Crinoids - A Jar of Shooting Stars! 5ml jars

Crinoids are ancient marine invertebrates belonging to the phylum Echinodermata, making them relatives of starfish, sea urchins, and sand dollars. Often called "sea lilies" or "feather stars," these filter-feeding animals capture plankton from the water using their feathery, branching arms.  Crinoids have three main parts: a central cup called the calyx (which houses the organs), feeding arms, and an upward-facing mouth. 
Two Main Types: Sea Lilies-stalked crinoids that remain permanently anchored to the ocean floor via a stem and Feather Stars which are unstalked crinoids that can swim, crawl using leg-like appendages (cirri), or anchor themselves temporarily to rocks or reefs.  Like starfish, if their arms break off, crinoids can easily and quickly regenerate them. 

These fossils are highly revered for their grounding, calming, and transformative energies. In spiritual practices, they are primarily used to connect with deep earth wisdom, heal past-life karmic patterns, and foster inner stability.

Living Relatives vs. Fossils
While they may look like underwater flowers, crinoids are fully functional animals. They have existed in the world's oceans for nearly 500 million years, making them older than dinosaurs. Today, there are about 600 living species, mostly found in deep oceans or coral reefs. 

During the Paleozoic Era (specifically the Carboniferous Period), crinoids thrived and covered the seafloor in dense underwater gardens. Because their bodies are made of hard calcite plates, they fossilize exceptionally well. 

Star Stones: The stalks of crinoids are made of stacked disc-shaped segments. When the stalk breaks apart and fossilizes, these individual segments often have distinct star or flower shapes, commonly known as "star stones" or "fairy coins". 

Crinoid fossils can be found worldwide, but are particularly common in the limestones of the central and eastern United States (e.g., Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Utah) and the UK. 

This lucky group of stars are sold in glass, corked 5ml bottles at $5 each.