Everyone can enjoy the simple pleasure of having a painted rock of their own. However, what to do with one after you take it home? The good news is that most everyone enjoys the novelty of a hand-painted gift rock. Especially one that glows in the dark! Whether you paint one yourself, purchase it, or find one that has been hidden. These rocks are a special keepsakes.
Rocks have even been found next to gravesites as a memorial to deceased friends, family members or pets. Aside from this, on a practical level they make excellent doorstops, paperweights and bookmarks.
They can serve as a reminder to purchase a can of tuna for the cat when left by the front door. A particularly hard rock can also be used as a hammer or grinder when used to crush corn inside a concave stone (a la the mortar and pestle).
A brightly painted rock can be seen as a boundary point, or a significant address marker when driving down an unfamiliar road. Rocks delineate gardens and cover holes to keep out rodents. You can probably come up with a grand list of ways to use a rock.
To me, rocks are also spiritual items. They are in effect, one of the most ancient physical forms found in nature. Yet no two rocks are really the same, much as humans are not either. By themselves they are merely consolidated matter. As a group they can form walls and fortify castles. They play an important parts in Science, History, Art and Culture.
Native Americans and Australian aborigines will say that they are imbued with the Spirit of their ancestors, and serve as talismans to be carried as a form of reverence and protection. Monks have used stones as a focusing device in meditation. In this sense, it serves one by keeping it in the palm of your hand, while holding someone in your best thoughts and prayers.
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