Celebration of Nature - Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy - Happy Earth Day!

My art is an attempt to reach beyond the surface appearance. I want to see growth in wood, time in stone, nature in a city, and I do not mean its parks but a deeper understanding that a city is nature too-the ground upon which it is built, the stone with which it is made. - Andy Goldsworthy

Stick path by Andy Goldsworthy

"Andy Goldsworthy is known for his outdoor sculptural interventions and indoor installations that transform nature's most familiar elements into graceful designs. Using color and geometric form to order found materials - such as stone, trees, mud, grass, snow, ice, and leaves - he creates art in which the changing nature of the materials is as much a part of the work as the design itself. His creations impart a sense of wonder, drawing attention to the inherent power, beauty, and mystery of nature." 

What is a better way to celebrate the Earth Day if not to talk about a remarkable artists whose work lives in a symbiotic embrace of human creativity, aesthetics and nature.

To visit the artist's website, please click here

The Magic of Manhattan

The wanderer in Manhattan must go forth with a certain innocence, because New York is best seen with innocent eyes. It doesn't matter if you are younger or old. Reading our rich history makes the experience more layered, but it is not a substitute for walking the streets themselves. For old-timer or newcomer, it is essential to absorb the city as it is now in order to shape your own nostalgias.

That's why I always urge the newcomer to surrender to the city's magic. Forget the irritations and the occasional rudeness; they bother New Yorkers too. Instead, go down to the North River and the benches that run along the west side of Battery Park City. Watch the tides or the blocks of ice in winter; they have existed since the time when the island was empty of man. Gaze at the boats. Look across the water at the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island, the place to which so many of the New York tribe came in order to truly live. Learn the tale of our tribe, because it's your tribe too, no matter where you were born. Listen to its music and its legends. Gaze at its ruins and monuments. Walk its sidewalks and run fingers upon the stone and bricks and steel of our right-angled streets. Breathe the air of the river breeze.

By Pete Hamill

Healing Properties of Rhodochrosite

Rhodochrosite from the Margarita Mine, Peru

Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate mineral. Pure rhodochrosite is rather rare. In its pure form, it is typically pale pink or rose-red, but the color of more prevalent impure specimens can vary from shades of pink, deep red, orange to pale brown. 

Rhodochrosite crystallizes in form of masses, grains, columns, botroyidal structures and  rhombohedral crystals.  It is often confused with the manganese silicate mineral rhodonite, but is distinctly softer than the other one.

Rhodochrosite was first described in 1813 in reference to a sample found in Cavnic, Maramureş Valey, in the northern part of Romania. Its name is derived from the Greek word rhodochros meaning rose-colored. It occurs together with other manganese minerals in low temperature ore deposits in silver mines of Romania and Argentina. It is also mined in the USA, South Africa, Russia, Peru  and Uruguay.

 

Rhodochrosite

In 2002 the State of Colorado officially named rhodochrosite as its state mineral since quite impressive specimens have been found in the Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado. 

While rodochrosite is found all over the world, large red crystals are found only in a few places. 

Rhodochrosite is considered to be a stone of love, balance and creativity. The crystal is believed to open the heart center, alleviate depression and encourage positive and cheerful outlook. It helps integrate physical and spiritual energies, stimulate love and passion, and energize the soul. People with low self esteem profit from it as the crystal is believed to improve one's self-worth and develop unconditional self-love and self-acceptance. 

Rhodochrosite alleviates physical and emotional stress, encourages positive attitude, creativity and innovation, and enhances dream states thus allowing a deeper insight into the subconscious mind. The stone can help us accept negative and painful emotions as part of our emotional make-up. It helps us understand that pain and suffering are step stones to personal growth. Negative experiences and challenges are lessons that help us grow. 

Rhodochrosite can help heal emotional patterns that prevent us from realizing our full emotional potential. It is a perfect stone for balancing, cleansing and energizing the root and solar plexus chakras. It helps us face irrational fear and deal with anxiety. It is believed that rhodochrosite allows us to express emotions, especially those long denied that are buried deep within our souls. People who wear it develop tendency to be cheerful and optimistic. 

On the physical plane rhodochrosite is believed to regulate heart beat, stabilize blood circulation, and balance the blood pressure. The stone is also believed to have a positive influence on kidneys, intestines, thyroid gland, skin, and the reproductive organs. It can  help improve eye sight and alleviate mild migraine. 

Best results are achieved when it is worn as a bracelet or placed over the heart and solar plexus. A gem elixir made of rhodochrosite helps heal and prevent infections, improve the skin, calm inflammation, and regulate thyroid gland.

The beauty of rhodochrosite makes it a desired collectors' object that will not only bring joy to the beholder, but also enhance energy flow in any room of the house. 

By Dominique Allmon

 

Dominique Allmon©2013

*This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease. 

Image source here