{"id":3816,"date":"2024-05-29T09:32:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T17:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/waterwitch\/?p=3816"},"modified":"2024-12-03T09:30:52","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T17:30:52","slug":"frozen-in-stone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/waterwitch\/2024\/05\/frozen-in-stone.html","title":{"rendered":"Frozen in Stone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
Ammonite and Belemnite Ritual \u2013 Frozen in Stone \u2013 Image by Annwyn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
If you have followed my work for any length of time you have probably noticed that I use fossils in most of my rituals and spells. I\u2019ve been obsessed with Crystals, Rocks, and Fossils since I was a kid! I am obsessed with all types of aquatic fossils! I love Ammonites, Megalodon Teeth, Toad Stones, Belemnites, Devil Toenails, Fairy Loafs, Crinoids, Water Dragon Bones (Aquatic Dinosaur) and so much more! <\/span><\/p>\n
Frozen in Stone \u2013 Image by Annwyn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I love fossils, well let\u2019s be real here. I am OBSESSED with Fossils! Ever since I was a kid; I have been picking up strange rocks, hunting for petrified wood, or combing the beach for fossilized shark teeth. <\/span><\/p>\n
I remember being 16 and taking a family visit to the Chesapeake Bay. Everyone spent time talking and sunbathing. I spent the entire vacation digging in the sand looking for fossilized shells and shark teeth. When I was an adult I returned to this bay to continue looking. While my family slept I arose with the sun to walk the liminal shores for these ancient artifacts!<\/span><\/p>\n
When I was younger I wanted to be a paleontologist. Well, <\/span>actually<\/span> I still want to be one! Unfortunately, there was never an opportunity to study at a university. So I settled for being an amateur Fossil Hunter until the opportunity to study anthropology came into my life. Interestingly enough studying anthropology supported my Folk Magic and Folk Witchcraft studies. It was through the study of Folk practices that I found a deeper reason to hunt for these ancient creatures frozen in stone. <\/span><\/p>\n
I had a few Belemnites, Sharks Teeth, and a single ammonite when I was a child. About a decade ago a student of mine gifted me an ammonite and my obsession over fossils returned. I would spend the next decade collecting fossils. I returned to the Chesapeake Bay and spent my days digging for fossilized shells and the coveted shark\u2019s teeth. I found many interesting specimens!<\/span><\/p>\n
When I moved to England in 2022 I began to hunt for ammonites! I would drive down to the Jurassic coast to search for water dragon bones (dinosaurs) and ammonites. I have found so many amazing specimens! I have found one large crystalized ammonite and dozens of small pyritized ammonites. Sometimes I feel like a greedy mermaid hoarding all of them, but each one is unique and there are always more to find!<\/span><\/p>\n
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Ammonites and Belemnites \u2013 Frozen in Stone \u2013 Image by Annwyn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Here in Avalon\/Glastonbury, ammonites and belemnites saturate the landscape! I was shocked at first when I found a stone in my yard full of fossils. It wasn\u2019t long before I understood that this land was once covered in water and therefore a hot spot for ammonites and belemnites!<\/span><\/p>\n
There are ammonites embedded into the Chalice Well Gardens as well as the White Spring Garden and Temple. All of these were found in the landscape. Ammonites are connected to sacred springs and have a history of magic connected to springs and spring water. <\/span><\/p>\n
Fossils of all kinds can be used in our magical practices. From healing and prosperity to protection and blasting magic. They are ancient ancestors frozen in stone who are ready to be our allies in magic and aid us in our spells.<\/span><\/p>\n
It was my obsession with Fossils and Folk Magic that led me to reach out to other magical practitioners who also had an affinity for these ancient stones and the Frozen in Stone Fossil Symposium was born!<\/span><\/p>\n