Frankfort, Illinois
A Life of Love, Crystals, and an Intention to Heal the World
Some collections are more than beautiful. Some collections tell the story of a life.
Our connection to Mauryeen began with a phone call from a man named Mike. He asked whether we could come look at his mother-in-law's crystal collection. She had been a crystal lover, he explained, and had a rather large collection.
I pictured a curio cabinet full of crystals and arranged to meet the family.
What I found when I walked through the door was beyond anything I had imagined.
The family greeted me in the garage. When I stepped inside the house, I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer number of crystals. Everywhere I looked, there was something extraordinary.
In the front living room, large statement pieces of amethyst stood on metal plant stands of different heights in front of the window. Throughout the house, on metal tables and rolling stands, were enormous clusters of angel wing selenite. They ranged from about a pound to approximately 75 pounds—the kind of massive specimens I had never seen gathered together in one place.
There were crystals in the living room, the dining room, and the basement. Two amethyst cathedrals, each approximately three feet tall, stood on either side of the fireplace.
My imagined curio cabinet had become an entire house.
Mauryeen was 82 when she passed away. A resident of Frankfort, Illinois, for approximately 40 years, she had spent more than four decades gathering her collection.
Upstairs, her office was filled with crystals, spiritual books, and teaching manuals covering an extraordinary range of spiritual practices. Her collection included more than 100 books, over 35 manuals, and handwritten notes.
Angels and crosses adorned the walls. Three curio cabinets held porcelain angel statues. In the basement, two more cabinets contained porcelain and stuffed clowns—another glimpse of her personal world.
There were also chunks of glass throughout the house. We later came to understand that Mauryeen may have believed these were Andara glass, a name used in some metaphysical communities.
Walking through those rooms, I was surrounded by the things she had gathered, studied, and woven into her spiritual life.
On the oval dining room table was a large crystal grid.
Around the outside were pieces of angel wing selenite. Inside that arrangement stood another ring of very dark Uruguayan amethyst clusters. At the very center was a picture of Jesus Christ.
That moment brought the responsibility of what I was doing into focus.
I was taking apart arrangements Mauryeen had created with intention. I was handling crystals that had been part of her spiritual practice and healing work over many years, in the home where she had lived and passed away.
The work required physical effort, but it also called for care and respect. Prayer and Reiki were part of how I approached that responsibility.
From the Collection
Jessica had met Mauryeen once. They shared a lovely conversation, and Mauryeen gave her a card that Jessica still keeps.
That small, personal connection belongs in this story, too.
As the collection moved from Mauryeen's home into the care of High Ho Gems, Inc., we felt deep gratitude for the energy we received, the work she had done, and her intention to help heal the world.
Sharing her collection gives us an opportunity to share her name and story with the people who encounter these remarkable pieces.
To Mauryeen and her family: thank you for reaching out to us, trusting us with this collection, and allowing us to help your family through this time of closure.