For more than a quarter of a century, we have tried to find isolated and pristine natural places to camp and commune with nature. For 15 years, while living in the Southwestern Mountains of Colorado, we would often travel south of the border with our dog, Pluto, to spend the early spring months. One soggy spring, we left our home in Telluride, Colorado to go camping in the mountains of Mexico. It was during these adventures our long journey began, that over time, would bring us to a very special place.
In the early mornings, we would climb to the mountaintops. As we sat contemplating, while the sun rose brightening the land in the distance, we often wanted to journey even deeper into the mountains we had just found.
Throughout the years, we traveled to new places and explored other country all the way down to Belize and Guatemala. On about four different occasions, when sitting on mountain or high ridge tops, we felt drawn to venture farther. But, each time, the country was very rough, and we couldn't find our way in.
We're sort of like the bear that went over the mountain to see what he could see" ...but these times were different...more alluring, like we had to know.., like we just had to see what was over these mountains.
As time went by we thought of the places we had climbed and found that these four different times spanned an area of about 600 miles. They formed a rough triangle... Then it occurred to us... These four places surrounded one central location. Over the years, we tried even harder to find our way into this remote country, but we didn't have much luck.
As the years past, this was a place that kept drawing us back. For nine years, on and off, we would journey to this area as we continued to make our way, deeper and deeper, into these mountains.
Early one morning, we started climbing ,finding our way around trees and through the brush, sometimes finding an old path and then losing it, then finding it again. The trail generally led uphill and was pretty rough going, but it seemed to be leading towards a saddle between the mountains. We were very energized and excited. After all these years, it seemed we might just have. found a way in.
Farther up the mountain, nearing a high pass between the ridges, we found the old path again which led between two large trees amongst the tall cliffs and boulders. Atop one of the trees were two crows that watched as we entered.
We stopped between the two old trees to catch our breath. The two crows flew over our heads, cawing as they disappeared to the left in the clouds. We followed as the trail turned left and went up and over the pass between the mountains, then started winding downwards.
In the mist of the low hanging clouds, the old path seemed to descend between two steep ridges. At times it would fade away, where trees and brush had long ago overgrown the old trail...and then the path would reappear. Sometimes, at a distance, through the branches and misting clouds, we would get a glimpse of a grand valley off to the left and below us. We crossed a deep canyon to our left, then scrambled up through the brush, finally reaching a ridge top and soon found the old path again which followed the ridge downwards.. We were jazzed!
As we descended, the clouds started to lift, giving us a view of this fresh green country. There was a sweet new wonderful fragrance, floating on the breezes from the valley below, an aroma that we had not known before. The air was crisp and clean, reviving us with renewed energy to venture farther down and deeper into this remote land.
We came through a large expanse of trees, and down below, we saw 
two great stags of the forest rise from their bed's, look at us for about a half minute, then begin feeding on the flowers neath the trees, as though we weren't even there.
As we walked through the forest, the trees started thinning and the land soon widened and opened to a panorama of rolling hills with green trees and flowered meadows. There were a lot of birds singing and flying about. The place was just beautifully alive. We looked at each other and then the valley... We walked hand in hand through the golden fields ..... not whispering a word.
At last, we reached the lower hills farther down the valley. We do not know how to adequately convey in words what we were feeling. Everything appeared lush and vibrant with many old trees watching over the valley. We felt as though we had entered a land of ancient times. This was a very special place...almost magical.
We finally came to a shady hollow and as we sat under the old trees, we spoke of how serene and peaceful this hidden valley was...where even the birds and animals were curious. In all of our wanderings, we had never found anyplace like this before.
After snacking and gulping down a lot of water, we felt refreshed. We excitedly talked of what a fine day this was, and what a great day it was to be alive, with your best friend, in the most wonderful of places.
The sun had risen higher and was now just peeking over the mountaintops, slowly shedding light under the shadowed tree's edge. We stepped from the cool shade of the trees into the warm sunlight to a far-reaching view of the valley and the land beyond.
It was here that we found the stone we came to call Nebula Stone. At our feet in the sunlight were many beautiful stones shining with the morning's dew.
Holding one in our hand, we found them to be very smooth and felt gentle to the touch. As we looked at the green spherulites in the glistening dark green stone, it looked as though we were peering into the night sky. Some of the eyes were various shapes and sizes. Some appeared near, while others seemed to lie deeper in the sky...like looking into the cosmos. Some appeared as spiraling vortexes, while other centers had crystallized forming star-like filaments of light radiating from the nucleus, with quartz scattered throughout the stone... appearing as stardust.
Holding them in our hands we knew...
These Stones were as Enchanting as The Valley Itself.
Later;
When we first found this stone, we did not know it would be considered a new stone in the gem and mineral kingdom. Nor did we know, it would become sought after by collectors, rockhounds, jewelers, lapidary enthusiasts and carvers; and that we would get calls worldwide from collectors, jewelers, massage therapists, the spiritually inclined, psychics, healers, reiki masters and people who simply love stones. We couldn't foresee any of this, we simply knew we liked the stone.
The next year we took it to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (the largest in the whole world) to find out what it was. Over the course of a week, we learned that none of the experts could identify it. We sent thin section samples to various universities, The Smithsonian Institute which first thought it to be a new jade... and The American Museum of Natural History which said... (It is unlike anything any of us have ever seen").
We were told this was a new discovery, containing a rare combination of Quartz, Aegirine, Riebeckite, Anorthoclase, Acmite, Calcite and Zircon, "with numerous (microscopic) terminated Quartz Prisms in the matrix", interspersed with light green eyes in a deep, dark green (almost black) background, looking like the night's sky. On the Mohs scale of hardness, it is about a 6.5 hardness and takes a brilliant polish. With a toughness comparable to jade making it an excellent carving material.
With the discovery of a new stone came the privilege of giving it a name. Well at first we didn't know what to name it. We even humorously said "how about naming it "Ron & Karenite"- being that many stones end in "ite." But of course, that wouldn't be fair to such a good stone. So...one evening while we were sitting at home sipping a glass of wine, Ron got the specimen from our mantle, sat back down, wet it and held it up in the light.
He then said..." Honey, it's just like looking at the stars and nebula in the cosmos".
With this thought... we named it... Nebula Stone.
Nebulas are a cosmically immense cloud of gas and dust which whirl and twirl in space, vorticing inwards, and over time, condense... creating new stars and star systems.
Through our eyes, the green eyes in Nebula Stone appeared as the 
nebulae themselves and we came to realize that all the planets, our earth, our moon, our sun and all it's heavenly bodies...and all the stars... were first born from a nebula.
And to think that even the matter of this stone and ourselves was once the matter of a luminous nebula. . . . and will be again.
All stars are born from a nebula, and...being We are born from the same dust as the stars... We dance the same cosmic dance.
Nebula Stone has come to be considered symbolic of this Cosmic Dance of Life's Cycles revealing nature's connection between ourselves and the stone from deep within our planet to the far away nebulae that are the birth of new star systems and the beginning of light.
We were reminded of the importance of eyes in stones in ancient oriental literature, where the eyes in stones are significant ...because... eyes are the first light of love newborns see in their new world
...The Mother's eyes...as she nurses her new life... Both... looking into the eyes of creation.
We've learned that amongst some of the many creative and healing ways Nebula Stone is used around the world is as a Birthing Stone, a Philosophy Stone and a Farewell Stone... and The Stone of Rebirth. Because, philosophically, they have come to realize that being an "Integral Part of The Cosmos" brings one full circle from creation, through life, to passing on, to... rebirth again...
Just like the nebulas. Just like ourselves. Everything is Reborn and Continues.
That's why Nebula Stone is known as "The Birthstone Of The Cosmos."
It makes us happy to know that Nebula Stone is used as a tool to focus and crystallize ones' thoughts... and that when touched, worn or caressed enhances ones awareness of our connection to all the Universes, reminding each of us that...
We are Etemally....
"A Chalice of Light"
Visit Ron and Karen's site nebulastone.com
See Soul2Soul Treasures Collection of Nebula Stone Jewelry
Copyright 1995-Present. Ron & Karen Numberg. Nebula Stone (TM) is a trade mark of Ron & Karen Numberg. the sole source of all Nebula Stone (TM) or related Nebula type stones. All rights reserved.
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