The Crying Jade Bangles

            Prelude

            In the realm of energy study, some believe that everything, even inanimate objects, has memories. Your kitchen table, for example, has likely captured the energy of the events that happen in your kitchen, and vibrates at that frequency, sending out the same energy it receives.

            The same can be said of stone.  I have experienced this stone energy for myself, in a powerful way.

            The Monk and the Ring

            In 2013, I was in an antique jewelry store in China and I found a stone medallion that was supposedly the re-entry medallion to the Imperial Palace. There was a monk waiting patiently in the store, and after I finished purchasing the Imperial Court Re-entrance Permit, it was his turn to be served.

            The monk had picked up a silver ring with a huge blue stone on top. The stone was set with two simple flowers on the east and west side. I would have dismissed the stone as glass had the monk not demonstrated his knowledge of antiques earlier. The look of disbelief on his face when he picked it up made me want to take the ring from his hand and examine it, but I knew that would be too impolite. I left the antique store knowing I would return later.

            A week later, I returned to the store and asked to see the ring. Sure enough, the monk had purchased it for the price of 800 yuan. The colour of the stone was that of Kashmir sapphire, which is the most expensive type of sapphire, the kind which comes from a mine discovered around 1880 in Kashmir.

            Could it be that a trader brought back the sapphire from Kashmir 180 years ago and presented it to the emperor? I could not help but wonder what a monk would do with a Kashmir sapphire ring. I wished he had not bought it, so that I could have.

            Disappointed at being unable to buy the ring, I was determined to find something else. So I asked to see some jade pieces, since it is a semi-precious stone I know well.

            The Bangles

            I was presented with a pair of jadeite bangles which looked interesting. They were dark green in one hemisphere and light green in the other. The dark green was so rich one would assume it had been dyed, but it is unheard of to dye half a bangle, so I thought it was unlikely. Additionally, the bangles showed obvious signs of wear, and when the two pieces were stacked on top of each other, the green color started at the same spot, which showed they had been cut from the same stone. I purchased them, not because I needed more jewelry, but because they were interesting.

            A Flood of Sorrow

            That evening when I lay down to sleep, I was overwhelmed with sadness. I told myself my day had been good, and I had no reason to be sad. Although I had purchased something I did not need, I was able to afford it, so why was I sad?

            I knew then the sadness had come from the bangles.

            Bangles are difficult to take off, so in China, women wear them every day and don’t take them off. These bangles must have belonged to a woman who had experienced much heartache and sorrow in her life, and who therefore cried often. The jade had captured her sorrow in the form of energy, and was still vibrating at that frequency. I was feeling their energy, and they filled me with their sorrow.

            The next morning, I rinsed the bangles under running water. I wanted to cleanse the energy and memories of these two pieces of jewelry that did not agree with me. But still, every time I took them out of the box, I felt an overwhelming wave of energy coming at me.

            Eventually, I took the bangles back to the office and stored them with the rest of my collection. Even there, every time I took them out, I could feel the strong energy. I thought about parting with them.

            A New Home

            One day, my regular jade customer visited my store. She had a sweet smile and the look of a kind Guanyin. Like me, she had stories about her jewelry. I showed her the bangles and she offered to buy them. We began discussing the cost.

            When she asked me how much I wanted, I told her I would sell the bangles at whatever price she wanted. She laughed and said no jewelry merchant bargains that way, and insisted I offer a price. So I gave her a reasonable price, plus a discount on top, and the bangles were hers.

            I mentioned the bangles’ energy to her, but she wasn’t worried. She believed that if there was energy, it would be positive and beneficial to her.

            When she left, I felt happy. I was glad that I had finally found a loving owner for such deserving bangles, who wouldn’t mind their energy, and would love and cherish them despite the sorrow they carried.