Blessed Litha

Blessed Litha, or as I call it: Midsummer (a few days late)!

Celebrating another turn of the Wheel with Summer Solstice celebrations means gathering late into the night, burning the brush in a bonfire, releasing the shit in the way of an awesome harvest season. Some call it Midsummer, Summer Solstice or Litha or Leetha, as others pronounce it. I could not get a clear pronunciation of it. I found an Irish speaker who said Litha, but Wiccans will sometimes say Leetha. Ultimately, the word for the holiday comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of June — Ǣrra-Līða. That essentially translates to “the first liða” — and July is effectively named “the second liða.”

I am holding an online healing circle and guided shamanic journey with dragon in honor of Midsummer! You can find more information here.

ch-ch-changes...and growth and little deaths

To be honest, I have been struggling to write, like I’ve been struggling to sleep and not sleep. I thought I had some kind of deep illness and my cancer was back a few weeks ago, because I couldn’t get up and go. I had to nap—once, twice, three times a lady. I called my primary care physician and asked her to test me for anything that causes fatigue—anemia, infection, mono, Lyme disease…anything. Turns out there is nothing wrong with me.

But all I want to do is sleeeeeeep…and rest me eyes, like a pirate on holiday on a deserted island.

Maybe it is depression, then I was like, of course it is depression. So, yeah, that is the conclusion I came to. It is situational as my life has been chaotic this year. During my yearly tarot pull, I have been using the Alleyman’s Tarot, which is my current favorite deck…Goddess bless, that deck is perfect. (Sidenote: the Alleyman pulled cards from all kinds of decks to make one chaotic, strange, and totally insightful deck of mismatched cards and cohesive interpretation. I pledged on a whim on his Kickstarter, and fell in love with it when it came.) This is a deck with an insane amount of Death cards, or Death-like cards, and out of the 9 cards I pulled, 6 of them were Deaths or Death Adjacent, like a card called Bone Fire, which is equivalent to the Tower. As a Tarot Reader, you sort of start laughing and shaking your head. By the end of the reading, you can only say, “What. The. Fuck. Seriously?” Or “I am fucked, seriously.” Or some combination of those words.

Then February came, and the bomb dropped in my life, and I go—okay, Angelica Maria de las Vulturas, you picked the word Change for the year, then pulled Death 9 times, and you are surprised that devastation is here? You asked for it. The truth is, I root for Death when my clients come to see me—it is about release and letting go of the dead things, but when Death comes for me, I freak out. “Why do things have to change?” I whine at the same time I am lighting the fire on the bridge of life. Don’t get me wrong, I love to be on the other side of change. I love when things shift and evolve and grow to meet me. Everything that has happened to me in life has led me to the place I needed to go.

One of my favorite sayings is Stop Watering Dead Plants. And as a plant lady, I have watered plants past their death, begging like Kisa Gotami to bring back my baby. I have watered so many dead things, like Persephone, praying my Goddess of Spring era works in the underworld only to see flowers die from being overwatered, then the water keeps coming and coming and coming, until the whole of Hades is flooded.

Things are changing. They needed to change. I just hate not know how it will look at the end of the changing.

I must change too. I have babied myself, nurtured me, taken deep care to rest me, and nap me, and feed me good things. But all that time away from work, made me realize that I miss work. I miss holding space for people in real life, or sitting with a client and pulling cards, drawing on their beautiful spirit and desires. I love distant work too, which puts me in contact with so many amazing humans around the world.

But the act of Death and change and transformation is ultimately an act of creativity. Resurrection is all the rage. Transformation, death, creativity, art, and rebirth that is kind of my vulture-like jam. And by jam, I mean, I want it on every little bit of toast that I eat. I want that jam on surround sound. Creativity breathes and moves. It draws people in and connects us more deeply that anything else…think of your favorite song or poem or painting and all the other people who connect through that world…we need art and creative energy. I need art and creative energy like water.

Maybe I have been feeling like a “mostly dead” plant, because you can start watering a mostly dead plant, and slowly watch the green come back. Yes, maybe some brown and dried leaves will be gone forever, but if you repot, give her some new soil, attention, sunlight, care, love, and just the right amount of water, the plant will thrive.

I am burying the lead again, as I am wont to do, but all of this is to say I have some news. I am opening my in-person practice again at Alta View Wellness Center. I will be taking over the lower level classroom to see clients, do readings, and sell some items in a retail space. My idea is to have more handmade, recycled, used, and upcycled items than new. I thought that a metaphysical thrift shop would be ideal for me to handle. I won’t be open everyday all day, but have weekly hours that are semi-regular on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but I will also open by appointment if needed. I will post weekly hours on my website and on my FB page.

But right now, it is just slowly coming together, but I am planning a Grand Opening celebration-y thing on May 3rd where my shop will be open 10 am to 2 pm. At Noon, I will do a guided meditation, then go into a Tarot Gallery, reading for whoever is there. I hope to see you there. This event is free, and my ten-year-old son Zachary will have a bake sale/pop-up café at the shop to raise money for Four Diamonds Mini-thon, which empowers K-12 students to raise funds and awareness to help conquer childhood cancer. Actually, Four Diamonds covers 100 percent of all medical expenses related to cancer care not covered by insurance for eligible Four Diamonds children. Because of the community’s steady and generous support, Four Diamonds has assisted 100 percent of the childhood cancer patients who have been treated at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital. Zach is a Mini-THONs leader, so he is spearheading this, and I am excited for him.

I have an RSVP if you are reading this and might be able to come. Just click here:

So, that’s what I have been up to. No worries, distant clients and members of the Moon + Stone membership, I am still going to be there for you too. I am still doing monthly Full Moon and New Moon readings, sharing the earth medicine knowledge and holding my weekly coffee + cards circle on Monday morning. If you want to join the Membership Group, check out all the deets on the Membership page

One change that might affect you is that I have set up my online scheduler to accept in-person clients as well as distance clients. So, check in and make sure you are scheduling the correct appointment, but otherwise, I am so excited to be reconnecting in person with clients and watering myself just enough. Schedule an appointment with Angie at this link.

Much love,

Angie

Tarot: you asked, I answer.

One of my favorite sayings (and something I repeat quite often) from my mentor Pixie Lighthorse is that we need to name it to tame it, then we need to feel it to heal it. Recently, a friend said that we also have to live it to give it.

Live it to give it hit me right in my truthiness center. YES! This is the nucleus in the atom of my teaching and my work. We have to live it to give it—meaning we can only pass on our experience and truth. This is the principle ethic of recovery—only one addict or alcoholic can help another, because it is inauthentic to share recovery and preach the wisdom of that if you haven’t hit bottom and rebuild your life.

In spiritual circles, this is the same. You have to live the spiritual life, to walk it, to integrate it. You can spot a poser a mile away. Someone regurgitating something they read in a book. Or someone who doesn't practice what they preach. One of the reasons I never hide recovery and my nearly 14 years living a sober, spiritual life after hitting my own bottom is because you need to know that recovery is possible. I am not an unmentionable. I am not living on Skid Row. I recovered. I sought healing.

I found out a truth about myself that meant I had to change, and so I did. Not just from alcoholism, but from desolation, loneliness, isolation, trauma, inner child tantrums, avoidance, unhealthy attachments, stuckness, self-loathing and all the other wounds we carry from the suffering of being human. We can be curious and open and wild and forgiving and honoring not despite our wounds, but because of it.

So, yes, we have to live it to give it.

As you probably already know, I have lived with the Tarot for over, gulp, thirty years of my life. First as a dabbler, then as a student, then a reader and now a teacher. I have been where you are. Maybe you are curious, or maybe you have a deck and you pull cards, and then look at a book, interpret each card, but cannot make sense of how it relates to what you want to know.

On January 1st, 2025, I start my signature move in my business—the Complete Tarot. It is a combination of a recorded class and a live class. I think that works best for most people, because watching classes can be on your time, the time you need to watch, absorb, do your thing. Pause the recording, take notes. Then we meet live and I demonstrate the readings I am teaching, answer questions, laugh. By the end of the nine weeks, most people will have some mad Tarot reading skills.

So, do you want to study with me?

I am now enrolling for the Complete Tarot

I thought I might answer some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) I get about Tarot.

How did you learn Tarot?

I learned by doing lots of readings on myself and others, reading books, talking to other Tarot readers, looking at the cards, asking questions, and getting Tarot readings. Taking a Tarot class could be an incredibly enriching experience for me, but I didn’t know that was an option (and maybe in 1989 when I got my first deck it wasn’t). I would have loved a Tarot mentor, someone to do readings with, and to help me interpret Tarot, but I learned through my research monkey, introverted book person way. One of the key elements for deepening and understanding Tarot was keeping a Tarot journal.

I have so many journals. So. Very. Many. I journaled nearly every reading I did for myself. I wrote the question or focus of my reading, then the different cards that I pulled in what position. I also wrote any intuitive feelings or thoughts that came to me during the interpretations. I made connections between one reading and another, for example, when a card I'd been getting in the future position came into the present. I could therefore see how these aspects grow and morph. I often pull oracle cards with my Tarot readings, and so I noted them and what messages came through from those sources.

The second journal I kept focused on individual cards. So I would meditate with a card, note any symbols or images on the card that seemed significant. Sometimes I would sleep with a card and then write about the dream I had in the morning. When I looked at books, I often resonated with an interpretation more than another. One thing I find interesting is to look in the background of cards, they can tell you so much about the card's meaning. What is the background color? What symbols do you see? All of this lends to a mood. I just wrote about what I thought all of it meant individually, then together. I cross-referenced them with some books to see if someone else picked up one something I didn't see. I do find it fascinating and amazing how alike my interpretations were with some books. (This picture is me many moons ago when I still had boobs reading a new deck and cross-checking the book.)

This is why I ask my students to journal, because all the Tarot wisdom lie within you dormant and ready to begin reaching for the light. The archetypes of Tarot are universal and ancient. They only need you to activate them by study.

How can I learn Tarot?

You can study with a teacher, or you can study on your own. All of the great Tarot teachers pretty much became obsessed, like me, taught themselves and became students of the Tarot. If you have that gene, awesome, Primo. But if not, you can take my class where all my obsessive research is synthesized into these teachings. The workbook is primarily keywords, but the class is a deep dive and I talk much more in-depth about the cards, their history, etc.

So, wait, I thought as a Tarot Reader, you were not supposed to do readings on yourself?

Doing readings on yourself is the key to learning Tarot. Basically, learning Tarot is learning the symbolic language in which Spirit speaks to you. You already know about you--what you have been through, what you are facing now, what is most important to you in this phase of your life. So, if you know what issues surround your life, you will be able to match that with the card that applies. So, for example, when I pull the Queen of Pentacles, which is the Earth Mama card of the Minor Arcana, I can see how she would represent that aspect of my personality. My identity for the first five years of my parenting has been as a stay-at-home mother. In this way, this would give me hints about the cards around me. For example, if I pulled the Queen of Pentacles in the Past, I could see how I am moving out of this aspect of how I once saw myself, but how it still informs my present situation. Now, if I moved into the Present as the Emperor, the paternal figure of the Major Arcana, I can say that I am finally moving into a place where I know who I am, what I want, what I need to do to follow my soul path, and how to also lead benevolently and compassionately in the next phase of my life. This is because being a mother has helped me prioritize my life and figure out what I truly want in my career.

But I think the core of what is meant by this question is this: when you sit in front of yourself for a reading, can you be objective? I wrestle with the answer to this question all the time. I wrestle with it when I do readings for good friends and family, and when I do readings for myself. Personally, I find it terribly difficult to be objective about my own life, easier to be objective with friends and family, easiest to be objective with strangers. There are times I am really hard on myself, and other times where I cannot see my role in a situation no matter HOW much soul-searching I do. And neither of those is objective.

So, yes, I do readings for myself, but I am careful to temper it with other advice and opinions from people I trust to be honest with me.

I heard that I need to be gifted my first deck of Tarot. I keep dropping hints, but no one will buy one for me. Is that true?

I have no idea when this notion of being gifted a deck of Tarot came into being, but it's hogwash. I think you SHOULD buy your own deck and make sure it is deck you connect with.

What kind of layouts do you teach in your class?

Well, I teach a number of very basic layouts in my class. I start with a one card draw. Obviously pulling one card is a very focused Tarot reading, and in this way, I can say I use it all the time. But we build very quickly into the Three-Card draw, which is a very versatile layout and great for quick answers. I teach a number of different ways to approach the Three Card. Then we add the Four-Card layout and I offer two varieties of this layout. A Four=Card Obstacles layout and a Four-Care Goals layout, so it starts giving some depth to the Three-Card. From the Four-Card, we build to the Mystic Seven layout. This is the cross in the Celtic Cross, and then an outcome card. This layout is perfect for twenty-minute readings. We then work with the Celtic Cross.

When I do a full reading for someone, I do what is called the Ancient Celtic Cross. The Celtic Cross layout was developed by Arthur Waite who wrote in his book about the Celtic Cross: “I offer in the first place a short process which has been used privately for many years past in England, Scotland and Ireland. I do not think that it has been published — certainly not in connexion with Tarot cards; I believe that it will serve all purposes.” Arthur E. Waite published the basic Tarot deck that I teach and use and is the base of most of the Tarot decks published in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His seminal book, published in 1910, A Pictorial Key to the Tarot, was the first book about Tarot and it accompanied the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. From all the information I can gather, we thank Waite for this (and Pamela Coleman Smith for the art and archetypes we associate with the Tarot.)

But as a bonus, you get a pdf copy of my layouts book to work with after our class is done.

What do you love about Tarot?

Tarot has deep symbolism, meaning and spirituality. Every piece of the Tarot card has meaning—the color, the elements, the facial expressions, the mood, the pieces of each picture. Tarot combines art, archetypes, history, religious studies, faith, myth, storytelling, psychology and the mystery of existence. It taps into a kind of universal consciousness, esoteric arcane knowledge that alchemizes in the individual consciousness.

Tarot tells a story—the story of your energy. Many people think I have some kind of crazy psychic abilities. I just tell the story of the cards. Storytelling through pictures is as ancient as the Earth. Our society, our political system, our religions, our psychology is entirely rooted in myth & narrative. Tapping into this through the cards helps us tap into something ancient and important.

I love that Tarot helps me get out of my own way. I can sit in meditation, ask the cards, find some insight about my life that just doesn’t consciously occur to me. The wisdom of Tarot, the synchronicity, the “HOLY CRAP” moment, the patterns and connections we make. I love the combination of visual and spiritual, emotional and mental. As my friend Pamela said every class when she took my Complete Tarot class, “You cannot make this shit up.” And you really cannot.

If you are still with me, and you are like, “Yes, Angie, I want to live Tarot too,” then I am here to pass on the medicine of Tarot through my nine-week class called the Complete Tarot

Do you want to join me?

Click here and learn more, register and get in there.

Some basic info:

- The Complete Tarot runs nine weeks, but you have lifetime access and can finish on your own time.

- There are so many bonuses they are difficult to list them all, but suffice to say, I am extra, and so is this class.

- Yes, it is based on my workbook, or rather the workbook is based on this class

- Everything is recorded if you cannot attend live.

- It is $500 for nine classes, a shit-ton of extra lessons and one-on-one time with me.

- Yes, there is a certification available, but you don’t need a certification to read Tarot. I am just offering that for the Earth signs in my audience who might need a certificate to prove they are ready. (I joke, but with some truthiness as a Capricorn sun with a Taurus moon.)

- Yes, I can answer any questions you may have! Just hit reply to this email or drop me a line at angie@themoonandstone.com

Registration closes on December 31st, so register today to be start your 2025 off on the right foot!

Much love,

PS: I have a few payment plan options for those who are struggling with a full payment. Just check out the webpage for all the deets.

PPS: ALSO, If you already took the class and want to take it again, you can take it for a discounted price. I have students who took the class more than one just for a deeper understanding. LEGACY pricing is only for former students.

PPPS Did you know that if you have a spouse or someone you live with that likes my classes, you get both take it with one registration? I charge a wee fee if you both want to be certified, but it just makes sense to not get all hung up on paying double.

PPPS Did you also know you can give this as a gift to someone you love? Check the gift button at checkout and it will walk you through the entire process!

Episode 75: The Wicked Women of Greek Mythology

Ever wonder why stories of women in mythology and religion so often paint them as the villains? From Pandora opening the jar of evils to Medusa's transformation into a monster, these tales shape cultural narratives that endure today.

In this episode, Angie dives into ancient Greek mythology to unpack how women like Pandora, Medusa, and Circe have been scapegoated for humanity's woes—and how feminist perspectives reclaim their stories as symbols of curiosity, defiance, and resilience. We’ll explore the gods’ messy, human-like flaws, Zeus's power plays, and Hera’s complicated transformation from a powerful pre-Greek goddess to a vengeful Olympian queen. This is part one of a series on “Wicked Women,” examining how patriarchal storytelling turns women’s strength into cautionary tales.

Want Angie to cover Adam, Eve, Lilith, and the Abrahamic traditional takes on women next? Let her know! Email, DM, or comment—because these stories deserve a closer look.

Helpful Links:

Follow for more myths, misunderstood women, and stories that challenge how we think about history and culture! 🌿✨

Blessed Full Moon in Aries

Whew, boy, I missed posting this here yesterday (though if you follow my IG, you would have seen it!), but still useful in that three day window you can really dive deep into Full Moon energy.

In my Membership group, I do a collective Full Moon reading and more for our group, so check out my revamped Membership group and join if you like my approach to the medicine.

Episode 73: Q+A Episode on Existentialism, the Meaning of Life + the Gospels according to Angie

Click here to access Episode 73 on Spotify.

On this week’s episode, I am answering some questions from my listeners, and they ended up being long. Little did they know they hit on some of my special interests as a neurodivergent religion + philosophy nerd. (hello, sailor!) Here are the questions and time where you can find them:

Question 1 : (at 4:35)

from Becky Davis, ACM

How do we find meaning when our day-to-day lives feel empty?

Question 2 : (at 29.06)

from Lee Ann Huebner

This is something I've been meaning to research forever.

When did the quote in the Bible from Jesus saying he was the only way to God first show up? Cause I'm not buying it. One it doesn't seem like something he would say and why would God exclude much of the human souls on this planet with a one line quote.

I also discuss Spirit of Oneness in Harrisburg PA, hosted by Sharon Muzio of Alta View Wellness Center. You can find more information at ⁠http://spiritofonenessevent.com . It takes place Saturday, October 5th from 10am to 6pm and Sunday, October 6th from 10am to 5pm.⁠

If you want to ask a question or comment, or have an idea for a future episode, or want to be on a future episode, send me an email at angie@themoonandstone.com.


Shamanic Journey with a Skull

Through my time as an earth medicine practitioner, I have developed intimate relationships with the crystals and tools that have come to me. I consider myself an Earth Medicine Keeper, meaning that I often will find medicine of the Earth, like feathers, bones, skulls, crystals, tools, artwork, and altar pieces. I am exceedingly good at hypervigilance when I am out and about in the world, probably one of those residuals from trauma that serves me in my field. I notice small movements, like animals on the forest floor. I point out the toads, salamanders, birds, feathers, and animals camouflaged in their natural habitats. I find patterns in the things, which is an excellent skill set for finding a four-leaf clover, which I am also very good at. This isn’t even a humble brag, this is a brag brag. Because, let’s face it, sometimes it is good to know what you are good at. Being able to see a discrepancy in the force offers me a opening to gather medicine for my clients. Side note: I am also awesome at this at Yard Sales, Thrift Shops and antique malls for all those interested in a buddy or shopper.

I find many pieces for my work in the most unlikeliest of places. I take them home, and clean them. I house them, and consistently cleanse, clear and clean until they are ready for meditation or journey work. Then I journey with the piece to find out how I can best work with this medicine and how it wants to work with me. Sometimes I pass the medicine on, if it was meant for a client. I actually am starting to resell, recycle, and upcycle my finds for my online shop.

So, what is a shamanic journey? Well, journey is a practice best described as a lucid trance state. In the alpha state, it's akin to meditation. In the theta state, the deeper level of transmission, more akin to the dream state. In this way, we visualize and communicate with our medicine and guides much more easily. Intelligence comes through the sensory processes and is later interpreted cognitively.

My questions are often the same ilk—why did you come to me? Are you personal medicine or medicine I will use with clients? What messages do you have? How would you like me to work with you? How can I best honor you and keep you?

In Spring of 2023, my bestie Sharon Muzio and I took a trip to Columcile Megalith in Bangor, Pennsylvania. It is a standing stone Celtic park that is not only beautiful, but sacred and holy. It was an awesome weekend away, and we decided to check out a few crystal shops in the area, as you do when you are witchy bad asses with a rainy day. I found this incredible shop called Celestial Journeys in Stroudsburg, PA. It seems to be permanently closed now, which is so sad, because she had an incredible selection of crystals and offerings.

I went in there looking for nothing, and then we made eye contact with a skull that was white. It looked like bone, almost. When I saw it, I thought it looked like Ocean Jasper, definitely in my top five crystals of all time. One of the things I love about Ocean Jasper is its connection to the Earth, and healing work. Each piece is entirely different from another, but they often have markings that  look like cells almost. I kept walking back over to it in the case, not touching it yet, but just watching it. The consciousness of it felt palpable. I couldn’t not think of this skull as I walked around the store. Finally, I went back and asked the owner Janine what it was. She told me it was fossilized coral.

Hmmm…interesting.

Fossilized coral skull. Of course, the little corals are going to look like bones. I assumed it had limestone with it, and my goodness, it was so cool. I decided this was Spirit urging me to connect with a Crystal Skull.

Now, I did have a skull at the time—a black Obsidian skull that I worked with for ancestral healing work, and my altars for Ancestor. My beautiful friend Lisa D’Arrigo sent me a gorgeous little Cherry Jasper skull that I worked with when I was healing from my double mastectomy in 2021. But this Skull felt different, like it was here to teach and work with me.

I didn’t immediately jump into journey with the Skull. I spent the days preceding my journey day prepping. I made baños. Cleared and cleansed with skull with drum, rattle, and burning herbs. I set aside a whole day for journeywork, and this was part of that day. I took a long ceremonial bath in dead sea salt water and prepared for a long journey with the Skull. I brought it to my bed, and set myself up with pillows and Icaros, the Central and South American songs used during Ayahuasca and other medicine. journeys. Now, one of my goals was to develop a relationship with the medicine—specifically with the skull.

Every skull keepers I know who have deep meaningful relationships with their skulls seemed to know their name, their medicine, channeling the wisdom of the Crystal Skull. So, that was one of my questions: What is your name? Then deeper:

  • What work do you want to do through me?

  • Why did you come to me?

  • Are you personal medicine or medicine I will use with clients?

  • What messages do you have?

  • How would you like me to work with you?

  • How can I best honor you and keep you?

As I began, I seemed plunged into a world with many layers and levels, different outlooks, but it was all fluorescent and changeable. And I continued to try to be grounded in a journey on the land, but it was somewhere between ether and space. It reminded me of the movie Tron. But as I explored, and frustratingly was trying to direct my journey, I kept asking the question, I am here to know your name. Tell me what Medicine you have for me. It was just the Icaros and the place that could be very large or very small.

Why are you asking me my name?

The Skull began speaking. And it continued as colors and shapes, nebula and sacred geometry was all around me. “I used to have a whole universe in me and you are asking if I have a human name.”

Suddenly, I could see all this nebulous color and shape come into focus. It was a coral reef, so deep and long and intricate. It was like watching a movie on speed 4x, except the 4 were years, millennia, really. I could see the life cycle of plants and anemones and fish—their babies, their babies’ babies, birth, life, mate, death, and then birth, life, mate and death, over and over and I could see the eating of fish my other fish and the gentleness of the animals in and around the coral. The whole of the coral reef was a universe where certain fish and plants spent their whole life. The Skull repeated itself, “I used to be an entire universe. You can never fully grasp what that means. You can never understand with your ways unless you want to. You humans just want to possess things. You take me out the Earth, cut me out of the womb again, after my life cycle being a universe, from the place where I lived, and then you take me and carve me into your image and ask me my name, like I am happy to be here looking like a human.”

“You shaped me to be you. You carved me in your image, to look human, but I am anything but human. I had a universe in me and around me the likes you will never understand and you dare to ask me what my human name is. I am everything. I am the Earth. I am the universe..”

At first, I had that sarcastic defeating Gen X voice in me, “Figures I’d get the angry little skull.”

The Skull continued to talk, “You are asking the wrong questions. You are asking me my name. How you work with me? These are petty human concerns.” I could still see the coral extending out into the sea, and housing all the life cycles.

What the skull taught me is that Earth Medicine isn’t us, we cannot project our humanness onto the Earth. It doesn’t have a consciousness like ours. The Earth doesn’t pull things out of its environment and expect it to thrive and teach and be wise and understand humanity. The Coral taught me about community and interconnectedness, and showed me, more than meditation or writing about (which I had to do for my Level 3 shamanic training) ever could communicate—we must dismantle the myth of separation. Not only is the Coral the Sea, but it is also the Earth. It is the fish it housed. It is the salt, the plants, the limestone. It is me. It is you.

My line of question was very me-centeric. I was asking the questions about what I had just bought, That in and of itself was problematic to him. When I asked, what's your name? How do you want to work with me? It was all me, me, me, me. I wanted a cool story. I wanted to channel the medicine. But the Skull was like, all righty, well, let's get you in line here. And it was interesting. He showed me the universes that exist on the Earth, and that right now, you are no different Angie. There are universes around all things.

I am a human. I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it. And he was basically saying, this is how you work with me. Learn about me, learn about the earth. I am the medicine of the earth. So, in the end, this tempermental coral skull was not moody at all, but honest and wise. He teaches me every day about how to work with the earth medicine and not how to possess it or use it and be an ally to it. We are in service to the medicine, not the other way around. Humility and walking the beauty way can help soften tough relationships with the medicine and the Earth, which continues to struggle with heat and climate change. I was asking its name, but that was decidedly the wrong question. The question I should be asking is Would you please show me the way of the Earth?

In the end, that is what I do. I'm an earth medicine practitioner and I was asking a Coral Skull, “In what ways are you human? How do you be more human? What kind of human ways can you help me with?” But that is not the medicine of the Earth—it about the wisdom of the animal, the plant, the plant.

As I have explored my unnamed Crystal Skull, I researched coral, because of course, I did. Cool Coral factoids:

  • Coral grow by biomineralization, a process that starts when the young coral polyp uses seawater to create calcium carbonate crystals.

  • Corals worldwide, no matter if they live in the ocean or in a tank, bloom at the same time. They communicate no matter where they are in the world.

  • Coral reefs only take up 0.0025 % of the earth's surface but they, along with other marine organisms are responsible for producing 50% of the earth oxygen.

  • They also absorb nearly one-third of the carbon dioxide generated from burning fossil fuels.

  • Synchronized mass coral spawning typically occurs several days after a full moon once a year.

I bought my Skull and continue to build a deep relationship with its medicine. He comes in one form or another in every session I have. I mostly keep him on my altar and honor his medicine. As we have softened and taught me more about working with the Earth, our work together seems one of the most important medicine journeys ever.

Do you have a skull? Tell me about it in the comments! Also, let me know how you loved Skull Week, and I can’t wait to explore more topics with you. If you love my deep dives, consider asking me a question to cover in my next podcast episode, which is a Q&A episode. Send your question via email either written or you can send an audio file to angie (at) themoonandstone (dot) com.

Skull Tour with Suzanne Pfister + Julie Taylor

I am so pleased to introduce one of my people, Suzanne Pfister of the Midnight Owl. Suzanne has served as a Moderator for the Moon + Stone Healing FB Community and the host of our monthly Craft and Tails night, which is a virtual craft night—bring your own cocktails. (I mean…come on! doesn’t that sound like the best time!) Suzanne Pfister, RMT, ACM, is a Reiki Master Teacher, an Advanced Crystal Master, a yoga teacher and a proprietress of Midnight Owl, a mystical and metaphysical shop of all things fantasy, spiritual and whimsical in Chester, NJ. I am hoping Suzanne will offer more of these tour of her shop. I know I bought some things, and Mama is very happy!!

Skull Tour with Suzanne Pfister Rmt Acm at Midnight Owl. If you would like to purchase a skull you see, please reach out to Suzanne by clicking here.

Spirit Journey with Skull

I am so honored to welcome a piece by Julie Taylor, ACM. Julie and I got to know each other through Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy. Later she studied Tarot through the Moon + Stone Healing Academy and joined my weekly circle. Since then, she has become one of the moderators at the Moon + Stone Healing Academy’s Facebook page and one of the contributors here on our site.

Julie is a certified Advanced Crystal Master and Reiki Master. She's a lover of words and moon magic. She received her bachelor's in professional writing and associate's in early childhood education and practices crystal reiki on herself and with others. She lives in sync with moon cycles and seasons and practices her witchery in the Las Vegas Valley of Nevada. She's the author of the children's book, Blue Hissy Highness and the Shiny Stones, founder of StoneSpelling.com, a new community for sharing witchery, curator of the Private Facebook Group, Stone Spelling & Witchery, is a moderator for the Moon + Stone Healing Academy Facebook group, and is a contributor here at the Moon + Stone Healing Academy.

Follow Julie Taylor on Stone Spelling

Trigger Warning: Touches on topic of death

Skulls, the spirit of them, have called to me. In years past, I’ve noticed them in crystal stores, seen them around Halloween time, and noticed them around Day of the Dead. But I hadn’t yet felt the urge to buy one or spend time learning about them enough to open to what they might mean to me--until this year. Now that I think back, I think skull spirit started calling to me late last winter.

More and more my eyes landed on crystal skulls as I shopped stones but I couldn’t land on any that felt a right fit for me. I started to wonder why. I started to think maybe I’m missing something. And then I thought that if the universe was speaking to me, sending a call to connect with skull spirit, that maybe I’m meant to learn before I leap.

So, this summer, I started a quest to find out what skulls represent for me in a spiritual sense. I began with the dictionary. It’s one of my favorite books. It’s like a marker at the beginning of the trail, a spiritual reminder to keep me from falling down too many rabbit holes or from traveling astray of where I want to go.

The first definition is what one might expect with its description of the skeleton of the head.

And even definition 4 with its “emblem of death” seemed expected considering celebrations around Halloween and el Dia de los Muertos. But definitions 2 and 3 sparked something new for me.

Definition 2: the seat of understanding or intelligence: mind

Definition 3a: the crown of the head

Hmm...my eyes paused over “seat” and “understanding” and “crown,” and my intuition translated “seat” to the root chakra and connected “understanding” to the “crown.” My thoughts started running ahead, following the ideas popping into my imagination, sparking for me the sense that I’m meant to connect special meaning between earth and skeleton with crown and skull.

They’re interconnected but there’s emphasis on the journey up to the skull...starting from the root charka, building air in the belly, moving up through the heart, and signaling to the crown.

And I take in that mindful, deep breath, and as I let it out, I feel the Element of Air moving in me to connect body, mind, and spirit.

Whoosh

Ahead of me on this spiritual path, a rabbit hole appears, and I’m spiked to go down it. The Element of Air is wafting and saying to me, “when breath becomes air.”

Wait, what? My mind’s eye feels an almost mental shake of clarity, because I know those words. I ask myself, “Where have I heard those words?” And I remember.

I attended a Death Cafe last year, and I saw a book titled, When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. Poetic. Four words that conjured in me a sense, a feeling about life after human death. That when a last human breath is taken, the soul enters Air, moving into spirit, wafting through realms, and at times keeping me company with their essence.

Air is moving in me. In through the nose, out through the nose. The skull represents that for me.

The sense that with every breath I take, I connect body, mind, and soul to spirit, and my heart guides me to who and to when. The air I breathe is air my ancestors once breathed. Skull spirit helps me connect to air of loved ones--loved ones who have crossed to a place so close yet so far that I ache to translate all they have to say. Dear ones whose breath became air speak through skull, waiting patiently for me to understand, willing to return again and again, to sit with me, to come closer and to place signals in my path until my imaginings light up in my mind’s eye. And I breathe in the spirit of connection to spirit.

Now the next step in my journey is to find the stone skulls meant to be with me.

the mystery and controversy of crystal skulls

Welcome to Skull Week!

It is a little like Shark Week, except with skulls. Skullnado anyone?

Part of the reason I wanted to share some goodness about skullies with you is that we are coming up on October and we will be inundated with crystal skull pictures. and I know you are thinking what I was thinking more than 15 years ago, what’s with the crystal skull thing?

Well, past life Angie, I am here to share a little history of Crystal Skulls in modern consciousness. I have to warn you, some of you will be disappointed at the lack of woo in this piece, because it is mostly a debunking of the mystical origins of crystal skulls, and yet, I totally love skulls. I think they have spiritual and mystical value, even if they are not 10,000 years old and placed here by extraterrestrials. If you like that mythology, cool. You do you, boo, but this is my research monkey hat coming out, jumping on my head, and saying, the truth is out there.

Other things that may or may not happen this week: a skull-y tarot spread a guided skull meditation, my first guest blog feature from Julie Taylor about Skulls and her personal journey with skulls, and then an excerpt from my journal work with one of my skulls. Enjoy Skull week!

Crystal Skulls are available at almost any rock and gem show you attend. Whether carved by master carver Leandro de Souza or by anonymous master skull carvers, these carved masterpieces bring intrigue and mystery. I know as a Crystal Expert, I am frequently asked about Skulls. Some people are almost repulsed by them, confused about why they are around, asking questions like:

“Who would work with them and why?”
“What are they?”
”They are so morbid. Why would anyone buy them?”

Others are immediately drawn to them. It is interesting because I have seen people almost repulsed by them, later become devotees. While skulls are widely available, there are a handful of crystal skulls that have captivated many and fueled intense controversy among archaeologists, scientists, spiritualists, and museum officials for more than a century. Their legends blend elements of mystery, history, and mythology.

A dozen of these rare crystal skulls in private and public collections, some crystal clear, others of smoky or colored quartz, are actual human size and of very fine detail, while others are smaller and less refined. All are believed to originate from Mexico and Central America. Many believe these skulls were carved thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago by an ancient Mesoamerican civilization. Others think they may be relics from the legendary island of Atlantis or proof that extraterrestrials visited the Aztec sometime before the Spanish conquest.

Among the most well-known legends is that of the 13 original crystal skulls, which are thought to play a significant role in the elevation of human consciousness. I’ll get into that below.

Joshua Shapiro, coauthor of Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls Revealed, shares an insight into what draws people to work with skulls, "We believe the Crystal Skulls are a form of computer which are able to record energy and vibration that occur around them...The skull will pictorially replay all events or images of the people who have come into contact with them (i.e. they contain the history of our world)."

Most archaeologists and scientists are skeptical, and I will get into that below, but in terms of pre-Columbian artwork and artisan work in the Americas, particularly among the Aztec in Mexico, skulls figure prominently in artwork and iconography, so the connection between skulls and Mesoamerican culture seems like a natural historical fit.

The Legend of the 13 Crystal Skulls

There is a channeling from Harley Swift-Deer Reagan about 13 original crystal skulls that says when all the 13 crystal skulls from the Americas are together again, there will be a dawn of a new era. All the collective consciousness and knowledge of the world will be available to humans. The skulls are said to represent cosmic significance: 12 of the skulls supposedly correlate with planets, while the 13th skull, located at the center of the circle, symbolizes collective consciousness. The belief is that once these skulls are reunited, they will trigger a spiritual awakening, raising the consciousness of the planet.

Harley Swift Deer Reagan claimed that when the 12 skulls were arranged in a circle with the 13th in the middle, representing higher knowledge, that is when we could expect this consciousness awakening. However, there is some ambiguity about whether these skulls come from our planetary system or from another. Initially believed to be located in South America and connected to the ancient Mayan civilization, the skulls are now thought to be scattered around the world.

There is a lot to say about Harley Swift-Deer Reagan. His lineage as a Cherokee and/or Navajo medicine person has been called into question. I was taught by my mentor Hibiscus Moon that he was of mixed ancestry with Cherokee and had trained with a medicine person in the “Navajo” tribe, or maybe Cherokee. This is the thing about these fake lineages: they are fake. They don’t make sense, and we repeat them as though they should be taken seriously. Not only did he not seem to have any Native heritage, he also didn’t train with any Native medicine people of the Americas. There is an extensive post from Friederich Abel, a journalist who spend time with the Navajo people in the Southwest. After he retired, he researched Swift-Deer for lineage and truthiness, and it seemed he was simply bamboozling the new-age community. I loved Mr. Abel’s research and care in this subject. As someone who never wants to subscribe to this culturally appropriated new-agey history, I feel it is my responsibility to debunk his channelings and really correct the record. Mr. Abel’s post was so comprehensive that I thought it important to give you an opportunity to read it yourself. The link to the original post is in this pdf, if you want to read other people’s thoughts on his research as well, but I find it compelling enough to nix all of Swift-Deer’s so-called channelings.

Back to the skulls, there are a number of these “original skulls” that travel around the country. They are human-sized, and each one of them is said to be a depository of certain information, so they need to communicate with each other. And this is the thing with skull work, having skulls in your collection helps connect you with that universal consciousness and the original 13 skulls. I have heard they need to be clear quartz crystal, but I know that many of us collect skulls of all types of crystals and stones. People meditate on their skull’s name, their certain knowledge set, and connect them to themselves and other skulls.

The legend centers around 13 original crystal skulls, though, some of which are said to have been “discovered” on archaeological expeditions. Others came to the owner through mystical means. Some well-known skulls are "MAX," "Synergy," and "Sha Na Ra." According to Jodi Serota, MAX’s caretaker:

"MAX is considered by many, including the British Museum, to be one of the rarest artifacts ever found. Estimated to be at least 10,000 years old, MAX was found in a tomb in Guatemala in the 1920’s. Used by Mayan priests for healing and prayer, the skull was given to Norbu Chen, a powerful healer of the Tibetan sect of Red Hat Lamas for use in his journey as a healer.

Max, along with other ancient crystal skulls, remains a mystery with regard to its origin, including who carved it and where it is from. Many who have been in the presence of these crystal skulls feel that they are from other dimensional realms and perhaps were used by ancient civilizations (including Atlantis and Lemuria) to sustain contact between Star Beings and the human race.

Others who have touched the skulls have had a range of experiences including receiving instantaneous healing, information, visions of other worlds and the experience of unusual sounds and expanded intuitive abilities. To this day, MAX is used as a tool for awakening consciousness and accelerating healing and growth on all levels."

You can read the fascinating history of Sha Na Ra here. 

Origins & Doubts

The idea that these crystal skulls are ancient, perhaps originating from sunken civilizations like Atlantis or Lemuria, or even extraterrestrial sources, has been the obvious point of contention. Some suggest they may be from the Pleiades star cluster. However, historical and archaeological evidence often contradict these claims. When you have sources like channelings or impressions, it is impossible to prove lineage.

Despite being attributed to pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures like the Aztecs or Maya, none of the skulls in museum collections have been unearthed from verified archeological excavations. In fact, the type of quartz used in many of these skulls does not come from the regions where they were supposedly found. Archaeologists and scientists have determined that the skulls were likely made using modern lapidary techniques, which were not available in ancient times. For example, tests on crystal skulls held by institutions like the British Museum and the Smithsonian reveal that they were carved using rotary tools and abrasives standard in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Early Skull Discoveries & Debunking Myths

One of the earliest known crystal skulls brought to the British Museum in 1856 was a small artifact whose origins remain unclear. By 1863, larger skulls appeared, often associated with collectors such as the French antiquities dealer Eugène Boban, known for selling Mesoamerican artifacts. Boban’s skulls and others acquired during the same period were examined and determined to have been carved with modern equipment.

One of the most famous crystal skulls, the Mitchell-Hedges skull, is often cited in discussions about the legend. However, the origin story told by its owners, Mitchell-Hedges and his daughter Anna, has been largely discredited. They claimed to have discovered the skull under a Mayan altar in Belize, but documents show that the skull was actually purchased at a Sotheby’s auction from another collector, Sydney Burney. In 1970, the Mitchell-Hedges skull, or the Skull of Doom, was examined, and experts found it carved with modern tools. Despite these findings, the story of the skull’s supposed powers has continued to inspire fascination.

Modern Skepticism and Scientific Analysis

In the 20th century, many crystal skulls, including those housed at the British Museum and the Smithsonian, underwent scientific scrutiny. Advanced tools like scanning electron microscopes were used to analyze the skulls’ surfaces. Researchers determined that the skulls had been crafted using modern techniques, some as recently as the 1950s. For example, the Smithsonian skull was worked with silicon carbide, a synthetic material that didn’t exist until the late 19th century.

In fact, research from the British Museum points to most of these skulls being crafted in Germany, a region known in the late 19th century for producing detailed quartz and crystal pieces. The type of crystal used in the skulls is thought to come from Brazil or Madagascar, which would have been out of reach for pre-Columbian civilizations.

Given these findings and that none of these skulls have ever been discovered in official archaeological digs, the British Museum believes that the famous crystal skulls are likely not ancient relics but rather modern creations. All that being said, Richard A. Lovett and Scot Hoffman wrote a piece on National Geographic about Crystal Skulls notes, “The fact remains that no one knows for sure who made these skulls and when. And since there is currently no way to determine the age of such inorganic objects accurately, the mystery will likely continue.”

How to use Crystal Skulls

Despite the debunking of the ancient artifact myth, crystal skulls are still powerful tools for those of us who use earth medicine in our personal and professional practice. Crystal skulls are said to hold mystical powers and store ancient knowledge. Meditation with the skull helps unlock this stored information.

Conclusion

While the legend of the crystal skulls has woven its way into popular culture, even inspiring characters like Indiana Jones, much of the narrative has been debunked by modern science. The skulls in major museum collections are now understood to have been crafted with modern equipment, and their connections to ancient Mesoamerican cultures are questionable at best. While some enthusiasts continue attributing mystical significance to certain skulls, the broader archaeological community regards most crystal skulls as 19th-century fabrications.

I share all this information not to poo-poo beliefs in the skulls or their value but to say, do we need a mystical past to find messages in these powerfully carved healing tools? Crystal healers and metaphysical practitioners, maybe partially fueled by the allure of ancient civilizations, cosmic connections, and the tantalizing possibility of hidden knowledge stored within the skulls, have meditated with skulls, channeled incredibly rich and valuable knowledge and messages, and found healing with skull work. There are healers in my area who channel messages from different skulls. Others use them in their healing work. I certainly have and will continue to. I work with an obsidian skull for ancestor work, for example, and a fossilized coral skull for deep healing work with the Earth. While scientific evidence points to a more mundane origin, the mystery of the crystal skulls continues to captivate those who are open to their mystical or extraterrestrial possibilities.

There is an interesting piece in the 2014 Rock and Gem magazine about crystal skulls.