Mama's Minerals

ovember was the ninth month of the ancient Roman calendar, and retained its name (from the Latin novem meaning "nine") when January and February were added to the Roman calendar (obviously, it's now the eleventh month in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars). It is one of four months with a length of 30 days. It's Zodiac signs are Scorpio (OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 22) and Sagittarius (NOV 23 - DEC 22). 

The birthstones of November are topaz and citrine. Topaz is available in almost every color, the most common being yellow, pink, purple, orange, and blue. All yellow gems in antiquity were called "topaz", and this is the color that most resonates with November. Often confused with citrine (yellow) and smoky quartz (brown), quartz and topaz are unrelated mineral species. Citrine is actually fairly rare.  Most citrine available today is heat-treated amethyst: when amethyst is heated at temperatures of about 470ºC to 750ºC, iron impurities are reduced and can turn violet amethyst into golden 'heated' citrine. Metaphysically it works the same as naturally occurring citrine.

   

n honor of Thanksgiving, try meditating this month on gratitude: gratitude is one of the the most powerful and yet misunderstood forces in the human emotional range (along with forgiveness).

     A common mistake people make is thinking that being grateful for their current situation will somehow "stick" it in place: after all, if you are grateful, you must like what's going on and the Creator/Universe should give you more of the same, right?  However, this couldn't be further from the truth: by being grateful for the situations you have (even the challenging ones), you can change the "charge" of the energy creating your current situation into a higher form, attracting more good and leaving the lower vibrations behind.

     Some things everyone can be grateful for: Mother Earth (we here at Mama's Minerals love our Mama Earth!), water (we here in the Southwest are keenly aware of what a precious resource clean water is), the sun (a free nuclear fusion generator capable of heating our homes, cooking our food and a host of other things), friends, food, fun, family..... actually, the list of priceless things we can be grateful for goes on and on!

Citrine beads . . .but we have so many more
variations to see at our stores and online!

     Autumn is a great time to try a little exploration of nature and science. We have a host of books, classes, and videos on our website (www.MamasMinerals.com) to keep you busy on those chilly-yet-beautiful autumn evenings!  While you are there, check out our online store!

     If you feel like getting out in this wonderful fall weather, come see us at our Santa Fe store, 100 E. San Francisco Street (in the historic La Fonda Hotel) or our flagship store in Albuquerque, 1100 San Mateo Blvd NE at Lomas - Suite 15!