What's With The Rocks?

WHY, you might be asking, do I include so many images of stacked rocks, or ‘Cairns’ as the Scots refer to them, on my website.

​Well, to start,  I think there is an artistic beauty to them, a natural look, each stone being unique, as well as durable and strong. 

​When they’re stacked, there are no two the same!  Some look fragile, susceptible to falling apart; each rock is dependent on the one beneath it for it’s stability.  

With any collection of stones you will always create a different looking Ciarn, a different piece of art.

But, not only do Cairns have a beautiful look to them, they also serve a function.  The stacking of stones has been around for thousands of years as a form of communication.  The Vikings, early Norsemen and the Incas used them as lighthouses and navigational markers.  The European explorers would conceal notes between the stones describing their discoveries in the event they didn’t make it back to report their experiences themselves.  The Indians used them as spiritual markers.  In the Buddhist culture, each stone is assigned a meaning or a prayer.  In Scotland the stacked stones were used as a method of marking as well as for monuments. 

To me, the Ciarn is a wonderful representation of the work and the growth we experience in therapy, and also each of us individually.  

Like the stacking of stones, we are all unique, and we take on a multitude of roles in our life.  Each day is a conscious, and sometimes unconscious, effort to balance all these roles, doing our best to maintain a sense of control, feel joy, confidence, self worth, and build strong relationships with others.   

At the core of therapy is a connection between two people and a conversation, working together to gain insight, discover healthier ways to be, and a stronger, more balanced, you!   

​What better way to see that, express that, appreciate that, but with a Cairn!

Create your own Cairn:

From your own collection of stones, assign each one a meaningful message or word that will give you comfort, inspiration, contemplation, reflection or  motivation. Write directly on the stones with sharpies or write on paper and place between the rocks. Consider the following as helpful suggestions:

• words of gratitude 
• wishes or hopes
• messages of a struggle still in play that you want to meditate on or pray about
• meaningful prayers or mantras   

Stack the stones in any way that feels powerful and pleasing to you.

---