I hold in my hand a stone I inherited from my grandmother, Helen Lemmon. Though polished, the stone is not of a uniform shape, but rather forms a distorted heart. I do not know the type of stone it contains, but the colors are of amber and milky quartz, separated by fissures. I also do not know the story of the stone, only that it was given to me by my aunts when my grandmother passed away nearly a decade ago. It was on a silver chain (which now is in a bottle I keep with me) when I received it, and was worn by me several times.
The stone has long affected me strongly. When I hold it I always feel strong emotions and usually gain some tears in my eyes. I was quite close with my grandmother, having spent much of my childhood with her, and I still treasure memories of her, though they have sadly faded through the years. I recall walking with her along the woods road by her home, and putting together puzzles with her during her last months among the living. This evening, more than any I can remember, has awakened the feelings the stone brings about. It’s a haunting rock.
Tonight I discovered a new folk band that will most likely be filling the music space of my tower room for some time. Solas is an Irish traditional group considered to be one of the greatest in the world. The instrumentation is superb and the vocals of equal excellence. “The Unquiet Grave” and “The Stride Set” are my current favourite tracks, but all those I’ve heard thus far are beautiful and of the greatest quality. I owe the discovery of this wonderful band to Mr. Charles de Lint, who mentioned them in the introduction to one of his fine novels. Yet another debt do I owe to him for allowing me to find a new artist. I did, afterall, learn of Ani Difranco through his works.
I’ve also been listening to a handful of other artists this evening, including Incredible String Band, Dar Williams, Gillian Welch, Emmy Lou Harris, and Shearwater. I haven’t explored the folk genre as much as I would like, so I’ll be delving into that when I am able. The first album I wish to hunt down once I have the change will be Solas’ The Edge of Silence.
Won’t someone come to my tower with fiddle in hand and reel away the night? An island of the past comes to my mind, though it is reflecting an older isle. I hear the voices of ancestry and prepare to add my own song.
I sit by the window holding the lamp before me. The sea is distant, though the moon’s drawing near. Worlds lie around me, but I must drink of my own and contently gather nourishment from the forest.
I sit with an amber beacon.
8 comments on “Top Room Of The Tower, Beacon In Hand”
folk muzak
If you dont know them the best out there is Bela Fleck & the Flecktones… like futuristic-bluegrass-folk-jazz…. (and if you do know them, apologies!)Also String Cheese Incident is pretty good, and thats about as far in that direction as I tend to wander, not counting the big boys like Neil Young and Dave Matthews, but I’m sure you’ve already formed an opinion on them.
oh- and a Canadian group called Blue Quarter (i think; not sure on the name)
The stone
Items are often handed down through the generations, not because of sentimental value or even monetary value, but because of the strong spiritual tie it has to the original owner. The stone that has been handed down was probably owned by your grandmother during her childhood (as we all at some point in time have a rock or pretty stone to keep us calm) and was probably with her through many emotional times, maybe as a way to calm herself. Over the years, it’s possible it picked up the strong emotions she fed into it. As it was passed down, it gained alittle bit of each owner before you.
Some tribes of indians use similar objects when they go on dream quests, or vision quests. A particular item that has been handed down by the ancestors before them, as a way to contact the spiritual emotions and feelings of those ancestors.
Have you considered mediating while holding the stone? Perhaps as a focus for your meditation. I have the feeling that the results could end up being extraordinary.
Re: The stone
I really don’t know how my grandmother aquired the stone, but for some reason I thought it was a gift from my grandfather, who passed away several years before her.
I do intend to meditate with the stone, but not until I have more experience and skill in meditating. I believe I need to be prepared in case it is, as you said, extraordinary.
Re: The stone
*nods* good idea. Meditating with an object containing emotion like that, something that brings you to tears to hold sometimes…it can bring extreme visions. Vivid and detailed. When you become comfortable enough to meditate with it, I’m betting that you’re going to have, put simply, one hell of a vision. ^_^
My grandmother found a stone at the beach when she visited Mexico that is shaped exactly like a footprint. She gave it to my mother long ago because of my mother’s love for the story about walking with Christ called “Footprints”.
She brought me a worry doll, and I learned how to make them myself out of toothpicks and thread. I made one of my Grandmother once. I disappeared around the time she died.
My grandmother’s name was also Helen.
Oh, that’s interesting. I so often don’t think of the names of my grandparents when I remember them. I’m not sure why I decided to include my grandmother’s name in this entry.
I remember owning a worry doll once. In fact, I believe I had a bracelet with them on it.
It’s interesting how someone’s death can cause odd coincidences. For instance, when my grandmother (who owned the stone) passed away some of the watches in the family stopped at the exact time she died.