Last week I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Amber Blasco Douglass, owner of Beauty Adorned. Amber is a professional successful makeup artist based in Portland, Oregon. She offers a line of organic and lavish products. Amber is also a dear friend of mine. She is a lover of crystals and positive energy. It was an honor to be interviewed by a like-minded entrepreneur.
Can you tell us a little about crystals and what makes them special for meditation and healing?
Crystals are excellent tools to help you on your journey toward health and spiritual development. They are naturally occurring from the Earth (some from outer space) hence contain the healing vibrations and equilibrium of natural elements. Everything in the universe has vibrations, and crystals operate at a pure high realm.
What are some good ways to feel and stay balanced?
There are hundreds of different techniques for crystal healing. For busy, on-the-go individuals, wearing crystal jewelry such as bracelets, earrings, necklaces etc. is an easy and efficient way to have the crystal energies working on you all day long.
Be sure to clean, charge, and program the stone with your intents upon receiving it. There are more advanced techniques on balancing the chakras and cleansing the aura with tools like crystal wands, pendulums, and chakra stones.Crystal healing classes and books can help you delve into some of the more advanced methods.
If I have negative energy in my life, what are the best crystals for deflecting or getting rid of it?
Do you have any favorite mantras for living your best life?
When I was younger, I followed the mantra "No Regrets". As a relentless dream chaser, I've never been afraid to go after what I want with full passionate force. That has taken me all across the world several times, and through a number of wild adventures. Now that I'm getting to a different point in life, I try to follow the mantra "Let it go, Let it flow". Whereas "No Regrets" was easy to live by, I find "Let it go, Let it Flow" to be challenging. It's hard to put your trust into the hands of someone else or the universe, but If you hold onto every little thing the stress builds up quickly. It's something I'm working on, and have a long way to go.
What is the history on crystal healing? Has it been present in a lot of different cultures throughout the ages?
Crystals have been on Earth since its beginning. If you look back at ancient cultural artifacts, you will almost always find crystals. Ancient cultures had high regards for gemstones. Crowns and jewels were often adorned with sapphires, rubies, emeralds, lapis, malachite, and any gems that civilizations could get hold of. They were used for royal adornment, and even for tools. Obsidian arrowheads were some of the first weaponry to be created. Crystals were also used for spiritual ceremonies. The Native Americans have a special connection with turquoise, which is a stone that channels the divine.
Do you have a personal collection? Any favorite pieces?
I'm surrounded by crystals several hours a day. In front of my computer is a large blue aquamarine gemstone. It is a calming presence and very attractive. A marble Hanuman statue is in the corner, overlooking the work space. In the bedroom I have a large white selenite cluster. On the selenite sits a malachite cat, tiger's eye pendulum, and amethyst cluster among other things. There is a tall white marble Mother Mary and child statue in the corner. My collection changes according to my mood.
My husband loves Tiger's Eye, so we have a collection of 50-100 pieces of Tiger's Eye at the moment. That is a part of the permanent exhibit.
You had a storefront in downtown San Francisco. As that dream was realized and super successful, what was the pivotal point where you decided to change how you do business and go online?
I have been doing exhibitions, showrooms, online business, healing sessions, and classes since 2005. From 2009-2011 my sister Sheila and I opened a physical Satin Crystals storefront. It was such a great experience, because we formed a strong group of like-minded people from the San Francisco community. We had guided crystal meditation twice a week, as well as Jewelry-Making classes, Crystal Healing certification classes, Reiki certifications, Hypnotherapy certifications, and guest teachers.
Ultimately, Sheila and I realized that we were not cut out for routine work. With a store, there are set times and obligations. Now we each operate fully online - I own Satin Crystals and she creates the handmade I Dig Crystals jewelry line. Being online entrepreneurs gives us the freedom to set our own work hours, travel without worry, and work from various locations. We are no longer bogged down by hefty overhead, and business is better than ever. Although I'm not offering classes or sessions at the moment, I may do so in the future.
Traveling: you do a lot for work with sourcing, and you do a lot for pleasure. What places have been your favorite and why?
I am grateful that I have been able to travel extensively for both business and pleasure. I have a deep love for Thailand, where we would go often to visit relatives since I was very small. It is a beautiful country known as the "Land of Smiles". Thailand is surrounded by gorgeous seas in the south, and green rain forests up north. I lived there for 2 years after University, and fell in love with the North.
Another special country is Turkey. It is the first and only Muslim country I have visited to date. The large gorgeous mosques were a new, spectacular sight that made the Istanbul skyline look different from most other cities I'd seen. The people are very friendly and they have a lot of beautiful natural resources to share. That being said, home is home, so California is still the greatest place on Earth.
If you could change one thing in the world for the better, what would it be?
Like most people, I have a distaste for violence and brutality. I've always been very sensitive to animal abuse and suffering. It would be a fantastic step in evolution to do away with abuse and neglect that people inflict on animals and also on each other. I hope that contributing positive messages and providing people with higher consciousness tools can be my way in balancing the world toward the greater good.
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