You may not like me… and that’s OK.

As long as you learned something valuable from me, I’m totally OK with you not liking me… or even hating my guts!

I got used to that as a classroom science teacher. In fact, I’d sometimes hear a pissed off student call me a flurry of colorful names after refusing to change a grade. Then I’d pretend I didn’t hear it (to avoid having to discipline them in yet another way) and have to hide my face behind my grade book while I was snickering and praying they didn’t catch me in the act. Not snicker in an evil cackle-ish kind of way but in my hard-to-stifle immature sort of way that I have… that part of me that commiserates with a teenager’s angst over her or his “STUPID-ASS SCIENCE TEACHER”! I would totally vibe with them and get it.

BUT I STILL WASN’T GONNA BUDGE ON THAT GRADE, BABE!

Students hating me (at first) because they thought I was “too hard” but then later actually thanking me because I pushed them harder and they rose to the challenge… were better for it when they went on to higher grade levels, took those dang-fangled standardized tests (don’t get me started!) and truly understood the science… all because I made it clear they were not going to just coast with me. I was here to challenge them. I think for the most part my students had a totally different outlook by the end of the year. Many even say I was their favorite teacher ever. I’m NOT saying all this to brag but instead to prove a very important point.

Through the rigorous process of becoming a Nationally Board Certified Science Teacher, I learned the importance and value of student critical thinking and assessment of content knowledge. I’ve never given out grades like the “popular” teachers did. And I’m not about to start now with Crystal Healing Certifications just to make my life easier. I’ve seen many do it, but that just goes against every grain in my being.

Some of those science students of mine even went on to change their interests and or pursue scientific careers and majors in college because of how I was able to take them into the deep end of the pool with science… at first kicking and screaming and then later they were joyfully splashing around.  ❤️

And I notice the same thing now with some of my adult crystal healing students. I suppose it’s my signature teaching style.

So, I’ve got this demanding reputation and I’m proud of it!

It’s all about the Energy

And now with my Certified Crystal Healer students, I’m just as uncompromising, especially on certain aspects.

For instance, I require that our CCH students be mindful of the energy they bring into a transaction of any sort.

Meaning that they are mindful of:

• how they carry themselves
• how they transact energy of any sort (including money)
• their boundaries
• things that say and do

As that’s all energy you know.  Of course, I’m not looking for perfection, but as HMCA students and alumni, they’re held to a higher standard. Yes, we keep an eye on that; holding them accountable. I feel strongly as an educator and a certifying body and academy that it’s our responsibility to do that before allowing someone to go out into the world certified by us to facilitate energy work with others.

It’s not a Given

Unlike with some other institutions, not everybody gets to graduate as a Hibiscus Moon Certified Crystal Healer just because they paid the tuition. Since the beginning, I’ve held to this standard and have been saying it since the inception of my academy in 2011: you pay for the education, but you must EARN the certification. I feel this should hold true for any sort of school, but that’s another convo for another day!

Just as in a university with integrity (and a lot of them are losing that these days); if you don’t uphold the values, standards, and principles of that institution, or you don’t get the required grades OR show poor behavior, poor character; you’re not going to get to graduate from there. And rightly so!

Because what sort of integrity would that institution have if they let shit like that slide? How would that seem fair to all those who’ve graduated, met requirements and earned degrees from there? The prestige of that school would go out the window!

I’ve baked these non-wavering principles and integrity into the HMCA culture. Because I’ve done that and have refused to waiver from the beginning, our alumni and our community see the value and accomplishment in graduating as a Hibiscus Moon Certified Crystal Healer. It’s appreciated, well-earned, respected and admired.

Nope, I may not be your cup o’ tea.

I’d rather be someone’s double shot of Crystal Gem Elixir anyway. 😉

What to Expect

So maybe an easier “pay-and-get-your-instant-certificate-with-no-accountability-nor-assessment” deal is more your style. Because, you know, some places do it like that and if that’s what you’re looking for, no judgment at all!  But let me tell you now if that’s how you roll; HMCA is not for you. Better we know now, right?

(Hey now, please bear in mind that we do offer an “Audit” level for those looking to get the sparkly info for their own personal use. In that level, you’re not required to do any assignments, assessment nor any grad requirements).

Yeah, I could make it easy for all involved, both on our end and the student’s end) and go that EASY route. Then there would be tons more people certified as “Hibiscus Moon CCHs,” and we’d be registering scads more people.

But that goes against my very essence.

Running a course that requires no effort or demonstration of mastery to earn your credentials is certainly not what I was put here on Mama Earth for.

Nope.

Yeah, I could just slap together a course where you pay the fee, you get the content and maybe even a fancy-schmancy certificate to hang on your wall, and what you do with the info or don’t do with it is your business. I may never check on you again, nor hold you to any standards or code of ethics, and just throw a certificate and some initials at you, because you paid for it.

Well, the HMCA way, it’s not only harder for our students but for us on our end too. Yes, ask the Sparkle Team. The way I insist on doing things makes all our jobs much more complicated and incurs quite the expense in time, energy and money.  And even with these processes in place, I’m so very proud of the fact that we have over 1,400 graduates from over 40 countries around the globe.

Oh, and another thing… if you’re looking for a course that simply spews out crystal properties for you to memorize then this is not the course for you. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that but there are other courses out there if that’s more of what you resonate with.

Our method teaches you to really get to know your crystals & we take a more personal approach to that.

Have I scared you off yet?

What, am I crazy?

Am I trying to deliberately scare you off?

Absolutely not.

I just want to convey exactly the kind of institution that we are and to make sure that we both know what to expect from each other. I want it to be clear that you will be required to do the work. We will hold you to clearly defined standards while supporting you all the way. This way there are no surprises. It’s not that hard really. You just need to do the work and you have a full year to get it all done and we’ve built in more support then you’ll probably ever need just to over-deliver.

Why Do it the Hard Way?

When I set out to do this, I knew that graduating from Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy needed to mean something–it needed to be admired, respected and have merit. That’s how our graduates and our Academy have earned the reputation we currently now have.

See, I’m super-passionate about what I do and I feel there is no greater joy than to see the delight or get an excited testimonial from a student who suddenly comprehends a certain concept or is now inspired to take it much deeper than they ever thought they wanted to go. NOTHING supersedes that. And working through the hard stuff, not relenting and not “making it easy”… that’s the only way to get there. So I’m willing to slog through the “hard stuff” to get YOU there. Then you’ll see how rewarding it is too!

It’s critical to me that when you register with us you:

• are committed to learning
• want to build a strong foundation through critical thinking and assessment
• will profoundly develop your crystal practice, confidence and skills before sharing it out with clients
• will come to recognize crystals as powerful energetic tools and have adequate training to use them in an effective, yet secure, safe & sensible manner

I want to continue to make sure that we attract the right kind of student here at the HMCA.

OK, now that we’ve covered who it’s for and who it’s not for, if you’re still here reading this you may be happy to learn that our Spring 2018 registration will be opening very soon! Get on our Wait List here for first notice and some pretty juicy perks.

As I said, I’ve given you permission to hate my guts. It’s really OK by me. Just as long as I’ve prodded you to challenge yourself, I’m totally down with it.

Now, as long as the conversation stays thoughtful, respectful and civil, I invite you to comment below … what do you think about our certification standards?

Crystal Blessings!