It's great to be back in Spain, even for a short while, so I'm catching up with as many people as I can. Close to the top of the 'Must Visit' list are Therese and Mike at the Centro Rural de Algorfa. I arrived at just the right time, because the lunchtime rush had eased, and Therese had time to sit and chat for a while. As is often the case, when we get together, the talk often moves to crystals. Therese is an enthusiastic crystal user, and like many Irish ladies, she has a touch of the psychic about her.
I was showing her my latest purchases from Antisha Angels in Playa Flamenca, and also the beautiful healing wand Glenys bought for me. If you've never been there, you should. What Tony and Pat don't know about crystals isn't worth knowing, and he's got stuff for cutting crystals and repairing them too.
This was when Therese mentioned that she had a large clear quartz crystal from a quarry local to Algorfa.
Soon after the Centro opened in 2015, a Spanish workman - Paco - brought it in, and Therese fell in love with it and displayed it in one of her glass cabinets, where it could catch the late afternoon sun.
Therese wondered if Tony could make her and myself a quartz point from the stone, which was actually a mix of clear and smoky quartz. She also thought it would be good to take some more points for a couple of friends who are also into crystals, so I agreed I'd take it when I go back to Antisha Angels on Friday. I've already given away a couple of 
the things I bought to people who needed them more, and basically, that is the heart of crystal work. A crystal that has been gifted and blessed with love and healing for the recipient will always be more powerful than anything you buy for yourself.
So, we took some photos of both of us with this magnificent crystal. and then we started to look more closely at the strata in the rock, and wondering just how many years - or hundreds or even thousands of years - each layer represented. When Therese had first shown me the crystal, I'd said I thought there was a natural division that was happening, roughly in the middle, and she agreed. I'd tried to wiggle the stone a little, but nothing happened, so I thought the division would happen when Tony went to work on it. We both hoped this beautiful, natural crystal wouldn't shatter, but obviously, we know that crystals will do what they need to do, with or without our intervention.
Therese took the crystal from me, and as she did, it separated into two almost identical pieces. We both saw this as a
sign that the crystal didn't want to be taken away from Algorfa, and that it wanted to stay with us. Therese put the brightest half back in the cabinet, to carry on attracting sunlight and entrancing the customers. I handled the other half, feeling so privileged that the crystal had clearly demonstrated what should happen to it.
Being a natural, unprocessed crystal, there was a lot of dust and sediment all over the separated half, and it was depositing itself all over my hands, and the table where we sat. From an environmental health point of view, it's not good, so I took it into the loo to give it a wash and brush up.
Now, if you've ever been to the Centro, you'll know the decor is a little on the green side, to reflect Therese's Irish origins. And this theme is continued into the toilet, with a bright green litter bin. When I started running water over the crystal and it gave off a green glow, I thought it was a reflection from the bin, so stood between it and the sink. It didn't make a difference - in fact the crystal glowed even greener, and the whole room had a green glow. For a moment, I wondered if I was turning into the Incredible Hulk, then I realised that Archangel Raphael was infusing the crystal with his healing green ray.
I quickly dried it off, so I could show it to Therese, and a couple of other crystal-loving friends who'd arrived for lunch. However, by the time I got to the table, the crystal was back to normal, although significantly cleaner, allowing the smoky tones to shine through.
I placed it on the table, and we all tried to hold it. There was so much energy, all we could do was just hover our hands over it for a few seconds. It was a truly remarkable, mystical and mysterious experience, but it didn't end there - oh no!
When I got back to Piddock Place, I did the mandatory Wednesday listen to Rai Woods' Country Rodeo on Big FM Radio, then took myself off to the bedroom to write this post. Well, that was the idea. I've had a bit of a creativity block recently, with things that have been happening physically and emotionally, but I was full of ideas, and wanted to get it written while everything was still fresh in my mind.
My new crystal had other ideas, though. Because I couldn't bear to let it out of my sight, I took it into the bedroom with me, and placed it on my bedside table. I wrote the first paragraph or two of the post, then started with a brain fog. I couldn't think straight, so I decided I must be tired from all the excitement of the crystal and the heat. Trouble was, I couldn't sleep either. I felt sick and dizzy, and totally out of sorts.
Eventually, it clicked - the crystal's energy was just too powerful for the room, and for me, at such close quarters. So I returned it to the lounge, in line with the front door, went back to bed, and slept for around 9 hours. I woke this morning feeling more energised than I have for the whole of this year. and seeing I was taken to hospital with pleurisy less than a month ago, that's a pretty positive result. And I can feel the crystal's energy following me around the house. Isn't the Universe truly wonderful?
Like what you see? There's lots more about all sorts of topics at Sandra In Spain.com. Come over and say hello!