Crystal Shop

Good evening. Tonight, we'll be paying a visit to the little crystal shop in the valley, your go-to place for rocks, minerals, and gemstones. On a clear night, when the moon sits high above the forest of whispering pine trees on the hill, you might hear the comforting rumble of the night train crossing the viaduct, as you approach the lit shop front. Are you ready to step inside this wonderful place? A treasure trove of rocks and gems, always ethically sourced, of course, is waiting for you. Before we begin, let's pause for a short wind-down exercise. Tonight's wind-down is a visualization. When you're ready, let's begin. Take a moment to get comfortable. Letting go of the day. Enjoying that feeling of having stopped, of having nothing left to do. We are going to focus the attention of the mind on the different parts of the body, watching as the muscles in the body switch off for the night, leaving the body feeling rested and leaving the mind more at ease. So, starting down at the toes and feeling a sense of the muscles switching off, the feet, the arches, all those muscles switching off. Same in the lower half of the legs. Notice any tension being let go of as the muscles switch off, shut down. In the upper half of the legs, any tension melting away, being let go of into the area of the hips, the pelvis. Again, any muscles shutting down for the night, completely at rest. Everything from the waist downward is heavy, at ease. The muscles in the lower back and the stomach are now switching off. The middle of the back, around the diaphragm, the upper back and the chest. Any muscles not needed, shutting down, switching off for the night. The shoulders switching off. The upper half of the arms and the lower half of the arms switching off. The hands, the fingers, just switching off. Any muscles around the throat and the neck, switching off. The head, the face, the jaw, the eyes, any last areas of tension melting away as the muscles shut down, switch off, at rest for the night. Allowing thoughts to come and go, allowing the mind and body the space they need to rest. The shop's finest and largest crystals and minerals are displayed on a glass-topped table at the center of the space. These are the store's showpiece crystals, and they're rearranged into a new configuration each morning. The table is currently displaying dazzling specimens of labradorite, rose quartz, malachite, amethyst, and red jasper. Red jasper is not one of the most valuable crystals because it's so abundant, but its rich, poppy red color makes it a bright and striking piece. This one is half polished into a smooth pyramid at the top with a raw, craggy base. The red is speckled with black and veined with fine charcoal-colored lines. It looks like the end of a lipstick belonging to a giant. And who...