Gemstones

Kyanite – Stone Of The Month

September 16, 2013

The name Kyanite is derived from the Greek word Kyanos, literally meaning blue. It is a form of Aluminum Silicate (Al2 SiO5 ) that forms in blade crystals and has a hardness rating between 4.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs Scale.
It is a typically blue silicate mineral, commonly found in aluminum-rich metamorphic pegmatites and/or sedimentary rock. It occurs in various locations around the world, but the best quality of Blue Kyanite is mined in Nepal and Tibet.
Other colors include Indigo (India/Nepal), Green (Pakistan), Black (from Brazil), and Orange (found recently in Tanzania) and more rarely in White, Gray, Pink, and Yellow varieties.
Occasionally it contains enough clean gemmy material to be cut into beads and polished pieces. Since it falls into the rare polymorphic group – one that displays varying hardness within one specimen – these polished pieces are rather uncommon. Much like Diamonds, Kyanite has perfect cleavage in one direction, this combined with its varying hardness makes Kyanite quite a challenging gem to cut and polish.
I will concentrate on the most readily available colors.

Orange, Black, Blue, and Green Kyanite

Kyanite’s message is one of cleansing and alignment.

All the colors effect the entire system, but they also influence their individual chakras strongly. They are all well known for their ability to align the chakras and open the energy centers. This occurs without the user needing to direct it by thought. Just carrying a piece will help bring the energy centers into alignment, but if it is consciously directed, its effects will be greatly magnified.
Additionally, the stone does not accumulate negativity and can be used continually without needing a cleansing period. It is particularly beneficial for recovery from injuries, re-aligning the subtle energies that were disrupted.
Using it at the beginning of a meditation session allows the user to begin with chakras opened and aligned. It also helps to calm the mind and to achieve the meditative state more easily.

The Blue and Indigo varieties resonate most strongly with the throat and third eye, facilitating the opening of the third eye during spiritual work and the throat chakra for communication of the information gleaned during the session. They are also very beneficial for working with group energies, whether these be in a healing or prayer circle or in a business meeting, kyanite helps the co-creative process flow more smoothly and lessens conflicts.

Black Kyanite resonates strongly with the root chakra. It deepens our connection to the physical, natural world. It brings power and strength, relieving fears associated with the physical existence here on Earth and shields from psychic attack.
Much like Jet, it offers protection and a retreat, the safety of being hidden from your enemies. It is excellent for acessing childhood memories and helping to relieve the effects of early trauma, facilitating healing form our past. Additionally, it amplifies grounding energies, supports environmental healing, connecting with those who are pulling pollution out of the earth and assisting the evolution of the planet. It is a fine stone to include in grids to rid areas of negative or malignant energies – like hauntings – since low frequency entities cannot tolerate it.

Green Kyanite focuses on the heart chakra. It helps one to see where another’s “heart” lies or what the truth is when working with others. Carrying it with you can help when in the company of others of whom you are unsure, by helping you to look within the heart of that person to see their true motives behind any statement or action. It also helps to overcome depression by offering hope and support for the internal adjustment and growth needed to bring about positive physical changes.
It can be used to facilitate communications with the Devic realm and nature spirits.

And lastly, Orange Kyanite resonates with the sacral chakra, bringing its uplifting and optimistic energy to the user. It encourages us to bring light and high vibrational energies to our creative pursuits and to explore our passion for life. It may also be benificial for those seeking fertility, both physically and spiritually.

Kyanite is a beautiful stone and packs quite a powerful punch in any of its forms.

See you at the Fair!

Indigo Gabbro – Stone of the Month

August 9, 2013

Indigo Gabbro is a stone that is one of the best facilitators for energy transference.

Gabbro in general is a igneous stone, and the Indigo variety is mined mainly in Madagascar with some material coming from Alaska. It is formed of silicate [SiO2, or quartz] that is rich in magnesium and iron. It has a chemical equivalent to basalt, but with decidedly different energies.
Indigo Gabbro contains a combination that can include feldspar, chlorite, serpentine, muscovite, pyroxene, hercynite, and magnetite in a charcoal colored matrix; it may also contain small amounts of olivine, chrome garnet, actinolite, and biotite; It can also contain valuable amounts of chromium, nickel, cobalt, gold, silver, platinum, and copper sulfides. The material that I have obtained shows a lovely iridescent sheen across the chocolate colored parts of its surface.

: Slab showing crystalline structure of Indigo Gabbro

Indigo Gabbro is said to amplify the energy channeled by various forms of Lightwork such as Reiki, Color Healing, Earth Healing, Gridding etc. This is facilitated by holding a piece of Indigo Gabbro in each hand during the work. The stone grounds you firmly into the Earth’s “battery” and opens the spiraling gates for both the energies of Heaven and Earth to move through the practitioner into the subject at a greatly accelerated rate. It further anchors the vibration of intention into the healer/practitioner and the Earth while helping the practitioner move into harmony with their greater or Soul’s purpose.
It seems amplify and adjust the energies of any other stones being used during the treatment. I particularly like its interaction with selenite, nuummit, and covellite. I am experimenting with this further as of the writing of this column.
It is said to adjust the energies of “hot” stones such as Moldavite, Phenacite, or Danburyite so that the user may more easily adjust and resonate with the stone, easing the vibrational “oomph” caused by the rapid rise in frequency- all without moving the subject out of balance due to overload. This is said to allow the subject to more fully access the information of the stone.
It is believed to work to open the Third Eye, facilitating the training of psychic and intuitive abilities and increasing the user’s sensitivity to the “unseen”. It has been said to facilitate communications with the spiritual realm and with the natural world – plant, mineral, and animal.
It is also said to help clear the aura and remove energy attachments, entities, and implants by the application of the stone to the base of the skull for 15 to 30 minutes while focusing energy on clearing the subject’s physical and etheric bodies. The stone works to vacuum the energies out of the subject. Keeping the stone in close proximity to the body while meditating or sleeping is said to work to maintain the freedom from energy implants, negative entities, and drainers.
The stone should be cleansed after use by placing in a container of salt that is reserved solely for the cleaning of stones and crystals, for at least 24 hours – up to two weeks for really nasty removals.
This has been a very fun stone to research and experiment with, and I look forward to sharing my future findings and the findings of other practitioners with you as the information becomes available.

Opal – October’s Stone Of The Month

October 14, 2012

While both blue and pink Andean Opal, Fire Opal, Ethiopian Opal, and Australian Opal all share the chemical composition of SiO2n(H2O), currently the most common material on the market is mainly Australian opal. Note, Ethiopian opal is as flashy as the Aussi material and rapidly gaining a market share in the jewelry trade.
All opal shares a Mohs hardness between 5 and 6, but since it has an amorphous crystalline structure and is very hydrated, it can crack or craze due to sharp temperature changes or dryness. Rings set with opal should be worn with care because of this.

For many years, the opal suffered rumors and old wives tales about being bad luck. Legends have persisted about this stone, tales designed to discourage those who might otherwise find themselves drawn by its fiery brilliance. Throughout history, while many stones were prized for their positive magical qualities, others were denounced as vessels of evil. No gem was more vilified than the poor opal. Often associated with scorcery and witchcraft, Medieval Europeans dreaded the opal because of its resemblance to “the Evil Eye,” and its superficial likeness to the optical organs of cats, toads, snakes, and other common creatures with affiliations with witchcraft. Opals today are still viewed with prejudice in many parts of the world which is unfortunate for such a wonderful, healing stone. In general, research into opal’s folklore turns up the belief that opal is a stone of inspiration which can enhance imagination and creativity. It is said to help one release inhibitions and enhance memory. Opal is also a very spiritual stone, and is said to help one be “invisible” in situations where they don’t care to be noticed.
There are a multitude of opal varieties, each with its own nuanced energies.

Boulder Opal (precious opal threaded in an ironstone matrix, most commonly from Australia) is said to do many things for us on the metaphysical level. It is said to assist us in communication of all forms; verbal, psychic, etc. Some like to use this stone to assist in communication with their guides, angels, animal guides, nature devas, and other entities. Boulder Opal is also a good choice for clearing blocked Chakras, and for strengthening and adding light into the aura. It produces stability. Boulder Opal is also a very spiritual stone, it has long been used by native people in ceremonies and rights of passage.

Ethiopian Opal increases your psychic abilities for incoming and outgoing questions and answers. It helps one to discern areas in need of change. Ethiopian Opal connects the Base Chakra, Heart Chakra, and Crown Chakra, helping balance your Chakras and Aura

Fire Opal, most commonly from Mexico, shares the properties of all opals and also has its own personality and energies. Fire opal brings vitality and a creative energy to endeavors. It also had energies of ability to handle change well and comfortably. Fire Opal is also a stone of sensuality and sexuality, enhancing those energies. It is often used in clairaudience as well.

Blue Peruvian (Andean) Opal is mystically known as a stone of courage and ingenuity. It is said to improve self-esteem and self-love. It is also said to be an aid to creativity and communication of all types. It is reputed to help one find a confidant. Peruvian blue opal is also said to help with stress reduction, fatigue, and weight loss. Crystal healing lore reputes that Peruvian (Andean) blue opal is physically healing for fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, metabolic balance issues, iron absorption, dizziness, and brain disorders. Blue Peruvian opal is associated primarily with the throat Chakra.
It is great for stimulating thoughts and communication skills. Use on the fifth Chakra to voice your opinions in a clear fashion. It is about freedom of speech! Some like to use this opal to connect with others. Peruvian opal is a very creative stone, especially for writers and those who need to get their thoughts down on paper. Some say this stone balances metabolism and helps those with fatigue.
Pink Andean Opal can be found occasionally. It is a stone of love and gentleness. It brings energies of gentle love and kindness to both romantic relationships and relationships of other kinds. That said, its energy is not a cottony soft energy, but instead, a vibrant, active energy, like laughter. It raises the spirits and elevates your mood. As with other opals, it also brings inspiration, imagination and creativity. It can help release inhibitions and brings happy dreams. It also eases the process of change. Pink Peruvian opal is associated primarily with the heart Chakra.
Opal is a varied and beautiful stone I enjoy working with and would highly recommend.

See you at the fair!

Carnelian – September’s Stone Of The Month

August 24, 2012

Carnelian is a variety of chalcedony that often shows agate’s banding. It has a 6.5 to 7 hardness on the Mohs scale, making it a sturdy stone for jewelry use, and it was occasionally used to make marbles in the last century! It has a chemical composition of SiO2, which places it in the wide-ranging Quartz family of stone. It is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine inter-growths of the minerals quartz and morganite. It is colored by impurities of iron oxide, namely hematite. The color can vary greatly, ranging from pink, pale orange, to an intense almost-black coloration. When it occurs with black, white, and red bands it is called Sard or Sardonyx.
While the material from India is regarded as the finest, it is also found in several other places throughout the world including Africa, Australia, Brazil, Madagascar, Russia Uruguay, and the United States.

Carnelian has a long and distinguished history, being one of the 12 stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel set in the breastplate of the Jewish high priest in Biblical times. During Roman times it was often used make the engraved gems for signet or seal rings for imprinting a seal with wax on correspondence or other important documents. Hot wax does not stick to carnelian.

In Egypt, it was also highly popular. They believed the stone had great spiritual power, particularly with regard to the afterlife. It was routinely carved into a scarab and placed with the mummified dead because they thought that it would help to ensure a soul’s passage from the land of the living.

Egyptian Scarab New Kingdom

While widely used in both the East Indian and Pre-Columbian cultures for carving, jewelry, and trading, it is unknown to this author if it had any special metaphysical meaning or association in those cultures.

Metaphysically, Carnelian is said to awaken one’s talents and to produce inspiration from spiritual worlds. It was believed by the Romans to give the wearer courage in battle and to help timid speakers become eloquent and bold.

Melody states that it enhances analytical abilities and precision. Protecting against anger, fear, and rage, she says it helps to banish sorrow from the user. Pink carnelian is noted especially to be effective in fostering love and understanding between parents and children, and between parent and parent. It fosters compassion while dispelling apathy, indolence, and passivity. The orange variety is said to better focus the mind, especially during meditation.
She goes on to state that Carnelian, when used with chlorite and ruby crystals in troubled spaces are said to help dispel earthbound spirits and end hauntings!

Others believe this stone represents confidence, boldness, initiative, dramatic abilities, assertiveness and outgoingness. It encourages celebration and brings awareness of suppressed feelings. It is said to be an excellent stone for those recovering from childhood neglect.
This stone helps one feel anchored and comfortable with one’s surroundings. Carnelian provides a connection to the past or to historical events. It can improve motivation. This is why is is commonly believed to help one achieve greater success in career or personal matters.
Since it is believed to be a strong energy booster, it is ideal for those who wish to increase their overall vitality during illness. It is said to stimulate the will to live, help with mental focus and improve appetite.
Its association with the second Chakra also lends it to fertility work, helping to dispel sexual blocks, and it is said to strongly influence the reproductive organs. Additionally, it is used to help relieve painful menses and stimulate sexual passion. Not a bad stone to slip between the mattress and box spring!

In Feng Shui, Carnelian is used in the Center area for harmony and balance, in the South area for success, in the West area for creativity and in the Southeast area for self worth.

In other traditions, placing Carnelian near the front door is said to invoke protection and bring abundance to one’s home.

See you at the fair!

Peridot – August’s Gemstone of the Month

August 12, 2012

August’s Stone of the Month

Peridot is a green crystalline stone ranging in color from bright lime to emerald, called Olivine when the color shifts to a more yellow or the stone is of lower quality and clarity, and known to the ancient Egyptians as “The Stone Of The Sun” and the Greeks as Chrysolite, and even found in meteorites and called Pallasite meteor.

Pallasite – Meteoric Peridot

Mined in antiquity from wide range of sites from Hawaii, where it is associated with the Goddess Pele, to parts of Africa, Sri Lanka, China, Aztec Mexico, and the oldest known mining site in the ancient world in Egypt, it has always been a highly sought stone.
Though it is found worldwide, 80%-95% of the available gems are mined here in the USA, from Peridot Mesa on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona. It is (Mg, Fe)2SiO4 and its hardness runs 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale making it suitable for pendants, earrings, and for the more careful – rings.

Peridot’s metaphysical message is as multifaceted as it’s crystal structure. Most of our knowledge comes from the Arabs, Romans, and Greeks who tell us that it was used to lessen the pain of childbirth and speed delivery, to ward off evil when worn on the left side, and to dispel “Terrors of the Night” when worn set in gold. Beads of Peridot were said to be particularly effective and prized by our ancestors.

It has also been associated with the energy of the Archangel Raphael for those in need of healing, wholeness, and unity.

Melody reports it as acting on all the organs of the torso with a strong healing, protective, and cleansing action. Its protective action is believed to be so strong in fact that she recommends removing peridot jewelry when receiving energy work so that the practitioner can better access the patient’s field. Then, after the session, the stone will protect the wearer’s newly aligned energy from outside influences. Any internal influences must be addressed by the wearer. Labradorite or Tourmilinated Quartz would be well paired with Peridot for protection. For the brave, it could be paired with Obsidian for facing and exorcising any internal emotional issues.

Further, she states that Peridot helps us to recognize detrimental patterns in our lives and helps us to release them and move on. It is a healer of emotional wounds, helping us to let go of hurt feelings, bruised egos, and heartbreak. It reminds us to be more open and accepting in love relationships as we all come with baggage. For this, I would pair it with Rose Quartz for its gentle self love and acceptance.

It is considered a stone that is lucky for prosperity, business, and for bringing in money. I would keep it in the cash box and pair it with Citrine for holding on to that cash and using it wisely.

Finally, Peridot is associated with finding lost items, so it couldn’t hurt to hold it while you say St Anthony’s prayer to find that lost item!

Peridot’s energy is gentle and uplifting, suitable for people of all ages and mental states. Truly a gift to humanity.