**Igniting Inner Fire: Welcome to SoulFire Sisters with Mary and Dawn**

[00:00]
**Speaker 1 (Dr. Mary Newstrom):** Hi, I’m Doctor Mary Newstrom.

[00:02]
**Speaker 2 (Dawn Morningstar):** And I’m Dawn Morningstar. Welcome to Soul Fire Sisters, a sacred space where we ignite women’s inner fire, awaken their truth, and share soulful conversations that inspire, heal, and empower.

[00:11]
**Speaker 1:** Each episode we dive deep into themes of self-discovery, intuition, feminine wisdom, and spiritual growth, guided by raw stories, fierce honesty, and a shared desire to live boldly and authentically.

[00:21]
**Speaker 2:** Whether you’re on a healing journey, seeking deeper connection, or ready to rise in your power, you are not alone.

[00:27]
**Speaker 1:** Dawn Morningstar, which is her given name, has been a women’s self-empowerment coach for 37 years, is the award-winning author of “Venerable Women: Transform Your Self. Transform the World,” is a former radio talk show host, a podcast host, TEDx speaker, the creator of Radiant Face 18, and co-founder of New World Women.

[00:46]
**Speaker 2:** Doctor Mary Newstrom is an internationally known shamanic teacher, a spiritual minister, and a keynote speaker. She founded Zenith High LLC and created Spirit Flower, a shamanic study program for women. She’s committed to helping women and men develop a strong sense of purpose as they examine and understand how to stand clearly in their power.

[01:05]
**Speaker 1:** Welcome to the sisterhood. Your soul showed up for a reason.

**Why Ancient Earth Medicine Isn’t “Woo-Woo” and Still Works**

[01:09]
**Speaker 2:** Welcome back, Soul Fire Sisters. I’m Dawn Morningstar.

[01:12]
**Speaker 1:** And I’m Doctor Mary Newstrom. Sisters, we have a beautiful episode for you today.

[01:16]
**Speaker 2:** I want to start with a confession, and the confession is that I have crystals on my desk right now. Several of them. I’m showing them to Mary. And when people who don’t know me very well see that, sometimes I catch a little flicker across their face. It’s kind of somewhere between curious or skeptical. But with the people I hang out with, it’s mostly affirming.

[01:30]
**Speaker 1:** Where is it? I know that flicker, yeah.

[01:33]
**Speaker 2:** And I get it, because we have been living in a world that has decided, pretty recently in the grand sweep of human history, that only things you can measure and prove are real. And stones, crystals, earth medicine. That’s for what many call. And I am going to use this just for description because Mary and I do not use this term, but for the woo-woo crowd. So I think I want to talk about woo-woo a little bit because, as I said, we don’t use that term on purpose because it seems to me to diminish higher consciousness, or, you know, a path to enlightenment, or whatever. How do you feel about it, Mary?

[01:57]
**Speaker 1:** I, I never use that word because it really, it conveys something’s out there and not grounded, or maybe unproven. And the things we talk about really are have been proven over thousands of years.

[02:05]
**Speaker 2:** Yes, exactly. Yeah. And, you know, there’s more to say about this too, right?

[02:09]
**Speaker 1:** There is. Maybe a whole another podcast on it.

[02:12]
**Speaker 2:** But, yeah.

[02:13]
**Speaker 1:** For now, we will focus on the topic here. Humans, humans, humans have been working with stones and earth medicine for as long as we’ve existed on this planet. And what we’re doing isn’t fringe. It’s ancient. It’s rooted in tradition. There’s a reason it’s persisted through every culture, time period, every, and through all many, many attempts to dismiss it.

[02:30]
**Speaker 2:** Yes, yes, yeah. And I do question why that has happened over the centuries, really. But what I really believe is that these stones, crystals, other things like that, they help to connect us to Mother Earth. And today, we’re going to talk about all of this and more. And not to convince any skeptics, though welcome skeptics, if you are one listening, we’re glad you’re here. But really, to deepen the relationship for those of you who already feel something when you hold a stone in your hand and you just haven’t had the language for it yet.

**Understanding Stones: Consciousness, Energy, and Deep Relationship**

[02:59]
**Speaker 1:** Absolutely. But before we move deeper in the conversation, let’s take a breath. Arrive today. Just breathe. Take a deep breath in and out. And by the way, if you do have a favorite stone or crystal nearby, like many of us do, pick it up, hold it in your palm. Notice its weight, its temperature, maybe the texture. Just begin to notice it. Breathe in slowly and release, and feel and connect to the consciousness of the stone or crystal. And then realize you’re already beginning to practice working with crystals.

[03:27]
**Speaker 2:** And Mary, I want to start right here because I think the first shift that needs to happen for people is from seeing stones just as pretty objects, and they certainly are. I love my my crystals and stones, to something else entirely. What is a stone in your shamanic understanding?

[03:43]
**Speaker 1:** There are lots of theories and ideas, but through the Animus worldview, that everything has consciousness, including stones. And so, as they have consciousness, they also have energy, their frequency, they’re vibrating a certain frequency that we can work with that in ceremonies and healings. But also, there’s some thoughts out there that we also incarnate as stones and rocks as well. And we’ll probably leave that for another discussion. But the conscious concept is these are living beings, conscious beings.

[04:08]
**Speaker 2:** I’m so glad you made that point, Mary, because we obviously have not talked about stones in that way. Because you’ve heard the expression like “dumb as a rock” or “dumb as a stone,” you know, as though it has no life force whatsoever. And before, when you were just talking about the idea of relationship, that’s the whole key. Because when we approach a stone as something to buy and display, which is fine, they’re very beautiful, but then we’re in a consumer relationship. When we’re able to deepen our approach and see it as an ally, everything shifts. Then we’re in a living exchange.

[04:34]
**Speaker 1:** Absolutely. That relationship is so important. The stone’s not serving you. You are connected to it in relationship. And like any relationship, it requires presence, attention, and respect.

[04:44]
**Speaker 2:** I like that differentiation, that it’s not serving us, that we’re in relationship. And from my visionary perspective, I think about sacred objects as energetic anchors. That’s what they are for me. They’re they’re anchors, things that carry frequency and memory. I have objects in my life and in my work that hold meaning. Not, not just because I assigned meaning to them, but because over time, through intention and attention, they’ve become genuinely charged. Like energetically charged. They hold that energetic something. And for me, they remain beautiful reminders, absolutely.

[05:09]
**Speaker 1:** And the more you work with them, consciously, the stronger that becomes. And that’s with stones and rocks.

**From Placebo to Power: The Energetic Design of Sacred Space**

[05:14]
**Speaker 2:** It’s through our intention and sending it that that energy that creates its magic.

[05:18]
**Speaker 1:** Absolutely. So let’s get practical for a moment, because I think people genuinely want to know, like, what does this actually do when we’re, you know, looking at a gemstone or holding it in our hands? Is it a placebo? Is it real? And how do we hold that question with some deep honesty?

[05:31]
**Speaker 2:** You don’t. I love that. I love that we’re not afraid to go there. And what I know from decades of practice that the crystals and stones, they are specific, carrying specific frequency, and we can prove that scientifically. They are through this, through their energy and vibrational properties. They really are affecting our frequency and our vibration through the intention that we’ve given it. If we believe something that it’s going to protect us, and it has that frequency of protection and feeling us, making us feel grounded and comfortable, then that’s what’s going to be created. But we have rocks and crystals and stones and we use them for many different things. Even your phone has a crystal oscillator in it.

[06:06]
**Speaker 1:** I find that fascinating. Your phone runs on quartz. Think about that. You have a crystal right in your phone.

[06:11]
**Speaker 2:** Yeah. I don’t think that’s wild. That is.

[06:13]
**Speaker 1:** Wild. So the question, the question isn’t whether crystals have energetic properties, because they do, because everything has frequency and energetic properties. The question is whether those properties interact meaningfully with human energy fields. And yes, through earth-based spirituality, shamanic practices consistently cross cultures, across time periods, they have. And that adds a lot of meaning to those rocks and stones that we’re interacting with now.

[06:36]
**Speaker 2:** Yeah, and I want to name something for the women listening who are coaches, healers, creatives, makers, solopreneurs, the women in my world. The sacred objects as part of your working environment, you know, they’re not superstition. You know that that’s intentional design of your energetic space. It’s saying I’m shaping the field I work in, and that’s a real power move. Like power in a very beautiful way. Not power over, but power within, and power with one another.

[06:58]
**Speaker 1:** Absolutely. And, you know, I’m going to go back to the relationship piece too. You can use crystals and stones and rocks in ceremony and with healings. It’s that relationship, it’s that vibration, it’s that energy that you’re that it brings to those sessions that is really neat.

[07:12]
**Speaker 2:** It certainly isn’t. I was just thinking about some of the gemstone jewelry that I have, you know, and there are certain stones that are known for the quality of like public speaking. So if I am giving a talk, I will wear a necklace that has some of those stones in it. And so it is the vibrational energy of the stones, but it’s also what I think about them, you know, except like you were saying, intention. So a real moment here because both of us, you and me, Mary, we care so much about all of this to let it slide into magical thinking without any accountability. Although I do love magic. Mary, what do you say to the cynics? And what do you say to the people who go too far the other way, who think that a crystal is going to fix everything in their life?

[07:45]
**Speaker 1:** I think that it’s really, we’ve, we’ve really talked about the fact that it is that that energy that those crystals are bringing it to the situation. It’s a tool. It’s a tool that could help you move into greater focus for maybe meditation or healings. It can amplify things, maybe your frequency for healing. So if you think of it as a tool, but not, but not going to solve everything, that’s the way to really think about how these all work, if they work in relationship with us as humans here on Earth.

**Embracing Stones as Tools for Deeper Relationship, Not Magic Cures**

[08:15]
**Speaker 2:** Yeah, really good point and points. And I’m thinking there are probably some people listening right now who know a whole lot.

[08:21]
**Speaker 1:** About.

[08:23]
**Speaker 2:** About gemstones and stones. And so we’re happy that you’re listening. And I love the framing that you did, Mary. It’s a stepping stone. It’s not a destination, it’s not a cure. It’s a doorway into deeper relationship with Mother Earth, you know, and with your own energy, and with the living world that’s around you. And that’s how I think of it.

[08:43]
**Speaker 1:** And starting there, just picking up a stone and holding it with your curiosity, and that’s enough. That’s okay. You don’t need to spend lots of money on a collection of rocks and stones and crystals. I’m just using your presence. Your willingness to be in relationship with this rock or stone is enough.

[08:58]
**Speaker 2:** Yeah, because it turns out that that’s what every good relationship requires.

**From Travel Souvenirs to Healing Practices: Personal Stone Journeys**

[09:03]
**Speaker 2:** And speaking of, you know, kind of, I guess we could say normal looking rocks, whenever I would travel, I’m very blessed to have traveled many, many places around the world. And I would always bring home a little tiny stone from wherever I was. The only thing is, I wish I would have written where I was because now I would be like, oh, I’ll remember that this stone was from Italy, you know? And, and now I know that in some places they ask you not to take any stones or shells. And so I, I didn’t know that then, but I’m very happy that I do have those rocks and stones. So story time. I just told a short one. Mary, is there a stone story for you? A moment in your practice where earth medicine showed up in a way that you couldn’t dismiss or explain away, or any other story about what we’re talking about?

[09:42]
**Speaker 1:** About. I think we all like the idea that, you know, we, we collect pretty stones and rocks and crystals. That’s really lovely, and I agree with you, Dawn, forgetting where you got them. It’s like, wow, so I’m but I, because I think of a crystal or a stone as a tool, I like to use it in, in my healing modality where I might place it next to the, the individual that I’m healing to ground them, to connect them with Mother Earth. And it’s really through that connection and that relationship that I think that people can go deeper with their healings.

[10:11]
**Speaker 2:** Well, yeah, and as I had mentioned, I have beautiful crystals and stones in many places throughout my home and in some of my jewelry. And when I make Radiant Face 18, I surround the the mixing bowl with sacred crystals for the beauty of looking at them as I’m making it, and also for the energy that they hold. I make sure that I have lots of rose quartz, which is symbolic of love, holds the energy of love. And also with Radiant Face 18, I have a beautiful rose quartz gua sha stone, it’s called, and that’s a stone that you can just gently massage your face with. And I love the idea that, you know, you’re kind of putting love into your skin. And I guess the other story that’s very recent to me is I spent some time with my three-year-old grandson, Arlo, and over the weekend, and we spent a very long time just looking at rocks, just sitting down on the earth looking at rocks. And he was fascinated by the different colors and some were shiny and some weren’t. And I felt that that was a very, very good use of our time.

**The SoulFire Spark: How to Connect with an Ordinary Stone**

[10:58]
**Speaker 2:** So moving into your Soul Fire Spark for this week, it’s very simple. You can just go outside or look around wherever you are, kind of like Arlo and I did, and find one stone. It doesn’t have to be a crystal. It doesn’t even have to be special looking. It can be very ordinary, just one stone that catches your attention.

[11:17]
**Speaker 1:** Yes. And hold it. Feel it. And actually communicate with it. Ask it, silently or out loud, what it has to offer you. And then notice. And where are you feeling it in your body? Everyone is different. You might have a knowing or a sensing or tingling, but just do that. And over the next few days, check back in with it. Maybe carry it with you. See what shifts, what’s, what’s the consistency. And maybe journal to write down what information you’re getting.

[11:42]
**Speaker 2:** Absolutely. And doing that is helping you to go ancient, as we talk about it, going ancient. You know, there’s a reason people have been doing this for millennia. And it’s just a very beautiful, beautiful practice.

[11:53]
**Speaker 1:** Absolutely, and a very important one as well. Hey Soulfire sisters, we hope this episode opened something in you today. We are so glad you were here for it.

[12:02]
**Speaker 2:** We sure are. Until we meet again, feel the fire in your soul and live from it.

[12:09]
**Speaker 1:** Our world needs your passion, your gifts, and your heart. Don’t wait. Lean in. Do it now. Whatever your “it” is, do it now.

[12:18]
**Speaker 2:** Let’s create a new world for ourselves and for future generations. Farewell from SoulFire Sisters: Our Mission and Production Team.

**Farewell from SoulFire Sisters: Our Mission and Production Team**

[12:25]
**Speaker 2:** Thank you, dear listeners, for sharing this sacred space with us today. SoulFire Sisters is lovingly created and produced by ME, Dawn Morningstar, and Doctor Mary Newstrom, with editing and publishing by Sean Fujo.

[12:37]
**Speaker 1:** This podcast is brought to you by ZenithHigh.com LLC, Spirit Flow Shamanic Study Programs, New World Women, and Radiant Face 18, and is featured on the New World Women Voices of Wisdom podcast.

[12:47]
**Speaker 2:** You can find all the ways to connect with us in the show notes. Farewell for now, and remember your soul fire knows the way.

[12:54]
**Speaker 1:** Bye, everyone.

[12:55]
**Speaker 2:** Bye, take care.

[12:57]
**Speaker 1:** Hey Soul Fire Sisters, we hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. Please share SoulFire Sisters with your friends.

[13:02]
**Speaker 2:** Until we meet again, reflect on the changes you want to make, feel the fire in your soul, and live from that fire.

[13:10]
**Speaker 1:** Our world needs your passion, your gifts, your heart. Don’t wait, do it now. Whatever your “it” is, do it now.

[13:17]
**Speaker 2:** Let’s use our power to create a world we actually want to live in, a loving new world for ourselves and for future generations. We’ve got this.