When afflicted with lupus, a disease that turns the body's defenses against the body itself, 49-year old Alice Shakya in her younger years almost lost hope.
There is no apparent cause for the disease, but Shakya suffered disorders affecting her organ systems, skin, joints, and internal organs. She consulted many doctors for the best possible treatment for her illness and was open to try every possible way if it meant her survival. And then she discovered the healing power of crystals and various stone minerals.
Married to a Nepali artisan, Shakya was introduced to the surprising power and energies of the crystal world and with her determination to get well coupled with the help of modern medicine, she succeeded her battle with lupus.
"For me it's a miracle. There are many things wedo not know about stones and its inherent powers based on researches and studies," said Shakya.
She related that there is a link among DNA, the mineral kingdom and divine creation which has been made known around the world and far back in time, and that stones, such as spheres of crystals, have a potentially enormous significance and are long used to cure diseases, heal emotional rifts and many other tales of benevolent supernatural properties of stones.
"That is why, in return to what these stones have done to help me heal from my illness, I, together with my Nepali husband, decided to put up a shop devoted to rare stones and many other artistic antique objects. I owe it to them, however partly," Shakya revealed.
Now, her clients range from doctors, businessmen and professionals who get from her their respective stones, beads or charms which they use to for their personal security, peace of mind and healing their illnesses in the various aspects of their lives
Shakya does not deny owning and managing the only shop in Baguio City, the only one in the Philippines in fact, that offers pricey items and objects. Now on its fourth year, Namaste (located at the ground floor of Portaga Vaga Mall, Session Road) is the only place where one could find the best and finest wools, antique statues, rare gems and stones, and the most artistically designed arts and crafts from Nepal, Pakistan and India.
"Expensive may be the operative word when talking about Namaste shop. But we are very proud of the fact that what we hand to our clients are not only the objects that they buy, but we also hand to them a portion of the chest containing bits and parcels of the rich culture and history of the makers of our products," 49-year old Shakya shared.
Alice recalls with triumph the most important battle she had waged in life so far: the battle for her dear life itself. "You don't need to have faith in it. It will develop the faith in you," Shakya related as her family added the Namaste store to the string of businesses they started in Nepal and Philippines after she got past lupus.
She said the expensive prices of Namaste price is owed to the fact that they sell genuine and rare products that are made of diminishing sources and also because of the amazing stories behind their crafts.
Shawls
For one, Namaste sells shawls made of the best wools coming from the high Himalayan plateau. One is the shatoosh, known as the "king of wools, which is the best, finest, lightest, warmest and known well with its expensive price.
Legend says that an egg wrapped in gossamer cloud of shatoosh left in the sun cooks in a few hours. Finer than human hair, one-fifth of a human hair, it comes from the undercoat of a chiru, a young antelope found in the frozen high altitude deserts of Tibet and China.
Shakya says that the rarity and value of shatoosh due the growing demand for the fabric led to the decimation of chiru, placing this animal under the list of endangered species. Today, slaughter of chiru is completely banned under international law and so the art can no longer sustain itself because the survival of a species is such in
grave danger.
Another is the pashminas or soft fleece that comes from the neck and underbelly of an ibex, an animal from the remote region of Ladakh and Tibetan plateau. The high altitude combined with the mountain goat's meager diet and inherent genetics enable it to grow a coat of wool which is among the finest and warmest on earth. Here, the animal is not harmed in this process. Real pashminas are still available but expensive.
Neither shatoosh nor pashminas is native to India or Kashmir, though Kashmiri pashminas and shawls are available. By way of caravan and trade they become available in other places.
Another bulk of wool available worldwide is raffle, a pure wool made from domesticated goat, a machine spun, merino, fine in texture but not comparable to pashmina, Its price is also far cheaper, lucky is person who has the opportunity to enjoy the amazing material, Shakya said.
Mark of aristocracy
Native shawls represent a form of aristocratic high classification to the wears. Each region has its own expressions, its own vocabulary of fabric and colors. Embroidered with these shawls were the epics and stories, their dreams and symbols most dear to them.
The fine quality of the wool evokes the buttery softness of the pashminas. Shawls hold a particular and pre-eminent place like other garments in a Nepali society, like the saris and dhoti. Indeed shawls sometimes are unstitched, thus giving them a multiplicity of uses. It can be an element of decoration, as an art piece due to its amazing colors.
However, before the surface of beauty and softness of the wool, there are resonances of their meanings which are profoundly connected with myth and symbology, a cultural indicator of aspirations and mostly status. Some are ornamented with hopes and dreams of the maker, as well as their daily life's encounters.
In earlier times, shawls were essentially a male garment and a gift of woolen shawls is a mark of great respect towards the receiver. In Indian and Persian regions, saints, sages, great teachers and their nobles are honored with the presentation of a shawl which is practiced up to this date. In their royal courts, kings present shawls to their
nobles as a mark of favors. Also, the exchange of cost by shawls between rulers was part of a ceremonial protocol. So, fine shawls made of fine wools became a mark of aristocracy, wealth and status even in a warmer climate.
This traditional rare and expensive, as those of shatoosh, was passed on from one generation of women to the next generation. It is a treasured item for a chest, often times, a mother saves for years just to be able to secure a gift for her daughter's wedding.
Shakya explained that stones and a person's respective bead turn bad situations into good ones. "With our complicated lives right now, people use stones and bead for
protection from bad situations in their personal lives, relationships, careers, businesses or physical conditions," she said.
For improving one's relationships, moonstone, rose quarts, amethyst are recommended are the best stones to use. Citrine is best for business people who want to become more prosperous and improve their productivity. Moldavite is known for its multiple properties such as healing, bringing of happiness and good relations specially combined with seraphinie, tanzanite, phenacite, sugilite, pietersite and tourmaline. They are also known as synergy of stones for love, healing, protection
and prosperity.
Tibetan DZI beads are well known with their healing power and good effects. Alexandrite gem is known in Russia for its joyful vibration and powerful stone for good fortune and inner transformation as it embodies heat energy, higher mind energy, and as a stone layout or jewelry that stimulate inner adaptability.
