FURTHER HERESY: SAGE & CRYSTALS
I’ve been burning a sage stick lately. I just wanted to get that out there and let the “Happy Housewife” Christian lady know. After all, confession is good for the soul.
I purchased the sage stick at a rock and mineral swap in a tiny town in New Hampshire, where I also bought a lovely piece of quartz with opalescent slivers inside it. Yes, quartz is a crystal, which some Christians believe is just about as heretical as a sage stick.
They think that crystals are “new age,” or “false idols” or “occult.” Never mind that Saint Theresa of Avila’s beloved sixteenth-century spiritual classic “Interior Castle” is based on the contemplation of a crystal:
“I thought of the soul as resembling a castle, formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal, and containing many rooms, just as in heaven there are many mansions . . . there are many rooms in this castle, of which some are above, some below, others at the side; in the centre, in the very midst of them all, is the principal chamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret intercourse.”
Contemplating nature is a time-honored way to reflect upon and connect with the holy. Jesus was forever talking about sparrows and types of soil and grains of wheat. He found lessons about God in everything around him. I feel closer to God in nature than anywhere else, so it stands to reason that I would want to use natural elements in my prayer time.
I light my sage stick and walk around my house, asking God to fill my home with Her spirit of peace and love and joy. I ask that She fill every space with the fragrance of Christ. (I don’t do this if my cat is downstairs, because it gives her a violent sneezing fit.)
I don’t believe crystals and sage sticks are magical or contain or control spirits; I think they are relaxing and beautiful. God made the rocks and the plants, and She gave us an appreciation for rich aromas and beautiful objects. We are intimately and organically connected to the plants and to the elements, and that’s why they help us embody our spirituality and connect with the Creator.
Here’s another confession: I am still a tad annoyed at the internet assaults launched by the Happy-Housewife Christian lady. So although she has already condemned me to hell for loving gay people, I am hoping to further annoy her with my hippy prayer practices. So there.
At least I am not cozying up to power and engaging in idol worship of a political leader like some other pastor-types.
Writing with Spirit 
Jul 24, 2017 @ 21:37:02
Hi Melanie,
I also feel very close to my Creator when I walk in the woods or across a corn field. I enjoy watching how God turns out the lights very slowly when the sun goes down, then there’s twilight, then darkness. The earth cries out, “Look at what God has made.” I’m wondering if that’s a sage stick in your post. Certainly nothing wrong with lighting it on fire and praying. Even the crystals show God’s glory, though not to be worshiped themselves…. On homosexuals, it’s certainly kind to hang out with and befriend them. Jesus did.
Jul 25, 2017 @ 11:19:57
Everything shows God’s glory if we have eyes to see! I guess I don’t see hanging out w/ my gay friends & family “being kind” – I hang out with them for the same reason I hang out w/ my straight friends – because I love them! Many of them, because of the abuse and rejection they have suffered, are the most compassionate and sensitive people I’ve known.