ORE FEATURES
A biweekly publication of Ozark Rock Exchange
VOL 1: Issue 3, November 27, 1999
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Main: >> Start Page >> ORE Features Archives >> 1999 >> Amethyst | |
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ORE’S Featured Gemstone: Amethyst by Stephanie Pflumm Amethyst is a member of the crystal quartz or silica group, which are the most common minerals on our planet. Quartz’s structure consists of corkscrewing chains of silicon tetrahedrons that often terminate in a six-sided pyramid. The quartz’s corkscrew can be either left handed or right handed & in some very rare instances, it will turn both ways. Amethyst was formed under a variety of conditions. In Brazil & Uraguay it formed in the gas cavities of lava flows (geodes). Agate geodes containing Amethyst can reach up to five feet in length & four feet wide. Double terminated Amethyst points are often found near Vera Cruz, Mexico. In Canada, Russia & the US, Amethyst formed in pegmatites (Rose Quartz Vol. 1 - Issue 1) or in metamorphic rocks. In fact each locale where Amethyst is found, seems to produce a slightly different crystal. Because of these wide ranging differences, I’ve included a short index of locations & properties. Regardless of how or where the Amethyst crystal forms, it is the inclusion of iron that gives this gem it’s violet to purple color. Manganese is present in some Amethyst & Hematite is found in specimens from Thunder Bay, Canada. The history of Amethyst is as ancient & dusty as the burial crypts of early Egypt & Babylonia. Archeologists have recovered documents that have been sealed & the dead adorned with Amethyst. At one time the scarcity of this gem made it almost as valuable as diamonds. The oldest of England’s crown jewels is a cut Amethyst worn by Edward the Confessor. Crusaders attached them to their rosaries & the rings of Cardinals & the Pope are decorated with it. Amethyst comes from a Greek word, amethusos, meaning not drunk. There is a myth about Bacchus pouring wine on an amethyst to give the stone it’s color. Goblets of Amethyst were said to prevent the drinker from being overwhelmed by the drink’s spirit. Today those trying to overcome addictions, especially alcohol addiction, use the healing powers of Amethyst as an aid. Amethyst is a very important gemstone for anyone wanting to work with gem & crystal healing. I keep one for my migraine headaches, they are very useful for relieving tension & pain. Amethyst can aid in respiration & reduce swelling from injuries. It has been used to clear up blemishes & soften rough skin. Amethyst can help strengthen the skeletal structure to improve posture. It will promote healing on a cellular level, aid the digestive tract & help with stomach & heart disorders. You can use an Amethyst to help with insomnia, one of it’s metaphysical attributes is the ability to bring dreams. Associated with the Crown Chakra, Amethyst is an excellent meditation crystal & is credited with being a strong psychic stone. Some keep Amethyst with their Tarot Cards or other divining tools. Sleeping with this crystal can keep away nightmares, promote a deeper healing sleep & often bring prophetic dreams. Along with it’s psychic powers this crystal also imparts the wisdom to use this new knowledge in correct ways. It has a reputation as a highly protective stone. Amethyst can guard against thieves, keep travelers safe, prevent harm & sickness, protect from evil & banish sorrow. Like Rose Quartz, Amethyst is another gemstone used for love energies. Men may use the crystal to attract good women. A woman may present the stone to a man to protect his love from fading or to magnify her beauty in his eyes. Rose Quartz & Amethyst make a powerful combination, for either healing or creating energies. Two Stone Power Prayer Pouches take advantage of combining these creative energies. Amethyst can be found in the Love, Health & Protection Stone Power Prayer Pouches from Ozark Rock Exchange. Amethyst Index Africa - Large, unattractive crystals that can be cut & polished into some highly prized gemstones Brazil - Most formed in volcanic vugs or gas bubbles (geodes); some vugs form from trees that were engulfed in the flow then withered away; light to medium violet, with color only showing in the tops of the crystals Canada - Clusters grew in druzy crusts along the fissures of ancient metamorphic rocks; contain a unique red hematite inclusion Germany - found with colorful agates that formed in druzy crusts (Mexico) Guerrero - dark purple prismatic crystals radiating from a common attachment point, often phantomed & double terminated Vera Cruz - similar to Guerrero crystals, except for their color - the interior is a pale purple with a clear quartz exterior, some of the most valuable Amethyst in the world Russia - a clear, dark variety used primarily for fine cut gemstones - uncut clusters are rarely available on the market United States - mostly found in druzy clusters filling the fractures of metamorphic rocks or in pegmatites, ranging in color from a bluish/violet to a brownish purple. (Colorado) - these druzes formed in the fissures of sandstone, often on top of a green fluorite crust, crystals are dark & small Pictures of Amethyst - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As Grandmother Moon withers away to her new self, it is a good time to be contemplating harmful habits & traits that you are unhappy with & would like to loose before you enter the new millennium. Make a list of the habit or traits you want to be rid of, or change into more helpful energies. Try not to make your list very long, concentrate on three to five energies you’d like to transmute. Now choose a gemstone that corresponds with each of the particular energies you are wanting to change. Are you wanting to change your work habits, overcome a predilection towards laziness? Choose a stone with lots of fire, like Tiger Eye, or a Garnet (especially if you are wanting to be more productive at your career). Is it your attitude you need to fix? Do you need to have a more loving heart toward your relations (I’m not just talking in-laws here)? The obvious choice for transmuting your energies into a more loving flow is Rose Quartz. Remember there are no rules for doing this. Working with gemstones is very intuitive, so always go with your first instincts when choosing a stone. It’s nice to have other opinions to help guide you, but your heart & mind should make the final choice. Once you have chosen a gemstone for each of the energies you are trying to change, cleanse yourself & your gemstones in preparation for your work. Put yourself in a quiet place where you will not be interrupted until you have finished. As you prepare to be creative, be sure to ask that your thoughts, desires & actions are correct & for the good of all (including yourself). Do the following work with each stone: Using your non-dominant hand (the one you don’t write with), hold the gemstone & begin visualizing the harmful energy you are wanting to change. Visualize that energy leaving your body & storing itself in the stone you are holding. Visualize all the positive benefits of being rid of this energy. Once you feel that energy has been drained, set your stone aside. Repeat this with each gemstone/habit you are working on. When you have completed the process, take the piece of paper you wrote your list on & wrap your stones in it. If you like to write, you might consider composing a prayer or poem to wrap your stones in. Tie your package with some cotton, hemp or leather string, or place it in a pouch. As you await the New Moon, keep your package or pouch some place where you will pass by it each day (I would not recommend wearing it, since you are trying to rid yourself of these energies). Continue to visualize your harmful energies being trapped in the gemstones & no longer a part of your life. As the new millennium approaches, know that the elements are now be working with you to transmute your harmful energies into helpful ones, not just for you but for all your relations. Bad habits & addictions are hard to break. Unfortunately, no person or thing can actually change these energies for you. They can only work with you to assist in bringing about a change. Please feel free to forward a copy to a friend. |
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