Written with guest contributor Sophie Hardcastle. Australian Author, Artist and Mental Health Spokesperson.
Very Blessed to have received this beautiful piece written by Sophie Hardcastle. Sophie is a twenty-one year old author and artist currently living and creating on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, Australia. Sophie is studying a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Sydney College of the Arts. She is majoring in painting. Sophie’s memoir Running like China is published by Hachette and was released in September 2015. Her debut novel, Breathing Under Water will be published by Hachette in July 2016. In addition to her books, Sophie has written for various magazine publications, including ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar and Surfing World and has also written for theatre. Sophie is now a mental health spokesperson for Batyr. She shares her experiences with bipolar 1 disorder by speaking in schools around NSW.
Visit her website: sophiehardcastle.com
Follow her on Instagram: @Sophie_Hardcastle
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‘Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.’ – Albert Einstein
As a writer, I draw energy from my words. They empower me; they balance my moods and give me strength. And when I feel a story starts to write itself, I sink into the page and am pulled along like the tides beneath a full moon.
These words that mean so much to me are born in my creative space and it’s for this reason that I treat my creative space as sacred. I bring energy to the space with objects from the natural world. My desk is made from radiata pine, and as I run my hands over its smooth, sanded surface, I trace with my fingertips the coloured rings in the wood, each ring marking a period of time in the tree’s life.
On my desk, I have my own little forest. I have jars filled with wild Australian bush flowers and a huge pot plant with a tangle of sap green leaves. I have Moroccan tiles with intricate blue and yellow patterns that line the perimeter of my desk. And between them, I have homemade candles. One is made from vanilla scented soy wax; a second is scented with pineapple, tangerine and cherry. My third candle is made from beeswax. Then there are my crystals. I have a raw rock of Moldavite, cut from a meteorite that landed on the earth 15 million years ago. Its intense and undeniable energy charges my creative space. Beside it is a hearty chunk of clear quartz, used to ward off negativity and stimulate clearer thinking. I also have a slab of Larimar that, when you sink your eyes into it, looks like an ocean rock pool. Balancing my moods, the still waters bring about a sense of calmness.
And in the centre, nestled between a Moroccan tile and a jar of flowers is my rose quartz pyramid, gifted to me by Stoned Crystals. For four and a half months now, my best friend has been wandering the earth on the other side of the world and it’s in this hour that my rose quartz fills my creative space with feelings of love, friendship and romance.
My creative space is sacred and whether or not you open your mind to the energy of stones, crystals and plants, I personally believe these natural objects stimulate my creativity by drawing me back to the earth from which I came.
*A note from the Founder of Stoned, Ashley Bellino
HOW TO CHARGE YOU SACRED SPACE:
- Keep natural stones or crystals as paperweights and bookends. Change the stones to fit in with the colours that suit your mood and workspace style and palette.
- Use carved stone or crystal platters and bowls on the desk or bedside as containers to store stationery, jewellery or tidbits in.
- Use Incense & Tibetan Bowls or meditation music to cleanse the crystals every morning and also to revitalise and refresh your focus. Smudge sticks can be used to reset your space and remove negative energies in the room during a new or full or new moon.
- Place crystals on the soil of potted plants or terrariums in your sacred space
- Have a favourite crystal as a ‘worry stone’, massage object or for brainstorming . Having a favourite crystal on hand to deflect negative energy is a great way to manage stress, quieten the mind and get creative when brainstorming new ideas.
- Keep a collection of stones near the window or phone as a focus for your attention. Every time you look your rock, it will remind you to be mindful and conscious of your thoughts and actions.
- Manage stress and keep your creative space sacred with crystals by off setting the strong electromagnetic fields created by computers and devices by putting a crystal by any electronics. Clear Quartz is recommended, but it must be cleansed frequently.