book. I glanced at it a couple of weeks ago and I knew exactly where it was. Yet now I couldn’t find it. It mysteriously disappeared. My head scanned the L shaped arrangement of books turning the corner and catching sight of Plant Spirit Medicine. I instinctively picked it up and knew that was the book I really came in to get. Then when I turned back – there was Nature Speak – right where I first looked for it. Just like the scrying mirror I looked for the day before – it was hidden from my sight so that I would get what the Universe really sent me for. I picked it up as well but I knew I already had the book that I was supposed to have in my hand.

As I was carrying my bundle downstairs my thoughts wandered to a special story I once heard of a shaman being taught the true way of plant medicine. I was so moved by that story that I tucked it away somewhere on my computer and I intended to look it up later – there must be a reason for it popping into my mind.

Before I began my day, I picked up Nature Speak to see what it had to say about Myrtle but there was nothing in the book about her. Then I picked up the book that was magically delivered into my hands and looked to see if there was something about Myrtle in the index – but there was no index. There was however a bookmark so I opened it up to the saved page and to my delight there was the very story I was planning to look for. It was right there – like the plant it had been delivered right to me – or me to it. I may have shared that story with you before but here it is again …

Plant Spirit Medicine excerpt:

     “The American adventurer Peter Gorman is walking down a trail in the Amazon jungle. He is on his way back to the village after watching his Matses Indian friend set a trap for wild boar. The Indian takes advantage of the walk to show Peter some medicinal plants growing along the trail. Within a few minutes, he has pointed out several dozen species and pantomimed their healing virtues.

     Arriving at the village, Peter summons his interpreter and returns to the hunter’s hut. He didn’t have his notebook with him on the walk, he explains, and he couldn’t possibly remember all he had been shown. Would the hunter be kind enough to say once again how the herbs were prepared and used?

     The hunter-shaman smiles at Peter and then begins to laugh. he invite all his wives and children over to have a good laugh too. When they have all laughed themselves out, he explains, “That was just to introduce you to some of the plants. If you want to actually use a plant yourself, the spirit of the plant must come to you in your dreams. If the spirit of the plant tells you how to prepare it and what it will cure, you can use it. Otherwise, it won’t work for you. That was a good one! I’ve got to remember what you just said!” He laughs again.

What happened to me with Myrtle may sound like a series of cute synchronicities or co-incidences but to me this is the most powerful type of magic. This story perfectly illustrates the basis of the philosophy of Song of Stones … whether it’s the plant beings, the animals, or the stone beings … the way to connect with the medicine that is unique to you and your desire or intent is directly through the beings themselves. It sounds like an impossible mission to find the one crystal or plant or animal from the millions that are in the world but when you open to the magic, the Universe guides you to the one.