Bird Watching

I'm watching a stellar jay or mountain jay eat breakfast off the post on the log wood porch in front of me. I love blue birds. Most of you know I have a thing for birds. In this moment, the wild birds before me are enjoying the seeds and nuts place out for them by the caretakers of the Logwood Inn.

Yesterday when I was in downtown Durango, I stopped to capture photos of a hummingbird. Because I'm not on my own laptop at the moment, I won't be adding photos with this post. But believe me, you will be inundated with photos in the near future.

It feels so good to be resting, looking at birds - 5 crows just flew by - and breathing deeply. I have to breathe deeply because at this altitude, I often must catch my breath. And, that is really what this trip is all about. It's a combination of visiting with my dear cousin, Maria, for her wedding and "catching my breath" as it's been a very challenging year for me.

I am grateful to have an overall positive attitude and my "Polly-anna" outlook on life. For without it, I'm not sure how I would have enjoyed any of this past year.

I've been listening to my own guided meditation CDs quite a bit in the past week. Meet Your Master Guide, Open Your Heart to Love and Color Meditation: Align Your Chakras are all downloaded into my I-pod for easy listening so I listen to them when I wake up in the middle of the night and on the airplane. I also have downloaded Think Good Thoughts: Positive Affirmations for Everyday Living but I listen to that most often in the car while I'm driving. So, here I thought I made those CDs for everyone else - I guess that's true but I now realize these are for me just as much as they are for everyone else.

Well, mi prima, (means cousin) Maria has just arrived so I'm signing off for now to go play by the river, in her garden, with the birds and with my Vincent!

New Release! Think Good Thoughts: Positive Affirmations for Everyday Living

I am so pleased to announce that my new CD is now released. Think Good Thoughts: Positive Affirmations for Everyday Living is created just in time to increase your self-esteem and your ability to manifest a happier life. I have 6 other CDs that are Guided Meditation CDs. This new release was inspired by the need to listen to something positive while driving. The graphic artist who did the artwork on the first 6 CDs commented about the statement on each CD, "Do not use while driving." He said, " Margaret, you should create a CD that says 'Use while driving.'"


This CD, Think Good Thoughts, is exactly that - a CD to listen to while you drive to help you maintain good thoughtforms. You can buy it online or in person at The Crystal Garden.


Unfortunately, many of us have worrisome thoughts on a regular basis. When we worry, we have a tendency to attract more of what we worry about. Yet when you change your thoughts and focus on the possibility of something better, miraculously it occurs. This CD is set up to listen to repetitively and to repeat the positive affirmation within or out loud. Thoughts and words create things. So use it often and change your life!



The artwork for the cover was created by Victoria Rose Martin She is an accomplished artist in many media. In fact she is a professor at Palm Beach Community college teaching others. Her husband, Jody Pollard, recorded and mixed the CD for me. He worked on it until it was perfect.

I am so please to have my CDs at the Whole Foods Markets throughout most of Florida. Pictured here on the left are my CDs at the Whole Foods in Boca Raton. Whole Foods also carries them in Aventura, Plantation, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach Gardens and hopefully soon to be at the Naples and Wellington locations.

I just connected with a sales team who will bring my CDs into North Carolina, Alabama, and into Whole Foods in other regions as well as many other bookstores. All my CDs sell well at Whole Foods as well as at my own store and other grass roots stores around the country. They are very affordable. Only $12 each.

My new release was premiered at the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull Event on January 22, 2009.


The event went so smoothly. I must say that my staff and I are very good at running these bigger events. Here we are on the right.



In this picture with the skull (from left to right) Bill Homann, Tecia Linville, Pam Elliott, Vickie Mitchell, Me!, and Chrissy Clark. I welcome speakers who can draw in up to 300 people. It's good for our community to have the gift of these amazing events.

The Crystal Skull event was so loving and enjoyable. Everyone was in a peaceful space and loving kindness permeated the energy of our space. The event was held at the Boynton Woman's Club in the Grand Ballroom


The Crystal Garden had a booth with a sampling of our crystals and books and much more. Natural Awakenings of Palm Beach County did a fabulous job with articles, ads and press releases announcing the event. Here on the left you will see Leah Lou Patton, publisher of the Palm Beach edition with her sister and colleague, Mishal. Much gratitude to these 2 ladies.



People flew in from L.A, Canada, Mexico, Kentucky, Arkansas, and all over Florida. Everyone had the opportunity to sit with the skull, take photos and experience this profound artifact. We are very grateful.

And, at the end of the night I had my turn with the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull. It was an honor and a privelege to host this event and be a channel for bringing this skull into South Florida.

I could probably ramble on for a while. But I'll spare you . . .

With great joy I sign off for now!

Recreating Yourself

Sometimes it takes a cosmic 2 x 4 to recreate yourself. In that re-creation you just may find your authentic self pursuing your Divine Purpose. I believe that is true for me. It took many years (20) to really create a well established business but the journey was worth every moment of challenge and lessons. There were definitely moments when I stood in the middle of my store and exclaim to God/Goddess/Great Spirit - "Hey! if you want me to do this work, you need to send me customers so I can pay the real estate taxes, the staff and my vendors! I also would like to get paid some day!"

It was interesting that every time I did my exclamation someone would come in and make a very large purchase on that same day. Usually within a few days, I would also receive a letter giving gratitude for all that The Crystal Garden provides. So I would say, "OK, I guess I'll keep doing this, but please help the store not to struggle to make ends meet." Now I am more proactive. I am blessed with a phenomenal staff. We are all good at holding a vision for meeting our daily sales goals. I am attracting more wholesale clients. And, I am also attracting larger events, like Dr. Eric Pearl with 150 people and the Crystal Skull event in Jan 2009 with 300 people, which definitely help us with our sales and making the rent and all that is due to everyone.

Yes, I did just mention wholesale. I've created a wholesale division over the last couple of years. It started as a publishing division and is expanding. I published my own guided meditation CDs in 2005 and I've added Smudge in Spray to the line. I recently realized that it's time to add my whole line of medical grade essential oils including my proprietary blends called Euphoria, Lift Me Up!, and Auntie M's Anti. I am in the process of creating a really amazing Oracle Deck which will be self-published. The graphic art and the photography is being done by Victoria Rose Martin. I love working with her. I also have a new CD coming out to use to instill positive thoughts into your consciousness. That should be out by Winter 2009.

The thing to remember here is all of this was birthed out of 20 years of being in this business. I started The Crystal Garden with Carol Lonsdale in 1988. She left in December 1996 and continued on to grow my business. But we had humble beginnings. We started with just one small room of merchandise, much of which was consignment. I had gemstones from Arkansas and one Brazilian dealer. We had a few books, some incense and a lot of enthusiasm. I still have extreme enthusiasm for my work. I am so grateful for my career and the many facets of it. I like running many companies (I handle my father's real estate companies as well.) It's all very rewarding. And I am never bored!