Happy Winter Solstice and Glittering Holidays! May you have a marvelous time in these weeks, and step into the life of your dreams in the New Year!

I’m a dreamer and a gemologist, and to honor both lives I live I’d like to share some of the ways dreams are gems and gems are dreamy. This week at our dream group we'll peek into a microscope and enjoy viewing a bit of the hidden world of gems.

"Christmas Tree" Inclusions in a Purple Spinel, Photo by Gabrièl Mattice

When I look at a gem from different angles, and in different lighting, I see a complex world that is not quite as simple as it seems at first glance, however beautiful. It changes as I turn it and consider all of its features. Like a dream, it tells a story, and asks something of me.

When using a microscope to step into the internal world of a gemstone, for the practical purposes of identification and evaluation, I’ve just stepped into an adventure. Now the task at hand becomes an exploration into time and space, into a hidden world that has secrets. What will I find here; what mystery will I meet? Like a dream, every gem is different. Hidden features are not easily seen unless you know how to move the light and change the angle, adjust your focus, and seek what is not clearly seen. The stone has a life of its own, and as I feel my way into it I enter into a dialogue with something extraordinary.

Similar things happen when we step into the heart of a dream.

The Edge of a Diamond Crystal, Photo by Gabrièl Mattice

Dreams are truly gems as they lead to a deeper connection with ourselves and others when we value them. When we watch for dreamy details in our waking lives, and dig in and engage with our nighttime dreams, open them up and expand them, polish them, allow their light to touch us, and feel into the gifts they bring, we are given something sparkly we didn’t have before. It takes a certain focus to go there, a presence in the moment, a feeling tone in the body and soul, the ability to look at the dream from many angles, and a receptivity to learning something new about our lives. We are transformed and it can feel very like the sensation we have when we see something exquisitely beautiful. Meaning, too, can take our breath away.

You have little worlds residing in those stones you find and love, and you have marvelous worlds to step into as you dream. Anyone up for an adventure?