My History with Geology
I loved getting my hands dirty digging out rocks from the sand pits in my backyard, seeing how they differ in size, shape, and color, and moving them in the sunlight to catch the sparkles of mica buried within their skin. Rocks were comforting, despite them being cold to the touch. They reminded me that this planet is enormous, yet interconnected, nothing is truly alien on this planet, albeit the stray asteroids that wind up in our path. Every rock/mineral that forms within the Earth’s mantle and crust is a mere byproduct of millions of years of geologic activity and for it to wind up in the backyard of my childhood home is merely a coincidence, but it's one that has greatly shaped my love for rocks and minerals. On family walks deep in the woods of New Hampshire I’d find myself looking down at the rocks that scattered across the forest floor and try to find one that piques my interest to take back home to my small, growing collection. Some rocks were collected because they looked cool with minerals banded within, while others had glistening intrusions of quartz and shimmery mica. Nothing in my collection was super remarkable, as quartz makes up 12% of Earth’s crust, it takes a truly amazing specimen to be worth much outside the mind of a child.
However, my true love for rocks, minerals, and crystals really began when my second grade class went on a trip to the now defunct (sold in 2015, but apparently it was bought in 2024 and is now open to the public again lol), Ruggles Mine! This mine, located in Grafton NH, is an open pit mine with various tunnels, chasms, and openings for everyone to come in and collect exposed minerals and crystals. Of course, most of the good stuff on the surface has been excavated, but I remember a fellow classmate found a small, rough ruby in one of the mica pits. Speaking of mica pits, this mine is covered by these fine, thin silicate minerals that cover most of the mine’s ground, obscuring possible hidden treasures. After my friends and I were done looking around the tunneling caves, we took turns shuffling and moving the mica around to see if we were lucky to find something incredible. However, our attempts were futile, and we left with pillow cases full of mica and other rocks we thought were cool. Despite all of this, the gift shop made up for what we weren’t able to excavate. This shop completely changed me and I developed a new love for colorful, vibrant, delicate, and unique crystals. I remember I picked up a couple of agates (that I now realize were dyed, but it sure fooled my young mind), and thus began my collection of crystals. After this trip, anytime we traveled to museums or shops with those buckets of various crystals (mostly quartz and agates, with some being dyed glass) I made sure to pick out my favorites and displayed them on a shelf in my room to showcase my newest specimens.
In middle school, my interests in the sciences were starting to peak, and I found myself obsessing over rocks and minerals once again. This time, I was able to name minerals and crystals, as well as identify them at a glance. With the help of my paternal grandmother (who was a jeweler for 20+ years) I was able to nurture this interest, and it grew into a possible career path. However, I wasn't interested in jewelry (as my grandmother wished), I was more interested in the raw, excavation type of geology. One where you travel to remote deserts and mountainsides and excavate fossils, raw gemstones, and precious minerals. Of course, my middle school brain didn’t understand that this was a childish view of the field, and there was a lot more to it than picking up a rock and going “neat”. Over the years, I slowly came to this realization and allowed myself to enjoy rocks, minerals, and crystals as a hobby instead of a viable career path.
Later down the line, I discovered “witchcraft” and “wiccanism” and it resonated with me deeply. I always felt deeply connected with the Earth, the elements, and how everything felt interconnected and spiritual. I felt as though this was my personal spiritual awakening, and I found myself researching all there is to know about this spiritual practice and how to get started. One area I knew I wanted to get into was with crystals and their “magic”. Every crystal and mineral carries a specific vibration that can transfer onto a host (whether material or spiritual) for manifestation and spell work. I started to dive deep into the powers of crystals I already own as well as visiting various metaphysical stores for my next crystal. My first crystal I used for spiritual purposes was a raw piece of rose quartz, about the size of my palm that I purchased when a friend and I visited Salem, Mass back in early high school. This rose quartz, and an accompanying raw aventurine were the first minerals I added to my collection since those earlier field trips and I made sure to bring these with me everywhere I could. After this, I continually added more and more to my collection every time I visited a new metaphysical shop, until eventually the chest I had my crystals in began to fill up to the top. Later in high school, I fell out of this “witchcraft” phase, however I still had my crystals, and I still felt an innate connection to the Earth, but I wasn’t a fan of the label because deep down I knew crystals didn’t have magical properties and I felt it boxed me into a set of beliefs I didn’t hold. Instead, I admired my crystals for their looks and properties, instead of a divine power I couldn’t prove to be true.
When I began to date my now Fiance, I showed him my crystal collection. After pulling out and opening my chest, he became intrigued. I never thought he would be so enthralled with my rocks and minerals, but to say my heart fluttered is an understatement. No one has ever shown me this much interest in one of my collections (besides my family gawking at my elephant collection growing up), it definitely made me realize he is a keeper. A couple years go by, and I don’t remember how it started, but we found a few crystal shops nearby (not metaphysical) and began to collect together. He was instantly attracted to raw crystals rather than the perfectly polished variety commonly found in jewelry, and started to purchase unusual crystals with unique properties rather than someone like me who prefers to collect the same handful of crystals (namely, colorful quartz). Now we have a collection of 70+ crystals together with a wide range of shapes, colors, and hardness and it's honestly one of my favorite possessions. One day I want to have a glass wardrobe with bright lights to showcase these magnificent crystals, but for now they are displayed by color. We’ve slowed down in our collecting in recent years due to size constraints, but we are both quite satisfied with our collection and show it off to new guests or those curious about the shelf full of minerals in our living room. Down below are our favorite specimens
Today, I find myself still drawn towards rocks and minerals, however now I’m more focused and curious about geologic activities/processes, tectonic activity, earthquakes, and volcanism than I am about individual minerals and crystals. Don’t get me wrong, I love purchasing a nice, new, shiny, crystal, but after a while its lost is luster (pun intended) and I’m now more enthralled with areas to mine my own minerals, going back to my roots of collecting cool rocks from places I explore, and the context behind the making of these spectacular specimen and features. Even though I don’t ever see myself becoming a geologist, I still love to learn all about this field, from the small fragments of mica to the giant cratons beneath our feet, this field has me learning and understanding the Earth in ways I never thought about when I was just a small child trying my best to free the rocks from the soil in my backyard.