• An Ancient Tale, as recounted by Dawn King • A wise woman who was traveling in the high mountains of Kashmir found a special stone in a stream, as she crossed. Holding it up to the light, she could see it was a precious sapphire crystal, highly valued for its beautiful blue color. She thanked God, and tucked it into her pack. 


The next day she encountered another traveler. This was a man ill prepared for his journey. He appeared tired and hungry. The compassionate woman opened her pack to share her food.

After they ate, she stowed her cook pot away and the man caught a glimpse of the glittering precious crystal. “What is that?” he asked. 


“Oh, it’s nothing important,” she replied.


“Then give it to me to examine,” he demanded. She did so without hesitation while looking deep into his eyes. 

Soon, with a self-satisfied smile, the traveler tucked the crystal into his pocket. “It’s valuable to me,” he said and quickly left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. 


The woman thanked God that she and the stone were of help to a stranger. She was also thankful that after their meal, her load was lightened, and she no longer had to guard and care for the valuable sapphire.


A few days later as the wise woman was continuing her lengthy journey, she found the same man coming toward her up the trail. He looked confused. Approaching, he called out to her. “As I was leaving you several days ago, I heard you praying aloud to God, just like I was, giving thanks for good fortune. But for you, this was after I’d taken what must have been your most valuable physical possession.” 

The woman shrugged, and smiled.

“I came back to apologize to you, and to learn how you gained your truly most valuable possessions: compassion and peace of mind. Since I left you, I’ve had none of these, although I now have money.”

The man then spent his days accompanying the woman on her further trips, as he learned of the virtue, inner peace, and contentment we all need to value most. These are the hidden gems within us that we must polish and treasure in this life time.

NOTE: About Ayurvedic planets and gemstones: Saturn is the Law-of-Karma planet that brings us to our senses (usually by hard knocks). Its gemstone is blue sapphire.