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LONDON, UK - APRIL 15, 2019: Collection of black tourmaline semi precious stones and minerals.

Source: Craig Hastings / Getty

Who here has ever felt personally victimized by mercury in retrograde? Raises hand? Same, sis. Same.

The past few weeks have been intense for me between my WiFi cutting off in the middle of the night, friendship drama and financial issues – and as an empath, you can only imagine how much added stress there was when people began to unload on me. I couldn’t mentally take it. 

I found myself looking deeper into astrology and how myself as a Sagittarius would be affected by mercury retrograde, but I knew that more needed to be done. I started to dig into research about the different stones that will help to protect me, reduce stress and embody self-love. After a recommendation from a friend, I found myself at Namaste Bookshop in NYC for my crystal needs:

Welcome to Namaste Crystal & Bookshop.

I walked into Namastay on a Friday afternoon and was overpowered by the scents of different oils and sprays around the store. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before – Buddha statues, Karma Sutra books and copper bangles were just the first of many objects that caught my eye. I immediately went to the necklaces hanging from a glass container to look for Black Tourmaline, a stone that is said to be great for mercury retrograde. I was about to make a mad dash for the register and then realized that I was about to waste an open opportunity to learn and experience something new.

“Excuse me,” I said as I turned around to the nearest associate. She was an adorable white woman between her mid-40s and early-50s. “I don’t know much about the whole ‘stone’ thing and mercury retrograde is really kicking my ass, so I wanted to know if you could possibly recommend some good ones to help me with that.”

She looked confused and amused at the same time. “Sure,” she replied. “It sounds like you’re looking for protection. You have a good one in your hands right now with the Tourmaline, but there are some other good ones as well depending on what exactly you’re looking for.” The conversation just took off from there.

I was introduced to a whole new world that I didn’t know existed. I was intrigued and eager to learn more, and caught myself asking questions about the history and significance of each one. The inner strict-Apostolic raised church girl in me was afraid to be passed judgment on my family members who may not understand. The 24-year-old present version of me said, “Screw it.” I was there on a personal journey to learn more about energy, auras and balance – and this is something I needed to do for myself.

I wanted to be as protected as possible from all physical angles, and I wanted a different stone in a different area of my body wherever I could. I ended up at the register with three items (and if my bank account didn’t look the way that it did, I would have bought way more):

  • Obsidian Bracelet: As someone who is big on mental health advocacy and also lives with depression and anxiety, this stone particularly stuck out to me. It’s one of the best stones to possess in times of protection, but it also helps with depression. While self-love and self-care are always key to combating negative thoughts, a little help from obsidian wouldn’t hurt! Did you know that obsidian holds the power of manifestation? 
  • Black Tourmaline Necklace: Though it’s best known to help with mercury retrograde, it’s popular for its protective powers. Black tourmaline also balances surrounding electrical energy with electromagnetic frequencies  (i.e. phones, printers, laptops), so I should not be having any issues moving forward with my WiFi cutting off while I’m in a Google spreadsheet. Take that, electronics! Additionally, because it has a higher vibrational frequency, it’s great to protect yourself from and remove negative energies within spaces or people.
  • Labradorite Stone: This one is probably my new favorite, besides the reason that this is drop-dead gorgeous. It’s said to balance and protect your aura, while allowing you to tap into your metaphysical and psychic abilities and strengthen your intuition. Labradorite is also great to be used in shifts and times of difficult transitional periods – quitting a job, starting a business, moving away, or anything of the sort.

Thanks to Jane, which I later learned was her name, I was able to really gage my interest into the powers of stone and positive energy. I’m a fan of protecting my energy during hard times like people protect their neck in the winter storms, and this trip to Namaste Crystal & Bookshop was just what I needed. I’ll be back soon, Namaste!

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I Went Crystal Shopping For Black Tourmaline During Mercury Retrograde  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com