mystery!!!

[kotu]

my mum just gave me a new stone but she couldn't remember what it is (its my xmas present from 2006, lol). it's a kind of elongated egg shape. i have seen them before, i think they are made in some temple in india or something. here is a crude artists impression...
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/9782/stoneec9.jpg

can anyone tell me what they are called? and what its for?

thankyou!

[MammaDragon]

From the artistic representation it looks like it might be a Shiva Lingam, a stone from India.

I googled for it, and came up with this website: http://www.suchnessspa.com/~suchnessart/shiva_lingam.htm
and this one: http://www.equinoxbooksandgifts.com/html/shiva_lingam.html

That's my guess anyway - a digital photograph is better :) But that's just me.

Mamma Dragon

[kotu]

From the artistic representation it looks like it might be a Shiva Lingam, a stone from India.

I googled for it, and came up with this website: http://www.suchnessspa.com/~suchnessart/shiva_lingam.htm (http://www.suchnessspa.com/%7Esuchnessart/shiva_lingam.htm)
and this one: http://www.equinoxbooksandgifts.com/html/shiva_lingam.html

That's my guess anyway - a digital photograph is better :) But that's just me.

Mamma Dragon

It is a Shiva Lingam! I knew I would remember the name! Thanks!

And yes, a digital photo of a pile of poo would be better than my drawing! But my cameras not very good. Sorry.

*edit*
It's actually quite weird. It has very unusual markings, it actually looks like it has cracked in two, but in a way it couldnt. But it's not a crack. It's quite confusing and its tripping me out just trying to look at it. Most peculiar!

[MammaDragon]

Shivas come with all kinds of cool patterns, must be what makes them great for meditative purposes.

It's ok about the camera - at least your drawing gave me a clue!

Enjoy your new friend!

[lightdragon]

Shivas come with all kinds of cool patterns, must be what makes them great for meditative purposes.

It's ok about the camera - at least your drawing gave me a clue!

Enjoy your new friend!

that's why it boogled me when I saw the pic above as I have never seen a Shiva in that coloring alone. Usually with other colors.

[PhoenixFire]

Wow, those are really cool. I'd like to get a few my self. I wonder if Crones Cupboard sells them? I'll have to remember to look the next time I get out there, which is rarely.

Very cool. :thumbsup:

[Wolfsong]

Every time I see these brought up I feel obligated to bring up the following...

Please always keep in mind the the se of these stones as well as their functions revolve in large part around the way they were made. These were, for centuries, created by religous people who spend days hand polishing these stones in a meditative state to add certain energies to them for use in religous as well as healing. In other words many of the energies ascribed to them come from the process of making them. Demand reached such a level that they, for the most part, are now mass produced for the commercial market.

They still have their place within our community but one must recognise the fact that the energies ascribed to them due to this hand made method no longer apply t anywhere near the extent they used to. If you are lucky enough to be gifted with a hand made set disregard the above.

Unfotunately there is no physical way to tell one from the other... all I ca say is tht the hand made ones are almost always now gifted. The odd set that one does find available for sale usually goes for hundreds of dollars.

But again.. they are still valuable tools.

[lightdragon]

I was curious, what can we use the commerical mass produced ones for? as a substitute for river stones?

[Wolfsong]

I was curious, what can we use the commerical mass produced ones for? as a substitute for river stones?


they do make for good subs for river stones and they also hold a very sublte version of the energies ascribed to the hand made ones... lines really tend to get blurred here as when news got out that almost all are now mass produced other new came out saying that although they are massed produced meditations are still done by individuals overlooking the mass proceedures.

Not being one to judge these types of interpretations it's up to each of us as individuals to come to our own conclusions and use them as best suites our individual beliefs regarding them..... I'm not trying to beat around the bush but I have my own strong feelings in this regard which are biased towards my beliefs and I wouldnt think of trying to influence anyone one way or another in regards to this particular stone.

[MammaDragon]

I've always thought that commercially treated stones (either through coloring, or cutting/shaping) are just as "valid" in magical use as the natural ones.

Because mankind has always found stones to be an effective aide to whatever purpose (magic, status, etc), stones have been sought after. In many cases, it involved the 'rape' of the Earth to provide for demand (where Alexandrite was mined in Russia, for instance).

The aware magical person can do just as much with that commercial stone as with the 'natural' one, if they take the time to work with that stone, and do the things that we all do to care for our ritual tools. Cleansing, charging, and what-have-you.

Emphatically yes, these stones may not work as well as their counterparts who've never felt the touch of humanity except when drawn from the earth and handled across the wide sales divide. But, I believe that they are worthy of any attempt we ask of them.

They are the Earth's Children. Be kind to them.