Nearly 30 years ago my late father, a builder, wrote me at college in Maine to share an architectural rendering of the new home he planned to build for our family 400 miles away in suburban Philadelphia – a house that would feature wonderful New Hampshire stone.

The native stone and granite found in Maine and New Hampshire are resources of great pride for New Englanders and have become metaphors for the solid nature of its residents and the enduring geography of the land and rugged coastline.

Brazilian native and Belfast resident Julio Vargas is importing very different granite from his country into New England, one that challenges our perception of what granite is. This is not the uniform gray stone that graces our buildings, cemeteries and is used generously as curbing in some areas.

The good-natured Vargas has expanded beyond the traditional “flat and gray” granite, he noted “to introduce for Maine new possibilities for granite.” He acknowledges that some of the native granite producers along with distributors in Boston "are mad at me." Life can be funny that way – just when we are "certain" we know something, it shows us something new that changes our perspective.

He imports “first quality granite (on a scale including first, second and commercial grades) and we make it affordable,” explained Vargas. His inventory features basic, exotic and hard-to-find, rare exotic stones.

After the stunning color, the most distinguishing characteristic of Brazilian granite is the amazing range of movement present in the stone.

Walking into the midcoast warehouse of JV Cornerstone, Inc., where 55-square foot granite slabs weighing 1,000 pounds each are displayed is like a trip to an art museum featuring lush Italian paintings and abstract and nature-mimicking murals. The first slab I come upon is Blue Fantasy, which I immediately translate to stormy sea – a tumult stirring the surface of an angry, blue green ocean.

Black Marinace looks like the bottom of a crystal-clear streambed strewn with the traditional gray and black stones typical of New England. In others such as Yellow Bamboo, I see maps of ancient civilizations, a whimsical duck swimming across another piece, elegant Rorschach images. The longer one gazes, the more appears.

Vargas himself mostly sees “faces, birds, movement, Italian paintings.” And once, a “crystal-clear” colorful talking bird, a parrot. In fact, the Brazilian transplant refers to his inventory as both a museum in a store” and a “gallery in stone.”

Stunning for sure, the stones become breathtaking when one considers the artist – Mother Nature.

The most creative installations he has seen, Vargas said occur, “When you put together two slabs from the same stone and the pattern matches. The movement is unbelievable. Like two eyes with a mouth or say on a floor, it looks like someone is looking at you.”

No stranger to quarries, the granite importer said the most amazing stone in its natural state he has seen was in Bahia, Brazil where “you see the earth is blue” with blue granite containing sodalite.

Vargas sees the most movement in Green Peace, Iron Red, Moulin Rouge, Yellow Bamboo, Gaya Dream and Juparano Wave. “Each color stone has its own life and movement,” he explained.

Earlier in the day, he related how a customer came in and they matched a gold counter with beige tile and it worked well. They could see how beige and green did not have enough contrast. “You feel how the colors work together. You compose the environment,” he said.

“There are over 100 colors of granite in Brazil. I have 50 colors in my yard,” said Vargas, adding he plans to add even more color offerings over time. Color variances are attributed to the soil. “In Brazil the soil is so rich and there are so many geographic differences, this is what makes the colors different and stone that is soft and hard,” he explained. Red is the heaviest because of the iron ore content and green, the softest granite, he noted.

“When people come in my yard they have different taste. They might see green and say wow. They gravitate, they identify. They like movement or some people like flat, some like traditional, some like modern. It’s interesting to see their reactions and how they are able to make a firm decision,” he said.

While Vargas said he could not speak directly to the healing qualities of the stone, he explained that, “They feel alive with life movement, colors and patterns the energy is transferred to you. In your kitchen they can have a positive effect. That’s what’s nice you know?”

Buying trends change but at the moment, Vargas said his Maine clientele like exotics and “a lot of gold and green are selling now.”

Granite and other stone has become a tremendously popular material used primarily for kitchen and bath applications and serves to enhance home value. “It has mass appeal,” said Vargas of his product, “If you own and home and you have a kitchen,” he sees a potential customer.

In the United States, Vargas said 80 percent of the imported granite is derived from Brazil. Ten percent comes from India, which he said is limited to about five colors. Granite from Italy, Greece, Israel, Africa and China comprise the remaining 10 percent of the American granite market.

Asked about any concern of radon emitted by the stone, Vargas said the earth naturally produces radon but that studies, including a recent one by the Marble Institute of America, have shown the levels are low and do not affect human health.

Presently, JV Cornerstone stocks granite, quartz, limestone and soapstone. This fall, Vargas expects to make his first purchase of Italian marble.

The Brazilian-educated Vargas, with a bachelor’s degree in international business management and an M.B.A. with a specialization in geology and ornamental stone, has been doing import/export business for 10 years and has been working with granite for seven years.

Having traveled extensively, Vargas said Belfast offers a lifestyle similar to his native Victoria, near Rio de Janeiro. “Close to water. Close to nature. Friendly people and community and people raising families,” he noted.

A clue to what drives the businessperson and granite connoisseur is found on his business card. “A precious cornerstone for a sure foundation, the one who trusts will never be dismayed,” from Isiah 28:16.

The entrepreneur said his strong faith as a Christian Baptist inspired him to include the bible passage and that “God gave me this business and the directions for running the business.” You can contact Vargas at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit his website at www.jvcornerstoneusa.com.

© 2009 Teresa Piccari

The Art of Emotional Wisdom
By: Liam Quirk
Unlimited Publishing
ISBN: 1-58832-101-0

Oh that Toto! Chasing Miss Gulch’s cat. Revealing the “wizard” behind the curtain to be a mere mortal. Escaping the witch’s castle to lead a rescue posse back for Dorothy. And just when they are finally headed home to Kansas in a hot air balloon, Toto hops out.

As a symbol of Dorothy’s spiritual wholeness, Toto is always creating chaos, nudging Dorothy forward. Good boy!

In his book The Art of Emotional Wisdom author Liam Quirk, an Emotional Transformation Therapy (TM) practitioner and somatic therapist, depicts several perspectives – including classic mythic hero, shamanic journey, a dream chock full of Jungian archetypes representing the collective unconscious and as a transcendent journey to emotional maturity and enlightenment – that are at play in The Wizard of Oz film.

(Editorial note: Text from The Art of Emotional Wisdom is shown in italicized passages that follow.)

It is symbolically significant that the entire crisis revolves around Toto, the dog Dorothy unconditionally loves and protects. Her identity, her unconscious knowing of her transcendent self, is reliant on Toto, so when Toto is threatened so is she. The name Toto supports this idea, as in the Latin phrase in toto, meaning ‘as a whole.’

Our Core Wounds

Of the three modes of human experience – body, emotion and mind, Quirk writes, our culture tends to favor one mode at the expense of the others. “It’s like having a house with three magnificent picture windows that open out to different views, but getting stuck looking out just one of them while the others are draped shut.”
Without understanding and appreciating the role of emotion in the human experience, writes Quirk, we will not realize our potential for love or creativity.

The unspoken truth of myths like The Wizard of Oz is that our black-and-white everyday world is one veil of perception away from a vibrantly colorful wonderland. Mystery and magic are the underpinnings of our existence, and if that is not our experience, the reason lies in the perceptive lens through which we view and create our lives. And until we can recognize that it is our own distorted sense of who we are that keeps us from living each moment for the gift it is, we will search in vain for something outside of ourselves to set us free.

Dorothy’s own emotions create the twister in the story. Letting go of her old identity, symbolized by her house, show us she has let go of conscious control, to make way for transcendence.

Over the Rainbow

Arriving in Munchkinland, Quirk describes how Dorothy has
stepped into a waking dream state and as a shaman she has journeyed deep into her being to find the wisdom, or elixir, she will need to heal herself.

In a phone interview Quirk said it is helpful to ask, “Why does all this stuff (symbols and archetypes) work?” The Law of Wholeness, common to all wisdom traditions that say we are all one.

“You are not able to see you until there’s another. It’s what we’re trying to undo. The reason we see the self as separate from others is inside we feel separate. It’s what we’re trying to undo,” said the therapist.

“When you’re constantly engaged with life it will play with you. All the synchronicity that is the fun part of the journey.”

“Art is a way in which we differentiate the oneness, by putting it outside of ourselves. Art helps us differentiate and simplify. It involves us and how we see ourselves in the world.”

"What’s fun is to be the fully individuated self and to experience that we are all in the divine play of oneness,” Quirk said.

The Shadow Knows

That the Wicked Witch of the West demands that Dorothy surrender is inspired, and reveals the deeper forces of myth breaking through… Dorothy will of course have to surrender her false sense of self, which includes her fears and her feelings of incompleteness and unworthiness, in order to connect with the truth of her divine identity.

Those dastardly wicked sisters! They represent Dorothy’s shadow. Most of us want to get rid of any aspect of ourselves we don’t like – our shadow, our dark side, karma or core wounding. But it is here, Quirk advises, where treasures are buried. If someone triggers us, it can only be because there is something to be triggered.

“When we talk about integration of the shadow, bring it in as a part of you, recognize the you in it and heal the you in it. When the shadow is healed, you’ll heal,” explained Quirk.

When faced with “bad” situations, Quirk adds, we can learn to respond instead of reacting. Ask yourself questions like, “Am I putting myself in harm’s way? Can I open myself to compassion? Can I step into my power and get out of the situation? What lesson am I being asked to learn?”

We get to choose which self we bring to any situation. Our shadow or lower self, our human or ego consciousness, or our highest, transcended self – what Quirk calls “the capital S self.”

In 173 pages the therapist efficiently guides us through Dorothy’s journey and helps us shed light on our own core wounding. Using exercises, questions for contemplation and a summation of main points at the end of each of the five chapters, Quirk gently but effectively leads us through the edgy waters we must swim if we wish to become free of our core wounding and become emotionally mature individuals able to thrive and fulfill our highest potential.

Liam is an Emotional Transformation Therapy (TM) Practitioner and Somatic Therapist. In addition to his private practice, he leads workshops and small groups on emotional processing practices, spirituality and personal growth. He may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

© 2009 by Teresa Piccari

Teresa Piccari is a writer and teacher living in coastal Maine. She is the proprietor of The Village Scribe, a writing and editing business located at The Wellness Center, 71 Elm, in Camden. She runs The Ducktrap Writers Roundtable. She teaches writing workshops including Creative Writing, Mythic Structure, Writing & Healing and Memoir. Correspond with her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 207.344.7070.