Ascendance is a beautifully imagined and crafted crystal skulls sculpture carved from a black obsidian specimen from the United States. A flawless single piece carving, a tower of five crystal skulls rises from the tiered base of this highly polished portion of the sculpture. And perched at the top, a magnificent black obsidian raven of incredible detail stands on sterling silver legs, holding a fine opal pebble full of fiery color in its beak. The talented artists at Skullis have perfectly captured the intelligence of the raven in this amazing crystal skull work of art. Ascendance is a stunning and moving sculpture. The black obsidian raven measures 6.7 x 2.8 x 4.5 inches (170x70x115 mm), and the tower of skulls measures 4.6 x 4.4 x 12.8 inches (116x111x325 mm). The total weight of Ascendance is 6.1 lb (2770 g).

Ascendance encourages us to break free from our comfort zones, to leave behind our desire of conformity, and to begin the process of self discovery through self expression. Ascendance assists us in developing our intuitive talents and helping us to find confidence and trust in accessing information we already possess as conscious expressions of oneness with all things. Further, the Ascendance crystal skulls and raven sculpture helps us to more easily recognize this basic association, the relationship we share with every other person, and every other aspect of existence.

The Ascendance crystal skulls also help us to overcome the negative aspects of situations and events that we may be allowing to affect us. This helps us to again find light, peace, and joy in our lives so we may regain our own mental and emotional composure, as well as better share these with other people in our lives who are in need of our support.

The Ascendance black obsidian crystal skulls and raven sculpture encourages the reconnection of our conscious awareness with our spiritual nature, helping us to understand our passion in life need not be affected by the temporary and transient dynamics we experience at the physical, mental, and emotional levels.

Remarkable intelligence and the ability to speak have made crows and ravens symbols of an oracle. The fact that their vocalization, which was heard as sounding like "cras" supported this, as cras is the Latin word for tomorrow. Crows and ravens are considered to be signs and omens, and to be able to predict the future. Many cultures consider crows and ravens to be messengers and heralds of powerful secrets. Crows and ravens are symbols of wisdom and knowledge, and of connections with the deep mysteries of life and the universe.

Norse legend holds that Odin had two accompanying ravens, Hugin, who represents attaining knowledge and the power of thought, and Mugin, who represents the mind and the ability of the intuition to eliminate the necessity of looking for information. For the Romans and Greeks, crows and ravens symbolized the sun and were associated with both Athena and Apollo, and represented light and wisdom, and again, the oracular characteristic of Apollo.

Native American, Nordic, and Celtic legends hold that the crow is tasked with carrying souls into the other side of life. The crow, a traveler between life and death, will convey messages as well as souls, to and from the afterlife. Egyptians chose crows as a symbol of faithfulness, devotion, and loyalty due to their tendency to be monogamous. Ancient Asian legend states the crow was said to be the father of the Asian race, leading it to be considered the parent of humankind.

Crows and ravens are considered to be cunning, helpful, clever, and magnanimous at different times. Native American Inuits believed the raven tricked a giant sea monster into submission, and to this day its body serves as the Alaskan mainland. Other Northern Native American tribes believed the raven flew out from the dark womb of the cosmos, and brought with it the light of the sun, the dawning of understanding, and so consider the raven to be a bringer of light, and a venerated bird of creation. North American Indian lore also shows the raven to be symbolic of change and transformation, as do many other cultural references to the raven. It has also come to be known as a trickster because of its association with change and transformation.

Shaman and medicine men called upon the raven in ritual to assist in bringing clarity to understanding visions, as these holy men knew that what one sees in the physical world is not always the truth of reality. The raven is considered to be an emissary of magic and a sign of messages from the spirit world and the universe. The raven is utilized for healing as well, particularly delivering healing over long distances.

Crows and ravens are considered to be keepers of secrets, and assist in learning answers to one's inner thoughts. Dr. Carl Jung considered the raven to symbolize the dark side of the psyche. The raven represents one's ability to become a whole individual, balancing and communicating with the two diverse aspects of one's nature. The raven can help expose the sensitive secrets one keeps hidden within, often with detrimental effects upon one's self, so one may resolve and release these, and so find understanding, acceptance, and realize a more complete state of harmony and health.

Black obsidian has been used for scrying and facilitating intuition for thousands of years. It is an excellent stone to assist in seeing past illusion to discern truth, and to understand universal and spiritual laws, and oneself. Obsidian is considered an extremely effective stone of protection, and a very powerful energy mover, as well as an excellent filter for absorbing negativity from its surroundings. Obsidian can be programmed to transmute this negativity to a different expression of energy, or can be cleansed regularly by smudging with smoke, washing with running water, associating it with other crystals, and more methods.

Obsidian is effective for removal of blockages and bringing courage to face and overcome fears. Black obsidian is commonly considered to be quite powerful and caution is recommended when using it. It is wise to be prepared for the speed of the transfer of energy and information. Conscious programming prior to use is one way to address this quality of black obsidian. One explanation for the excessive power of obsidian could be the elemental forces at work during its formation. Volcanic lava, Earth and Fire, join with Water to cool the material so quickly there is no time for crystallization.

Black obsidian possesses an excellent grounding energy, and assists one to find and maintain a clear and focused mental acuity. It can help to temper emotional reactions and bring balance and consideration to one’s life and mental processes. It protects against negativity and assists one to release disharmony, resentment of self and others, and anger and fear caused by one’s reactions to the situations and challenges one faces as a part of life.

Physically black obsidian is used for pain relief and detoxifying the body. It speeds healing of wounds, improves circulation and brings warmth to the extremities, assists in the digestion processes, helps reduce cravings for foods, and can be helpful for reducing an enlarged prostate.

Opal brings one confidence and reassurance based on knowing that when one operates from a foundation of love, honesty, and acceptance, one can create and experience harmony and success in all types of relationships. Opal helps one to overcome hesitation and doubt by encouraging one to consciously choose to act with positive and loving thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors in one's activities.

It encourages the development and expression of one's inherent ingenuity, resourcefulness, and inventiveness, and enables one to apply these gifts to all aspects of being. It highlights and amplifies the unique features and qualities of an individual, reinforcing one's distinctiveness. Opal also increases one's mental capacity and memory recall.

Opal is beneficial for the activation, development, and understanding of the intuitive, psychic, and mystical talents every person naturally possesses. Opal assists one to understand how to employ these talents, and to comprehend the information, knowledge, and wisdom gained through the use of these abilities.

Opal has been use by both Australian aboriginal and American Indian shamans to experience visions, and also for vision quest rituals of American Indians as well as dreamtime rituals of Australian aborigines. Opal is considered to promote pleasant and joyous dreams. These dreams are supported by the conscious knowledge of, and unconditional acceptance of oneself with the understanding that, as one is a flawless expression of universal love, no changes are necessary or required. Opal also assists one to create joyful and welcome adjustments in one's life based on that which one desires.

A particular use of the energy of opal is to redirect the attention of others away from the user, should one wish to go unnoticed. With an intentional management of the energy of opal, it is possible to become inconspicuous, and, using the same concept and method, it is also possible to redirect the energy of opal to attract more attention to oneself.

Opal has been used to bring balance and control for the proper production of insulin, to remove toxins from the kidneys and the blood, and to promote proper blood circulation. It is used to alleviate infections and fevers, and to aid in healing and recuperating from Parkinson's disease. Opal has been used to treat the eyes, and issues that affect vision, resulting in clear and vitalized vision. Opal has also been used to bring reassurance and relief when giving birth, reducing pain and anxiety.

Silver, long associated with the moon and water, reflects and mirrors the soul, giving calm and balance. Used to “draw down the moon” during lunar ceremonies, it shares the moon energy and protects from negativity. Silver is considered to be directly connected with the spiritual aspects of life. Silver has long been used to work in combination with the energies of gemstones, absorbing, amplifying, and emulating energies of gems and enabling the fusion of the different energies and a smoother transference to the wearer. Silver allows the wearer to tune in to the energy vibrations and flow of the universe. Silver is associated with love, the emotions, and healing. Metaphysical and mystical uses of silver include enhancement of manifestation, good health, communication skills, perception, psychic and intuitive capabilities, connection between physical and astral bodies, and revelations in dreams.

NOTE: Skullis does not prescribe treatment for medical issues. Skullis offers information for reference to assist with the selection and understanding of crystal skulls, including this black obsidian crystal skulls and raven with opal sculpture.