As a small child I went rockhounding all the time, and hunted for hundreds of hours on the beach, looking for the prettiest ocean-tumbled agates and jasper that had washed ashore on the Oregon coast. In my twenties and thirties, I have definitely seen how the stones I chose to connect with throughout childhood (banded agates, geodes and thunder-eggs, carnelian, colorful jaspers, Oregon opals, clear and included quartzes, obsidian, garnets, rose quartz, sunstones, smoky quartz, zeolites, fossilized coral, and more!) the entire collection was a reflection of my entire personality.
The stones I love so much ultimately helped me find my calling when I had to start my life over again from scratch. The need for a meaningful creative outlet was always there, just under the surface. By creating Consult The Forest, I allowed myself to embrace my desire to turn my love of rockhounding, crafting of healing jewelry, and knowledge of crystal lore into a full-time job from home -- a job that allows me to work from bed, the doctor's office, or in bursts of five to ten minutes at a time. Etsy is so perfectly flexible for someone who has strictly limited activity levels and needs to rest often! This is the most fulfilling job I have ever had, because it is entirely my responsibility. I plan to continue to grow my store as I heal, and I can't wait to see where it takes me.
A sincere thank you to all my awesome customers who make curating crystals, creating crystal grids, crafting healing crystal jewelry, and running this entire shop so incredibly rewarding and positive!

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WHY I STARTED CONSULT THE FOREST (Formerly: Mineralism Crystals)
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I have been disabled and in constant daily chronic pain for over 7 years. Ever since, I have been climbing a steep learning curve -- seeking out how to live mindfully and happily in order to combat autoimmune disease, migraines, severe neck and back pain, neurological conditions, and an injury-prone body from birth due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), one of my most disabling conditions. It all started getting out of hand while I was recovering from an accident where my car was hit by a semi truck on my early-morning commute to work. At just 22 years old, I began to quickly spiral from mild issues to being disabled and often stuck in bed for days or weeks. Illnesses forced me to give up so much, stealing most of my independence, ability to work a normal job, drive a car, run a household, have kids, plan for the future, or depend on my own body from day to day.
Even my creative outlets have been altered drastically. However, I won't let my chronic pain and illnesses take away my passion or motivation. Instead, I look at my list of serious health struggles as rather a chance to figure out how to care for myself more completely, reframe guilt into gratitude, nurture all forms of creativity, follow my bliss, and learn to live as well as humanly possible despite disabilities and limitations.



I appreciate you taking the time to read my story, even though it's long. Thanks to customers and friends like you, I have found my happy ending here in this shop!