Rainbow Stone Divination & Litha coming up

I'm currently reading Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, & Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham.  At the end of the ninth chapter Cunningham describes "rainbow stone divination."  It really sounds like something that I'd be interested in trying.  It calls for seven stones, one for each color of the rainbow, hence the name "rainbow stone divination."  The stones should all be approximately the same size and shape and be put into a soft cloth bag when you aren't using them.  They are used pretty much like runes, in selecting a stone and deciphering it's meaning in your life.  The list he gives he says to work with if the meanings don't resonate with you.

Red: Ruby, red jasper, red agate, rhodonite, red tourmaline, garnet.
         Symbolizes anger or other destructive emotions, birth, change, sex, passion,
         endings, energy, confrontations

Pink: Pink tourmaline, rose quartz, pink calcite, rhodocrosite, kunzite.
         Symbolizes love, friendship, peace, joy, relationships, family, interchange.

Orange: Carnelian, amber, citrine, tiger's-eye.
               Symbolizes illumination, personal power, energy, growth.

Yellow: Yellow tourmaline, topaz, yellow fluorite.
              Symbolizes protection, communication, travel, movement, exchange.
              Symbolizes growth, money, grounding, health, fertility, business transactions.

Blue: Celestite, aquamarine, sodalite, blue quartz, blue tourmaline, turquoise, sapphire.
          Symbolizes peace, sleep, healing, purification, emotions, subconscious.

Purple: Sugilite, lepidolite, amethyst.
             Symbolizes spirituality, evolution, mysticism, expansion, reincarnation.

The way Cunningham described it, though, he made it sound like you just keep pulling a stone out until you get whatever feels right.  I know, or at least I hope, he didn't mean that.  I would like to someday learn how and really study runes.  I think this may be a good sort of stepping stone, no pun intended.  What do you think?

I haven't worked with any crystals, metals, or stones yet.  I will soon, but haven't yet.  The summer solstice falls on June 21st this year.  This will be my first Litha.  I am excited, but with all the STRESS going on we didn't realize it until tonight.  (Did you notice I put "stress" in bold, capitals, underlined, and in italics?  Yeah.)

Today I've been in a lot of pain, so I haven't had one of my medicines for a couple of days.  I hope that tomorrow my doctor will call it in and I don't have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday, but that is a possibility.  Tonight I'm going to learn more about Litha while it is quiet.  I can hear the crickets outside and it makes me long for the country, the river, and the woods.  

Chapter 1 Journaling from book Paganism, pg 42

This blog entry will be answering questions from the book I'm working through right now.

Paganism: An Introduction to Earth Centered Religions


by Joyce & River Higginbotham


ISBN 978-0-7387-0222-3

My Journal page 42, Chapter 1

• I came to know about Paganism because...of my DH.  He was a Pagan for many years.  He was both Christian and Pagan when I met him. Now he is a Pagan again.  Before him I'd only heard of Wicca.
• Three things about Paganism I don't understand or that concern me are...the power of colors; I have a hard time feeling energy from living things (but occasionally can); I fear I'll never feel anything at all when I touch a crystal
• Three things about Paganism I would be interested to study further are...Goddess worship, healing, herbs.

If I am a Pagan or think I may be:

• My religion before I was Pagan was...Catholicism.
• Five things I appreciate about my previous religion are...veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the Rosary; the Saints; the rituals involved; Holy water.
• Three things I wish I could have changed about my previous religion are...the belief that women are subservient to men; the belief gays are evil and the persecution of gays; the constant guilt the Catholic Church piles on.
• I am attracted to Paganism because...Goddess worship; freedom to love and enjoy life and not mourn it; personal responsibility, the belief that human beings are not evil and the world isn't evil; birth, death, and all life stages in between are celebrated; reverence for the Earth; there is no all mighty being of ultimate evil, i.e. the Christian Devil
• The Pagan tradition I am most interested in right now is...eclectic solitary Wicca.
• The reaction of my friends and family to my interest in Paganism is...only my brother-in-law knows.  Some online friends know, my in-person friends don't know but I imagine I have to tell them before our handfasting.

A piece of nature on my desk

Litha, the Midsummer Sabbat, is the next Pagan holiday.  This will be my first Litha celebration.  It takes place on June 21st.  Right now in Australia and all over Southern Hemisphere, they are preparing for Yule.  I've found the page All About Litha to be helpful in learning about this Sabbat.

I've been feeling pretty good the past couple weeks, with only a few high pain days, so I've been able to go outside and sit on the porch most days.  It is nice to feel the strong sun rays on my face and arms.  My KP, which is always worse in the Spring and Fall, is even fading on my arms from getting sunlight.  (Sunlight is the cheapest and easiest way to control KP.)  I don't stay out for long, but I try to go out a couple times a day.  Being outside has really cut down my anxiety levels.  When I closed my eyes and felt the bark, turning it over in my hand, I think I finally felt it's energy.  I am having a really hard time feeling energy.  Do other newbie Pagans have a hard time with this or is it just me?  Every once in awhile I can feel it, but not often.  I've asked DH if he knows of anything that could help me, but he hasn't shown me how or gave me advice or whatever.  I've been reading on it, but when I try actually feeling energy I have a really hard time.  Does anyone have any advice?