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FORTE Beads
Lifestyle, Personalisation

A Shaman's Take on the Power of FORTE Beads

Published on 5 minutes read
FORTE Beads
Lifestyle, Personalisation
Words by Aisha Amarfio, Imagery by Suzannah Pettigrew
"Crystals are conductors of energy. They can have a correcting effect on our energy fields, amplifying or clearing frequencies to release blockages and bring harmony, according to our needs."

Fire, Air, Water, Earth are the archetypal building blocks of life as we know it. These four elements are a structural thread relating to spiritual, physical or psychological health throughout many ancient cultures and traditions, such as Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, India and China. These elements are what give all living things their unique qualities, impulses and nature.

From a psychological perspective, the element of Fire brings about the quality of action, transformation, passion, power and direction of will. Air is the intellect, the realm of ideas, the non-material spiritual plain of thoughts, reasoning and consciousness. Water is the sensuality of life; the watery quality of boundlessness which grants us relatedness through the feelings, intuition and emotions. And Earth is matter, or Mother Earth herself, bringing us the physical experience of life; our connection with our bodies, and a sense of grounded-ness, safety and nourishment.

We haven't completely lost our intrinsic ability to describe the world through an elemental or archetypal lens. The way we use metaphors are often gateways into a lost understanding of the metaphysical nature of reality. For example, we can all relate to a sense of someone who is described as too ‘fiery’, or someone who is described as too ‘airy fairy’ — not grounded by earth. In my work, I ask, what element do you relate to as most dominant in your inner being and outer being? Describing ourselves and others in these realms can help us to reclaim deeper dimensions of who we are.

Elementally, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. I, for example, am very watery. The boundlessness of my watery nature certainly serves me well as a therapist — empathetic and intuitively understanding of others. But if expressed in an unskilled way, I can find myself lost in other people’s feelings, not able to discern what’s mine and what’s another person’s. I can lack the earth that establishes boundaries of self. There is a long history of sacred doctors, witches, shamans or medicine women who would consult with the archetypal realms to understand the nature of their patient's imbalance and prescribe or administer elemental medicine to aid their deficiencies or excesses.

Crystals and gemstones are these ancient medicines. Crystals are formed across epochs of time. A dance of the elements plays out deep within the crevices and craters of the earth’s layers as gas, pressure, heat and moisture collide to form these highly ordered structures of vibrant colour and beauty. Through this formation process, crystals develop a harmonic synthesis of all the elements — so they are holistic, but each crystal family has a predominant element that gives it its unique property or quality. This primary quality is energetically imparted from the stone, which is why crystals have been attributed to certain powers.

Crystals are conductors of energy. They can have a correcting effect on our energy fields, amplifying or clearing frequencies to release blockages and bring harmony, according to our needs. Our culture is loud, so we may have lost our sensitivity to the energetic fabrics of the universe. This doesn’t mean we have not lost our receptivity to its powers. Crystals and gemstones grant us an invitation to connect with different parts of ourselves, enabling us to channel what we need.

Aisha's FORTE Beads bracelet features Moonstone and Rhodonite.

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Carolina’s FORTE Beads collection encompasses a rich array of precious gemstone beads. Whilst Carolina’s intention for designing the range remains wholly aesthetic, as a shamanic practitioner, I can see another layer of meaning applicable to the selection of certain beads.

Below is my take on the energetic qualities of each of the gemstones in the FORTE Beads collection, with little mantras for each element and stone to help readers connect with the given quality. My hope is that, at the very least, you can have fun adorning yourself with a deep intentionality and commitment to being your truest self. We can decorate ourselves in crystals to channel our strengths and support our weaknesses, just as our ancestors did. Not in a quest toward perfection, simply a quest towards wholeness, self-discovery and best expressing who we are. And it doesn’t hurt to look pretty while doing so.

Fire Element Beads

I honour my power to actualise and manifest my highest path.

Nº2: LEMON AGATE

Property: CREATIVITY. Playfulness, confidence, sexuality.

Mantra: I embrace play and my creative joyful expression.

Nº3 : CORNELIAN

Property: ACTION. Movement, energy, motivation, sensuality, body confidence.

Mantra: I honour the gift of my body and take action.

Nº4: CORAL

Property: DETERMINATION. Willpower, going for it, achievement, self-belief, passion, commitment, eyes on the prize.

Mantra: I believe in myself and let my passion guide me towards my goal.

Nº7: BLUSH CORAL

Property: BLISS. Sensuality, beauty, stimulating, uplifting, happiness, excitement, desire.

Mantra: I awaken to my desires and what will bring me bliss.

Nº20: MALACHITE

Property: ASSERTIVENESS. Fierceness, self-worth, protection, power, confidence, unapologetic, honouring one’s needs and sovereignty.

Mantra: I bring my power forth into the world.

Nº22: YELLOW JADE

Property: CONFIDENCE. Joy, authenticity, alleviating inhibition, good luck, prosperity.

Mantra: I enjoy being me.

Nº8: RHODONITE

Property: PASSION. Fulfilling your path of heart, achieving your potential, finding and expressing your soul purpose in life.

Mantra: I follow my path of heart.

Nº6: PEACH AVENTURINE

Property: DISCERNMENT. Decision-making, clearing the mind, aligning mind with heart, choosing wisely.

Mantra: I make decisions from the wisdom and the alignment of my mind, body and soul.

Air Element Beads

I am the divine seeker, I find peace, meaning soulful purpose and connection with all that is.

Nº12: ROCK CRYSTAL

Property: CLARITY. Clarifying, cleansing, re-distributes your energy to clear stagnation and blockages, restoring your flow.

Mantra: So fresh and so clean and so clear.

Nº13: ANGELITE

Property: SERENITY. Higher awareness and perspective, angelic support.

Mantra: I’m lifted into an elevated awareness and receive guidance and support from above.

Nº14: TURQUOISE

Property: COMMUNICATION. Wisdom, speaking with clarity, wholeness and confidence.

Mantra: I speak from the wisdom of my heart clearly.

Nº15: LAPIS LAZULI

Property: SELF-KNOWLEDGE. Building one’s self-awareness, spiritual and psychological development, psychic power.

Mantra: Know thyself.

Nº16: AMETHYST

Property: SPIRITUAL HEALING. Purification, protection, releasing patterns, habits or influences. Aligning you to divine connection and sovereignty of self.

Mantra: I am divinely connected, protected and purified.

Nº25: ROSE QUARTZ

Property: LOVE. Self-love, compassion that leads to emotional healing, meaning and connection.

Mantra: I am love.

Nº1: MAGNESITE

Property: MEDITATION. Awakening, inner vision, higher transcendental states of awareness.

Mantra: I spiritually awaken to a higher truth.

Water Element Beads

I express my emotions and listen to my intuition to come in to wisdom, growth and transformation.

Nº9: CHRYSOPRASE

Property: FORGIVENESS. Compassion, resolution, reconciliation, spiritual growth, letting go, healing, releasing the past.

Mantra: I love you, I forgive you, I’m sorry.

Nº18: BLUE AVENTURINE

Property: ACCEPTANCE. Serenity, optimism, trusting in life, seeing life from a higher perspective.

Mantra: I trust in life.

Nº19: AMAZONITE

Property: TRUTH. Authenticity, expression, emotional intelligence and wisdom, understanding our truth, speaking our truth, being clear about your needs, honesty, compassion.

Mantra: I listen to my inner voice that speaks the truth and respond to it to express my true self.

Nº26: CHALCEDONY

Property: JOY. Inner peace, spiritual ecstasy, high vibes, harmony, gratitude, laughter.

Mantra: I welcome transcendent states of peace, joy and ecstasy in my life.

Nº27: MOONSTONE

Property. INTUITION. Self-discovery, illumination, divine feminine, understanding dreams and omens, opening your sacred channel, trusting your inner life, mysteries, deep wisdom.

Mantra: I trust my being and listen to my intuition.

Earth Element Beads

I nourish the gift of my body and establish foundations to thrive in harmony with Mother Earth.

Nº5: TIGERS EYE

Property: STABILITY. Security, feeling safe, centred and balanced.

Mantra: I bring forth security and stability in my life.

Nº10: JADE

Property: HEALTH. Vitality, wholeness, harmony, wellbeing, prosperity, good fortune, nature.

Mantra: Health is wealth and I am aligned to the magic harmony of the natural world, and the abundance of Mother Earth.

Nº11: HEMATITE

Property: GROUNDING. Presence, embodiment in the here and now, being connected in our body. For those moments when we have our head in the clouds, or are energetically scattered or anxious.

Mantra: I inhabit my body and am present, connected and am grounded by Mother Earth.

Nº17: BLUE GOLDSTONE

Property: PURIFICATION. Maximises and amplifies energy, clearing out negative energy.

Mantra: My energy is clarified and amplified.

Nº21: UNAKITE

Property: PATIENCE. Perseverance, pacing oneself, slowing down, enjoying the process, commitment to the long game.

Mantra: The journey is the destination and I commit to and enjoy the ride.

Nº23: COCO JASPER

Property: VITALITY. Physical strength, rejuvenating, stamina, stabilising, life-force.

Mantra: I am strong, body, mind and spirit.

Nº24: SNOWFLAKE OBSIDIAN

Property: COURAGE. Perseverance, ancestral guides and healing, ancestors having your back, protection, evolution.

Mantra: I call on my ancestors to give me the courage to overcome.

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