Stone People

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/3/5/9/0/event_84853712.jpeg Stone Nation start @ 1:00pm $25 Presented by Grandfather Rick McBride Most crystal and stone workshops try to sensitize participants to the energies of the inyan (ee-yahn, Lakota term for stone nations. In Cherokee it is nv-ya; nu as in "nut" - ya.) This approach often leads to frustration for those not yet ready to open up to them. Whether a person is able to pick up on the energy of a stone or not, is really irrelevant. What is important is to understand that certain "effects" exist, and that we can learn about them. As in ALL natural healing work, the inner condition -- the emotional, psychological, mental, even physical state -- of the healer is critical to the work at hand. Unfortunately, many people have been led to believe all they need to know is what amounts to a list of stone qualities (alleged or real) and they are qualified to do healing, or other kinds of stone work. This workshop is an introduction to Native American "stone people" knowledge. Cherokee, or Tsalagi (more correctly: Ani'yunwi'ya) who I am in part descended from, were considered the preeminent experts on the nv-ya nations. People were not even allowed to touch certain stones/crystals unless they had been trained in them or were under the direction of an accomplished mentor.
We start at the beginning by looking at Earth cycles; the necessary geologic basics of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic categories; hydrothermal creation of crystals; crystalline structures; proven effects of crystals on residual energy; electro-thermal response characteristics, and more. You will learn something of the formation processes, which influence the characteristics specific stones tend to carry. Knowing the basics will free you from the books. You will physically see with your own eyes the effect you have on touching a common clear quartz crystal. The approach in this class is to help the student discover what is absolutely necessary to develop before any effective work can be done using these natural tools. And done safely. It helps to think of stones and crystals more as filters or shapers, guides or "influencers," than generators of some mysterious metaphysical energy. If you are serious about learning what indigenes of Turtle Island have known for literal millennia -- that is, thousands of years -- if you are interested in learning what works, based on countless generations of stone healers that had a deep understanding of these tools long before the first Europeans landed on Turtle Island, then I encourage you to participate in this workshop. If you do, I also ask you leave any preconceived ideas at home.
Rick McBride is mixedblood Tsalagi (Cherokee) who has walked the Red Road for over 35 years. He was named Cante Lute (Schan-tay Lou-tuh) by the spirits through his sundance chief, which means Red Heart. He is a 16 year sundancer and has been traditionally trained and authorized to lead ceremonies, such as inipi (purification lodge), prayer with the Canunpah (Pipe), drum healing and so forth. He has been publicly teaching these ways for over 12 years now. Workshops and lectures are one way to learn from the wisdom of Indian Country. Ceremony brings this knowledge to life. Combined, teaching and ceremony render practical guidance to everyday living. And so, Rick sees his role as that of "translator" of indigenous ways so that mainstream-educated people get the full benefit of these ways. It has taken him years of dedicated interaction with many Elders, as well as his activities as ceremonial leader to get to this place in his life.