What are chakras?

by Reece Barkley 

Chakras are energy centers within the body. The word chakra means “spinning wheels of light” in ancient Sanskrit. There are 7 main chakras along the spine to the top of your head. They regulate emotions, spirituality, and psychological states. Chakras are meant to be balanced and open.

Chakras have different locations, meanings, and correlating stones:

Root chakra: Located at the base of the spine. It is the root and base of everything. It symbolizes foundations in our lives- work, relationships, and finances. Some crystals that strengthen and balance this chakra are red tigers eye, red jasper, hematite, and garnet. 

Sacral chakra: Found in the lower abdomen. This chakra symbolizes your sacred energies, passion, and power within. Crystals for this chakra are orange calcite, orange spinel, carnelian, and onyx. 

Solar plexus chakra:  Found in mid torso area. Symbolizes self esteem, motivation, confidence, and willpower to face obstacles. Supporting crystals are pyrite (also known as “fools gold”), citrine, yellow agate, and amber. 

Heart chakra: You’ll never guess where it’s located… the heart! The heart chakra is where love lives. Love within oneself, friends, partners, and all life on Earth. Crystals for the heart chakra are rose quartz, morganite, chrysoprase, and emerald. 

Throat chakra: Located at the base of the throat on the neck, the throat chakra represents the ability to communicate. It also represents truth and the ability to listen to others. Crystals for this chakra are aquamarine, turquoise, blue lace agate, and lapis lazuli. 

Brow chakra: Located in the middle of the eyebrows, also known as “the third eye.” It holds your intuition and gut feelings. The third eye is thought to see what your physical eyes do not. Sapphire, celestite, labradorite, and azurite are all crystals that represent the brow chakra. 

Crown chakra: Located on the top of your head, right where a crown would sit! It portrays enlightenment, the ability to see the beauty of everything, and an overall show of unity in our lives. Stones for this chakra are selenite, clear quartz, amethyst, and what someone may wear on a wedding ring- diamond!

The Importance of Sustainability

By Reece Barkley

What is sustainability? Sustainability is the practice that individuals or businesses use when trying to protect and heal the environment. Sustainability is defined into three categories: environmental, social, and economic. It means that we, as consumers and producers, make conscious choices about what we purchase/sell and how it relates to the planet. In short, the goal is to not harm the environment! “The Complete Book of Rocks and Minerals” by Chris Pellant words it best: “Always treat natural exposures with care … Collectors can also be conservationist” 

 Plastic plastic plastic. Local and small businesses tend to not have as much plastic waste compared to nationwide chains. Although, sometimes it isn’t easy to flip a switch and be 100% environmentally friendly. It’s difficult to put these ideas into practice when producers don’t take action to help us help the planet. Cutting down plastic truly is a huge step in halting the deterioration of our environment. Simple things like metal water bottles, reusable bags, and recycling makes all the difference! 

 How does Peachy Keen practice sustainability? We at Peachy Keen want to do our part in helping the planet. Our products are all natural and handmade. But if our products are natural… that means they come from the earth! How can that be sustainable? Many of our crystals and fossils are hand picked, some of which even origin locally in Charleston, SC! All of our shark tooth fossils and majority of our shells are found locally. Our friend, who’s a scuba diver, goes to the Cooper River and obtains the teeth in a way that doesn’t disturb the seabeds or the ecosystem! Lastly, all of our packaging is sustainable. We recycle and reuse our paper and packaging to ensure that we are properly treating the earth. 

How do I practice sustainability: a realistic look in an average life. Personally, when I shop at PK, I keep my boxes and paper bags so that I can reuse them to give gifts in later on! I also like to use my reusable metal water bottle when i’m out shopping. Did you know that it takes roughly 500 years for a plastic bottle to breakdown? And it doesn’t even properly decompose- it just turns into tiny micro plastics. Another large contributor that harms our planet and solar system, is gas powered cars. Riding a bike, taking public transportation, or even carpooling can make a serious difference. Lastly, understanding that helping the earth isn’t just a one person job. It takes a group with synergy! Your contribution means the world… literally. Sustainability can be a life style or a simple one percent effort in your day. Do what you can to shop from small businesses and practice sustainably!

Lowcountry Blessing Box Project

Let’s bring awareness to straightforward concepts that work. Lowcountry Blessing Boxes are connecting the dots.

The simple concept is “Leave What You Can – Take What You Need,” and the ease is what makes it work. No paperwork. No identification. No lines. No judgement. 

Blessing Boxes allow you to donate or receive nonperishable food and toiletry items completely anonymously.

Some of the boxes were built by scout troops, youth organizations, and religious groups. Many were set up by good neighbors who saw a need where they live. All are placed in public areas with easy access for folks to pull a car over and place (or take) a few items. Some of the helpful things found in Blessing Boxes include canned soups and fruits, peanut butter, pasta, rice, or other items that can help a family get through until payday. Baby wipes, diapers, pet food, and sample size shampoos and toothpaste are also useful.

“Getting the kids involved is as easy as taking them to the store and letting them pick out a few items to donate, then driving them to the Box nearest you. You may want to encourage older kids to earn the money to buy their donations, and make it a monthly project. One soon-to-be teenager is going to build a Blessing Box with her friends instead of having a traditional birthday party. Other kids have orchestrated canned good drives to fill our Boxes. This a community project and creative contributions are encouraged. As parents, it is our job to teach our children to be so many things – responsible, independent, respectful – but also to be kind.” -Katie Dahlheim

There are nearly 80 Blessing Boxes up and running throughout the Lowcountry.

You can find their google map on their social media pages or using this link: https://www.google.com/mymaps/viewer?mid=18BJKUNKKnt1VN-FQHAec1i6XN7w&hl=en

Peachy Keen Feature Story

By: Melanie Rocha

Margot Keen isn’t interested in just selling you any piece of jewelry. She’s interested in making you a piece with a purpose through the positive intentions that reflect the uniqueness of every stone and fossil. In fact, that’s the main part of the mission statement for her company, “Peachy Keen,” which she has operated since 2015.

Along with promoting the spread of compassion, self-empowerment and sustainability, she strives to make unique jewelry. “In the age of mass production, I am proud of the fact that I design from scratch with no training in what I’m doing,” Keen says. “With so much love behind it, there are always new ideas flowing.”

Keen’s one of a kind creations are developed out of her strong passion, determination and creativity, which is evident in each piece through designs that accentuate each stone’s natural beauty.

Whether one buys into the power of crystals or not, Keen is a big believer. She has a strong spiritual connection with her work and its power to influence a person’s inner-being. Keen is encouraged daily by the endless healing properties behind crystals, fossils and gemstones.

“Crystals and new age teachings have changed my life in such a profound positive way. Sharing that with my community and having freedom to be creative motivates me every day.” Keen says.

Her work with crystals allows her to connect with her customers on many levels. She enjoys discussing the energy of stones and its healing benefits along with exploring why a customer is drawn to a specific stone. To Keen, it's more than just selling her jewelry. It’s about connecting with her customers through open conversations along with teaching and learning new things through her business every day.

Peachy Keen is known not only for its unique designs and healing properties from the stones but also for being crafted with all real stones and metals. Keen loves to incorporate copper as well as 12-14 karat gold and 925 sterling sillver.

“Copper provides healing benefits while being worn; it’s antimicrobial and helps relieve pain from arthritis,” Keen says. “A woman at the night market told me she regained mobility in one of her fingers by wearing a copper ring.”

Some major achievements of Peachy Keen include getting into the Charleston City Market, having her pieces showcased in several retailers that share similar interests, and finding amazing team members to join her journey.

Along with continuing to collaborate with local retailers to make positive impacts on communities, Keen’s goals for the future include adding visual art to her business and traveling to be a vendor at more shows and festivals.

“Following my intuition, joy and passions is what led me to Peachy Keen and I hope with my business and through my creations I can inspire and empower other people to do the same thing- what makes them happy.” says Keen.

Bliss Spiritual Co-Op

Bliss Spiritual Co-op is a hidden gem in Charleston! This community run organization feels more like you're entering a friend's home. Greeted by a friendly face and a cup of warm tea I explored a Monday evening "energy share" here and was delighted by my experience.

I did an eft energy tapping exercise with a stranger who guided me through some transformative affirmations. I relaxed into some reconnective energy work from a friend of mine who had encouraged me to come to the event. There were tarot readings, astrology readings, reiki, and qi gong sessions happening, all for free- you just had to wait your turn in the rotation. I felt impressed, excited, and grateful.

Bliss is a community of people sharing their skills, time and energy to uplift one another, learn, expand and awaken. I highly recommend stopping in if you are located in the Charleston area! Here is a link to their vibrant calendar of workshops. The energy share workshop I went to happens the 4th Monday of every month from 5 to 8pm. Maybe I'll see you there! :)

Peachy 

Why Wear Copper

Aside from its appealing earthy tone and ability to match nearly everything, copper jewelry offers more to the wearer than what meets the eye! Copper is my favorite metal to work with because of its versatility and fascinating healing qualities.

A well known conductor of energy, copper paired with healing stones has the potential to amplify and enhance the stone’s energy, as well as your own! Copper is an essential mineral for energy production, wound healing, bone health and many other vital processes. Many wear copper to relieve pain from stiffness and arthritis.

When you wear copper, trace amounts of the mineral are deposited into your system. This is beneficial because most people don’t ingest enough copper in their regular diets. Low copper levels have been linked to all kinds of health issues. It’s no wonder why copper is included in most multivitamins.

Copper is naturally found throughout the body so you don’t have to worry about having a negative reaction to it unless you are allergic, which is rare. The green tint that sometimes appears from wearing copper for a prolonged period of time happens from the natural process of oxidization and is temporary and harmless. Copper is actually antimicrobial, meaning it kills bacteria.

Since ancient times, copper has been known as a great healing and sacred metal. Today, there are many studies and articles available about the healing properties of copper. Check out this excerpt from University of Maryland Medical Center about some of its many important health benefits! 

“Copper helps your body make red blood cells and keeps nerve cells and your immune system healthy. It also helps form collagen, a key part of bones and connective tissue. Copper may also act as an antioxidant, reducing free radicals that can damage cells and DNA. Copper helps the body absorb iron. Your body also needs copper to make energy.”